Address—Robert Boulard
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Sing hymn number six. Which one? Sing number six. Maybe someone locally can start it.
Number six.
To make a job.
Located by some of our love to remain.
God.
Our hearts deliver shedding.
The sound and loud and proud of the rock and sat down on the street.
Have very fond memories of this little hymn.
When we were in McDowell division in Montreal.
In the mid 60s my father was going on with the Lord. We had a nice home, 1St 10 years of my life. And as we drove down the freeway in Montreal, Dakari Blvd. He had no radio in his car. And so we would take our hymn books and we would sing hymns as we drove along. And this is one of the little hymns that we used to sing as we drove.
On that little freeway.
And I recall as a young lad with very much affection. So you know your father is in the room here, you have an influence on your family.
I hope there's a song of joy, a song of the Lord in their homes, a song of appreciation for the work of Christ. Let's just bow our heads and ask the Lord blessing on our media.
Well, I had a subject kind of picked out and, uh, spent a few days kind of looking over at home and, uh, I was enjoying in my own soul, but uh, didn't seem to fit the theme of what we have here in the meetings. So I kind of tossed it out and trust to take up something else. I'd like to turn to the book Gospel of Luke and, uh, Chapter 9 and umm, just with the Lord's health to review some of the things in Chapter 9.
That I've learned over the years and, uh, from others. Not, uh, not really always for my own meditation, but have gleaned in connection with the disciples.
In this chapter, we're going to find that the disciples were, umm, in their apprenticeship. We might say they, uh, had the Lord the first few chapters, uh, the first maybe.
Chapter 789, uh, 785678 where really they had the Lord there with them and he was training them, teaching them by example with the miracles that he did and how he spoke and what he said. And they saw the spirit of the actions of the Lord Jesus in his work. And they were to observe, they were to learn. That's how God teaches us. He teaches us by his word and he also teaches us by his example. So when the Lord doesn't say something specifically in the scriptures about something.
00:05:24
Oftentimes there's an example that you can find in the Old Testament or in the New Testament and in particular with the Lord's life of what we might think that would please him by his example. And so here we have in Chapter 9 some lessons that the disciples learned. We don't, I don't know that we have time to look at all 12, but umm, there were some mistakes, some missteps that they made in this chapter and the Lord very gently and very graciously corrected them. And, uh, so I'd like to look at them and just gain a little bit of instruction from them.
And that we can learn from their mistakes too. You know, the Lord teaches us by his word. There's three ways to learn the truth of God. One is that I can read the word of God and believe it in faith. The other is that I can learn from other mistakes that other people made. So I read the word of God perhaps, and I see mistakes that other people made. I learned from that I should learn. Consider the other thing is the other way is that I can learn from my own mistakes. And that's the most painful way.
And, uh, the brother that asked me to take this meeting said that, uh, it really should be geared to young people if it's possible, If that's, and that's my exercise this afternoon. So I'll hear my comments that way. Let's read, uh, just, uh, from verse one, just as introductory, the 1St 6 verses that he called as 12 disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases and he sent them to preach.
The Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves nor script, neither bread, neither money, neither have two coats apiece. Whatsoever house you enter into, thereby it invents depart. And whosoever will not receive you when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed and went through the town's preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.
Now our brother John read earlier in chapter 8 and verse one, it's very interesting. In Luke's gospel, there's a little bit of a sequence and I'll just point it out for your own enjoyment and perhaps instruction. Chapter 8, verse one says it came to pass afterward that he went, he went throughout every city and village preaching and showing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God, and the 12 were with him.
Now it says in verse Chapter 9, verse one, he says he called his 12 disciples, he made a choice, He has a there's a divine choice. God has a choice. He can use you or he embrace he he'd like to use you.
He's not gonna demand it. He's not gonna press you into service, but he paid for you, bought you himself with his own precious blood.
Prove how much He loves you. He'd love to be able to use you if you'd let him. And so here He called his 12 men. He gave them the resources, He gave them power over all devils, cure diseases. Then He sent them. Isn't that lovely? He sent them. And then He gave them instructions. He said unto them, verse three, take nothing. And so on. And verse six, they obeyed, they went, they departed. And so this is the work widening out. The Lord did the work first.
Chapter 8 Now in Chapter 9 we.
70 also and then and sent them two and two before his face in every city in place, whether he himself would come. Soak speaks of a diligence in the work of the Lord, and the Lord Jesus was faithful and diligent. I don't think that there's a place. I don't think there's a village.
In all of the land of Israel that the Lord didn't go.
It took all of these different ones to go and prepare the way before he would go himself. He was tireless, but he went first. They saw his example and then those disciples, the 12 That were chosen specially were given authority and given their commissioned to go forth. They preached the gospel of the Kingdom that the king was come and uh, they were to receive the king. He would set up his Kingdom if they received him and then he sent seventy others. And so, you know, we live in a day and age where.
There's no restrictions. Every one of us has the liberty if we would be led to the Spirit of God to just do a little work for him. And uh, the Lord perhaps has prepared the way we do, brother here in, in the gospel, whose gift is in the gospel oftentimes praise that the Lord would prepare the way, prepare hearts to receive the word of God. Well, the Lord is working and he's preparing the hearts now they were sent forth.
00:10:18
And then it says in verse 10, we'll read from verse 10 and read.
A couple more verses. The apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done.
And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Basada. And the people, when they knew it, followed him. And he received them Spake unto them of the Kingdom of God, and heal them.
Them that had need of healing. And when the day began to wear away, then came the 12Th and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country roundabout and lodge and get vittles, for we are here in a desert place. But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but 5 loaves and two fishes, except that we should go and buy meat for all his people, for they were about 5000 men.
And he said to his disciples, make them to sit down by 50s in a company, and they did so, and made them to all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them and break, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled, and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them 12 baskets.
While we weren't tone turned back to it that umm, in another place, another gospel, Actually it's Matthew's gospel. I think it's chapter 14, maybe verse 15. We have the first incidents that the Lord fed.
5000, I think it was 5000 anyway, umm, there in that place the Lord said to the disciples, He says I have compassion on the multitude and he said the multitude, he made them sit down and he fed them from the resources that he had, but they're here in this second incident here.
The disciples, they went to the Lord and they said, you know or no, the uh, here the Lord went to them as it were in verse 13. He said unto them, give ye them to eat. They said, we have no more but 5 loaves and two fishes. Well, this first misstep in connection with the disciples as they did their labor for the Lord began in their work of service is they misjudge the resources that the Lord had. They misjudged his power, his capability. They misjudged, they thought here they've been seeing this man healed.
Lepers heal different ones that were blind and so on. And they saw what other men saw. They saw a man doing his work. And you and I, as we read the Scriptures, it's true, we see a man, he's a man, Christ Jesus.
That he's God the Son too. They didn't realize the resources that God has. And umm, you know, I just say this is an encouragement to you as you're young in the faith, perhaps young believer, you may not have a lot of resources. You don't have a lot of money in the bank.
You might not have a new car, don't have a home, live in your parents home, whatever it might be. Don't have a lot of resources here. The disciples, they said, well, we just have 5 loaves, a couple of dishes, not a lot. But you know, there's little expression that umm, little as much when God is in it. And uh, I just want to encourage you to use what you have for the Lord. Don't wait. It's one of the tactics that the enemy has in your life and mine to say we just don't have enough resources to do.
The work for the Lord right now when I get a little bit older, I have a little bit more money, maybe I have a little more education. My education is finished. I have a house, whatever, umm, I got a car, a nicer car. I could go get some kids, bring them to Sunday school, whatever it is When I a little bit later, why I, I might be able to do it instead of crying out to the Lord and uh, instead of asking the Lord, how do I use these resources? I'd like to feed the people of God. Why? They just misjudged the heart of God the son and they made this little misstep.
In connection with their service and so the Lord had to intervene and he comes in has gave them instruction as to how to seat the people in an orderly fashion that they might be fed and then he looked up in verse 16, he acknowledged publicly connected his work with heaven itself and prayed bless them. He blessed them break and gave the disciples set before the multitude. They did all they did eat and were all filled.
00:15:11
And there was taken up of fragments that remained to them 12 baskets. So, you know, when you do a little work for the Lord, may there may be some missteps. You know, my father-in-law used to have a, a Finlander that worked for him. And, uh, he never got his English quite right, came over after the war. And he worked, uh, as a Carpenter and painter and all kinds of, uh, manual labor for my father-in-law in the construction business in Hammer Bay. And, uh, but, uh, he used to cut a board wrong or something. And he said, oh, he said, what man, he makes the mistake.
Uh, what man? He works. He makes a mistake.
What man? He no work? He no make the mistake.
You know, I think of that sometimes. Well, man, you work, you make a mistake. What man, you know work, you know, make the mistake.
I just want to encourage you this afternoon, young brother, you stand up and read a portion of scripture on the Lord's day morning and you stumble along. Maybe you forget what, what the second passage was that you were gonna try to mention. And and uh, your brother Dave here. I had a few passages of scripture in connection with continue that I had in my on my mind and en enjoyed in my soul on continue and and I just couldn't find that one in second Timothy. He just spou spotted it out. You know why God allows us to make mistakes? Because God is God and man is man.
Don't ever forget.
God is God and man is man. And in your service for the Lord, you're gonna make mistakes. Things are gonna come out right and, umm, there are going to be some things that, uh, you just wish you had said differently or done differently, But that's because God is God and man is man. Someone is in your service for the Lord. He's going to delight to, just to instruct you with those little nuances. So the first thing that we really need to recognize in connection with our service for the Lord is that the resources aren't ours.
The resources belong to Christ, and whatever you have, I trust this way with you. I trust that you don't say that all those things belong to me.
My loaves and my fish. No, our resources as believers, we ought to recognize that we're stewards of what the Lord has allowed to fall into our hands. And our responsibility is to use it in the day of grace for his glory and to support the Christian testimony in the day that we live in, To use it, use our homes for the gospel of the grace of God and to use what we have for his glory. Well, that's the first one. Now let's read, uh, from verse 18.
It says there that it came to pass, as he was alone praying, His disciples were with him, and he asked him, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
They answering said John the Baptist, But some say Elias, and others say that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Peter answering, said the Christ of God, and he straightly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing, saying, the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain and be raised.
The third day.
Well, here there was, uh.
Really a question the Lord had to touch their consciences with in connection with this work that was going on in the land. If you look and, and we didn't read it in verse 7-8 and nine, there was this question that Herod had, he had a bad conscience because he had murdered John the Baptist. And, uh, there was all kinds of rumors going around us who the Lord Jesus was. Not everybody knew and recognized that he was the rightful king of Israel.
And that he was the one who was through the future day going to be exalted. Umm, they didn't really know who this was. And umm, so he asked all the disciples, all of them, who this man was, who the Lord Jesus was. And the mistake or the little misstep here is because of their lack of communion, they really didn't know. But in grace and sovereignty, the Lord comes in here and Peter really makes a very crystal clear confession, he says.
In verse 20, Peter answering said the Christ of God.
Now Christ means Messiah and he is the Messiah. That's the Messiah is the Hebrew version, the Hebrew, umm, equivalent of, umm, Christ. Christ is the Greek form. And so our Bible, our New Testaments are written in Greek or we're written originally in Greek. And so we have here the Christ, the Christ of God. And so it was, He was the Christ of God.
00:20:15
And if we read the 2nd Psalm, we would find that as the Chrysler, the Messiah, he's going to reign over all Israel. And that's what they wanted. And umm, he was going to reign not only over Israel, but he was going to have authority over the nations. And but he was drained from Jerusalem would be the capital city of the world. And that's what Peters said. He says the Christ of God, was he right? He was right. But then, you know, the Lord Jesus had to speak to them.
And, uh, because of their lack of communion.
He says, uh, he straightly charged them and commanded them to tell no man that thing. The people, they lacked the communion to recognize that the people were rejecting that message, rejecting the king, rejecting his message that he had come to reign over them. They wanted the miracles, but they didn't want the king himself, the person of the king. And he says the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be slain, be raised on the third day.
Well, they just didn't enter into it. They didn't understand those things.
And umm, the Son of Man here speaks of really if you read.
Let's just, uh, give a definition. The Son of Man really has to do with the connection, connection with the Lord Jesus as one who not only reigns over Israel, over the earth, reigns over the earth, but he reigns over all things. Did you know the one who redeemed you with his own precious blood is going to reign over heaven and earth. He's going to reign over all the earth and he's going to reign over all the heavens. He's going to reign over the universe.
That's what it means to be the Son of Man.
And umm, you know, if they had been in communion with the Lord, they would have recognized that things were not as they appeared and that the Kingdom was not going to be set up the way they had hoped. And they would have conducted themselves perhaps a little bit differently. And so oftentimes, you know, the key is given in the first verse in the Scriptures, in verse 18, he was alone praying.
He was alone, praying Hello. And it says that it's kind of how you use the puzzle with some of these little expressions. His disciples were with him. How is it that you can be alone and there's twelve other people with you?
He was alone with God, He was alone in his prayer. He was a dependent man, but he was fully holy, 100% in communion with the Father.
He was alone. Sometimes, you know, we feel alone, don't we? One of the worst things for a twin. I'm a twin. My twin brother lives in Louisville, KY, and I can tell you that one of the things that is most difficult for me as a twin is to be alone. I want to be with someone else. I can't stand being all by myself in a car, all by myself at a restaurant. I can't do it. Sometimes I don't eat because I don't want to be somewhere all by myself eating.
And so the Lord desired the company of his disciples, but the key to his communion with the Father was he was alone, prey.
You know, there's three things that are necessary and they're necessary daily. They're given to us in the Scriptures that are necessary in your life and mine as a believer daily. And the first one is prayer. If we looked in if in sequence in Psalms, let's just look at the 86 Psalms.
Verse 3.
Be merciful unto me, oh Lord, for I cry unto thee daily. Isn't that nice? There's the those are the remnants during the tribulation period. They're gonna cry to the Lord daily. We live in a scene that requires us to walk independence. Let's turn to Acts chapter 17. This is the third thing.
Acts chapter 17 and verse 11.
These were more noble than the those in the that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily. Whether those things were so so they searched the scriptures, they dug into the scriptures.
Ministry books, it's good. I read ministry books and I dig into the ministry and I but dig into the Word of God, dig in it and search the Scriptures, Scriptures, the Holy Word of God. That's necessary. It's absolutely vital daily. And then we have the third thing in the chapter that we're reading here in verse 23 says he said unto them, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
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We have to be associated with the reproach of Christ on a daily basis.
Lest we forget, we're following demand Christ Jesus, who is rejected in this world. And if you follow Christ, you're gonna be rejected by this world. They're not gonna be appreciative if you mentioned the name of Christ in their company because they crucified that man and they don't wanna hear about him.
But it's necessary for us to come into the place of death daily. You know, if you saw a man walking down the street, one of us, and we were carrying a cross, you say that's a strange sight. If I saw a sister here in the assembly and she's walking down the street, she's down the sidewalk and she's carrying a cross, I'd say, my, what a sight is that. But the world ought to recognize that we've taken the place of death to this world.
And that, uh, we have no more aspiration for a place that has crucified the Savior and we want to live for Christ. Well, the, let's just read these, umm, next few verses. I'm going to skip a few here. Umm, verse 28.
It came to pass about in eight days after these sayings, that he took up Peter, took Peter, and John, and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and blistering. And behold their talk with him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory and faith of his deceased, or his departure, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they were awake they saw.
His glory and the two men that stood with him.
Well.
This is umm, let me just read the next part of it here. It came to pass as they departed from him, Peter said into Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make the three tabernacles, one for the one for Moses and one for Elias. Not knowing what he said while he thus fake, there came a cloud and overshadowed them. They feared as they entered into the cloud and there came a voice out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved son, hear him.
And when the voice was passed, Jesus was found alone, and they were kept it close, and told no man in those days of those things which they had seen.
Well, this is really.
A mistake, perhaps a misstep on Peter's part. He was really a spokesman, maybe took the leading place among us brethren at that day. But umm, really was, uh, a lack of discernment because he lacked, he saw three men, as it were, that were glorified on that mountain, and he lacked the discernment to recognize that the Lord Jesus was not in the same league, if I could put it that way. Not the same league as Elias or Moses.
Moses, you know, the law came by Moses, but grace and truth or lovingkindness and truth obtained by Jesus Christ. And even though Elias, Elijah is a little picture of those that are raptured and umm, not going to see death and that Moses, a little picture of those that, uh, perhaps didn't enter into that and were resurrected, going to be resurrected. This little, uh, scenario on the mountaintop is a picture.
A little expression of the future Kingdom glory of the Lord. So Peter, James and John were given that special privilege of seeing the Lord in His glory in the future Kingdom glory. And umm, so.
Because of their lack of discernment here. Why was it that they made this mistake? Why? Why did Peter make this mistake?
Well, it was because they were asleep. They were asleep. They made a mistake because they were asleep. Peter did. Now I just want to turn to 1St Thessalonians chapter 5.
And read a verse of scripture there.
Verse six. Let us not therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for in helmet the hope of salvation.
00:30:07
Well, Peter was awa asleep, the other two were asleep and they missed the point of this whole display of the glorious Christ. Now you say, well, I'm I'm pretty awake. I hear what you're saying. I see a few a few nods going on. Maybe we should stand up and sing to him. But.
You know, sometimes we just go on and we're asleep to the fact of where we are in the place in the Christian testimony. Where are we?
Where are we in the Christian era? We're right at the end. We say. Well, we're right at the end. We're expecting the Lord to come. How far? How close to the end are we?
You know, the Western world, the Western Empire, Christian, Western Christian world.
Is not very far from class. You know when the Western civilization will collapse totally? When the Lord appears in glory with you and I at the end of the tribulation period, he'll appear and all that, uh, Western civilization will be crushed, will be bro broken, will be destroyed, will be wiped out. There's nothing left of it. How long after the rapture does that take place? Maybe seven years, maybe a little more. Let's say eight years.
Takes a little bit of time. You know, the Western economies are just about wiped out. The debt, the umm, political corruption, the moral corruption, the wickedness, the crime.
The satanic influence, people that are perhaps deeming demon possessed and machine gunning their classmates, all kinds of stuff. We're almost at the end of the Christian era and, umm, perhaps what we saw beginning in the 1950s and somebody mentioned rock music began in the 50s, I believe. And uh, all the influence of, uh, the degradation or moral degradation.
Of this world and the Western world, giving us the knowledge of God.
The end of it is almost here. And the collapse of Western, what we are going through is the beginning, perhaps tail end, very close to the tail end of the collapse of Western civilization. Do we have the discernment of these things or are we asleep to the fact we're asleep to these things? We're conducting ourselves as if we're going to be here a long time. And so it needs to exercise our hearts, doesn't it, and to exercise us in our lives.
While they were asleep, they made this mistake and so they lacked the discernment that in connection with the, the Lord and reverence for the Lord, they, Peter put, uh, Elias and Moses on the same plane as the Lord. It was really a serious thing, but uh, it took the voice from heaven to correct Peter. This is my beloved son, hear him.
That's wonderful, but Peter never forgot.
He was corrected by the father.
He was corrected, He never forgot and he never held it against the Lord either. You know, sometimes we hold things against one another if we correct someone, correct somebody, and uh, we wear our feelings on our shirt sleeves and say something that shouldn't be said or do something, go someplace, whatever, and somebody in love tries to correct us and we just won't take it.
Peter doesn't appear that that was that way with him at all. You know one of the.
Questions that we used to have on our, I used to have, uh, interview people to hire them. They would come and submit a, a resume. Perhaps we were advertising for someone to come work for us and I had a series of 16 or 17 questions that I would ask and go through the interview.
One of the questions that I used to ask was umm, Sir.
I would call them by their name and say how do you take correction? I'll give you an example and I would exam give in manufacturing, you're going to make mistakes. That's why you have qual quality control. And so there's a mistake that's made on this drawing, engineering drawing or whatever. And I come or someone else and the staff comes and they have to correct your drawing. They have to correct you and say this isn't right and you need to make it right. How do you take that? You get all angry, get all upset.
Why?
It's necessary. I got all kinds of different answers, and I always knew whether someone was being honest. You know, some people say, well, I never make mistakes. Well, you knew you didn't get the right answer there.
00:35:11
We all make mistakes. How do we take correction?
We need to correct one another in love, and the Lord corrects us in love. And here the mistake in connection with Peter was serious enough that, uh, heaven itself corrected the mistake. Peter never held it against the Lord. He walked with the Lord and it was used of God. He submitted to it. Let's look at umm, verse 37.
Says umm came to pass, that on the next day when they were come down from the hill, much people met met him, and behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son, for he is my only child. Lois spirit taketh him, and suddenly, suddenly crieth out and tear him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departed from him. I besought my disciples to cast them out, they could not.
And Jesus answering said, Oh, faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer you? Bring, hit her, bring thy Son, hit her. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down. Tear him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his Father. And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered, everyone at all these things that Jesus did did, He said unto his disciples, let.
These sayings sink down in years. I'm going to read that a little bit further later. Anyway, here we have this little incident that took place as the Lord Jesus came down from the mount with his disciples. The other nine disciples were down at the bottom of the mountain and uh, it was necessary as those that came to them in their apprenticeship, you might say they were given power. Here it says in verse one power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. Why they?
The Lord came to these dear ones and here's a man, he said. I tried to get this devil to this demon, uh, to leave. I came to your disciples and I asked for this miracle and they couldn't do it.
Why couldn't they do it? Well, you know, they had a lack of power. They had a lack of power. We have that little incident here that the Lord Jesus was alone praying in verse 18 and umm, they really attempted to deal with the problem, but without real dependence and power from the Lord, they just couldn't do it.
And so they needed to spend time in the presence of the Lord. The Lord did this work. We find a little bit later on that there was a reason why they couldn't do it. It says here in verse 46 or 45 says they understood not just saying it was hid from them and they perceived it not and they feared to ask him. I didn't read verse 44. Let these sayings sink down into your ears. For the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, and they perceived it not. They feared to ask Him of that saying. Well, this is the 6th mistake here, the 6th little misstep that they had. They didn't understand that Lord was speaking to them, that He was going to depart from this earth, that He was going to depart by way of death, and they were afraid to ask Him.
You Have you ever asked the Lord any questions?
If you ever read the passage of Scripture, you just don't understand what it says. You ever have a difficult situation that comes into life and you ask the Lord, what does this mean? I don't understand. You know, life is confusing.
I feel for you, dear young people, at times as I think of the confusion all around us in the Christian testimony and I feel of how things are more confusing than they need to be here. The disciples didn't understand.
Really, because they didn't perceive the teaching of the Word of God in connection with what the Spirit of God had taught, that the Lord Jesus would suffer and then he would come into his glory. Let's just read in first. Uh, I think it's first Peter.
First Peter, chapter one, verse 11.
Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. So all of the prophetic Scriptures have those two things connected with them, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Two parts. And so the Jews, they read the Scriptures, and they could read and understand and enjoy the fact that there was going to be a future glory, and that they would be at the head of the nations, not at the tail.
00:40:27
They could understand that that Christ, their Messiah, would be the King.
But they read the scriptures in connection with the sufferings of the Messiah and they didn't understand them. They didn't, they didn't want that part of the prophetic scriptures. And the Lord spoke to them too. And he says, uh, in Luke chapter 24, all fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. The prophets spoke of the sufferings and the glory that you follow. And so you and I, we read the scriptures and it says.
That the Christians are going to suffer persecution.
And we kind of block it out and say, we're just like the Jews, you know, it's a, that part of it we just don't really recognize. But, uh, the glory that should follow. We, we understand that we're saved, we're saved sinners and we're going to be with the Lord in the glory and, umm, things are good eternally and there's a bright future prospect, but forget this suffering business. We don't want that part of it. And so they were mistaken. They didn't understand things in the right way because they wouldn't recognize the truth of all of the scriptures. And so you and I need to recognize.
And understand all of the Scriptures in connection with Christianity. And then it says in verse 46, here's another mistake, another incident in their lives that really the Lord uses to teach us. There are rows of reasoning among them. Which of them should be greatest? Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child and set him by him. He said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child and my name receiveth me, and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me.
For he that is least among you, all the same shall be great.
Well, here there was a mistake. Really. There was mistaken act in their service for the Lord, because they had a rather high opinion of themselves. They lacked humility.
You know, brother Gordon Hale, No, brother. His brother Albert used to say, you know, we're all just a bunch of zeros. You remember saying, you're saying that He's saying Albert Hale would say we're all a bunch of zeros, every one of us, and we'd be worthless except for the one out in front of us.
We're all a bunch of zeros and sometimes we have a real high opinion of one another, of ourselves, perhaps even as one of our brethren, and we need to have a high opinion of the Lord and his finished work. But you know, here they were squabbling between themselves as to who is the greatest apostle and umm, they didn't learn. He had taught them. And if you read in, uh, Matthew's Gospel, chapter 18, the first few verses, he speaks of humility.
In chapter 18, by the way, has uh, six different, umm, aspects of, uh, Christianity talk in connection with the, the church. And one of the things, the first thing was humility. In chapter 18, they haven't learned the lesson. And so they were squabbling. They wanted to have a high position place among their brethren that wasn't given to them of God. You want to destroy the assembly where you come from.
Try to have the 1St place want to be the first, the most important brother, the most important sister, the place that a place, a position that umm, God perhaps hasn't given you, but you want some place, some prominence for yourself among your brethren. It'll destroy the assembly, destroy your life to want a place of prominence. The Lord Jesus was the most humble man that ever lived, and he's the one that's exalted on high. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, that even the death of the cross.
We ought to exalt Christ, not exalt one another, not exalt ourselves in any way. You know, I think sometimes in connection with this of Romans chapter 16.
And umm, Brother John mentioned a little earlier in these meetings and uh, first Samuel chapter 23. Now Second Samuel chapter 23, you have uh, umm, David's mighty men, 37 of them. 36 are named, one isn't named.
But here in Romans chapter 16, you have maybe you might say Paul's mighty man 37 names, 37 different individuals, 337 names or 36 names are given of individuals, 10 different groups. And uh, it says in the first verse, it says, I commend unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church, which is at sangria, the very first one that Paul names of those that had distinguished themselves in service in the Christian testimony.
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Was a sister who was a servant.
You want to do something in blessings for your brethren.
Be a servant. Do a small work that isn't visible. Nobody really knows specifically what this sister did, but she was a servant of the of the assembly, a servant of the assembly of Sankria. Paul says so, and she's the first one on the list because she is a servant.
Well, the apostles here, the disciples were mistaken because they mistaken and umm took a misstep because.
Of their desire to have a place of prominence and we find in verse 49.
There's uh, this is perhaps the 8th one that's listed here that is kind of listed. It says John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name and we forbade him because he followeth not with us. Jesus said to him, forbid him not for he that is not against us is for us.
Well, here the disciples, you know, it's very striking.
They come down from the mountain after the Mount of Transfiguration, that scene of glory and uh, here these nine disciples couldn't cast out a devil, couldn't cast out a demon out of this man's son.
And then they go a little bit further and here's a man, here's someone, and he was casting out devils in my name. And we forbade him because he followed not with us.
As a solemn thing, they didn't have the power to do the work that the Lord had given them to do because of the lack of communion. They were squabbling, trying to have a place of prominence.
That among one another and so on. They weren't in an attitude of prayer. They were asleep on the mountain. All kinds of things were out of step, and the Lord has to use someone else and the devil is cast out. And then really they were out of communion and mistaken because they had a lack of tolerance to what God was doing with other people.
And so, you know, the Lord is using other believers to do a work. Perhaps there's a gospel work in some part of the world and the Lord is using other believers that aren't gathered to the Lord's name. Perhaps there's a work of God going on in your neighborhood. I think Brother David Teo told us last year.
In Hayward Bay, he was in his house one day and there was a knock on the door and, uh, he went to the door and here was, was it a Mormon? I think it was a Mormon that came to the house and had his PA. Oh no, it was umm, umm, an Islamist. Uh, what do you call them? A Muslim? Muslim came to his door.
They were canvassing the neighborhood, and they came to the neighborhood and they gave out Muslim literature. The enemy was doing his work. Believers are asleep at the switch, as it were, and we're not as diligent as we once were. Perhaps it's a shame, but sometimes, you know, the Lord uses others to do a work for himself. And they were very intolerant. They forbade him.
You know, I was, uh, in, uh, Las Vegas. We used to have to do a trade show in Las Vegas every year.
And, umm, there's not much for a believer to do in Las Vegas. But at night, after the show was over, I would walk the streets and.
I was walking with another man.
I don't think he's a believer. He's in his 80s now. His name is Kausika. We did business together. We're walking down the street downtown on Fremont Street, and we just passed the Fremont Gospel Mission in that city. And there was a little empty lot beside the Fremont Gospel Mission. And there were some young kids giving out gospel tracks, 16 years old, 15 years old, 17 years old, young men and some sisters.
And as I walked by his brother or Sir, Sir, you need God, you need God. I, I picked up that paper. I said, you're absolutely right, I need God. And I talked to that young man, David. Here he is at night.
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And instead of wasting his time at home doing whatever, he's out on the street giving gospel tracks in the wicked city. And people were taking these tracks and they walking down the street with gospel with the drinks and throwing them.
As they found that, it was a message from the heart of God Himself, offering forgiveness for their sins and a life of joy to come. They were just laughing while I tried to encourage that brother in his work and the ones that were with them. I'm going to meet them soon. No doubt I'll see that young brother David. I never saw him again.
But what a wonderful to encourage others to do a work for the Lord if they're just doing something for Himself.
While we have another.
Umm, sys uh, just another little mistake. I don't know here how much time we have, but uh, verse 54 in connection with discipleship.
Actually, umm, let's read verse 54. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did. But he turned and rebuked them and said, you know not what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men's life, but to save them. And they went to another village. Well, you know, he came to the Samaritans, and the Samaritans wouldn't receive them. They wouldn't receive the message.
And so they said, well, the disciples, they said, why don't we, uh, John says, uh, he says, why don't we call down fire from heaven and destroy these people because they won't receive the gospel?
Well, that's not a character of what the Lord was bringing. That was not the message wasn't the time of judgment. And the day that we live in is the day of grace. You know, Bob Tony tells a story told a story years ago and it never forgot. But there was a.
In Colombia or one of those South American countries, there was a a gorilla, one of these umm rebels that got saved.
Probably a very hardened criminal mind and so on. But the Lord saved them. Here's this.
Wicked man opposed the government for years and so on. And so we got saved. And then he wanted all, he was so happy. He wanted all of his friends to get saved too. And so he went to see his best friend and umm, he put a knife to his throat. He gave him the gospel and the man said, I'm not interested, sorry, not interested. You can have religion and that sort of thing, but I'm not interested in umm, Bob says this gorilla, he put his knife into his throat, made him kneel down and he says, uh, you're gonna take Christ as your savior. You're gonna chop your head off.
Well, the man got saved and it was real, but that's really not the way we're supposed to do things. And so in the sovereign goodness and grace of God, the man took Christ as Savior and the brethren and that were with that man, they explained the way of God more perfectly unto him. And so that's not how he continued to preach the gospel. But umm, we sometimes can be mistaken because we have a lack of grace.
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poorer, that he through his poverty might be rich. If we know something at the grace of God, let's display it towards those that are lost. And it wasn't, as I said a little earlier in another meeting, it may take some time. And, uh, if we were more gracious and gave the gospel to, uh, our friends and those that, that we know told them about the Lord, told them how near the Lord is coming.
Lord's coming is why they might get saved in time and might take nine years, might not take that long.
But it might take some time. Let's have grace as we give out the gospel. Another mistake here is in verse 57. It came to pass that as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the some that man hath not where to lay his head.
Well, here this man came. This disciple is not really one of the apostles, but he came to the Lord. He said, uh, I'll follow thee whithersoever thou goest. But he really hadn't counted the cost and umm, he really was doing it in the energy of the flesh.
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And so here this afternoon, I'd like to encourage you to follow the Lord. But don't do it in your own energy. You won't do it in the right way, and you will follow. You may have this good start, this good desire, but don't do it in the energy of the flesh. Do it in the energy of the spirit. And trust the Lord get into His presence and seek grace, energy from Himself. Grace to follow and to follow in the right way.
While we don't see that he actually desired to go and to follow the Lord in a place of rejection.
So then we find another disciple Verse uh verse umm 59 He said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Well, Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the Kingdom of God.
Well, it wasn't the fact here that teaching this little passage isn't the fact that this man's father had died. He just, umm, wanted to go on with his father and, uh, in a little expression, he wanted to, to go on in fellowship with the family until the father died. And then after the father died, he said, I'll come over and, and I'll follow you. I got other things to do first.
Priority.
So this, this disciple was a little mistaken in how he was going to have to pay the cost, the price of following the Lord Jesus and what the priority was his. He was mistaken in his discipleship because he didn't get his priorities right. Does that ring a bell?
You know, I've grown up in the tail end perhaps of my life. That's in the electronic age. And uh, I may be a little bit different to other people, but I shut my cell phone off at night. I don't leave it on all night. I don't put it in sleeper mode or anything like that. I plug it in and then I charge it up and then I leave it off.
And then I have to discipline myself. I confess, I have to discipline myself to pick up the word of God and to read the word of God and have a word of prayer before I turn my cell phone on. Because if I turn my cell phone on, sometimes there's something that's come up that needs immediate attention and so on. But if I don't turn the cell phone on, I don't know about it.
And I should give the first part, the 1St, the priority of the first part of my life, the first part of the day to the Lord.
Your priority.
Your priorities in your life gonna mold your life.
And this man says me first, me first.
Now, if we have this attitude, me first priorities aren't gonna be right. The Lord wants the best of your life. He doesn't want the leftovers. What's first, the best, The best part. And don't wait to give him the last part.
That follow him while you're yet young. Let's read the last one here, verse 61. Another also said Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell.
Which are at home at my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God well.
He just was undecided and, uh, oftentimes, you know, we have that desire to follow the Lord and uh, we start out, but there's real indecision and not a following through.
So there needs to be.
Decision a decided, uh, de a decided purpose of heart. You know how the Barnabas he desired encouraged the Saints that with purpose of heart they should cleave under the Lord. We need to make a decision and we need to be a one time decision once and for all in the area, as tense as it were to follow the Lord and to go on. Let's just look at I'm just gonna review these because I kind of was haphazard. First one of these mistakes or missteps of disciples in verse 10.
It's in connection with their service and their really the lack of umm, recognition of the resources that the Lord has. And so they really have a misstep. They didn't have a desire or didn't have the resources to provide for the needs of the multitude. And then in verse 18, really they were mistaken because of a lack of communion and a lack of prayer. And then in verse 28.
They were really mistaken because they were asleep. Then in verse umm.
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33 They were really mistaken because of their lack of dessert on the 4th. 1:00 Then in verse 40 they were mistaken. They had missteps in their service because their lack of power.
And then we find the reason for that lack of power a little bit later on. But verse 45, they were mistaken in their service because they understood not they didn't have understanding understanding of the times that they lived in and they were afraid to ask the Lord first seven or verse 46.
They were, there arose of reasoning among them which of them should be the greatest. And so this is another mistake because it was a lack of humility. And then we have in verse 49, the lack of tolerance to those that were doing the work not gathered with them. And then in verse 54, they were really they didn't have grace.
They lacked grace, and so they didn't do their service in connection with proper grace. That's the 9th, 1:00.
10th one, in connection with the lack of reality, the man wanted to follow but he wasn't willing to pay the price. And in verse 59, the 11Th one, he didn't have his priorities right. Then the last 112Th thing and the 12Th lesson really in connection with these is that there was a lack of commitment and he was undecided in following the Lord and didn't follow through. Plant atrocities are a little encouragement.
Few little lessons and that everyone of us will take away something. You know, the brethren here are hosting this conference this weekend. They don't just want you to have a good time. They do want you to have a good time. But they'd like you to go away from this conference with an exercise to live differently.
And exercise to please the Lord, and exercise one exercise of some sort that will change your life in some small way. Let's commend ourselves. Our loving God and our Father, we thank you for thy precious words.
And we just pray that thou bless the reading of it and these few comments and that we might, uh, might have this desire to be more devoted to be, and that, uh, when we do make mistakes, that, uh, we might be found in my presence, blessed Savior.
And uh, judging our hearts, judging our actions that there might be fruit for thee in our lives. As we go through this scene, we thank you that we're almost home. We just ask you for a desire of heart devotion to thee in these last few hours of the day of grace. We ask it and give thanks in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.