Vestal Conference: 1997
Table of Contents
2 Corinthians 3:1-6
Reading
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And then we don't buy anything.
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Everything's hard and blah blah blah.
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How how is it? So it's very interesting about.
Chapter 3, verse one.
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some others, the pistols of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Err epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men? For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God. Word not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is God.
Who also have made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit? For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. But if the administration of death, written in an engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away, how shall not the administration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
Or if the ministration of the condemnation be glory, much more doth administration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelled. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech.
And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished, but their minds were blinded. For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart nevertheless.
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When it shall be, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
I think it's always good to notice the setting of the truth in the Scripture when we think of the burden that was on Paul's heart in connection with those in Corinth and how he had to write to them things that must have grieved them of carnality and the need for discipline and all this. And yet when we come to the second epistle, how he seeks to turn their hearts and occupy them with Christ.
And may Christ the object before their souls. It is true we have to take notice of those things that are often a hindrance to our growth, whether individually or even collectively in the assembly. But the great object of our hearts should always be to have a person before us. And I think this is very preciously brought before us in this particular chapter, and in this epistle, as I say, the second epistle when.
He writes to them, He seeks to encourage them. In the 5th chapter. 2 The love of Christ constraineth us, that we should not live unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us and rose again. And we do all need to have that fresh glimpse of the Lord Jesus.
As we have in the end of the chapter with open face, beholding the Lord. And then two, we need to have the Saints of God upon our hearts. He said ye are in our hearts.
Known and read of all men.
The high priest in Israel had the names of the children of Israel carried on his shoulders and upon his heart. And if we have a heart for the people of God, we also have them upon our hearts, seeking their good and their blessing as well as God's glory in connection with their lives. If I just mentioned this because I think this is beautifully brought out to us in this third chapter of Second Corinthians.
Someone has put it, they said that the first epistle is like God in righteousness.
Whereas in the second epistle we see God in his love, in this, in the blessed truth of restoration for the one who had to be put away.
There's a beautiful thought in the last verse of the first chapter. 2 not that we have dominion over your faith, but our helpers of your joy. For by faith he stands.
So he didn't take the place of having dominion over their faith. Or should we? But uh, we should be helpers of their joy and, uh, character of God is light and love. We bear those things in mind, realize that God is light. You can't have sin in His presence. By the glorious work of Calvary, He has taken up the question of sin and it has been settled that we might know the love that is in his heart.
They often sing justice had withstood the purposes of love, but I believe it's true also in a practical way in our own lives that their hindrance to our joy and what is it maybe things allowed in our lives that are hindering us from hindering into what's in the heart of God because God is a holy God as well as a loving God. God is light and God is love.
After his.
Rebukes in the first Epistle So beautiful to see his confidence in his brethren in the Corinthians.
As he says here, do we begin again to commend ourselves, or need we as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistles.
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Nice thought to be, uh, if we can go on in such a manner as that others can see something of Christ in us as an epistle. Uh, and we, we find that there are those that are not reading the word of God very much. So it's good if we who read the word of God manifest that spirit and that they can see Christ in our whole life and attitudes. And I think it's very beautiful to think of that ye are our epistle.
I asked myself this question. What kind of an epistle am I before others?
Searches our hearts, doesn't it?
It is a certain situation to teach us truth, doesn't he? And here it seems that they were those in Corinth. There were some that didn't like Paul's faithfulness in connection with what he brought before them in the first epistle. And he said, do we need a letter of commendation? But God uses that to show that a letter of commendation is necessary if one is not known, because holiness becomes God's house.
And when one comes who is not known, we need to be careful. There's a great deal of teaching and Christendom that we're only responsible for our own conduct, but we're also responsible for our associations.
I've sometimes said, if I told I told you I was a member of a Co communist society, but I didn't believe in communism, you would say, well, why would you be a member of that if you're if you don't believe in communism? How the world recognizes that associations mean something and they do in the things of God too. And truth and error can't be mixed together. So letters of commendation are simply a means by which we're careful as to who is received because it's not our table, it's the Lord's table.
I was in a certain place and the brother had asked for his place at the Lord's table. But the brother knew that he was associated with a group where there was evil doctrine. And uh, they said to him, well, are you aware that they are associated with a group where they hold evil doctrine? And he said, don't ask me what the group believe. Ask me what I believe myself.
He didn't seem to realize that association with evil defiles.
And the scripture is very clear. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
I suppose a letter of commendation.
Without it being put in words, points out that, uh, we are one.
And in Christ Jesus.
We have the same hopes and the same aims.
We hold and we teach the same doctrines and, uh.
There's a oneness.
In between the person who brings the letters and those who read it, you know, it's a in a, in a in a business, a man goes from one city to another and he's introduced, but it's a formal cold thing. A letter of commendation mentions the love of Christ often times and mentions that God is our father. We're all part of that family. So the letter of commendation opens up.
The situation when a when a person goes from one assembly to another and they have never been there before.
I feel that.
There are things in the letter of commendation that are not put into words, but that the very spirit of the letter.
Tells us many things.
It's based on the Word of God, for one thing.
Lovely to see the way it's worded there.
Verse two, ye are our epistle written in our hearts. Oh, that's different. It's not on paper there, is it? Not as it says.
Written not with ink, you know, something written with ink can be eradicated or destroyed, but if it's written in the heart, just referring back, you don't need to turn to it. But over in John's first the epistle or the Gospel of John in chapter 13.
We have a lovely little sock there that I've enjoyed. Uh, he says in verse 33, little children, yet a little while I'm with you. But he's not he's he was going to leave them. He shall ask you shall seek me. And as I said unto you, whither I go, you cannot come. So now I say to you, he's talking now to his own a new commandment. I give unto you that you love one another.
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As I have loved you.
There's your real test.
What is this I say to you I love you well, do I mean it is it in my heart? It was in the heart of the Lord Jesus as I have loved you, uh, that you love one another as I have loved you that he also loved one another. But then he furthers that by saying by this shall all know that ye are my disciples. That's how they're going to know whether truth where a true disciple of the Lord because of the manifested love that the heart of God that God put has put into our hearts.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have loved one for another. That little word if always comes in in connection with our responsibilities to show us that.
There are the ifs in our lives, there are no ifs with God. But there are many ifs with us, and we need to be reminded of that.
A letter of commendation isn't just a cold formality, as you're saying, it's the expression of love. It's a, it's not just saying, well, this brother is faithful and so on, but it's, it's an expression of love. And, uh, the world notices that. That's why it says in the second verse here, our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men. And, uh, when is a business meeting? People come together and they discuss common interests, But there ought to be a testimony, brethren, when we come together, and I believe there is.
There's a real love that exists among the people of God. A letter of commendation is an expression of faithfulness as to who is received. But there is also that bond of love that is expressed by it, and the world looks on.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have loved one to another, and remember what?
Abraham said to Lot when there was a disagreement about the.
Possession of the land and so on, he said. He said there shouldn't be any strife among us. We're brethren, he said. And he gave the first choice to his, uh, nephew Lot. Rather than continue the strike, he said, will you go ahead? You make the first choice. He'd rather settle it, giving up his own rights that that love might be maintained.
In the Epistle to Philemon, like a letter of commendation for an SMS by the apostle Paul. Very lovely written, isn't it? Brings out the heart of the amount of your uh, by leaving, as well as an estimate and all that transpired during the interim.
The mouth reveals what is in our heart, doesn't it? I'd look at Matthew 12 and 34, the last part of the verse, For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Our mouth reveals what is in our heart, doesn't it?
So with our brethren, we speak of love. That's what's in our heart for our brethren, that love.
Words by themselves don't mean anything, but when they come out of love, they know it comes from the heart.
This is right back to Romans, doesn't it? With the heart man believeth under righteousness.
Mouth is made of confession, but there are many mouths but not too many hearts.
As our brother Reuben said, the whole epistle to the Philemon is really a letter of commendation in connection with on estimates. But what a lovely, uh, opening up of truth we have in that beautiful epistle. Short little epistle of one chapter.
I heard of a group where they just had a printed letter of commendation. If you want to go someplace, they just filled in the name. But that isn't so and shouldn't be so, brethren. There ought to be a personal side to it, and Paul could speak of it in that way.
And he wrote it for an example too, for we learn very much from that epistle to Philemon.
I heard it said that a letter of commendation 2 shows the heart or the the emotion of the assembly to another assembly is sending accommodation, of course about the individual. But the letter speaks of the assembly, one assembly to another. And I often enjoy hearing the letter accommodation from another assembly. Sometimes you don't hear of anyone from that assembly for some time and it's just in it's heart warming to hear it.
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When it says you uh, uh, a **** ***.
Definitely. It's the way we act.
Reflects what's in our heart. You know, we can't really hide, we can act, but it it wiser to just be ourselves.
Uh, if we're timid like Gideon, it says known and read people are sizing us up. And I think, uh, the Bible says we should do it in the fear of the Lord.
We can't really hide our basic character from other people, can we? So how important it is to lay onto these wonderful things like the verse, verse 14 and 15 in the previous chapter, that God has every provision made to strengthen us as He strengthened getting in spite of what we actually are.
There is a written letter. A lot of things can be said on paper, but there's the life that we live, as you said here, and that's what we have. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, that wasn't something written within because it says it was something done by the Spirit of the living God. Their lives were a living epistle. There is that written letter that's necessary, as it mentions in the first verse, but there's also that which we live.
And that is what he takes up. And really the rest of the chapter, the written thing was one thing. The way we live is another thing. And it's known, right, of all men. People are watching us.
Paul says in Corinthians were a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. Everybody is looking on. They know what we profess, but they watch how we live, don't they?
Any other question? Who were these Corinthians?
Just going back to the first epistle on the 6th chapter and again thinking of how he could say here manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ. Here was the where these Corinthians.
But look at the look at the condition they were in. Just go back to the 6th chapter of the first Epistle. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor affectionate, affect, feminine or abusers of mankind, thieves, covetous, and so on. He goes on. Then verse 11. But such were some of you.
Such for some of you, well, I, I think that's so beautiful as we think of Paul Speaking of East Corinthians now who had acted such for some of you. But ye are washed, ye are sanctified and you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. What a complete change for those Corinthians who were in such a condition. Now then, washed, sanctified, justified.
By the Lord Jesus and our by the Spirit of our God. And now he can say ye are our epistles. You Corinthians who once didn't deserve this. Now you've been washed and sanctified and brought into a place of is that not true of each one of us?
Again, I'm thinking of it as an individual, so I think it's very beautiful to see how Paul can say that they were his epistle because they had gone on.
Then acted upon his injunction and had been restored.
Yeah, it's been on the spot. I believe in the first chapter, Philippians in connection with you said because it had gone on.
Sometimes quote parts of scripture, but.
Philippians chapter one and verse 6.
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Even it is meat for me to think this of you because I'm going to read the marginal reading. Ye have me in your heart.
Inasmuch as both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partakers of my grace. That Paul was convinced that God was going to complete what he had begun in them because they had Paul in their hearts, is that they held the truth in their hearts not just as an understanding, but as a practical thing. And so it manifested itself in the way that they behave themselves.
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The reason the law was written on tables of stone is really it's a picture of the natural heart, because in the coming day it says you take away the Stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh. The law made known God's requirements.
But man had neither the power nor the desire to live to please God. They that are in the flesh cannot please God. We read so it was written on tables of stone. But when we minister the truth to children of God, we're not writing on tables of stone. We're not saying you have to do this and you have to do that. Not that we have dominion over your faith. But we know that there is happiness and joy in the path of obedience and there is a heart in every believer that responds to the claims of Christ.
Is it a wonderful thing, brethren, that everyone who sits in this room who has really come to know the Lord as Savior has the very life of Christ within him, which is a life that desires to please God our Father?
And more than this, we also have the Holy Spirit who is the power for this. And that's what he is contrasting here. That is, He made known the truth to them. If He could minister it in such a way that the new man would be brought in, shall I say, in contact with the truth, there would be a response. And that's what He is bringing out here. And I think it's very beautiful. Not in tables of stone, He said, I'm not writing telling you something that the new man doesn't want to do. I'm telling you something the new man does want to do. The new man and every believer wants to please the Lord.
The new man and every believer responds to his claims and is drawn by his love. And more than that, we have all the power that's necessary because the very Spirit of God dwells in the believer as the power for our life. He shall receive power after that. The Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me, and Jerusalem and Jetia to the end of every part of the earth. How wonderful the provision. And I think this is a very.
Precious way, sometimes we minister the truth as if well, there's no response, no desire in that person to please the Lord. There is may be covered up with a lot of rubbish, as it often is within us, but there is a desire in the heart of every believer because he has the life of Christ within him.
It's so beautiful to see here, so it speaks of the.
In that third verse.
For as much as you are manifestly declared to be the Epistles of Christ, Epistle of Christ ministered by us, not with ink, but in the spirit of the living God.
You follow that little thing out and you'll find the living God is connected with the Church of God also here He brings an honor individual, a living God. You know our names are not just written in heaven.
They're engraved there.
There they can never be erased.
Spoke to a man one time about that here, it says they're not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God. And he's Speaking of the course of an epistle here. But I was thinking of this, ask this man, this brother who was an engraver. I said when you engrave something in a, in a piece of granite or rock, can it be erased?
Never, never.
And we find that in Hebrews 12, don't we? Our names are engraven in glory. They're engraven there. Can they ever be erased? Never. But don't tell me that you can be saved and lost. You can't be.
If the work is all done, isn't it by a living God, a God who lives? So I think that's very beautiful in the ending of that verse, living God not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart.
When Moses first came down, we know he had the tables of stone, but he broke them because actually if we were under pure law, it would be nothing but condemnation. And so as we see later on in the chapter, the second time he brought them down same tables of stone, but they were put inside the ark and the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat that was on top of the ark. And so God provided a way that He could go on with the people.
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That were guilty that didn't respond to his holy claims, but he provided a way of blessing and that's all through the precious blood of Christ. Very lovely the way it's brought out here. But I I think that's important to realize not in tables of silly because sometimes when we press truth upon our brethren, we can do as if we were pressing on tables of stone. We are brethren where if they're really children of God. The new man and every believer responds to these claims.
And that's why he says, and such trust have we through Christ, through God word. We feel very insufficient in ourselves, but we have that confidence that there is that new life that delights in pleasing God. Brethren, we're not even going to have a different new life when we get to heaven. We already possess the life of Christ. It says in Colossians, when Christ, who is our life shall appear.
And so we also appear with Him in glory. Love it now are we the children of God doth not yet appear. What we shall be, we shall appear. We shall be like Him. Isn't that a blessed thing? And as the truth is ministered to always bear that in mind, even though we feel very insufficient, and we are totally insufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.
In First Corinthians 127 and 28, you have what my fickle human heart is basically in itself.
The foolish.
Thing of the world, the weak thing of the world, the face thing of the world, the despicable thing of the world. And what a miracle that God can say something like that.
And work his glory in it.
That's that's a real miracle.
God starts all over again, doesn't He? When he? It's not that he patches us up or improves us.
As it says in chapter 5, if any man be in Christ, he is in all things are passed away. Behold, all things are become you. This is what the Lord was trying to impress upon Nicodemus.
Nicodemus says you are. There's nothing any good in you that I can use. We have to start all over again. You have to be born again and this is what the Spirit of God does.
We become new creatures, new creations in Christ Jesus.
You know the tables and stones remind you somewhat of the UH-6 water pots and stove there in John chapter 2. You know the heart of Israel, just as.
Cold and different, but I'm actually fables of the heart is something that we can feel has feelings, watch, feel something. You know when when the word of God is ministered, what we feel is don't be brethren. It touches US1 was those tables of stone were external, but the other is internal. It's a new nature speaks of a new nature, doesn't it?
When you have an exercise of the hardest to our sinful condition, it's lovely how the Lord is able to commune with us. I was just looking at Job 42 few verses.
Starting in verse two, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholding from thee.
Who was he that hide it counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understand not things too wonderful for me which I knew not, and that verse 6 Wherefore I am for myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
And then after that we see how the Lord is able to commune with Joe and give him the place that he originally gave at the beginning of the Book of Job.
Do you have to go through that?
Abhorring himself and realizing that he is nothing. And we see how this communion with the Lord is so wonderful. After that the Lord gives him so much more than he has from the start.
He does that with us too. We don't maybe get the things of this world so much, but we have rich blessings of the Lord. When we have realized where we've come from, the Word is done for us.
Well, the Lord alone can turn the water into wine, can't eat water in those water pots of stone. And that's, that's the way it was through the Old Testament. God was continually giving his word, but it was being put into water pots of stone, so to speak. But here was the one who could turn that water into wine. And so many of us have been brought up in Christian homes. There are children here that brought up in Christian homes. Maybe they're not saved, but fill the water pots with water.
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We bring the Word of God before them, but we can't change it to wine. Only the Lord can do that. And so, as they said in these meetings, God may use His word and turn the water into wine, and they get the knowledge of salvation of Christ as their Savior, and that Christ is sufficient for their life. A wonderful thing. But I believe sex is man's number. The number of the man of sin is 666. You know, it's the total of man, so to speak, all that he is.
But God alone can do that work, and He does. We're no better than anybody else. But in His wondrous grace we have received His Word, and He has turned that water of His word into wine, giving us joy and knowledge of God. Is our Father Christ as our Savior, the wonderful truth of the blessing that we're brought into? And that's what Paul, I believe, felt so insufficient in himself says not that we're sufficient of ourselves.
But our sufficiency is of God. That's why, brethren, when we even come together like this, we need to pray very much because only the Lord can give the right and suited word. Not only the Lord can use it to touch our hearts or anyone else's heart. And so we have to rely totally on Him, but how He delights to bless.
We all have to learn that efficient sufficiency can be himself. I just dropping over.
To the 12Th chapter of this epistle.
And verse 12.
Well, verse nine. And he said unto me, That is the Lord speaking to Paul, My grace is sufficient for thee.
For my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. In other words, Paul's sufficiency with Christ wasn't it.
That was all he needed and he had trials too. You know, he wasn't without them. We know we can read the history in the second epistle in the 11Th chapter and many other places. He had great trials and he besought the Lord that the that the the trials might be removed. But God said, my grace is sufficient for these. So Paul had to learn this and each one of us have to learn something of the sufficiency of Christ in our lives, do we not?
What do you think to call and learn that job had to learn job?
Was in very favored circumstances and Paul had to learn that those things that he counted gain had to count them, but lost but two. Umm, as Job said, I uttered things too wonderful for me. And so on that 12Th chapter, there he was buffered of Satan lest he be exalted because he'd received tremendous revelations caught up into the 3rd heaven. And so that even in that, that he, he needed grace because he there that chapter, that second, uh, the 12Th chapter, the 2nd epistle, you see such a range of experience seriously caught up in the third heavens, seeing things that were not lawful to be uttered. And what does he come down and he finds railing and strife and trouble. And so he needed grace.
I think the proper translation is a thorn for the flesh, wasn't it because he might be exalted. We're likely to be exalted if we learned a certain amount of the truth of God. We can think we're better than others. And so this wonderful revelation of truth was given to Paul and he might be exalted. We find a great deal of that and Christendom and get honors. Even they get honors in the world, but they get honors in the Church of God. But if we really learn the truth of God and communion.
It makes us go down in our opinion of ourselves and more and more wanting to exalt Christ. It's always so fine with Paul. He said he was the chief of sinners. Then he said he was least, he was the least of All Saints. Then he would let the Lord. He was less than the least of All Saints and he went lower still and said so I be nothing. And that's what we learned rather than in the school of God. In the schools of man. We get degrees and we get certain things that.
We can glory in that we have accomplished, but not so in the things of God teaches us that we are really nothing. And the beloved apostle had to say not that we're sufficient of ourselves, but he did find our sufficiency as of God.
Remember our brother Doctor Dodds saying that often he would speak to patients while he was he was a dentist, as perhaps some know, and he would take the occasion to speak to them as they were in the chair about the things of God.
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And he said one time he said sometimes I felt I wasn't just getting anywhere at all. And he said, I just have to slip behind the chair and lift up of my heart to the Lord and say, Lord, I'm not approaching this the right way. Show me how to talk to this person. And he said the Lord showed him and he spoke in a different way. Spirit of God touched the heart of that person and brought blessing. So it isn't just knowing the Bible and being able to quote verses.
It's, uh, feed me with food convenient for me. Only the Lord can give the right word at the right time. A word in season, a word fitly spoken, is like apples of gold and pictures of silver. We all have to learn this, brethren, or at least we should be learning it in the school of God.
Very beautiful here too, to see that says umm, the end of verse three, or verse, uh, five. But our sufficiency is of God then in verse six, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament.
The, when we see that everything that we have is of God, that he is the one who has accomplished it all for us, that anything we may have was given us of God, uh, then we can use it Who has made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of, not of letter. I understand that was left out there, not of letter, but of spirit. For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. So it's good if we met, if we minister in any way.
We should minister as that which is given by the Spirit of God. That's where our sufficiency is, not in ourselves. Not because we're more clever, or because we know more than than our opponent may know, but because it comes from God Himself.
Could somebody explain the term the New Testament? As many young people here, when you talk about the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi, we talk about the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation and Mr. Darby's translation, it says the New Covenant.
Someone explained of your pastor really meant ministers of the New Testament and may be different from a Paul had in mind when you wrote it than from what we understand as you sit in our chairs.
We were in the Old Testament makeup.
God, it was God based on law. They said all that thou hast said we will do. And so they made a promise and Jacob made wrestled with the Angel and he wanted to bargain with God. Bless me and I will give you the attent of all that I have. And the natural inclination of man is to bargain with God. And so really that's the way Christendom has become. It's become a great religion of do to get to do something and you'll get something from God. What is the Lord said, umm, after the supper, he took the cup and he said, this is the New Testament or the new covenant in my blood.
It was just based on the ground of sovereign grace that the work of Christ on the cross. And so it's now not doing something to get something, but it's because we have something in Christ. It flows from the heart of God. It's not man going up to God, but the other way around.
Perhaps there's a little explanation of it in the 8th chapter of Hebrews.
Begin at the sixth verse. But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second for finding fault with them. He said, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers when I took.
Them by the ham to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant. And I will make with the House of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts, and I shall I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.
And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, No, The Lord for all shall know me from the least.
Even to the greatest I will be merciful, to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. And perhaps you could turn back to Ephesians chapter 2.
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Verse 11 This is speaking now Gentiles. Wherefore remember that he being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, which are called uncircumcision by that which is called a circumcision in the flesh, made by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of a promise, having no hope.
And without God in the world, but now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off and made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Well, the first covenant was the law, and it made everything conditional on obedience, and if they could keep God's holy requirements, then they would get the blessing, but they forfeited every right to that. But the New covenant or the New Testament is all not founded on something that man can do.
But on what the Lord Jesus has done and what he has accomplished. But it's good to remember that the law was given to the nation of Israel. It wasn't given to the Gentiles. That's why it says that we were without covenant. But there was also the promise that God made even before the law, and that was what was promised to Abraham. And thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And that the blessing was not made conditional on something that they could do, but through the promised seed.
I've often illustrated it. Perhaps an illustration helps both. And I have two boys, and I say, I'm going to give each one of you a new bicycle. And so one of them says, well, Dad, tell me what you'd like me to do, and I'll do it. And I'll be able to tell my friends I really worked for this bicycle, and I earned it myself.
Well, I say, that's quite a thing for you to undertake. You sure you can fulfill this? Well, he says, yes, I can. No, that's what Israel did at Mount Sinai. They said, yes, we can obtain the blessing on the ground of obedience. All that the Lord has spoken, we will do and be obedient. But I had first made a promise that I was going to give it to them unconditionally. I can't forget that. And so now one of them has placed himself under a condition.
Well, he breaks down entirely and he can't fulfill the conditions that he has said. Is he going to get the bicycle is or can the other boy who didn't ask for that condition say, well, I deserved it because I was a better boy? No, he's a he's guilty too. And so the time comes when I want to give him the bicycle, but they're both disqualified. None of them deserved it. They only are get going to get it because of what was in my heart for them.
Now if I can illustrate that Brandon, the Gentile was not made any covenants, but God had said, in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. He had promised blessing through the promised seed, not only to the nation of Israel, but all the families of the earth. And so when Israel breaks down, then the Lord Jesus went to the cross, and he bore not only the guilt of guilty Israelites, but we too, who are Gentiles who are outside.
The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all, Jew and Gentile, the Lord Jesus.
Bore our sins in his own body on the tree, and so we sometimes were far off, or brought nigh through the blood of Christ. So Jew and Gentile are going to all be brought into blessing on the ground of that first promise that God made. In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
That you will never be able to say lie earned it, just as that boy can never say, well, I earned the bicycle. Someone steps in and bears all his guilt as a disobedient boy. And now the Father says, I can give it to you, but never say you earned it. You didn't earn it. Can it? Can we or Gentiles say we earned it? No thought through the blood of Christ. We're all Jew or Gentile brought nigh. So when the Lord instituted the supper, he said this is the blood of the covenant.
The only blessing is founded upon the precious blood of Christ. Israel are going to come into that blessing in a future day. And when God does that, then He's going to put His law in their hearts and then their minds really write them and their sins and iniquities Remember no more.
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They will receive a new life and they'll live to please God in the Millennial day, but not because they earned it all because of what Christ has done.
So if I'm answering the question, I answer the blessing, whether you or Gentile is the New Testament, the Testament, or the covenant or the promises, it's all founded upon what Christ and what He has done. We weren't under the covenant, just like one boy was not under a promise to try and earn the bicycle, but he gets it on the same ground on the same basis as the other boy. They both come in on one common ground. They didn't deserve it, and they get it because another took their place and bore their.
Guilt and punishment for them.
Isn't that beautiful too? To think you're mentioning Gordon, the, uh, just dropping back to the first chapter here that we're, uh, reading. For all the promises of God in him are yay and Amen.
The glory of God by us. So we're not resting on promises, we're resting on a work that is all done. But God uses that term, doesn't he?
Promises for all the promises of God in him are ye, and Amen. And how beautiful to think. Not only so it says unto the glory of God by us. And then he goes on a little bit further, and he says, Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God. He goes back to the source. Who is it that has done this for us? God has if, if I have eternal life, if you have eternal life, if you have joy.
God has imparted that to us, to us, to each one of us. We didn't earn it, as Gordon has already said. But then notice what he says, verse 22 of that chapter. Who hath also sealed us.
And given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts, I.
Again, we go back to that thought of the hearts, the hearts, the hearts. God keeps that before us, doesn't He? Because that's the source. And God's heart of love has been extended to our hearts and all the truth of God and all that we enjoy is only because we have it in our hearts. Even the children of Israel, I understand they, they were given a law, They had said they would keep it, but they failed in it and their hearts were not in it.
God honored any of the Old Test Old Testament Saints if they had, if their hearts were right, not because they kept a law, but because their hearts were right before God. And so that's the necessary thing, isn't it? With the heart again, is what that which accepts Christ?
So many, many more thoughts on that. Is it the practical effect of a lot of bad teaching is that they're not ministering?
The New Testament, but that they are practically assuming that the Gentile is under law, something we were never under. And so there's a great deal of promises making promises, commitments, covenants. And that's why there's such a revival of what we hear of covenant theology and promise keepers and so on. And it really speaks as if the blessing of the believer rests not in the past. We have faith that's ministering to a willing heart, but the commitments and promises that I make to God, we were never under those covenants.
And God will have to take up with the Jews and the tribulation to show just what the result will be of Jacob's bargaining with God. He struck a bargain with God, and he's going to learn the time of Jacob's trouble, the bitter experience of having done that. And so he will be brought to an end of himself. And at that time the Lord will appear in deliverance. And in a practical sense that that can be the experience, though it is not Christian experience. It can be our experience to learn that if we bargain with God in that way.
And so Paul is showing here that really he is ministering, as you said, brother, little to a willing heart. My son, give me thy heart. And so it's, uh, going on in a pathway of obedience and submission to the Lord. It's not making commitments and covenants and promises to God, nor is it following a set of rules. But if the heart is right, then as we've often heard, then every word of God becomes a command to a heart.
Just might say this, that the law is good if the man use it lawfully and so that somebody is taken up with that system of things, that is by commitments and rules.
Uh, then we can take out the Word of God and we can show that it's not possible for a man to keep the law, but it's only to cut down and to show that a man that no flesh will glory in God's presence.
00:55:06
It says in Galatians 2, the law was our schoolmaster until Christ came. That's really the way the law was a schoolmaster. So as I sometimes said, maybe the teacher can keep a certain amount of order as long as he or she is in the classroom. She walks out and everything goes into disorder. But walking back in, there's a measure of order restored. But the children's hearts aren't changed by the teacher being there, but they are controlled a certain amount.
And that's why it says the law is good. If a man used it lawfully. You could properly say to an unsaved man, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. That may convict him, but he'll never save him. He needs to get a new life. And then he won't take the Lord's name in vain because he loves that blessed Savior. He died for him. And his reason for not taking is not because the law says that, but because the name of the Lord Jesus is precious to him, and he honors him.
So that we're not under law, but we're under grace. But the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
In Galatians 3/8 it said God preached the gospel unto Abraham. That's the reason why Abraham will always be a picture. Not that he was the first, but a person who was saved by faith, who by believing the gospel exactly the same as us. He had a heart just like you and me.
I think the Fathers, especially the patriarchs in Genesis, they were under grace just the same as real.
Good, because the promises to them are absolutely uncondition.
They they run to like us. We're under grace. We're also under discipleship. We we have two sets of promises.
We have promises made of blessings, if we have been.
There is a thought, of course, in Christianity, I am come that they might have life, that they might have it abundantly because, uh, in the Old Testament, even though there was a new life in those who had faith, they still didn't, uh, have what we have that now, since the, uh, Lord Jesus has accomplished that work and he's gone up on high and the spirit has been given, uh, it's probably best brought before us in Galatians. Maybe we should just turn to that just to get the thought.
Galatians, just a moment. I think it's the uh, 4th chapter. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so, we when we were children were in ******* under the elements of the world, but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them, that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts. Crying, Have a father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, than an heir of God through Christ.
He takes up the possession of the Old Testament, saying something like a child born to the royal family. He's in the family all right, but he doesn't really enter into what his position is. But he has been born into that family. But the time comes when he's publicly declared to be the heir to the throne. He's not a different person, but he has an entirely different position and enjoyment because now he knows what his portion is.
And so those under the law had new life, but we couldn't say that they had life in a risen Christ. And what the Lord meant when he said, I am come that they might have life is and that they might have it more abundantly or abundantly, isn't a certain character of Christian life that some are living and not others? It's the contrast between those who had life in the Old Testament and those who have life in the New Testament since the work of Christ has been accomplished and the Holy Spirit has been given.
Oh, how much more blessed our position. We say have a father. They couldn't say that. They didn't enter into that. They didn't know the liberty. Just as the boy born into the royal family, he doesn't know his position, but he's in it. He doesn't know it. But the time comes when he's publicly declared to be the heir to the throne and all the light and all the liberties and joy of his position. Now he enjoys them. And the Spirit of God uses this to show the difference between an Old Testament.
01:00:13
Saying to the New Testament saying, and isn't it wonderful, brethren, we know our possession, we can call God our Father, we can walk before him in holy liberty and more. We have the Spirit of God indwelling us as the power.
For our enjoyment and to lead us into all truths that we might know and enjoy these things. I think it's good to see this. The Old Testament Saints had life, but not abundant life as we have.
We began with Jesus. The bread of life is given to be our daily food. Within us dwells that well from heaven. The Spirit of our God. Lord tis enough. We ask no more that thy grace around us pours It's rich and unexhausted store, and all its joy is ours.
Is that we don't have any more to receive. We've re received in Christ all things that contribute to life and godliness. We're not waiting for a promise. We have it. But we have the Spirit of God within to make it good. And we need Christ brought before our souls. And that's Jesus, the bread of life. And that's what the ministry is. It's not as we've been reading, the graving of rules on a heart of stone.
Or to me, to live as Christ.
And to die and gain a lovely position. Paul's cup attained to their me to live is Christian hymn #1 I'm sorry.
#15 all that we are as things on earth, all that we hope to be.
When Jesus comes and for ignorance, we owe it all today #15.
Any reason I'll I'll.
Umm, where do you get the auto book or anything? Uh-huh.
OK.
Influence of Godly Women
Herod
Faithful Servants
2 Corinthians 3:6-17
Reading
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2nd Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 6.
Who also have made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death written an engraven in stones was glorious.
So that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look or behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away. How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
Or if administration of condemnation be glory, much more doth administration of righteousness exceed in glory.
Or even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
Or if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech, and not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. But their hands were blinded. But excuse me, but their minds were blinded. For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which Vale is done away in Christ.
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But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory.
Even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Perhaps we should mention that in Mr. Darby's translation there is a parenthesis which begins at the seventh verse and ends at the end of the 16th verse, so that you read the sixth verse. Who also has made us able ministers of New Testament, Not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the latter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. The 17th verse. Now the Lord is that Spirit, but where the Spirit of the Lord is.
And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. I just mentioned this, so we get the thought. So what is, uh, begun in the seventh verse is really what took place at Mount Sinai. And also when Moses went up and received the instructions about the building of the Tabernacle. And, uh, so that, uh, the sixth verse, uh, is really carried on in the 17th, but it's necessary to consider what comes between.
And that was the administration of the law.
Certain sense is a little bit like the 11Th of Romans, between the 6th chapter and the 8th chapter is that, well, that is not Christian experience. It's the experience of many Christians is that they discover by looking for good in self that there's no good in I at all.
Just wondered that we may pass through that experience of that struggle. And that was really the point of the law, wasn't it wasn't to minister life, but to minister death and to prove that there was no good in man. And so, as you pointed out, the law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. But it is good if a man used it lawfully. And so somebody takes up to say that they're going to keep the law.
Then unless they keep all of it, then they're guilty of all of it. And so the commandment that slew Paul was.
Thou shalt not covet. Imagine a person meeting a person who had never taken the Lord's name in vain, who had never lied, who never done any of those things, and yet the commandment that slew him was that thou shalt not covet. And so the law had the ministry of death with him, didn't it?
Yes, it was the Ministry of Condemnation.
He was seeking to correct something in the Corinthian assembly by not laying down the laws that were, but turning them to Christ. And that if they did what they did to please him, then it wouldn't be that they had to. It wouldn't be a thou shalt and thou shalt not, that's the letter, but doing it because they wanted to please the Lord. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. So we don't do things because we have to.
In Christianity, the new man delights in obedience, and the Lord Jesus could say, The good pleasure of thy will, O God, is my delight.
Nice to see that very commandment basketball felt salute him. You know coveting be overcame by the grace of God in the 20th after of Acts because there when he addresses the Ephesian elders, he says in verse 33 as coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel.
That's the greatest global owned that will enable us to live above that, aye, overcome these things that naturally we cannot.
And he was ministering the unsearchable riches of Christ. So what did all those things, their gold and silver and apparel, compared with that which he was ministering the unsearchable riches of Christ. And that's really what sets us free. It isn't just say, well, this is wrong and that is wrong, but it's having a, a portion in Christ, seeing how richly we're blessed, living in the enjoyment of that. There's liberty, there's joy, and that's what he is bringing before them. That's what these dear Corinthian Saints needed to see.
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That what he had brought before them in connection even with the judgment of sin was necessary to maintain the holiness of God. But it was that they might enjoy their portion. Because when Akan reached out and took that goodly, uh, Babylonish garment, and the wedge of gold and the silver and so on hit it in his tent, he was a loser by it, not the gainer, because he lost the, the precious enjoyment of what he could enjoy.
God giving them that lamb and all the enjoyment of it, in company with the Lord who dwelt in their midst.
This is another side, it seems striking that while he's pointing this out in connection with the law that I believe it's 10 times in Corinthians he writes know ye not or do you not know? And he uses the law to touch their conscience, but it's in no thought of trying to bring them under it. And I think that that's very beautiful because it shows the word of God maintains its authority over our conscience without bringing us under it. And that was the the law.
Purpose of the law, remember standing the gas Bay and with a sister there, with a woman there rather. And her husband had been brought up in a Christian home and there were some other Sarah and she was going on about keeping the law that you needed to keep the law to, uh, to, umm, be saved, to not eat pork and keep the Sabbath and so on. And her brother-in-law warned me that, you know, you won't get a word in edgewise. And she went on and she kind of turned in and asked, gave a opportunity for a word and.
Said a law is good if a man used it lawfully. And I said I'm going to use it lawfully and I quoted a verse to her about what she was wearing.
That she made herself an abomination to the Lord. And she sat down quietly and she listened. And there was a bit of opportunity then. And I, I was kind of upset with myself afterwards. But the woman really softened in her conscience because I believe it needed to be touched that she, she was approaching God on the basis of the law, but she wasn't keeping all of it. And therefore she was really destroying the law's authority by that in that way, because it wasn't meant to bring life.
I remember hearing story about two men. One was saying that Christians should be under law. He was insisting, well, doesn't the law say thou shalt not steal and Christians shouldn't steal and so on. And they were walking along and they came to a place where they're going to go into a store. And so this brother who had been saying we're not under law, he took this other brother by the coat and he said, now listen, don't you steal anything while we're in that store. The law says thou shalt not steal.
And he said, what kind of a man do you think I am? Well, he said, I'm just telling you what the law says. Thou shalt not steal.
Well, they went into the store and neither one of them stole. But why? Not because the law said thou shalt not steal, but because they sought to honor the Lord Jesus and live a life that's pleasing to him, and it wouldn't be pleasing to him to steal. So we're not under law, but we're under grace. But the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in US who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, so that we're really not under law. But the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in US, not the letter of the law, because there are many things in the letter of the law.
Which only had to do with God's earthly people.
Another case, why we're in a place in this man was trying to show to me that we should be under law. And so I said to him, uh, does the law have anything to say to people that are lying out in the cemetery? Oh no, he said, they're dead. And I said, well, I read in my Bible that we're dead to the law by the body of Christ, that we should be married to another, even to him that is risen from the dead. So I said, I, I've Rhode Island died out of that position where the law has something to say to me, but I'm alive to another.
And now you and I have a new life that delights in pleasing God. And so the Lord could say his commandments are not grievous, because whatever he requires us to do, the Newman delights in doing. And to myself, brethren, the his sayings and his words and his commandments are all the same. But that is, if you want to please a person, you don't say, are you commanding me not to do it? Or are you asking me not to do it? If you really want to please the person by.
Isn't a question whether it's a saying or a word or a command.
It's a question of pleasing that person, and when you find out what pleases them, if you really want to please them, you do that thing. And so if you love me, keep my commandments. If there's really a response of love in our hearts, then we do what pleases to the Lord, the Lord, and not because it's a command, but it becomes a command to our hearts if love is operative within our hearts.
00:15:27
His brother Gordon and Steph mentioned the commandments and sayings and I was just thinking of a saying of.
Uh, David in Second Samuel chapter 3 rather 23, Second Samuel 23.
And David, long and sad.
All that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate.
Three mighty men breakthrough the hosts of the fellow signs, and through water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it.
And brought it to David.
Nevertheless, he would not drink thereof.
But forward it out on to the Lord. That's the response, Edmond. The Lord changed to the Lord's commandment.
As should be responsible hearts too.
In reading this portion, I think it's well to know that.
Moses went up onto the mount twice. He went up into the mount and God gave him those 10 commandments written in tables of stone. And Moses came down after 40 days, and the people were already worshipping the golden calf, breaking the first commandment. Thou shalt not have, no, thou shalt have no other gods before me. And so he broke the tables of stone in the foot of the mound. And actually.
The law never actually came in among them, because if they had been placed under pure law, it would have been pure condemnation because they had broken the first commandment. So he blows up, and he said, per adventure, I'll make an atonement for you. Well, he couldn't do it, but there was a, shall I say, a pattern established, and God gave him instructions in connection with the building of the Tabernacle of the ark, the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat and the sacrifices and so on.
A little picture of how God could go on with the guilty people without changing His requirements one bit.
And so he said to Moses, write tables of stone, exactly the same commandments as were made before.
Don't change them at all. God doesn't lower his standard because of Christianity.
His Holiness is unchanging. And so He got those tables of stone the second time, the very same commandments that were there before, but they were put inside the ark. And on top of the ark was the mercy seat. And there the cherubim, Speaking of the righteousness of God in His governmental ways, looked down upon the blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat and could go on with the guilty people without changing His requirements.
And they were replaced. His face didn't shine the first time he came down because if the people had been under pure law, it would have been judgment. God said, let me alone. I'll have to destroy them in a moment. But God made a provision. He could go on. A wonderful picture of what God has done through the work of His beloved Son. He had made him to be sin for us who knew no sin.
That we might be made the righteousness of God in him or again as we have it in Hebrews chapter 10 by 1 offering a perfected forever them that are sanctified so God could go on. So he makes a comparison. He says that little second picture that when Moses came down and that was the time that his face shone is just a little picture of something far more glorious. The work of Christ that he accomplished in the place of blessing that were brought into.
Consequent upon the work that he's accomplished and the value of his precious blood.
What's wrong with his face was not intrinsic, it was reflective.
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But when the Lord went on the mountain of Transfiguration, his face shown as the sun, and says his, uh, his raiment, the king shining and feeding white as snow, it was effulgent. It was actually that which uh.
Shawn's on the bench out, you know.
But it's intrinsic. But in the case of the Lord, but with Moses it was not so I noticed the new translation. It says here that, uh, into the seventh verse administration of death written and engraved in stones began in glory because it was introduced before it was the law was wholly just good, you know, but and that honor today is a moral code of ethics, don't they? But.
Although it had that glory, yet it has no glory in respect to that glory with excellence. For instance, you may take a beautiful clear night and see the moon full moon shining. But when the sun comes out, like, uh, you don't even see the moon anymore. The moon is still there, but you are excelling. Lord of the sun eclipses the moon, doesn't it? And that's what happens when we have the, the glory of the, uh, what the Lord brings to us. It eclipses everything that you had in the Old Testament.
We have in our checks for the Word glory and in various ways important, glorious.
I'd like to pass on with our brother Clarence Londin used to say the glory is excellence in display.
In connection with what you've been saying too, Brother Reuben, I wonder if you'd return to the Exodus Chapter 33. And I think we see what you say being brought out there.
17 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also, that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious, to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy, on whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see my face, and live.
And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock.
It shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a Cliff of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by, and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen. This is in contrast with what we have in Christianity, all the glory of God shining out in the face of Jesus Christ. But when Moses asked, Show me thy glory, then the Lord proclaims his name.
Grace is showing mercy to whom he will, but that wasn't seen in the Old Testament. That was not until redemption was accomplished that the glory of God shines out in the face of Jesus Christ. If you notice in Second Corinthians the next chapter, chapter 4.
Says here.
In verse 6.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.
In the face of Jesus Christ now, there's no veil between. In the Old Testament we saw his back parts, as it were. There was a partial revelation so wonderful that it caused Moses face to shine. But we with open or unveiled face can behold this, because it now shines out in all its glory and fullness in Christ that blessed One who has accomplished that work. And as you say, ours is only a reflected 1. All the glory is in Himself.
But it should reflect in us. It did in Moses, in the measure in which he saw it. And when we think of the revelation God has given of Himself in Christianity, it surely ought to make our faces shine as we reflect something of it.
And got connection with the gospel message. Gordon, I was just going back to verse four in Second Corinthians 4IN whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glory of the Gospel of the Christ, the glory of Christ, should shine unto them. So we see how, how fast, how far great greater the glory was.
That shone in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a vast difference.
We find it's brought out here, the gospel of the glory of the Christ.
00:25:07
It's interesting too that in that 4th chapter, God of this world blinds the minds of them that believe not, but the truth commands itself to the conscience, and the truth reaches the heart.
You always find in false religion there's a great deal for the mind, but in the truth of God there is something for the conscience and for the heart.
And that is, Christianity speaks to our consciences. We first see how vile and wretched and wicked we are in ourselves, But we see how God, through that work of Calvary, has taken up that whole question of sin and settled it, so that our conscience is cleared before God. We have a conscience now that we can say that if it is God that justifies, who is he that condemneth? And then we have a portion for our hearts too, because He fills our.
Our hearts and so it goes on to say that, uh, this, uh, the six words God who commanded the light to shine on darkness has shined in our hearts so that we have a, we have a conscience all at ease and the heart finding its joy and satisfaction in Christ. But you'll always notice with false religion, they have a lot for the mind.
You never had somebody with false religion come to you and speak to your conscience and heart. You'll always start by talking to your mind.
That verse to you brought to our attention Charles in 2nd Corinthians 4 verse 4.
Return over to the 53rd of Isaiah, Isaiah 53, and hold that place and turn over to the Song of Solomon, chapter 5.
Isaiah 53.
Verse two, it says, umm, in the middle of the verse. He hath no form nor comeliness. And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Then if we read in the Song of Solomon, chapter 5, the last verse, his mouth is most sweet. Yeah, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend.
The verse that you brought before, there's a connecting link between that verse and Isaiah and the verse in the Song of Solomon.
Before we were saved, there was nothing in the Lord Jesus to attract us.
And because the God of this world had blinded our minds, blinded the eyes of our hearts. But after we accepted the Lord, we were able to say, his mouth is most sweet. Yeah, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved and this is my friend.
Languages express, uh, is given to express thoughts, isn't it? And God's word expresses these things to us. And I was thinking about this, the, the, the tape when Moses was called up to the mount and reading in the, uh, book of Hebrews, it was a terrible sight.
We don't, we never will never realize what what a glorious and terrible thing is, what it came from. Glorious has been pointed out, but.
They said the Moses said he exceedingly fear and quake.
We, we've, uh, we've never stood in a position like that, umm, because we reject the mercy of God. But here were those that stood at the foot of that mount and everything shook and quaked and they were fearful.
I've never been in a position like that to see the fear of that, although sin comes in and gives me that fear. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom or knowledge. And so how beautiful then to think that He brings before us here the glory of the person of the Christ. How much more glorious this is.
And sometimes God has the Thunder in our lives too, to give us to see something of the glories of the person of Christ.
And God is able to do that. So I think it's so beautiful to think that here is brought before us the exceeding greatness of the glory of the Christ that exceeds everything that ever took place before.
And who is it we're going to see? Who is it we're going to be with? Christ and glory, Christ in glory. This is what we're looking forward to. We're going to see that blessed one, no judgment has passed.
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We're gonna be in his favor and in his love for ages of ages.
I think of the apostle John.
Along his nearness and love of the Lord. When he had that vision in Revelation One, he fell on his face like a dead man. But he's the very one who says.
We shall see him as he is, and I'm sure it's not until he's completely taken away our old man, he said. Nature.
Then we won't be afraid to look upon God.
The Lord appeared there in the character of a judge, didn't they, in that first chapter of Revelation, walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks? A very solemn thing when we think of it. And that's why, when, if the Lord were to come in here and take the character of a judge, why we might feel the same falling on our faces? But isn't it lovely? Put his hand on him and said, fear not, I am the 1St and the last. I am he that liveth and has become dead, and I am alive forevermore.
So he dispelled his fears in that way we'll never have to do with God as a judge. Thank God. We know God revealed in Christ. We know his love so fully made known.
And then there's a little contrast here in the 13th verse, it says the children of Israel could not steadfastly. But then in the uh, it says here in the end of the 15th verse, even under this day when Moses is read, it doesn't say they could not. But the veil is not upon the face of Moses, but the veil is upon their hearts. Notice that they couldn't. And that's why the Lord said to Moses, My face shall not be seen.
He was not fully revealed in the Old Testament. There was a partial revelation, and the children of Israel couldn't even see that partial revelation. And Moses put a veil over his face. They couldn't look at it. But now, if there's any veil, rather than if you and I don't see what a wonderful place we have been brought into consequent upon the work of Christ, if we don't see the blessing that flows out as a result of that glorious work the Lord accomplished, the hindrance is not on God's part.
The veil is on our hearts. The trouble is with ourselves, and very often, isn't it true? The veil is upon our hearts. We allow other things to come in.
That hindrance, like when we allow something to come into our lives that hinders us from being occupied with Christ and seeing our portion in Him. And we are the losers. But it's our problem. It's because we've allowed something. God has been fully revealed. He's fully made known. All that's in His heart has come out. There's nothing more to be revealed. It's been revealed and it shines out in the face of Jesus Christ.
No, we have an ex uh, Deuteronomy 2929 where it says the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children. Did that not refer to the secrets of grace? And, and, but now, uh, this unrevealed secrets, uh, at that time is now been revealed with God has come out to us in grace and he's made known to us as purposes, hasn't it?
You could finish that verse, Brother Reuben. It says that we may do all the words of this law. So if you said to an Israelite, well, why are you making the Tabernacle exactly that way? Why is it so precise that it has to be exactly that way? Why does that animal have to be caught in a certain way and offered in a certain way? He would have to say, well, I don't know. I just know God has said that's the way it's to be done and it's my part to be obedient.
So they were to do those things even though they didn't know why they were doing them. But now it's no longer so because God has made himself known. And you say to a person, well, why have, why did you get that baptized? He explains to you now, well, that's a figure of the death of Christ and I want to be identified with him. I died out of an old position. I've been brought into a new and in baptisms, a figure of that.
What does that loaf mean on the table? Oh, that's a figure out first of the one body of Christ composed of all believers and of the Lord Jesus body given in death so that that's why in Romans chapter 12 it says what we carry on is an intelligent service. We know, but an Israelite was to do a lot of things in connection with the instructions that God gave in the Jewish ceremonies that he didn't know why.
00:35:15
But in Christianity, God explains to us and he says, I'm going to tell you why.
It's going to be an intelligent service. Isn't that very blessed? It's so wonderful. Now that God has come out and all that he is, the glory of God shines out in the face of Jesus Christ. And he says what you do, whether it's baptism, whether it's the Lord's Supper, whether it's your service that you're performing, you're not just repeating words. It's something that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
We have something a little of that in the, uh, 64th of Isaiah, in the second chapter of the first epistle. It's quoted here in Isaiah 64 and four.
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eyes seen, O God beside thee, what He hath prepared for them that waiteth for Him.
He turned to 1St Corinthians chapter 2.
Verse 9.
But as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them, that not wait for him, but love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yeah, the deep things of God.
So the children of Israel waited, and there was a picture and all those details of the Tabernacle.
They weren't revealed to them, but they are revealed to us in Christianity.
So man asked me, he said, why? Why is it at the church I go that the, uh, that the loaf is all broken up into little cubes. I said that's a good question because in First Corinthians 10, as you were pointing out, there's one loaf on the table that speaks of the one body so that you're gathered on that ground. You just sort of hung his head. He didn't have an answer.
Answers another question that people raise and why do we use 11 loaf well it tells us you know if you turn back to the 23rd of leviticus maybe it's good to turn to that because 23rd chapter of Leviticus and the.
15th verse.
And you shall count unto you from the Morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that she brought the sheaf of the wave offering.
Seven Sabbath shall be complete even tomorrow after the 7th Sabbath shall enumerate 50 days. That's what Pentecost means. 50 He shall #50 days, and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.
He shall bring out of your habitation two wave loaves of two tents deals. They shall be of fine flour, they shall be bacon with leaven. They are the first fruits unto the Lord. So on the day of Pentecost they would bring forth two wave loads, be bacon with leaven. We know that that's little picture of Jew and Gentile made one in Christ, the two wave loaves.
But you say why about why does it say that? Well, if I couldn't come into the Lord's presence with the old nature within, I couldn't come at all. But it it should be bacon. It should be in the place of death because our old man was crucified with him. It came to its end. And I acknowledge that. And the first man, the old man has no place now in Christianity at all under the lawman was tested, but he was in himself was tested. But as I come into the Lord's presence now consequent upon the glorious work that Christ has accomplished rather than he's not only put away my sins.
But he put an end to my old position. My old man was crucified with him.
And so I sit there, and you and Gentile are brought together, one in Christ. And so at the Lord's table, where the loaf is a symbol of that one body by those who are sitting there, they still have the old nature within. But I trust we have all learned that it has no place now in the things of God. It came to its end. It's to be in the place of death. When we break bread, then we remember what it cost the Lord to bring us into that position.
And it becomes a symbol to us of his precious body given in death for us thought the Lord's table proceeds the Lord's Supper in First Corinthians 10, the Lord's Supper in First Corinthians 11. I just mentioned these things because if we want to see the truth of God. Many of these things that are like secret things that people don't understand, they're revealed to us by the Spirit. And if we lay hold of what Christianity is.
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And that it's not a no a patch on the old thing, it's new wine put into new bottles. It's not a patch on the old garment. It's a new thing all together. And we have life abundantly.
I'm glad you mentioned that because he went on to ask me. He said, well, let my father in law's church, they have an unleavened bread. Why do they do that? Well, it's they really don't see the truth of what you're explaining.
It's coming back again to.
Uh, Reuben's reference to, uh, Deuteronomy 29, I don't want to get away from the chapter here, but it's very, very interesting. They put, uh, very, very in a precise way, I think in that 29th verse, the secret things belong unto the Lord our God.
The secret things, these are the things that God would do.
If his people would be obedient, as it says. But those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. So we see what Israel ought to have done.
We see what God has, what the revelation, but with us has already been said. Those secret things now have been revealed. What a difference we we have here, don't we? The secret things of God is some of the precious truth that we know is gathered to His precious name, and the principle on which we meet, and the way in which we go ahead with the re remembrance of the Lord. Those are things that have been revealed.
To us. And so it says, that we may do these things, not the words of the law here, but do on the principles of the truth of God, according to the day of grace.
A little bit about the.
Being glorious and the spirit being more glorious is that I think even a child understands that would they leave their bicycle unlocked at school, they're going to get it stolen. But you Can you imagine in the Millennium when the time is going to be that the wicked are going to be removed every day? People aren't going to need to have locks in their houses and policemen and security systems because the wicked are going to be dealt with. But it's a more glorious thing today as the child goes about and he has an opportunity to steal and he says, no, I'm not going to do that because I want to please the Lord.
Not because there's a policeman watching him, but because he desires to please the Lord. And not out of feigned obedience, because he's going to be removed if he does something wicked, but because what desire to please the Lord? That's a more glorious thing.
Because there are going to be those that are going to live all through the Millennium and, uh, it's going to be a wonderful earth to think that, you know, there's going to be no outward sin. Can you imagine living in such a world?
And yet men are going to feign obedience. It's interesting that when they rise up in rebellion, they're going to come from the four corners of the earth. They're going to come from the farthest place away from the divine center to rebel against the Lord. They want to be as far away from the Lord as possible. They're going to feign obedience. And if they don't come up and worship, pay homage to the Lord, it's not they're going to go on in this way, in an outward way, and it's going to be a wonderful earth and the the trees are even going to clap their hands and the hills are going to shout for joy.
The, the, the dogs are gonna be the cats. They're gonna, I don't wanna just speak flippantly, but it's gonna be a wonderful thing even for the animals that the Millennium when the knowledge of God, the law of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. But what a more glorious thing that we should walk through a corrupt earth and live to please the Lord.
Because at the end of the Millennium they are going to rise up and and say again, just in spirit, not this man.
Terrible thing to show the wretchedness of man's heart.
Written note too, that the Millennium will not be a perfect state. Uh, I just, uh, don't need to turn to them. But I was noticing a couple of verses and when you were speaking that, uh, in Psalm 99 and also in, uh, umm, are some, uh, 101 and also 125. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land.
00:45:14
That I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. And then over in the 125th Psalm he says, umm.
Verse 3 For the For the rod of the wicked shall not.
Rest upon a lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands into iniquity. So God is going to remove it all, isn't he? So there will be, there will be sin, but God removes it each day. But when it comes to the eternal state, then that's imperfection. But we, as you say that now we have these things have been revealed to us. Let's, let's, let's go on with what has been revealed and not seek to.
Delve into something that hasn't been revealed. I think that's a good a good practice to make. Sometimes people come to the Word of God with their views, which we know is being done in Christendom. Don't come to the Word of God with your views. Come to the Word of God and get his views. Then we'll be straight. We'll be clear.
It's been sad that the new is in the old contained the old the new, the old is in the new explained. And so everything that we find revealed in the New Testament we can find in picture in the Old Testament. Sometimes that would be just like if you bought a 1997 model of a car and you had an old one, you'll say 50 years old and you found a little secret thing in this old car 50 years ago.
And a little picture of what it was going to be in 1997, you say, did they know in 1990, in 1947 that it was going to look like this? The model is going to come out. I always say, isn't that amazing that they knew that we find the picture of all that God has brought out now?
In the Old Testament and there it is contained the picture.
When Joseph was rejected by his brethren, he marries a Gentile bride. And over and over we find the pictures in the Old Testament of what is now revealed in the New Testament. And I just like to encourage even the young people to read the old. Even if you don't understand it right away, have it stored in your mind. And then when the time comes, the Spirit of God will bring your those things to your remembrance.
That's what the Lord was saying to the disciples. He said, he said that the whole when he, the spirit of truth, he's come, he'll lead you into all truth for he would bring to their remembrance the things that he had said to them. And so I, I just want to encourage the young people to read the Old Testament scriptures. And then sometime later on, the Spirit of God will shed light on it, help you to see that it was just a picture of something that he is going to do later.
And it's contained in picture form in the Old Testament. Oh, when we get to see this, then we appreciate the Bible far, far more. It's a wonderful book, complete in itself, showing us the mind and will of God fully made known.
It took 1500 years of animal sacrifices.
Before God was willing to explain that the Lamb of God was a perfect human being, didn't that right?
1500 years before he explained it and then almost to a man they rejected it out of hand and shows you how they they can real condition of the human heart. Only a remnant taught by the Holy Spirit. That's why it speaks of the administration of the Spirit. Only those who are taught by the by God will accept it.
Even today, after 2000 years of of a, you know, an honest gospel preaching.
Still being rejected.
One other person what connection with what you were saying Gordon in First Corinthians 10 and verse 6?
Now these things were are examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. I was just thinking that we see pipes in the Old Testament of the Lamb, for instance, as you were mentioning and the details of the Tabernacle. But also there were experiences that they passed through that are recorded in the Old Testament stories that are instructive because they will help us when we meet similar situations. We may look at a situation and talk about a situation today.
00:50:08
And we're never going to come exactly as to God's judgment as to what that situation is. But when you look in the Old Testament, you have God's exact recorded, divine inspired account of the facts. And often it's repeated that He gives you not only the facts, but what His purpose in allowing that situation was in the Book of Chronicles to get His purpose. Now we may discuss something and see things from a different angle and so on, and we're only going to see it with human eyes. But when we look at these stories in the Old Testament.
And also we may repeat facts, and in a way that will be defiling, but when you take up the Word of God, he repeats exactly the details in this situation in an undefiling way, and then he gives his judgment as to what those facts were.
And so it helps us as we meet the situations of life, not just, I shouldn't say, not just that's also wonderful, these shadows that we have of, uh, things that, uh, have to do with Christianity, as you showed in the loaf and so on, but also in the experiences of life that they passed through.
Corinthians 13 and 12, Paul speaks of seeing things through a glass darkly says first.
1312 For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.
I was thinking here, I was thinking about this verse. There's been so much been revealed to us with the Old Testament now.
That we wouldn't have known before the Lords. And then we see how the Old Testament.
Pictures of the New Testament, but there's still things we've discussed that we don't see clearly. But when the Lord we're before the Lord, we see him face to face. Everything will be made known to us. You see that Paul here, uh well, the greatest apostles gave us so much truth. But even he says.
Umm, I shall know, umm, but then so I know even as also I am known.
I think it's good to not to miss a little expression here. I don't know how Mr. Darby renders this in verse. Umm, verse 9.
For if administration of condemnation be glory much more, I call attention to that little expression. I don't know how Mr. Garvey renders that much more.
Does the administration of righteousness exceed in glory? Then he goes, I just go on downtown after verse 12 or 11. For if that which was done away was glorious, much more that which is which remains.
Remaineth is glorious and so on. We could follow that little expression out. We find it also in the throughout the book of Hebrews. Why? Because it brings before us the glory of the person of Christ above everything else. Everything else is set aside much more, much more, much more. What we can see then why he? Why the expression is given here. It says umm umm.
Verse 10. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of.
The glory that excelleth much more. Much more. When I think of that little expression, I think of Christ, the Lord Jesus, the one who has given me much more than even Moses had, or, or Abraham or or any of the Old Testament Saints. Why? Because we not only have the Word of God, we have a living Savior on on high in the glory, and we have the Spirit of God in our hearts much more than what Abraham or Isaac or any of them ever had.
In our chapter in verse nine is much, rather, much rather. Yeah, Mm-hmm.
Verse nine we often contrast law and grace, but in verse 9, the law of the ministry of condemnation is contrasted with the ministry of righteousness. Why is that?
Well, the holiness of God's person wasn't fully revealed in the Old Testament, but all His claims in holiness and righteousness have been fully made known. Because nothing less than the infinite sacrifice of the Lord Jesus could satisfy God's holy claims. It wasn't possible that the blood of bulls and of goats would put away sin. They were accepted to make an atonement. The word atonement means to cover. They were accepted for the time being.
00:55:07
But how much more everything now that God has made known in Christianity all God's claims, He hasn't lowered his His Holiness or his righteousness. He has found a way by which all his righteous claims could be fully met and satisfied. And they have been through the work that Christ has done. So we read, yet made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
But the law was really a ministry of condemnation.
Because it pronounced judgment on anyone that couldn't keep it.
Remember when the Lord Jesus was going to leave this scene? In the 16th chapter of John's Gospel we find him saying this.
If I depart, I will send Him unto you. That is the Holy Spirit, And when He has come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Then then He qualifies it by saying of sin, because they believe not on me. That was their own hearts of unbelief, now of righteousness.
Because I go to the Father who is my righteousness. Where is my It's at God's right hand. Christ is my righteousness.
So we see the beautiful truth of that here, don't we? Again, it points us to one person, the Person of Christ.
As it says of righteousness, because I go to my father and you see me no more. That is, they weren't not going to see him, but we're going to see him when he comes back.
Isn't it what we have in Romans 322? The righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all, the belief being justified freely by His grace?
And God has sent forth appropriation with faith in His blood to declare His righteousness.
We are made righteous to faith in this place.
We won't have a better standing even when we get home to glory than we have right now, because we are before God in Christ.
What a marvelous place we have been brought into.
Perhaps you could pass on here. The veil is going to be taken away. What a wonderful day it will be for Israel when they say they look on the one whom they Pierce and they're brought into blessing and.
It says their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. It'll be a wonderful day of blessing for that nation. But going on to the 17th verse as we mentioned before, if you read the verse.
Six, I read it again. Who? Who also has made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit.
For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Now the Lord is that Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And I think this is so beautiful that any true Christian really walking in the enjoyment of the Lord's love, knowing his standing in Christ will not counted ******* to do something to please the Lord. He'll say, that's what I want to do. I'm doing it because I want to do it.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is.
There is liberty, so we're not under law, we're under grace. God has met us in grace. And now how wonderful. And I that applies in our personal lives. I believe, brethren, it also applies in the assembly where the Spirit of God is given liberty by how He delights to take the things of Christ and show them unto us. We just give the Spirit liberty very often ourselves and the flesh in US stands in the way of blessing.
We get occupied with ourselves, we say things that have to do with ourselves, but where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty and how blessed to meet as as believers, giving the Spirit of God His way in the meeting so that he may lead whomsoever He will give out to him to pray, to minister to our hearts. I think it's so precious what is brought before us here.
Someone asked her brother a question. What is he? What uh, what he thought was the greatest evil in Christendom today, And his very brief reply was denying the power and presence of the Holy Spirit of God.
A good deal of Christendom. They don't go any farther than the truth that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Most believers would recognize that that when you were saved, the Spirit of God comes and indwells your body.
01:00:08
But they do not seem to see that the Spirit of God dwells in the house. On the day of Pentecost He came he individually and dwelled every believer there, but He also filled the whole house where they were sitting. And it tells us in Ephesians we are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. And that was really what gave cause to the restoration of the truth, perhaps over a century ago.
Was the recovery of that truth that not only does the Spirit of God indwell believers, but the Spirit of God dwells in the house and it hadn't been recognized. Men build up systems where they recognize that individuals had the Spirit of God, but everything was arranged by some human order to carry on the worship, the service, everything, and not giving the Spirit of God who dwells in the house liberty to act, but how?
Blessed that He really does, if we give him His place collectively, recognizing Him as the one who leads out in praises and worship and in ministry for the glory of God and for the blessing of the Saints.
Maybe we could sing that hymn 1 Spirit with the Lord.
210.
Minutes.
Ago so you need to have a barrier.
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Nsnoise.
I AM
Gospel—Roland Ruga
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Good evening, Could we start our gospel meeting this evening by singing from the 2nd hymn on the hymn sheet reading the second verse?
Come, the Father's house stands open with his love and light and song. And returning to that Father all to you may now belong from sin's distant land of famine, toiling needs the midday sun to a Father's House of plenty.
And the fathers welcome come #2.
Come to see the gently fall.
You don't have to go tomorrow.
On now, I'm sorry when I was here, given the rest of the rest.
Nsnoise 0.
8 Seven oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh G Parents are already doing this. Umm.
Pennsylvania.
I was trying to say God, beef instinct and bring it together.
In any corner.
Let's just power heads, close your eyes and we'll look to the Lord for his help and blessing here this evening. Our Father, we look up to thee. We thank thee that the blessed message is still to come that I courts above. Oh God, are yet open.
00:05:02
To poor law sinners, we thank thee for thy long-suffering. Grace, thou are not willing.
Our God, that any should perish, but that all should come, three repentance. And so, our Father, this evening we depend upon thee, as it is our privilege, to once again proclaim the blessed message of salvation through thy dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask that he may be glorified and made much of here this evening, and that his love would touch the heart of any who may yet hear our God be outside of His love and grace.
Indeed, those angelic hosts are musing even this very moment over this strange sight of the Argonne beseeching man, yet refusing to be made forever glad. And so we anticipate thy help and my blessing here this evening, our Father, to once again open my precious word that may be done so in the power of Thy spirit. For the good and blessing of each and every one of the hearers, we ask, giving thanks, that every worthy name our Savior, the Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Turn with me, please, to Exodus Chapter 3.
To introduce.
What I have in my heart.
Exodus Chapter 3 and we have here.
A little conversation that took place many years ago.
Between a servant of God named Moses.
In between the Lord God.
Of heaven and earth himself.
So we'll drop down to verse 13, Exodus 313.
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel.
And shall say, say unto them, The God of your Father's hath sent me unto you.
And they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I am that I am.
And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am, has sent me unto you? Well, this was, I think, a somewhat strange reply to the question that Moses asked. And for the sake of those who are younger here, many children and young people even here tonight.
Perhaps don't understand what?
Transpired here in these two verses that we read, Moses was looking.
For a further revelation of this one that it was his desire to communicate, convey his goodness, his glory to his people, and the Lord seems to.
Reply in a somewhat.
Dark way, God said unto Moses. I am that I am.
Well.
Properly translated, that could be Jehovah Elohim.
And Jehovah Elohim means simply.
The Self Existent One who reveals himself. The Self Existent One who reveals himself. And so it was the heart of God to reveal himself to his people here through his servant Moses. But he said, I am he wanted to appeal.
To their thoughts in such a way as to get them to consider the eternality of His being, the fact that God is, that God is, and because God is. Therefore we have a God to whom we must give an account as it tells us in the New Testament. Hebrews 4, verse 13, verse 12. Well, I am.
That I am the eternally existent one who reveals himself.
The one who inhabits eternity past, present, and future.
Well.
I'd like now to turn to the New Testament and see just how He revealed himself as the I Am. The I am of the Old Testament is clearly found in the New Testament, so turn over with me.
00:10:14
To John's gospel.
And we'll begin with.
Chapter 6.
John 6 and verse 35.
And Jesus said unto them.
I am. And so here we have the Revelation of the Lord God of heaven.
And his dear Son, the one who was announced there in John Chapter One, as the Word. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. What a wonderful thing tonight, that God no longer dwells as it were in the thick darkness, in a way that we can't properly apprehend Him for who he is and for what he stands for now He has come forth as the Word. The Word and the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father.
Full of grace and truth. And so the matchless goodness and grace of God has come out in the Word. And so tonight we consider what is a word? A word is a vehicle of communication. Isn't it something by which our thoughts can travel upon and be expressed to one another. What would we do without words? Well, God and his sovereign love and grace and goodness towards poor fallen lost mankind. He came and expressed himself.
In in the highest form of language, we might say His beloved Son became a man, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And so here we have this blessed one. In this verse he's the one who inhabited eternity, but he's also the expression of God. Let's read again verse 35. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me.
Shall never thirst, and so this one, the Eternal One, the delight of God the Father, and fulfillment of Proverbs 8, where it says that the Father was.
With the Son there before the foundations of the earth were laid, and they took sweet counsel together, and we can well imagine the delight and the joy that must have been in the Godhead.
When, uh, the foundations of the earth were laid. And then it goes on to say, in my delights, wherewith the sons of men to consider that God he's concerned about men, about boys, and about girls, about men and women. Here in 1997, the American Civic Association on Front St. in Binghamton, NY, God is concerned about you, and He wants to save your precious.
Never dying soul. Well, God has done everything he could do. We speak reverently. And he has given this blessed One who here identifies himself as I am the bread of life. And that's interesting, you know.
By nature, we we tend to think about.
Uh, the food that we're going to consume for the day. Uh, if a little child is not quickly fed first thing in the morning.
Quickly it begins to fuss and to scream and to holler, because it has the basic needs of life.
Bread and water. And we see how that the enemy of our souls, when he came into the garden there to test man, how did he appeal to man? Well, he appealed through the stomach. Uh, he he showed demand that fruit which God had said, Thou shalt not eat of it. From the day that thou eatest of it dying, thou shalt die. And even in the New Testament we read the temptation scene in Luke, chapter four of the Lord Jesus.
How that Satan would come and the very first temptation that is recorded in the scripture, I have no doubt that there are other temptations that Satan.
Try to throw at our blessed Savior, but there he brought the Lord to it, uh, the Lord's attention. He said, command of these stones He made bread, if thou be the Son of God. And we know that even uh, in the test of Esau uh, when he was at his within, he had this desire for for food, for food, and he would even go so far. We had it the other night in our Bible reading, meeting back at home in Dorothy, the fact that he would despise this birthright.
00:15:19
Which was his by right and by privilege for justice, a bowl of lentils, or whatever it was vegetables. And so.
Umm. The Lord comes to us and He deals with us as it were. Uh, right where we're at. He understands what our needs are. He knows that we are, uh, mere mortal humans who have basic needs and necessities. Uh. But you know, He also wants to call to our attention.
The fact that our necessities are far beyond just mere, uh, food and clothing and shelter. Uh. We read in Deuteronomy 8, verse three, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that perceive out of the mouth of the Lord shall man live. And so that perhaps would be a clear inclination that there is a need that each and every one of us has of something beyond just mere bread and water.
Hear the Lord Jesus Thou In his gracious kindness he identifies himself.
As the breath of life, the bread of life. And he goes on to say, he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. I don't think there's a one of us in the room that's ever eaten a particular food that forever satisfied our appetite. No, our appetites are like the fire in proverbs. It says. It never says it is enough. No.
Uh, if we get up tomorrow morning?
Lord willing, if the Lord sees fit to give us life and breath till tomorrow morning, we're going to rise and we're going to have these basic needs all over again. Need for food and for drink. Well, here's the Lord Jesus. He takes these basic necessities and he applies them in a spiritual way. Makes it very simple so that the youngest child here tonight can understand your need of Christ.
Your need of God's beloved Son, he says. I am the bread.
Of life. And he also says, he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Every single one of us are born with a thirst for what we know not. But it is beyond mere human comprehension what is all I'm saying to consider that you and I have a hankering. And you know, as other brethren have faithfully told us over the years, that our hearts are too large.
For this world, This world can never ever come in. And satisfy your heart. Or satisfy my heart. No, only gods. Your son. Oh Christ, He is the fountain, The deep sweet well of love. The streams on earth. I've tasted more deep. I'll drink above there to an ocean fullness. His mercy doth expand well. Have you drunk of the water of life Freely Have you come to this blessed one and partaken?
Of that bread that he alone can give, that will forever satisfy your spiritual appetite. Have you drunk of that spiritual water leversat, forever satisfy your spiritual thirst? What a wonderful thing. The Bible ends up by saying Whosoever will let him partake of the water of life freely, without money, without price, it tells us in Isaiah 55, verse 20.
Have you, Have you come and partaken of this blessed One God, your son? Well, let's turn over quickly.
To the 8th chapter.
And we'll see how.
The Lord Jesus continues to unfold himself as the I am the sent one of the Father to manifest the heart, the goodness of God. John Chapter 8.
And reading verse 12.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am, there it is I am.
The light of the world, He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Well, you know, I find it almost overwhelming to consider the setting in which the Lord Jesus here identifies himself as the light of life. We won't read the story, but just to quickly recount it how that these Pharisees and some others.
00:20:24
They brought this woman who was a Sinner before the Lord and again the the heart of man trying to take his Creator God manifest in the flesh the Lord Jesus Christ, and to somehow show him up.
They brought this woman before the Lord Jesus Christ and they said that she was caught in this terrible act of sin and they were looking to catch him in his words. Well.
Lovely, manifold grace of God. We just read that when they asked him the question that Jesus, he just bent down and began to write with his finger.
I've often liked to connect it with Titus chapter 2. I don't know what the Lord was actually writing. Perhaps we'll find out when you get home to heaven, many of us. But I like to think that he was writing Titus 2, verse 13.
The grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men.
The grace of God had appeared, this poor woman. She deserved to be condemned to death. Isn't that our condition? Send her friend every one of us. By nature we deserve nothing but death, separation from God. But here this dear woman was brought by her accusers into the presence of God's dear Son, and he would write with his finger on the ground and well to go on with the story quickly.
Finally.
The Lord Jesus told them, He said, he that is without sin amongst you, let him cast the first stone at her museum, writing on the ground again. See, they come to test him in his words. But really he tested them, didn't he? And they? It says from the eldest, even unto the youngest, they all left. Jesus picked up himself, looked at the woman. Said woman, Where are thine accusers? Hath no man condemn thee?
Oh, what a blessed reply. No man Lord, no man Lord.
Not to condemn the world the man of sorrows came, but that the world might have salvation through his name, He didn't come to condemn. That wasn't his purpose to condemn, but rather to save. Christ, the Savior of sinners came into the world to save. Yes, he loves you and he loves me, and so he didn't condemn this poor woman.
And so Jesus told her, Neither do I condemn thee, Go and sin no more.
Well, that's the setting for this verse.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. You know in John chapter one it says in him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Two things about that amazed me. First of all, light by its very character it has the tendency to expose and convict and hear the Lord Jesus.
He identifies himself as the I am the light of the world. They didn't expose or convict this poor woman. Secondly, going back to John one, it says it's a light shine in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.
If we go out tonight late.
Uh, some of my boys enjoy having flashlights. Go to Walmart for 399, especially on a flashlight. You take a flashlight outside in the dark night. What happens if you flip on the light, the darkness and a certain measure, and to a certain degree at least, at least, doesn't it? There's light there, just as long as the power source is right and so on. The switch is working. You flip it on. The darkness leaves. We read there in John One, the light shined in darkness.
And the darkness comprehended it not. That's how thick, That's how thick the darkness is in this world that you and I find ourselves in. It's like that thick Egyptian knight back there in the land of Egypt. It says that God was going to smite the land with such a darkness, so dark it could be felt.
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Well, that's the land we're living in. We're living in a land of darkness, boys and girls. We realize that many of us, we grow up in homes where we have the light of the precious word of God. And sometimes we maybe get to thinking false notions that, well, everything is good here, There's no darkness here. But you know, salvation is a very individual thing. It says here he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.
But shall have the light of life, he or she very whosoever. All through the gospel we see that salvation is a very individual thing. Your father, your mother, they can't save you. No, the choice is up to you tonight. He that has ears to hear, let him hear, says the scripture. And so the Lord Jesus. He says, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.
But shall have the light of life. Oh, what a wonderful thing to be found walking through a very Dark World with someone who is the light of life. You know, he shows the way through the through this Dark World. He clears the way as it were so that we can see our path one step at a time. My word is a lamp unto my path and.
A light into my path, a lamp into my feet, and a light unto my path. We have this blessed book.
The power and operation of the Holy Spirit to lead us safe through The Dark World. Well boys and girls, older one here tonight. Are you walking in darkness or do you know this one? Who says I am the light of life? I think of that person. Proverbs is it 418 says the path is a just. It says a shining light shineth more and more.
That's a perfect day for so many of us as you get closer to that glorious scene just ahead of us. Eternal glory to gleam of Florida nerve, our faint endeavor. It's just getting brighter and brighter and better all the time. But how about you? Are you walking in darkness? Oh, turn. Turn from the way of darkness and come into the light this very night before it is too late. Turn over now to the next.
Passage of the Lord Jesus identifies himself in John chapter 10.
Twice over in this chapter.
He identifies himself as the IM.
We can start with John 10 and verse 9.
I am the door.
By me.
If any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out.
In fine pasture.
What a wonderful thing this is.
The Lord Jesus here identifies himself as the One.
Through whom we can get into a place of safety.
The setting for this is, Uh.
The fact that the Lord Jesus spring before us himself as the shepherd and we or as the sheep. But here he says I am the door, He's the door into the sheepfold. There's no other way to get into this place of safety.
It says in Proverbs 18 verse 10. I think the name of the Lord is a strong power, strong tower. The righteous runs into it and say, well, have you come to Christ?
In order that you might be in a safe place, place a refuge, I am the door.
Last evening some of us we came to this building.
And uh, I think perhaps some of us maybe even try to knock on the back door and go around out front and gain entrance there through the front door.
Vital was to no avail. The door was launched, There was no entrance. But you know tonight the door of heaven is as it were open wide. Behold, I have set before thee and open door the Lord Jesus time the very door to the presence of God. But you know you have to come to him. He's the one that God has placed, as it were the door to heaven.
00:30:21
By me.
If any man enter in, he shall be saved.
Saved. What does that mean? Save. Save. Salvation.
To be delivered from our lost and ruined and guilty condition that everyone of us.
Born in sin and shaping in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. The psalmist could say we have this dread thin condition. If you go out of this room tonight, the same way you came in, you will continue to have that sin condition. You will not be a member.
Of with the Lord Jesus identifies here as those who are saved. He shall be saved. Are you a lost Sinner? Are you a safe Sinner here tonight? Oh, May God, by the power of His Spirit, work in your soul to give you to see your lost condition, to see that the eternal God is about ready to judge this world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.
Whereas he has given assurance to all, and then he raised him from the dead, and that is the man Christ Jesus, the same one who came as the Savior of the world, is about ready to come as the judge thereof. And so how's it going to be with you, Senator friend, tonight? Do you know him as your savior, or will you get to know him as your judge? There in Revelation 20? What a solemn scene, the fearful and the unbelieving.
And those others there whosoever was not found, written the Lamb's book of life.
Was cashed into the lake of fire before those angels will take you and cast you into that place, eternal banishment from a God who loves you. You will see the face of the man who is so marred more than any man, and is far more than the sons of men. A lasting eternal reminder from God himself that you could have been saved, but you rejected it.
Oh, how so, Lord? Jesus said in John 12, verse 48. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day. And so we beg you.
We implore you, We beseech you as ambassadors for Christ tonight be reconciled to God, become a member of this saved race. So many of us here tonight have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, blessed the man trusted in him so important to come to God through Christ. The open door. We sometimes sing the children in the Sunday School well.
Drop down now 2 verses to the next.
Lord Jesus says in John 10 verse 11.
I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Oh, this is the foundation of all of our blessing. The fact that the shepherd gave his life for the sheep. He didn't send someone else. No, he gave himself.
I'll ransom for us all.
How blessed to consider that first Timothy 2. Isn't that the verse? God our Savior, who have all men to be saved and to the come to the knowledge of the truth? There's one God, one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for us all. Well.
The Lord Jesus came as the Good Shepherd. He went there to the cross of Calvary. Why?
Fulfillment Isaiah 53, verse 5, verse six. It says all we like sheep have gone astray.
Serving the Lord
Spiritual Fathers
An inheritance
2 Corinthians 4:1-18
Reading
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2nd Corinthians chapter 3 in the last verse, verse 18.
What we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even by even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Chapter 4. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry.
As we have received mercy, we faint not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God in uh, deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.
00:05:07
Bless the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your service for Jesus sake. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light.
Of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. What we have this treasure in earthen vessels.
That the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us, We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken.
Cast down, but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies.
For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in US, but life in you, we having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written. I believe, and therefore have I spoken. We believe, we also believe, and therefore speak, knowing that he which raised up the Lord.
Shall raise up, raise up us also by Jesus.
And shall present us with you, for all things are for your sake, that the abundant grace might, through the Thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God.
For which 'cause we faint none, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Our line affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, For the things which are seen are temporal.
But the things which are not seen are eternal.
Mr. Darby S translation of this last verse is that we always unveiled face. The holding the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image. It's really the whole secret of Christian growth that he's brought before us there, isn't it? There's no avail between now the Lord Jesus we can look up. There's no veil as it was in the Old Testament.
But we can with unveiled face, look at him, and as we look through him and see him there, there's a change takes place in US. It's really the way Christian growth takes place. As we're occupied with him, looking at him, then the Spirit of God produces in us the desire and the power to be like him. If there's someone we admire very much and we watch them, first thing you know, unconsciously we begin to be like them.
Because we admire them very much. And so if we really are occupied with the Lord Jesus and see what a wonderful portion we have in him, the gloriousness of His person, the place that He has brought us into unconsciously, if I can speak in that way, there's a change takes place in us. And we often look at someone and say, well, I know it's a change in that person. Well, it's because he has Christ as his object. And we begin to see the likeness of Christ produced in him.
I still notice that nowhere in Scripture does that describe what the Lord Jesus Christ is linked, whether he was tall or short or.
Being fat and there you have black beard or black hair or.
If he did, it was in there. Wouldn't there be a lot of people trying to imitate his appearance down here?
I can't find.
They like the walk that he is, trying to give enough here to follow his footsteps.
Because every single one of us is different physically.
God giving us this wonderful problem, His brother little son.
The second we're saved, it's like touching the altar we're holding. We're absolutely fit for the presence of God. We don't feel it. We don't feel holy. We still have the old man, and God has given this wonderful privilege of laying hold on this by faith. Angels are watching us and we have this privilege of manifesting Jesus through this frail.
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Barry it's which bar is the Barry of sun, but now it's that the sin and alive unto God. We have this wonderful presence. Every one of us is different for this one respect the whole Bible gives us the character of the Lord Jesus and cover to cover is the character of Jesus and that's what he wants to say in US not not anything physical. It's the character of Jesus by Christ.
It's a contrast, isn't it, in the chapter between law and grace, that is, under the law. The law was thundered out at Mount Sinai. The people stood trembling. Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. There was no desire or power in the hearts of those who heard those 10 commandments to fulfill the desires of God in connection with his requirements. But how different now. God has given to every believer a new life, the very life of Christ.
We have the Holy Spirit of God, and so when God makes known his desires for us, the new man and the believer responds. The Spirit is the power, and so it comes about as it says here.
We are changed into the same image from glory to glory. The life of Christ begins to be produced in us. I remember one time I was in a Barber shop and.
Had a little opportunity to speak to the Barber and he said, well, you preachers have a hard time trying to change human nature, don't you? And I said, we don't try to change human nature. We tell people they need to be born again. When they're born again, then they have a new life. They have a new power, a new desire, and that's the whole thing. This is what is being brought out here. Much of Christianity Today is an attempt to change human nature.
Get people to make promises and commitments and pledges, but occupation with Christ in the light of His Word and allowing the Spirit of God His place in our lives, the change will take place naturally.
Without effort, if we might put it in that way, because we have such a wonderful object before our souls, the one who's going to fill our souls for all eternity and make us perfectly happy. We can make us happy down here.
In the measure in which we allow the Spirit His way in our lives and we become changed into the same image from glory to glory. That is, it doesn't all take place at once. It's a gradual thing.
And little Samuel was brought up, his mother made him a new coat every year, didn't expect him to wear a full size coat just because he was up there in the temple the first year. But every year she made a little larger coat, there was growth. And so I think that's what this suggests in this verse, from glory to glory. It brings in Christian growth. And it's lovely to see this in the children of God.
As we see them growing, as Peter said, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It's a lot lighting the outward character of a man, and yet it didn't change his heart really, did it. So they might have had a border of blue on their garment, but it didn't make them heavenly men in their heart. Or the scripture says that they weren't around the corners of their beard that that is that they may have. It didn't really change the character of what they said and what was in their heart. It just changed the way they appeared. And so these were all things that umm.
That you saw in the Old Testament that spoke of inward things were shadows of inward things, but it didn't produce those. So a man could go on perfectly in an outward way as Saul did, and yet not have as have heart and enmity with God.
That's what it means in Galatians when it says the law was our schoolmaster until Christ came. The conduct of the children will probably be quite a bit better in the classroom when the teacher is there. Not because the children want to do what's right, but they're controlled because the teacher is there and the law is in that way a schoolmaster. It put a restraint on man, but it didn't change his heart at all. His heart was still a Stony heart, but what God does, he begins from the inside.
00:15:08
He gives us a new life, new power by the Spirit, and then the change takes place in occupation with Him. And as we read His word, we learn His mind and will. That's why Paul goes on in the next chapter. Therefore, as seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not as though he were saying I were trying to change human nature. I'd get discouraged, but when I'm ministering this wonderful truth.
Occupying with souls, with Christ, praying before them, their portion in Him and their standing in Him. I don't get discouraged because it's a wonderful ministry and it produces wonderful results when it's received.
In the previous chapter in verse 6, Paul referred to himself, and I suppose his fellow workers, as able ministers of the New Testament or New Covenant.
Now we as believers are not under a covenant with the Lord that seems to have been specifically for the House of Judah and the House of Israel. How do how do we understand that that expression an able minister, the ministry of the new covenant New Testament verse 6.
Well in Israel are brought into the blessing of the new covenant. If you notice in the 8th chapter I think it is of Hebrews, I'll read the eight verse.
Her finding fault with that first covenant, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I.
Took him by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not. But this is the covenant that I will make with them after those with the House of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people, and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brothers. Say no, the Lord.
For all shall know me from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
So that while we were never under the covenants and promises that were made to Israel, we receive a new life. And that's why I think we were mentioning before at the Lord's Supper, it was the blood of the covenant, of the new covenant because.
When Israel are finally brought into blessing, he says, their sins and equities will I remember no more.
He'll put his laws into their hearts and in their minds. Will he write them?
That is, they'll possess a new life, they'll have the power then to please God. And in that sense, we are partakers of the blessings of the new covenant, although we are not under the covenant or have part in it in that way. And he was contrasting law and grace in Second Corinthians chapter 4, and he's showing what the old covenant did. It asked man to do something. He had neither desire or power.
But in the new covenant.
He is going to have the desire and he's going to have the power. And so he just applies it in that way, I believe and in that way we are ministers of the new covenant that we're not trying to improve human nature or change human nature. We're preaching that what man needs is to be born again, get the new life has the Holy Spirit of God.
It is true that the covenants have to do with Israel, but we come into the blessing of the covenant. Perhaps there's one other verse in Hebrews I think that helps to understand this too in the.
10th chapter in the 15th verse.
Where of the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us? For after that he had said before. This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord.
I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. We remember that the Epistle to the Hebrews is a letter to the Hebrew believers. But he says the Holy Ghost is a witness to us, and so he's bringing in the thought that they're brought into the blessing of the new covenant, even though the covenant has to do with Israel.
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We are the partakers of the blessings of that as a result of the work of Christ.
What is the thought in the 20th verse of Hebrews 13? Forget the expression there. Verse 20. Hebrews 13. Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep.
Through the blood of the everlasting Covenant.
Just wondered what the thought was on that.
Well, perhaps it could be that, uh, before the law ever came in at all, God said, in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And we know that even Adam and Eve were clothed through the death of a substitute. So God had shown long before the giving of the law, the blessing to man was not going to be on the ground of his works. It was going to be through another. And so in that sense it was.
The everlasting covenant, that is, God had that in his eternal purposes to reveal as soon as sin entered, promised to Abraham when he was promised blessing.
Then people asked for the law, the nation asked for the law. They entered into a covenant to keep things. They failed in that. But God, shall I say, reverts to His original desire and purpose and plan, and that was to bless man altogether apart from anything that he could do.
But founded upon the glorious work, the Lord Jesus was accomplished through the blood.
So Adam went out from the garden, clothed with the animals, through the blood of another, through the skin of the animal.
Because this occurs in the book of Hebrews and as you cited those other verses too, These Hebrew believers, now they had their their, what their blessing is as a result of that which is everlasting in the heart of God. I think it's beautiful to think of that in that way.
The same as you mentioned.
He mentions the everlasting gospel in all that God always had good news for man, didn't he always?
And I suppose we can say that is A1 sided cabinet. Normally a cabinet it's an agreement. If you do this then I will do that. But God says you cannot keep your bargain. So it's all on my part.
There's a little story in the Life of the Family VP Cecil that I think is helps him not perfectly. To illustrate what you were saying, that a person can be the beneficiary of a covenant without being the subject of it. Umm, what? I think most know that he came from one of the wealthiest families in England and one of his ancestors, umm.
Was rejected and so he went away to live in a little town and he took a bride of the Millers of a local Miller's daughter and and they always sensed that he was different that he came from a more noble background. But one day word came to him that he had inherited his vast estate, I think one of the most fastest states in England. So he took his wife in the carriage and he took her by this great estate and she said I, I wonder who this belongs to and she said he said, turn to her and he said to you.
Now, she wasn't the subject of the will or the covenant at all. He was, but she was the beneficiary of it. She shared in all of that. And so while we're not the the subjects of the New Covenant of blood, we're the beneficiaries of it. Could you say that that put it in that way?
Just go back to Galatians. It's interesting that this is taken up.
Perhaps you could go to the 15th verse rather than I speak out the third chapter of Galatians in the 15th verse, rather than I speak after the manner of man. Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed no man is an alleth or addeth thereto.
Now to Abraham and his seed, where the promises made saith, not unto seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was.
430 years after cannot disannul that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of law, then it is no more a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore them serveth the law. It was added because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. This was the verse particularly Now a mediator is not a mediator of one.
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But God is one.
So God made the promises, but He made them in Christ. When there is a disagreement, why there is a mediator and he has to deal with two different parties. But the Co, the promise that God made, it was made between God and Christ and saw God and Christ are one. How could it fail? That's what he is saying. So that there while there are two parties, if one could speak reverently, it saw the Father and God the Son. The Father purposed all this. The Son is the one who carries it all out.
So it's got to be sure because God is one. I think it's good to be clear about some of these things because there's a lot of so-called covenant theology today and people are going back really to the law, not understanding what the new covenant really is and the blessing that is coming in. So they're making pledges and promises, promise keepers and so on. It's all this idea that two people, there's God and man, and there's a covenant made between them. But isn't this beautiful?
It says.
A mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. The promise was between God and Christ, and they're 1. So it's sure to be fulfilled. And all of God had purposed to assure to come to pass. Because it doesn't depend on one ourselves one bit. It depends all about whether God is true and whether Christ, his beloved Son, accomplished his will in that glorious work that he finished at Calvary.
Well, we don't have to twist the truth of God at all when we give it out according to the way God has revealed it in His Word. That's why he says in the second verse.
But everything else, the hidden things of dishonesty, are not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
You don't have to do any twisting or anything like that in connection with the Word of God. We just present presented as God has given it to us in His Word. It commends itself to man's conscience, brings him into the presence of God, and reveals how God can bless him apart from anything in himself at all.
But Satan is busy not only leading man into sin, that is moral sin, but he also is busy trying to keep him from knowing what's in the heart of God and.
So if our gospel be hid is hid to them that are lost in whom? The God of this world and that Satan. Satan is the God of this world religiously, the Prince of this world politically. So he blinds people's minds as to the truth of God and he also leads them on in the service of sin and Satan in their evil ways. And so Satan is busy a lot of people he dilutes through religion, some he deludes by leading them into the wicked things of this world.
But he's busy.
He's a crafty foe, isn't he? I'm just looking at a few verses over in Jeremiah, the 23rd chapter of Jeremiah in connection with that. Uh, how uh.
The the Lord has frowned upon this kind of thing.
Umm, there's a number of verses here, but I just read a couple of verses to get the point.
Verse 20 The anger of the Lord shall not return till he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart. In the latter days you shall consider it perfectly.
I have not sent these profits yet they ran. I have not spoken to them yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my com counsel and had caused my people to bear hear my words, then they should have turned.
Them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. I have God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off. And then he hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him. So there's much of this craftiness going on today, isn't there? And God isn't, is not ignorant of all this. He's well aware of it all. And so we have to be very careful too, thinking of that in John's epistle. Try the spirits, whether they be a God.
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So how do we try them by the word of God? We test them by the word of God. And so Paul here is just mentioned that not handling the word of God. Are there there are those in in the in the world today in Christmas. They're handling the word of God deceitfully. You know it and I know it as well. They're handling the word of God deceitfully. They're deceiving people with their with these with these words. Where do they get it out of getting it out of the Bible.
That's possessed to the Ephesians.
He speaks that are fulfilling the desires of the flesh and oftentimes we think of immorality in those things, but it doesn't stop there. It says there fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Unless directed by the clear written word of God, our minds become nothing but the placing of Satan.
You notice that Satan always works through the mind, the Spirit of God works through the conscience and the heart, and this is brought out here, the end of the second verse, commanding ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Six verse. The God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts. I've often said you'll never find one of these who carry the false religion coming to you.
And speaking first to your conscience and saying, do you know you're a Sinner and you need to be cleansed in the blood of Christ and that Christ is willing to save you? You don't find that approach, but they'll come to you and they'll appeal to your mind. You think God would cast anybody into hell and all kinds of things. They'll appeal to your mind. But the truth of God always speaks to the conscience and to the heart.
And we need to, shall I say, in telling out the gospel, that's what we need to bear in mind.
Man's conscience must be reached, but also his heart too. He needs to see that he's a Sinner, but he also needs to learn two things, that God is a Sinner, that God is a Savior, and that he is a Sinner. That is, his conscience has to be reached that he's a Sinner, and his heart has to be reached that God has done something about it.
Has taken up the question of sin and settled it for his own glory. And and that's really very important in the telling forth of the gospel. Actually, the word repentance in itself, the word means a change of mind. That's the meaning of the word repentance. And I often say man has wrong thoughts about two things. He has wrong thoughts about himself and he has wrong thoughts about God.
He doesn't really see his own true condition, and the gospel brings what his real condition out into the light shows him, as Job learned in the presence of God that he was vile, said I repent and abhor myself in dust and ashes.
But he must also learn that God is a God of love, that he has provided a full and free salvation, not by any works of his own or merit of his own. And so repentance really is a change of mind.
He gets those thoughts corrected by the word of God. He says what God says about me is true. I am nothing but a lost Sinner.
But when God says about His Son, and what He has done is true also, and He has provided a way, guilty as I am, to bring me into fullest blessing, suited to His own presence, where I can be in the glory and be perfectly fit for it.
So the thought on this third verse is.
If our Gospel be veiled, it is veiled to them that are lost.
Me, that the apostle Paul still walked before the Lord, and he imparted the truth just as purely as he had received it, so that if any were lost, it wasn't any fault of the apostles. He he conveyed the truth as it was committed to him.
Because they were blinded by the God of this world. But.
Idolatry really is man making a God according to his own imagination and so even in these pictures that our brother referred to, if you've ever had the unfortunate.
Opportunity of seeing them even of the Lord they follow the religious fads of man of what they think it's a creation of what they think the Lord should be like and umm, it's really idolatry at the root of it. And so instead of finding from the word the character of the Lord that men create a picture of the Lord depending on what their particular habits or thoughts are. And in heathen countries, if they feel as you were saying that God was not a loving God, then their gods are fierce and in this land if there's.
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There is a thought that God is loving, but that he is not light. Then they create a picture like that and and go on with that.
But its idolatry at the root of it.
I believe there's the meaning of that expression. The glorious gospel or the gospel of the glory. That's really what Paul preached, wasn't it? The gospel of the glory. There's a glorified man at the right hand of God who has accomplished redemption.
In our place of association with Him, we belong to that glory too. We're going to be there.
When he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as he is, so He has found a way that we can be in that glory also.
And and so it's the gospel of the glory telling of a glorified Christ that God's rehem.
Somebody has said that we got the the heavenly side of the gospel in that verse, don't we? That's the heavenly side of it because directs our thoughts to the man that God's right hand, the glorified through Christ who is glorified at God's right hand, directs us up there. So it's the heavenly sign of the gospel that we can present.
It's not just an adjective describing the Gospel in a positive way.
I think sometimes where the translation is glorious gospel, it's like a glorious sunset or a glorious day, and that misses the point. As as you both have described, it's the good news that Christ has been glorified in response to glorifying God down here and glorified God on the earth. So God rewarded him with glory, glorified him on high. One of the writers expressed it that the gospel of the.
Glo Of the glory of the How was it put? Now the the glory of the Christ?
It's the glory of the Christ that is. That is really the point of the gospel, isn't it? So beautiful?
And Paul stood true to that which was committed to him, didn't he? Isn't that a good word for us or a good exhortation for us? It's been, you know, we're pipes, aren't we? As somebody has said, the the truth of God flows in. And one of the writers, one of the old writers, spoke about it as that which flows in is absolutely perfect.
It comes from God.
But as it flows out.
It's checkered weather doesn't come out the same way that it flew it in, flowed in. And so it's beautiful to think how Paul sought to do to be that very way where he says not to not walking and crafting it the word deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. So it was brings God in and the conscience in the sight of God all that he did. So it's good to see.
The quality of that gospel preaching of Paul's, it was a quality to it that we don't see today. And I have to confess I don't have that quality myself. But however, it's a beautiful thing to see that the gospel is of the glory of the Christ.
One brother said before he was saved, he wanted to be a great man in the world. After he was saved, he wanted to be a great man in the Church of God. And he had to learn that both were wrong. That's what has brought out so much in this.
5th and 6th verse. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Lovely. This is everything exalting the Lord Jesus Christ and giving no glory to man and seeks honors for himself, but God delights to honor his beloved Son.
Spoken of as being children of the light and, uh, we've been brought into the light.
But here it goes much deeper than that. Just thinking of that verse again. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined upon us. No, no, no, shined in our hearts. The basis, the truth.
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The seat of affection, the gospel, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So the light is more and just shining upon us. It is shining in our hearts.
Well, I think he refers in what's followed to something like Gideon's men when they went out against the Gideon Gideon. Gideon Gideonites tells us that they were to put a lamp in a pitcher and then the pitcher was to be broken at the appointed time so the light could shine. I think he's referring to this. The vessel wasn't important at all. The important part was the light would shine out when the vessel was broken.
And so he says, we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Perhaps one of Gideon's men might have had a very nice vessel, and he'd say, I hate to see this vessel broken, but Gideon says that it's got to be broken so the light can shine out. And so, you know, that's what God passes us through. Paul was given a thorn in the flesh, and he often gives us reminders that we are nothing in ourselves.
So that Christ might be seen. And where is Christ so often and brightly seen? As in a soul that's going through deep affliction and is honoring and glorifying Christ, Speaking of Him and exalting him, His face shining. It's not because of the earthen vessel, but it's because of the treasure that's in that vessel. And as the vessel is being broken, the light is shining. That's what he is bringing out here, I believe in a practical way.
Well, Paul's bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible. Men wouldn't choose that kind of a person to deliver an important message. They say, well, we want to have people that really show something of the importance by their personality. But here God chose a man whose bodily presence was weak and the speech contemptible to give out the most wonderful and glorious truth that's contained in all the whole Bible, the truth of the church and.
The honor and glory of Christ, His exaltation as the center of new creation, Head of the body, the Church who is chosen man that was just a a weak vessel.
Martin's not why we must have been broken in contrite spirit, be useful to the Lord.
That the daughter.
I was weak. I didn't really appear when he was going on in Judaism, didn't it? But in Christianity, it all sort of came out. And we often think that, uh, it's when we're on top of things as the world would say that that's when the Lord is going to use us. But it seems that it's the opposite way around. And Paul warned Timothy of that, who preached the gain is godliness from such turn away that there's a thought that, you know, that there's a great almost doctrine of winning, you know, so to speak. And yet it's often in the trials and circumstances of life, as you say that, whether at work or at home or whatever that Christ is really seeing.
In in that sense, as it says there in verse 7, verse seven. But we have this treasure in urban vessels.
Life, the vessels is going to break down, That's true, but we have a treasure in it and uh, if, umm, if we didn't realize that it was of God, we might do a little boasting. We might be a little bit proud because we're pretty good gospel preacher or.
That we have a nice way of presenting the truth, but God guards that truth. He guards it here in this verse. That is the apostle. We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. No, we, we may visit someone as I've done, and find them turn to the Lord in the very last moments. Was it my visit? No, it was the work of God in their souls that really turned them from darkness to light and from the power of faith to God.
We may present the truth, we have a treasure and we can give them or seek to present that treasure to them, but we can't boast and say, well, because we knew it more, knew more about it. But the, the, the vessel, as it says here, it's that the Excellency of the power may be of God, not of us. I think it's good to remember that.
Is that my brother, though sometimes the Lord keeps us from knowing about the results of the work we're doing. I think if Hudson Taylor as I said that he did not realize the effect of what he had done at the end of his life and after he he passed away to the home of the Lord. There are 1,000,000 that come to the Lord in China and said part of that is true to the work and how to tailor it done in his life.
00:45:16
I'll have to quote Gordon's father again. You know, we spend some time with him and I still remember the things he brought before us. And one thing was he said never count your converts this side of heaven. Leave that to God.
Good point. Leave it to him. He he will do the work. He will bring them to the to himself.
But we don't need to take any credit for it.
He's 10th and 11Th versus they end about the same, but there is a difference in the first part of the verse. Perhaps I could read them. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. That the life also of Jesus might be manif, made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. I believe it's when it's done in communion with the Lord.
When we recognize that the old man came to its end in the death of Christ.
Self is not set forward, because here it's not the thought of bearing our sins so much as the thought that our old man was crucified with him in his death. We as children of Adam, so to speak, we cease, and now we're new creatures in Christ Jesus. And if I always bear that in mind, then I will acknowledge that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. I will put the flesh flesh in the place of death. And what is the result? The life of Jesus will be seen.
If not, God may allow circumstances in my life, as He often has to do, to humble us and bring us down so we're delivered unto death for Jesus sake. But it's always the same result, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. What does God want to see in every one of us, brethren? He wants to see the life of Jesus manifested, and if we're trying to set ourselves forward, then he may allow something to humble us.
So that we realized that the flash profit of nothing, that is his purpose to bring us down, but not self would be seen, but that the life of Jesus would be seen. If I could illustrate it something like this. When Gideon's man went out and there's one of his men that has a very, very lovely vessel that he has put the light in. And when the moment comes when Gideon says the vessel has to be broken so the light will shine and 300 torches were going to shine in the midnight.
One man, he holds back a little bit. He doesn't like to destroy his vessel, and Gideon test slashes it down so the light would be seen. He should have done it himself, that's what he was told to do. But he might. Gideon might have to do it so the light would shine.
And isn't that true, brethren, that very often the Lord has to deliver us to death and it has to bring us down so that we realize what poor, failing things we are. And it hurts our pride maybe a little, but it's necessary because God doesn't want self to be seen. He wants the life of Jesus to be manifested in our bodies. So there's the time when we do it in communion with the Lord, when there's a there is a time when he has to do it.
In his governmental ways with us.
In our ways, we pro, uh, with our, in the way of practice, we fail. But then God come here. And I was just thinking again of those two verses, Gordon always bearing about in the body, the dying of Jesus. Uh, I think, I don't think it's Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body, but not always true. We, we don't we it, it, it doesn't fall through, follow through, does it? We fail in this because we're not always in that state, but then.
Notice the verse 11 Says For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake. Who does that? God? God does that for us. If we don't do it ourselves, He's going to bring us into that state of thing there in that condition.
That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh, and that's his desire for us and his garden has already said. But we see the the the efforts of man there and also.
We see God's work in completing that.
Following the measure in which that's true, then as it says so, then death worketh in US, but life in you. A man is exalting himself. If Paul had come along, exalting himself, they might have been attracted to Paul. Some other man would come along with a nicer personality. It would be attracted to them. But if death worked in him, and all he was doing was not trying to set himself forward, but Christ forward.
00:50:23
Then the result would be blessing. And that's a very searching thing for us, because in Christmas we often find the exaltation of man. You seldom pick up a book, even perhaps a book that has somewhat good ministry in it. But the first part of it's all telling you what a wonderful man this was that wrote this book, that agrees that he has what he's done and so on. Before he even starts the book, you get occupied with the man.
It's rather relieving to take a book and and hardly know who wrote it. You maybe look over the end and you see a couple of initials, but that's about all because the man is not trying to set himself forward. Death is working in him.
But he wants life to work in the hearers as he tells about his glorious Savior and what he has done and how God has exalted his beloved Son. And he wants us to be like Him, so that death worketh in us, but life in you.
More, it's all in Colossians 3 and verse 5. Mortify therefore your members, which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, and so on, and numbers them here, Keep them in the place of death.
And Paul actually practiced that himself because he said we're we're always delivered unto death for Jesus sake.
I appreciated that Claude in connection with umm, with Gideon, because if we.
Remember the story of Gideon?
They weren't occupied with the breaking of the vessel. They weren't occupied with the trumpets. They weren't occupied with the light. They didn't know what they were going to do. They were just told to look on Gideon and they're told to keep their eyes fixed on Gideon. And I see what to do. They were to do.
God makes the truth good in our own souls too. Does be the 13th verse we having the same spirit of faith according as it is written. I believed and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak.
And I think all of us, we know that.
What first makes the truth good in our own souls, and when we have it's been made good in our own soul, then we can speak with power. Paul could tell what the grace of God had done for him, says he was a blasphemer. He was everything that was wrong before. And when he came to the end of himself and realized this, then he spoke out. Is that what she had experienced in his own life? I believed and therefore have I spoken.
And it's so important God makes the truth that we talk about good in our own souls. I think every one of us have perhaps experienced, we have maybe said something in the meeting. Maybe it was a little bit beyond our own faith.
But we made a remark, we saw it in the passage, but it was really beyond us. And the next day the Lord says, I'm going to put you to a test about that. Do you really believe that? Do you really believe that all things work together for good? And you get into a bad situation the next day and you begin to murmur and complain, but you told the people the night before that all things work together for good. So God makes the truth good in our own souls, so that it's ministered as that which we have believed, which we have proved.
And then we can minister does that which has been made good in a practical way.
In our own lives. I think that's why in Romans 12, uh, it's to me been an interesting point in verse six of Romans 12 where it says having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.
And then it lists some, and the first one listed as prophecy. It says whether prophecy let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith.
You would think because the subject is gifts, that it might say whether prophecy let us prophecy according to the gift.
But it doesn't refer to the gift, it refers to what has really been formed morally in my life.
It says to the proportion of faith, and that's to be the limit of my, uh, speaking forth, whether an exhortation or really comfort in general is what I've made good in my own life. That's my limitation, prophesying according to the proportion of faith what I've had.
00:55:04
What I've been able to lay, hold on practically and enjoy in my own soul.
Interesting where that's quoted from in the 116th Psalm, but it just really illustrates what you are saying. 116th Psalm, the ninth verse I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe therefore I have I spoken. I was greatly afflicted.
Then it comes to, there was a test there. He said, I hadn't said my hate, all men were liars. Seems to be a contradiction to what he said in the ninth verse. But then faith seems to take over. Then in the uh, UH-12 First he says, what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation. I will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows into the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
There were two great lessons in the wilderness, weren't there?
And to prove thee, and to show thee what was in thine heart. And then to show too that God was sufficient for every circumstance. If they needed bread, He could supply that. If they needed water, He could supply that. Their clothes didn't wear out, their shoes didn't wear out. He undertook for them in all their needs, but they had to be humbled. And so that's the two things we learn or should learn in our pathway, our own nothingness and God's all sufficiency.
To humbly and to prove Thee we learn our own nothingness, that the all sufficiency of God that he was able to meet every need that they had in that whole 40 years of travel. He was sufficient for the need.
I rather enjoyed the thought too in this 14th verse, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up also by Jesus.
And shall present us with you, who had had to write very faithfully this Corinthian assembly ring before them, things that exercised him even in connection with discipline that needed to be taken, uh, to take place among them. And they might have felt and perhaps did, that he was against them and being so severe upon them. But I think it's lovely too, what he says here shall raise us up also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
His whole desire was for their good and blessing. He identifies himself with them. He doesn't say I'm here and you're there.
He shall present us with you. I think this is a lovely thing. And when we ever try to correct any person, we should always think of this, that, uh, in seeking to maybe speak to them in a way that's for their good and blessing. We should think of the time when together we're going to be there around the Lord.
Could it be in this 15th verse that he refers to the gift that the brethren sent up for the needs of the Saints in Jerusalem? That is, there was a famine in Jerusalem. There might have been, and there probably was some feeling between Jews and Gentiles. There was a natural barrier that existed between them, and God allowed a famine to come among these Jews.
They might have said, well, we're the top ones. We're the ones that have sent the help down to you and we sent the messengers down to you and everything. But God allowed a family to come in, uh, Jerusalem among the Jews in Judea. And so the health cold flow the other way. Now the help was coming from the Gentiles and going back to them. And God was in this way knitting their hearts together in love. The Jews could never say, well, we don't need these Gentiles. We sent the gospel to them, but.
We're the ones that are on top, but now He puts them in a position. They must be the receivers. And it's good for us to remember that sometimes the Lord loves situations where we might think we're on top, but we have to be the receivers, don't we?
All things are for your sakes. All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the cold according to his purpose.
I was just looking into that in First Corinthians 3 garden you're mentioning after verse 21. Therefore let no man glory in man, for all things are yours.
Whether Paul or Polis or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God. So here we found that little expression for all things are for your sakes. So it's good to remember that, isn't it? God's not a cheap giver, you know He's not. When he gives, he gives abundantly.
01:00:23
OK.
And even though this present in which we live is only for a moment, it's only temporal. It does have eternal results. That's good for us to remember.
Our short lives here, brethren, are going to have eternal results. The grace that has saved us, anything that has been done to please the Lord in accordance with His Word, everything is going to be manifested and rewarded, our light affliction, which is but for a moment, it's only that way in comparison with eternity. What is this little period of time compared to eternity? But the results of what we did today is still a short day of time.
Is going to have eternal results. If it was done for the glory of God, it will be rewarded. If not, it'll be lost. It's how we behave here now and our life is going to determine the size of our company eternity. We should we should consider that everything that we say and do is going to be assessed at the judgment seat of Christ.
Sometimes you hear it said that rewards are only for the millennial period, for the thousand year reign, but this verse seems to say otherwise, that they go well, it says eternal weight of glory.
Very precious too, to see here he speaks of our light affliction and.
And then he begins he adds to that by saying which is which is but for a moment, our light affliction, which is but for a moment as com as in contrast to the eternal ages that are before us. So I always think of that. I just refer to a verse. You don't need to turn to it over in the 41St Psalm where he says that the Lord will preserve him in two and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon the earth. Of course we know the sound again speak of the earthly blessing.
Of the people in the coming day, that thou wilt uh, Thou wilt uh, but thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord shall strengthen him upon the bed of languishing. Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
Beautiful little verse to think that in your whatever your trial is, whatever the difficulty is the light affliction, but God is going to make your bed in the affliction in your fingers. It's beautiful to think of that God will never overlook one of his own. He will always be there to comfort and to sustain.
And then you have the person on the call write that verse. You might wonder how serious it takes him, but we all know how Paul went through a great deal of flexion, physically, emotionally, uh, for a member of yours right from the time he is saved.
OK, let me press this last verse as well, and for us to bear in mind, as we call, we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. Or the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
This life and how we live it is very important. This is all brought out in this chapter. But every act should be looked at in light of eternity. Shouldn't that have how it's going to appear when all is manifested in the coming day?
The center may just live for time, say I'm having a good time, but what about eternity? The way he lives in time, if he goes on rejecting Christ is going to have eternal consequences. And so the way we live as believers, we may say, well, it's just time. It's just today. Well, are we living in view of eternity while we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen or the things which are seen are temporal. The things which are not seen are eternal. May the Lord grant that we live our lives in view.
Of the manifestation, because every act in our lives is going to have eternal consequences as well as present ones.
It was showing #36 in the back of the.
01:05:38
Nsnoise.
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Village on South Carolina.
Grey.
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Uh-huh.
No, no, no.
I'm not sure if you can do anything to buy all the products, but I don't know.
Things well.
Money
Gospel—Ken DeGraaf
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You any room for Jesus?
He who bore the load of sin.
As he knocks and asks, admission, Sinner, will you let him in? Room for pleasure, room for business, but for Christ the crucified, not a place that he can enter in the heart for which he died.
Have you any time for Jesus?
As in grace.
He calls again.
All today is time accepted. Tomorrow you may call in vain.
Have room for Jesus, Lord of glory. Hasten now His word. Obey.
Swing the heart's door widely open. Bid him enter while you may, dear ones, here tonight, it is our desire to sing a hymn and then ask the Lord for His help.
And then, with the Lord's help, present to you the love and the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of heaven, who came to this world for boys and girls, for young people.
For moms and dads and for grandpas and grandmas, I'm a grandpa. You know Jesus loves sinners. And you know everyone of us here in this room tonight is a Sinner.
But maybe there's a Sinner here without Christ. I know there's many here in this room tonight that are saved sinners. And I trust that everyone here in this room tonight.
Can assuredly say when they leave, When you walk through those doors tonight, that you can assuredly say I'm a saved Sinner. Let's sing together #17.
Lord, glad you ever done all right, there's something like that All right, I'm not supposed to go higher price, but I'm looking to see if uh uh, uh, uh, uh, that's great 7899.
And I'll offer a couple of our guys in case you don't have a lot of money.
No water change, hot flower, 1/2 a blah blah blah blah blah.
And now it's worth the whole time.
I'll watch it anymore.
And and then surprise you again.
Nsnoise.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
So we bow our heads in prayer, our gracious God and our loving Father, we lift up our hearts to Thee, and Thanksgiving and praise for Thy beloved Son.
00:05:10
The Lord Jesus Christ, that one who was.
Indeed, the Father's delight and thou didst send him.
Our loving God to be the Savior of the world.
Or loving precious Saviour, tonight we thank Thee that thou didst go to Calvary's cross in love for sinners. Lord Jesus, we worship and praise the insanity to night that thou wouldst think of us.
Puny man, thou didst come in love, Lord Jesus.
And it is thy desire, precious Savior, that we present to many tonight the loving gospel story.
And to hear those words from thy lips.
Common to me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give thee rest. Lord Jesus, what a rest this is that thou dost have for each one here tonight. And we pray especially if there is one in this room tonight or more, that truly they may understand the need to be saved. Our Father, we pray that we might speak well.
Of thy beloved son, we ask this of thee, and give thanks and thy worthy and precious name.
Amen.
Turn with me to the Gospel of Lucan, chapter 16.
We're living in a world where money seems to be a very important thing.
How many of us, boys and girls, like to earn money? You know, when I was young, I enjoyed earning money.
And I remember when my mom and dad told me it's good to save your money. And I trust that they express that with prudence or with a wise heart, so that I wasn't interested in hoarding my money and not even using it. But you know, it's a dangerous thing to be occupied with money. And this story which.
I would like to read tonight.
Talks about a man who enjoyed.
Enjoyed money? In fact, God tells us in this story.
That he had, if we could read between the lines, that he had lots of money.
So let's read this story together, and I would like to present tonight the love of the Savior and how He so very carefully expresses in His word things that we need and you know, if we had nothing in this world.
I would say that perhaps money would satisfy the most, but you know.
It won't do for eternity.
Because you know what eternity really is.
Eternity is life without time. We all look at the clock on the wall. We know that in one hour that big hand rotates once, and in one full day it rotates 24 times. And it goes on day after day, year after year. And often times we forget that we're living in.
Time.
We look at our watches and we tell time. I remember children, our children, learning to tell time and all. It was so much fun to have a watch. You children like to wear a watch, don't you?
I do 'cause I can tell time, but you know, when we get in eternity, there's no more time. And where will you spend eternity?
With Christ.
Or without Christ.
And that is the very sad subject to discuss. And I trust tonight that each one of us in this room can fully say within the depths of your heart that you and I belong to Jesus. Because if we belong to Jesus, we will be able to spend eternity, that's life without time with the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:10:22
Here is a story in this chapter.
Beginning with.
Verse 19. Luke's Gospel.
Chapter 16 and verse 19.
There was a rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores.
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table, moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.
The rich man also died and was buried.
And in hell he lifts up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus.
That he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou thy lifetime receiveth thy goods, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between US and you there is a great gulf fixed.
So that they which should pass, or they that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou would send him to my Father's house.
For I have 5 brethren, that he may testify unto them.
Lest they also come unto this place of torment, Abraham saith unto him.
They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead.
They will repent, and he said unto him, If they hear not Moses.
And the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though 1 rose from the dead.
Now this is a very, very sad story.
And I remember as a boy, some of you boys sitting there, you girls.
One time I was at a Detroit conference many years ago and Brother Charles Whittaker spoke on this subject and I remember when he came to the paragraph here.
Where Abraham describes that there was a great gulf fixed and you know, in my mind's eye I sort of pictured.
A great place off on this side and another place off on this side, and there was a vast abyss in between and there was no way that one could reach one side to the other.
Except by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
And I can't remember whether it was that time, but I remember the time when I took Jesus as my Savior. And I'm hoping that there's a boy or a girl or a young person or a grandpa or a grandma this afternoon, this evening that would accept the Lord Jesus as Savior. It is my desire to present tonight what a Sinner is.
And also with that our condition as a Sinner.
And then God's remedy.
And God's love.
And then I want to tell you just how you can be saved.
And I want to tell you tonight, dear ones, that it's very simple.
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And the hardest part is to yield from one's own thoughts, one's own thinking of maybe I can get on by myself.
Maybe that I'm very dependable and dependent. Not dependent, you know, I have to tell you a story about a young fellow that worked for me.
A very tragic story when his life was snuffed out very suddenly.
Back home in Grand Rapids, where I'm from in a tool and die shop, Robert was a apprentice and I enjoyed Robert working for me. He was very careful in everything he did. He was accurate in the things he needed to do. He would take the work that was assigned to him and he would produce the blocks of steel, squared them up properly so that they all fit together in a die casting.
And, you know, we had lots of talks and he had lots of aspirations.
And you know, three years ago he, well, maybe four years ago, he came to work at the new place where I'm working now.
And that February three years ago, he wanted to take me for an airplane ride. Well, Ken likes airplanes. And so Robert Fafalski and Ken Degraff went for an airplane ride and I took my camera because I like to take pictures of railroad tracks and other things. And so he was really anxious that we went and I was concerned about Robert because.
I was not sure whether he knew the Lord Jesus as his Savior.
And it was a little bit difficult for me to break the conversation. The Lord gave strength, though. At the end, when we were done, he was putting the airplane away. And we got into the pickup truck and we were driving down the highway. And I had the opportunity to ask him if he thought much of eternal matters. He said to me, well, he says, not really. He said, he says, you know, I have my own life and.
I'm selling everything that I have. And I knew that he was doing something like that because that was another concern for me, because I knew that he was selling all his tools and he was going to quit his job and he was going to go live in Alaska. He wanted to live in Alaska, where the bears are, where there's fishing without trouble, and he was looking for that time of enjoyment in his life.
I didn't know it until after his death.
That he told a fellow Christian friend of mine at my work.
He told him that he was indestructible. Now isn't that a very sad thing to say, to think of oneself as indestructible?
You know, he had a motorcycle and one of the fellows was warning him about his motorcycle because he enjoyed riding this motorcycle. And I'm not sure whether he drove it, uh, carelessly. I never saw him drive his motorcycle.
One, three years ago in June, we were out in Walla Walla to the conference.
And on my return, I went back to work Tuesday morning and my fellow work associates came to me and they said, Ken, did you hear that Rob Hofalski was killed in an automobile accident, motorcycle automobile accident?
It shook me up, dear friends, to think that just four months before I was with him in the airplane and he was the pilot, and he was a careful pilot. I noticed when he flew the airplane he was careful in everything he did.
But you know what happened that he didn't expect?
A man in a pickup truck ran a red light and hit and Robert hit the broadside of that pickup truck and he was killed instantly.
You know, dear ones here, boys and girls, young men, young ladies, we have no promise of tomorrow.
God doesn't promise that we will have breath for tomorrow.
So it pays to take the Lord Jesus as your Savior right now.
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Tonight, don't put it off. The Lord Jesus loves you that he went to Calvary's cross. There he was, suspended, nails pierced through his hands, because he loved you.
He loved you and he loved me and he wants you to accept him as your savior. Now I'd like for you to turn with our not losing our place here because I want to come back to this subject, but I want to express to you.
Where God tells us that we're sinners. Turn to Romans chapter 3.
Romans chapter 3 and verse.
23 is the verse I have in my heart, but will begin at verse 10.
Romans 3 and verse 10.
There is right, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are altogether become unprofitable.
There is none that doeth good, No, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre, and their tongues they have used the seat. The poison of ASP's is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of peace. Have they not known there is No Fear of God before their eyes?
Now drop down.
To verse UMM 23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Notice those 3 words? All have sinned, dear ones tonight. This doesn't. This doesn't leave anyone out, every one of us.
Fits in this category. The only difference is this. The Lord Jesus came to die for sinners because he wants sinners to be with him in heaven.
And it's necessary for you and for me to tell the Lord Jesus that I'm a Sinner. Oh.
It is so important, dear Sinner friend tonight.
God loves you.
He wants you in heaven.
He gave his son.
In order that you would come to heaven.
He loves you and He wants you to be in heaven.
It says in John's Gospel chapter 3 and verse 16 for God so loved the world.
That He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
That's life without time, eternity, life with Jesus.
You know, when Robert was riding on that motorcycle, it was only a couple of nights before he was to leave on his trip to Alaska.
He didn't know that he had two more nights to live.
And dear ones here tonight, you don't know. It tells us in God's Word.
That God doesn't promise.
Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You know we woke up this morning, we had breakfast.
And we enjoyed the company of one another here today.
I can't tell you what's going to happen tomorrow. We all have plans.
Maybe nice plans. Some of you children maybe are looking forward till tomorrow. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, but maybe the Lord is coming.
Maybe something might happen.
And our lives might be snuffed out.
You know, two weeks ago, I believe it was 2 weeks ago.
We were at a place.
We all came into a Funeral Home.
And there, in front of the room was a casket. Oh, it was a pitcher of death.
I knew this person for a good many years and I'm thankful to say that she went to be with Jesus.
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But you know, we don't have a promise for tomorrow.
You know this rich man, he didn't know what was going to come tomorrow. He was banking on his riches.
There's another story in the Word of God that tells us about a man who had riches, but I'd like to point out a couple of things in this chapter. Here was a man who was a rich man. God doesn't tell us his name.
And it tells us that there was a beggar who?
Who sat, you know what tells us in verse 21? And there was a 20 verse 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores.
And this man, you know.
This beggar, he was hungry, and it tells us here that and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.
And it's like the Bible is saying, and by the way, the dogs came and licked his sores. It tells us moreover.
But it's kind of like to me. And by the way, the dogs came and licked his sores.
I remember learning about dogs in the scriptures.
They mean to us shameless evil.
You know, people have dogs. We have dogs as a pet sometimes.
But you know a dog.
Is a careless animal.
Sometimes it's a filthy animal.
And here this animal was licking the sores of this beggar.
This rich man had no care for this poor beggar.
And so the story goes on that he was hungry.
And he would have eaten the crumbs that fell from the table. You know, sometimes when we have something to eat, we're real careful.
About the crumbs, I know that I pick up crumbs off of my plate with my finger and I like to eat the last bit.
Maybe there wasn't very many crumbs for this poor beggar.
But you know who loved him?
Jesus loved him.
And you know, dear Sinner friend.
I want to tell you tonight that Jesus, I want to tell you from the depths of my heart that Jesus loves you so much that He wants to give you food and raiment and a home in heaven for all eternity. He's not going to let you go. He's going to make it so you'll take Jesus as your Savior. He's going to make you miserable until you do. And I pray to God tonight.
That you would be miserable until you take the Lord Jesus.
As your Savior, the Lord tells us in his word in Romans that we read.
It says there.
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sinners. God's Word tells us that we are sinners.
Back home a week ago, they had a special gospel meeting in Fremont. Fremont is north from us, about 50 miles, and there's two brothers there who have had the desire to have special gospel meetings every Saturday night. And the assembly there has embraced this effort. And it's a nice little work. And guess what happened last Saturday night? One of the boys.
Who has sit under gospel meanings for many years? I think he's 10 or 11 years old.
He went home that night.
And when he went to bed, he put his head on his pillow and he couldn't sleep.
He got thinking about his soul and he realized in his heart that if the Lord should come that night.
He would not go to heaven.
Why did he think that way?
Because he knew in his heart that he had not yet told the Lord Jesus that he was a Sinner.
He heard that night about sinners.
And he wept and his daddy came in to comfort him and he says I want mummy.
I want money.
00:30:02
Never. Usually he is consoled by daddy. Daddy reads stories to him. But this time he wanted mommy. So mother went in there and talked to him and he said.
I heard at the meeting tonight that I'm a Sinner and I want to be saved. And you know what happened? That dear little boy, he got on his knees right beside his bed and he told the Lord Jesus.
That he was a Sinner and he said, I want you to be my savior.
What do you think happened? He got out from his knees and he gave his mommy a hug and he says I'm saved. That's such a nice story. I hope it happens to one of you boys or girls tonight. Don't put your head on your pillow until you tell Jesus that you're a Sinner.
Then you can spend eternity with him forever. You know, our moms and dads, I have a dad and a mom and you know, they're getting older. They're in their 80s or 7879.
And I know that my dad has been sick a few times and we almost lost him. So Dad may not be around much longer. And as we grow older, some of you young children, you think about the life ahead of you. Oh, I got a long time to wait. No, I've seen little caskets.
Let's not be fooled. You know Satan would tell us in our ear. He would whisper in our ear.
And he would say, you can wait just a little while. If you don't take Jesus right now, you can have more fun.
Isn't that right? Isn't that the story we hear in our ear from Satan from time to time? Yes. He doesn't want you to take Jesus as your savior.
I would like to turn now to the 12Th chapter of Luke for another man who was rich and what happened to him.
Here we had the story in the 16th chapter of a rich man and a poor man or a beggar.
And the beggar went to heaven, and there was a prayer that went up, and it wasn't answered. And you know they wanted.
That rich man wanted Lazarus to come.
And Justice cool his tongue because it was so terrible in those flames of hell.
Now here in this story.
In the 12Th chapter and verse 16 is a little bit different, but it's similar.
Luke's Gospel chapter 12 and verse 16.
It's very interesting to notice that the Lord Jesus is very careful in expressing his thoughts so that we have no mistake about what he's trying to tell us. The Lord Jesus is very kind, isn't He, to tell us so many nice things.
In His Word to touch our hearts and to tell us where we are in our souls.
And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.
And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, this will I do, I will pull down my barns.
And build greater. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
And I will say unto my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thy knees, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou fool.
This night thy soul shall be required of thee.
Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he.
That layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Here's the story of another rich man.
Perhaps we could say that this man enjoyed goods to sell.
And he brought in a lot of money. And so he was occupied with all the things that this life could produce. And, you know, this is another area where we have problems sometimes. You know, there's a saying that goes.
00:35:10
Little boys have little toys, but big grown men have big toys. And you know that's true. There are things that seem to occupy us.
Or can occupy us when we get older. There's that danger. Here's a man who.
Had many riches in in things and in goods, and he didn't have enough room to have them all. And so his thought was, well, let's take down this old barn and let's build another big one and another big one and another big one, and then look at all I have. I could just relax and retire and take it easy.
How many of this story have we heard before? Some of us, some of us that are older at work, in a shop and offices, we hear that from time to time as our fellow workers, workers get older. And then sometimes the question comes to us as well, Are you ready for retirement?
Well, am I ready for retirement?
Are you?
Where are you going to retire?
I can thankfully say in heaven.
God had to say to this man, Thou fool.
This night is thy soul required of thee. What does that mean? What does that mean? The Lord was essentially telling him tonight the life you are now living is going to come to an end.
And then what are you going to do? You didn't take Jesus as your savior.
You see, the problem is with our hearts. By nature, we forget God, and that's what Satan wants us to do. He doesn't want us to think about God or eternal matters, but he wants us to go on in life as if nothing is wrong.
And pretty soon life will go on and all of a sudden the end will come. And where will you be? You'll be with Satan and all his angels in the lake of fire. It's a terrible thing. Satan is a liar. He wants you to think that you're good, everything is going to be OK. And it's not. It's a it's a lie of Satan. Dear Center friend tonight.
God loves you and He wants you to be with Him in heaven. Wouldn't you like to be in heaven?
Walking those streets of gold to be with our precious savior where there is never.
A shadow of nighttime.
God, the Lamb of God, is the light thereof in heaven forever.
Oh, think of it, dear ones. Tonight you can be there and be assured that you're going to be there tonight.
Well, I have another story that I'd like to tell you that has caused me a lot of exercise because after Robert Fafalski was snuffed out and he, I don't know, he was born a Catholic and I don't know whether he ever took the Lord as his savior. But when I heard later that he said to himself, he said to the other Men At Work, he says I'm indestructible.
Reminded me later this year, or actually it was earlier this year.
And this year is 80, the 85th anniversary, as they call it, of the sinking of the Titanic.
And so I was quite interested in the Titanic because I remember hearing as a boy about the Titanic and what a great big, huge ship that was. And there were so many people that thought that that boat was indestructible.
And you know, I had found out after getting a a library book. Actually I got three of them. There's a lot of detail in some of them.
And the stories of different ones, You know, the thing that struck me the most was.
There were only a half half as many lifeboats as there was passengers.
In other words, there weren't enough lifeboats for all the people that was on that boat.
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But you know what happened.
When the sinking of the Titanic finally went down into the water. When the Titanic finally went into the water.
Guess what happened?
Every lifeboat.
In fact, there was one lifeboat that had only 14 people.
Aboard that lifeboat and there was room for 40 on every lifeboat. I think there were some that were bigger and there was room for 80, but not one of those lifeboats were filled to capacity. Why?
Because Satan.
Got people to think that this boat was not going to sink. Wasn't that a tragedy?
There were over 2000, I think there were 2020 passengers on that boat and there were only 707 that were saved.
Isn't that a tragic account of man's thinking that this boat was not going to be destroyed? And you know, dear ones, tonight when I think of all those souls that were lost at sea, they could have been saved had they the faith.
That those lifeboats would take them to safety, but they didn't believe.
Satan lulled them into the fact that it was true that they could stay on this boat.
People tell the story. There is accounts of people telling the story when that ship was finally sinking.
And the front end of the boat was going down under the water that people moved up toward the back of the boat.
And there they were, hundreds of them, just standing there watching, and they thought that this boat was never going to sink.
But Captain Smith said everybody that can go to the lifeboats go, he knew.
That boat was going down.
There's another nice little story that comes out of the sinking of the Titanic. There was a little girl that was in the lifeboat.
Her name was Phyllis.
And she was sitting there in the seat next to her aunt.
And she was crying and she was crying.
And all at once, her crying stopped. And her aunt asked you, she says, Phyllis, why do you stop crying?
You know what she said.
She says. I prayed to God and he told me that we're going to be saved.
Wasn't that a wonderful story? She knew that she was going to be saved and she no longer cried. Wasn't that wonderful? I couldn't believe it when I read that story. It was precious to read of a little child that had the faith.
That she was going to be saved. And dear children here tonight, if you haven't taken Jesus as your Savior, I plead with you, don't put it off. The Lord Jesus loves you. He went to Calvary's cross.
And there he spent his life in order that you might have eternal life.
Here's a man who thought he was indestructible. This rich man.
He was relying on all his goods that God had to say.
Hey, let's read it. But God said unto him in verse 20, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.
Turn to John's Gospel in chapter 3.
John's gospel in chapter 3. Let's read a precious verse there that tells us about God's love. You know, I can tell you that Jesus loves you and that God loves you. I want you to read it for yourself.
John's Gospel chapter 3 and verse 16 says.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Then in John's epistle it was read to us today.
I believe it was today.
Very nice verses in John's epistle, chapter 4. Listen to these beautiful words.
00:45:04
In chapter 4 and verse 9.
In this verse eight he no.
The end of verse 8 for God is love. Verse nine. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son.
Into the world that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation.
For our sins.
Oh dear ones tonight.
Think of it, God's love for you and for me, you know last night.
Brother that was giving the gospel talked about words and how that we can understand and we can communicate through words and here are such beautiful words. God is love. There's another verse for Christians that I enjoy very much and I want to encourage some of the young folks here tonight to and though the rest of us. We need the gospel. We need to hear again and again the love of God.
In John's Gospel chapter 15 and verse nine, it tells us there, as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love.
Well, that's for the Christian, and that's what you and I can have after we have taken the Lord Jesus.
As our Savior, we can continue in His love. You know when the Lord Jesus came and gave his life, and there he hung on Calvary's cross for sinners.
You know, it tells us there that, he said.
Said Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And then he said.
It is finished.
And what happened next? It tells us in John. I believe it's in John OR.
It tells us in one of the four epistles that.
The Lord expired. Let's let's just turn to Luke 22. Let's get it for sure exactly as it's written. It's so precious.
Luke 23 I believe it is.
Verse.
Well, let's read from verse.
Umm verse 44, John or Luke's Gospel chapter 23 and verse 44. And it was about the 6th hour and there was a darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. This is the verse.
And when Jesus had cried, with a loud voice he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave up.
The Ghost.
You know the Lord Jesus gave his life.
No one took it.
He gave his life. Why? Because He loved you and He loved me. Oh dear Sinner friend, tonight, can you see the loving Savior hanging there on Calvary's tree?
Is it for the love of your soul and for mind that he died?
Yes, it is. Dear Sinner friend, won't you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior? There's a wonderful hymn that we sing I'll just read to you.
Death and the curse were in our cup. O Christ, Twas full for thee, but thou hast drained the last dark drop. Tis empty now for me that bitter cup. Love drank it up. Left.
But the love for me?
Jehovah lifted up his rod. O Christ, it fell on thee. Thou hast forsaken of thy God. No distance now for me. Thy blood beneath that rod has flowed.
Thy bruising healeth me.
Dear center friend.
00:50:01
Jesus died because he loved you and he loved me. Won't you take him to be your savior? Jesus loves you and he doesn't want you to go to the lake of fire. God tells us in his word that the Sinner that doesn't repent and take Jesus as a savior will be lost in eternity forever. Don't let that come to your.
Life while you're still breathing today, take Jesus as your Savior. I want to tell you right now how to be saved.
The Lord Jesus is in heaven.
And he's listening.
And he knows what's going on in your heart and mind. He can see right down into the depths of your heart. Right inside. He can tell he knows what you're thinking.
And so all you need to do.
Is get rid of the pride and that which is in oneself and ourselves that hinders that, which would say I can do it some other day. Just think right now about that and get rid of that thought and tell Jesus right while you're sitting here in your seat, tell Jesus that you're a Sinner. I want to turn to one verse that will help you see that for yourself.
And that's in Romans chapter 10, another beautiful verse.
My brother Neil was talking about these verses this morning in the Sunday school, that this word is nigh thee in verse 8. But now look at verse 9.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, or Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved.
Now one other scripture in acts about the Philippian jailer.
I believe that's in the 16th of Acts.
Here was a man who said, what must I do?
To be saved.
Verse 30, Acts 16 and verse 30.
He says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
And they said that Paul and Silas believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
You know what's necessary in believing?
You and I must believe it.
In the depths of our heart, it must be real.
Don't be like those people on the Titanic who thought that that boat was indestructible. Don't be like Robert.
And say I'm indestructible.
Deer ones tonight.
You and I are destructible.
But we can have Jesus as our Savior.
And be forever with Him in heaven for all eternity. Will you take Jesus tonight?
Will you accept Him as your savior? Don't put it off.
Because tomorrow may never come.
Shall we close with singing #25 together?
Life at best is very brief, like the falling of a leaf, like the binding of a sheath. Be in time. Fleeting days are telling fast that the dye will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed. Be in time #25.
Life at best is very brief.
00:55:16
Nsnoise.
OK, Yeah, let me see. And I have insurance and you're a prize. You've got to play anything and.
Climb slept in life and you have been done to the most of my life. They are in the sea because my heart is made in flower.
Well, I'm going to hang out with them across the air and I'm not going to play any kind of a lot of reasons for a lot of them and your price looks so belonged to me in time.
I'm sorry, we're having a good time. I don't think it's anything, uh.
Good evening.
Uh, blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah, blah, blah. It's like being how long is it going to be in here? Umm, yeah, they send me a lot of information. You know what I'm saying? Fine. No.
In Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20 there is a verse for those of us that know the Lord Jesus as our Savior.
And if you take Jesus tonight, you can from the depths of your heart say the words of this verse, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself.
For me, I hope.
That everyone of us in this room can say these words of a truth. Shall we bow in prayer together?
Influence of Godly Women, Herod, Faithful Servants
Open—G. Hayhoe, R. Ruga, N. Whatmough
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Right, Lord.
Let me look for a few moments of Psalm 46.
Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, a very present health in trouble, therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters are of roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God.
The holy place of the Tabernacles of the Most High God is in the midst of her.
She shall not be moved. God shall help her. And that right early. The heathen raged. The kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, What desolations he hath made in the earth maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow and cutteth the sphere in Thunder. He burneth the chariot in the fire.
Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Perhaps many of us know that very often the Psalms are sort of grouped together, and I believe there's a grouping together that we have here in these psalms. In the 44th Psalm. If we were to take time to read it, we would see how the psalmist was greatly troubled. Notice the 24th verse of the 44th Psalm. Wherefore hidest thou Thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression, for our soul is bowed down to the dust.
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Our belly cleaveth unto the earth. Arise for our help. Redeem us for Thy mercy's sake. And if we were to read the whole Psalm, we would see how it brings the note of discouragement, looking around, seeing everything seemingly, and ruins breaking down. And then when we read the 45th Psalm, it's an entirely different note. Here. Notice how it begins. My heart is indicting a good matter. I speak of the things which I have made touching the king.
My tongue is the pan of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of man. Grace is poured into thy lips. Therefore God hath blessed thee forever. What a change of note we find in this 45th Psalm. Instead of looking down and counting the sorrows and difficulties and troubles, he's looking and thinking of that blessed One, the One who can fill every one of our hearts to overflowing.
The one who is altogether lovely, the one who is going to bring us to into association with himself in the coming day.
And so, as you read on, in this 45th Psalm, we actually have a wedding picture brought before us.
There, notice the.
The 40. The ninth verse. King's daughters were among my honorable women. Upon thy right-handed stand the Queen in gold of Oprah. And then the 12Th verse.
And the daughter of Tyre is there with a gift. Even the rich among the people shall inherit thy favor.
The King's daughter is all glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework.
The virgins, her companions, that followers shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought, they shall enter into the King's palace. What a different scene we find here in this 45th Psalm. Dear brethren, that's the scene that's ahead of us. We know that here it's no doubt talking about the earthly blessing that is going to come to the nation of Israel, but we can apply it in a practical way to ourselves.
This is a wonderful thing that we're going to hear those words. The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife hath made herself ready. What a glorious future there is ahead of us. And so we see, as I say, there's no change in circumstances. The 44th Psalm still is true. There are many things that bowels down that cause us to put our faces into the dust. But also we can look up. There is a glorious future that is ahead of us.
And that's what we need to do. We need to look on because it's all glorious ahead. What a wonderful time it will be. The Lord were to come at this moment by to see all the redeemed around the Lord Jesus singing his praises and then that marriage of the Lamb to take place. How glorious that will be.
But there's something very special about this 46 Psalm. If you notice the heading at the beginning of it, it says to the chief musician for the Sons of Korah a song upon Alamoth. Some of the early writers tell us that this little expression, a song upon Alamo is really means soprano voices. And many of these early writers believe that this was the women singers in the Tavern, in the temple rather.
And that they were singing this song, and I think it was very beautiful. It's the only one of the 150 that has this heading, a song upon Alamoth. And it just shows us, and I speak to those who are sisters here, the influence that they can have here. We see a discouraged situation in the 44th Psalm. We see the heart lifted above that situation in the 45th Psalm, on the scene of glory brought before us, and then, as it were, a return to circumstances.
Seeing everything as it is, here is this chorus of, shall I say, female voices coming back and saying God is our refuge and strength. And if you trace through the Bible, you'll see how very often we find such situations. Israel were in a very low state in the time of the Judges, and God used a woman, Deborah. She didn't take the place of a leader, but she stood up. Barrack and Barack went out and there was a wonderful victory that was won.
But she was the one who stirred him up. He was just sitting there, not paying, shall I say, too much attention to the condition in which God's people were. But she stirred up his heart. He find 2 in the case of.
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Sarah, we find too that she gave very good advice to Abram on one occasion, something that the Spirit of God takes up and the Epistle to the Galatians and she says cast out the bond woman with her son.
For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. And so she gave good advice. And God said to Abraham, Hearken unto the voice of Sarah thy wife, in all that she saith unto thee. And we find too, in the time of Josiah, there was a very sad state of things in Israel. But there was a woman there whose name was Halda, and she gave very, very good advice. And Josiah acted upon that advice.
And there was a great revival, one of the best revivals that took place in the history of the kings.
And it was her influence. And so I speak to those who are sisters. It shows the influence that they can have and how the heart can be stirred up even by something they say. Sometimes people say we don't give any place to the sisters, but it's a wonderful place given to them in the Scripture. We see it in the New Testament too, and such well known names as Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene.
And Priscilla, how we find an important place given to them, but listen to their message. How to listen to how it begins. God is our refuge and strength. Are we going to lean upon an arm of flesh? We will be disappointed. But isn't this beautiful? God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. And I suppose there's hardly anyone here that isn't having some kind of trouble sometimes, or troubles in our business, sometimes troubles in the family, sometimes health problems.
Sometimes difficulties in the assembly. God is our refuge and strength. What a wonderful message this is, brethren. Does this sound like a note of discouragement? I would say this is a note of encouragement. God is our refuge and strength. A very present health in trouble, not just tomorrow. Tomorrow may bring fresh cares and fresh difficulties, but a very present health right now.
We can turn to the Lord and find in Him the help and the strength and the grace that we need a very present. Oh, you say, but things are pretty bad. There's a lot of difficulties that, and they're very real. Yes, Therefore will not be fear. Though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters are of roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Not a very bright picture, is it? Everything seems to be wrong here. It seems that everything that.
Seem reliable mountains, the sources of refreshment, the the waters around roar and be troubled. Everything seems to be in a state of disturbance, but God is our refuge and strength. And then the fourth verse, there is a river, the streams, whereas shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. Yes, there is a river.
And that river, as we sometimes sing, the river of Thy grace, through righteousness supplied, is flowing o'er the barren place where Jesus died. Every one of us in this room, who know the Lord is our Savior, know something of that river of grace. We were once sinners in our sins, far from God by nature and by practice. But oh, how wonderfully near we have been brought, rather than we couldn't be any nearer. God couldn't have blessed us more fully than He has.
I believe that's the force of that expression in the third chapter of Ephesians.
And to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
We often apply this to circumstances in our lives and that rightly we can apply it that way. But I believe it even goes beyond that too. If God were to comment to any one of us and say I'd like to bless you, would you tell me what you'd like me to do for you because I want to bless you? Would we ever say we wanted to be made an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ? Would we ever say we'd like to be part of the bride of Christ?
To share the glory of that coming, seen in association with Him as part of His glorious bride. Would we ever think of such a thing? No, but He's not only has not only planned it, but He's able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. And the power is already working within us. Because as we had in the meeting this morning, every true believer is indwelled by the Spirit of God.
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A very, shall I say, one of the Persons of the Trinity indwells us. We have Christ himself as our life. What a marvellous place we have been brought into. There is a river. The streams were of make glad the city of God, the holy place, the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her, and that right early. You know God is has his own time.
And.
Scripture says that one day is with the Lord as 1000 years as 1000 years as one day.
Then there's a verse, I think it's the 90th Psalm. It says that 1000 years is like a watch in the night. I understand that a watch in the night might be 3, possibly 4 hours, but no more. And it says one day is with the Lord, 1000 years is with the Lord as a watch in the night. So you see the time is really nothing to God. It does hang heavy on our hands sometimes and we say how long? When is this going to happen?
Why do things remain in this condition and nothing seems to happen, but time is nothing to God? And so he could the, the singer here could say God shall help her and that right early. And then there is a little view of, uh, how God is going to act. It says in the sixth verse, the heathen rage, the kingdoms were moved, He uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge, the Lord of hosts. And we think of this, uh, expression hosts. We always think of a large number, don't we? Well, it's true that the Lord said where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Doesn't sound much like a host, does it? But when we think of who this glorious person is, why as, uh, some of them said to David.
As thou art worth 1000 of us and so you know in the Lord Jesus in the midst by it makes a great company, doesn't it when we think of who he is and so it tells us here the Lord of hosts is with us. I always love that expression. Turn back to the 22nd Psalm 23rd Psalm. No, it's the 24th that I referred to Psalm 24.
I'd just like to notice the last verses of this.
Verse 7 Lift up your head though ye gates, and be lift up ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in. Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in. Who is this king of glory? Notice the answer is different in the.
10th verse Then in the 8th and says here in the 8th, The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
But when the question is asked in the 10th verse, the answer is the Lord of hosts. He is the King of glory.
Doesn't that bring a beautiful thought before us? When the Lord Jesus had accomplished that glorious work of Calvary, He, uh, went up and took his place at the right hand of God. He's there a glorified man. But if I might say it, He's there alone. He's accomplished the work and there he is now. He's at the right hand of the glorious majesty on high. But he's going to come again, brethren. He's entered heaven once as a victorious victor over sin and Satan.
But he's gonna come, and he's gonna enter heaven again, but not alone, not alone. He's gonna have a vast host with him. And you and I are gonna be among those. You and I are gonna be in that host, the Lord of Hosts. What a blessed picture we have here for the 22nd Psalms we all know gives us that glorious work that he accomplished on Calvary. The mighty Victor, the Lord mighty in battle. He's entered there, and he's there for us now is our great High Priest and our advocate. But he's gonna enter again.
The Lord of Hosts. And so I think this expression is very precious here. The Lord of hosts is with us. We, uh, we may think, well, there's just a few that are gathered to his precious name that we're gonna find when he gives us a shout. There's going to be far, far more than we know that belonged to him that are going to form that glorious company that will surround him and give him his rightful place. The Lord of hosts is with us.
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Did we deserve it? The God of Abram? No. The God of Jacob?
Is our refuge? Aren't we conscious of what poor, failing things we are at best?
Oh how we feel it. And with the God we felt it even more. Our own nothingness and weakness and all that we are. But isn't this precious? The God of Jacob is our refuge. Yes, we count upon him because.
Not because we deserve it, because He is the God of Jacob, the God of grace. Then again, you see the, uh, awful judgment that's going to come upon this world in the eighth verse. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He's going to deal with things. He's not going to allow evil to go on unjudged forever. He's going to set things right. Then he maketh wars to cease under the end of the earth.
Isn't it blessed to know, brethren, that we're heading on for that time when the conflict will all be over and we won't anymore have that conflict? We'll enter that scene. The rest of God, our rest to come, our place of liberty. That's what's ahead of us. That's what we're waiting for. And so it says here.
Uh, in the 10th verse, be still and know that I am God.
Isn't it So we find it very hard to be still, and I think that's one of the hardest things for most of us when things aren't going the way we'd like them to go, just to be still and say, well, I'm trusting in the Lord, I'll leave the matter with him. I'll just wait for him. In his time, he'll send everything right. Of course, if there's anything in our own lives that needs to be judged, we should judge it because anything allowed in our lives is not pleasing to him, is going to hinder communion with him.
He can't enjoy his presence with something aloud unconfessed in our lives.
But if we have been seeking to walk before Him and own before him failure and acknowledge that we have often failed and do fail, it says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He's there as our great High Priest who supply grace to help. He's there as our advocate to restore us when we have failed. But when we have learned that.
Then isn't this precious? Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. Now we see. This time we're living in is called Man's Day.
And more and more we see man exalting himself. Things are going to head more and more in that direction.
We know that the climbality, the final of sin, is when a man sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Things are heading to that time. The true God is being shut out and man is exalting himself and making much of himself. But we just have to be still and know that the time is coming when he will be exalted. He will be exalted in the earth.
But then there's some clothes of those words. The Lord of hosts is with us.
God of Jacob is our refuge. They're mentioned in the seventh verse. They're repeated in the 11Th verse, and we need them. So I want to encourage the sisters. You may say, well, an audible part is not given to me. No, but that doesn't say it isn't an important part that is given to you. This beautiful song that sung perhaps and very likely by the women singers in the temple, is one of the most moving songs in the whole 150.
And we see here the influence that it could have. And so I think we go through these, uh, shall I say these things that are brought before us in these Psalms. You're just, uh, take time to read the 45th Psalm. You'd see a terrible, uh, bow downstate of things. Notice the 13th verse of the 44th chapter. That will make us best a reproach to our neighbors as scorn and derision to them that are about us, that will make us as a byword among the heathen.
A shaking of the head among the people.
And then in the 45th Psalm, without any change of circumstances, he says, My heart is indicting a good matter.
00:25:00
Now don't no longer thinking of all those things that might depress and make sad, but he's thinking of the future. Bible says where no vision is, the people perish. If you and I lose sight of what's ahead of us, we're going to, or as I think Mr. Darby translates it, where no vision is, the people cast off. Restraint. You say, what's the use? Everything's so dark. Everything's in ruins. Now, brethren, we can look up. We have a vision of coming glory.
A scene so glorious, so wonderful, more than we could ask or think is ahead of us.
And then we come back to present circumstances.
We've come back to the time when everything seems to be shaken, The earth removed, the mountains are cast into the midst of the sea. Everything seems to be. But what is the answer?
The God of Jacob is our refuge. We can trust in him. We can count upon him. We can say to our troubled souls, be still. Know that God is in control. We can look on to that time.
But everything's gonna be set right. So may I encourage each one right? We who are brothers, we can seek to go on that path God has marked out for us. God has given to the brothers a, uh, shall I say an audible responsibility. He says, uh, let me hear thy voice, let me see thy face. He's given to each brother a audible responsibility, but to the sisters, perhaps a place not so public, but tremendously influential.
And May God grant that each one of us, brothers and sisters, may be stirred to give the Lord Jesus.
His rightful place, and that we might be kept in these days of breakdown and ruin, counting upon God.
Our joy and happiness in Him and seeking to be a blessing and health to his people.
I'd like to look at UH Herod as a picture of man. Matthew chapter 2.
Just UH-4 references to the life of Herod and I realized that.
These were was the title, not the same man throughout, but nonetheless referring to a man named Herod. Matthew chapter 2. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews, who we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him, who inherited the king had heard these things, He was troubled.
And all Jerusalem with him.
When he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. They said unto him in Bethlehem of Judea. For thus it is written by the prophet. And thou, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not the least among the Princess of Judah. For out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child. And when ye have brought him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Let's drop on down to.
The 15th verse. It was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt, have I called my son? Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and slew all the children of the boys that were in Bethlehem, and all the coast thereof, from 2 years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired.
The wise man then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet saying in Rama was there a voice heard lamentation and weeping and great morning. Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they are not.
As far as worried?
You know, I've often thought of this as one of the most wonderful times in the history of man, when the Lord Jesus actually came into this world, was born into this world as a babe in Bethlehem's Manger.
It should have been a time of great rejoicing. We, we read of the angelic hosts appearing there to the shepherds in the field and, uh, they praised God because for the first time the angels saw their creator. And to think that the angels realize that now God was taking pleasure in man. He was keen down here as a man to, he was going to reveal his purposes of love and kindness to man. Uh, a wonderful thing because before the God is a spirit, the Lord never had a bodily form and they did see their creator and here they could be hold him.
00:30:14
Well, how did the populace, the general populace, receive that news as to the, uh, birth of the Lord?
This was not the, the, uh, the actually the birth of the Lord, I think the Lord, this was a subsequent visit here to, to Bethlehem by Joseph and Mary, could have been a couple years after. So that when the magic came there, I don't think they saw a babe at all and a Manger. It was a boy, perhaps close to two years of age. But it does say that when Herod the King had heard these things, he was troubled. He wasn't happy at all. Why? You know why? Because people wanted to continue in their sins. Men love darkness rather than light.
And they didn't want their Placid condition disturbed by the Son of God coming into this world.
That God should enter into this scene and disturb them and their course. You know, it tells us in Two Corinthians chapter 4.
That in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not their minds were blinded. They preferred their sins rather than the light of God's word. Men do not come to the light lest it expose of their evil deeds. The Lord says they prefer darkness rather than light. You'll notice another thing. They were able to quote the scriptures, weren't they? They knew the scriptures. Now you may know the Bible inside and out, but it didn't affect their walk these.
They were able to quote there from, isn't it Micah chapter 5 concerning the Lord that he would come and what they didn't even quote the whole of that passage too, because I think that goes on to say whose beginnings have been evolved even from everlasting because they didn't acknowledge the deity of the one who was born into this world. They never saw that the Lord Jesus Christ was God himself and they often said a great prophet is risen up amongst us and maybe he was the lies of Moses or one of the other prophets.
But never acknowledged him as the Son of God. In fact, no one acknowledges the Lord Jesus Christ as.
God Himself except to be given to them as a Father. That's what the Lord told Peter. Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. Everyone in this room who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as as God Himself, and has received Him, His Savior. God has worked in your heart by His Spirit.
So they knew the Scriptures, but it didn't affect their heart. Why didn't they go with the magic from the East? They could have gone along, couldn't they? But they preferred to remain where they were. And uh, notice what else this man says Herod in verse 8.
I'll go and search diligently for the young child and when you have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also. You know, that was a lie. And then next he commits murder. That's what Satan is. He's the father of lies and uh, he commits.
Murder, a murder too. And we see this coming out in this man Herod, because the next thing when he perceives that he is mocked by the wise men in this 16th verse, what's he do? He goes out and he slays all the boys and all the colors from 2 years old and under. Let me say what a terrible thing he was. What about today? Abortions, all these little children which are slain and you say terrible thing? It's murder, isn't it?
I believe in God's grace, uh, the Son of man has come to save that which is lost in all these little children. They go to be with the Lord. God gets the glory, they'll be in glory. And so these little ones here too, if not having not reached the age of responsibility, they also will be in glory. But here was this wicked man, Herod. He was an idiom, wasn't he? And yet he was, he was, he was the king, it says here, king over the, the, uh, the people of God.
And yet they had the audacity to say that we were never in ******* to any man. The Lord had to show them a Caesar's coin. His superscription was written on there. Let's move on to, uh, let's see Luke Chapter 9 about.
Another reference to uh, Herod.
Luke Chapter 9 and verse 7.
Now Herod the Tetrarch heard of all that was done by him, and he was perplexed.
Because that was said of some, that John was risen from the dead.
You know, another instance, uh, another maybe. Matthew gives us the, uh, the account as to what happened.
Was Herod's birthday and.
00:35:02
Herodias came in and danced before him, pleased him well as probably enveloped his dance.
And, uh, he promised and, uh, rather than go counter to his promise to fulfill his word and those that heard him, he, uh, had John the Baptist beheaded in prison.
Why did he, uh, incarcerate John?
Because John had reproved him for taking his brother Philip's wife to be his wife. You see, John was a John the Baptist was a fearless man. What went you out for to see a Reed shaken with the wind? No, John wasn't the Reed shaken with the wind. He boldly testified for the Lord. You know he wasn't perfect. He failed as we all do, brethren. He he sent to inquire when John was imprisoned as to whether thou art he that should come or look me for another. John's faith failed or we all fail, we realize.
But Herod had him beheaded. But you know, Herod hasn't heard the end of it yet. People sin and they think, well, I'll forget about it. And did Herod forget about it? No. It says in this seventh verse that we read that Herod was perplexed. His conscience was bothering him. His conscience will always bother him as long as the Sinner lives on this earth. His conscience bothers him because he knows he's a Sinner and he has to do with the holy God.
Why do you think people want to adopt the ridiculous thoughts of evolution like that? Because if they accept otherwise, the word of God, then they have to give account to God, a living God who will judge them for their sins. And this man was upset. Oh, look, I beheaded John. He was, he was troubled. His conscience was really bothering him. Is this man coming back to life again to haunt me?
Harry had a bad conscience.
Terrible thing to live that way.
Paul says, I trust that in all things, when we have a good conscience before God, it's a wonderful thing to have a conscience void of offense, to have no more conscience of sins. Brethren, we're conscious of sin, that we sin. But as far as the sin question, are we not conscious of the fact that that has been settled at Calvary years ago, that our sins are gone if we were to die? We we don't fear death. We know it's absent from the body present with the Lord, but the ungodly have no such assurance.
This man was troubled. He may well be. Let's look a little further in Luke's gospel towards the end of this gospel.
See what Herod has to it says about Herod here.
The 23rd chapter.
Verse 8 And when Herod Oh, I may read a little further back here too. Verse six When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod.
Himself also was at Jerusalem at that time, and when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad, and he was desirous to see Him of a long season, because he had heard many things of Him, and he hoped to have seen some miracles done by him.
Then he questioned with him in many words, but he answered him nothing, and the chief priest and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.
Inherited with his men of war sediment, naughty and mocked him and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe and sent him again to Pilate.
Herod wanted to see the Lord.
Wood Forest is that he could.
Confess his sin.
Repent of the sin, ask the Lord for forgiveness for his terrible life, of iniquity, of murder, deceit. No, he wanted to see some miracles done by the Lord. He wanted to have his curiosity satisfied. That's why he wanted to see the Lord. How many people you meet today would would like to see the Lord? Boy, it would be tremendous if only if I had lived in the days of the Lord Jesus Christ to see the wonderful miracles that he performed, the raising of Lazarus, distilling of the waves and the wind, all these wonderful things.
But it never occurs to them that the greatest thing that the Lord ever did was say, I sinned be forgiven thee.
What was easier for the Lord to say to that man that was let down through the tile? Thy sins be forgiven thee or take up thy bed and walk? You know is far easier for a man to say thy sins be forgiven thee because you can't prove that man's sins are forgiven like the priest today.
But it was far more difficult for the Lord to say that because it would cost him his life. It was an easier thing for the Lord to exert his power and say, take up thy bed and walk. But it was more difficult for the Lord, for him to, for the Lord to say thy sins be forgiven thee, but that you may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins. He said, He said you take up your bed and walk. If the Lord can do the lesser, he certainly can do the greater. He certainly can do the lesser, couldn't he? He did both, the Lord did both.
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Did Pilate here seek forgiveness from the Lord? No.
He wanted to have his curiosity satisfied. The Lord knew his heart. That's why the Lord doesn't answer. Pilate didn't answer him a word. Uh, Harry. Rather he, he spoke with Pilate because Pilate had some good things towards the Lord. While it was desirous of letting the Lord go true, he, he yielded to the populace, you know, instead of yielding to what he knew to do be better and to his wife's dream that he suffered. He suffered much during the night.
But uh.
Heard he was a wicked man, the Lord answered him nothing.
You know, isn't it in Isaiah 52 where it says kings shall be silent before him?
Here the Lord was silent before Heron the terrible thing when God is silent and doesn't speak to you, my friends, God doesn't talk to you. Beware. He was a man whom God himself wouldn't answer a word.
Why? Because the Lord knew what was in His heart. What was in His heart. Verse 11. Herod set him at nought and mocked him. The Lord knew this. See, the hearts of all are exposed, all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do what was really in Herod's heart comes out here.
Why did he mock the Lord? Because he had no love for Christ, that's why. He had no love for Christ, and the Lord knew it.
Never answered him a word. Beware lest you be found in the same condition as this wicked man. One last reference in it would be Acts chapter 12.
Verse 20 And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon.
But they came with one accord to him, and having made blast this, the King's Chamberlain, their friend, he's are at peace because their country was nourished by the King's country.
And upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto God unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of the God, and not of a man.
And immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
Heard.
The same man at the beginning, he uh.
Although another Herod, he had the opportunity to see the Lord Jesus Christ. Herod is a picture of the Antichrist.
Who would desert the place of Christ, and will a man who will come in his own name, according to John chapter 5?
Whom they will receive.
Here he makes an oration and the people say it's the voice of God and not a man that is Herod, uh, accepts that praise.
And, uh, he's willing to take the place of God, accepted as such. And God who knew his heart smote him with worms. Is that an exaggeration was written. This was written by Doctor Luke, wasn't it? The acts? The historian Josephus tells us that five years, five days afterwards, this man's body was eaten up by worms and he died a horrible death. You say horrible death because he gave not God the glory. He was one who a vivid example of one who comes short of the glory of God. He didn't give God the glory.
He was smitten of God.
That same word is used earlier when the angels smote Peter on the side in verse 7 here God smote him, smote him. What an inglorious end this man should have who who is although in a favorite position, He turned his back to the light and he assumed a position which God had never given him. You know, those in authority are certainly in a favorite position. They're called gods, aren't they, with the small G because they they act in the place of God. We're we're enjoying to pray for those in authority.
Uh, that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives, uh, the powers that be ordained of God according to Romans 12. And so we pray for them and when they misuse that God-given authority.
As the Lord told Pilate, and I could have no authority against me, except that were given thee from above. But when they misused that authority, then to whom much is given shall much be required. And he was a man who gave not God the glory, and he came to this inglorious. And what? What a picture of man who leaves God out of his life. My dear friends, I think there are so many today that mankind is generally going in that way, as they shut out the God of the Bible and choose their own path, and they say we will not have.
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God to reign over us.
Her brother and his towards the end of his comments quoted a verse that was on my mind at the time he quoted it. But where there is no.
Vision the people cast off restraint or.
And I was thinking, Esau, you know Esau. Well, no true believer could end the pathway like Esau. We could take on that character. He sold his birthright for a bowl of lentils. And we're living in a world where we may have a tendency. But the passage that came to mind was in Matthew chapter 24. And I think at least I believe of the spirit that we ought to have in the day in which we live.
Matthew 24 and verse 42.
Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come, but know this, that if the Goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made him, hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh.
Shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him a ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.
And there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Well, the Lord speaks of hypocrites here, and I think that Matthew takes this up in a way that a person can be in a place of privilege and responsibility and not have life. And I think it's very helpful to see that is that God, the Lord always took up a man on the basis of what he what he professed. Remember when the Syrophoenician woman came to the Lord and she professed a relationship to the Lord, the Lord had to say, it's not me to give the children's food to dogs. And so she.
Took the place that the Lord placed her in. And she said if the Lord calls me a dog, then I'm a dog. And when a man professes something, and I think it's good for us to do that too, and a man professes something or takes a position, or if I take a position, or if you take a position, the Lord is going to take us up on the basis of what we profess. And so that is the way in which he takes these ones up as servants. There's no thought here that some can be saved and lost, but that was in particularly my object in the few little thoughts that I had before me here.
In connection with this passage, But it had to do with that faithful and wise servant. What was he doing when the Lord came? What was the Lord going to find his faithful and wise servant doing, but giving them meat in due season?
And we're living in a world where we tend to want to straighten things out and we see that a little bit in Moses life and it's I see that in my own heart. He said would we be at home in that which hated thee. There is a desire to arrange things in the world politically or perhaps even in the assembly to our ordering of things and really not to have as a servant the good of God's people at our hearts. And this is what this faithful servant did. And if we lose sight of the Lord's coming.
Coming at any moment that there is this tendency here to begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and to drink with the drunken. They had two consequences to smite the fellow servants and then to descend into the moral level of the world around him. I was just thinking of Moses in that connection and the Lord himself. And maybe you could just look at a verse in Hebrews 11 and then turn to Exodus in this connection in Hebrews 11. Maybe we could just read verse 23 as well for the benefit of the parents and children here.
By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hid.
Three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the King's commandment. By faith. Moses, when he was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
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I think that's so lovely the way this 23rd verse begins, because it begins with Moses. He says by faith, Moses when he was born, and then it begins to speak of his parents faith. I think that a little bit of that story you referred to Reuben where they let the man down by the tiles through the ceiling that it says and what he saw their faith. And I think as parents we need to have confidence in the Lord and his brethren. We need to have confidence in the heart of God and faith in connection with our children.
This was certainly a most discouraging day and really a day of heartlessness, too. We were talking a little bit about that the other night. Can you imagine standing on the border of that swift moving Nile? I guess as many of us, or quite a few of us here have been there and seen that the parents would actually at the King's commandment through those children into that river. And you think of the wailing that there must have been, but just in obedience to Pharaoh or in fear of Pharaoh, just took their children and threw them into the world's river. But parents, Moses, parents had faith.
That he was fair to God and they were not afraid of the King's commandment.
And what will really give us a fearlessness, I believe, as servants, as parents, is to really see how God views his own. And they saw that child was fair to God. And so faith had found a way to rise above this thing. How to reconcile the fact that the wages of sin is death, that Pharaoh's commandment was that this child should be thrown into the river. And yet they saw he was fair to God. And I really believe that that's the exercise of faith in connection, whether in with parents or in ministry.
Is how to rise above the evil and two seemingly unreconcilable things. But here Moses parents in faith. They did obey the King's commandment, though they feared it not. They cast him into the river, but yet he was drawn out again and given to them.
But the particular object in turning to the Hebrews 11 was by faith. Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
And our brother pointed out something good here is that there's two characters to the world, and that's the Pharaoh character of the world that would destroy our children. But then also there's the Pharaoh's daughter's side of the world that would take our children and nourish them and keep them for itself. And perhaps a greater danger to our children is not the the side that would seek to cast them into the river, but the side that would want to embrace them, make something of them, nourish them and keep them, and in that way would take them away from God.
And so I think we need to be aware of that. But Moses, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Let's just turn back here and look at a verse here in Exodus chapter 2 in connection with this story because it's these things have been pointed out to us often, but I believe they repair repeating.
And it comes back to what we read in Matthew 24 about beating the man servants.
Is that verse 11, Exodus chapter 2 and verse 11? And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens, and he spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew.
One of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, And when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And he went out the second day. And behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together.
And he said unto them, Why did?
Said to him that did the wrong Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a Prince and a judge over us? And tendest thou to kill me as thou killest the Egyptian? And Moses feared and said, surely this thing is known.
Now when Pharaoh heard this, he sought sought to slay Moses, And Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flocks. And the shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.
Well, it just seems that Moses has learned a little lesson here because he saw, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. And he went out and he saw the burdens and the afflictions of God's people. But there was now he desired to be with the people of God. But he had another lesson that we all have to learn is what is God's way of deliverance? And so he acted in this wrong in a wrong way, but God took up with him, you know, and he took him out into the wilderness to teach him a lesson.
And he got there and we think sometimes we can run away from our problems. And he got to the well of Midian and he got there and what did he find? But he found them.
Fighting. And So what did he do? It says here that he stood up and helped them and watered their flock.
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And that is the way that we're going to be a help to God's people is by standing up and watering their flock. And that really is what the faithful servant will be found doing when the Lord.
Comes and you know our brother mentioned abortion and there's many cruel and awful things we're living in an exceedingly difficult world that would vex our hearts as to many things without and within. I mean within the testimony of God and outside of it and to get taken up in causes.
And to fight things is a tendency of our hearts. And perhaps we think, like Moses, that he refused. He refused a great privilege. He perhaps would have been the next Pharaoh. I don't know. But I believe that the Pharaoh lion passed through the daughter, not through the sun.
Umm, I'm not a historian, but. And certainly he did make a great sacrifice as far as this world was concerned and his heart was right. And yet nevertheless he took up with this in a wrong way.
But God, so to speak, wasn't finished with Moses, and so he took up with this in this way. And Moses then was a blessing to these people. And in the wilderness there he learned great lessons that were helpful to him and to the people of God.
I just would like to show something else in Scripture because I believe that sometimes there's something we need to see as well in the character of the Lord Himself. And I just turned to the 69th Psalm and read a verse that is quoted twice in the New Testament.
The 69th saw and I'm going to read verse 8:00 and 9:00. It's the 8th, 9th verse that's quoted twice in the New Testament, and I believe it's worth looking at these two things.
I have become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children, for the zeal of thine health has eaten me up, and the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me.
Well, I just said that because Moses did two things. He stood up and then he watered the flock. And there is a time when Paul says quiche like man, and there is a time to stand up.
I didn't want to leave the impression that there's that, uh, that there isn't that side of things when we need to take a faithful stand for the truth. But I, it's so beautiful to see the word of the way that the Lord took up and used the word of God and the way, the way that the Old Testament is quoted in the new. And so we're going to turn to the two occasions on which this is quoted in the New Testament in John's gospel. I think most of us know this story and so we won't carry over.
But John's Gospel, chapter 2.
And I think we have illustrated in this story, let not the sun go down upon your wrath because we find this at the beginning of the Lord's public ministry. And we have find a nearly identical story at the end of the Lord's public ministry, which I believe just shows that the Lord's view of sin did not change from the beginning to the end. But in John's Gospel chapter 2, we have this story that's well known to us, verse 14, and found in the temple those that sold oxen, sheep, and doves and changers of money sitting.
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers money, and overthrew the temples. And he said unto them that sold doves, take these things hence.
And make not my Father's house a House of merchandise, And his disciples remember that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
I just have to pass on a little something that's not remained in my comments, but to see even the tenderness of the Lord in this. You know, he overthrew the money changers tables, but he took the doves and he says take these doves hands is that he ever lost his creator character that he had thoughts towards those doves. He just didn't throw the cages of doves over as well, but he took he overthrew their money changers tables. But the verse that came to mind was that the Lord had a zeal for his father's house. And as I quoted that first, let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
That at the end of the Lord's ministry we have nearly an identical story. His view of sin didn't change.
And we're living at the end of the day when we're expecting the Lord to come, the days of Lot. And yet the Lord's view of sin is not changed in any way. But the other part of this Psalm 69 that we quoted in verse nine is quoted in Romans. And I believe that it's instructive, the fact that he takes up this very same verse in Romans chapter 15.
Well, just read from the first verse. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
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Let everyone of us please his neighbor for his good to edification, for even as Christ pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them, that reproach thee fell on me. Well, that's the second-half of that verse. The zeal of mine house hath eaten me up. And there's a reproach Connected with a pathway of service is a pathway of suffering. Paul had to say, The more I love, the less I beloved. And yet this was not a question here.
Of bearing with sin, but bearing with infirmities. And as one brother said, we are one great big infirmity.
And so not to please ourselves and so often in the pathway is that we get into friction because it's our own wills get at work and there's something connected with ourselves, our reputation, ourselves. But Paul was not just doctrinally, if I may put it that way, but practically, he saw himself less than the least of all the Saints. Well, he didn't mind. He took this treatment. Here was a man who naturally was an insulin overbearing man.
And yet, uh, we see the general character with which he took up with the people of God. It wasn't a natural thing for Paul to be that way at all. And we may look at our natural characteristics or brethren's natural characteristics, but the way that God has taken up with us is, uh, we show that a person acts entirely contrary, uh, contrary to perhaps nature when he's really been brought. I don't mean contrary against nature, but contrary to his own nature.
In which in the service of God, that is, that somebody who is naturally very forward and bold, the Lord may give them a quiet service, and somebody else is rather naturally shy. The Lord may take them up and use them in a different character. And so, but I just was thinking of this first here in connection with this pathway of services, that the reproaches of them, that reproach the fell upon me, that Paul really desired the good and the blessing of the Saints. The Lord desired the good and the blessing of the people of God.
Moses did, and it was not always rewarded in the way that one person that a person might expect, but in the same verse where once it caused the Lord to act in holy anger, if we may put it that way, and inconsistently from the beginning of His ministry to the end.
The verses used in another case, it may just be called in communion with the Lord, just to bear with the infirmities of the week. But I was just thinking of these verses as our brother was speaking and quoting that verse.
And Matthew, where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint, and it really is the day in which we're living. And so we want to do be found as the Lord. Do we not all want to be found in whatever spirit of service to be found doing is this faithful servant. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.
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Serving the Lord, Spiritual Fathers, An Inheritance
Open—B. Smeal, D. Mearns, C. Little
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
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We've heard this time and time and again.
But I found in my.
Christian experience I think others have too.
Then I read this lesson book through I don't know how many times in my life I'm still going through it.
And I'm amazed at the words I've missed out with deep meanings.
And that's why I was thinking of this here. The 10th of Luke and verse 25. Gonna make this short. Jackson takes me an hour but got down and no others wanna speak.
And says, And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, Jesus, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Jesus said unto him, What is written in the law, How readeth thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.
And with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.
And the man said the lawyer unto Jesus.
The Lo Rather the Lord said unto him, Thou hast answered right this do, and thou shalt live.
But the lawyer willing to justify himself.
Said unto Jesus, Who is my neighbor? Then Jesus goes on to explain who his neighbor could be.
And I would just like to say boys and girls here at this stage, I always like to think that the girls and boys get something from these meetings.
And I'm sure they do carry a lot with them.
But as mansion I think was last night by her brother.
This man a lawyer.
Knew all about the law.
How is written?
And yet he came to Jesus.
Want to know how he could get eternal life? How we should obtain it?
Surprised that there was a lawyer and today's which we're living in, the lawyers, the one we go to to look after wills, if we have any wills or notary or a lawyer for the inheritance we just debuted.
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But this man went down, and the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son.
Had to bring before him this beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan.
And Jesus, answering, said a certain man went down from Jerusalem, Jericho.
And fell among thieves, which stripped them of his raiment and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
Likewise I'll leave like when he was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other side the same time. I better not go on reading here.
It's nice to notice here that Jesus tells them that a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
And dear boys and girls, and those especially in their teenagers.
I'd like you to take particular notice.
Oh, this verse.
They went down from God's center into the world.
And that is a very dangerous situation. Dear boys and girls and older ones, watch yourselves because God speaks once. Yeah, twice. And when we leave God's center, it's a downward course.
And we all know and met those of us who've gathered for years, as I have another's here, Gordon and others. We have seen some wonderful brothers that could have been a big help in our meetings.
And for different reasons.
They left a downward curve, they left the center and went out into the world. That is, they went out to another churches or other places to, to seek, uh, I don't know somebody that would have agree with them, I guess on what they held. And so it's very noticeable here that Jesus tells us this man went down from God's center down into the world.
And when he was down there, Please note boys and girls and older ones, teenagers, that they stripped him of his arraignment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. The world today will really destroy the reputation and the character of many, many Christians that I've known. And, uh, when we hear these things, we just say to ourselves.
Was he ever saved? How could he ever get so low? He confessed being a Christian and such and such a thing happened in business or other things. And they even, I've heard them even selling drugs and that you just wonder where they are Christian beforehand they confessed it and their mothers and fathers say, Oh yes, they were saying how could they go down from God's center being at the Lord's table?
And go so low as to be connected with the mafia and the motorcycle gangs and all these ones that sell drugs. I shudder to think and I thank God.
Two or three times in a week.
I thank him for the many mercies.
Which he gives daily.
Since 1911.
Till now.
I thank God that I was.
Born in a Christian home.
And not my mother and father were both gathered to the precious name.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And if I hadn't been?
For the grace of God, I wouldn't be standing here this afternoon.
That God is able to keep us.
From falling.
And so there's Man went down and they struck him. Oh, I was sad. Stripped him of his character and everything.
And departed, leaving him half dead and noticing by chance there came down a certain priest that way, which speaks to us of religion.
And he saw him. He couldn't help him and his, uh, trouble.
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His religion couldn't help him.
So he just passed by on the other side.
Likewise a lean bite.
Talking about the law when he was at the place and he looked on him and passed by on the other side.
But oh, it's so wonderful in Scripture. You notice when the words come in Scripture, but there's always a reason for you and I to take take notice. It's important. It's just like when you go along the highway and they have the the signs of a railway crossing and they have a sign up. Stop, look and listen. And it's good for us when we come to the word, but to take note of what God is bringing before. But it says here about a certain Samaritan.
As he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an end, and took care of him. Well, for you and I in this circumstance, if we had gone there, we would have poured in the wine, hoping that the wine would purify.
They kill any of the germs that might be in the source.
And then we'd pour on the oil to try and see if we couldn't heal the wounds of this fellow.
But notice that that Jesus poured in the Spirit, the oil, Speaking of the Spirit of God.
And when the Spirit of God is in US, what does it bring forth? The joy.
The joy.
And they he poured in the oil, and then the wine speaks of the joy, and then he set him on his own beast. Oh, how the Lord cares for you and I during the week. The beast beats of that which can carry our laborers, our troubles. And the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking here. Put him on his own beast and brought him to an end. And if you look at the new translation, it says the assembly.
And he brought him there.
And he said unto them, after taking out 2 Pence. Now I've heard several remarks, 2 Pens being the Bible.
Another being, the Spirit of God, I'll leave it to you, but he took out the two pants. He didn't be given 4 pence or five pence, which speaks to you and I of the soon return of our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He could have taken him home right then, but he left him here for an example. If he hadn't done that, we wouldn't have it to read today.
But he took him to the assembly at the end.
And what do you say? Take care of them. And dear Christian brothers and sisters, that puts a great responsibility on you and I when new ones are brought into the meeting for the first time.
Take care of them. Show kindness.
Shake hands on them, let them know that your, that you're glad to see them with a nice smile and, uh, give them a real warm welcome. And then when they take their place at the Lord's Table, if they do, which we hope they will, be sure that you let them know that you're so glad they're in fellowship at the Lord's Table with us.
And then on the Morrow.
Brought him to the end to take and took care of him, and then on the Morrow when he departed he took out 2 Pence.
And gave them to the host.
And said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spend us more, when I come again I will repay thee. Oh, I think it's so wonderful to see that in Scripture.
That he took out these two pens and told him and so.
The one was ex uh, expecting me again. You didn't take them home. As I said before, coupon now I was going to ask the girls and boys these questions.
You don't have to stand up and answer if you don't want it, but how old have you got to be to be a Sinner?
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How long does anyone have to be to be a Sinner?
I guess it it will be one put the hand up. Well, when we see a little baby and we say, isn't it precious? They're born in sin.
Isn't that sad to think from Adams until now? Adam and Eve's time until now. The little baby is born in soon, yes?
How old are you gonna be to be saved?
Oh.
I've heard of different times, different ages.
When I heard of something nice, somebody sent me this little story and I was thankful to get it. They said you might be able to use it and you're exhausted preaching.
This little girl, I don't know what they call it when a little girl goes from 1 foot to the other foot singing away and shaking. She was happy. She just left Sunday school and she was saying Jesus loves me this time, no, at the top of her voice and smiling away and she was swaying down back and forth and she came up the traffic light and it was red so she had to stop. She looked up and there was a big man. She was only 5 or 6.
And she said to the man.
You love Jesus.
You said no.
She put her head down. She said you should. He died for you at Calvary's cross, and for me too.
Don't you love Jesus? He said. No, no, no.
Oh, she says. I wish you knew him and loved him like I love him because he loves you. And the light went green and she went across in them.
And he said, I just keep going. And he went as fast as he could to get rid of her. He got home, got in the house and his wife Send them wherever you've been asked about it. And he thought, oh, look at the sports. So he put it on the TV and he sat and watched TV and all he could hear in his ear was you love Jesus, He loved you.
He died for you.
So after spending about 5 or 6 minutes in, Story says he turned off the TV and he thought, I'll take this book.
I'm reading, It's interesting. So we open the book and start reading.
And you could hear the little girl's voice in his ear.
Do you love Jesus? You surely died for you.
He closed the book, his wife called him for his supper, and he sat down.
And he couldn't eat.
And she said, what's the matter with you? He said, I don't know, I don't know. He said no, I don't feel like it.
Well, she said, there's not nothing else I can get to know. Well, nagging toast, what do you want? I went to a lot of trouble. I know you usually like this. Eat it up. No, I don't feel like I said, I I don't know what's the matter. So we went up to the bedroom. The land is bad. And I thought, well, this thing is just to lay here and sleep and I'll forget all about it. And he toss and he turn, I think the story said for an hour. And finally he said, go down the side of his bed and he said, Lord Jesus.
I take thee as my savior.
I'm so glad you sent this little girl to tell me about you.
I accept you as my savior and I want to know more about you. Help me to find the little girl.
As the story goes, as to the time that I got it, he hadn't even tried to watch Worthy Streets to see it after Sunday school. But it's not wonderful. A little child, 5 or 6.
Could be saved, got another before I left. The mother was testing little girl, a little boy after reading.
About the Lord's loving kindness.
And, uh, she said. That little fella, do you understand what loving kindness is?
He said. I think I do well, she says. What is loving kindness?
He thought for one and he said well.
If I came in hungry from school and you gave me a piece of bread with butter on it.
And, uh, he said. That's loving.
And if you put my favorite jam on top of it, that would finish it. That would be loving kindness.
At the age.
Of six years of age.
00:20:02
So having the experience myself and taking my grandchildren.
The Sunday school, my grandson at the age of 4 1/2, I thought I was too young, but he made himself in the first day of Sunday School. We got him in the car. We wanted to know if he got anything out of it 4 1/2. And so we started to question him, Elizabeth Ann and I and his sister. What was taken up? He said I don't know.
So my granddaughter started telling him asking them about the Good Shepherd, no.
Was about Daniel London. No, everything is exhausted, we suggested. No, I said just leave it.
We drove a little farther and he said, oh, I know.
This guy, this is TV Utah. This guy was told by God to go over to this place, I don't know the animal, and to speak to these people about their sins. And this guy didn't do it. He went down the bottom of the ship and God sent a big storm and the boat was rocking and the the other guys on the boat were all nervous. They said we're going to drown, something's happened.
So they went down the bottom of the boat and they found this guy and he said Grampian know what he did? And I said no, they took him. And they took him by the top of his neck and by the seat of his pants, and they threw him in the water.
And you know what I said? What? A big monster came up. TV monkey talk. Big monster came up monitoring my granddad. I said no, that's wrong.
It was a whale. And then she thought I said no, no, I'm wrong. It's a great fish. God prepared.
So you can see how it takes notice. So he went a little further and he sent me grandpa. And I said what? And I looked in my mirror and he had his little finger up and he said grandpa.
You can't get away.
I'm God you can't, grandpa.
You can go in the dark like that man did in the Moat, and he can see you.
Grandpa, you can't get away from God. Well, I marbled and I told his Sunday school teacher to encourage her, Allison Berry And, uh, she was quite pleased to think that these young ones were able to understand that that age. So don't be discouraged Sunday school teachers if you don't see them all say within the first three or four weeks of that he found giving the word. But the main thing is, as I.
Tell those are preaching over the years. I was told this when I go down on the platform when I was young.
I have the brother or sister, said the wild brother. The gospel is over.
I you think and I said, I guess so. She said, no it isn't. You've only sown the seed. The gospel is not over. We have to go home now, all of us, and get out on our knees and water that seed and ask God to bless his word.
So when you hear the gospel going forth like we did last night, it's good for us when we get home to water the seed. And I hope I've explained this well enough to you to get what I was trying to get across. The dear boys and girls, that you can accept Jesus Christ when you're very young and you can always work for Jesus Christ when you're very young because boys and girls have done it before. Like the what we heard about this young girl in Second Kings Five. I've always loved that story.
And and preaching the gospel, we talk about name and I like to talk about as a young girl, she was taken there very young, a captive, and she had the strength and courage to speak to her mistress and tell her about what this man of God to cure her husband of his disease. And the God uses that for us for a blessing.
So, dear boys and girls, work for the Lord while you're young, seeking every way you can to serve Him, and it'll really, really cheer your heart to see the results. I could tell you some other stories about boys and girls that had the results of seeing their friends save going to school. May the Lord bless these few thoughts for His glory.
00:25:02
With me, please, to First Timothy, First Timothy chapter 6, we just have the story of the certain man that left Jerusalem.
Anne was on his way to Jericho. He was stripped of his raiment.
And he was wounded.
And he was left in the ditch, half dead.
And I stand before you this afternoon.
As that certain man.
That was left in the ditch half dead.
And I'm thankful.
And growing up in Montreal for my brethren there.
That's for me in the ditch, half dead.
And they came over.
And they put their arms around me.
And I poured in oil and wine.
And then I moved the Cerrito ferry.
And there were times then.
When my brother saw me in the ditch half dead.
And I'm so thankful for my brethren.
That have done that very thing in seeing me.
In the situation I was at and I would just like to encourage as I look around the room here and see all these Gray hairs and white hairs.
I'd just like to encourage the older ones here when they see a younger man.
That's going through a difficult time that you would encourage his heart.
So that he would lay hold on the things that are really life.
That we have here in this chapter in First Timothy chapter 6.
And verse 11.
Thou, O man of God, the Apostle Paul.
As he speaks to Timothy earlier in the in the book.
As a father to a son, all of us here have fathers. We all have a natural father, but many of us here have many spiritual fathers.
So my spiritual fathers are here this afternoon, sitting in these chairs.
And the apostle Paul could say to Timothy, Thou therefore my son, my son.
And what gives joy to the heart of a father? We find that from.
First, John.
Where the apostle writes we won't turn to it, but he says that it that he had no greater joy than to see his children walking through well here in this portion in the 11 first thou man of God plead these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life. Lay hold on the things that are really life and in the end of the end of the chapter, the 20th verse old Timothy keep that.
Which is committed to thy trust?
Just by introduction, I would like to look at a man by the N, the name of the law. I had if you could turn with me to numbers for a few minutes. Numbers chapter 27.
I'd just like to encourage the hearts of those here that are my own age group, those here that have young families and those here that are young people, that their hearts would be encouraged as they see a family here. And now there was a family that had laid hold on the things that are really life and how they had an appreciation for the inheritance that the Lord had given His people. So here in Numbers, chapter 27.
We read. Then came the daughters of the.
Son of Heifer, the son of Gilead, the son of Maker, the son of Manasseh. Of the families of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. These are the names of his daughters Mala, Noah, Hagla, Milka and Terza.
And I said before Moses, and before Eliezer the priest, and before the Princess, and all the congregation, by the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Our Father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin.
And had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family? Because he hath no son.
Give unto us, therefore, a possession among the brethren of our Father.
00:30:02
And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zalafa had speak right. Thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren.
And thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. And if he have no daughter, then he shall give his inheritance unto his brethren.
And if you have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren. And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsmen, that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it, and it shall be under the children of Israel. A statute of judgment of the Lord commanded Moses.
And now turn with me to the the end of Numbers, the 36th chapter. And the first person, the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Maker, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and speak before Moses and before the Princess, the chief fathers of the children of Israel. And they said, the Lord commanded my Lord to give the land for an inheritance by law to the children of Israel. And my Lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zalotha, had our brother unto his daughters.
And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel.
Then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe, were unto they are received.
So shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance?
And one that you believe the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put under the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received, so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying.
The tribe of the sons of Joseph have said, Well, this is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of the Lotahad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best. Only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.
So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel removed from tribe to tribe. For everyone of the children of Israel shall keep himself in the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
And every daughter that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of their father. And the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his father's.
Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe, but everyone of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.
Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of the Lopahad, Vermella, Terza and Hagla, and Melca and Noah, the daughters of the Mothahad, were married unto their fathers, brothers, sons, and they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. And their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. You know we don't.
Read very much about the law ahead.
We don't read very much about this man.
And in order to find out the exercise of the heart of this man, we almost have to read between the lines.
What we find here, that which has been such an encouragement to my own heart, you know, as I look over this company and I see those who have been on the pathway for so long, those that have an appreciation for the inheritance, those that value the things of God and have passed those things on to those that are my age group. I'm so thankful for those. And I see here a man is a lot ahead and how he had a desire.
For his children.
To claim the inheritance, you know, this man is the loss I had must have had a real appreciation for the inheritance of God. But you know, it's a sad thing to see this this man here because we don't read anything about him. We just read about how these these five girls and they come to Moses and they stand before Moses. And what those girls wanted is they wanted the inheritance. They wanted it for their very own.
They realized that they didn't have any brothers, and they desired that the inheritance that was their fathers should be passed on to them. And I've recently been through a sorrow in my own life that has given birth to the meditation that we have before us.
But this man's Alfa had, you know, the girls when they're speaking to Moses, they said to Moses, you know, our father is a lot ahead. He didn't die in the matter of Korah.
00:35:12
He didn't die then, and as we go through the Pentateuch we find there are situation after situation where a plague of the Lord went out and consumed.
The children of Israel at different times and there were those that died in various plagues. But you know, I don't believe that the Latha had died in one of those plagues. I don't believe so. We find here that the girls, they even mentioned that they said, you know, when their company of Cora came, our father, he had no appreciation for that. And I can't help but think that Zalafa had had progressed in his soul and through repentance, he had realized the mistake he had made perhaps when those 12 came back from the land.
Perhaps Joshua and Caleb, we don't know if it was them, but I can't help but think as they, it was them that carried that staff with that cluster of grapes that was so large it took the two of them to carry it. And they all had the same report that the land is a good land, it's a good land. But then there was 10 that said that although the land is a good land, there were giants there. There were giants. And I can't help but think that at that time Zalopa had, he was one of the ones that said.
No, we better not go up to the land. We better not go up to the land because it says here that not only did he not die in the company of Korah, but he died in his own sin and had no sense. You know what, I think the thought there that he had no sons goes a little deeper than just the fact there were five girls in the family. Because if we were to look at the names of the meanings of these five girls, you know, it touches my heart.
Because the first one comes along and her name is Mala.
You know what's the laugh I had? And his wife named that first girl they named her.
Mala, you know what that means? You know, if we were to turn to the Book of Ruth, we would find there a couple whose name is Elimelech and Naomi. And they had a boy and they called a melon. And we often appreciate the meaning of that. It means pining away sickness. Well, here, this first girl, it's the same root. And we find the meaning of that name is disease.
And sickness. And I can't think of how Salafi had in his younger years, perhaps with little appreciation for the things of God, and perhaps not having an appreciation for the desert sands that they had to walk along.
And they're about to give birth to a little child, and it's a daughter.
And we know that the children of Israel, they value so much in having a son. And here they have this little girl. And Zalotha had perhaps didn't appreciate it. And so she has this name. It's a sad name when you think sickness and disease.
Right. You know, I can't think of naming my first child something that would mean something like that. I can't enter into that and yet that's the name of this girl. Well, you know, the time came as time went on for them to.
Have another little one.
And you know, another little girl was on the way. They didn't know that, but the time came for.
The laugh, I had his wife to give birth to a little girl and this little girl was born. And you know, perhaps he was disappointed again not having a son. And so he names the second one Noah. You know what that means? It's the female meaning of the name as opposed to know that we have in the earlier part of Genesis. But it means agitation. And you can just think of the heart of the sloth ahead, who perhaps desired a son. And this girl came along and then desired a son again.
And Sun didn't come along. It was another daughter and he named her with this name, the meaning of the name of agitation. Well, you know, time progressed and another little one was to be born and perhaps as off I had was excited at the thought of having another little one. I remember the third one that came along in our household and oh, baby is delivered. And what is it? Is this son? No, it's another daughter. Well, you know.
Then he missed one hauling. You know what that means. Means the feast has languished.
And I, I tried to, you know, go along in the spiritual pathway of the loss I had. And to think of the exercise of his heart as perhaps, you know, we read nothing of his wife, absolutely nothing of his wife. And it's interesting, you know, because often when we find a young man or a young woman in Scripture, that goes on in a marvelous way. We don't read too much of their wife, but I believe that their of their mother. But I believe that their mother was a tremendous help to them. And I can't help but think that.
00:40:21
Zalfa Had's wife was a tremendous mother to these five girls, and not only that, but a help to her husband as well. And so, you know, another one comes along and they approach, you know, the day when a little baby is to be born. And, you know, at this point, I don't believe that Salafi Had was quite as worked up because we find that the next baby that comes along is.
We have now I know a hard lie is Milka and you know what Salafi had?
Had in his heart when he named this one the meaning of the name of that is Queen woman of counsel. I can't help but think of how he realized the hand of God on him. And he started to appreciate that although the desert, desert sands were hard to go through the years are starting to go on now and they're on their way to that land. And Tilapahad had perhaps come to the point in his life we had realized, you know, he could go out every morning and he could gather some manner.
Every morning it was there. It was a wonderful thing. And I sure you didn't send the children out to get the man and no, he went out to get the manna. And I've just enjoyed this in connection with that, that those of us who are the heads of our homes, you know.
I'm sure that when they went to the gather, man, that they just didn't get a big container and, and fill it with mana. I'm I'm sure that they were aware of the needs of each of their children. And so for the oldest one, they get a little bit more and for the next one, maybe get a little bit less. And if they're a little weak tots while they get a little bit of mana and maybe for his wife, while they get a little bit bigger. And so they're mindful of the needs of each one of their families. They gather that manner. And I can't think of how that Zalafa had on his pathway, how he had come to realize.
That the God that was Israel's God had brought them through so much and he had perhaps at this point seen different plagues, glowed from the Lord. And we know that he was alive at the time of Korah because the the girls speak of it here. And you know, he wasn't going to have anything to do with that situation. He had come to appreciate the things of God. But you know, another little woman was coming along. Another little one was coming along and saw this one with this one came along.
And.
You know, they they named this little one they named their terza and you know what the meaning of that name is means my delight well pleasing. I can't help but think that Salafi had in his pathway had come to really appreciate the Lord God in such a way that now he wasn't chafing under the fact that he didn't have any sons, knowing he was happy to have his girls, but not only happy to have them, but now he had desire for them to lay hold of the inheritance. And you know that man instilled in the heart.
Of those girls to value the inheritance.
And I'm thankful for those here who are older that have valued the inheritance in such a way.
That they have sought to tell those of us who are younger of its value.
And I've tried to shepherd us along and help us to go on our way. Those of us who are younger was a lot I had here. I'm sure the girls themselves after a hot day in the wilderness, I'm sure they said, dad, you know, when are we going to get there? How come we have to be in the wilderness all this time? And there was perhaps so many difficulties. But I can't help but think of the laugh I had saying, no, girls, we're going to a land. We're going to a land that's a good land. And you know, I can't help but think in the same way.
That, umm, that actually in the same way perhaps had the same complaints as these girls, perhaps AXA said, you know, dad, uh, I wish we'd get there sooner. I wish, uh, the sun wasn't so hot. And you know, they, perhaps she perhaps had complaints, but I can't help but think they sat down and told AXA the land that was before and said, you know, AXA, the land we're going to, it's a land that floweth with milk and honey and it's going to be our land and it's well worth waiting for.
And so actually, you know, when she gets to the land, she has a real desire for the inheritance. And we know that she moves her husband to ask for the upper springs and another springs. I so appreciated that. And AXA, but I can't help but think of these five girls. And they had instilled in them by their father the things that are really life. But you know how it would have had to have been with the falafel had it would have had to have been to repentance because the laugh I had would have had to say to his girls, you know, girls, we're going to a land.
00:45:04
It flows with milk and honey. It's a wonderful land and it's our land.
But you know, I can't go in. I can't go in because of my own sin. I cannot go into the land, but the land is there and it's your land, and I want you to have that land. I can't help but think of the appreciation that Zalopa had had for that land and how he passed that on to his daughters so that they really valued the land. They really valued the land, and they made their partition to Moses in this way, not in an uncommon way, not in a way where they're out of their place.
But they valued that land.
But then just an encouragement to those who are younger here. If we turn over to the end of numbers, you know, there came the time in the lives of these five girls. And I can't help but think that there was perhaps a young man in one of the other tribes that was interested in one of these girls. And the reason I say that is because this this chapter doesn't come right after the chapter that we read earlier. We don't find them. We don't find them right together. So there must have been a reason.
Why the elders came to Moses and said, you know, the, the inheritance that, uh, that these girls, umm, have desired. And, and it seems that that's the Lord's will for them to have this, this inheritance. Uh, you know, if they marry another tribe, then Manassas is going to lose that inheritance. And, and we don't think that's right, you know, and I can't think of any other reason why that would have been raised than if there had been an interest of a young man in another tribe that would have had an interest in one of those girls.
And then the warning signals would have gone up with the elders. There would have been no other reason. But, you know, they make their petition to Moses. And, you know, it's lovely because Moses said, you know, the daughters of the love I had, they were right. They were right. But now we find the elders and the children of Israel. They're right, too. They're right, too. And, you know, I would just like to make this plea to those here who are younger, that are not married.
And we read of these girls.
And we find that they didn't marry a man in another tribe, they married within their own tribe.
You know, it's a wonderful thing. Why? Because they value the inheritance. They value the inheritance. You know, Manasseh is a tribe that is kind of a sad situation to look at. We look at the tribe of Reuben and the tribe of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh because we know that their inheritance, a lot of it was on the Egypt side of Jordan. But you know, those five girls had instilled in their minds such an appreciation for the inheritance of God.
That the inheritance that they wanted was not on the Egypt side of Jordan. The inheritance of those five girls wanted was in the land. That's what they wanted. You know, their father was gone. It wasn't. Their father was saying, you'd better go speak to Moses. No, that's not the case. That wasn't the case here at all. He was gone, but he had passed on to those five girls an appreciation for the inheritance, not in a small way, but in such a way that they wanted it right within the land.
Oh, may this encourage my own heart as I as I see those here who have such an appreciation for the inheritance of God, as I see those here older who have laid hold on the things that are really life. Oh, I trust that if you were to see a young man as we had.
As, uh, our brother Snell brought before us, as he would see a young man that's stripped in half dead. All that you would seek out to reach out and encourage his heart and to pour in the oil and the wine, the wine and to show him that the land is a good land and to have an appreciation for the inheritance. Oh, I trust that these things would be encouragement to all of our hearts to lay hold on the things that are real life. I don't say this as having done it, but I, I desired in my own soul and I trust that my brethren would continue to encourage my own heart to seek to desire that which is really life.
I'd like to ask this question.
Do you have an inheritance?
It's been a very interesting subject here because.
We find that everyone in this room who is who are the Lords has an inheritance.
What kind of an inheritance is it?
Are you going to lose it?
We could name several in this world who had inheritances, but they lost it. It's all gone, wasted.
00:50:05
I'd like to turn, would you turn with me, please, to the Epistle of Peter?
The first chapter of Peter.
Beginning at verse three, blessed be the God and Father.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy.
Notice the language please. The word of God is so explicit. In fact I did make a mention of AI had a make a phone call using a credit card and they refused my card.
So I called them to find out why was my card refused.
And they said you were not explicit.
You put down 12 instead of one. I said, that's very, very, very minute. She said not, no, Sir, it must be explicit. And so God is explicit with us too. So he says here, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively or living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance. Notice the language that God uses as to this inheritance that is yours.
And mine.
Through an inheritance incorruptible.
Incorruptible.
Undefiled.
And that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you. Oh, I I enjoy this thought and have gone over it many times. And I'm sure our brethren, my brethren have heard me on this many times too. But it's so precious to know that when God gives you an inheritance, it's absolutely assured you cannot lose that inheritance. You may lose the joy of it, You may not always enjoy it. But we want to look at here too, a few further thoughts on this.
That while we do have this glorious inheritance that is ours, we haven't entered into it yet.
Oh, you have eternal life. You have joy of the Lord. We have, we have that. Uh, we have a new life. We have changed. Uh, our hearts have been changed.
And we have the indwelling Spirit of God to assure us, and we have the word of God, as has been said, and we have the Lord Jesus on high. So we have this is our possession in spirit now, but God wants to bring us into this and will do so in the coming day. But while we wait, just just go down a little bit to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled and invadeth not a way reserved in heaven for you. Who reserves this heaven, this inheritance for you?
God does.
Suppose you fail. Suppose sin comes in. Is he going to remove the inheritance? No, beloved Saints, he's not going to remove the inheritance. But you won't enjoy the thought of it because you're out of communion, but here, reserved in heaven for you. No one else can take your inheritance.
This, this to me, God is a very personal, individual God.
Personal, each one of us here God has his finger upon each one of us. He has something for you. He has an inheritance for you, as it says, reserved in heaven for you, for you.
To my soul this is exceedingly precious. And we can enjoy this now because it's really the joy of the Lord that our it is our strength for this to think that a poor Sinner saved by grace as our brother has been bringing before us and our brother, two of of sinners saved by grace can be brought into this marvelous place and have an inheritance, not a temporal inheritance, but an eternal inheritance from an eternal God, a living God.
If you will.
So he says it's reserved in heaven for you.
Who reserves that? God does. God does. You know, we have sometimes make appointments and they'll call up and say you have a reservation to meet the doctor and such and such a time. And then they may call up and say the doctor's sick. You can't keep the appointment. We can't keep that reservation. You gotta be, it's gotta be canceled. So reservations here in this world mean very little. Reserved where? In heaven for you.
In heaven.
The glory shines before me. I cannot linger here, Though clouds may darken o'er me. My Father's house is near. What a precious truth reserved in heaven. For who? For you, you, you.
00:55:14
What more can God do for us? Well, He can do more and He has done more. Just go and drop him down a little bit in this in these verses.
Reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God.
Kept by the power of God.
How are you kept by the power of God? Because you know a lot or because you're intelligent or because you had a you have a college degree, No.
How are we kept by the power of God? Through faith. Faith is the medium by which.
We are brought into this marvelous blessing.
You haven't seen one of your blessings yet. You haven't seen one of that one of those inheritance part a part of that inheritance yet, but it's by faith. By faith we lay hold of it. We grasp it. It is at his hours. So it says here who kept who are kept by the power of God through faith, through faith, through faith and without faith. Well, if there's anyone here that doesn't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you don't have faith in the inheritance isn't yours.
And you won't get it or never enter into it or the joy of it until you do. Accept the Lord as your Savior, and then you'll have.
A joy that nothing can, nothing can take away, who are kept by the power of God.
God's power is only enjoyed through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and faith in what God can do. Faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Do you have salvation now? Yes, you do. But he's speaking here about that salvation when the whole man will be taken to glory and he we're going to enter into that glorious inheritance which is ours.
It will. Faith is going to give way to sight. We believe it now. We have it now because we believe it. But in that day, faith is going to give way to sight and we're going to enter in. So it says faith through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed. Ready. It's already beloved Saints. Why? How is it ready? It's ready because that blessed Savior on the cross, when he hung up there, when he hung there up on that cross.
And he uttered those words.
It is finished. The work is all done for your eternal inheritance.
How precious this is. Oh, I know. These are things that we all know. We say we know. But sometimes I wonder how much I ask myself, how much I enter into this as to the truth of it, ready to be revealed in the last time. Last time, you know, as the time comes in this world when we can say this is the last time we're going to leave this world. This world is not our home.
The glory is our home. That's where we're going.
But notice I I wanna show you here to where we wanna look at this to see that.
As far as God is concerned, the very day you were saved, you could be brought into glory. God could have taken you home and given you that marvelous inheritance. They didn't do it, did he? He didn't do it for me.
60 some odd years he's left me here. Why? He's left me here to learn something.
Of his ways with me while I wait that day. And so I think we have some of it here in these few verses. Umm.
We're now notice verse 6 revealed in the last time, wherein you you greatly rejoice.
Greatly rejoice though now for a season, if need be, are in heaviness through manifold trials, temptations. So you see, between the the assurance of that glory and the the the power of God that keeps us and the inheritance that's reserved for us, there's an interval here. What is that interval? It's a time of trials and difficulties.
Talking to a man the other day doesn't he didn't even know the Lord, but just speaking to him and I said it's kind of difficult even to live in this world, isn't it?
He shook his head. He said yes, it is too many things to do, too much to go to, too many places to go. It's difficult, can't keep up with it. But I just wanna show you here one, one verse that has been before me and I've enjoyed it, wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, for a season. That's another precious thing I think of a power. Gordon's father telling us that it's only for a little while. It's only for a season. It's not gonna last forever.
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So God wants us to enjoy the fact that this is all reserved for us.
And we're it's as sure as we breathe it's going to be ours. It's as sure as God lives we're it's ours. And it's reserved. No one can take it. But there's trials and difficulties.
Through manifold temptations. I just want to call a little bit, I want to look at this verse seven a little bit to see the what God has in view for us. He wants to commend every child of God. God's desire is not only to save your soul, but to commend you to. When we get home to glory, there's going to be a commendation from God himself.
Because of all the trial that we've been through, God knows the difficulties of the way. Is there anyone here today that has a difficult trial? God knows all about it and He's able to comfort. And in that coming day, if you take this trial from him, our difficulty from him, in that coming day, there's going to be acclamation of that. God remembers it all.
He's forgotten our sins, but he remembers the desire to please his people. That the trial of your faith, verse 7. So whatever these difficulties are, are only a trial of faith, not a trial of lost inheritance. That's not what it says. It's a trial of faith. Why? Because we haven't seen anything yet. We believe it. Faith is ours. Faith is a medium. So God test that faith.
Not a soul in this room, a Noah, has ever been saved without the tests of God.
God comes in to test your profession, your confession, whatever that confession is. And the tests come sometimes in very difficult ways. Sometimes he speaks strongly, other times it's with a still small voice. But anyway, the trial of your faith being much more precious.
We've spoken about that many times of Peter's using the word precious. He loved to use that little word.
And it was precious. Peter had the trials too, didn't he? But God was going to use him, and he used him here in the ministry of these two epistles, The trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth. There's so much could be said which I am not able to enumerate to you. I can't articulate everything that I have here, but I can tell you what I've enjoyed.
Precious, more precious than gold perisheth, though it be tried with fire.
Many of the dear Saints were protested and tried with fire. Have you ever been tried that way? Thank God you haven't. God hasn't taken us to that extreme. Thank God for it. Many of the Saints in other lands have been tried with fire, tested with fire. But notice the God has the end in view. I always think of that in Deuteronomy. Doesn't he say that they may consider their latter end?
God has the end in view for you.
That inheritance that he wants to give you and he wants to commend you for the path that you have gone through Indiana, the trials.
His desire is to commend His people, to encourage them, to build them up. And in that coming day we're going to have that acclamation from Him himself. Notice it says here through umm again reading 7 verse seven verse, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it tried, be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory.
At the appearing of Jesus Christ.
When is this? This is not when it comes. This is his appearing. Peter doesn't tell us about his coming for us, but he tells us about the appearing. That's the day when God was going to God is going to acclaim each one of his own. He's going to reward them for that. So I just want to look at these three little points here, uh, in the, it says.
That there might be found unto praise.
Turn over to 1St 1St Corinthians.
Four Yes, First Corinthians 4, verse 5.
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Therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come.
Who has who? Both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. Notice here God has His eye upon everything, and everything is going to be accounted for. We'll make mention of the councils of the heart then. When then, then shall every man have praise of God?
You may not get it now, you may be rebuffed, you may have difficulties, you may have sorrows, you may have tears. But then God is going to praise that. Pray every man, then every man have the praise of God. Whose praise is it? His praise? To whom? To you and to me. So that poor child of God who has gone through this scene, this world of sorrow and sickness and suffering and death, gone to that inheritance.
God wants to praise you and He's going to do it someday. Well, that's one point. Then let's look at the next thought here. Praise and honor. I think we have to turn over to John's Gospel, chapter 12. Yes, John's Gospel, chapter 12, verse 26.
If any man serve me.
Let him follow me.
And where I am, there shall also my servant be.
If any man serve me, him will my father honor.
You see the picture.
He says Him or my Father honor when in that day of glory.
So I think I, I put these things together and I believe it's a very precious thing to see that God has the end in view. He wants to bless each one of us, not only to bless us with the inheritance, but to be able to acclaim something, give credit in some way, some little manner to each one of us for some little service perhaps or bearing with some trial that we've had that's been very difficult. God wants to praise, praise us for that. He wants to, he wants to honor us for that.
And it says, if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. So praise honor, and then notice glory. Well, let's turn over to 2nd Corinthians 4 for a little thought on that. I believe in 2nd Corinthians 4.
Yes.
2nd Corinthians 4 verse 17 Now we see again the little while of suffering that comes before us in this verse 17 for our light affliction, which is but for a moment.
Working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Glory.
Marvelous truth, isn't it? Praise, honor and glory. When are we going to have this? When we get home.
When the Lord Jesus comes and takes us to that scene of glory, when I enter into that inheritance that is ours, all the suffering, all the suffering will be over. All the trials will be over, the difficulties will be over, the tears will be over, the sorrow, everything but all. What a glorious inheritance. And it's an inheritance that no one can take. It's yours, it's individual, it's Sir, it's reserved for you. So I always think of this. I just submit these little thoughts in this verse.
The trial of your faith being much more precious. You know, we look at we're not my trials haven't been precious. I I, I have to sometimes say I complain a little bit, but it says trials are precious that the goal that.
More precious than a gold perish that Peter uses that expression and further on in this chapter. Who doesn't he we're saved by that which is the precious blood of Christ, which is of more value all the gold of of world of the world.
So precious gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire, the supreme test.
Might be found.
Unto praise and honor and glory.
At the appearing of Jesus Christ. Are you looking forward to that? You should be.
And while we're looking forward to it, are we bearing up under the trial? Are we enjoying the Lord? Are we, are we realizing that God's whole desire for us is to bless us?
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Praise, honor and glory is before us. Thank God for it.
OK, so it'll go by crying salvation and I'm dead. I'm dead, I'm dead.
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