Toledo Conference: 1978
Table of Contents
Encouragement
Address—N. Berry
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General Meetings, Toledo, November 1978, addressed by Norman Berry.
I just have one word that I would like to speak out this afternoon and it is a nine letter word.
And that is the word encourage, encourage.
You is the central word letter of that nine letter word encourage all beloved young people. We are living in a dark, dark day, and as we just survey the horizon, we see that it is becoming more and more.
And I distrust now this afternoon.
That it may be a message from the Lord, a message to encourage you to go on.
And as I meet the dear young people are so dear in my heart I see some sat there saying.
Allowing the world to creep into their thoughts, their ambitions, their aspirations.
Some of us have tried what the world has to offer and as I so often say, we end up with nothing but a handful of ashes.
And there may be some here this afternoon that are undecided. Many, I suppose, undecided as to the path to fall. On the one hand, hearing in the meetings and at home much of the Lord on the other side, in school and college and at work, anything but Satan in all his work, subtlety, violence and corruption, those winds are blowing stronger and stronger.
Well, I trust that this may be awarded for you today that will cause you from the Lord itself wrong. For the Lord. You know there may be some, and I believe there are.
We desire to go on below.
Who have sought the Lord?
I was watching a young person. I think she's about 9 or 10 years of age. I've noticed something about that girl. Why?
Starting into the meeting the other day, I watched.
She sat down.
Was 10 to the hour what she do? She opened up her bridal right away. She started to read the.
Those are the ones that I trust will be encouraged today. Are you? Is there someone here this afternoon, this morning, this afternoon that desires now to have the Lord before you to go on to be strengthened by His blessed word? Oh, may this word encourage now to be yours this afternoon, Director from local Now there are, as I said, 9.
Letters in that word.
And I would just like to take up those nine threads, as it were, and the trace through the scriptures. Just a few of this, the places where this word appears in the Old Testament and the. So let's turn now to Deuteronomy 3 first of all.
Deuteronomy 3.
Verse 28.
Now we don't have time to spend on each one of these verses, but I'd just like to give it a word pipeline.
Moses is just.
A young man has been wood for a long time. My name is Joshua.
And it's interesting, just in passing, to notice how often young and old, or I should say older brothers and younger ones are grouped together. We find Moses and Joshua.
We find David and his son Selam encouraging his son Salam.
And we find in the New Testament, we find Paul encouraging a young man, Timothy. It's nice to see these couples group together, all dear young people.
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And after they're looking at the older ones. But if you know some of those who are the older ones, who are desiring to go on faithfully in their walk, you cultivate their friendship. You'll you'll learn, you'll be blessed through your close contact, as it were, with those older ones, you'll be the last.
Here was Moses about, as I said, just at the end of his life.
He asked the Lord, Can I go into that land? The Lord says no, I don't ask me again.
I wasn't going to hear his prayer well. This would be enough to discourage Moses. This would be enough to say, well, if I'm not going to go in, I'm not going to be concerned about anybody else but oh, eleven dear young people.
Moses was told by the Lord to encourage this young child Joshua. Now let's read this verse 1328 verse.
In spite of the fact that Moses was told not that he wasn't going to the land, This is why I believe this word. But is there? 28 That's John Deuteronomy. 328 But charge, Joshua.
And encourage is our word him, and strengthen him, For he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which.
Thou shalt see. Well, there are three things there. One was to charge Joshua he was going to speak directly to. Second thing is that he was to encourage our dear young people. This is what I want to do by God's grace this afternoon to encourage you to go on. You may be like this man. It may be that the Lord has a work for you to do, you dear young men that are here this afternoon.
See some of them. I just had a letter the other day from one of the young men. Or he may be a Joshua. You know, it's a It was a dark day. Joshua was taking over. And it may be if the Lord doesn't come in the immediate future, you may be called on to stand in difficult days. You may be a Joshua. Oh, I would encourage you, as the Lord here instructed Moses, and encourage him to go on. He was going to be the one that was going to leave Israel into that land.
All they love at once wasn't it? Feel wonderful experience for us if we're alive when the blessed Lord Jesus comes. And then maybe he may come this very afternoon and to be faithful right to the end. Well, here was Joshua getting this word up. Encouragement for Moses. He was one that was going to be. He knew it. We may not know it, but he moved in. Joshua knew that he was going to.
Leave these people off.
Well, it's a nice position to be in, isn't it? And we're going to be seeing different situations and circumstances, some not nearly as lovely as this, but it may be that this is your portion. It may be that the Lord has.
Giving you certain abilities to be able to be used by him. Oh dear young people, if the Lord has equipped you that way or be faithful to him, don't waste those early years of your life.
Go on, for the Lord You may be a Joshua, and in that case the Lord will encourage you. And the Lord gave death instructions here to Moses and courage in.
Now then, let's go on into First Samuel.
Chapter 13.
Now the precious word of God is so full it doesn't always have nice circumstances.
It sees through the wisdom of God every circumstance. And here may be your situation now for the of which we're going to read in the 30th chapter, now of First Samuel.
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Here's David.
David also had a calling. He knew what his destiny was going to be to be the king of Israel.
But here was a testing time now.
He had had a friend and his name was.
The one that was.
With Saul's son John.
Jonathan had been pledging his faithfulness and his love to David, but here we're going to see a very difficult situation now and there's no gentleman around it.
And their young people that may be that. This would describe a condition in which you find yourself. Difficulties, difficulties, difficulties in your life, difficulties in your in the assembly. There may be those things that would be really tested. You look around and you see behavior.
Disputes. Difference of opinion. Enough to discourage you? Oh dear young people. Here is the message for you, David. David finds himself in such a condition. No gentleman around. Now let's read First Samuel, Chapter 3.
Verse 3 So David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. That was a dark day, wasn't it? And David's two wives were taken captives, you know, the Jesuits, and Abigail the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite.
And David was greatly distressed. Or the people stayed up stoning you because the soul of all the people was aggrieved or embittered. Mr. Garvey's translation quiz every man for his sons and for his daughters.
But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God I was not a remarkable country.
To Joshua's mouth, everything was just looking right there. And here's a dark day now. Everything is gone. Now he's lost his family.
Are taken captives.
Not only so, but the people that were around him, they're so distressed that they are just waiting. So until there's no more strength to lead, that'll be enough to shape his confidence with him.
And then the people turn against him and start that stone. They want this stone, it almost totally invented against David. What's he going to do? Is there somebody to look around to see if there's anybody to encourage him? No, there's nobody. There's no one.
Oh dear young people, as I said, it may be your lot. You may be called upon to stand alone. And I believe, as the days get darker, that this is going to be the experience of the Lord's people. I believe that we're going to be called to stand more and more alone. You may be amongst young people in your little assembly. Some of them may not want to be people not desire to go on for the Lord.
They may stop at you.
They may try to discourage you, to turn you away, to try to occupy you in the world, whatever it may be There is, David.
And it may be you. And what does it say but.
Whoa, glorious bottles there. David encouraged himself in the Lord. Nobody else. That turned what is a beautiful expression. This is David and courage himself in the world. Is the Lord ever going to let you down? Never. The difficulties may be around. They may be just as bad as this. The Lord knows all about them. The Lord has recorded all these circumstances to encourage you this afternoon.
Oh dear young people.
Those of you who desire to go on now, though, that day may become dark and perilous.
The Lord is there. The Lord turned. The Lord seek him. Well, David didn't know what to do. Let's just read a verse or two to get the connection.
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Verse 7 And David said to Avaya Far the priest of the molecular son, I pray thee bring me, hit her the ephod.
And the bio star brought thither the ephod to David. And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this truth? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue, for thou shalt hurt him, surely, overtake him, and without fail recover all. Or isn't this a nice little word? What does he do now?
Is he just encourage himself in the Lord and say, well, I don't know what to do now he turns to the Lord for God.
He speaks to the Lord. All you have this door open, Beloved, young people turn to the Lord. Seek him His guidance, he'll hear you. You can pray with a good conscience. First, John 321. The love of our heart condemn us. Not then that we confidence our God, and whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight. Or it's a great thing to have the good conscience in prayer, But then to have that blessed confidence, to know that the Lord will hear you, It says there that the Lord heard Him.
Oh dear young people, the Lord loves you. He wants to encourage you. This is a whispering word. Now to you. And here was that word from the Lord directly to David. In spite of all those difficulties, I shall recover. All. Let's turn over the page. And yes, the end of the 19th verse. Just about. Just read 3 words.
David recovered all.
God said that he would recover it all. He didn't recover it all. Don't lose your confidence in the Lord though. The days are getting so dark. The Lord will sustain you and he would encourage you to go on. So there we have to extremes. We have a man that has is surrounded by them with the confidence that everything is going to go on. Well there is David and the other extreme so it discouraged and distressed. He doesn't know what to do. The Lord know all of them and the Lord sustained. Now let's go on into a second Chronicles chapter.
31 I think it is.
Verse 4. Second Chronicles 13 One Verse 4. Here's our third little threat now that can be woven into this step.
Third one, here is a dark day now another dark day. 10 tribes had gone off into in rebellion under Jeroboam and had gone down and down and down to tribes remained faithful to the Lord Judith and Benjamin. The days came when those 10 tribes were taken off into captivity by Assyrians never found since around the year 600 BC or so. And here was this little group 2 tribes elected and Benjamin.
And it had got darker and darker, and they were about to be swept away too. But here's a man, Hezekiah, whom the Lord raised up now, and here is what it says about him.
This is second. Chronicles 31 and verse two were just read a few parts there, and Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses. Every man according to his service, the priestly writes for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the tents of the Lord. So now don't forget that this was a very dark day.
But Hezekiah wanted to return and to carry it now this Passover, according to God's Word, now then our fourth horse.
Moral He commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.
That's not there's a little word and courage. You know what wasn't? Who was it for? The priest or the priest? They were the ones that had access into God's house, all of their young people. If you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, you're one of God's presence. Now you have access into God's worry presence. As a priest, everyone of us young are old. We as according to first theater.
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Two and five. There it is. We are a a, a people, and we are priests now with access into God's presence.
Well, here was a little word now for those priests, and this is a word again for each one of you young ones, to realize your position and your privileges and to go on now in that priestly world. But I did say that it was an encouragement in the law of the Lord, right in the Old Testament. Now we'll see it also born out of the New Testament, but here it is in the Old Testament.
To encourage those priests to go on now, encourage them in the law of the Lord. Or I ask you, dear young people, are you reading God's word for yourself?
Is the only thing that you and I have in these dark, dark days. The word of God is going to go on forever. And this is the book from which you and I can draw our experience. We don't get it out of life. That's what people say in all experiences, The Great teacher. But that's not true here. Is the great Teacher, the blessed word of God. Are you reading? Are you saturating yourself in?
Your mothers that are here this afternoon, that have your sons and daughters growing up.
What kind of an atmosphere are those boys and girls growing up in? Some of us have had mothers that have had those open Bibles on the counter in the kitchen. That's my memory of my childhood.
Oh dear mothers and fathers, are you feeding your children on the precious word of God? Are you putting into them a foundation that will cause them to be strong in the Lord?
Leaning on Christ yourself, feeding your dear children.
On Christ and through the blessed Word of God. This is paramount. This is first, and this is what the priests were encouraged, now would be encouraged him to go on in the word of the Lord. Now then, let's go on to the 35th chapter.
We will see another.
Encouragement.
35 and verse 2.
Right Day, Know and Thee, Josiah's time. Another restoration.
Hezekiah's restoration has often been compared to the Reformation days of the 17th century around there. But Josiah's day, the Restoration under Josiah has often been compared with the restoration of the truth in the 1830s and so on around that time. The difference between Hezekiah is time and Josiah's was this that Josiah's was much more.
According to.
The word wonderful day of Hezekiah's restoration of the truth, but nothing in comparison with Josiah as far as the word was concerned. Yet we saw how that they were encouraged in the word. But here now and there has been an interval between of dark days, but Josiah is on the throne and Josiah is a faithful king.
Dark days. The Lord said that the judgment was coming, and Oh dear young people is just like today. We know that judgment is just about to fall on this poor world.
Those boys and girls that you're at university with or at at school, if they don't know the Lord, they're on their way to hell. Are we being faithful to them, witnessing to them? There was a dark day now, Josiah's day, and let's read what it says there.
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Second Chronicles 35 and verse one. Moreover, Josiah kept the Passover under the Lord in Jerusalem, and they killed the Passover on the 14th day of the first month. That was exactly as it should have been according to Moses word, and he set the priests in their charges and encouraged them to.
The service of the House of the area. Now here's another encouragement. This time it was beyond the word. There was an encouragement now in the service of the House of the Lord. Now I'd just like to point out this, that the priests were different from the Levites. The Levites were in connection with the service of carrying the Tabernacle to the wilderness. But when they camped.
Stopped and when the Tabernacle was set up, the Levites were just around the Tabernacle as guards.
But they didn't have any service in the House of the Lord. But here was a privilege people, the priests now, and they as it working into being when the Tabernacle stood still in connection with the approach or the worship of God.
I was a chance. Oh, it's telling us dear young people that no matter how difficult that is.
Are you and I growing in our souls? Are we reading God's Word according to the encouragement of Hezekiah? But are we realizing that, as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that it is the greatest privilege on the face of this earth?
Oh, what a glorious privilege this is. I would seek to encourage you now to go on. I believe this word service is not in connection with Levitical service, but it is in connection with priests service.
Missing the meetings.
Are you one of those ones that is there?
Can we grow if we're missing the reading meetings? I don't believe so.
I believe that it is very important for everyone of us to be at the Lord's when we remember the Lord. That is a paradigm. I see all the meetings are much larger on that day. Then I see the reading meetings halfway between, possibly for the prayer meetings. Small. Or is that neglecting the service of the Lord? I believe so are we. Oh, here is a word now of encouragement to go on in these two things.
In the Word of the Lord, and in that which is in connection with the worship of the law, he belonged to the Lord.
Yes, you might say, you pray to the Lord. Oh yes, that's a good reply, isn't it?
Are you remembering the Lord?
It's dropped, you know. But you still pray to the Lord to ask the Lord to help you and to get encouragement from the Lord? Yes. Is there is a response in your heart, in our hearts to the Lord, the service of the Lord, or how little he asked of us just merely to remember Him? I shouldn't say merely what a glorious privilege, but we're not going to have a heart for it, dear young people, unless the Lord is precious to us.
Oh, I would just encourage you taste and see that the Lord is good. And so here were those two encouragements, one for the word and the other for the service of the House of the Lord. Now then, let's look at an interesting one in Isaiah chapter 41.
The Darfur threat.
Like the reading, of course.
To give you a little bit of a background in the previous chapter, last verse, but they that that's Isaiah 40 and 31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as Eagles, they shall run and not be wearied, and they shall walk and not think. Now here's the horse. Verse six of the next chapter, Isaiah 41, verse 6, right.
Verse 6 Now here is our threat and our word. They helped everyone, his neighbor and everyone said to his brother.
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Be of good courage, or, as Mr. Darkest Translation was a tape courage, so the Carpenter encouraged the Goldsmith, and he that smoothed with the hammer.
Inlet smoking the anvil or on the animal saying it is ready for the Saturn. And he fastened it with nails that it should not be moved. Now that a lot of interesting things, I highly recommend you to meditate on this wonderful verse. What did it say? They helped everyone. His name? Oh isn't that a wonderful thing? Are you? Am I? Are we encouraging others to go on now? Everyone. He didn't just have his special favorites, but it says.
They encourage everyone his neighbor. There wasn't any difference so often, and we're liable to drift toward those with whom we are especially friendly because of social conditions or whatever it might be. But here is a lovely word, isn't it?
And they help. Everyone is encouraging those who desire to go on, well that is the word now then and everyone said to his brother, take courage.
Are you a discourager where you are in your own assembly, or are you one who is saying take courage? Or can we say that today, dear young people, yes we can, indeed we can.
Is the Lord with us? Yes, he is. Is he going to be with us all the way through? Yes. Would he desire to be the object of our life? Yes, indeed. Is he sufficient to satisfy every longing over your heart and mind? Yes, he certainly is. Oh, take courage. That is the first thing.
And then what? So the Carpenter encouraged the ghost. He said, well, what's the Carpenter do? Carpenter works in wood. And wood in the Scripture, you know, is a picture of humanity. The Lord Jesus, Son of God, he became a man. He took on the human, the body of a man, although he didn't have a sinful nature, but he was in all ways, as we are, as men, as a man.
Well, here's the man that worked in the wood that was, we could say, the humanity side. Now this verse is very instructive, I believe in contrast to what we've had before us, because in the previous verses, because they are more having to do with the spiritual light. But here now is a word of encouragement for all aspects of our life, not only the assembly like our own life.
And here is the man that is engaged in the work of the Carpenter dealing, as I said in the humanity side. And what does he do? Or he is encouraging the Goldsmith. Now it's the Goldsmith. Well, I believe no. The gold is in the picture in the scriptures is a picture of the divine righteousness or the righteousness of God. All here was a man that was engaged in that court. They were quite contrast, weren't they? The Carpenter and the Goldsmith the Carpenter might have been.
Heavier work and the Goldsmith. He might have the more delicate work to do.
But here they're encouraging one another. Oh, isn't that enough? They were encouraging each other. What else? And he that smoothed with the hammer, encouraged by there that smoke on the handle. Well, there was another set. Here was a man that was a smoother with the hammer. Well, he would have to have a delicate touch, and there he would be, smoothing out that which was.
Had been spoiled.
And there is the other man. He's got the great big sledgehammer, and here he is, hammering out on the end. Now, you know, beloved dear young people, each one of us has a job to do. It may be your job to do a certain work for the Lord, and it may be someone else's opportunity to be working in another way. And there are in the assembly.
Occasions when it is the nice little tap of the hammer.
That helps. I can look back in my life and can remember years and years ago when an old brother sidled up to me as a young fellow.
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No, they even. I don't think it was saved at the time, but I can well remember the day he just passed me on the shoulder and quoted me a verse of scripture that's well over 50 years, 55 years ago. He was just giving me a little tap with a hammer, but I appreciated that. It was an encouragement to me. And if some of the older ones just give you a little bit of a tap with that hammer, just say that's an encouragement from the Lord, I'm going to go on. But sometimes there has to be the hammer, the great big mallet, and there is the heavy hand, and it may be that on the occasion in the assembly, there may have to be.
That every hand laid well, there was one that was engaged in the more delicate side, and there he was in encouraging the the one who had to lay the heavy hand. And so there they were, encouraging each other. Now on the last one.
Saying at the middle of the seven years sing and notice in your margin saying of the soldering. Soldering it is good. Now here's a soldering man. What's the soldering man? He's the man that slows over the the rocket.
He puts on the solder and then he has to grind it down. Well, it may be so too. This is Grace, I believe that would cover those things that need covering and smoothing over. I don't mean to say to condone the evil, but I do mean that I believe that there are times when we need to be good soderers. And so here was the sadere and what was sent to about his work is really didn't say it was bad and didn't discourage that sadder it was good.
Well, a little word of encouragement or how long, how much we remember those things. I'm sure that I look into your faces. You remember days when somebody has just said a little bit of a word of encouraging, You know that word encourage is very close to cheer. Now, I don't need to talk to you about cheerleaders and all this kind of a thing and all the the sports, why they're you hear the great cheers. What are they doing?
Trying to encourage the competitors to go on. Ah, beloved ones, this is what the Lord wants to do to you today. To encourage you to go on for him. He will bless you. He will become more precious to you. Now there are 5 threads from the Old Testament. Let's go on now into the new to see how the fabric is all one. Let's turn now to Rome.
Chapter 15.
Romans 15 and verse 4/4 Whatsoever things were written aforetime, now there is the fabric drawn together. Old Testament, New Testament, All those things that are written in the Old Testament that we have been reading of whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, Mr. Gargi's translation says instruction.
Or are you getting this instruction from the Lord, from His word?
That we through endurance, patience and comfort. Well, here's that word. Encouragement.
Of the scriptures might have hope as I said earlier Old Testament encouragement in the word of God, New Testament. Now here is the only book that is going to encourage you. Dear friends I often.
And speak of a young student that was came into one of the meetings. He was a student of psychology and he told me he said I've had three years of psychology and he said three years of questions and not one answer.
Wasn't a believer. He was honest though. Or dear young people. This is where you're going to get your encouragement from. They encouragement of the Scriptures, you might say. Well, nobody's encouraging me around where I live. My assembly. Oh, you have the word of God to encourage you see through the encouragement of the scripture. Are you availing yourselves of it? It's yours. God has written for you to encourage you, Old Testament. Oh yes. I highly recommend your.
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Reading of the Old Testament, the one that was instrumental in leading me to the Lord, they used to call him the Old Testament prophet.
He gave me a love for the Old Testament stories. Oh, saturate yourself in them, dear young people. They will be the encouragement and the examples that will, will, will encourage you to go on. So now the next verse, beautiful verse, verse 5. Now that God of endures our patience, endurance Mr. Gartley puts in and consolation. Or here's our word again, encouragement.
Oh, isn't this wonderful?
God, it says, he is the God of encouragement.
Now the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be like minded, one toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that he may with one accord and one mouth glorify God.
Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ah, here it is the God of encouragement.
Are you availing yourselves of that blessing, glorious person, God?
Encouraging. Now then, let's go on to 2nd Corinthians chapter one.
Two Corinthians chapter one.
Now here we have a real cluster.
Cluster of threads.
There are ten of them. We just group them all together as one wonderful words. I have to read from Mr. Darby's translation in order to for us to see you. It's interesting, just in passing, that the King James translation sometimes has the word comfort, sometimes it has the word.
Encourage. And sometimes it is translated to strengthen. Isn't that nice? And courage strengthen comfort.
Now let's read these verses. I'll read them right through now and you will see the 10 threads.
Blessed be the God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all encouragement, who encourages us.
In all our tribulation that we may be able to encourage them.
Which are in any trouble by the encouragement wherewith we ourselves are encouraged of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound toward us, so our constantly, so our encouragement also abounded by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.
Or whether he be encouraged, it is for your encouragement and salvation, And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the suffering, so shall he be also of the encouraging.
John, I believe they're tender. Oh, it's not a lovely little group. God would direct you dear young people to what he wants to do. God would desire that he would be encouraged by himself. He opened up his hand and satisfy the longing soul. What's in his hand? Himself.
You notice. You notice as we read on there that the encouragement was interwoven with.
The trials and the difficulties. Is God not acquainted with the troubles, the difficulties of your particular life? Oh, yes, He is. That's why we find those words there of tribulation and suffering. He knows what you and I may be called on to endure, but in the midst of all those, He would comfort you and encourage you and strengthen you. Oh.
Larger encourages there and in this way now then the last one in the last verses of the same book, Second Corinthians.
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Chapter 13.
13 and 11.
Finally.
Revenue farewell.
Be perfect.
Being encouraged.
We have one mind. Live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be. You'll never find me.
But the Lord would direct your thoughts above all the difficulties, Just that little word finally, or for the rest. In other words, it's going to go on. Oh, dear young people, you have the blessed word of God. If you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, you have the Holy Spirit in your heart. You have the God of all encouragement.
All then, may you take these words.
To your own heart now, finally, brethren, farewell or rejoice be perfected. That's in connection with unity.
Is there a desire in your heart to go on now in that unity or are we happy when we find troubles in the assembly? I find that once in a while it's really sad, you know, when there is a rejoicing over troubles.
I heard that some that are away from the Lord's table and when there were troubles in an assembly, why they just took a great delight in finding all the details and I wanted to know that all these difficulties.
Oh, is that? Is that drawing from the Lord?
No, I don't believe it is. Finally, brethren, Farewell. Be perfected, Be encouraged. Oh, may the Lord then just encourage you and me be online. How can we have that? By going on with a good conscience with the Lord. Then the Lord will give you and need the sermon. And then, beloved ones, you and I.
Will be encouraged in Him. Well, may the Lord just encourage us now, as the days grow dark, as the coming of the Lord. Just as about to come to know, may we go on now, and may we be encouraged by the Lord itself through His word like that.
Our loving father we do thank.
John 13:12
Reading
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Gospel chapter 13 and verse 12. Was it so? After he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am.
If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are ye if you do them. I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen.
But that the scripture may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me and lifted up his heel against me.
And now I tell you before it is before it come, that when it is come to pass, he may believe that I am he.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, either receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me.
And neither receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me, when Jesus had thus said.
He was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, and verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom, one of his disciples in Jesus love. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him. They should ask who it should be and who may speak.
He then, lying on Jesus breath, says unto him, Lord, who is it?
Jesus answered he it is to whom I should give a stop when I adapted. And when he adipped this up, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
And after the stop, Satan entered into him, then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest you quickly.
Now no man at the table knew for what intent is greatness unto him. For some of that thought, because Judas had the bag that Jesus had said unto him, Why those things that we have need of against the feast, or that he should give something to the poor?
He then having received the stop when immediately out and it was lightning.
Therefore, when he was going out, Jesus said, now you're the Son of man. Glorifying God is glorified in him.
If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
Little children.
Yet a little while I am with you.
Ye shall seek me. And as I said unto the Jews, whether I go, he cannot come. So now I say to you.
The new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By then till all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have loved one to another.
Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go? Thou cast not follow me now, but thou shalt follow me afterward.
Peter said on the Empire, Why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
Jesus answered him. Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake?
Verily, barely, I say unto thee, the ***** shall not grow till thou hast denied me thrice.
00:05:15
I thought you could say that the manner in which the Lord Jesus had done this, washing the disciples feet, laying aside his garments, taking the towel, and all that is brought before us in the way He did it is now brought before us as an example. The way we should seem to wash one another's feet. And then too when He speaks into Himself as being their Lord and Master or Teacher.
It shows that.
Although in that position had taken the humble place. And so it's for us to go about anything of this nature in a very humble way, because just as we have in Philippians chapter 2, when the Lord had set before us as the example of humility, it tells us that he was equal with God and is equal with God, but he made himself of no reputation.
So the one who had the right to the highest place took the lowest place.
Here again, when he speaks of himself as Lord and Master, he had a right to be above them, but in marvelous grace he took the lower place. We're so prone to think of our own rights, think, well, I don't have to take the humble place before that, brother or sister, but when we think of the Lord of glory taking this place.
What an example for us in grace.
Learn something from the fact that they were looking up for the Lord and Peter did not want that one like the Lord was down the wall and performed his service.
While none of us could ever compare itself or we looked at others whether they tried in that same way.
Put it'll be an important point if it is necessary that we receive the other higher than ourselves, and not only looking on our own things, but also on that which the Lord has given to others.
As a necessary requirement for us to receive the service that others rendered to us, let me look up to them.
While students perform, the service ought to take a low place yet.
We should look up the door to serve us in that way we can more readily accept and appreciate even the service that others seek to render to us.
The example, would it not be in connection with the?
Spirit manner in which this service is carried out was not those thinking that.
In verse three we have something of the dignity of the Lord Jesus and that all things have been put into his hands and he came from God and went to God. What a what a real position of dignity occupied, But when he washes their feet.
He takes an entirely different position and he hurts himself with a towel. And I thought we have in the New Testament.
Those who watch for your soul we read in Hebrews 13 and we read about those who take the lead among you as well, and and Thessalonians, and we read of those men who were chief men among the brethren.
But it seems to me that Vault the example would be that while one might be esteemed among his brethren, it wouldn't be from that standpoint that he would seek to serve his brotherhood.
In other words, he would take from the standpoint of a serpent a girding himself with a towel, I think would indicate the spirit and attitude in which one seeks to undertake this service of washing one another's meat. So you don't one doesn't take it up from the standpoint of any place he might occupy among the Saints.
00:10:08
But from the standpoint of being a servant.
My brother John remarked what was I think, important for us, that we have instruction and the example about how we're to go about something like this, taking that humble place and being willing to take our place at the feet of our brother whom we seek to help. But then on the other hand, he mentioned how no matter what the attitude of the brother is.
We are to receive what is said is from the Lord.
And that's a good point for us to remember because of a brother or sister might come to us in the wrong attitude, it wouldn't justify them.
But the Lord might use it. We know that when David was cursed, or rather yes, David was cursed by Shimmy Eye, it was certainly an entirely wrong attitude that Shimmy I took. And it was very sad that he spoke that way of the Lord's anointed. But on David's part, he didn't look upon the instrument he saw it is from the Lord.
And he said to his man that wanted to rise up and do harm to shimmy eye, he said the Lord hath bit him curse.
So he received it as from the Lord, even though Shemiah's attitude was wrong.
And the Lord afterwards had to deal with Shemiah for this, as we know, But nevertheless David received a profit from that.
Correction. So I think it is good, those two sides, that on our part we receive it as from the Lord, no matter who the person is or how he does it or she does it. But as on the other hand, when we receive it as the one who is doing this work of trying to wash another's feet, it is important that we should do it in the right attitude.
Or the Lord might have to speak to us afterwards because of the manner in which we did it.
Even in the case of Job, I've been struck that.
It was the Serbians and the wind from the wilderness and the devil who was the instrument behind a lot of those things that happened to Joe. But Job never mentioned anything about the civilians or the enemy. He said The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord, he said again.
Shall we receive good from the hand of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil? He accepted everything as from the Lord, and looked beyond the instrument.
So did Paul in prison, the prisoner of Jesus Christ. It's often hard for us to do this, but I think we often miss a blessing that God could give to us if we don't look beyond the instrument whom he uses.
There's a parallel solicitor.
Gain humility by seeking after it is in itself such a dangerous thing. It is not any of these things. If I set out to try to earn a reputation for humility, and I would never do just what you suggest, Father Norman, and the same thing. If we seek after a reputation for love or faithfulness or whatever, we're in very grave danger. We're entirely in a wrong premise.
But I suppose that occupation with the Lord Jesus, and that's exactly what we have here, would produce in us that perfect blend of humility, love, faithfulness, without any of these things being sought after as a goal or an object. I was thinking too, in connection with having our eye upon the instrument that might, in the sovereign ways of God, be used for our blessing.
00:15:13
To make it very practical, suppose the neighbor banged into my car. I might have something to say about my careless neighbor.
Suppose my brethren were to speak very unkindly against me or my loved ones. I might have something to think or say about their attitude or their comments. But you know, it's lightning struck my home. I can't blame my neighbor. I can't blame my brethren. Now I will probably have to say, I wonder what the Lord is trying to tell me.
Because it's very, very evidently came from some other source than my neighbors for my brethren.
But the other two occasions were just as truly allowed of the Lord.
To teach me Anita's last. And perhaps the voice would not be quite so severe if we would listen to it the first time.
Why and how is it wrong to look for love or to have a reputation of community or something? Maybe an example would help.
Well, if I were thinking after humility, it would really just be a very deceitful and subtle form of pride. It's a reputation I'm seeking after for something, and the desire to be recognized as a very humble brother would certainly.
Hinder me in a service that would perhaps put me before the eyes of my brethren. To seek a reputation for love, I would hold back in faithfulness because it would damage my reputation as a loving brother. To seek a reputation as a faithful brother, I'm afraid, would hinder the outflow of gentle love where it ought to be seen.
And so I believe in the various situations that we encounter.
If our occupation has been with the Lord Leader, if, as we have been reminded, we have been close to Him.
The the right and proper display will be seen without any reputation of any kind. He is the one who made himself of know everything. He was the only one entitled to one that we might dare to say that.
Perhaps an example would be in the 12Th chapter of Hebrews where it says about.
The 10th verse. For they verily, that is fathers of our flesh. They verily for a few days chastened us after their pleasure, their own pleasure. But He for our prophet, that we might be partakers of His Holiness. So we find that while as fathers we might do things for our own good, correct our children for our own good.
The Lord never corrects us. Except it's for our prophet. Isn't that lovely?
That we might be partakers of His Holiness, We might say something to another, rebuke him, or something to justify ourselves.
Because they have said something that hurt us or a friend. But if we thought of it in this way, and perhaps that's why it comes in at the end. If you know these things, happy are ye, if ye do them. Do we always say the things and do the things that we do with first, the Lord's glory and secondly, the prophet of another, Not just for ourselves that we might correct some situation for our own interests, but anything.
Like that aloud spoils both that which is due to the Lord and the blessing of His people. And so it's always that desire that should be before us. Those two things should always be the motivation, the Lord's glory and the blessing of others.
By our mother's Ellen, waiting for the village.
On Joel and he thinks of the friends of Joel being part of this circumstances which is what has been mentioned, but he also on the other hand, as far as.
Our attitude toward one whom the Lord may be dealing with is not to be like Joe's friends and add to the burden, but rather when we know that the Lord is stealing or if we sense what the Lord is dealing with the person to be. Soothing, I think, was the word. He used to be a soothing.
00:20:08
Well, the circumstances of Joe were made worse by his friends, but that was all part of the God's plans for him and God's working with him.
Around the hardest part of God's dealings with us, he noticed how when he had lost all his possessions, he took it very wonderfully, saying, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. And then when he lost his health, it was a little harder, and he said, shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil?
But when his friends said those unkind things to him, why it riled up the flesh within, didn't it? And don't we often find that ourselves some accident happens or some trial comes in sickness and we have grace to take it from the Lord. But no doubt the hardest thing to take is something that we feel is unfair. But what is often commented this and it's very soul searching for us.
We learn more about ourselves by false accusations.
But who wants? Because if the thing that is said about us is true, we only have to be honest to say, well, I'm sorry, I have to admit that that's true. But if the accusation is false, the feeling that rises in our natural hearts, imagine him saying a thing like that about me. I wouldn't do that. Oh, that's the pride that God was trying to expose to us and show to us, which we wouldn't have learned.
Wasn't for that false accusation because that brought out the fact that we were like Peter. We thought we wouldn't do that thing and the Lord was helping us to judge it. If we really received it from the Lord, the answer would be, well, I could have done it. I would have done it, but for the grace of God. It was no better than than that thing that he accused me of. And so the Lord often teaches us in these things and if we have the grace to receive them.
From him it can really be for our prophet much better than that. The accusation should be true, because then we dishonored the Lord and we have brought something upon ourselves, perhaps in the governmental ways of God. Well, it's often difficult to receive these things, but he for our prophet, that we might be partakers of His Holiness.
That eleventh verse of the 12Th of Hebrews, it says now no chastening for the time seem like joyous, but grievous nevertheless. Afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised their by the exercise is the key, isn't it? If we are exercised by a circumstance, well then we're going to get that after you the blessing. But the exercise is so important.
Whether it's the individual or in a family or in the assembly, if there is the exercise, then we can count on the Lord to help us. But without that exercise, we're just liable to be using our own thoughts and and taking offense and so on. But that exercise is a key, isn't it, to the after yield of blessing.
We have that very chapter before us in the 12 and Fredericton at their meetings, and we were noticing there that there are three different ways that such things can be received. It speaks about despising the chastening of the Lord, and I believe despising the chasing of the Lord is practically saying, well, I guess everyone has trouble sometimes.
And so we just accept it as being a sort of a common course of things and we.
We don't see the Lord's hand in it, in other words. And then we can say we can become discouraged, feel that the Lord is bringing on us almost more than we can bear, send me more than we can possibly handle, and then we are discouraged by it. But the way of blessing, as you said, is the third way and to be exercised thereby.
00:25:00
Notice it doesn't say that we always can pinpoint some particular thing why the Lord allowed it, but we can.
Get a blessing by being partakers of His Holiness. And if the trial has drawn us nearer to the Lord, even though we may not say some particular thing, it can become a blessing. It wasn't some particular thing in Job's life. It was rather something entirely hidden. It was that pride of his heart which only the eye of God saw.
Job searched his life and he couldn't find anything that he could say I I don't think I did this, it was wrong or that.
So he ended up justifying himself, and what God was really trying to show to Job was that he thought he was better than others and he wanted him to take the humble place and the poor himself. He'd abhorred his friends, but he hadn't abhorred himself. And that was a difficult thing for Joe. So sometimes just because we can't find some particular thing.
That we think is wrong.
There may be some hidden things, some attitude in our heart that the Lord is trying to bring before us, and this can be for blessing. Well, all these things come out through the washing of water by the Word, and it may be through an instrument, it may be through meetings, and there are various means that God uses, but it's all with this purpose for our good.
And if we prophecy them, it's a blessing not only to ourselves, but to others as well.
Have wondered if there is something of an illustration of those 3 attitudes in the reaction of Naomi.
And of Job and of Paul to the adversities that they met. When adversity befell Naomi, she said, The Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. What a sad response to the hand of the Lord when adversity befell Job, he said, Shall we receive good from the hand of the Lord, and shall we not also receive evil?
It sounds like a bit of a stoical attitude. In other words, I'm just going to square my shoulder that bear with it.
He's given me good things now he's given me evil things, and I'll not complain. But when adversity befell the apostle Paul, recognizing the hand of the Lord and being exercised by it, he says most gladly. Therefore will I rather glory in my infirmity. So there is a danger that we react like Naomi and really.
Blame God and get down under it, or else we just square our shoulders and try to make the most of it, or else we realize the hand of God was in it.
And.
Think the less intended and then we can do what Paul did. I remember seeing a calendar lease but I guess it wasn't entirely accurate but it said that there were three foul that reacted in quite a different way to a a downpour. A hen was the most dejected and miserable looking creature when it was caught in the rain. The duck was completely indifferent. The water just rolled off.
But a Robin sang its sweetest songs in time of race well.
I feel there's something about that when you meet with a believer who has met with adversity and has recognized the hand of the Lord and you really concede a song in their heart and on their lips. Not after the problem has been removed and while it's still there. It's a wonderful and humbling experience.
Years ago, I remember our brother McMillan pointing out two verses in Psalm 106.
The one says, then believe they his word, they sang his prey, and in the very same Psalm, a few verses further down, they believed not his word, but murmured in their tent. No evidence of a change of circumstances, but in the one instance singing his praise, in the other murmuring in their temps, and one was a matter of belief.
Faith, the other, was a matter of unbelief. And really?
Do I speak the truth every time I murmur? It's really unbelievable every time I murmur that I would be afraid to put it in these words in the ears of God. I'm really looking up and saying I could have chosen better than that. Now imagine saying that to God. But when I murmured about health or weather or circumstances or anything else, I'm really telling God I could have those patterns.
00:30:13
Well, in the case of Judith's, no change of circumstances one way or the other did anything as regards Judas, because there was no response within to anything that happened. We, as it says this 18th verse. I speak not of you all. I know whom I have chosen, but that the Scripture may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
We can't see God's hand in all the things that take place.
We can by his grace, prophet, by them abide. All these things only bring out the wretchedness of what man's heart is. And so we see this when trials come into the life of an unbeliever, what does it bring out? Total alienation from God. Maybe as long as things are going well, he's sort of happy because there's no upheaval in his life. When things go wrong, he.
Return to start and blame God. And so we find here with Judas that after all that he had seen and everything, his heart comes out in the end. He was thinking only of his own game. He was going to get some money for betraying the Lord Jesus. What an awful picture of what the natural heart is.
Just thinking as we this was read the end of that.
12Th verse. Know ye what I have done unto you? It is so much what he said to them. It was what he did. I was thinking of of this verse in the in the Acts of the Apostles, the 1St chapter there where it speaks about of all that Jesus began fortunate to do and to teach.
We we put that in reverse, don't we? We, we seek to teach and and we don't do always. We our example isn't too good, but the Lord Jesus, he always did that. He he did first and in it he taught them something with me. I thought how, how, how this is brought out here. She says, she called me master and Lord, and you say, well, or so I am.
Well then in the 15th, first he says I have given you.
An example that you should do as I have done unto you thinking of the in the 6th of March we find the the disciples there it's Mark 6 and after the John's body there they took up the courts and put it and laid it in a tool and.
Then their remark to the Lord in the Mark chapter 6 and verse 30.
And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had thought. Well, they this was right here. But there was something, there was something of pride came in here. So he brings them now apart to himself, doesn't he? He takes them apart, He says, He said to them.
Call me your birth and yourself apart into a desert place last while all it was necessary for them to get it back into his presence again and not be occupied with what they had done, but to be occupied with Christ. Adapters and lovely example there. But the Lord Jesus always did first, did he? And then he thought of something by what he had done, because he says if he knows these things.
Happy are ye, if he to them.
There are four times there aren't good words done in connection business versus a very interesting comparison for this grief of seeing one of their number do this awful act in the thought of that in the 6th chapter of John and notice here in the 6th chapter of John in the 66th verse.
It says that from that time back, from that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him then said Jesus under the 12.
Would he also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? And thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe in our assure that thou art not Christ the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you? 12 And one of you is a devil. He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
00:35:25
For he it was that should betray him being one of the 12.
Now here we find that the disciples had seen quite a number go back, and the Lord asked them, will he also go away? And the answer that Peter gives is so lovely. He said, Lord, to whom shall we go? In other words, his heart was attracted to a person. And then he asked, Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe in our sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
All this was indeed very lovely, but we might wonder why the Lord replied to him as he did in the 16th of Matthew, when he made a similar comment. The Lord said, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed unto me, but my Father, which is in heaven. But here there was no blessing pronounced. Instead the Lord's answer is.
Have not I chosen you 12 and one of you as a devil? I thought about this quite a little bit as to why the Lord's answer was so different on this occasion.
But I believe it was to test the heart of Peter. We might say, any of us might say, well, I'm here because I believe the Lord is here. I'm here because I believe that we are gathered to his precious name and He is in the midst. But rather the Lord can attest us about that. He's going to test us. He already let them see some turn back. And what the Lord to me was really saying to Peter.
Well, Peter, if you're here because I'm here.
Don't get your eyes on the people. You're going to be disappointed. One of the numbers going to be a big disappointment to you. And so this is a real test for every one of us. We might be able to say just like Peter, Well, I believe I'm here because the Lord is here. What? We're going to be tested. And if we have our eyes upon men, we're sure to be very disappointed. But we'll never be disappointed if our eyes are upon Him.
He is the chiefest among 10,000, the altogether lovely one.
So here we find the Lord warns them again. He said, I tell you before it comes to pass, and when it is come to pass, He may what, get discouraged and turn the side because one of the numbers did this? No, He said that he may believe that I am He, in other words, that you'll have your eyes on me and not upon the feet. Goes on to show us that we don't go through these things without feeling.
And we think of how the Lord felt. He was troubled in spirit.
Now He knew all this before, and yet when this actually came, the point came that Judas was about to display what was in his heart and to do that awful act of betraying him. The Lord Jesus felt it. And let us never take anything just sort of as a matter of course. Well, I knew that was going to come. The Lord knew it was going to come. But the deep feeling and compassion of His blessed heart.
He he ever he took no joy.
It says He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and he felt it fully. We have it expressed in the Psalms. If it had been an enemy, I could have borne it. But my friend, and whom I trusted, that lifted up his heel against me. So let us never treat any of these things without feeling. The Lord felt it, even though He knew it.
This is part of the connection with a man wasn't that Jerry's troubles and conspirators find that in a earlier an earlier chapter.
His soul was troubled and he had a body that could go through pain suffering. Well, how blessed it be true that is that here was was truly men and as you say, he really felt this though he knew all about it. He knew what was ahead. Yes, he felt seems to be different Recently I felt somewhat distant ejected as I I saw a mere Christian going through a big trials and.
Praying about it because.
In my eyes, I don't see any particular need for for a trial in this to your brother, but the Lord gave me a few scriptures that were reading precious to my soul and one of them is in John just before is this chapter in John Chapter 11 and.
00:40:16
In reference to Lazarus, who thou lovest is sick, and then?
The fourth verse of John 11.
Jesus heard that he says this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God. That seemed to be the first reason that this trial was allowed, that it was for God's glory, and then the Son of God might be glorified thereby. And in John Chapter 9.
Cycles asked the question Master in the second verse, who did sin this manner as parents, that he was born blind.
Jesus answered neither of this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. And the fourth reason that came to my heart was in reference to the Apollo Paul, that those other Christians could be strengthened by his body and his trial. And the fifth reason that I that I thought of went to the 16th of Acts where Paul and Salas were going through.
And it missed the salvation of an unbeliever and.
The the last thing that I was thinking of who was that it strengthened us to go through a trial and and often it's necessary to fix things to strengthen us. I just mentioned that because quite often my own heart had been so I'm sad to say looking at a trial is why is the Lord allowing that for for chasing when I found these other beautiful reasons.
For the Lord will allow us to actually be worried when He speaks about the word for chastening. There really is discipline, isn't it? Which is not?
Confined to the fault of correction entirely.
Because discipline is has a positive side as well as a negative side, does it not? So no doubt their brother's saying it would be an entirely negative attitude to look upon trials and afflictions always from the standpoint.
Of it being corrected. Indeed, there is no doubt that the the as was already pointed out how the apostle gained through his infirmities, he gained something that he would not have had had not the Lord sent that messenger. Satan devoted him. So that discipline is is training as well as it's not always correction, it's training.
Leading his own into a a greater appreciation.
Of that relationship that we have with God as our father and I'm sure that the more we enter into all of the.
Enter into the fact that God is the architect of all of our circumstances as our Father. The more we appreciate that relationship, we learn to to take everything in the light of that relationship as Father.
Not merely God in a sovereign way, but it's the Father dealing with his children.
Paul could say there that this passage that you're referring to, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Now this was very evident that it wasn't only as in any way of punishment, but that there was a positive purpose in it, that the power of Christ may rest from me.
The psalmist says many are the afflictions of the righteous.
Not necessarily be ungodly as depictions of the righteous.
One loser we would be, if we've had the choosing of our own circumstances, we would really be the losers because we would choose sunshine and roses all the rest of the way home. I think, and I'm sure we've all enjoyed the 23rd Psalm. It starts out so smoothly, pleasantly, beautifully, and we think Ish is that delightful. And the Lord could easily order that that condition could continue until we're safely home.
And then we come to the Valley of the Shadow.
And it's very, very beautiful how the psalmist seems to enjoy the company of the Lord in a much nearer way from that point onwards. The early part of the Psalm, the Lord in my shepherd I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green passage. He leadeth me beside the filled waters, and so on. He's thinking about the shepherd.
00:45:18
And the conditions are very blessed. But then comes the valley of the shadow, and he changes.
And he says, thou art with not he. Now he is speaking directly to the shepherds, and he never says he for the rest of that song. It's thou the rest of the way. And in fact it, it just turns into such beauty after the valley of the shadow. Then there's the table spread, the overflowing cups, and the pattern becomes so much more beautiful after the valley than before it. And yet.
Again, if we were choosing our own circumstances, there would be no such valley. But he chooses, and he chooses so wisely. And if we just realize that it's his choice, that his presence is there, it can result in that which will make even eternity itself sweeter. I'm sure that in the glory, Paul will be eternally thankful for the experience of the prisoner of Philippines and for many other.
We compare what we have here about the announcement of what betraying the Lord and what we have in Matthew.
In Matthew, when the Lord says that one would betray him, they began to see each one of the Lord is and I, each one of us said Lord is it. I I think that is very instructive. The Lord could have at the very outset announced who it was.
But he put it in such a way as to.
Cause each one to search his own heart. Or is it I and I thought that in regard to our our circumstances, not only physical afflictions or anything of this art, but our circumstances too, in regard to.
What might be?
The attitude of.
Various ones in the gathering toward us and so forth that in all of these things it would cause us to search our own hearts in ways too. As our brother Gordon mentioned about Shemi cursing David. David says that the Lord had sent him and he allowed it. And we know that when Solomon when things came in and Solomon's Kingdom. Why we read that God raised up an adversary.
And the diverse of the proverbs, I don't know what I quoted exactly, but into this thought that if a man's weighed please the Lord, he causes even his enemies to be at peace with him. So if there are circumstances that are adverse.
It is well for us to search out our hearts in the Lord's presence, and it may be our fault or it may not be. I was thinking in the case now with David. He felt that Gemma's cursing was the hand of the Lord and called it his own failure. But then there were those who opposed Paul, like Alexander in The Coppersmith. But it wasn't because of Paul's failure. It wasn't that.
Had raised up an adversary there because of Paul's failure there it was a case of one withstanding the truth so it isn't always but it's well to be exercised. It seems to be before the Lord and to be able to say like the disciples. Lord is in eyes. Does the fault lie with me and I believe the Lord will give us an answer to you know we could think brother Johnson.
The reaction John took place before when we read other Matthew.
And as they look one on another here, I was just thinking that if we could have an authoritative announcement that someone in this company here will fail very grievously very shortly, wouldn't we start looking around and seeing somebody maybe that we thought wasn't walking well? And we would be expecting that maybe someone else might be the one to fail. But when we get to examine our own hearts, we would have to say.
I wonder if I'm going to be the one that will fail. So they would say, Lord, is it I? But it always seemed to me that this reaction here in John was the first one. They looked one upon another, not realizing their own heart. They just had their feet washed, but they still were looking one upon another.
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That's when the Lord cases in that 21St verse when Jesus had thus said in a struggle with spirit.
And testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall pray, one of you, what a sad no history to have the Lord of glory, and to look upon his company, and say, Why don't you present with me all this time, one of you, not someone else, not someone out in the world.
But one of you shall be scared thinking about it. In the song, Mr. McGurk says it wasn't an animal.
What company was it? It is an available system. I think it is, but it's a it's certainly shows us the heart of this. What's a savior how he felt it one of the feel itself near enough to the Lord to pass city, so he beckoned to John who was leaning on Jesus lose him that John would ask.
Well, sometimes there is with us the consciousness in these trying situations that were not near enough to the Lord.
It's a good thing when we realize it. Better still, when we judge it, we can see that Lopeter apparently realized that this point. He let the matter pass. And if he had really judged at this point, there might have been that boasting that we have in the end of the chapter.
And so if we miss these little things that the Lord allows her brother mentioned in the talk to the young people because many red light they're often warnings along the way would pay no attention to them.
And so it seems that he realized here at this point, he had made a bad mistake when he had said not my feet only, but now also my hands and my head. Now he's conscious that he's not near enough to ask the Lord who it was. And still at the end of the chapter, he's boasting that he's better than the rest of the disciples. How it shows us that we're not aware of our own hearts, and yet the Lord is showing us very.
Things have come up and we don't take notice of them, and they could be for our blessing if we did. Well, we've been talking about looking beyond the instrument, and so I think it's just that thought that we have here. He that receiveth whomsoever I sent receiveth me. He that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me. Here was the Lord Jesus in lowly grace.
Laying aside his garments and taking a towel. And yet that blessed One, as we learned in the third chapter, is the one who came from the Father and went to the Father.
So they saw Him in the position of a servant, but they must never forget who he really was. And so we've been speaking about instruments whom God may use. We have to look beyond the instrument and see the Lord using the instrument. And that, I believe, is what He is really bringing before us. He, he that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me.
So whoever the Lord uses to speak to us, receiving us from the Lord, he's the one that uses that instrument for positive.
The service rather than.
Chastisement.
We have been hearing about accepting things from the law and circumstances that He allows here seems to be more still connected with the responsibility of doing the service as He had instructed the disciples thinking to imitate the Lord and the Lord.
Anticipates that.
That there might be some hesitance or people might be hesitant to accept what they would be doing and the blessed that is pronounced if they receive the service.
And the question is to.
Trials and difficulties that come up we have with the Apostle Paul.
Saying that the Lord had given him an open door and there are many adversaries. I believe we have to see too, that whenever God is doing the work, the enemy will try to discourage and oppose and ruin the work.
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We certainly have to exercise. We exercise as to whether opposition or difficulties arise.
And because of our imperfect way of carrying on the things of God. But on the other hand, we must not.
Get too much occupied with self. Also perhaps seeing the enemy sticking to ruin the work of the Lord.
My house, who That is when we first were getting out to Henderson.
The first letter that he wrote to the assembly, he commented in that, and it was just as if the Lord was preparing us.
He said. I've seen it again and again. When the Lord raises up a testimony the enemy will seek to destroy, testing will come and how important it is that we need these testings, but at the same time we must not.
Just get overly occupied with self. There might also be clearly an attack of the enemy trying to discredit and ruin the testimony of the Lord without question on verse 20.
Is it possible that we find in the Gospel of John we see the presentation of the of the Lord Jesus as the great I am? I believe that we find the expression I am 49 times in the Gospel.
And so if we connect the 20th verse with the 19th verse, it's really the one who is supreme. I believe that he is an italics. And so we have the I am presented that is in deliberation of all things that are taking place within this chapter. We see that he has warned them that is as the great I am. He knows all things that are taking place. And so as that one, he is able to control all things. And so he brings.
The view here coming from that 19th verse into the 20th verse, showing his control in these things as to the receiving.
He that received, he that received whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. The fullness of the of the Council as to his control, even though all the things that are going to take place here are in the life of the of the Lord Jesus.
Would seem as though the enemy for a season was going to be victorious and it would appear to be in line with.
That which we've had all the way through this chapter that the Lord was preparing them now for that which was going to come later. For instance, he said that the earlier in the chapter, in the seventh verse. What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know.
Hereafter though, he was looking on to the time when he wouldn't be here, then in the.
14th verse If I, then your Lord and Master washing your feet, He also ought to wash one another's feet, Then the 15th For I have given you an example, that he should do as I have done unto you. 17 If you know these things, happy are ye if you do them. And then that 20th verse seems.
That to me, that it is.
Preparing them for the time when he wouldn't be here and that they would be carrying on as the Father had sent him. So he was going to send them and they were going to take this place now that he had taken as a defendant man. Also, there has been some sweetness to John's position on the bosom of the Lord Jesus.
And what a blessed position it was for him and yet has been made comment of.
We see that Peter seemingly was at a distance, and yet we would believe that the Lord Jesus.
Had two sides, that is, there was one person on one side and there was a person on the other side. The one person was so close Peter could say unto him, speak unto the Master, and see he was leaning upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus. Well, who was it that was on the other side? Well, if we carefully examine the Gospels and as we see here, we see that there was another that was close enough to speak directly.
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Lord Jesus, we believe, brethren, it is none other than Judas Iscariot.
We find there was John nor love of the one beloved One on the one side, and we see the traitor on the other, near enough that he might see every movement, every action of the blessed Savior, and that he might be there in a place of nearness, and yet his heart to be far from him. He might be so near that he could receive the *** and yet we find that his heart had been turned over to the enemy of his soul.
We find the Lord Jesus has to committee then to go out what thou doest do quickly.
And he went out immediately. Well, one just makes mention of this. Why isn't it? Not that Peter should have coveted that place of nearness.
Or one of the others that knew him as their own blessed Savior. They were real. There was only one that was not real.
But what do we find? We find evidently there was other things that had come in. And so that place, that place of privilege had been given to one that did not honor the Blessed Son. For what? A lesson for our own heart.
Tell us about the Mark. Getting the stop was to show that the nudist could never say he was driven away through the Lord's unkindness. The very last act that the Lord Jesus did to Judas was an act of special favor and kindness.
And I think this shows a wonderful grace of his heart. And those in the lost eternity will never be able to say that they weren't there because God didn't love them, because he didn't plead with them. My spirit shall not always strive with man. God's Spirit strives. He's being watched white so that they'll have to realize in a lost eternity that it was their own choice in the face of all God's goodness, even in creation.
Makes up he left not himself without witness that he did good, attending reigns from heaven and fruitful season, filling men's hearts with food and gladness. Even we who are parents, if we have a wayward child, we're very anxious that that child wouldn't leave home because it has been roughly treated. But we want to show all the kindness we can so that if the child leaves, he'll always have the memory of that kindness.
And I think it's marvelous to see the Lord Jesus doing this last act to Judas.
And yet it only shows what we remarked before that nothing.
External nothing. He saw this perfect life. He witnessed it. He was even partaker because he went out and preached. He received his last act of kindness of what he had sold himself over to the power of Satan, and he goes out to accomplish that awful act.
Ed. In the in the vinegar.
And gave it to Judas, showing that that which we've had before us this morning, the the bread and the wine separated, showing the death of the Lord Jesus. This was Judas's part. He had the bread and the vinegar together and he took it together, not experiencing that which is a symbol for us of the death.
Of the body and the blood. Isn't it a sign of the deity year of the Lord Jesus and the authority with which he speaks even to Judas when he says to him after he gives him? The sub then said Jesus answered him, Let thou do it so quickly.
It's characteristic of the Gospel here, is it not? And we find it also in John's Gospel.
When it comes to.
Him being before his judges, we get the feeling he is the judge. The judges are being judged by the Lord Jesus. He does not take that place of not opening his mouth. He does open his mouth. We are here and John's gospel. He speaks with authority and even gives the order to Judas to go and carry out.
Its really remarkable to see that.
Authority shine out, even when it comes to his own betrayal.
Successful pilots show that the upstairs have no power since they were given them above nothing to go on with that act. He says that thou doest, He gave him, as it were an opportunity, if one can speak in that way, to change his mind even at the last minute, that thou doest He could have done something entirely different. So he couldn't say, the Lord told me to go and do this. He didn't tell him to do anything, but that's how do us.
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But it will and said he was under the power of Satan and he carries out this awful act. But how perfect the Lord Jesus was, even in the way he worded this, saw that while there was the authority, there still was even to the last moment the opportunity for Judas.
If you would only repath, but he sold himself, he goes on. And Satan himself entered into Judas were told so that he didn't believe this awful lack. In other places we read a demon centering into people, but here it tells us about Judas after the Satan entered into him. Satan, so to speak, didn't leave this awful act to any of the fallen demons.
He leads the Judas on himself to Detroit, the Lord.
The kindness of the Lord Jesus to him at the very end, and his old wicked heart. The thinking of Simon when Peter had to mark out and say thy heart is not right before cause our victims bonds of bitterness.
His heart wasn't right. I was thinking here and went to having received this stop that says.
He went out and went immediately out and it was a night. This was a night of his own soul. Wasn't it darkness when he was in it all the time? But the Blessed Saviors, as you pointed out, this marked the Southeast act raised for him. But I was thinking too about our brother's ill. I remember asking him about this, you know, concerned that couldn't do this. I don't think it's a place where he is.
Let's say personal, brother, Hill said. I'll make this comment. Judas made himself a candidate for that position. That was his heart. This is what he wanted. This is what he was and the Lord finally his children. Well, it's a solemn thing is to think that one was so near.
To the Lord Jesus and His heart was never right.
Well, there's an exercise course business that our hearts do right and present is wrong.
With the Lord's attention to the what God doeth quickly.
It might appear in this used to sound that way to me. The Lord might say let us have it over with, but over love it. I don't believe that is it at all.
So back to our first verse this.
The object for the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his power was coming.
It was said that he set his face as a flick. The Lord's path was exactly laid on before the hour was cold wasn't about to come. But it hadn't. It was cold. The Lord Jesus justice becoming slave here as it were intended and quick enough. The Lord there was no drawing time. There was an obedience to his Father's will.
Now having come down to sleep on with us.
A little later we read accomplished my father had given me shall I not drink. The Lord Jesus was prepared prepared for. It was just a comment about the 13th and 1St and 32nd verse In this connection, Brother John in this lovely. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said now is the Son of man glorified and God is glorified in him.
If God be glorified in him, God will also glorify him and himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
He could have spoken about what Judas was going to do, but instead he looks at that, at that aspect of the cross which is so precious to our hearts. Not the awful display of what man's heart was, but what God was going to do. He was going to bring glory to His name. He was going to bring blessing to us through it. Judas has gone out, but the Lord Jesus now saw that.
That accomplishment of the purpose of God Judas might be the instrument to betray him.
But the cross was that which was displayed, all that within the heart of God, and blessing. And now we see that blessing one glorified, and God has been glorified in the work that He has done, for there He is at the right hand of God now.
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Thinks in every circumstance.
It would surely put it in a different light with every circumstances allowed for our own for our own good blessings if we just see that. Rather let's see the negative side and start to be blaming and finding bones. Besides, what you say there that the Lord just rose above that and saw that God was going to be glorified even as Judas went out the door.
Purpose and Power of God
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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There are two things I'd like to speak about this afternoon, dear young people, and those are a purpose and power. There needs to be a purpose in our lives and we also need power to carry out that purpose. And first of all, I'd like to turn and speak about God's purpose and the power that is going to be, that is going to carry out all of God's purpose, so.
So let us turn first of all to Ephesians.
And the.
Chapter Ephesians, and the third chapter beginning at the ninth verse. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hitting God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church.
The manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Himself.
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. And then in the first chapter of Ephesians, the 18th verse, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that she may know what is the hope of this calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance, and His saying, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe.
To the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above our principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And I put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church, which is his body.
The fullness of him that Philip All in all, and justice. One more verse this time, and Isaiah, and the 14th chapter. Isaiah and the 14th chapter, and the 26th and 27th verses. This is the purpose that is perfect upon the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out.
Upon all nations. For the Lord of grace hath purpose, and who shall dismal it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? Well, we've noticed here in these verses that we have read that God has a purpose, and also that He has the power to carry out those purposes. First of all, in Ephesians 3, we have His purpose in regard to the blessing of His own. And then in the pathogen Isaiah we.
Purpose in regard to the earth and how God is going to accomplish his purposes in the earth. Well, in the first one it is indeed a great comfort to us to know, but God does have such a purpose and eternal purpose that tells us and that He's going to carry out that purpose too. And it's a song saying when we think that God has a purpose in regard to this world.
And he's going to carry out that purpose. Things are truly in a state of confusion in this world.
And if we didn't have such a book as the Bible and we didn't have such assurance as this, we might well be concerned. Men in the world are concerned. The Lord Jesus spoke about these last days, and these words destroy some nations with perplexity. And that's surely what we can see. Men just don't know what to do. They are perplexed.
They wonder what what is going to happen and isn't it a wonderful thing that you and I?
Not only have the Word of God to tell us what is going to happen, but to know absolutely assuredly that it is going to happen, because when God purposes something, it is sure to be carried out. And so God's great purpose is, and that His beloved Son should have his rightful place. This purpose in regard to the church and in regard to the redeemed is that the Lord Jesus should be the center.
Of a whole new scene of glory, heavenly and earthly, as it tells us in Ephesians one and verse 10.
That in a dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. Even in Him. God has a man of His counsel. He has one who is going to carry out all these things, and it tells us in this passage in Ephesians 3, that it's an eternal purpose.
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Isn't it a marvelous thing, doesn't it, through your heart?
To think that a way back in a past eternity, before this world was ever made, before there was such a city as Toledo, that God had a purpose, and that purpose was that He was going to have a people who would be brought into blessing in association with His beloved Son. And doesn't it thrill your heart to think that you're one of those ones that he was thinking about?
A way back in a past eternity. Sometimes a person comes up to you, perhaps these meetings, and says.
I was thinking about you yesterday and this gives you a little lift to think that somebody that you didn't know was thinking about you. Perhaps he tells you he was praying for you and what an encouragement this is. But doesn't this sound still more wonderful that a way back in a past eternity? I say there was a purpose in the heart of God and that purpose was going to cost something.
In order to have a people who would be able to share, enter into His heart and share that glory.
A people that could hold fellowship with Him and enjoy all that he himself enjoys. And there was a cost. Oh, how great was the cost? We can never, never measure what the cost really was, because we'll never know what it is to have to suffer for sin. But there was one when that purpose was spoken about in the glory. I like to think of those words.
In Isaiah the 6th chapter and as it were, hearing the Lord Jesus himself.
A re echo those words Jeremiah send me. Just think of that blessed one. If God was going to fulfill that purpose, there was a cost and there was one who was willing to come and fulfill that purpose at so great a cost. We trace His blessed pathway through this world, showing kindness and love and grace to man on every hand. If man would only be reconciled, if they would only see what was.
Heart of God, Do we wish to know what God was like? Just trace the pathway of the Lord Jesus. And there we see God's heart in display. See him standing still at the cry of a blind man. And I say, that's the God who's my father. I see him weeping at the grave of Lazarus. And I say, that's the display of the heart of God my father, and of my precious Savior.
See him entering into all of his disciples.
Went through and giving them credit for things they would never have taken credit to themselves for when he would say, are they which have continued with me in my temptation, always say again, that's the heart of my Father. The Lord Jesus could say he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father, but man refused to be reconciled. They wouldn't, they wouldn't pay any attention to that blessed one.
They rejected Him and despised Him, but there was a purpose, and that purpose was for blessing. How could the blessing come when they despise and rejected Him? All it tells us we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. And so the precious Savior goes on to Calvary, and He takes the load of judgment that we deserve. He bore all the wrath and judgment and exhausted it.
He cried at his finish. His precious blood, as we have been having in the meeting, has cleansed us. And more than this, we are in a new position so that God looks upon us now not only as being forgiven, but be accepted in the beloved holy and without blame before Him in love. But I say again, what about the cost? Oh how great it was.
There was a cost to fulfill this purpose, and the Lord Jesus was the one who paid the price.
He gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time, and that glorious work is now completed. And there's a mighty power that has raised him and seated him up there at the right hand of God. He's head over all things to the church, which is his body. And God is now showing, as we have in our chapter, He is showing to the angels as they look down this purpose of God.
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Carried out that's the meaning of that word you'll notice in the ninth verse of Ephesians 3. It says and to make all men. The word man is in italics. It's really unto make all that's all created intelligences. See what is the administration of the mystery which from the beginning of the world has been hidden. God who created all things by Jesus Christ and so the angels look down and.
Most amazing thing taking place.
Men and women who had rejected God's beloved Son being brought out to share a place in association with Christ as his bride. There's a display that is being made before all creative intelligences of God's marvelous grace in bringing out from this world a people because God had a purpose, and I say as the power to carry out that purpose.
And then it tells us in the 12Th verse, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. Oh, isn't this precious for us? We not only know this purpose, but we have access to enter in, to enjoy it. We possess the life by which we can enjoy the very thoughts of God.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, man with an ignorance of God.
But God has communicated a life now to the believer by which we can.
Have a fellowship with God, enter into his thoughts. And it often amazes me as I think here, a group of people sitting together and entering into the very thoughts of God councils that were made in the past eternity, sharing them, enjoying them, talking about them to one another and singing about them. What a marvelous thing. Isn't any wonder that the hymn writer put it in connection with the gospel.
Poor Angel hosts are musing or this fight so strangely sad God beseeching man refusing to be made forever glad he looked down and they see this and then to think that you and I can enter into these things and as it tells us to in the first chapter that Christ is head over all things to the church, which is his body. I often.
Great comfort from that, and I'm sure you do too. To think that he's concerned. A husband who loves his wife is concerned about everything that concerns her, her happiness, her good, her enjoyment. He's concerned about it. Oh Christ has had over all things young people, do you have a problem? Do you have a trial? He's concerned about it.
He's the head, and we are the members of his body. And it says Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. But sometimes the husband might be concerned.
But he still has to say. But I'm sorry I just can't help in this situation.
I wish I could, but I can. But there's One who has all power, and it tells us that that mighty power raised him and seated him there, and he's above all principalities and powers and might and dominion. There isn't a force or a power in this world that he isn't above it, not even in this world or in the world to come. He's above it all. Oh, what a grand thing, this purpose and this power.
And then in regard to the passage that we read in the 14th chapter of Isaiah.
We see the world in a mass. We see things getting worse. New to your young people as you have to go out to school and to work and meet the world in its present state. We feel for you in some measure. We who are older try to enter into it. We can't fully because we don't just realize exactly what the situation is and what it is that you have to meet day by day.
But isn't it a good thing to know that there is one who has a purpose in regard to this earth?
And there is going to be a time when this earth will be brought into order.
Everything suited to the mind and character of God. And so instead of looking to some great leader or expecting that some new politicians or some new psychological approach to problems is going to clear them up, it's going to get worse. It's not going to improve. God says I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it shall be no more till he shall come.
00:15:10
Right, it is, and I will give it to him. Things are just going to be overturned. It's going to be that way, and we can't expect it to be improved. But I say again, the one who has purpose for your blessing and mine and whose hide will not be satisfied until we are supremely blessed with Christ, is the one who holds everything in this world in His.
He's behind all the scenes, He moves all the scenes. Nothing happens by chance. God knows the thoughts of every man. He even controls people's attitude, as we have observed sometimes in the 107th Psalms. It tells us in that Psalm on one occasion that He said to great men, touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
And he wouldn't allow them to harm his people. But then on another occasion in that chapter, it says.
He turned their hearts to hate His people, to deal subtly with His servants. So I say God is in control of everything and He's going to bring everything into order in His time, in His time. close and hard for us to wait His time, isn't it? We're impatient people. We find it hard to stand still and just wait God's time.
To be still and know that he is God.
And to know that he is over all things. And so I say God has a purpose for blessing to his own.
And He's going to carry that out. He's going to bring us into that blessing. And what I wanted to impress upon you is what it cost God to bring about this purpose of blessing that He has. And then He has a purpose in regard to this earth, and He's going to bring it about. And absolutely nothing is going to hinder him who has purpose and brought it to pass when the Lord commanded it not.
No one can do anything to hinder the fulfillment of those purposes of God.
But now let us think of it in regard to ourselves. Dear young people, when we think of this purpose that God has in regard to His beloved sons and for our blessings, it thrills our hearts, it lifts us up, it reminds us of fresh of His wondrous love. But now what about ourselves? Isn't it true that today there's a great lack of purpose?
It seems that so many people are just content to drift along.
And sometimes we are incontent to go along with them, just to drift with the crowd. It's the easiest thing in life is just to drift along. And when you go to school, to just drift along with things that go on at school, when you listen to what people have to say, to just sort of go along.
It's easy, any dead fish can float down the stream. But to an Israelite?
There are only fish that were clean to him were the ones that had fins and scale. The ones that had the fins, they could go against the current. And if you've ever watched fish in a very swift current, well, I watched them one time in a very, very rapid river and it was really something to see them make a dash and perhaps the current would push them back.
They make another dash, they might only gain a few inches, but they never give up on that trial to go against the current because they had fins, they could propel themselves against that current. And then they have scales too. What were the scales for? Well, the scales were like an armor and we need the armor of God. And this civil scales kept out all the defilements that they passed through.
Water. Why? They could keep the muddy water out because they have the scales on. And so you and I need to go against the current of this world. Dear young people, we need to have a purpose. Do you have a purpose in your life? Do I have a purpose in my life? And if it is true that we have a purpose, I ask myself, and I ask you, what is our purpose?
Perhaps you, if I were to ask you.
What do you intend to do when you get through school? You could tell me what your plans are, what you have before you. Perhaps they may work out and perhaps not. But at least you evidently have some kind of a plan of what you intend to do. And we have plans about where we intend to live. And we have sort of in our minds, a pattern of the kind of people that we like to choose for our.
00:20:22
And perhaps every boy and girl has some kind of a model in their minds of the kind of boy or girl that they would like to have for their partner. We all have some kind of a purpose, but it's a sad thing to see young people and older people who have no real purpose in connection with their spiritual life.
No real decided purpose to go on for the Lord Jesus. When we think of His purpose, when we think of what it costs Him to fulfill His purpose, when we think of His marvelous love to us and that He is not going to be satisfied until we are supremely blessed, until we're eternally happy in His presence. Nothing less than that will satisfy the heart of.
Savior. And when I think of that, does it not touch a cord in my heart? Does it not touch a cord in your heart and give you some kind of a purpose in life? And I say not only in natural things, but in divine things, in spiritual things. Do you have a real purpose? Let's notice about some young believers in the 11Th chapter of Acts.
The 11Th chapter of Acts and the.
21St verse.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch, who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord, for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.
And much people.
Was added unto the Lord.
Here was the beginning of the work among the Gentiles are not speaking now what happened in the House of Cornelius, but this was the beginning of the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. And isn't it very lovely to see what took place down here in Antioch at the hand of the Lord was with those who were proclaiming the word and a great number believe and turn to the Lord.
And Barnabas came down to see these young believers, and what was the exhortation that he gave to them? It appears that Barnabas was not characterized by being a great teacher. We're not told that he particularly seemed to have the gift of being a teacher, but it does tell us that he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. He was a man who had a love for these.
Can I trust in my heart? Dear young people, there is a love for you now. There is a desire for your blessing. And what was the particular exhortation? It says He exhorted them all that was purpose apart. They would cleave unto the Lord. Now it doesn't tell us, as I say, that He gave them a great deal of instruction at this point.
Although it follows on that they met together for a whole year.
And they were taught by Saul when he came down.
More of the truth of God. But this was, so to speak, the starting point of their Christian life. And there's a lot of young believers here this afternoon, many of you starting out in your Christian life. Oh dear young people, is this the purpose of your heart? Have you really looked up to the Lord Jesus and thanked him for saving you and then just sat in a simple way?
Lord Jesus, I want to live my life in Thy company.
I don't think there's anything that would please His blessed heart more than that. You say, well, there's a lot of things I don't know. Well, there's a lot of things I don't know either. There's a lot of things in life that are hard questions, and some of these questions will never get answered till we get home to glory. The Queen of Sheba had a lot of hard questions and she didn't get them answered until she met Solomon and saw the glory.
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And so I'm content to leave a lot of questions until another day.
But this is something that the youngest believer can have a purpose in his heart and this purpose is so simple. It's just put in such simple words and that is purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord. Please just simply means to keep close to the Lord and all your young people. If I can say nothing else to you this afternoon, if it's one thing I could impress.
Heart and mind keep close to the Lord. You'll always be safe at his side. Remember what we were just reading the other day about David and how he said to Abiathar? He said.
There was danger for a biotherm. Saul was seeking his life and he was seeking David's life too. And so David said to him, he said that Arthur, stay with me. He said the person that seeks your life seeks my life, but with me you'll be in safeguard.
And you know, isn't this nice for us too, if we just keep close to the Lord? That's the place of safety.
We sang in our closing hymn this morning. O Lamb of God, still keep us close to thy peers inside his only there in safety and peace we can't abide. Oh how much we need to cleave to the Lord to keep close to Him in that nearness where there is safety. And if we are near to him, then he also says.
I will guide thee.
With mine I be not as the horse of the mule that have no understanding, whose mouth must be kept in with bit and bridle. The new translation renders that nicely. I will guide thee with mine eye upon thee. Don't you like those words now? That is, he's just watching us all the time, and when we have a little problem, when we look up, we see who's looking.
You know, even when dear Peter denied the Lord, he looked up, and what did he see? Well, he saw the Lord die was upon him. Jesus looked on Peter, and you know this is the way His eye is upon you. Dear young people, when you go to school in the morning, when you return, when you come to the meetings, in all your fun and pleasure, His eye is upon you. I will guide thee with mine eye upon thee. Are we always conscious?
This do we say, Lord, I want to keep so close that at any moment I can just look up and there see that thine eye is upon me. So this was the exhortation that Barnabas gave to these young believers, and it tells us.
That he was a Goodman, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith, and much people was added unto the Lord. And we're not told here that Barnabas did any preaching, but it seemed that his influence was so great, that not only was he an encouragement to these young believers, but also it says much people was added unto the Lord. I was struck by a remark in Mr. Darby's writings, in which he.
He said our testimony to the world is our joy in the Lord. Last night we were hearing about those people who had very little of this world's goods, who were suffering physically, but what a testimony their joy was in the Lord. And dear young people at school, there's a lot of those young people and they're trying drugs and they're trying.
All the immoral path of this world is treading today.
And they're telling you that they're having fun and they're telling you that how can you live without the pleasures that they are having?
But they are watching you just the same. And you know what? They are watching to see. They are watching to see whether you're finding joy in the path in which you're going. They're watching to see. And if you and I are near, the Lord will certainly find it to be a happy path. What impressed me as a young man as I watched others.
Without them, not so much what they said as to see their joy in the Lord.
Everyone has a desire to be satisfied and it has been said, you know, that the desire in every heart is to have two things satisfied, affection and understanding. And I believe that this is in every heart and that's why people are plunging into all these kind of things they're trying to find.
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Satisfaction for their affections. And so they think that the way they're going, they're going to find.
Satisfaction in these pleasures of sin, but they are only for a season.
The man that souls that way reaps and oh what sorrow they reap. If you could just watch the lives of many of these deer, these people that you have seen at school and see as a few years passed by, they'll have to acknowledge to you. There's nothing satisfying at this. But you have something and you and I have the privilege of being a testimony before others.
So here we find that the exhortation was that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord, and the testimony, the personal testimony of Barnabas was the cause that many turned to the Lord. Now there's also another passage that we have looked at before and Daniel, but I just like to turn to it in this connection.
Daniel chapter one and verse 8.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the Prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
How The purpose that we were Speaking of in Acts 11 Could perhaps be called a positive purpose, a purpose to cleave unto the Lord. This might perhaps be termed a negative purpose.
You know the children sing a little song and always just a little word, and so is YES, but all the difference they do make no one could ever guess. And you know dear young people practice the habit of saying no, the habit of saying no never to the Lord, but when other things come along that you know are going to rob you of your.
Lord are going to lead you into a path of disobedience.
Why? It's a good thing just to be able to say no. You say, well, I, I can't always explain. Well, you don't always have to explain.
The man in the 9th chapter of John, when they perplexed him, he he was willing to admit there were things he didn't know, but he didn't talk about what he did now and he wasn't going to be LED from the path of making of following the Lord Jesus.
He was one of his disciples and that was settled in his heart. And in this day when such strong pressures are placed upon you to conform, to go along with what's going on in the world, some of us older ones, when we went to school, we went to school to learn how to prepare ourselves educationally.
For the responsibilities that we had of earning a living.
But today the school system has undertaken to train you in everything, to take over the planning of your life, in sports, in morals, in psychological affairs and just everything they undertake to take this over. I tell you what my father used to say to us and I thought it was very good scriptural sound advice. He said that.
Whenever they tell you anything in school about.
Mathematics and geography and a whole lot of subjects like that and physics, he said you can listen and take it in. They know a lot more about that than I do. But he said when they start to talk about moral and spiritual subjects, don't go by what they say, go by God's word. And I want to impress that on your dear young people.
I want to impress that on you. Remember these people who have not read their Bibles, They're not born again. They're not acquainted with the God whom you know. They will not give you good advice in moral and spiritual matters. But we do have a book. We have God's precious word. And when Daniel was going to school in Babylon.
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Didn't matter what the customs of Babylon were, he had a purpose.
And what was his purpose? His purpose was to please his Lord. And it didn't matter what they thought of the ancient Mosaic law that said that they were not to eat certain kinds of meat. That didn't matter to him what they thought about that in Babylon. That was quite immaterial. What they thought He was going to be subject to the God of Israel, his God.
And so when they wanted him.
To disobey his God. He had one little word and all and all. Now this cost him something. And as I was mentioning before that some of the others young people, why I've often thought of poor Daniel as he sat down day after day and had to eat that pulse that was given to him, how they must have reproached him. Can't you just see the other young people passing the table and saying, ha, look at those guys.
And laughing at them because what? Well, they were obeying their God. They were just doing what God told them. They had a purpose. They had a purpose. Did they have a power? Yes. They relied upon that power that comes from above and they were able to take a stand. And this is this is seen all through Daniel's life. It didn't end in school days.
Later on, at the very end of his life, when he was an old man.
He refused to give up his praying and he was cast into the den of lions. He had a purpose. And dear young people, I say, if you don't have a purpose in life, if you don't have a purpose in youth, very questionable whether you'll have one later on. The time to start is when you're young.
Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the King's meat or with the wine that he drank. Didn't matter what anybody else said or thought.
He could have said, well, there's a lot of other people here and they go along with things, why shouldn't I?
That didn't matter. He was answerable to the Lord. So Daniel had a purpose. It was a negative purpose. It's true. It was the purpose to say no. And again I say, I hope the Lord will give you grace. Many and many of the young people person who wishes today.
He had said no, wishes he'd said no, but he allowed someone to push him. He allowed someone to influence him or her. And now they're sorry. They look back on it. They wish that they had said that little word and all. But in contrast with this, a dear brother, perhaps known to some here, he told one time when he was speaking about a businessman whom he knew, and he had.
Sign on his desk and it just had two words on it and that was those two words were yes Lord, yes, Lord. And that was on his death. And I've often thought of that. I hope, I hope it's always before each one of us. Why did he put it on his desk? He never wanted to say no to the Lord. He might have to say no to 101 Things that go on all around us day by day.
But never say no to the Lord.
Never. He and His wondrous grace had a purpose, and He has brought us into blessing. May we always say yes Lord, Yes Lord. So this was a negative purpose that He had. Now let's turn over to 1St A, second Timothy and the third chapter, Second Timothy on the 3rd chapter.
The 10th verse. But thou hast fully known my doctrine.
Manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience.
Persecutions inflict afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. What persecutions I endured, but all of them, all the Lord delivered me. Yeah, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned.
Been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures.
Which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, or reproof, or correction, or instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works.
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Notice when Paul speaks about his life, he said, Thou hast fully known my doctrine.
Manner of life. And then he says purpose, faith. So how we find here that the life of the apostle Paul was characterized too by a purpose? He begins by Speaking of doctrine. Because, you know, we can be very determined in the wrong direction and we can do a lot of harm to ourselves and to others by being determined in the wrong direction.
So he puts my doctrine and manner of life.
Before purpose, because before we set our minds to something, we should be sure that we have the word of God for the stand that we take. We should be sure that we have that direction, because we know that very often that that unwillingness to give in has caused a great deal of trouble. But here we find with the beloved apostle that he could speak of my doctrine, manner of life.
And then his purpose, and his purpose was as we know to.
Honor the Lord in his life, and He tells us that it was a costly thing.
It was not easy for him, for he tells us that he suffered at Iconium, at Antioch, at Iconium and Lystra. In all these places he was persecuted. The persecution took different forms. At Antioch the people came and contradicted what Paul said. At Iconium they came and spread bad reports about him.
At Lystra, they took another approach.
They were going to do sacrifice to him and worship him, and you find this, This is the way the world acts.
They will contradict what you say. They may even spread bad reports about you that are not true.
And then they may flatter you. They will use any approach that they possibly can to try and trip you up and turn you aside. And unless there is a purpose in your life, dear young people, you and I may get trapped when people contradict. Why? Unless we have the word of God for what we say, and then we'll find that we have, we're unable to take a firm stand.
And then two and people spread wrong reports about us. Are we going to say, well, I give up because they're saying things that are not true?
Always remember this to your young people. The Lord always has the record straight. He never makes any mistake you can you can leave it all with him. There's a verse in the 27th Psalm that I think is very comforting. The apostle, the rather the psalmist said that he said deliver me for false witnesses are risen up against me and such as breathe out cruelty and there may come times in your life.
When all you can do is say deliver me, people will say things and you can't prove that they're not true and you just have to leave it with the Lord. But the Lord knows and you can say deliver me. So in the contradicted and blasphemed, when they spread the evil reports, and then when they were going to worship Him, then He refused their flattery and so they stoned him.
And he was taken for dead on that occasion.
But that might have been the occasion where he got the most wonderful revelation. Some have thought that was the time he was caught up to the 3rd heaven. I'm not prepared to say for sure, but perhaps it was. You can always be sure of this, that when you seek to please the Lord, He's going to repay you in a wonderful way. You may have to suffer, it may cost something, but it's a grand thing to commit your way onto the Lord and trust in Him.
But now just to notice these other verses here.
From a child Timothy had known the Holy Scriptures, and Paul brings this before him as being so important, not only as regards salvation, but he says that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all good works. And this is another thing I'd like to bring before you in connection with purpose.
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Because he says here in connection with himself, that is, Paul says, thou hast known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose. And now he commends this to Timothy, that he would be well instructed in the Scriptures and.
It's a wonderful thing, as you have often heard me mention before, to store your mind with the Word of God when you're young.
You know, as we get older, we can't retain things that we hear as well. But there's no better time than when you're young. It's a grand opportunity. Or you say, I know I'm saved. I know the word of God tells me when I see the blood, I will pass over you. The word of God gives me the assurance and I know I'm saved. But you have the word of God for your pathway.
And if somebody asks you, well, why do you do this or that?
Why do you meet the way you do? Are you acquainted with the Scriptures? Oh, you say, well, my family has always gone to the meetings like that. Is that your answer or can you say, well, will you sit down and we'll look at it from the Scripture? Well, Paul not only encouraged Timothy in regard to going on in the past of.
Devotedness, but he brought before him the importance of the Word of God.
And my desire for you, dear young people, you know, some of us, when we went to school, we didn't go quite as far in school as some today. Many of us left school a little bit earlier than some others. But you know, you can get so you can spend so much time and forget the importance of the word of God. And I'm not against education. I thank God for those who have used what.
For the Lord. But I do say this, don't allow the education and all those things to take up so much of your time that you don't have time to read the word of God, the world, as perhaps you remember there was one the first judge in the book of Judges was the man who overcame.
Persia Seifer, and that means the city of books. And he was the first judge in Israel. He overcame the city of books. And you've got to overcome the city of books if you're going to be any good to the people of God.
The world is full of the making of books. There is no end. The Bible says it's just full of books. And you can just be reading these kind of things all the time. And I encourage you to read God's Word to appreciate the precious ministry that we have. And this is.
This requires purpose, you know, it requires purpose. There's a day set for exams and it requires purpose to get your lessons ready and someone says will you come out or have an exam tomorrow and so you study well, do we have that purpose in connection with the things of God? Are we really in earnest that we do desire to overcome the city of books and to be able to.
Be useful to the people of God. Dear Timothy wise, he had a purpose. And so the purpose was, I believe we could say in this to become acquainted with God's word. Now I'd just like to turn to one other passage, two other passages, one in in Acts chapter.
Acts Yes, the 19th chapter and the 21St verse. After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the Spirit.
When he had passed through Macedonia and Aqua to go to Jerusalem, saying after I have been there, I must also see Rome. I just wanted to speak briefly about this. And that is a purpose in connection with service. Now as far as Paul was concerned, he's going to Jerusalem, did not have the approval of the Spirit of God.
But what I wish to bring before you was that Paul did have a purpose in connection with his service.
And this only emphasizes the fact that in our service we need to be careful to be directed by the Lord, to be directed by him, because even the apostle Paul, wonderful person though he was.
We're informed by the Spirit of God that He did not have God's mind in going to Jerusalem. And you know, I hope you, dear young people, will grow up to be very useful. And the Lord has a service for every one of you. He has a service for me.
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And he has a service for you. Everyone has some part to fulfill in the Church of God. It says, Every man shall bear his own burden. Let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. An American said to the young people. And I wish to bring it before you again, that I believe each one of us should seek to discover.
What the Lord has for us to do?
I believe he has something for every young person and every older person to do a little service. Every Levite had something. Some carried the board, some carried the pins, some had the service of carrying the holy vessels, the ark, but everyone had some service. It's a sad thing to go through life and never to find out what the Lord wanted you to do.
It tells us about a man named Archibus that he had a service but he wasn't doing it.
And Paul had to say in the epistle, he said, say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry that thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. And I've often looked around and thought of young men of ability that I've seen and wondered if it wasn't possible for us to spend all our abilities on things that pass away instead of devoting.
Of those abilities to the Lord, I don't want to call anyone to service.
That's the master's call. He's the Lord of the harvest. But I do say he has a service for you and a burden. Do you have a purpose to find it out? Have you ever really looked up earnestly from your heart and said, Lord, what will thou have me to do? I believe if you do, he'll show you something. Mr. Darby once said it isn't the need that puts us to work. It's the Lord's call. He said there are needs everywhere, but.
The Lord has a call for each one of us, something for us to do for Him. Now, last of all, I'd just like to we spoke about purpose and power. So I'd like to turn to two passages about that. Philippians chapter 4, Philippians chapter 4, and verse 13.
I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.
And then in Colossians chapter one, beginning at the ninth verse.
For this 'cause we also, since we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that she might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.
Unto all patients.
And long-suffering with joyfulness always spoke in the beginning of God's purpose and the power that was going to carry it out. We talked a little bit about purpose in our lives. Purpose in connection with cleaving to the Lord. Purpose to be able to refrain from things that would be a hindrance to our Christian life and testimony. Purpose in connection with getting a knowledge of God's Word. Purpose and connection.
Our service and our pathway here for the Lord Jesus. But what about the power?
How did this great apostle do these things? And was it because he had such a strong character that he said, well, I'm just a man of purpose and I can accomplish this and that? No, not at all. He said, when I am weak, then am I strong? He said, I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.
And here he says to the Colossians, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power.
Unto all patients and long-suffering with joyfulness all your young people. It may and it does cost something to have a purpose in our lives, but oh, it's worthwhile. As Paul looked back at the end of his life and did he look back with vain regrets that he had followed his Lord? Oh no, He finished his course with joy. He sought to complete the ministry the Lord had given to him.
And all as I look into your young faces.
If the Lord doesn't come and he leaves us here, great responsibilities are going to fall upon you. You're going to face more difficult days than your elders and Janelle. The Philistines, a long while ago, they did their very best to keep all the Hebrews from having swords in their hands. He didn't mind sharpening their tools, but one thing he didn't want them to have a sword in their hand so they'd be weak in the day of battle. And he doesn't mind you coming and having a fine time with the other.
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People, and neither do I just love to see you together and having a nice time.
But oh, there's going to be a battle ahead. If the Lord doesn't come, days are going to become more difficult. May the Lord grant that we will have a purpose that will draw upon those resources of power that we have and that there will be in our lives, and that which will abide for His glory.
And when we find ourselves in that glory above and think of what it cost God.
To fulfill his purpose and bring us there and make us forever supremely happy. Do you think we'll be sorry for any purpose that we had? Do you think we'll be sorry for any sacrifices that we made for Him? All I believe we'll all say, oh, it's all worthwhile. Why didn't I live more for such a wonderful savior? Oh, May God grant that these things may lay hold of us now.
That the washing of water by the word may give us to enjoy.
More part with him.