Vestal Conference: 2001
Table of Contents
John 14:1-5
Reading
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UH-14.
But now your heart be troubled.
Believe in God, believe also in me.
In my father's house there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And whether I go you know, and the way you know.
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou doest, and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the light. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If he had known me, he should have known my Father also, and from henceforth you know him and have seen him. Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffice to us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you? And yes, hast thou not know me, Phyllis?
Either have seen names, have seen the Father and house, saith thou then show us the Father, Believe us, thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father and me. The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, who doeth the work. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very worst sake.
Verily, verily, I said to you, he that believeth on me the works that I do, shall he do also, and greater works than thee shall he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever you shall ask in my name that will I do, that the Father may be glorified through the Son. If we shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.
If he loves me to keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it's feathered not, neither knoweth Him. But you know Him, for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will now leave you comfortless. I will come to you, get a little while, and the world seeth me no more. But you see me.
Whoever I live, he shall live also.
At that day he shall know that I am in my father, and ye and me, and I am you either have my commandments and keepeth them.
Here it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him not mysterious Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word which he hears, not mine.
But the Father would send me these things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world give us, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled either, let it be afraid. You have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If you love me, you would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world cometh.
And I have nothing in me but that the world may know that I love the Father. And as the Father gave me commandments, Even so I do arise. Let us go ahead.
00:05:07
It might really surprise. I can't even hear this. So I think it's often said that John doesn't really speak of heaven.
But John's ministry really brings heaven down to earth.
And even in the Book of Revelation.
What you get is John being taken up to heaven to see what is going on in heaven as it's going to influence the affairs on the earth and Heaven's judgment of what is going on in earth.
But here in this particularly lovely passage that the if I may say this to savor an odor of heaven could characterize our lives here, Let not your heart be troubled. If we go back into the 13th chapter, Peter was trying to dissuade the Lord previously from going to the cross, and now he said that he would lay down his life for the Lord.
Not understanding what the way was that was marked out for the Lord.
And it led to failure in Peter's life. And so the Lord, immediately after telling Peter that the CAUC shall not crow to allow us, denied him thrice, goes on to say, let not your heart be troubled. And he marks out, He lays out for Peter what the pathway is in this world, pathway of peace.
There's a lot of things in that chapter that are troubling aren't you Neil if you look at that 13th chapter and consider some of the things that the doors himself in verse 21. He was troubled in spirit talks about one of them delivering him up and then they they all have doubts as to who it could be. And besides the the case of Peter that you brought before us. So I think it must have been especially precious word.
When the Lord says, let not your heart be troubled and, uh, the.
The, uh, the whole end of the 13th chapter. I mean, it's a very precious chapter, but the end of it is.
Would be troubling if you were sitting there, wouldn't it? If you were sitting there with the disciples, wouldn't it be troubling to hear that one of them was gonna deliver the Lord up, and another posting that he was not gonna?
He was gonna stand with the Lord, and the Lord said, you're gonna deny me three times. I mean, the Lord didn't try to discourage them, but the circumstances could have discouraged them. And so the Lord tells them.
Don't let your heart be troubled. We believe in or on God. Believe also in me.
So that, uh, the Lord assures them with his own person, doesn't he, that, umm, uh, these things that he's brought before them are not to be troubling to them. They're to be, uh, seen in their perspective. I don't think we ever ought to, uh.
Active zip.
These were not troubling things that we're reading here that we had could have read if we read the 13th chapter. They're very troubling.
But in all the circumstances of life.
The Lord presents himself as the object of faith, and once the eye is on him.
The troubling things don't have the same dimension, do they?
Troubling. Uh, I was thinking of how troubling it would it was to them to know, as the Lord had said, he's going to leave them. He's going to go back to glory. He's going to go back to heaven.
We'll go back to the father, really, and we find that at the end of his 13th chapter. But then he says let knock your heart be troubled or disturbed.
Umm, believe in God, believe, uh, uh, you, you believe in God, believe also me. They believed in God, but they didn't realize that with them was that God himself was the Lord Jesus Christ and he was going to leave them. So he says, let not your heart be disturbed. He said he's going to leave, but he said you believed in God. Now you're going to have to believe in me.
00:10:02
Because he's going to not going to be there for their every want and every desire because they were with him and when they had a question they would ask him and so on. So it's very lovely to think that he said you believe in God, but after I'm gone, you're going to have to believe in me. So it's very beautiful isn't to think that we too right at this moment, the Lord Jesus is not here in the in the true sense of the word.
But we believe on him, and we can petition him, and he hears all of our prayers.
It really is. The foundation of state is to believe what God has said. Paul said that in connection with ministry. I believe therefore I have spoken. And this brings to mind Paul's words in Acts 27, when Paul had warned them not to undertake this voyage and they wouldn't heed.
Paul and umm.
Perhaps read this because there's another situation here.
From verse 20 in Acts 27.
And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, no small Tempest lay upon us, and all hope that we should be saved was taken away. But after a long absence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, he should have hearkened unto me, and have not loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you.
Part of the chip or there stood by me this night, the Angel of God.
Whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not all, for thou must be brought before Caesar, and loha. God has given thee all them that sail with thee, wherefore stirs thee of good cure. For I believe God that it shall be, even as it was told unto me. And so the foundation and resting place of our faith is, that we believe God.
And so he says, you believe in God, believe also in me. He's marked out a pathway for us here.
In this earth.
A little expression I believe in or believe on.
Uses a preposition.
A I don't like to be sounding like I know anything about Greek because I don't let me start out by saying that. But it has a wonderful sense, according to anything I've read about it, that it means to rest on a person. To rest one's based on a person. I use this illustration sometimes. Years ago we took our children on the UMM.
Through the empire's empires, the, uh, World Trade Center in New York, uh, the twin towers and they, you can go up in the elevator there. And just before you go up, there's a, a group standing at the bottom. And the, the lady who is the guide tells you that now these elevators are very rapid. They're very safe. They go up 9595 floors and so many seconds. And, uh, uh, it all sounds very assuring. And then he says, all right, now we'll step on the elevator.
Well, one could stand outside and believe all those wonderful things about them. And to illustrate it, one time I did that. I, I stood outside and I, I didn't get on. Whimsy said, get on. And she says certain. Don't you believe what I said.
And I said, oh, you want me to believe on the elevator, right?
Well, he says yes, and that is the rest oneself on it. And that's in connection with, and of course it's always used with a person when it has that little pronoun to believe on someone.
Is to rest all my, all my, uh, life, my future, my everything on that person.
And so the Lord encourages the disciples to do that, doesn't it? Here, believe you, believe in God, believe also in or on me.
Mr. Ironside uses the illustration of a lady that he was visiting one time and his illustrations of Bible truth. He says, uh, he was trying to get across to an old Scots lady, Uh, what it meant to rest on the Lord Jesus and to trust in him and, and, uh, he just didn't seem to get it. And as he went out, there was a little bridge across from her property across a little ditch on the side of the road with a little.
00:15:16
Fridge across it and not a a just a few planks, I guess. And he stood there and looked at it. He put a foot on it and and drew the foot back again. And, and she says, uh, can you not listen?
I don't know it's got either, but they tell me that means to trust me and rest on it. And, uh, Mr. Iron said, that's what I've been telling you. That's what I've been telling you. It rests on the Lord. Trust in him, put your faith in Him. And that's what the Lord is telling here to the disciples, isn't he? He isn't saying, well, there's a body of doctrine that I'd like you to believe.
There are people who believe a body of doctrine and they're going to hell.
Because they've never put their personal faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, they're not resting on Him. So I believe it's important to understand this. The Lord is inviting them in a troubling time.
To rest on him.
A little bit of a practical work for those that take the gospel to often young men to stand up and take the gospel and like anyone who started out doing that to wonder what should I take up and so on but preach Christ and preach what he has done.
That's what brings certainty to Seoul is preach the person of Christ, open up the word of God and preach the person of Christ and preach what he has done. If you preach experiences and how to get saved and so on, it's a very uncertain resting place for faith. Did I say the right words? Did I do it in the right way? There's turmoil there, but when the gospel really is the announcing of facts.
It's announcing a person. That's why there's so much uncertainty in Christendom, because they're not clear as to the person of Christ who he is, and they're not clear as to the work that he has done. And so that's what really the preaching of the gospel is. It's the announcing of facts, Mr. Darby said preach facts. And so that's a resting place for facts because my acceptance is going to go to speak about being accepted here.
In the Father's house and we say, what is it that renders us acceptable? It's a person and we rest in that. If we rest on an experience or my faithfulness or my faith or whatever, it's a it's a completely unsafe ground, but just to rest on a person and what he has done. So preach that. And so he speaks here in my father's house are many mansions or abodes.
At Windsor Palace, I've seen that if you're traveling, you've traveled in England or Europe at all. All the great houses, they have what are called abodes. They maybe aren't all called that, but Lady Baden Powell, the founder of the Girl Guides, I believe, lived in one of these abodes at Windsor, Windsor Palace. It's called a grace and favor apartment. And so when she was old, she was brought to liberate in the Queen's Palace and there was a place great for her there. It's not the image like there's a street of gold with a lot of fancy houses on it, but there was a place there right in Windsor Palace for her to live.
And that's really the picture here. In my father's house are many mansions or a boat, and he's prepared a place for us, and he's prepared us for that place.
When I was a boy and learned this chapter and I hope some of you boys that are here and girls too will memorize this chapter. It'll be very precious to you when you get older.
You're already crowded. 70 and it's precious to look back on that scriptures and thank God for somebody who made me learn them. But I used to have the picture of the Lord up in heaven. I speak reverently.
And he said, I'm going up there and I'm gonna take a hammer and some nails and some stuff, and I'm gonna get that place ready for you. I think I misunderstood completely what the Lord is saying here when he said I go to prepare a place for you.
I read something very precious.
Probably 1520 years ago. That has been so precious to me. It says this. The entrance of the Lord into that place prepared it for us. The entrance of the Lord into that place prepared it for it. There's no progressive preparation, is there? That's not the thought. He went to the cross. He laid the foundation.
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We went into glory and once he was there in glory, the places a prepared place.
Am I right, brother? Nor am I off the track on that. Well, he said it is finished when he completed the work on the cross, didn't he? I was thinking too of, uh, again of this verse. In my father's house. There are many mansions or abodes going back to Psalm 65. We have a picture of the Millennium, and here's a little encouragement in connection with that. Of course, we know we're gonna be in the Father's house above, but here in.
Psalm 65 we have a little picture of the Millennium and uh, notice what it says. Verse four. Blessed is the man whom thou chooses.
We've been chosen in Christ, haven't we, brought into a place of blessing and causes to approach unto thee? What a privilege this is. And also the endings goes on. And he says that we may dwell in thy courts, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house. What a glorious thought, isn't it? This is for the people of Israel. But our place will be in glory, and the Father's house.
Even of our holy temple. And I was thinking of this in connection with our chapter here because he says, let not your heart be disturbed. You believe in God, believe also. We just turn over to the umm, uh, 27th verse of that same chapter. He brings in this thought, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled or do not be disturbed.
Neither let it be afraid. Why? What was their piece? There was more trials difficulties after the Lord left. They were, they all died, uh, you know, as almost like martyrs, sufferings and so on. But he left them a wonderful heritage, didn't he? His piece, his piece, it says, uh.
Umm, my a piece. I leave with you my piece.
Yeah, his. His was always at peace with the Father, and so he's gonna lead them. But he said not as the world giveth, give I unto you, Let not your heart be disturbed.
I go unto the Father, and my Father is greater than I. How wonderful all this is for us as we think of it now. We think of people, the people of God is gonna be brought into a marvelous place in glory there. Uh, that is the, uh, in the, in the time of the Millennium. But where is our place? It's far above that, isn't it? In the Father's house.
Isn't the place prepared the place of the sun?
Profitable came back to the father and one to be made as one of the hired service, but he found a place that he had was the place of a son.
It's a place different than the thought of a boat.
What was that? And the boat is the dwelling. The place is the position that I have in my father's house. There many of those go to prepare a place to play for the sun.
I'd like to say this is our brother Robert suggested this scripture, and I hope he will be. He and any other younger brothers that might have something on their hearts will not be intimidated, but will feel free to to help us with what they might have. I assume you had some exercises. Further, are we squishing them out? I don't wanna see us through that.
00:25:00
Different old. I was sitting here this afternoon, uh, I mean this morning thinking of different meetings that I've been to in this very room and thinking of brothers that caught us here and helped us here. They're not here. Some have gone to glory. Some are not able to be here and I think, uh.
God raises up men for a generation, doesn't they? And uh, I just say this to encourage our younger brothers not to be forward, but to to be.
Willing to offer that which the Lord may give you, as led by Him.
And uh, some of us, you take a lot apart. Maybe we do well to sit quietly and listen to you.
It's interesting, our brother, you mentioned that, uh, the question is asked, are you willing? Are you willing to help out? Are you willing to take part? Are you willing to encourage the things of God? Then someone said, well, you can go beyond that. Are you willing to be willing?
Are you willing to be willing?
Sometimes we are abstinent. We we set our thoughts against that, but and we say, well, so and so is there they they, they can tell us all these things, but what about those that do take part? They need encouragement too, perhaps from some of the younger ones, from some of those who the Lord has given something, but they fear to speak up. So I think it's very interesting point you're bringing out.
Such a wonderful thought to express whether Steve and connection a place for you. I believe anyone of us could be picked up and taken to live in Buckingham Palace, but I don't think any one of us in this room would fit in there. We'd find that there was a place for us there. There might be a place prepared for us, but it's a wonderful, uh, uh, a room for us and a boat for us there. But we aren't fit for there. And so a place is prepared for us. I thought you've expressed that we've been brought into this, into sonship.
By the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. And that's really John's ministry, isn't it?
The setting forth in this chapter of the Lord's Coming.
Is the foundation for our hope that he's coming the details as to when?
Whether it's premillennial or pre tribulation, as I believe it is in both cases. But those details are left to another place. What the Spirit of God stirs in our souls here is the pre precious hope that He's coming again.
We may not know when.
And we don't know when. We may even be in confusion as to some of the details, but.
Is your heart looking for it? I I read a pamphlet when I was younger and I hope, uh, I would encourage any of us to have not read it to read it. The difference between holding premillennial doctrine and waiting for the sun from heaven.
The Spirit of God is not interested in solely in making you a premillennial pre tribulation person.
He wants to engage your heart with the Lord Jesus. I will come again and receive you. And I'm glad it was pointed out. Not unto heaven. It doesn't say that it will be happening.
But the point here is unto myself, that where I am.
There you may be also. And so the apostle Paul in First Thessalonians 4, where he begins to unfold some of those details, he said, I want you to be ignorant. Now there's no point in being ignorant. There's no special virtue. In fact, there's not a virtue at all forces. I don't want you to be ignorant concerning those details. And so he sets out by revelations and wonderful things.
But even there, he says.
That the Lord himself is going to descend, and then the end. So shall we ever be where?
OK.
Where's the Lord? That's what counts, isn't it?
00:30:04
With some more.
That's what the Spirit of God would engage your heart with.
Just heaven or premillennial doctrine or pre tribulation teaching. And by the way, don't think I'm putting that down in any way. I think that we need to get more careful about that because it's being given up on every side. But uh, the point is.
Let me be with it. Let me be with thee. Wherever he is, that's where I wanna be. And, uh.
We're, we're thankful, of course, that we know that it's going to be heaven itself, isn't it? The Father's out, and so we're glad for that. But the important thing here is to be with Him.
That's very important, the senior in these verses, isn't it? It's in verse two he says I go to prepare a place for you. And then in verse three, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, that where I am, there you may be also, and whither I go, ye know, and the way you know. So the whole point is the occupation of the person himself, isn't it?
Doesn't say a word here about heaven, as our brother has already said.
But he said, if I I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am ye there you may be on the whole point is the person of Christ, and that's very beautiful because will he not occupy that scene of glory? He will be the center of that scene of glory. Re Revelation chapter 54 tells us that.
There in in the in the scene and glory. So we're we're gonna be occupied with one person. What is our occupation now?
It should be with Christ while we wait his return.
That was the Father, That was the son's desire to the Father. When the heart is done, 17 and he says, wait here, I said that was the son's desire for the Father. When he prayed in John 17, he said, Father, I will that they also who now have given me the 24 be with me where I am.
That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
So it was his own desire expressed to his father, that we might see where he is, and then he goes to the cross and prepares that place for us to be there.
I can get pretty worked up sometimes over the hardiness with which, umm.
Some of our Dominican sisters have been granted visas to come here, but I've learned a lot out of it because I've talked with some of those girls. I, I, here's Jaime as an example up there in, uh, when she was still not with Alberto. I was up there one time up in, uh, in, uh, La Novia, beautiful little place. If you've never been there, visited sometime it's, I think it's something like Abraham's dwelling. I often think of it, but if I, I was sitting there talking with her.
And I said, uh, you know much about Tampa.
No, I don't know anything about Tampa.
Well, are, are you a little bit apprehensive about going to, to, uh, live in Tampa or be with Alberto's? He said. Gonna be with Alberto.
Less years now and I think to myself.
Isn't that where we really are?
We don't know an awful lot about.
The Father's house, but we know the Son and I think that's what makes it a blessing place for us. Little boys sometimes will say to us, and little girls too, will I be able to take my toys when I go to heaven? And they seem disappointed sometimes when you tell them that you don't know or you don't think so.
But the point isn't to get them occupied with toys or no toys there, to occupy them with a person of the Lord Jesus so that they can say I'm gonna be with Jesus, I will be with Jesus. I visited the man out in Long Island in the Long Island Medical Center who was dying of AIDS.
00:35:18
Young man who would receive the Lord into jail.
And.
I stepped into his room. Alberto and I were together.
And developed from Puerto Rico.
And I looked in and I was.
Just bones and skin over the bones and I fall. I just had used contaminated needles with in a drug addiction and had gotten HIV.
And my heart is.
Almost burst out crying at the moment when I saw it and suddenly he caught my eye, looked over and he was talking to some of the doctors and he waved. He says come in brother **** come in. I don't look like much but I'm gonna be with Jesus pretty soon.
That made it all the difference.
And he said that we further **** would you take my funeral?
What would you say at a time? Like I said, sure.
Then he shows there's gonna be a jungle Puerto Rico. Well, I hadn't quite bargained for that, but the Lord gave grace and we flew down for on a Tuesday and took his funeral and came back.
It's the person that engages our hearts and that's what the Spirit of God would do. He would engage your heart and mind with grace.
This meeting will be worth well worth it, wounded Robert, if that's the result of it, if our hearts be engaged with him. Lord Jesus to be with me, that man who was in such a terrible condition in Lucade and other passengers parallel passages where he was.
Demoniac came out of the came out of the desert and, and, uh.
He, uh, was, were no clothes and he had no home and.
It was in a terrible condition. They tried to restrain him with chains, and he broke the chains, but the Lord delivered him, and they find him sitting at the feet of Jesus. And then what is he saying? He bestowed him much that he might be with him.
He thought him much that he might be with him. I believe that that is the desire that the Spirit of God creates in every true believer to be with the Lord Jesus.
I will come again and take you on to myself. I didn't say that. I didn't say I'll come again and take you as myself.
If I see you candy the candy store.
I take it, but if somebody offers me a candy, I receive it from that person.
Receive anything, it's presented to you by someone else. And uh, you see that illustrated in the 24th chapter of Genesis, where? At the end of the wilderness journey. Why?
Rebecca, Steve, Isaac. And he asked the servant there.
She said, verse 65 she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant said, That is my master.
Have they all uncovered themselves? And the servant told Wiser all things that he had done and deserve it?
Presented Rebecca to either. And so here it will be the Holy Spirit that will present the variety of Christ. Christ will receive the bride at the hands of the Holy Spirit.
A question I'd like to ask, you know, are we ready to go with?
When, uh, when we're invited to this conference.
Be prepared to come that our suitcases out of our closet and that our clothes out, our phones and food practices, et cetera.
We're ready to go and often our car or whatever means that we got here, but we're ready to go because the ones that we received in.
But I wonder, are we begging for heaven? Are we ready for those mannequins?
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We woke up in the morning and say even still come over here.
Are we ready or are we attached to something here that would say, well, I wanna do this or I just wanna do that? We know this dimension waiting for us in a moment, but are we making the goal at any moment?
Every change is ready. I thought of that malefactor on the cross with Matthew's Gospel had railed on him and then turning to Jesus.
Oh good.
Confess the Lord and ask the Lord to remember him when He came in his Kingdom. He said, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. I believe he was the first one who knew that he was going to be with the Father, because as we know, the Lord was dead already. And he said, Father into thy hands, I commend my spirit at that. Faith knew that he was going to die, but he was going to be absent from the body and present with the Lord, with the Father. And he was prepared, and every St. is prepared.
Perhaps you're Speaking of the practical side of that. That should have a sanctifying effect on us. And I believe that that's why he said, and whether I go in and whether I go, you know, and the way you know, how do they know where the Lord was going?
Well, they had dwelt with galore and that's what heaven is going to be like. It's going to be with Jesus. They came to Jesus and said, Master, where dwelleth thou? And he said, come and see. And so it is in walking in communion with the Lord that we get a foretaste of heaven. The two UMM, Peter and James and John went up to the Lord and Mount of Transfiguration and he spoke with Moses and Elias. They were there.
And they saw, they got a, they got a vision of what it was going to be like in heaven. Here were two men, Moses and Elias, who had never met each other on the face of this earth, who had, according to Peter's epistle, questions, they prophet side of things that they didn't understand. And they were told that they were not going to understand, that they prophesied them for us. And they had questions. And So what did they speak of to the Lord? The very things that had puzzled them.
And so we get a vision of what heaven is like. And so we know. And walking in communion with the Lord here, we get a glimpse of what heaven is like.
And we know the way. How is it that we enjoy communion with the Lord? Well, this passage tells us how we enjoy communion with the Lord.
Interesting too about Elisa and Elijah. Remember I just noticing this in Second Kings how that it's interesting there how you went to these four different places, but just noticing here in verse two, Second Kings 2.
Uh, and in the middle of adverse, Elijah said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. He stayed right with him.
So they went to Bethel.
Then in verse.
Uh.
Four, Elijah said to Elijah, Carry you here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.
So they came to Jericho very interestingly. It's interesting to see this. And then in verse six, Elijah said unto him, Terry, I pray thee hear, for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they too went on together, finally came to Jordan. But I just thought of how how attached Elijah was.
To Elijah, and it's a little picture of us, isn't it, for us to see that we should be attached, not only to know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, but to be attached to him as our Lord, the one who did it all for us and is waiting for that very moment when you're going to give this out and we're going to be called home to go to be forever with him.
I used to wonder about those sons of the prophets in that chapter because, umm.
They, umm, they do too, that, that he was gonna be taken from them, didn't they? But he says to be quiet. I know it. But he knew it in a different way, didn't he? He knew it from companionship with him. And there are people who could probably set out the truth of the Lord's coming. And we even write a book on it. I've just been reading a book and it happens to be a very helpful book on it's called There really is a difference on.
00:45:29
Setting out the difference between covenant theology and dispensationalism. But I was thinking that a lot of the things that the brother sets out in that book could be written.
By someone who did not really have the joy of the Lord's coming before us. It was not waiting for them, he says. I know it. Be quiet.
How did he know? He knew it in an experimental way, didn't he? He knew that he was with him, going from place to place.
And so I think that's the difference between knowing doctrine.
Is a wonderful thing and you can be in error on the details of it and still have that waiting for the sun from heaven. Now again I say the apostles. I don't want you to be ignorant about it. That's why you wrote what he did. But the point is not the details and whether we can set out the pre tribulation or post millennial or.
All those things, you know, some people are, they can set it out so neatly and put names on all of it, but God wants our hearts to be engaged with a man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what this chapter is all about. The details come later. And uh, when Paul preached to the Thessalonians, they turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.
And to wait for what? For the pre tribulation rapture of the church? Is that what it says? The sun from heaven? To wait for the sun from heaven?
Now the rest of that book kind of straightens it all out, so we understand the details of it. And sometimes I'm sure they were perplexed when Grandma died. And did you miss the blessing?
When a child died, did my child miss the blessing? And so Paul is led by the Holy Spirit to set it all out clearly. And we do not despise that. We should learn it and hold it and not let it go. But above all, not let go the the the joy of waiting for the sun from heaven. I know he's coming. He's coming again, he said, So I will come again.
Somebody asked in the conference one time, what was the basis?
I never forget this. What was the basis for our statement that we're waiting for the coming of the Lord?
Is it some of the developments in Europe? And some of that question was raised and a brother is no longer in fellowship, I'm sorry to say, but a brother who taught me a lot when I was a teenager, who said the basis of it is I will come again.
I will come again and surely I come quickly, he said. That's the basis. It isn't any development in prophecy or Israel regathered in the land or any of those things.
Because some of those things you might, you might even not be sure if this is, is this really the, the time that he's talking about or is there going to be something that looked like they were fulfillment of something and then they later on they didn't, Am I right?
And, uh, the promise of his coming again, nothing can rob us of that kind of. He will come again and he will receive us unto himself. You were talking about received and emphasizing that brother. And I, I made me think back to, uh, the time was when I was recently gathered, may even be in the first conference I went to. First conference I went to was in Scranton, believe it or not. And uh.
Is in September 1954 after being gathered earlier that year.
My dear father-in-law got up and he spoke on the second of Luke.
Have you ever heard my father-in-law? You know, he warmed your heart. But he spoke about Simeon and he talked about Simeon. First thing he said was a Simeon was a very old man. And then he said, he said, Lord, uh oh, he said. And he took him into his arm. He took him into his arms and.
00:50:24
After the meeting I over overheard Jay Ruskin Gil talking to my father-in-law and he said Brother Guilford how do you know he was an old man?
And my father-in-law slept for many, so I guess I don't know that well, he said we don't know. He probably was, but he said doesn't say that.
There is a point there is, he says, and he also pointed out, he said if you read it in J&D, it says he received him in his arms. Very appropriate, isn't it? He received him in his iron. And then he says, Lord, let now thy servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen thy salvation.
My father-in-law had offered that as a proof that he resolved that he was waiting to, to die. No, he said, Brother Gill said every one of us is in that position. Every one of us is in the position that there's nothing that could detain us here now because our eyes have seen our salvation. And he said that, umm, well, surely, uh, the, uh, the old widow there.
Anna was old. Scripture makes her old. Reuben. I have a difference over how old he was, but she was. But, umm, I'll say I think she was over 100, uh, 114 I think something like that. And uh, uh, you can ask me later, what do you think? But, uh.
That's not the point with Simeon, Simeon.
Says my guys have seen thy salvation.
If I ask one of the children here who saved, have your eyes seen his salvation? Can you say, yeah, I can go in peace now. So we're all at any moment ready to be received, Aren't we into the glory because our eyes are seeing thy salvation? Well, that was a lesson I learned. My. It's gotta be 40. Uh, no, it's, it's uh, almost 50 years now ago that I heard that conversation and.
It stuck with me.
It's the person of Christ that attracts our.
You've been speaking about being ready. We're speaking just a little bit being ready and we, it's good to be clear on, on that, uh, for the sake of all young and old and everyone that traditionally in our standing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are ready.
As Neil was saying, and I believe that what these brought out, uh.
I bet it being in a place of sun.
Uh, we have an enrollment 8. Might just look at a couple of verses there.
Roman's 8.
And verse 14.
Or as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of ******* against fear, but he have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we try ABBA, Father, the Spirit itself. There is witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.
So please that we suffer within that we may.
We also glorified together, so we we are in that position of everyone who is believed on the word Jesus Christ.
Is a good air with Christ, and after our position is over because of the work that He's done on the cross, we're ready to go. The 2nd to be with them. But as their brother Carl brought in, there is a sense of not being ready in a practical way.
And a practical way, and I think we have that going back to our chapter in Thomas would be not.
And.
Thomas is probably typical of the other disciples as well as as we've had in the 13th chapter spoken about in the 13th chapter, We're in the fifth verse of chapter 14. Our chapter says, Promise that unto him, Lord, we know not whether thou goeth, and how do we know the way?
00:55:19
Thomas should have known if he had listened to the Lord and, and uh.
And taken in what he was saying and under understood the good of what the Lord was saying. But because of his whole nature that cropped up. I've already done he was he was staying here, right? We don't know.
Whether our goal is but how can we know the way because of his practical.
Walk he perhaps wasn't ready to enjoy.
And really understand what the Lord was going to do.
And so often is not the case with us too. So maybe, maybe we learn from from that.
The practical side of our sanctification. In John 17, the Lord says, Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is true. As we walk here on this earth, we get sanctified through Thy truth.
Umm.
Peter.
Cut off the ear of the one who was gonna take the Lord Jesus.
He didn't understand the plan and many times we stumbled because we don't understand the, the truth of the word of God where our minds are not uh, in tune with his mind. Umm enjoyed another thought and uh, Matthew 1128 about the person of Christ. Where has come unto me are you that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest. So the call is to come under him, the person of Christ.
And I rest lies in Christ.
And it says, take my yolk composure, and learn of me frying, meek and lonely, and heart you shall find rest into your soul. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. So when we come up to the person of Christ.
We find that rest that we desire is not a denomination, even though these things not in our doctrine, and these things are important, very important, that we get the truth of the word of God, but our rest is in Christ.
What are you doing? I'm sorry.
Giving us, uh, somewhat of a definition of faith earlier. And, uh, I was reminded as he spoke that, uh, I'm not sure if it's in the Hebrew or in the Greek, but that the word to trust or believe has the thought of rolling over onto.
And as our brother was speaking here just now, I was reminded that if we roll over on through, the implication is there that we're needing and we're helping and.
What better could thrust us into his arms when he returns? To receive them is to realize that we are just that. We're needing or helpless. You know we can go through this world in confidence.
The world prepares us with confidence to to work amongst them and and to to accomplish and to succeed. But the Lord is faithful, and as He says in his gospel.
In in the world, you shall have tribulation. There are things that come our way so that we're not long without the knowledge and appreciation for the fact that we're needing and we're helpful and that the Lord alone brings salvation, brings comfort and prepares us for what is yet to be, which is far better than anything here. We can lose sight of that. But if I say.
That's what you're talking. That's what you're talking. It's really a type of remnant in Israel and they were looking for certain things.
We thought that sour heated should restore the Kingdom to Israel. They were looking for something, but they weren't really looking for the Lord. And we see Job as another type of that who trusted in his own integrity and he was a good man. The Lord could turn to Satan and has said to him, hast thou considered my servant Jill, when he was brought to that place, when he should see himself as vile, to see that his standing rested in another, that he was brought to peace.
And the Lord blessed his latter end. That's the whole work of God with Israel is to bring them to the sense of their need and so that's why I really believe the bearing of Thomas question was he didn't really understand where the Lord was going and how can we know the way where there's real faith in the person of Christ. We realize that he is the way the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me the truth is it is in Jesus and as.
01:00:30
Some comments have been made to that suggestion as we can have a lot of truth, so to speak, truth things out of the Word of God.
But the truth is a person prophecy concerns a person and his rights in connection with this earth.
And when we see that, we really makes a lot of things clear. When we see how is it that God is going to bring this world in subjection and set things in order in this world, we see is when Jesus has his proper place. We get a look at that in the Book of Revelation.
And so.
It's the light. What kind of life are we gonna have in heaven? We're gonna have the life into we. We have that life now. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, We shall appear with him in glory. That's our light.
Not getting something, a little parcel of something that you need, something like an insurance policy. We have the life of Christ and that's our brother was bringing that out in connection with the place, but we have a light that's fitted and suited for that place.
And Jesus is that light.
You say 44 in the back of the book, 44 in the appendix.
Yes.
God's Work in Elijah
The Potter's Work
John 14:6-14
Reading
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For six John 14/6.
Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If He had known me, he should have known my Father also. And from henceforth you know him and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me have seen the Father. And how saith thou then show us the Father. Believeth thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in may He doeth the works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works sake.
Barely, barely, I say unto you, He that believeth on me the works that I should I do shall he do also. And greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If he shall ask anything in my name, I will do it if he loved me. Keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter.
That He may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him. For He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you, get a little while, and the world seeth me no more. But ye see me because I live, ye shall live also. At that day you shall know that I am in my Father.
And me, and me, and I, and you either have my commandments and keepeth them. He it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judith said unto him, Not as area, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loved me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.
And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's, which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I have said unto you, peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you not as the world giveth. Give I unto you, but not your heart. Be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
You have heard how I said unto you, I go away.
And come again unto you, If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you. For the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me.
But the world, but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, Even so I do arise. Let us go in.
I was talking with his sister in between the meeting.
Whose husband ministered among us and he mentioned that.
He had often remarked that if Thomas hadn't raised this question that we sometimes.
Find fault with. We have never gotten this wonderful declaration by the Lord Jesus. I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And I've pondered that for a couple of hours and enjoyed that thought that God uses.
Questions. Sometimes they come from a true heart. Confused heart, perhaps. But a true heart, it uses those questions to bring out wonderful things.
And so we would encourage.
And do encourage our younger brothers if they have a question to ask it.
00:05:05
The Lord Himself in the.
In the temple when he was 12 years old, he had some apparently very wonderful questions that, uh, they marveled at the questions that he asked and, uh, and his answers. So, uh, I think.
There's always moral suitability in those things. But it is a wonderful answer that he got, isn't it commerce to that question where he says, uh.
Lord, we don't know where you're going, and how can we know the way? And the Lord then set himself before them as the way.
Himself before them is the truth not one way of many.
I am the way. It's a very arbitrary, a very, very, umm, exclusive thing, isn't it?
There's no idea in Scripture that there are several ways. One way and that way is the Lord Jesus Christ, one truth.
Do you ever hear anybody say all truth is God's truth? Sounds very generous, doesn't it?
Well, the truth is in the person of Christ and everything if it sells out of that.
Those waters is no longer true.
And, uh, Pilot raised that question. What is true when the Lord said he is he that is of truth hears us. So it's very important to recognize that and he's the light. And then he makes a very arbitrary and exclusive statement. No man comes to the father except by me. The only way is the other way to get to the father. I sometimes hear people.
Lead other ways. There are no other ways. Arthur, brother Eric.
No other way, right?
It's not just that He exclusively has the truth as you've been saying, but that He is the truth. And it's important to realize that in reading the Word of God. And taking up the Word of God is the truth as it is in Jesus.
Even in prophecy, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. So to take up prophecy, it's not whether Russia is going to invade China, if I may put it that way. You were referring in a way to to the details of things, but it's the testimony. It's the story of how in God's counsel there's going to be a man and a beast to the field, so to speak, are going to come to that man and be brought into subjection to that man. That's what the testimony, that's what the Spirit of prophecy is. It's how God is going to bring all in subjection into this world.
To that man.
And so people get taken up with the details and types and shadows in the Old Testament. And so I believe even in connection with that and you know, and the way you know is the Spirit of Christ was manifest in the Old Testament. We see that.
In the book of Peter we see the Spirit of Christ and Noah we see the Spirit of Christ, in Elijah we see failure in it with and David we see the Spirit of Christ. But now finally here was a man in whom it was seen totally and completely. He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. And so he can go on to say that that that he's manifested the Father.
And so he is the way, He is the truth, and so he is the life. And so life is not something we get, it is a person.
That's the whole line of John's, uh, ministry is that we see people say what is life? This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ who now is sin. That is what is a person.
Relationship.
Verse that's repeated twice in the Proverbs from chapter 14 and 16 says that there is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
I often compare that with what we find in Ecclesiastes. We talk, uh, 10th chapter and verse 15. I'll just read that. The labor of the foolish, We're in every one of them because, you know, it's not how to go to the city.
00:10:11
You would think that the entrance to the city would be the easiest entrance to find. So how come people can't find that way? Because every man has a way in his own heart and they don't submit to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the only way to glory. Imagine any other religious leader making a statement as we have in the sixth verse. It would result be presumptuous for anyone else to say I am the way, the truth, and the life of the Lord Jesus said those words to me.
It was a stumbling stone in a rock of a fence because the thought that one should submit even unto death to be obedient and submit on to death who was in a It was a rock of offense and a stumbling stone to the Jew. And really as far as Jacob was concerned, he struggled. He thought he was going to get the blessing by his own struggles. But here was one that got the blessing for secure the blessing for all of mankind by submitting.
And so we witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate. It it was an offense to man. You go out into the world and you say, well, you're gonna get blessing by submitting.
That's not what they're taught in the world at all, but he was the way.
Years ago when we started the Spanish meetings in the jail, uh, the first, uh, week we had them, there were 22 or 23 fellows that came in. I kind of astounded me because I expected maybe four or five and they were 24202324 something like that. And, uh.
We gave each corner Bible, and I, just out of curiosity, I asked how many of them had ever had a Bible in their hand before, ever had one of their own and not been able to read it. Three guys raised their hands out of the hole, 20 something. Well, I got the idea that probably most of them are Roman Catholics. It turns out they were. But as we got on and got into the word with them, they came one day with this question. Is it all right?
To, uh, go to the Saints to intercede for us with God.
I said, boy, I'm not going to walk into this track.
So I said, let's look at what God says. We looked at John 14, Six, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me, First Timothy 25 and six, there's one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
We went to various scriptures like that.
Only scriptures. I just had the fellows read the scriptures. We got all finished and I said, now you make the application of those scriptures to your question that you asked, and they universally said, well, there is no other way to come through the Lord Jesus.
About, uh, a week later, I got called in the carpet on the jail by the lady who handled the programs and she says, uh, Father Brown was in here and he was complaining that you're undermining.
His teaching in here.
I said what?
Yes, he said the the fellows told him that you said that we can't go by savings to, to, uh, gone.
She said. But I told him that isn't what I know about Brother ****. I don't think he does that.
Why don't you go and talk to him about it and see if he really did say that? Well, he didn't. He never had the courage to come to me about it. He says if he still, if you're still not satisfied, then we'll go see the sheriff together afterwards about it.
Well, what I I wonder why that ever came out. How did that come out? Well, they had a Catholic Bible study a little while later, four or five days after we had our time with the fellows, and the fellows were fresh with this understanding of how we go to the Lord. And they told the, they asked the priest what the answer was to that question. Why of course we go through this thing.
They said, well, that's not what Brother **** taught us.
OK, you see, the Scriptures are what teachers, aren't they? In those things, there's no controversy. Could you have a controversy with this verse?
00:15:05
Is there any way that you can work in some system of going to Saints?
In this verse.
Is there any way you can work it in Later on? I had lunch with that priest and, uh, at his request and, uh, it was maybe a year or so later and I said, I said, is it true that, uh, the fellows told you I said that? And yes. But he said, I understand now what it's all about. He said, I, I'm not making any issue of it anymore.
Well, I said there is only one way, and that's through the Lord Jesus Christ. He asked me an interesting question in that lunch. He said what is the main thing that separates you from us?
I thought a little while and I said, Lord give me the right answer.
I said the main thing is the Supreme.
Unique authority of the Word of God in all matters of faith and doctrine.
That is, isn't it?
Because if you can see that the Word of God is the authority, then we go there about everything.
And so here this question of how do we get to the Father? It's only through the Lord Jesus. Neither is there salvation in any other. There's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we might be safe, must be saved. There's no other way.
And that isn't what I say or any other preacher serving the Lord might use. It's what God says in His Word. And if that has authority.
Then it has authority.
But I just said to you, uh, young ones who might be challenged in that way, don't be tempted to put things in your own words so much as to turn to the Word of God and let the Spirit use the Word of God. You're on safe ground then.
You're on a safe grant.
Just quickly share an experience in connection with that comment and some verses from Revelation two and three that the Catholic fellow at work said, you know the difference between US and evangelicals. As he said, we don't say we go by what the word of God says, we go by what the Pope said. But he said evangelicals and fundamentalists, that they go by what the word of God says and do what they want.
And the Lord said to Sardis, Thou hast the name to live, but are dead. Follow his characteristic of Philadelphia. Instead, thou has kept my word, and not denied my name. So we do desire that we would keep his word and not deny his name.
It's vital that we rest, as you say, on the authority of God's Word, but that we keep His Word.
That brought out more more strongly later on in the chapter, but it's a good point that we'll never get to that probably. So let's say it now that the keeping of his word is, is a vital importance, isn't it?
Lovely too. I was thinking of 17th of John where we get this brought together. Very lovely here.
Where he says in uh.
Verse ¬ John 17 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God.
The only true God. There is no other God, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent.
So we see them interwoven here together, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom the only true God sent into this world. What else can they say to this except to deny it and say that it's not true which will have its day and which have its reorder another day. So I just thought how beautiful all this is, where the Lord says here I have glorified thee in verse four on the earth.
I have finished the work which Thou gave us me to do, but we find that the God and the Lord brought together here in a lovely way, interwoven together.
And so we know that the Lord Jesus was God. And So what else is there to go by? Is there anything else? Is there some man, is there some great teacher, some great evangelist, if he doesn't hang to the word of God, if he doesn't have the word of God? And so no value whatever, No value.
00:20:31
It's a good question here, isn't it That Phillips says in verse 8? Phillips says unto him, Lord, show us the Father.
You know, that's an interesting question, isn't it?
I, I don't believe we'll see the Father. If somebody asked Mr. Darby that question, I mean not quoting it exactly, but said, do you think that when we get home we'll, we'll ever see the Father? He said, well, I cannot conceive of being in heaven and not feeling the divine presence of the Father in that scene of glory. There's something to that effect. He felt that we will sense that as we get there of the Father's glory.
So he didn't say he would see the father.
But I think it was very lovely the Lord Jesus here could say in in that answer Jesus said unto him, have I been so long time with you? And yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the Father To me that's always been a very precious and searching verse, because many times we see a father and his son. We look at the Father and we look at his son. We say, sure look alike.
They look very much alike, but the Lord Jesus was so much like God.
In this world that he could say, he that has seen me has seen the Father. Very lovely, isn't it, when you think of that, Because the question always comes up, will we see the Father as they ask Mr. Darby? But he didn't say that we would. He said he didn't realize. He didn't. He felt that he would feel the divine presence of the Father in glory.
May I read 2 stanzas of a hymn we sang earlier today #212 versus stanzas.
Three and four, that was the image in man's lowly guise of the more invisible, immortalized come from his bosom. From the heavens above, we see.
Indeed, Incarnate God is love. Thy lips, the Father's name to us revealed What burning power in all thy words we feel. When do our raptured hearts we hear detail the heavenly glories which thou northest so well? There was a man here who fully represented and displayed what the Father is. What a thought that that Blessed One was.
The image.
In men's lowly guide. And so, uh, in response to the idea of what we see the Father, if we've seen it in Christ, are we discontent with that? Is that enough?
What we've seen in Jesus the Father, Peter has seen me, have seen the Father.
Brother Gill used to say this. Never tried to separate.
The Father and the Son we see them, the Lord Jesus was seen here as a man. God has has not been seen as such, but here we find them intermingled together and Mr. Gill used to say don't try to search that out and try to separate that as we find in our verses here.
Just dropping down again to verse 10.
Believer style not that I am in the Father and the Father in me. Can you understand that?
No, you'll never understand it. You know how you'll get it? Just by believing it, that's all. Just believe it.
Believe us, thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, the Father. That's that's well offended.
To do with the work. And then he says, believe me that I am in the Father and the Father and me also believe me for the very works of it. But I just thought of how man likes to delve into this. He likes to try to divide this up somehow with his intellectualism divided up. You'll never do that. Never. The only way we're going to know it is my faith is Hebrews.
00:25:19
7 By faith we understand the word of God. It's only by faith, isn't it? That's how we know it.
The word that I and my father are one, so three. There are three things that we have had here, starting verse 6.
Coming to the Father.
Were 7 million this quarter and in verse 9 seeing the quarter and all three have to be done through the Lord Jesus.
No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
You should have, uh, if you have known me, you should have known my father also.
He ended up seeing the, uh, seeing the fund.
Now, just a word while we're on that subject, I, I don't know how many of you have run across people who they refer to themselves as, uh.
Bonus or they believe Jesus only they call themselves and you find that very prevalent in some of the Spanish countries we were in the.
Davis Columbia One time in, in the reading meeting we had there, there was a, an old man who came in and he started telling us that Jesus was the Father and, uh, he was the Holy Spirit. And right away the antenna went up, you know, and I, I said, uh, you uh, got that from the United Pentecostals, right?
You can get that from the Word of God. Oh, I got it purely from the word of God.
And, uh, some of the people there that were listening were wondering if I've been fair with him until a few minutes later he's in, My pastor says this and my pastor says that I said, what, what, uh, pastor was that big? He said, oh, uh, the United Pentecostal Church.
There is a denomination that says that there's only one person.
That Jesus is the Father and Jesus is the Son and Jesus is the Holy Spirit.
That's utterly wrong. Utterly wrong. It's Unitarianism.
In a different form.
And they teach that on the basis that they say, well, he said they're baptizing the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And they baptized in the name of Jesus. So that just shows that Jesus was the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Don't be fooled by that. This, this, the Scripture teaches the Trinity. We can't understand it. My mind can't understand it. But I'd better bow before that truth.
And accept it because that's where.
The Spirit of God would teach us.
That there is.
A Father. There is an eternal Son, There's an eternal spirit.
Three in one, one in three.
It's taught clearly in the Word of God. The word Trinity doesn't appear.
True, that's true, but the concept does.
It comes from 2 words, Triunity 3:00 and 1:00.
We have a witness to that and, umm, the uh.
Leave it in the egg. Just the common thing in the egg.
You have a day, there's a shell, you have the yolk and the white.
Three or one egg, aren't they?
And it's interesting, I just mentioned that, umm, in Hebrew there are two words for one. Not like we have one word for one, they have two words.
Yaheed and Nehad and Yahid means one exclusively.
Sole solely for instance, Jeptha's daughter is spoken of as an only one Yahid. But in the very famous, uh, prayer of the the Jews say constantly in Deuteronomy six, I think it's verse six or five. Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one.
00:30:09
It's uh uh.
Shema Israel had a noya Lakhim Atanoy E hat. Very interesting that when they say that prayer, they don't say akhad, they say Yahid. But one means a united one. God means a united 1. And I just mentioned that because this is important. We're in a place now where where we have to be very careful and walk carefully and see what the Lord is saying. But he's not saying that I am the Father, is he? No.
And I showed this man in in Colombia, I said, what about at the Lord's baptism?
Who went down into the water?
And when he went down into the water, what came down in the boat? When he came up out of the water, what bowed upon him?
And what voice was heard?
You're telling me that was all the same?
Well, he couldn't answer that. There is no answer to that. It's three distinct persons, one triune.
United Golf.
Again, if there is a simpler in verse 16, the beginning of verse 17 is one sentence. I will pray the father, I the Lord Jesus will pray the Father and.
And he shall give you another comforter, that he may applied with you forever, even with spirit of truth. They're all.
Three, and not one favorite.
Resistance Person.
Man ceased to put their own thoughts and ideas.
And wisdom into the Saint of God. I'm thinking of a passage in Second Kings.
438.
It says, And Elijah came again to Gigale, and there was a dirt in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto his servant set on the great pot and seed pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field together herbs, and found the wild fine, and gathered there on wild gores his last full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage, where they knew them not.
So they poured out.
For the men to eat and it came to pass as they were eating of the product.
That they cried out and said, Oh thou man of God, there is a death in the pot, and they could not eat thereof. But he said, then bring meal, and he cast it into the pot, and he said, pour out for the people, that they may eat, and there was no harm in the pot. And the Lord lays it out clearly that he is the way in the truth and the light. But yet the enemy would seek to shred these little changes in in the word of God and and when man seeks salvation on any means.
But the Jesus Christ alone at least leads to death.
All through the Word of God also we find a One of the writers Put it this way, the personal dignity of Christ is never lost in the intensity and tenderness of His love.
He has a personal dignity that is his own. He doesn't even share that with us.
But he shares his acquired glory with us, and that's good to remember that. But the Lord Jesus has a peculiar personal dignity of his own that no one will ever know.
And so it's so wonderful to think that what he shares with us is what he has acquired as a man down here, a true man here in this world. He's acquired a glory and he shares with us.
When our brother was talking about the shredding of wild collisions in the, in the pars, it made me think about the, the word Brother Barry gave it Mon Montrose, uh, years ago it was umm, he spoke on that passage and he said, do you think the remedy was to try to pick out the pieces of wild gourds from the pot?
You know, you might think, well, maybe there's a way I can quickly get some of that out of there, but you should know as the introduction of the three measures of meal, that is the truth as to Christ in this person. And that's the real remedy, the antidote, isn't it? It's not being able to handle all these wild collisions that are shredded up into things, but the the pure doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ as to his person.
00:35:29
And that will always remove the debt, won't it?
There's no death in that. That's that's wonderful.
Hello, Thomas and Philip were both there and uh, perhaps a little deficient in their knowledge. They both addressed him as Lord here. I never read of Judas ever addressing.
They did well in addressing him. He called me, I think the prior chapter, the Lord that said you called me Master and Lord and he said well, for so I am the Lord knows a person. Dear brethren, he's our we love the Lord. The Lord will give an answer to our questions.
Let me ask your question verse 12.
He says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye that believeth on me the works that I do, shall he do also.
And greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. Now when I read that verse, I go blank. I just quit. I could not explain that verse. And I think it's a good time to ask that question. Perhaps somebody else has something on it.
MMM.
The clinical Peter preached 1 sermon and 3000 souls got saved.
Would it work? Well, let's create that one then.
And it wasn't because he was disconnected from the Lord Jesus. And I think that's important to see.
Any work that they were going to do was.
We're going to be in connection with this being there in the glory and and empowering. It really isn't it? And I think that's a very important connection to make. Never disconnect any service for the Lord from the person of Christ.
Or tried to do it. You can't do it.
But don't disconnect it all work for him is to be connected with him and with his person. And I, I think there's umm, a warning in that, in that, uh, the with all the Lord is in glory now, who empowers the works that are done now.
It's a risen Christ, isn't it, Through the Holy Spirit?
Is that right, brother?
Would the answer be, uh, in connection with the next verse? Because he says in verse 13, and whatsoever you shall ask in my name. Now they were going to have to ask when he was with them. They could talk to him, they could ask him questions, but he's going to leave them now. And so he says, uh, whatsoever you shall ask in my name, uh, that will I do.
So as you were saying, Brother Dickey?
It's not a question of great things that they're going to do, but it's in the power of the of the prayer, prayer and with the word of God itself, with the Lord Jesus himself doing your work as he says, whatsoever you shall ask in my name that will I do that their Father may be glorified in the Son still that blessed one as they're going to receive the glory, isn't it? The Father is going to be glorified in the Son no matter what those works are.
And in other words, many of those of the of the disciples, they had to pray, they had to ask God for the deliverance when they were in trials too.
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The theme of the chapters of sacrifice is going back to war and the sort of change taking place and thinking about how they defend their second largest setup Kingdom and perhaps they expected to be delayed. And as I said earlier, if they had a question that could go into the Lord and ask them, they didn't pray to God as such, although they believed in God. But if they had a question or a doubt or anything, they would go to the Lord directly.
But they were expecting the Kingdom to be set up. Perhaps it's delayed, but the thing that they didn't understand the trouble that was talking about going away. And so they expected, uh, of course, the Lord to set up the Kingdom of Christ and to suffer under those glory. And there had to be an end of man in the flesh. And there has to be open to display at the end of end of the flesh. Go crazy.
And so it really lays out the base of the Christianity, doesn't it? But uh, it wasn't a continuity in the sense of the Lord just setting up the Kingdom in the Roman Empire.
Now being defeated and Ezra brought up to the center of the earthly Kingdom with a large, as we spoke before us, being a king, being absent of entrusting something to his servants while he was gone. And so he's going and they didn't understand why and they didn't understand how and they really didn't understand. Where must the Lord have to tell him that he had to go and then when he went.
Uh, this is part the Holy Spirit comforter would be sent to Christ is derailed by the glory of the Father or seek government glory and the Spirit of God would be sent down. And then as was said, the cycle then went straight to God's Father, something that hadn't been really revealed fully at that time. Let me know later on when the Lord rose, he announced announce that and so.
A real.
Troubling thing for them, but it's a happy, desperate now to look back and to see the blessing that we've been brought into because the Lord suffered and died, was raised in the Father's right hand, and now here we are.
Let's see, knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing not our Father and the Lord, for the Spirit in our hearts and even in the midst to guide and direct to the ministry.
Just thinking, well, that hasn't we were reading this with the trouble with the disciples that now.
Uh, we can, uh, read this and consider and realize a blessing that has come to us, especially as genocidals for most of us and the higher blasting that we've been brought into because Christ suffered and died and went into death for us. And we closed the door on that in the flesh, so to speak. No more to have to prevent the flesh. And now he's written and glorified the Father's right hand and you know, from other scriptures, especially with false ministry.
Blossoming, blasting that has come to us that Christ is that the Father's right hand and he, uh, gifts going down, slowing down because of that finished work.
We haven't made this remark today, but I think it's something that we often say as we read before. Maybe we didn't, I wasn't hearing, I don't know. But we usually say that the fourteen, 15th and 16th chapters of John's Gospel are what we call the Upper Room ministry. Now we want to qualify that. That does not mean that all of it was necessarily said in the Upper Room, but the character of that ministry was one type.
And that is Jesus.
Finished the work, the other side of the cross and it's the base. It's all based on a finished work, isn't it? And Christ is the right hand of God. If we don't keep that perspective as we read those 3 chapters, I think we can be confused. And umm, it starts actually with the 13th chapter, but uh, it runs on into the 17th. Of course, preeminently the 17th. The Lord's Prayer is in view of.
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A finished work.
He said that on earth she umm, which was true, particularly in view of that I have finished the work that gave us me to do. And that's the character of the ministry in these three chapters. It's it's given from the Lord's heart to us.
And we call it sometimes the Upper Room ministry. Uh, I don't make a big thing out of that name, but I just, you might hear that expression and, uh, might be nice to understand it too, that what we mean by that is ministry, which takes his character from, uh, that finished work and the Lord having, uh, going on high.
Going back to your question, it's a very interesting question because to think that the Lord would use service today with people to accomplish His purposes in the world. Umm, you may wonder.
What is a great miracle man to receive this site or for that man to come to Christ and the eternal thing, maybe get the site and let's be 100 years, but if he receives Christ will live forever. Uh, this is what the Lord's service did after the.
They're very close. They went forth just he tells us that was the 300 years of the birth of the Church. Almost all the heathen temples were closed up in every area where they went and millions of souls who led to the Lord. Well, to think that the Lord places an emphasis on the salvation of soul as a greater work. The Lord says you could do greater work than what I'm doing. We tend to think that the natural healing of the body, stay in arms, effective eyesight is effective. It's been a great work with the Lord says you go out and you preach in my name, and that would be the greater work yet.
I wondered if it wouldn't be connected with the thought of the Spirit of God being sent down into this world because now we we don't see the Lord, but the Spirit of God is here. The Holy Spirit is here energizing the people of God. And so we have a marvelous thing. He's unseen. The Spirit of God is unseen. He's in the believer. I just thinking of not to miss verses here, but notice what he says. Umm, umm.
Verse uh, verse 17 even the spirit of truth, uh, whom the father whom the world cannot receive. Why? Because he can't, they can't see him. They don't believe the word of God. So it says be the uh, who? Because it sees him not, neither knoweth him.
But He know, but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. That comes in Acts chapter 2, doesn't it? He dwells with you and shall be in you. He was in. We find both of those in the second chapter of Acts, don't we? The Holy Spirit of God coming down not only in being in with us, but in dwelling us also. And I wondered if if the thought brought out here wouldn't be connected with.
Greater works than what even the Lord was doing because this would be the work of the Holy Spirit after he gone back to glory. I don't know. I think that was lovely, Brother Ruben, you know that man who was lame and walked again. It was a temporary work because I may put it that way. Even though that were raised from the dead, they died again. But when those that believe the gospel, the preaching of Peter, they received eternal life.
I think of the Lord saying too, umm, in his earthly ministry, I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straightened until it be accomplished that, uh, and then again, I'm not sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. So here comes the, uh, the word baptisms, so to speak. And he, he dies on the cross.
And uh.
Until then, there's that narrowing in. It's true that Joseph's branches sprang over the wall. That's beautiful. You see that I think in the 15th of Matthew where the Syrophoenician woman comes and the Lord's heart was tortured, but he couldn't bless her on the basis of being the son of David, could he? And uh, so, but still her faith is expressed and the branches shoot over the wall, blessing runs out.
00:50:09
And, uh, then comes the accomplishment of that work at the cross.
And the floodgates are open worldwide. I think I'd like to connect that with this verse too, Brother Charles. The Lord saying I'm straight and I'm narrowed in until it be accomplished and I'm not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
The frosting in his name really has to do with asking in a way that is morally consistent with who he is and what he would desire. And so someone, a boy, may go to the store, his father has credit and say, well, I'd like to get this and this and the other thing. And then he says, I'd like to get a box of matches and store keeper may look down on me because I don't think your father would want you to have those.
And I don't want to use a trivial example, but it really is the thought that we're asking in the name. We're really asking in a way that is consistent with who he is.
And what he is?
Well back I felt the Lord's needing to speak in an open meeting on this is not being a blanket statement. Name it and claim it. That's not what it is. What it is. You'll find that scripture has to be taken as a whole because the same Holy Spirit that gave us this gave us also.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And also if we ask anything according to His will, a year it was. There are many other scriptures. You have to put them all together to get the whole picture. But it's beautiful that the Lord lays down the principle here, doesn't he, That you can ask him my name. I'll do it. And uh, I agree with Brother Neil's qualification of that. But even if you didn't have that, you have the other verses that go together.
And it's they're given, Ecclesiastes says they're nails, and they're given by 1 shepherd, one shepherd.
There aren't two shepherds, the Lord Jesus speaking here and one of his disciples in another place saying something different. It's one hole and you have to take it together. That's why Peter says no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. That doesn't mean what?
Some people think it means that you can't, as an individual, privately understand the Word of God. It means you cannot privately understand one Scripture in isolation from other Scriptures, because Scripture came not by the will of man. Prophecy came not by the will of man, holy men of God's faith as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. And so all of it has to be considered together.
The question was asked and I just introduced it.
This thought in Matthew 18 and 18 in connection with.
Barely I stand you whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall lose shall be loose, loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Somebody asked, well is a mistake bound?
I think the answer to the question lies not in the question of whether a mistake is bound or not because scripture says whatsoever ye buying, but it's talking about what is bound and Matthew 18 what is speaking about is the binding of a sin upon an individual.
And the loosening of a sin upon an individual.
I just say that because it's coming, people talk. Well, what if the assembly says that it's all right to teach this? The assembly has no authority to bind and loose what is taught. What is spoken of in Matthew 18 and 2018 has to do with the binding and losing of sins upon individuals. And when the assembly comes to a judgment, let the every word be. Let every word be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses.
And that sin is bound upon that individual.
That that is bound in heaven and that is bound on earth. I also just like to say this in connection with that, I realize restraint from John's gospel. I'm saying that these questions come up. We might look at a verse in John 20 as well in connection with whatsoever is that this expression has come about about assemblies being bound, and it's nonsense. Assemblies are not bound. I don't tie up my wife and I don't think any brother here binds their wife.
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So what is found in Matthew 18 is the sin upon an individual. It's a judgment that is bound upon an individual. Now I recognize that. And so if a sin is bound upon an individual here in vessel, when it comes to Saint Thomas, that sin is bound upon him there. But Saint Thomas is not bound. We're not tied up with a rope, but for us to act independently and to receive such a one on whom a sin has been bound, to disregard that. It's not just to describe, disregard the brethren and vessel, it's to disregard the Lord's authority in binding that sin upon the individual.
I just say that because these questions come up on this word whatsoever is used, because it's a very powerful thing and so the Lord has given us.
In connection with these words, whatsoever you ask in my name, He's given us liberty to go before the Lord, and to ask in His name what would be suitable to the situation. And there ought to be that sense of liberty. We see that with an Elijah, praying that it wouldn't rain and that it would rain.
And I don't doubt that there are other thoughts in connection with that. I think particularly in connection with.
With this, that we have to be careful when we're Speaking of this that it is in his name.
John, Chapter 15, seven.
Because if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
Mr. Lord's words abide in us, we'll have the mind of God, and we'll be more able.
To to know what to pray for and what to ask for.
So that's another one. You put them all together and they, uh, they give you a picture, but if you take a private interpretation of one of them, you make a mistake, don't you? And, uh, I think that's important and verse, uh.
15 it says if you love me, keep my commandments.
I'm talking about loving the Lord and being disobedient at the same time. They don't go together, do they?
Love for him?
Demands obedience to the things that he asked us to do. Now there's a, uh, a broader thought in umm. I can lay my eye on it quickly. Umm.
In this chapter.
Verse 23.
If a man love me, he will keep What does it say?
Somebody help me out?
I might have the wrong translation here.
Verse 23 If a man loved me.
Keep in the word. Keep what?
Word. What's the difference?
Well, I like to think of it this way. I'm sure there are other things that the commandments are specific things the Lord has said to do, isn't it?
But keeping His word is more than that is to gather up the tenor of His word.
Is to take what he has communicated. In a whole sense. I like to think of those servants of of David who heard him say.
Oh, that I had a dream from the water, the well that is in Bethlehem. Had the did he send any of them to do that? Did he say, would you three guys go down into Bethlehem and get some water out of that well?
I'm sure that that would have provoked your response, but.
These people, you might say we're close enough to David to discern what he wanted and went and did it.
And that's, to me, that's so beautiful. And if you love him, that's keeping his word. Gathering up the the tenor of what?
Is his mind, isn't it?
Is much broader than individual commandments.
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118 sum.
Uh, we use, it was an expression there that is very used, uh, by the Spirit of God.
Umm, Psalm 138, verse two, I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth, for thou has magnified thy word above thy name.
I used to read that verse. It was really, uh, wondered about that. There are many things that people are doing today. Oh, it's in the name of the Lord. Oh, we do this in the name of the Lord. You check them out. And it's not according to his word at all. It's contrary to his word, but they're saying they're doing it in his name. So we see the importance of his word, don't we? It says, umm.
Uh, thou has magnified thy word above all I need, but if it's not according to the word of God.
Then we have to dispense with it must be according to the word of God, and this is already been said that the word is very important there.
Connection in verse 18.
And I regard iniquity in my heart. The Lord is no not hearing.
Human habit, regardless of of right relationship with the Lord, and if we do not obey His commandments, we will appear He has iniquity in our hearts. The world will not hear well not answered by that request about French, am I right?
Doesn't it make it then all the more precious the area I'm saying I'll always hear it's me.
There was one who never had iniquity in his heart, and he was always heard. Always heard.
Beautiful to think of that blessed Savior always heard.
That's what makes all the more terrible the.
Hours of darkness on the cross when he says, Oh my God, I cry in the daytime and now here is not and in the night season and I'm not silent.
Why not heard the one who always did his will? God, my God, art thou forsaken him who always did thy will?
I don't think we can enter into what it meant for that Blessed One who was always heard.
Enjoy perfect communion with the Father.
Never did anything that was contrary to, never thought anything contrary.
Then to.
Have to cry out, Oh my God, I cry in the daytime and now here is not. And in the night season and I'm not silent now here is not.
It's a mystery, isn't it? You can only understand it in the light of the work of the Cross.
I think that's so beautiful. And the Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he said it would be possible. Such as?
From me. And Paul prayed three times that the thorn in his flesh would be removed, but he took the answer from the Lord. He said, My grace is sufficient for thee, my and the Lord's strength is made perfect in weakness. And so we can come boldly, if in that spirit to the Lord to ask him if it's possible to do this. We can come boldly and ask, and He won't abrade us. And we're not wrong to ask if we receive that answer from the Lord.
But often you get the spirit that we demand things of the Lord, or to demand things of the Lord, but that's not the thought at all on His first.
Just looking at that verse Luke 22, where the Lord says verse 42, Father, if I'll be willing to remove this cup from the nevertheless not my will, but finally done. And sometimes it's distressing when you when you hear Christians almost demanding of the Lord to raise up 17 six, you know, it may not be the Lord's will to raise up that person, you know.
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We should pray that the Lord's will that such and such be done even if you have the power. I mean, remember the apostle Paul in this prophet must have I left at least a sick and some of these, uh, here I have to take it. Christians, you know, they, they feel that when you cry to the Lord, the healing that the Lord has to heal because you can work these miracles. Well, it's not always the Lord's will raise up even a fellow believer.
And the Lord sometimes answers those prayers, even though it's not as well.
Uh, as in the case of Hezekiah, and there was, there was sad results as a result of it. And so we have to be careful because sometimes, you know, I'm going to tell a little tale on a son, he won't mind, But he wanted to buy an expensive bicycle. He had the money. And I said, you know, it's not wise because it's going to get stolen. And he asked and he asked. And so finally I yielded to him and he went out and bought the bicycle. Within two weeks, the bicycle had been stolen.
Now I can say that because I believe he's really been a boy that's listened to me, but sometimes the Lord.
Our fathers have had to deal deal with us in that way, and the worst really judgment that can be is that we're yielded to our own will.
They entered up their desire and said leanness into their soul. That verse is a solemn verse. You pester the Lord to a point of where he's all right. You get it and you learn your lesson from it too. I often tell about the white station wagon that I wanted my kids to re remind me of it from time to time. I I really wanted a white uh.
Forward Ltd station wagon and didn't have to be wiped, but I, I saw one of the dealership and my wife didn't want me to get it and the kids were not enthusiastic about it, but I wanted it man. I went out and bought it. It wasn't long after that the, the wiring harness burned up on it and it was a total loss to me and uh, but a lesson, expensive lesson. He granted them their desire and sent meanness into their soul.
Well, it's one thing to get leanness in your, in your, in your pocketbook. It's much worse to get leanness in your soul, isn't it? And we, we have to remember that the word answers sometimes and gives you what you want. But we're sorry you did afterwards. I, I just want to remark one more thing about the Lord in the garden. And, and I remember an address, and perhaps some of you will too, an outstanding address.
That Chuck Hendrix gave it Palatine, IL at the conference on.
The ear dig opened.
And pierced.
Let's say if you can get that tape and listen to it, you'll be blessed. But he mentioned in the course of that message, he said the only time that the Lord ever expressed His will as something different from the Father's will was in that verse that group quoted. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.
He said why, Because he could not remember. He said my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and he could not find his will or pleasure in being made sin. So awful it was, but he submitted for our eternal blessing. I pondered that so often since then. It's gotta be perhaps 20 years ago. I've thought about it and listened to that tape again and again.
Thought about that.
This is one who always delighted to do the Father's will, but there was that one time when He expressed His own will. Why so awful was it to be made sin that he could not find his pleasure in me?
In being made sin, but he submitted nevertheless. Not my will. The time we got precious saved.
And that's, uh, on, uh, giving us what we want sometimes in numbers 11.
He talks.
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They were they got tired of the man in verse Texas. But now our soul is dried away. There is nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes. If you drop down to verse 18, he's going to give them what they want. And say thou unto the people, sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh. For ye have weapons in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh thee? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you flesh and ye shall eat.
Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor 10 days, nor 20 days, but even a whole month, until they come out at your nostrils, and be loathsome into you, because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you. And have what before, and saying why cameth before out of Egypt. And sometimes the Lord will give us what we want, just to teach us a lesson that that's not really what we want.
What the Psalm refers to when it says he granted them their desire and send leanness into their soul. I think it's specifically refers to that that you just read.
Can we always go pray with confidence that we have God's will for our brethren and our trials, that the purpose of God and the work in their hearts through that trial would be accomplished? Sometimes we pray.
That our brothers will be recovered out of the trial, but we don't pray that the work of God would be finished in their heart for blessing. And that really should be the first thing we pray for. But we're finished in their heart. You might be able to bring them out of the trial quicker.
The Prodigal Son
Gospel—Ruben Ruga
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Thing #25 #25 Life at best is very brief, like the falling of leaves, like the binding of a sheath. Be in time. Fleeting days are telling fast that the die will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed to be in time. Verse two. Ever see a young man, you say? My, what a handsome young fellow he is. You don't see him for a couple of years. Next time you see him, Well, what happened to him? He looks old and stooped over. So you see a pretty girl and say, my, what a pretty girl she is next time you see her, why, she's not too pretty anymore.
Ferrous flowers soon decay. Youth and beauty pass away. They have not long to stay, be in time. Just the first two verses of #25.
What if it ********?
And 24 hours in time I'm tired, so I will still be getting by her.
Dear friends, I recently returned from a visit to Diana, South America. That term means land of many waters. They have a lot of waters there. Rivers that run through the land. They have diked up the ocean so they can further increase arable land for farming, agriculture.
And uh, you would think that it would be a prosperous country, but it's not. There's a lot of corruption. But nonetheless, the very fact that it has so much water over there reminds me of a verse of scripture in Acts chapter 14, which I'll read to you. Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, and that he did good and gave you reign from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness. You know God is long-suffering and kind.
He's not willing that and he should perish. There's also another verse out perhaps just read. And in the second chapter of Romans it says despise us now the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth the repentance. Why is God so good to all alike to the UN thankful and the evil as well? Because he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Why are you in good health here tonight?
Because God is good to you. Why is it that, uh, the Lord sends reign and fruitful seasons? Because he's not willing that any should perish. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. So to this end, we we're thankful we have the Gospel meeting tonight and we invite all to bow today before it be too late. Time at best is very brief, like the falling of belief, like the binding of the sea. Be in time. You don't know how much longer, how much more time you may have.
Before your life will be snuffed out, let's pray. Blessed God, our loving Father, we thank you for the gospel meeting, and we do pray now. It's a blessed Thy precious word as it goes forth. We know that Thou art longing for perishing sinners to come to Christ for salvation. Thou hast.
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Made the greatest sacrifice and doubt that thou just give thy only begotten son to die in Calvary's cross for us. And so we do pray that.
Many under the sound of thy word this night may receive it as thy gift, Realizing that, uh, it is thy kindness now does take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he should turn from his wicked way. Blessed God, we ask thy help and blessing now in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Could you turn with me, please, to Luke's Gospel?
Chapter 15.
I suppose the gospel has been preached more on the prodigal Son than any other passage in Scripture because it's so aptly illustrates God's heart of love and our lost condition. You know God is a giving God. He tells us in Hebrews Chapter 7 that without doubt the less is blessed of the greater, and God is a giving God.
Uh, we had in uh the 14th chapter of John. My peace I give unto you. That's what God wants to offer.
Peace to the Law Center. Can any other man offer peace? God wants to offer, he says, in fact, in the end of that 14th chapter not as the world give eye unto you. The world always gives some of what they have and retains A portion for themselves that God wants to bring you into that which he has peace. The 11Th chapter another brother referred to it. 11Th chapter of Matthew, another brother referred to there come unto me all ye that labor and the heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
That's something God wants to give you rest.
There is no rest for the wicked. There is no peace for the wicked. God is willing to offer this to those who come unto him.
Then in the 4th chapter of John wasn't it uh, the Lord tells that woman that said, well I would have given the living water.
You find satisfaction what the world has to offer you.
We're listening to a tape by Al Coleman. I think he had the gospel in Des Moines and he was saying that before his BC days, before he came to Christ, he tried everything that this world had to offer and gave him no satisfaction. He would smoke, he would drink, and he would get whipped by his father. He called it tanning. He got a good tanning by his dad, but he he always went right back to it.
But he never found any satisfaction in any of these things until he came to Christ. Then he found satisfaction. He found that living water. You know, the 10th chapter of John. The Lord says, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give unto them eternal life. Isn't that nice? My son Tim preached on that not too long ago.
Uh, eternal life. He told us that that is the very life of Christ himself.
Umm, not just the life that has no ending. Uh, For the ungodly have that life too. They'll have eternal life and a Christ with eternity, a life that will never end. But having the life of Christ, you have a life that never begins as well as never ends. We have that life in Christ. The Lord wants to give this as a gift to all those that come to him. Furthermore, for those who are the Lord, that tells us in the second chapter of Revelation that he will give to the overcomer.
Uh, of the hidden manner.
And a new stone. What is that hidden manna? A new stone, I suppose. The hidden manner would speak of the bread that came down from heaven. Christ himself comes down in humiliation as a man amongst men, perfect in all his ways.
And uh, a new stone? Would that bring before us, uh, the fact that Christ was humbled as well?
The stone which the builders rejected the same as made the head of the corner. All these things the Lord wants to give. And then it tells us in Ephesians chapter 2 for the wages of I beg your pardon, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us and forever I just bought in Ephesians. Uh, chapter 2.
I'll just read that verse to you, verse 8.
Whereby grace, are you saved through faith in that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast the very gift, my dear friend uh, of faith is given to us of God, Otherwise none of us would receive the Lord and Savior. Well, let us turn to that 15th chapter of Luke, and read commencing with the 11Th verse. And he said a certain man had two sons, the younger of them said to his father.
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Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with righteous living.
When he spent all, there was a mighty famine in that land, and began to be in want, and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husk, with the swine to eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he was come to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's?
Have ready nothing to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my Father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before they and am no more worthy to be called thy son, Make me that is one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the Son said unto him, Father.
I have sinned against Evan and in my sight, and I'm no more worthy to be called my son. But his father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring Heather the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost, and his family.
And they began to be married. Now his eldest son was in the field, and as he came and drew an eye to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked one of these things meant. He said unto him, My brother is coming. Thy father has killed the fatted cat, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry he would not go in. Therefore came his father out and entreated him.
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I survey he the transgressed by at any time thy commandment. And yet thou never gave us me a kid, that I might make merry of my friends. But as soon as this my son was come, which hath devoured, and thy living with harlots, I was killed it for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine it was meat that we should make merry, and be glad that this thy brother was dead, and is alive again, was lost, and is found.
What is the prodigal son? That word prodigal, if you were to look it up in dictionary, it means a wasteful son. One who wastes the goods is good.
Now this man had two sons. What do you suppose a father would like from his sons more than anything else? Would he not like their love and affection? Does not God say, children, honor your parents? Isn't this that which is becoming composed and brought us into this world and nourished us, provided for every need, and trained us in the ways of the Lord? Perhaps you have a mother, a father. That's what brought you to Sunday school, and you've turned your back to that.
And you said no, I want the world.
He's not honored your father and your mother.
This man had two boys and neither of them had any love with their father.
It was the younger of them that said to his father. Notice the older one never addresses him his father, but the younger on several occasions addresses. Is that his father?
He says, Father, give me the portion of goods that fall to me. You know, in normal course of events you don't. You don't get an inheritance until.
The death of the testator.
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And this boy was just as much as saying, uh, father, I can't wait until you die to get that portion of goods by inheritance. Give it to me now. Why wait until you die?
He had no love for his father. What about the older boy? Did he have any more love for his father? No, the father knew that older sons heart as well. That's why it says he divided unto them his living. The father didn't just divide the portion of goods to the younger son and keep the rest and to the older. No, he gave them both their portion.
It says here that the younger son, he didn't wait around too long. He was just sick of home though. Later on in the chapter we see that he got home sick, but at this point he was sick of home and he took off, he says. I'm not sticking around here any longer. Uh, I'm going out living up, uh, life the way I want to do it. I wanna be on my own without any restraint by my parents. We've heard of young people that way.
When they came of age when they said I'll no longer abide them to my father and mother's roof. I'm gonna go out and strike out for myself and do as I please and they sow their wild oats and you know what happens whatsoever man soweth that's only also reap and they reap like kind. Well, this younger son he he gathered all and he goes out into the foreign country and sometimes I've asked this question.
Do you think he was happier when he left home?
Would you think he was happier when he came home?
When was he happier going home?
We're leaving home.
The obvious answer is that.
He was happier when he he left home because when he was coming home, he didn't know how he would be received. He didn't know if his father was waiting just to get in the looking of his life for being such a profligate, such a prodigal son. But here, at this point in our story, this young man had his pockets full of money and his mind full of mischief, and he was out to have a good time in this life. He was gonna forget all about his parents.
All that is home and he is going to live for himself.
Joseph's Ecclesiastes. It says, Remember now as our Creator, in the days of thy youth, while the evil years draw not high, of the days come when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. He was the youth. Was he remembering? No, not at this point he wasn't.
He was going out there and he was going to live it up to the hill.
He went into this foreign country.
Far away from his father and he wasted his substance with varieties living. What about his older brother?
You know what his older brother did? The first verse of the next chapter. That's what his older brother did.
He wasted his goods in his father's house. He didn't go to the far off country. Uh. He presumably stayed. 9 But he wasted his father's good right there, uh in his father's house.
They were both unjust stewards of that which has been committed to them. My dear friends, what have you done with what God has committed to you? Have you used all your talents and your time and your money for yourself?
Yeah, the searching word brought before us not too long ago about he that loses, loses his life. Here, we'll find it.
We lose our lives for the sake of the Lord. You'll find it. And if you want to gain your life here, you're going to lose it. If you think that this world is all that there is to life, the three score in 10 years here, and forget about the eternal day, you're going to lose your life. The Lord said that.
The song thought, well, here was this man. He goes to this far country. In fact, you'll see in these UH-5 successive chapters in in Luke far off place, as mentioned 8 in each chapter. Here's the far country. And he wasted his substance with a riotous living.
When he expends all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
He spent all.
You probably had a lot of friends because you know, uh, when you have friends, you have uh, you have money, you have friends. They all come around to see what you can do and how you can, uh share with what you have, uh with them. Those who strike it rich in the lottery, uh they spend their money so foolishly they have plenty of friends. But it's not uh too long before the fool and his money are parted. And that's what happened. Sometimes you wonder how they ever got together in the 1St place, but here they parted. Here's a full.
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He's parted from his money.
And began to be in want. And umm, suppose you went to this man at this time and you say, well, what you've got to do over here in this far off country is to improve your circumstances.
Uh, try to get a good job better yourself. Would that ever have brought him back to the father's house? Never. He never would have realized himself as a Sinner. That's what the social gospel does. Improve for yourself.
Lift yourself up by your bootstraps.
But he was a man. He got so low, he got right down into the pigpen. Now, you know, a pig was a swine or unclean animals. It was the most detestable thing for a Jew to be feeding pigs. There was a man in Dorothy who told me that he was saved by this passage. His name was Eli Clemenson, and he had some pigs on his, uh, chicken farm. One day when he was feeding the pig, he says, you know, I'm just like that prodigal son.
Here I am feeding pigs in the pig pen, and I'm not saved. I'm gonna receive the Lord right here. And he got down his knees as a pig pen got saved. Wonderful Christian man, Mr. Clementson was.
Uh, but here was this poor boy in the pig pen, and it says, No man gave unto him.
Yeah, it husks. He had this wine there, You know, the devil always has plenty of both. He always has husks and swine. And here was this boy over there. And no man gave unto him. No one cared to him. But it says that when he came to himself. Can I ask you this question? What made him come to himself?
I believe it was the Spirit of God that made him come to himself in time, who sang Be in time, Be in time. In the 16th chapter of the same book, there was a man who came to himself too late says in hell. He lifted up his eyes. Being in torment, he came to himself all right, didn't he? But it was too late for that man. Thank God this man came to his fences in time, says in Zechariah chapter 4, Not by Might.
Norwich by power, but by my spirits, saith the Lord God, neither one of us dear friends, would ever come to Christ. We're not for the fact that God worked in our hearts by his spirit give us to see our lost condition and cause us to flee to Christ for refuge. Who is God that brought this man to himself in that far off land?
Man's extremities, God's opportunity when this man came to his end.
Within corner, you wanna call it that? Like you're having Psalm 107? They come to their wits end and then they call upon God. Those Mariners there. Remember Psalm 107?
Now his memory starts working when he's there, he starts to think when he comes to himself, he says.
How many hard servants of my father's have read enough and to spare?
He remembers his upbringing.
He was. He had a good upbringing, probably had an education. His father was well off and servants there. He remembers this. And here he was perishing with hunger. You know, I don't like that word. Perish is a certain ring of finality to that word. Perish. Remember rehab in the 11Th chapter of Hebrews? What's it say about her?
Verse 31, I'll just read it. You need not turn, because by faith the Rehab perished not with them that believe. Not when she had received the Spies and Peaks.
Rehab saw that her Jericho, her country was doomed and she didn't want to perish with everybody else. Would you say that she was a trader to her country and that she hits spies? No, she was white. She did not want to perish. She traded time for eternity. Fact. The grace of God brought her into the very lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. She did not want to perish. Here. This boy in the pigpen. He was.
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Thing I I'm perishing here with hunger. My dear friends, you realize that in your seat. If you're without Christ tonight, you are about to perish. The Lord were to come. We've been reading about the Lord's coming in. John 14. I'll come again. If he came tonight, you'd be left behind. For what? To perish.
Is appointed unto men once to die. And after this the judgment. There is no second chance after this life, dear friends, It's all over fuel.
This boy realized I'm perishing here with hunger. I've got to do something. The spirit of God.
Commenced the work and was about to complete it with him.
He says I will arise.
Is the energy of faith.
I will arise. The Spirit of God was working, we say, you know, in Genesis chapter 24.
Uh.
When the unnamed servant there saw Rebecca, you know what?
Uh, he did. He ran to her. In this chapter, we have the Father running to the sun, the 24th of Genesis. We have the entire the Spirit running to the bride. Will thou go with this man? But how's the response? I will.
Here, he says too. I will. I will arise and I'll go to my father.
Now say unto him, Father, I have sinned.
You know, many people would like to say, well, we've all said, you know, and we're all sinners in the sight of God, but this man made it very personal.
He said I have sent this person now if I can find it, what does it say?
Uh, Job chapter 33 and verse 27. He looketh upon men, and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and a prophet of me not what will be the result? He will deliver his soul from going into the pit. He had a lovely verse in Job 33. If any will say I have sinned.
What I've been doing isn't profiting me anything.
Then God will deliver his soul from going into the pit. What a lovely verse of scripture. There's no good to say. We have sinned. I have sinned.
It's a personal matter in salvation. Have you ever come to that point where you said God be merciful to me the Sinner? As Republicans prayer went into the temple he said God he smote on his breast and he said God be merciful to me the Sinner. I understand the force of those words is as if there was no other Sinner. God be merciful to me the Sinner. That man went down to his house justified. Have you ever prayed the publicans prayer my dear friend?
Between yourself and God. God be merciful to me, Mr. That's all I am who are healthy. Irving Center. For I have sinned against heaven, And before thee I take this to be his confession.
And I'm no more worthy. I think she is worthy. I think anybody who knows the Lord, any Christian, is worthy. There's no worthiness in anyone in this world, my dear friends.
There's only one in the 5th chapter of Revelation who is found worthy to open the book and to lose the seals thereof. The lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed is the only worthy 1.
We're not worthy. I'm not worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of the hired servants. You know he was willing just to be a a doorkeeper in his father's house. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Tells us in Psalm 84 I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the House of Lord than to dwell intensive wickedness, If only I could just get inside the door.
And many folks feel that way. You know, if only I can just get saved, that's that's all I want. John 316 is good enough for me. But let me tell you that, uh, there's far more of it. God has in store to you, your fellow believer. He wants us to explore all the treasures of the house, all that he has, all our spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Just make me as one of my heart service. He wanted to be in the Father's house, but would that be acceptable?
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Uh, for him to come back as a servant. Suppose you to encounter that boy afterwards, and uh, there he's a servant and you say, well, how come isn't this boy uh your son? How come he's a servant? You know, the reproach of what that boy had done would always remain with him as a stigma as long as he was a servant. Right. The father wasn't receiving back as a servant. No way. No way.
We won't be in heaven as a forgiving sinners, my dear friends.
Well, look. Uh.
Do you suppose that Rahab sat at her husband's table as a forgiving harlot? No way, no way. God brings us into all the blessedness of his son as his children and his coheres with Christ, and this father is not going to receive this prodigal son as a servant. And so he arose verse 20, and came to his father.
And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. You know that that word there a great way off it could be read this way. His father saw him in the far off land. His father saw him while he was in the pigsty. His father knew all about his sinful condition, but was waiting until he would come to himself.
And come back home. The father couldn't.
Say, say, reverently. Wait to show love and affection to that poor boy. The father saw all that he was doing there.
In the second chapter of Exodus, wasn't it there that we read that and God looked down from from heaven and he tells Moses, Uh, let me just read you a few verses there.
What he had seen.
In the third chapter in verse 7, the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt. I have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, and I know their sorrows. It doesn't say that the the children of Israel, prides of the Lord, they were crying, but not to the Lord. They had forgotten all about the Lord.
But God looked down. He saw, He heard, and he knew, just like the Father.
Saw, heard and knew all about his boy down there in the pig pen.
When he was hit a great way off, his father saw him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. He he covered him with kisses. I think a better translation surrenders that the father covered him with kisses with all his filth. You have no idea, they said. A friend that welcomed that God wants to give you. He longs to redeem you. He wants to save you just as you are with all your filth and rags. The father fell on that son, covered him with kisses.
The same word is used of Judas. When he betrayed the Lord, he covered the Lord with kisses. How deceitful and incurably hard, wicked is the heart of man.
One who accompanied in the presence of the Lord for 3 1/2 years, covering the Lord with kisses and betrayal. But this is the Father's reception of the guilty Sinner.
Rags in the ruins without and within when terrible mass of pollution and sin by false friends. Deserted of riches, bereft, he now returns to the home he once left.
The father saw him there.
And so the sun starts in with his little preachment here.
He says father.
I see.
Notice that the older older brother never said that. The older brother never once in his life said, I have sinned. This younger man did father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight.
And I am no more worthy to be called my son, my son.
Period. His little sermon got interrupted at that point. He got cut short. His father never let him finish in that speech of his. That was the end of it. That's all that his Father wanted to hear. I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight shall we sin against seven, All sinners primarily against God, as David said in the Psalm of repentance. Against thee and thee only have I sinned. You may tell me why he sinned against you, or I am Bathsheba.
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Was primarily against God that David's sinned. I have sinned against thee and against heaven in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
That's as far as he got, my father said to his servant. Spring forth the best robe and put it on.
You didn't even have to put it on himself, did he?
You take that robe and put it on my boy.
What happened when Adam and Eve sat in the garden?
It says God clothed them with coats of skin. Adam and Eve didn't have to put on those uh, coats of skin. No. God slew these animals and provided, in the substitutionary death of an innocent animal, a covering for our guilty parents. God covered them with totes of skins. And so here the father had his poor boy covered.
Take this robe and put it on and put a ring.
On his hand.
What does that speak of?
When I see a young lady and she's wearing a ring on her hand, this is not me. I don't have one because sometimes my ring gets caught. Almost lost my life several times.
The nature of my work. But when I see a young lady with a ring on her finger, it tells me she belongs to somebody. The ring speaks of possession.
Uh, someone has won her affections.
And uh, we belong to somebody.
We've been redeemed with the price. You're not your own.
Paul says, I have espoused you as a chaste virgin, uh, unto Christ.
We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. If our sins are washed away in the precious blood of Christ, he has it where it puts a ring on our finger. We belong to Christ. The disciples of First call Christians at Antioch Christ ones.
And shoes on his feet.
Tells us in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 15, have you having your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace?
What a blessing thing it is to have the good news of salvation, to tell others not to keep it to ourselves. This is the day of good tidings. We do not well to keep this good news to ourselves, dear brethren, I know we can spend all our time preaching to ourselves, but what about taking the gospel in the regions beyond? To those that have never heard the old, old story of Jesus and his love? How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of them that bring good tidings.
Oh, what a what's good news we have? We always have our feet shog with the preparation.
Of the gospel of peace would also speak, I'm sure, of separation from this world and all its defilements, having our walk in order, shoes on our feet, and bring Heather the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. Notice that this was a very special animal. This was not any gas. It certainly was not the kid that the older one requested in verse 29.
The fatted calf was a a special animal that was kept up for a special occasion. And this is what the father thought of his returning son. Uh, let us kill the fatted calf. The fatted calf, my dear friend, speaks to us of Christ.
Christ is the fatted cat who sacrificed for us at Calvary, God's well beloved Son. This is my beloved Son whom I found all my delight. It was kept up from the 10th to the 14th to see if there was anything within without any defect. But there was nothing that they could find within him. There was nothing they could accuse him of. Which of you convinced me of sin, The devil commented. And find that nothing in me.
Perfect the fatted calf. And yet he was crucified on Calvary. Christ suffered for sins. Adjust for the unjust wine so that he could bring you to God. That's why he suffered to just for the unjust that he could bring us to God. Did we deserve it, my dear friend? Oh no. In sovereign grace can you ever fathom such love as that that God would give his son? Would you give your only son to die for people who hated you?
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If that's what God did, gave his only begotten son.
That whosoever that means, everybody whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life kill the fatted calf.
So they began to be merry. It doesn't say anything about ending here on earth. The song begins in heaven, more sweet and loud to him who claims our sins in his own precious blood to send him. We sing with joyful strain beyond our power and praise on them they just began.
To be married before he began to perish with hunger.
He began to be in want, but now he begins to be merry.
You know the elder son was in the field.
What's the field in The 13th chapter of Matthew's Gospel tells us that the field is the world. That's where the older boy was. He was in the world, enjoying the world, and as he drew near to the house.
He heard music and dancing.
You know, you can go to a lot of places, I'm sure right now in Binghamton where you can hear music and dancing. There was a time when Moses, he heard music and dancing in that 32nd chapter of Genesis when he came down from the mount, he saw the children of Israel dancing around this calf and this angle of wax hot.
Cast the tables out of his hands and he breaks them.
There's a lot of music and dancing going on around about today, my dear friends, but I don't think it's, it's, uh, joy in the Lord. I don't think it's joy in the Lord. There is joy in the Lord when you come to Christ.
Tremendous joy that will never cease in thy presence. There is fullness of joy in that right hand. There are pleasures forevermore. Well, he heard an explanation about this music and dancing called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
And he said unto thy brother is common. Thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.
You know the Lord has not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind or sound intellect. Ah, Timothy there. It's a wonderful thing to be possessed with a sound mind. To test these things by the word of God. Like the Marines to see. Search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. Not to take the preacher's word for it this evening, my dear friends, but have you ever opened the Bible for yourself?
I found that so many people have a Bible and they never read it. And I tell them, you know, suppose the wife and I invite you to our house to a lovely supper. And he come in and you sit down at the table, and you look at that lovely food on the table, and you just look at it and you never eat it because it could do you any good. No. Suppose you have a Bible in your house and you never read it. Does it do you any good? No, won't do you any good.
Unless you open the book and search it out for yourself to see if this is indeed the word of God.
Well.
Here.
This boy was angry.
Verse 28. He was angry. He should have been happy that his younger brother came home. He should have been very happy. Now if you wanna take, I don't know, some expositors, take the older one as being the Jew and the younger boy as being the Gentile. Uh, the Jews should have been very happy if the Gentiles. If the Jews themselves did not wanna receive the good news of salvation, they should have been very happy that the gospel goes out to the Gentiles. But there is a verse in uh, Second Thessalonians. Uh, first Thessalonians is it.
That tells us.
Thessalonians 2, verse 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sin always, for wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. They did not want to receive the Jewish people. The Lord came to His own people. They received and not. They did not want to receive the good news, and they for bad the gospel going out to the Gentiles, those who were steeped in heathenism.
Idol worshippers, they didn't want them to receive the good news of salvation. This boy here, he was angry that his brother came younger brother came home and he says and he he would not go in. You know he he is a will is expressed there. We don't have time to turn to it but we would have turned to Deuteronomy 21. It tells us that if a a father and mother have a stubborn son who will not obey the voice of their parents.
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They were to bring them, Bring that boy before the congregation. They were to stone him with stones until he died for being stubborn and he would not listen. You'd be stubborn tonight when you hear God's word and God is beseeching you. He's not asking for your money, dear friend. He wants you to come just as you are. He wants to receive you. We're all sinners. We're all on the same platform before God. There's nothing to do with good. No, not one.
God says that it all comes shorter. We'd just like the kids. We've all come short.
This boy was angry. He exercised his will. He wouldn't go out.
So his father.
Went out to him and entreated him.
Strange, isn't it? Isn't it strange that you read in Isaiah chapter one, where the Lord says I'll read you those words here if you're familiar with it.
Come now, verse 18, Let us reason together, saith the Lord. Will your sins be a scarlet? I'll be white as no, though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. You know what? It's so strange. How do I put things?
How often do you find the president?
Pleading with a a convicted prisoner.
Not often, but here is God pleading with those who are guilty who are sin laden. He says let's read them together. If your sins are a scarlet, I'll make them as white as snow. If they be red like Crimson, they'll be just like wool. I'll cancel the entire, uh account for you. I'll set you free, you can go Scott free, and furthermore I'll bring you into my home.
As a.
To share the inheritance of the first born son. Marvelous grace of our saving God, isn't it? Here the Father goes out and he plays with him.
He entreated him.
But the boy says, oh, these many years, do I serve thee? Oh, let me tell you, there are a lot of folks in Binghamton tonight who think they're serving God. They go to church. I just passed the great big Let's see, what was it called? The Universal Unitarian Congregationalist Church. Oh my. I read that description on the church this morning. If ever I thought of Laodicea lukewarmness, that must be ice cold.
I serve the Lord. I'm doing all these things for the Lord, and yet you never gave me a kid that I can.
Enjoy with my my friends. He said that I can make merry with my friends. He didn't have any love for his father. He didn't want a kid to share and to enjoy happy fellowship with his father. This older boy had no love for his father, he said. I wanted to make merry with my friends. You never gave me. Don't believe it, My friends. God's given you everything. Life and health, fruitful seasons and rain. He's giving you breath of this very moment.
Why do you think God has prolonged your life until July year 2001? Is it not so that you could be saved? That's why you're here tonight? The gospel meeting God does not will. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked wicked should turn from his evil way. He says that as soon as this.
Thy son was come notice that he never refers to him as my brother, he said. That's your son.
He never refers to the younger one. Is my brother as soon as this thy son?
Was gone which have devoured thy living with harlots. Thou hast killed for him a savage cat. Well, the older boy didn't understand, he just did not have it at the intelligence of the son. And so his father says to him in verse 31, Child and better translation, child, Thou art ever with me.
And all that I have is thine.
He doesn't want to address her as a child, one who doesn't have understanding.
Says in Proverbs 23. My son, give me thine heart. God wants your heart.
All that I have is fine. It was meat that we should make. Marian be glad for this. Thy brother. You see, the father reminds this boy of what he forgot that he's your brother. He has to be reminded of that. He was dead. He was alive again. He was lost and is found. You know that's the condition of every Sinner dead and lost before God. Not like that man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. And they left them half dead.
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All my dear friends, you are completely dead. You are dead in trespasses and sins before God. You don't need a social gospel. There were those in Guyana who uh.
My people, I guess in this church, they would go to the, uh, the prisons, and they would, uh, entertain the prisoners with music and so forth, and uh, they would have beautiful singing and there was no change in those prisoners. But one day the Lord sent one of his servants there and told those men that they were on their way to hell. They didn't repent and turn to Christ and trust in him and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ so that they could be saved. You know, they never heard that.
They're entertained Sunday after Sunday, but they never heard the gospel.
But these people on death row, they heard the gospel and they got saved.
I think I saved so thoroughly the work of God that they laid hold of the Bible and they started in the Georgetown prison. The Gospel worked with other prisoners and the wardens left. These death row inmates preached the gospel to everybody else.
We entrusted to them the questionnaires on John's Gospel.
They're over 70 men there who did not have a Bible shared one Bible answered these questions so that seventy others could get the Bible.
My friend, what is your choice tonight?
Christ wants to save you. Choice is up to you. If you go to hell, God has blocked the road to hell with the cross of Calvary. And if you go to hell, you have to go around the cross on the Broad Rd. that lead to the destruction.
In closing, let's just saying to.
2 verses The 1St 2 verses of #12 just as I am that one play, but that's my blood was shed for me and that thou best me come to thee. Oh Lamb of God I can't remember 12 just the first two verses.
You know what I'm.
Right. Blessed God, our loving Father. We thank you for thy saving grace we do praise.
Strike down the heart of someone who's been resisting the all these years.
Some center who thinks he can make his, his or her way through life without Christ, then to face lost eternity without Christ. Blessed God, do bless thy word. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
John 14:15-31
John's Gospel
Truth (2nd and 3rd John)
Open Mtg. 2
Open—S. Ruga, N. Wood
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First Kings chapter.
19.
And, ahem, told Jezebel.
Oh, that Elijah had done, and with all how he had slain all the prophets.
With the sword.
And then Jezebel sent a messenger onto Elijah saying.
So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I may not, my life is the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
And when he saw that?
He arose.
And went for his life.
And came to Beersheba, which belonged to Judah.
And left his service there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came.
And sat down under a juniper tree.
And he requested for himself that he might die.
And said it is enough now. Oh Lord, take away my life.
For I am not better than my father's.
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an Angel touched him.
And said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and behold there was a cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruise of water at his head. And he did eat, and drank, and laid him down again.
And the Angel of the Lord came again the.
Second time and touched him and said rise and eat.
Because the journey is too great for the.
And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat.
40 days and 40 nights.
Until horrible the amount of God.
Uh, let's read, uh, verse 13.
Oh, verse 12 and after the earthquake of fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire, a still small voice.
And it was so when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle.
And went out, and stood in the entering into The Cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him, and said.
What doest thou here, Elijah?
And he said I have been very jealous.
For the Lord God of hosts.
Because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant.
Thrown down by altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword.
And I even I only am left.
And they seek my life to take it away.
I wonder what we have thought. This is not a first time this portion has been before our attention. I wonder what we've thought when we've we've read this in the past.
Reading this, would we say that, uh, Elijah was discouraged?
Would we say that?
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He is afraid.
Was he?
Depressed.
Might be a little bit of all of that.
Says that he arose and went for his life.
Something bothered that man.
And we can rightly say that man of God.
What a man of God he was.
But here.
Something disturbed him and, uh, he, we're not seeing him act here like he has.
On a previous occasion.
Or on occasions after this.
Here's Elijah running for his wife and, uh.
Feeling very down, if we might say, and that could be a condition that.
Some of us, perhaps all of us, have been at one time or another, we felt a little down, a little depressed.
And here's God's man of the day and, uh, it's recorded for our instruction, for our learning.
That Elijah felt that way.
He's not feeling so good. He umm.
He sits under a juniper tree and requests for himself that he might die.
Alright man always thinks that's the best thing for him. When things really go wrong, even the unsafe, they take their lives.
And uh, Elijah, this is, uh, an insight into how low the man felt. He wanted to die. It just wasn't worth living for anymore.
Uh, things were not good.
He had just done something, uh, that amazes us every time we read of it. Uh, how he, uh.
Umm, destroyed all the profits of bail. None of us have ever done a mighty act like that in defense of the truth and upholding God's righteousness in his name. Tremendous thing. He did kill them, ordered they'd be brought before him and slaughtered.
And they were.
He was a man who, when, when uh, the nation was divided and he was going to prove who is God.
He would take not ten stones, but 12 Stones and make an altar to the name of the Lord.
It's amazing what, uh, faith sees even in times of breakup and the clenching, uh, Elijah recognized that in the eyes of God, his people were one and ought to be one. And he was trying to bring him back to that state. They were going away and further and further away, and he was trying to bring them back.
And he could mark the mighty, uh, religious men of his day.
Bring them to an open chain.
What a man Elijah was. And he could, uh, at the right moment.
Ask the Lord to consume the fire, the uh, the uh, burnt offering. The sacrifice and fire could come down from from heaven and consume it all. Mighty man of God. Well, why is he getting depressed? What is wrong with Elijah?
And, uh, if we put the, uh, Searchlight in our own souls, we wonder why we ever got discouraged.
Because we do.
We all have. We're made of the same material that, uh, Elijah was. Scripture tells us that.
He was of like passions as we are. We're no different.
And, uh, that can come into our lives.
And even after a very close walk with the Lord that, uh, if we get our eyes off the Lord, we can become very quickly downcast and, uh, say like Elijah here, uh, I'm not better than my father's. Nothing's working. Lord, just take me now.
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I'm valueless.
Well.
That wasn't true. If he's gonna act in his own strength, he was. He couldn't be of much use to the Lord. He would run away from the people that God sent them to be a witness to. He belong back there with those 10 tribes. That's where he belong. God sent him among them. God raised him up for that purpose.
But he got his eyes off the lawn. Perhaps he thought that when they acknowledged that, umm, the Lord, he is God, he would see some response, clusters of of exercise souls saying, you know, we better go back to Jerusalem. That's where the one true God is, is worshipped in the right way. He didn't see any of that. Rather than that, he hears that.
Someone is coming after him in 24 hours he's going to be a dead man.
And uh.
He didn't take it to the Lord, He took it to heart. He should have taken it to the Lord.
And uh.
You can pronounce judgment on her later on, but right now he's afraid and he runs for his life.
No, I take courage from the way the Lord deals with this servant of His.
He's running away from what the Lord told him to do. Jonah tried that, didn't he? The Lord told him to do something. He goes in the other direction. He forsakes the position that God told him to get into. And, uh.
The Lord still washed over him, didn't He? We know that story so well. How?
Lord of the Rock, the whole ocean.
To, uh, wake up Jonas to his wrong position. Here, he treats Elijah a little differently.
Elijah is exhausted, apparently.
Lays down asleep and.
He wakes up.
An Angel tells them to eat.
That's, uh, what we need to do, brethren, is to eat.
We need to feed on the word of God and if there's a a lacking in our lives.
And our assemblies in our homes.
Perhaps because we're not eating. And what was he told to eat? Food that God had prepared.
God made it for him.
Amazing that God would so care about his poor discouraged servant that he would, uh.
Horse and make some food for him.
Loving God that he makes food from those hot too is on the coals. He says go ahead and eat.
Well, if we're sleeping, we can't eat, you know, do the two things at the same time. You had to wake him up, Wake up 100 And so the Lord would tell us to wake up to.
We would perhaps like to see, uh, more response sometimes from God's people and we don't see it and we might get discouraged and cast down, but what is our recourse?
Not to fall asleep about things.
So let's eat. The food is still warm.
The food is still warm, brethren.
Especially if we take it from the hand of our God.
So.
Uh, it shouldn't press our souls that, uh.
I don't think the Lord was happy with the Elijah running away like that, but he was still watching over him.
00:15:00
He's still watching over him. The Lord isn't always happy with the course we pursue, but if there's been any ma measure of faithfulness on our part.
Uh, he's gonna try and wake us up.
As to what we're doing. And His infinite love is to provide for what we need and, uh, try and strengthen us and bring us back to Himself.
Poor Elijah, he eats and he goes to sleep again.
Mine must have been exhausted.
No, he's been running away.
He could do mighty things in the strength of God, but his own strength, he couldn't do a thing. And, uh, he eats and he falls asleep again. This time God would let him stay asleep. No, there's that patient, loving God who watches over his people.
He sends his Angel and wakes him up again and tells him to uh.
Horizon E Same words eaten. That's what we need to do.
Feed on God's Word a little bit at a time, but feed on God's Word. God has prepared things for us in His precious Word, and we do well to feed on it.
The Angel tells him the journey is.
Too great for the None of us can walk with the Lord in our own strength. Not one. Not even Elijah, not even the apostle Paul.
When they wondered if the Lord had eaten.
The Cycar as well, He said my meat is to do the will of him that sent me. So the Lord is communion with the Father and he could do things that surprised his disciples.
And here he's told to eat once more. God graciously provide the foreman.
And I told him that, uh, the journey was too great for him and uh, the journey is too great for us, Dear brethren, we can't make it on our own. We need one another. We need the Lord, we need the precious word of God. We need to go on in prayer. We need to go on and communion with the Lord and one another. We can't do it on our own. And so he goes in the strength of that meet and says.
40 days and 40 nights.
That had to be a miracle. I don't think there's any meal that we could eat that could sustain us for 40 days.
And 49th that's a long time.
No, I, I I wonder why that's written there.
And it just springs my own soul that, uh, it's a miracle any one of us go on to the water.
Any one of us, we know that there, there's got to be desire and, uh, perseverance in these things that will to please the Lord. But nevertheless, it's a miracle that we go on just on the basis of what this blessed book tells us.
Just that, that, that, that, uh, that, uh.
Cake, bacon on the coals and the crews of water. But that's all we need and we don't want anything else but the pure, unadulterated word of God. You know, we live in a in a, in a, in a very sad time. Elijah lived in a very sad time. We live in a, in a time when.
Things are being let go.
I sometimes hear the expression, well, the, uh, standards are being lowered.
I don't know what that Why don't we say the truth is being let go? Because the truth is the standard for the believer, isn't it? Is there any other standard that you and I go by but the word of God? Do we want anything else?
And so we don't want to say, oh, the word of God is being let go or the truth is being ignored. We use another word. The standards are being lowered. Oh, dear Brandon.
Let us not get used to that kind of talk. The truth is being.
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Let go and we're to cleave to the truth. We're to hold it fast, not change it.
I was impressed in reading through the book of Deuteronomy and the first time we come across the expression.
It reads something like this. Thou shalt not remove the ancient landmarks.
Which, uh, they of all time have set up.
We need the. We need these landmarks.
Isn't the question of it being old fashioned? The word of God is never old fashioned. The truth of God is never old fashioned. But there are landmarks set and godly men before us, and women have walked in the truth and have given us a foundation whereby today.
There are gross people here gathered to the Lord's name.
And and.
God.
And his interest for his people of old Holden. But they shouldn't remove the old landmarks. It's got to be clear, distinct boundaries, places we can go another direction we should not go. We're off base. We need the landmarks and they shouldn't be removed. And I kept reading in the book of Deuteronomy and it doesn't say that. The second time it mentions it, it says.
Person cursed be they that removes the old landmarks.
Uh, Bradford, are we guilty sometimes?
I don't like to use the word lenient soft.
And we don't uphold the truth of the Word of God as we ought to.
Says cursing. That's one of the curses that we're going to be pronounced when they got in the land. Don't remove the old landmarks and another place, it says.
If the foundations be destroyed, where will the godly stand? Where will the righteous man stand if you destroy the foundation?
And so if we in any way tamper with the truth of the Word of God.
What are what are God's people going to do?
A child of God asked that question here. Maybe 11 song.
What do we do?
Well, the answer is the Lord is in heaven.
He's still on his throne and he looks down upon the children of men. And so our, our safeguard today is we can look to the Lord and we can say Lord.
We're thankful that thy word does not change and give us grace to walk and to stand by it. And even if there's failure to go on for thee now, this is failure on the part of Elijah.
When I read the last little bit there because, uh.
If he hadn't spoken, we wouldn't have. The Lord didn't record this incident here. Lord didn't talk to him and make him come out with it. We wouldn't have known what was really in his heart. And uh, for one thing, he was occupied with himself there.
When that small, still voice speaks, he says in verse 14, I've been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts.
And then the second eye, an eye even, I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away.
Elijah was thinking a lot about Elijah.
He wasn't thinking about Elijah when he faced a head. He's only thinking about the Lord. And if the Lord gives us something to do and we don't keep himself and his glory and his honor before our souls, and then the old flesh and us manifest itself one everything the flesh is. And it gets uglier as it gets older, doesn't it? And, and, uh, Elijah has to deal with it. And the Lord is, is, is is working with him.
We see another thing that bothered him there. He says, The children of Israel have forsaken my covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword.
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The Lord doesn't talk to him about that. He mentions it.
Later on and uh.
And, uh, the New Testament. But it was true nevertheless, it was true that, uh.
They forsook the covenant.
They, uh, threw down the altars.
Explain the profits with a sword. That's exactly what uh uh, Jezebel had done. An Ahab train seen to it that the prophets of the Lord were all killed.
So he was telling the truth.
But he said it in the sense that he was the only one left.
And that's a bad, uh, state of soul to get into.
For for any one of us, why did you got into it? So let us not deceive ourselves in thinking that, well, that won't happen to me.
He thought he was the only one left. He had forgotten that there was at least 153 people alive who feared the Lord. Because I hope that I had told him that he had hit the, the prophets of the Lord 53 times over and there was open eye himself. There's at least 153 there. And the Lord had to tell him, you know, uh, I've got 7000 lights but haven't valid any.
But it still remains true.
That, umm.
Only Elijah was publicly faithful to the truth. 7000 weren't obaniah wasn't the 100 and 5050 prophets that he saved the lives? I said 100 and 53151.
None of them were publicly faithful to the truth like Elijah was.
And it it cost something to be outwardly faithful to the truth sometimes.
Our brethren will disagree with it, sometimes our family will disagree with us, but nevertheless, May God give us the grace to stand up for the truth. Don't let the old landmarks be removed.
So there was Elijah. He had to learn a lesson from the Lord, and uh, another person he forgot about was a man the Lord told him to anoint in his stead.
Elijah.
Oh, he had forgotten all about Elijah. And uh, he, the Lord told me you anoint Elijah to, to, to take your place, to stand in your room. And I thought about that.
And I said, wouldn't it be nice?
If we as believers via walk in ways.
Is that we're able to encourage another believer to walk in our footsteps, to walk twice as faithfully for the Lord than we have? Because Elijah was so taken up with with his master Elijah that he wanted a double portion of his spirit. He didn't want to be like Elijah. He wanted to have a double portion. Wouldn't it be nice, dear brethren, if by our walking ways we encourage at least one other believer to be at least as truthful?
And faithfulness things of God than we are.
And then it turns out there's a double portion. That's how the Lord blesses, and He delights the bless. But he wants in us a willing heart, a devoted heart, a separated life.
I'm sure we all enjoyed this morning, the theme in our reading meet, in the reading meeting on John 14, and the various hymns that reminded us so vividly of the Lord's return for us to take it home.
And, umm.
Something that struck me was a question that Carl, uh, then Franken asked and he asked, yes, but are we ready? And you know, that's a, that's a practical question, isn't it? And I suppose I should stop just to quote John 3 and 16 in case there is somebody here that isn't ready to, to meet God, some boy or girl, maybe, umm, maybe there won't be a gospel meeting tonight. And so we can quote John 316 for God so love the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him.
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Shall not perish, but have everlasting life. And so if there's a boy or girl here that isn't ready, then accept Christ this very moment. You may never have another opportunity. But that isn't what Carl was talking about. Carl was talking about our state of soul. Are we living close enough to the Lord that we're really ready? We're watching and waiting with our lower lights burning. And you know that's what the Lord wants. He works with us daily.
Uh, brother Sam was talking about.
How the Lord worked with Elijah, and you know He's working with every one of us to that end that will be watching and waiting ready for him. And Peter speaks about an abundant entrance. And I'm sure that's what the Lord would have in mind for everyone here. Well, let's just turn to Jeremiah 18 because this tells how the Lord works with each one of us.
The Lord the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Arise and go down to the Potter's house, and there will I, I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the Potter's house, and behold he rod to work on the wheels, and the vessel that he made a play with marred in the hand of the Potter. So he made it again another vessel. It seemed good to the Potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Oh, half of Israel cannot I do with you, if this Potter says the Lord.
Behold, as the clay is in the Potter's hands, so are ye in my hand, O House of Israel, and I just pray for you. There's no question. But what's the word of God here is speaking about Israel and how they deny their Messiah. And so the vessel was marred, uh, by their own doing. And but the Potter, the Lord, he's going to make another vessel. I, I'm sure during the tribulation, and this will be a beautiful vessel.
And we'll see how beautiful it is, uh, during the tribulation period. But just to apply this to your heart and mind. And of course, I'm talking to myself. And if there's anything that's worthwhile for you, well, that's good. It's a marvelous thing to have a soft heart. And that's why youngsters are so precious. Umm, it's because they aren't hardened yet. They're generally soft, and that's a marvelous thing.
Because the Potter can, uh, work with that soft tart and produce a vessel that will be so pleasing to him. And sometimes as we get older, our hearts get hardened. And that's a very sad thing, isn't it? The Lord has to work for this too. Well, here's the Potter, and I've never worked with clay, and there may be somebody here that works with clay, so I'll have to be pretty careful. But I've seen a Potter work with clay. They have this wheel and this, uh, massive clay there starts with just a lump of clay. Next, certain kind of clay mixed with some water.
So, so the consistency is just right. And then sometimes they have a treadle wheel, like on an old sewing machine, and that turns the wheel and the Potter works with his hands and he shapes the vessel that he has in mind. And you know, that's so much like, uh, our Lord, uh, the Good Shepherd, uh, that is working with us every day. Well, isn't it a marvelous thing? And of course we're the clay. That's the human part.
I know we're we have a new life and we're born again and the Lord works with the whole thing.
And his hands work with us. But you know, in order for the Lord to have that vessel come out right, the clay has to be just at a certain consistency. It can't be too hard. And you know, if it's too hard, the Potter will pour in some water, which to you and me means the word of God. And but perhaps we'll see a part of that play where there seems to be lots of water on it.
But yes, the, the, the, the, the clay is still hard underneath. So what's happened there? So don't you think it's the fact in that situation where perhaps that water, the word of God is just in our head and we haven't got it down into our heart. So, uh, the, the, the, the, as it were, that part of us hasn't been stopped. Well, you know, the Lord, umm, can stop that wheel so that all of our progress stops and he can work specifically with us. Umm, that hard little lump that's in that you or me.
00:35:29
And, uh, the water poured in and the Holy Spirit applying that water to our souls and to our goods, the Lord has a real stuff and he's working right on that little hard spot as we get, of course, in Song of Solomon, uh, sometimes the Lord allows the north wind to blow the cold wind. He brings in trouble as he did in, uh, Eli Elijah's life. And he uses that, uh, the wheel is tough to work with us on that little lump. Well, how marvel, how marvelous and how patient he is.
And how nice it is when we just turn our wheels over to the Lord Jesus, when we do that, then we're so lovely and pliable. And think of those hands that the Lord uses to shape us. Those were the hands that were nailed to Calvary's cross. Those were the loving hands that, uh, he touched people with, with diseases. Oh, they're tender, loving hands. And that's how the Lord is working with you and me.
In that very day, and perhaps particularly in this meeting, the Lord, the Potter in the heavens, is applying some pressure to that clay, because the Lord cannot shape out a beautiful vessel if he doesn't apply some pressure. And so if we've never felt pressure in our lives, umm, of this nature, maybe we can ask ourselves, you know, do we belong to the Lord at all? Oh, how good. And why is the Master Potter is to get the clay?
In just the right condition and then those loving hands.
That, uh, uh, wrap around the clay and bring the pressure just at the right time to bring a lovely vessel. Wouldn't it be a marvelous thing if all of us here, if we let the Lord do that? And so the Lord would produce for us here just the most beautiful vessel that he has in mind. Oh, we have that little poem. I can't put it all. How does it go? Have thine own way, Lord have thine own way.
Thou art the Potter, we are the clay.
And, uh, so it goes on that, uh, as we yield, the Lord is able to do exactly the very best for us, uh, during every day here. You know, we have that little hymn that says we need the every hour, oh gracious Lord. And, uh, you know, you and I can shorten that up a lot, can't we? We need the Lord every minute and we need him every second.