Address—John Bilisoly
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In Luke Chapter 7 and verse 11. And it came to pass. The day after that he went into a city called.
Name and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out.
The only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he touched the beer, and they that bear him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak, and he delivered him to his mother. Well, I was thinking of this little portion in connection with this.
This little exhortation that I've taped up here, wake up. And if you were to look at the Mr. Darby's translation.
It reads like this, youth, I say unto thee, wake up. And so I thought of that as a little exhortation. You know, dear ones, sometimes we get sleepy spiritually, don't we? And we need to be awakened. We need to wake up. And I trust that in this time being together here at Lassen, perhaps maybe we'll wake up in that way and we'll listen. We'll listen to what's being said, and may our hearts be encouraged.
You know, there was a time when and our brother referred to the Mount of Transfiguration and if we were to turn there and to look at that portion, we would see that just before the Lord manifested His glory, Peter and the others were sleeping. And I thought, you know, they came very close to missing that because they were asleep, but they awakened and they got to see that manifestation of His glory.
Well, you know, sometimes I believe that we can be asleep spiritually and we can miss out.
And what the Lord has for us. And so perhaps we need this word tonight to wake up.
There's another time too, when the disciples were sleeping when they should have been watching, and the Lord felt that, didn't He? It was there in the garden when he was in agony, and he says in Luke 22. And when He arose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow. And he said unto them, Why sleep ye? Rise up and pray, lest you enter into a temptation.
And then we have that exhortation too, don't we, in Romans?
Paul says to the Romans and that knowing the time that it is now high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation near than when we believed. And then we have some other verses too. I'll just read 1St Corinthians 15 and verse 34. Awake to righteousness and sin not for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
And then Paul says to the Ephesians in Ephesians 5, verse 14.
Wherefore he saith, and again in the new translation, Wake up thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and the Christ shall give thee light. He's quoting, isn't He from Isaiah? And we know it's a millennial scene there, when the Lords people are going to shine forth and the nations will be attracted to them. Will the Lord wants you and I to shine forth, and he wants souls to be attracted not to us, but to himself.
You know, when I was little, maybe I've told this story before to some of you.
And I hope you don't mind a personal reference, but when I was little, sometimes we'd come home from meeting and we'd be so tired we didn't want to get out of the car, maybe it was cold outside and walk in on our own 2 lakes. So we would do what we sometimes say, play possum and my dad would shake us and he'd say, John, wake up, wake up, we're home now. And you know, I just lay there and pretty soon what would dad do? He put his arms under me and he'd pick me up and carry me in.
And I think some of my siblings did that too. And sometimes my dad would have to make a few trips back and forth from the car to the house. You know, dear ones, we like to be carried, don't we? But there comes a time when we can't always be carried. The Lord would have us to wake up and to walk, as it were, in our own. And so may we be encouraged in that.
Well, I'm going to go on to the next one.
I don't know if you can all see that, but.
There's another little exhortation in Scripture.
Rise up. You know we have a place in Colorado that's.
Pretty well known, maybe some of you have been there. It's called the Royal Gorge. It's down South of Denver in a near a city called Canyon City, and it's quite an interesting physical feature. It's a very deep gorge, maybe about 12-13 hundred feet down and there's a suspension bridge over it. And there's some other attractions. There's a cable car that you can ride and you can ride out over this gorge and it moves very slow across the gorge and it's a tremendous view a little bit.
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But if you are stout hearted, you can get in that gondola and you can ride across that gorge. Or if you prefer the bridge, you can walk over on the bridge. Sometimes it sways a little bit in the wind. But again, if you don't look down too much, if you're not very stout hearted, then you'll be OK. But anyway, many people flock to this area to see this.
Very interesting geological feature. The Royal Gorge. There's a sign a billboard on the way to meeting and my wife Carmen pointed this out the other night.
They have a slogan there. They're advertising to get people to come to the Canyon, the gorge, and see it. And the slogan is rise above it all. And, you know, she said, I think that's nice. You know, sometimes we go through difficult things in our lives, don't we? And the Lord, as it were, tells us to rise up. And, and I was noticing as I was looking in Scripture about this little exhortation.
How that in most cases, when you find this in Scripture, it tells us to rise up to do something to to some kind of action. And I thought that was nice and so.
I was just noticing too that in connection with Moses being called of the Lord to lead the people.
Out of Egypt it says there in Exodus chapter 8 and and also in Chapter 9, the Lord said unto him to rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh.
And then and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And I thought that was nice. Moses was told to rise up early in the morning. I think there's something for us there, young people and older ones too, to rise up early in the morning. Do you want to be used for the Lord? Do you want to be a vessel in His hand? It may require rising up early in the morning to be used of Him.
I think that is encouraging that the Lord would seek to use this.
Well, I'm going to just mention a few of these.
We're told to rise up and pray in Luke 22 And he said unto them, verse 46, Why sleep? Ye rise up and pray that you enter not into temptation.
Song of Solomon, chapter 2 and verse 10 My beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Do you ever think of that, dear ones? The Lord wants us to rise up and come apart, as it were. Maybe we can think of this time at Lassen as coming apart, rising up. And my desire, and I believe our brother and sister's desire is to that.
It would be as if we were just transported for a little while, for a few days.
Perhaps out of our circumstances, our trials, our difficulties, those things that tend to weigh us down, that we would just be able to rise up and come apart for a little while. I think that's no doubt was our brothers desire in calling us together.
We're told in Acts 26 to rise up and stand.
Paul says that rise up and stand on thy feet. Or Paul was told that I'm sorry by the Lord, rise up and stand on my feet. For for this purpose have I appeared to thee, to appoint thee to be a servant and a witness, and so on. That's the new translation.
Luke chapter 5 Weather is easier to say, thy sins be forgiven thee, or rise up and walk. These things call us to action, don't they? And we have in Nehemiah that they were told to rise up and build. There's another good thing. Rise up and build. And then in Luke 17 he said unto them.
I said unto him, Rise up and go thy way. So anyway, just just to give you a little sampling there of.
Of this thought of rising up in Scripture, and it's calling us, as it were, to some action to pray, rise up and pray. Do we rise up and pray in the morning? You know, it's a good thing. It's a good thing to rise up and pray. I hope you do.
And if you don't get started, rise up. Maybe you have to get up a little earlier. I know it's not hard. I mean, I know it's not easy sometimes to, to get up and early in the morning, but do it. Rise up and build. You know, I love to see a, a building in progress, a house, whatever. Some have that skill. I don't have that skill to build a house from the ground up, but I like to see it being done. You know, it's a good work, isn't it?
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To build.
Each one of us can build spiritually, we can build one another up, and so on. All right, let's go on.
There's another little exhortation in the word of God to look up. You know, I have a picture at home that's always impressed me, so I've saved it. It was taken at a funeral and there's a group of people standing at this funeral. It was our sister Rosemary Biland number of years ago in Colorado Springs. And in this picture, everyone is looking up.
Well, they had released, we were there. And so I remember the occasion and they had released a big bunch of white balloons and these balloons were rising up into the sky. It was a beautiful day. And we're all standing there gazing up. You can't see the balloons in the picture, but you see everyone looking up. And you know, I thought as I was thinking about these things, I think that's what the Lord would like us to do. He would like us to look up.
Jesus soured enough the mind and heart to fill. Is He? Is He really enough for us?
Well, you know, it's challenging, isn't it? We find ourselves looking around. We look around at each other, we look around at our brethren sometimes we look everywhere but up. And He wants us to look up.
You know the beasts, they look down, don't they? The beasts of the field look down. But we've been made in such a way to look up. But we need to look up, brethren, young people, each one of us.
Stephen did that, didn't he? It tells us in Acts 7 that he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven.
And saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. That's what he saw. You're going to see something when you look up in faith. You're going to see something that will satisfy your heart.
And there's many other scriptures I don't want to take too long.
But I just enjoy that, you know, there's a little poem that someone wrote, and I don't know if we even know who the author is, but I like to think of that in connection with Steven. And it goes like this. So give me such a sight of thee in all thine unveiled glory, now that every earthly thought may flee, and all my heart in worship thou. But I think that's beautiful. Somebody was enjoying looking up.
Weren't they?
One verse I do want to turn to it's sweet is Psalm 5.
Connection with looking up.
A well known Psalm to us. Psalm 5 and verse 3.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Now, in connection with that thought of him hearing our voice in the morning, notice again it's in the morning. I think that's important. The Lord wants us to look up in the morning. Turn over to Song of Solomon, chapter 8, Miss.
Right at the end of this little book, The Song of Solomon, there's a very loving appeal that touches my heart.
Verse 13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice.
'Cause me to hear it. Who's speaking, Dear ones, dear young people, Oh, I believe this is the voice of the Lord speaking. And he's saying others hear your voice.
I think that's nice, you know, when others hear our voice and testimony. But he wants to hear it too. He says cause me to hear it. Does he hear your voice in the morning?
Can you really say my voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord? In the morning will I direct my prayer into the end? Will look up. He wants to hear your voice too, dear ones, in the morning.
Well, I'm going to move on because I don't want to be too long.
There's many verses about each one of these, but we're just touching on a few.
Lift up just a little.
Exhortation in the Word of God.
Lift up.
I will lift up my knives unto the hills. Psalm 121 From whence cometh my help?
Can you say that?
You know, there's other things too. It's it. This struck me as well as I was looking at this.
I counted, well, I don't know how many things here, but in Luke 21 and verse 28, I know it's Speaking of a future time and when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh.
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So we're told there, or at least we can make the application to lift up our heads. Then that one I read in Psalm 121 to lift up our eyes. And then in Ezra speaks about being ashamed to to lift up his face to the Lord says I'm ashamed and blushed to lift up my face to thee, O God, for our iniquities are increased and so on. In Isaiah it talks about lifting up their voice and singing.
They shall sing for the majesty of the Lord. They shall cry aloud from the sea.
Lamentations talks about lifting up our heart.
With our hands unto God, into the heavens. Psalm 25 and other Psalms, 8086. And so on unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Hebrews Very familiar verse to us in Hebrews chapter 12. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather let it be healed. Then in Ecclesiastes, where it's we're told to lift up one another.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, that one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him that is alone when he falleth free, hath not another to help him up.
And so we've had there to lift up our heads, our eyes, our face, our voice, our hearts, our souls, our hands, our knees. Scriptures. So descriptive.
He wants us to be lifted up, you know, in Luke 13, we won't take the time to it, but there's a woman there that was bent over and she comes in contact with the Lord Jesus and she's straightened up. She's able to look up. You know, there's a woman downtown where I work, an older woman that I see her from time to time, and it's so sad. I don't know if I can demonstrate very adequately, but she looks kind of like this.
And you know, I wonder if that woman in Luke 13 wasn't something like that. She couldn't look up.
You and I can look up, and the Lord wants us to look up, doesn't He, to lift up our heads?
Our hearts, our eyes, and so on. What a wonderful privilege may we do that over the next few days as we're together. Let's lift up our hearts, our souls, our eyes.
Well, this is the fifth one here.
Grow up.
Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 15 But speaking the truth and love may grow up unto him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
You know, all of us here at one time were little toddlers.
We were small, we were running around playing.
But we've changed. We've grown up.
I hope we have.
But spiritually, sometimes we're like little toddlers, aren't we? We feel that we need to grow. The Lord would have us to grow. We're told in first Peter two that as newborn desire the sincere milk of the word that she may grow there by her. If you look at the new translation, that she may grow up to salvation, not the salvation of our souls, but.
To mature in the Lord spiritually. That was Peter's desire, that they would grow.
And then in second Peter, he says to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Are we doing that? Has there been a change in our lives from a year ago when we were here? Some of us. Have we grown a little bit in the last year? I trust we have.
Of course, the perfect example always is our Savior, and I love that verse that we read so often in Isaiah 53.
Verse 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground.
And so on. And then in Luke 52, two Luke 2 verse 52, we're told, and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature. Wisdom might be intellectually, stature physically and in favor with God spiritually and man socially. So the Lord grew as a man in this world, didn't he? He was the perfect example.
He grew up before his father as a tender plant.
Beautiful to think of him.
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Well, I hope we're growing.
Growing up.
You know, it's important, isn't it, what we eat, what we feed on, if we're going to grow.
We could spend a lot of time on that, but we're going to move on forsake a time.
We mentioned this in connection with some of the others briefly, but.
This is very interesting to me, the subject of building in Scripture, and I just do want to read a short little portion in Deuteronomy chapter 25 and apply it as a principle.
I trust.
I can apply this this way.
Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse five. If brethren dwell together, and one of them die and have no child, and the wife of the dead shall not marry.
Then the wife of the dead.
Shall not marry without unto a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. And it shall be that the first born which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuses refuseth to raise up unto his brother.
In Israel he shall not perform. He will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
Then the elders of the city shall call him and speak unto him. And if he stand to it and say, I like not to take her, then shall his brother's wife come unto him.
In the presence of the elders, and looses shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face. And she'll answer and say, so shall it be done unto the man that will not build up his brother's house. And his name shall be called in Israel, the House of him that hath his shoe loosed. Well, you know, I'm not going to go into this much, but I just was impressed with this thought that we're advised here, or we're admonished here. Aren't we, brethren, to build up our brother's house?
And not to tear down, you know, the apostle Paul.
Spoke to the Corinthians about building up, he says in Second Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 8. For and if I should boast even somewhat more abundantly of our authority which the Lord has given to us for building up and not for your overthrowing, I shall not be put to shame. That's the new translation. And then twice more in that same book in the 2nd Corinthians 12, he says.
Verse 19 You have long been supposing that we excuse ourselves to you. We speak before God in Christ.
And all things beloved for your building up. And then one more time in first Two Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 10, on this account I write these things being absent, that being present, I may not use severity according to the authority which the Lord has given me for building up and not for overthrowing. Well, you know, it's a wonderful thing to build, isn't it, To build up one another. And we're told that in Jude, aren't we?
Verse one and of verse 20 of Jude, but she beloved, building up yourself.
Or, I'm sorry, I was thinking of First Thessalonians 5 verse 11. Again, this is the new translation. Wherefore encourage one another and build up one another, even as also you do. And also in Romans 14, a very familiar verse to us. So then let us pursue the things which tend to peace and things whereby one shall build up another.
Well, may the Lord encourage us to be builders. It's a wonderful privilege, isn't it? Perhaps you know someone that could use some encouragement in that way.
May the Lord encourage you to build up. Well, I want to do one more cover, one more, the last one.
That I had on my heart.
And that is to.
This is a good work to to cheer up.
You know, this is used twice in the Old Testament, some form of this word, and about nine times in the New Testament. And if you look at the the Greek words, they're, they're various words, but they all kind of have generally the meaning of encouraging.
Taking courage and so on along that line.
So.
I won't go through all of them but the one that is used first is in Matthew 9 and verse two and the Lord says to the one that was sick of the palsy he says.
Son, be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee. And I thought, what a wonderful word of encouragement. You know, we should be the happiest people on this earth because our sins have been forgiven us. We've been forgiven. Isn't that wonderful to have that knowledge that should cheer us up?
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And then that verse that we enjoy so much in John 16, the last verse in that chapter, the Lord says, these things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace in the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Dear ones, we have one that has overcome the world and he wants us to be cheered up.
You know Paul was cheered up of the Lord, the Lord said to him in Acts 23. He stood by him and said, Paul, be of good cheer. He had been apprehended by the authorities, and he, the Lord, said, Be of good cheer. For as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
And you know, I think that stayed with Paul, that word, that of the Lord be of good cheer, because when he was on that that ship, and they were in trouble, he could say that very same word to them. He could say, And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you but of the ship. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as he told me.
And it you know.
Worked. Paul told them to be of good cheer, and it says then were they all of good cheer.
And they took some bread or some meat. Well, I was just thinking of that. May we spend this time together at Lassen to, as I said before, to be, as it were, for a little season, taken out of our circumstances, perhaps just enjoy fellowship together as brethren, to cheer one another up, to encourage one another to look up, to lift one another up.
Whatever.
It might be that's needed. May the Lord encourage us in that. We need it, don't we, brethren? And I wondered if just in the spirit of this little time together and talk, if we could sing a hymn that I saw in our little book there. I think it's 160. And I wondered if we could, in the spirit of this, rise up and sing this together.
Rise my soul, be called as Jesus.
Where I stand on board and rise very righteousness.
Transcendence.
Long enough.
Here.