Vestal Conference: 2010
Table of Contents
Revelation 2:1-7
Reading
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172.
Umm.
Shall we pray?
Father, we just thanked he again.
For thy gift, for thy beloved Son, Lord Jesus, and the blessed privilege that we have to be and Thy very presence this morning, Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus, we just looked at thee, and we consider some of the scriptures that were read this morning prayer meeting, lifting up, holding hands without wrath and doubting the Lord that we ask the blessing of these we consider.
The portion in thy word that we lift up thy hands, as it were, asking in faith.
Blessed thy word, Lord Jesus, and to bless us too for that which is needful. And we just look for thee too, Lord of the flesh may be kept in the place of death. And that thy Spirit may not will have free liberty, that that, that it may not be quenched in any way, that that will be able to use whosoever thou wilt to bless. So we just thank Thee, Lord Jesus, for bringing us together in this way.
And blessing us 'cause we know that that delights to bless. So we're just thank thee again and looking for a blessing this morning. And I press precious and worthy name Lord Jesus, Amen.
President, I wonder if we could, uh, consider perhaps, uh, Revelation Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Umm, I know we only have three reading meetings, but, umm, if we took up two?
Of the uh.
Assemblies in the first reading meeting and then a couple more and then maybe try to get 3IN. Maybe in the last meeting we might be able to cover much of the subject of Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3. We know that it's really the Lord himself addressing the seven churches and they're typical of the entire of the testimony in the umm, the, the Christian era. And so right from Ephesus down to Laodicea.
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He addresses each assembly and those things that were of concern to him and those in connection with Philadelphia. He doesn't have anything to say that's critical of Philadelphia, but it was the work of God, no doubt, that began in the 1827 and that sort of thing, that era. But.
It's important for us to know what era we live in, the time that we live in, and we're living right in the last days.
And we need to know it, we need to feel it. We need to feel, umm, how the Lord feels in connection with the testimony that he's raised up in these last days. So I just suggest perhaps that we could read maybe chapter 2 This morning and then continue on if it's the Lord's will.
Revelation chapter 2.
Angel of the Church of Ephesus rite these things, said he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works and thy labor.
And my patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars, and has borne and has patience, and for my name's sake has labored and has not fainted. Nevertheless I have someone against thee, because thou hast left my first love. Remember therefore from once thou art fallen, and repent and do the 1St works, or else I will accomplish a deep quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place, except our pen.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit saith under the churches to him that overcoming will I give him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. And unto the Angel of the Church in Smyrna Wright these things saith the 1St and the last, which was dead and is alive, I know by works and tribulation.
And poverty, but thou art rich. And I know the blasphemy of them, which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation. 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. It doesn't happen here. Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh.
Shall not be heard of the second death.
And to the Angel of the Church in Pergamus rite these things, saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seed is, and that. And thou hold this fast my name, and has not denied my faith, even in those days where an Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you, where Satan's law.
But I have a few things against the because thou hast there then that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to each thing sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So has thou also then, that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, Which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear with the Spirit sand under the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a whitestone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. And unto the Angel of the church in Thyatira right these things say, as the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works.
To be more than the first, notwithstanding I have a few things against it. Because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which call for self a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants, to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. I gave her space for repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into her bed, and then that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their peace.
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And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and parts. And I will give unto everyone of you, according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest of Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden but that which ye have already. Hold fast till I come.
And he that overcometh and keepeth my words works unto the end. To Him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my father.
And I will give him the Morning Star, either half an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said under the church.
So there are three main divisions to the book of the revelation and it's really the revelation of Jesus Christ as we have in the first verse that says chapter one and verse one, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to show unto his servants the thing, things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his Angel unto his servant John. And so it's really the revelation of Jesus Christ. And the Lord has desired that in the church period. One of the things that would characterize.
Christianity is intelligent as to God's purposes in the earth and the intelligence as to the reality of the testimony that God has raised up to his precious name. And, uh, uh, those that would recognize his authority and recognize the value of the person and the work of Christ and, umm, that testimony would be, uh, visible in the earth. And so the first chapter presents to us really a picture of the judge.
It's, uh, an introduction, perhaps the first, uh, three or four verses. And then you have the judge presented and, uh, how, umm, in all of his glory and all of his strength, umm, and his righteousness, he will come and cleanse the earth and righteousness, He'll cleanse the earth by judgment. But then in verse chapter 2, you have the second division of the book, chapter two and three. It's the church period. And the history of the church is given to us there. God knew right from the beginning.
What the testimony would be like and what would characterize it at different stages and different eras. And we're right at the end of the church period in the latest scene era. We're just about to hear the voice of the Lord calling us home. But it's a wonderful thing to be able to, uh, trace the history of the church and to be able to, uh, learn something of the ways of God in each of those periods of time as he dealt with men in that testimony. And then you have the last.
Division from Chapter 4, perhaps that right to the end and.
Really, uh, takes up the judgments and how God will act in this earth. And, uh, men may think that they can act in independence of God and to walk in God's earth and conduct themselves in, in, umm, defiance of the authority of God and in lawlessness. But God is going to bring every sin into judgment and every sin and act of disobedience is going to be brought into judgment. And so here we have this, uh, testimony and, uh, as we have in chapter 2.
And throughout the book, many symbols are brought before us. And so it's a book filled with symbology and the Lord is delighted to use those symbols to communicate the truth to us. And they're the same symbols, often times that are used in the Old Testament as well. So it's not new symbols that we find in the New Testament, but the same ones. And so he begins under the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, right? And so this first symbol really would be characteristic of those, uh, indicative of those that are.
In oversight, perhaps in the assembly at Ephesus at the very beginning of the church period, those that were the most responsible, those that had received the most light as to Christian truth, and that epistle to the Ephesians had been written by Paul. Now you have the 2nd Epistle to the Ephesians, as it were, and it's written by the Lord Himself to the assembly in Ephesus.
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Our brother this morning read in Acts chapter 20. It might be good to reread some of what he read. Acts chapter 20 and verse 36.
And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with the mall.
And they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, soaring most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship. Well, Acts chapter 20 takes up, uh, this, uh, little assembly and emphasis and how Paul had addressed them. Uh, and he had addressed the elders of the church. It says in verse 17 from my lead as he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them, and we have his address there and how he instructed them. And, uh, the instruction is given because the Apostolic era was going to end. And, uh, Paul was raised up of God just as Joshua was raised up, that the enemy might be, uh, held at Bay and that the enemy was going to seek to destroy the new testimony of the Christian era. He was going to seek to, uh, corrupt it and return the Saints aside. And the apostles were used particularly at the beginning of the church period.
To guard and to protect the Saints, as it were, and to warn and, umm, to instruct them and so on. But here in Acts chapter 20, the, there's a little picture given to us that the apostle Apostolic age was, uh, coming to an end. And here you have in Revelation chapter 2, perhaps, uh, umm, you know, the circa is probably the era around 100, uh, 8000, sixty or 170.
That era and you have the Lord Himself now beginning.
To address the state of things in the testimony and it's indicative of the whole of the testimony, not only the assembly at Ephesus, but here he addresses the whole and the one thing that he has to say, as we often think of in chapter 2 and verse 4. Here. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love and the Lord knew that to outwardly things looked pretty good.
It looked like the affections were still, umm, preserved for the Lord. It looked like there was a, a real devotion to Christ and service that says umm, uh, in verse 3 dollars born and has patience for my name's sake has labored and has not fainted. So it looked like there was real devotion to Christ. But really what he wanted most was the heart. My son, give me thine heart and the one thing that he wanted more than anything else and that he wants from you and I.
Is our devotion, our hearts affections? And if he doesn't have your heart's affections, he doesn't have mine. He doesn't have what he wants in the Christian era. He wants your heart's affections. He wants to feel that he is the most important one, the relationship that we most value in life. He wants to feel the affections of his people. And so he felt it when the affections grew cold. And Ephesus means amiable.
Oh, it's lovely, uh, that Christian era that as the church was being formed, a bride for the Christ.
Members of his body, why, it was something exceedingly precious to him, and it still is. It's amiable to Him. All of God loves his people. The Lord Jesus died for us and loved us even unto death. And if there's one thing that he wants more in the day that we live in more than anything else is to have your affections in mind.
When we look at the verses that Brother Robert read in uh again in Acts 20.
We can see, I believe, that the that the leaving of their first love had a.
They almost already started even back then.
Inverse, uh, in October.
20 uh 8/31 He had given the method specific warning. Paul had given him a specific warning box. 20 and 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flocks over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to be the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
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There was the basis of of the whole of God's work in in forming the assembly.
That the word Jesus had purchased.
The curse his bride with his own blood.
And the Holy Spirit was working to.
In the in the church to lay on the hearts of of.
One, uh, one vitro to to make them overseers. It says here to feed the Church of God, not to be not to be somebody important, but to to feed the Church of God on the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he goes on to say, I know verse 29. I know this, that after my departing shall grieve as wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
And also even of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things.
Draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone of everyone night and day with tears.
The enemy Satan does not want to see.
First thing is going on happily together with their eyes on the Lord.
And the All warns them here that even of their own, of their own selves, there would be men that would arise.
They draw by disciples not to look at the Lord, but to follow them after themselves.
And so we see in the verses that Robert read in, uh, in verse 36 and 37 and 38.
That they were already sorrowing more for the fact that they wouldn't see Poles facing the game.
Then they were concerned about.
The direction they would be taking after after this, it seems as though they were.
More concerned about Paul than about the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
And that's the danger I believe, brother.
That we have, that we can get our eyes even on faithful men of God.
More than on the Word, Jesus Christ Himself. And I believe that's why in Revelation 2 we have that warning from the Lord himself, who walks in the midst of the assemblies that you have left your first love.
Their eyes, they were doing all the right things here in verse 2, but not really for the right reasons, not really out of love and devotion for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
We need to take these warnings and these things that are written here as a warning to ourselves today.
Revelation is the, uh, the, uh, book that takes up how the Lord Jesus is going to.
Take possession of that which is his by right that he won on Calvary's cross, and he's going to come back and he's going to cleanse that which he's going to take in judgment. But Peter says judgment must begin at the House of God. And there's a principle in Scripture that I take care of my own house first before I take care of any other business. And it's true with the Lord Jesus too. He's going to take care of his own house first.
Before he goes on to take care of the rest of the business of this book.
In in chapter one and verse three, blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy. The whole book is prophetic. Even the addresses to the seven churches, they have a present application at any time in the history of the Saints of God. You'll find all of these conditions present, but they also have a prophetic character to them as well. And why does God give prophecy? Why do prophets come on the scene?
He raises up profits in the time of the failure of God's people.
That's when prophecy comes in. Why? Because He shows what he's going to judge, what is displeasing to himself, that those who desire to go on for the Lord can be separate from what he's going to judge and what displeases him. And really, if we can think of that book in this way, it's bringing out what He's going to judge. But what for you and me, that we would be separate from it now and we'd be a more holy people for His name right now in light of what he's going to judge.
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And here especially when he deals with his own House of what he's looking for and what's pleasing to him and what is dishonouring to him, and to be an overcomer, to be separate and from that which would displease him.
I was thinking too of of first love and you know, it's the very root of what springs forth and full bloom and Laodicea having left first love results in.
The nauseous condition that the Lord finds and Laodicea.
And what is first love?
Uh, sometimes we perhaps think of it as that love which is first seen when they, uh, uh, the Lord brings a, a man and a woman together and they fall in love. Think of that first love. But you know, it's not exactly first in time. It's not first in the sense of being first in time. It's first in the sense that it has no other object than one person. And so first love isn't necessarily that which is first in time in a believer's life.
But what develops and deepens as time goes on and every other object is eclipsed and the believers life in Christ alone.
Is there that's first love, and how does it manifest itself in a believer's life?
First love, having Christ only as its object rises up to every exercise that the Lord places before my soul and your soul from his precious word. I'd like to just look at, uh, the Song of Solomon in the 5th chapter, just to apply a little bit from that chapter and, and, uh, to first love.
Song of Solomon chapter 5 and verse 2.
I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved. That knock is sang open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, For my head is filled with dew.
And the locks with the drops of the night. And she replies in verse three, I have put off my coat.
How shall I put it on?
I have washed my feet. How shall I defile them?
And so there she is. She's in bed and she's sleeping.
I sleep and she says my heart waketh. She's asleep. She's at rest, content, but her conscience isn't she. I sleep, but my heart waketh. There's something troubling her. She can't really get a full, deep breath. The conscience is a little picture of the conscience active. And so when he comes and seeks a response from her heart, as her brother was speaking about the response of the heart that the Lord's looking for.
She doesn't respond and she says I've, I've put off my coat, I'm in bed. You know, when we're in bed, we're at rest. We have peace. Well, I have peace with God. I'm saved. Uh, I'm on my way to heaven and uh, I'm fit for glory and my sins have been forgiven, all washed away in the precious blood of Christ. Uh, leave me alone. Don't bother me. Uh, let me go live my life how I want now. Uh, I've taken care of the important thing.
And she says.
My, my feet are washed. I'm not walking in the Broad Rd. anymore. Uh.
I'm walking in the narrow path, maybe even in the assembly, and everything's OK, you know?
But she doesn't rise up in response to his voice. And you know, we can be in the same condition in the assembly, at peace with God in that sense, undefiled feet. And still the heart doesn't respond really and truly to the Lord. There is just this, uh, lying in the bed, so to speak. And the exercise is presented to our souls, and we pick up the word and we read it and we say.
Oh, how I put off my code. I can't get out of I that's too hard to do for the Lord. I can't do that. Maybe another time come back some other time. You know we say to the word of God. Well, her response comes when she sees his hand by the whole of the door in verse four and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open.
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To my beloved in my hands doth with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, while the hands speak of service.
Well, those hands, that of his, he came into this world the eternal Son of God, and became a man. And he had hands and has hands just like yours and mine, and those hands are employed in a service of love. And what was the response of that to that service of love? They pierced those hands. They pierced those hands.
And she sees those hands, as it were. And that's what we need is a glimpse of those hands that came in service of love to us. They're pierced for us. And she responds, and what happens speaks of her hands. Now her hands respond in like kind in service. But as our brother spoke, we can have all kinds of service, but not the right motives behind it, not it being Christ in a response to his love, but now there's service.
Her hands drop with myrrh. It's our service in response to love. Now there's first love that is, so to speak, the motivation of what she's doing, and I think first love is really that.
It's rising up in response. Devoted this to him, to every every exercise that he would place before our hearts from his precious word.
If you just look at one verse and.
First John, chapter 4.
And verse 19, first John 4 and 19, the verse that I'm sure we all know we love him because He first loved us.
We love him because he first loved us.
That is, that is really where first love begins, I believe.
Is to realize, uh and and remember.
Daily that he first loved us.
It all starts with Him. I wouldn't have any love for the Lord Jesus or for anyone else if I wasn't, if I didn't think about.
His love for me, not that is the main person love, his love for for me. And the more I'm occupied with that I'm thinking of of him and his love.
Then I will have the love for him that I should have and it that will that will that should direct everything that I do.
So the 1St works in verse five would be works that are motivated by love with Christ's holy as the object. It's not that they were lacking in works, but He wanted them to do the 1St works works back when their heart was holy for Him.
Like just just look at Luke's Gospel Chapter 9 and Justice. Read a couple of verses there.
It's UMM in connection with the Lord having the first place.
It's Luke Chapter 9 and verse. Let's read verse 58. Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my Father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou, and preach the Kingdom of God. And another said also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back his fit.
For the Kingdom of God. So we have this little statement that's used just a very few times, me first in Scripture. And often times that's really what hinders us in our spiritual life and in our the outflow of our affections for Christ. It's me first and we live in an age where it's me first. And it's sad to say the affections that the Lord desires, the devotion that he desires of your heart and mind often times.
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And he gets the last place, he gets the leftovers, he doesn't get the 1St place. And then in all things, he might have the preeminence, that's what he wants, the 1St place. But how often in my own life I feel it is the affections don't flow forth because I've looked after my own things first. And then I'm too tired perhaps, and, uh, too worn out to give him the place that he really desires. And so this is what happens in connection with.
First love giving him the 1St place is something else comes in, the heart is divided and uh, our brother, uh, Robert Muir brought before us in Acts chapter 20, uh, some of what would take place and I believe you have umm, umm, a little bit of it, uh, ministered on in Philippians chapter 2 in connection with what took place in Ephesus and umm.
The instruction that's given there in Philippians chapter 2 is very instructive for us as well, he says in verse 2.
Umm, Philippians 2 verse two, fulfill ye my joy that you may, that ye be like minded, having the same love being of 1 accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory. That word vain glory means self ambition and uh, self promotion. Let nothing be done for self promotion, but in loneliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And so the Lord Jesus is presented.
That's the perfect model in that aspect of things that he sought to the will of his father and everything I do always those things that please my Father, and so giving the Lord the 1St place.
Was and not seeking a place for myself among the people of God in the workplace, in the family, whatever it might be, we need to be very careful. It's a weed that grows very quickly. If we desire to have a place of prominence in any sphere, it's always Christ that we want to exalt. God's going to exalt Christ in the glorious scene above. He's going to be in the midst in every eye that says in chapter one and verse, uh, seven, every eye shall see him.
It's going to be Christ.
The eternal scene is a Christ centered scene and God desires that the testimony, the Christian testimony, now be a Christ centered testimony.
Scripture in Jeremiah the 2nd chapter.
Jeremiah, chapter 2.
We have a similar difficulty with the people of God.
Can you find in this portion in Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 13?
The Lord says, for my people have committed 2 evils.
They have forsaken me.
1000 They haven't forgotten me, but they have forsaken me, the thousands of living waters, and give them those cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Well, in the chapter that's before us.
We have this situation with those deficits.
Whereas we've had brought before us, there was work and there was labor and there was patience.
We don't read that they'd have. They'd forgotten their first love, but they had left it.
I remember before I was married, there was an older brother that came to me.
At the time it meant something to me, but it means quite a bit more to me now.
And my wife might labor ever so diligently in the home. She might work ever so hard.
And she might be patient.
But if she doesn't love me.
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And that's what affected the heart of the Lord in the time of Jeremiah. And that's what we have here in our chapter. Robert, you brought that before us, the thought of the affections that the Lord desires. And here we don't find that they've forgotten the love of the Lord, but they had actively left it. And when there is difficulty in my life, if there's sin and there's failure in my life, what it is?
It's an indication of something that is much deeper.
And it's an indication that I have left my first love. That's a solemn thing as I consider the sin in my life and I consider the many failures in my in my life, they are an indication of something that's deeper. And it's an indication of me having left my first love.
Verse 6 is a commendation, isn't it? It says, But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
Which I also hate. While they were zealous for the Lord, they were zealous for the glory of the Lord in some measure. And you and I can be zealous for the glory of the Lord in some measure as well.
But that didn't fill the, what was missing, uh, but the Lord appreciated it. And so isn't it the kindness of the Lord to give them this letter, this encouragement, this, uh, stirring up. And the Lord desires to stir you and I up. It's because he loves us. It's not because he's, uh, trying to make things difficult for us in any way. No, He loves us enough to write to us and to exercise our souls to stir us up. And his brother was reading and the Song of Solomon, how he sought to stir.
The affections of that one by putting his hand out by the hole in the, by the lock of the door and umm, the Lord knows how to stir your heart up in mind. And uh, the devotion of heart or the, umm, I should say, the zealousness was something that he appreciated it, but it didn't fill the hole. It didn't fill what he really wanted. And so we have here this, uh, call it says he that happened here. Let him hear what the spirit saith under the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
And so there was that encouragement to the overcomer that they would, uh, have that, uh, sense of, uh, his, uh, presence and that they would, uh, in a future day, umm, be in the paradise, in the garden of delight with the Lord and, uh, they would have communion with himself. And so God desires that even though it's a day of ruin, a day of failure, and why we might, umm, just be, exercise our souls in our own souls as to how cold we are in our souls ourselves.
We may see it more in others, but the Lord values the overcomer. And if there is an affection that flows out from your heart or mine in the day of the weakness that we live in, why He appreciates it, and there's going to be communion with the Lord. He's going to.
Reward that communion. He's going to give us a sense of his delight as we walk in his presence.
When she we might say, when she.
Got honest with herself.
I have their repentance of, uh, ignoring the Lord.
When we saw her.
When she went to seek him.
Not at all fair, my love. There is no spot. Indeed, he sees us as the fairest among women.
Who loved the church and gave himself poor and sorrow in the past eternity.
And desired it.
Astonishingly enough that Umm wonders. His work is so at all fair, my love. There's no spot in the and he desires to have us.
00:45:09
And we too stay in bed and ignore him at times to ourselves.
What's the time I'm getting at is she's asked, What is thy beloved more than another? And she can answer.
She answers with great detail.
You know, she's been occupied with him. She has seemed so much about him.
She goes into this detailed description of him.
And one thing about C.
Speaking the Lord, finding the Lord, being occupied with him.
As you desire that anything inconsistent with him he let go of.
Judged.
What do we find when we when we seek Him and find Him? Don't we find one dwelling in the light that no man can approach, unto which no man has been?
Don't we find the one that dwells in the high and holy place with him also as a humble contract?
The high and lofty one. What I'm getting at is what we find when we seek the Lord is a holy 1A Pure 1A. Righteous 1A just one, yes, a loving 1A Merciful 1.
Now John puts.
Characteristics of God before us in two ways. God is light and God is love. And you find all his attributes, you might say, listed under one of those categories, light and love. And the first thing you bring before us is so interesting and the apostle of love.
Says This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you that God is light.
And in him, there's no darkness at all.
So the apostle of love, the one who loved his love so much and brings his love before us so much.
Was.
Fully aware of that of His light, His Holiness, His purity, His truth.
And our beloved is the High Alafia, one of the Holy One, and as we seek him and find him and.
You might say invite him as the Lord Jesus said he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
It can be gone.
Result is that there's you know conforming there is conforming more to this image that's just simply the result then we might say that testimony is the result of occupation with him. But just to point out that.
And so much this inconsistent with him will be letting go of will be judging.
Letting go of it, it was one of the beauties of the recovery.
The Saints came together, especially those men. We all know their names, Sisters too, but they were enamored with him. If they were asked what, what is thy beloved more than another, they could answer.
And they and they sought to judge and let go of everything inconsistent with him.
And so they were conforming to heaven.
As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
And it's and it's contrary to nature.
Contrary to nature, uh.
Sometimes the believer, if they're really occupied with Christ and trying to go on with Him, and they're contrary to nature anyway.
I'm not saying we don't have natural relationships we have to take up with and so on. Those are important, but in their own personal time, what they're occupying them is the heavenly one. And if that's what they're occupied with competing on, that's what will be in their lives. That's what will be in their home. Not with any of this life, this world or something. So often just to just to point that out too, that first love wants everything inconsistent with him.
To be, uh, to be let go of, To be gone.
Solomon chapter 5 verse two. I noticed in Mr. Darby's translation the first part of that verse, it says I slept but my heart was awake. But we read the King James. It almost sounds like her, her heart could have been asleep and it woke up those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Even though we have lost our first love, it affects you for him is still there. So our heart.
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Is, in a sense, always awake.
In that sense.
Paul may have been afraid of that danger in Ephesus. I mean, he says to the Ephesians in the first epistle to Ephesus. He warns them.
This in chapter 5 of Ephesus. Ephesians 14. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and the Christ shall give thee light. See that as ye walk circumspectly, and so on.
You know all knew his own heart. He knew how easily things can become mechanical.
We may see the truth and and, uh, develop good habits and kind of fall asleep.
Go forward getting that word to the Ephesians. I mean. Second, the 2nd of this may not have been written.
If they heated that.
Chapter one and verse six tells us that he has made us kings and priests, or a Kingdom of priests unto God and his Father. To him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. And so one of the things that characterizes the Church period is that we're all priests.
And we're suitable as those that are the priests to, uh, OfferUp sacrifices of praise and Thanksgiving to God. I think that's, umm, Hebrews chapter 13 brings that out very nicely.
In UMM chapter 13 and verse 15 by Him. Therefore, let us offer sacrifices of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks.
To his name. And so that ought to be characteristic of everyone of us when we come into the presence of the Lord at the assembly meetings, whether sisters or brothers, The brothers give their praise and Thanksgiving. The worship of our hearts is audible in the presence of God. But uh, the sisters ought to come. It says, let no man come. Umm, empty. They weren't to come into the presence of the Lord empty. They were to be feeding upon Christ and, uh.
Eating of the manna on a daily basis, and then when they came into the presence of the Lord, there would be something for him.
He wanted the fruit himself. He wanted to enjoy the sweetness of having his people.
In his presence. And there were those that were the deeds of Nicolaitans, uh, I believe Nico means to rule and umm, the rule of over the people. And so there were those that, uh, wanted a place of prominence among their brethren and a rule among the people of God. And they usurped the place of the Spirit of God. And he wasn't getting his place. He wasn't getting the fruit. And, uh, they suppressed the priesthood among the Saints of God.
Wasn't it lovely, brethren, the privilege that we have in the Christian era?
To bring our fruit, the Thanksgiving, the praise of our hearts, our hearts, our lips in the presence of the Lord continually, that there wouldn't be a break in it at all, that the communion might be maintained, that he might have his portion. Well, they saw that this was wrong in Ephesus. They saw it. They hated the the deeds.
That the Nicolaitans had done, perhaps Speaking of the Lady, the clergy coming in, that tendency of the people of God to get lazy in their own souls.
And not to give to the Lord what He really desired and then to let the work fall upon others. It speaks to my own heart, ought to speak to every one of us. Are we feeding on Christ daily? Are we seeking something of the beauty of Christ, something of the preciousness of the person and the work of our Savior every day? Something that I can enjoy in my own soul and maybe share with someone else? But if we're occupied with that less than one on a daily basis.
Then when we come into His presence, why there be something that would flow forth from our hearts. And so we ought to be those that are brothers. I speak to everyone of us. You know, we get into a state of soul where we just like to let someone else do it. Just let someone else take part in the assembly meetings. Let someone else do it. But oh, how the Lord delights to bless just a little thing done for him, a little word said for him. And I just encourage the young brothers here. You know, there was a man that worked for Brother Hammer. His name was, uh, Ralph Koskin. He was an old Finlander and he never got his English quite right.
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And uh, you may be afraid to say something, it ought to be done in the fear of God. Let, if any man speak, let him speak of the oracles of God. But, umm, there needs to be, there comes a time when we, uh, as young men perhaps, uh, take a wife and become more responsible in the assembly and so on. And we need to begin to exercise our priesthood in an audible way, perhaps take gospel meeting, whatever it might be. Sunday school work is a good place to start.
But this man, Ralph Koskin used to say this. What man he works, he makes the mistake. What man he no work, he no make the mistake.
What man he works, he makes the mistake. What man he no work, he no make the mistake?
You're going to make mistakes, you're going to fumble a little bit. You're going to start a hymn or try to start a hymn. It's not going to start right. You may refer to the wrong versus scripture, uh, the wrong reference, whatever it might be, you'll stumble. And the Lord is going to teach us time and again that we're only men, that we're priests of God, but we're not perfect as we utter our utterances in his presence. But what a privilege it is to be exercised and to exercise our priesthood in his presence. Well, the.
These brethren and EF Ephesus saw that the clergy was the wrong thing and they saw it to, uh, deal with it in faithfulness to the Lord. So there were some things that he appreciated, but as we said before, what he wanted was the first place in their hearts and the affections. Well, maybe we may we'd be exercise every one of us about this.
The beginning of the church's history there was a, uh, a failure, sin that has uh.
It was really characteristic.
Of that which was to come, uh, later on and really fully developed in the church's history. And it's the, uh, sin of Ananias and Sapphira. They lied to the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God had been sent down from an ascended Christ. And uh, uh, formed of that company of believers in that upper room, uh, united them together to their head in heaven and formed the body of Christ here in this earth.
The Spirit of God was here present, and the Church was his habitation.
And he was personally present there to conduct all that took place in the assembly. And when Ananias and Sapphira lied, uh, Peter says and, and uh, he, he puts it in the light that it should be put, he said, you've lied to the Holy Ghost. What they did in their action, uh, and God characterizes an act by its tendency in the scripture.
Umm was not just to lie to Peter was really to deny, uh, that there was the Spirit of God had even come. If they really felt and knew that he had come, would they have lied?
You know, would we if, if, uh, uh.
The Spirit of God, if we could see him visibly, would we? Would we lie? God who knows and sees all things. But in their lie they really denied what had taken place in Pentecost, that the Spirit of God was even there. And Peter calls it what it is. They fell down dead. They fell down dead. That was in a day of freshness and power of the Spirit of God. Today he's very grieved because of the failure of the church and sin.
And so there's much that denies the presence of the Spirit of God here, but he bears with it. He bears with it, umm, that sin became characteristic of the failure of the professing Church of God in this world. And our brother touched on the Nicolaitans and earlier it says, uh, that they had tried them that were apostles, said they were apostles and were not and has found them liars. Paul calls them false apostles in Second Corinthians.
And then we have the Nicolaitans and their deeds which they hate, as our brother brought out. Their name seems to indicate those who would take a place of authority, uh, among the people of God. And in Jude chapter four, I think we get them, uh, characterized or Jude verse 4, where there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.
And denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus.
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Christ and so there are those who come in to that sphere of profession having an outward way tasted of grace, they turn around and deny it. Not only that, they take advantage of it. And, uh, so both of those things I believe are coupled together, that denial of the present, uh, presence of the Spirit of God in the assembly and setting up man's order in contrast to the order that the Spirit of God would.
Established in the assembly, putting in man's ideas, man's uh, uh, agendas and uh, coupled with the teaching of turning the grace of God into a license for sin.
That love just covers it all. And since we're saved by grace, aren't we free to just do what we want to do? And many doctrines that come out of that kind of a basis of teaching those things have really become characteristic of the profession of Christianity in this world. And so we see them in their roots and emphasis. We get them a little more full blown later on. We come to verse 15. So hast thou?
Also them that hold the doctrine, the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate so in Ephesus.
They hated the deeds. They tried those who made pretensions.
To be Lords over God's flock and refuse them. But we see the beginning of Satan's efforts in that way to displace the place that the Spirit of God had in the assembly. And it is the characteristic sin of the church, the church's history here in this earth. And it's really embodied in the clerical system. Seeing seen full blown. And that, uh, popish, uh, order of things that we see, uh, coming from Rome. And the Vatican will, will take that up, Lord willing, as we come to Thyatira.
But I just want to mention that we see it in its roots with Ephesus. The Lord saw it and he, he points it out. But He knew, even though that they had refused it, that they hated those deeds. Yet the inroads are being made. And so when we come to the next church, we see what he uses to arrest the progress of what He saw taking place in Ephesus as well as.
What he used to seek to recall them to their first love, and that is the allowed persecution.
Might just say in chapter 2 here, umm, we have the Lord presented in different characters, uh, different, umm, ways in chapter 2, verse one, it's uh, the one that, uh, holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. The whole of the testimony was umm, and those that were responsible for guiding the a star is used to guide umm, in uh, navigation in the oceans and so on. And umm.
So those that were raised up of God were really in his hands, as it were, and he, he was the one who walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. So he's seen as the one who is, uh, right in the midst of his people and knows what's going on and, umm, upholds those that seek to guide in the assembly. And then in chapter 2 and verse 8IN connection with Smyrna, it's the one who is the 1St and the last, which was dead and is alive.
And so he's the resurrected one that's presented to them there. And then in Pergamus verse 12, he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. And so his, uh, word had uh, been given up. Some of his, uh, the truth of God in connection with the truth of the word of God was give being given up. And so he's characterized by one that has the sharp sword with two edges. And then in verse 18, in connection with Thyatiris, the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire in his feet.
Are like fine brass. And so as the evil progresses, you see the, umm, character of what he sees. His eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like brass. Nothing escapes his eye and he's firm in his, uh, course in his path and, uh, he desires us to walk in righteousness.
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16 in the appendix.
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Nsnoise.
We commend ourselves.
Our loving God and our Father, we thank thee for the preciousness of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, and we thank thee for thy love. Lord Jesus, thou friend unfailing. We think of how my word tells us even in that epistle to the.
Ephesians Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with washing of water by the Word, That he might present it to himself. A glorious church.
Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
We thank Thee, our God and our Father, for such a Savior, for such an object before our souls this morning that Thou was presented to us, and we think of how allow us to given us Thy word to just stir us up.
And awareness too is necessary but to stir us up. And blessed Savior, we own this morning our coldness of heart, and how distracted, so easily distracted we are. And yet Thou knowest our hearts. Blessed Saviour, we long to give thee.
The first place in our lives we long to give thee that first love.
We long to give the the affections of our hearts in the scene that does everything it can to deaden the affections and to divide the heart. And so we just thank Thee for Thy precious word. We pray that by the power of the Spirit that the Thy Word might have free course and be glorified, that there might be fruit for Thee as a result. With a of our time being together here, these few precious hours together, we thank the our God and our Father for all of Thy love and for the provision here. We pray for Thy continued care and keeping in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul's Exhortations to the Ephesians to Continue in the Faith
Christ's Life Manifested in His Saints
Revelation 2:8-17
Reading
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330.
I'm sorry, I don't know anything different.
So.
Uh-huh.
Loving God and Father, we ask for thy health now as we would open Thy word. We just pray that what is brought before us by the Holy Spirit will be that which we need for encouragement and help on our in our pathway. Thank you for time together Father. We thank thee for the encouragement that our brother and our to us and now we would just pray that they'll help us to keep our thoughts on the meeting by self.
I think of the, uh, the heat this afternoon and thank you for this beautiful day. We just asked for thy blessing. Now as we're together, we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen. Amen.
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I suggest perhaps starting at verse 8 and just reading uh down to the last verse in chapter 2.
Revelation chapter 2.
Starting with first eight.
And unto the Angel of the church in Smyrna, right these things say at the 1St and the last, which was dead, that is alive.
I know thy works and tribulations and poverty without rich, and I know the blast from eight of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.
Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be trying, and he shall have tribulation 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that happened here, let him hear with the Spirit saith unto the churches.
It overcometh shall not be first of the second death.
And to the Angel of the Church in Pergamus right these things say, as he which hath the sharp sword is too a deep sleep. I know by works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seed is. And thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days where an Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among. You are saved as long. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there then that hold the doctrine of failure.
Who taught Malik to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication? So hast thou also then hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, Which thing I hate? Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith under the churches to him that overcometh will thy give eat of the hidden manna.
And will give him a light stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth dead. And unto the Angel of the Church and thyatirite these things, saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and my patience, and my works, and the last to be more than the 1St.
Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferers that woman Jezebel, which called herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants, to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication.
And she repented not.
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and then that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent their deeds, and I will kill her children with death. And all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts.
And I will give unto everyone of you according to your works. But unto you, I say, and unto the rest in thy Tyra, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you.
None other burden without which you have already hold fast till I come.
And he that overcometh and keepeth my work unto the end, to him will I give power over the 90s. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the Potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my father.
And I will give him the Morning Star.
See that happen here. Let him hear when the Spirit saith under the churches.
Each one of these churches or assemblies, I think the word is ecclesia. It really means assembly or uh.
They have a name, and the meanings of the names are very instructive. So Ephesus means amiable, and what is more amiable to Christ than the church?
Purchased with his own precious blood as his own bride. And, uh, just that picture that we have in the Old Testament of, uh, Boaz buying his wife Ruth. And uh, he didn't have to lay down his life, but we know that the Lord Jesus laid down his life. Well, emphasis here is a picture of the church in its entirety and how precious it is to the Lord. And, uh, he loved it and he just wanted that return of love. But then you have here in verse 8, the address to the assembly in Smyrna. And Smyrna, I believe, means suffering.
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And uh, so there's uh, this assembly, the period of time, there were 10 persecutions, It says in verse 10, at the end of it, it says you shall have 10 tribulation, 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. And so the Lord in his wisdom, his kindness, his mercy, uh, that, uh, the testimony might be preserved and uh, that there might be fruit for himself.
Glory for his name at the beginning of the church age allowed persecution, he allowed suffering, and umm, the Saints turned to the Lord. There's evidence as you read of the martyrs, Fox's Book of Martyrs and other books.
Why they suffered, But there was real affection, a real devotion, a real faithfulness of the Lord because of suffering. And so they suffered in that period of time.
And the Lord allowed it. And so in the day that we live in, oftentimes there is suffering in our lives and how thankful we ought to be to the Lord for what he allows in our lives. That just draws us to himself. And sometimes he takes something away. Perhaps it's our health, perhaps it's our work, Perhaps it's something that's being a hindrance to us. And umm, we get closer to the Lord, we have that distraction removed. Or perhaps as Paul had, he's, he cried to the Lord and prayed three times.
That the thorn in the flesh might be removed and it wasn't. And, uh, the Lord says, Paul says himself that it was used of God for his preservation, that he might not be puffed up and proud because of his, uh, work among the God, the people of God. And so you have here the Lord Jesus addressing this, uh, assembly. And it's the next stage, the next period of the characterized the assembly after, uh, the.
The period of first love was uh, umm, the love of the Saints had waned a little than the suffering. The persecution came and God allowed it, as I say, and it was for that there might be fruit for himself.
Its significant in verse eight, at the end of verse eight that he says these things, say at the 1St and the last which was dead and is alive. He presents himself as the eternal one, but the one who is the resurrected 1.
He went through death. He knew what it was to be persecuted unto death.
Yeah, wonderful to have a savior that knows what suffering is. He knew when the church was going to be persecuted and, uh, in each one of these 10 persecutions, uh, periods of persecution, how much they suffered, some of them were going to be put to death. And, uh, they could look at the Lord and say he went through that. He suffered death. He was falsely accused. He was, uh, uh, barbarously, uh, treated and, uh, tormented.
And put to death. But he's a risen Savior. And so he's presented here as the one who is alive. Resurrection is a real thing. And so he gives them this as an encouragement. And he tells them how he knows their works and their tribulation and their poverty. But thou art rich. And so they were persecuted. And from one place to another they went. But the Lord, you know, preserved some. And he preserved his testimony during that era.
I noticed in the end of verse eight there in Mr. Darby's translation, these things says the first and last who became dead and lived.
And that brings that out even better, doesn't it?
I guess we can say that here in North America and the US and Canada, we.
We really don't know anything about what this is like, this kind of tribulation and suffering and persecution that the assembly in Smyrna went through. But there are there are many countries where many of our brothers and sisters, right at this very moment, our brothers and sisters in the world are separated what these brethren and smarter did.
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Almost 2000 years ago.
I used to remember them in our prayers.
If you look at Acts chapter 8, you see the limits that God set on things very nicely here. It's, uh, Acts chapter 8 and verse one. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles and devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him.
And so the enemy was allowed to do his work, but it only produced fruit for God. There were those that it was a great persecution, but you know, it says in verse four. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.
That wonderful.
You know those dear brethren, they were poor. They left Jerusalem with nothing.
Perhaps the clothes on their back in a few possessions that they could carry. They were absolutely necessary to live. They had to leave everything behind. They were persecuted, but they were rich. They had Christ, they had eternal life. They had a home in the heavens. They had the risen Savior as an object for their hearts. And what the Spirit of God presents to them here is that it was worth suffering for Him. He suffered for them, and it was worth suffering for Him.
Net Lovely.
It's worth suffering for the Lord Jesus. Have you suffered for the Lord Jesus at all? Do you and I ever suffer for the Lord? Or would we rather escape some circumstances or some situations that we we or would be rather unpleasant? And our brother Bob has said, Robert has said quite accurately, that we're probably not going to suffer persecution to this extent and death and martyrdom in North America. But there are other ways that we can suffer for the name of Christ. We can suffer reproach. Just name the name of the Lord Jesus.
In a public way.
And so how infrequently we do it because we're gonna suffer.
There were those there who, uh.
Would have liked to have made Christianity into a religion acceptable to the flesh, to the first man, and uh.
The that which God gave to the first man is a perfect religion is contained in the Old Testament, in the law, the Jews religion, but that's been uh, done away now. And, uh, the father seeketh, uh, those who will worship him in spirit and in truth, not after just the ordinances that men can appreciate.
That have to do with sight and sound and rituals and on and on. But there were Jews here, uh, those which say they are Jews, which are really seeking to turn Christianity into a religion pleasing to the flesh so that they would escape persecution and, uh.
That really has been done. Uh, Christianity has been turned into outwardly in a religion that can be.
Pleasing to the flesh, and where the 1St man can enter in and take part and say I'm a Christian and I'm baptized and go through all kinds of things that seem very religious and satisfying to the flesh, and think he's accepted with God and suffer no persecution on account of it, because the world recognizes it and accepts it. And so there were those there who really were a plague to the suffering.
At Smyrna.
And.
The Lord recognizes what was taking place. He calls it the blasphemy.
The blasphemy and calls says they are of the synagogue. The end of verse nine of Satan who's the adversary of the people of God. There's a correlation between Smyrna.
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Where suffering is prominent in Philadelphia later on in chapter 3, where weakness is what is prominent, thou hast little strength. And there too, and the address to Philadelphia, verse 9, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not but to lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
And so both of these assemblies, neither is there a disparaging or a censoring word, so to speak, by the Lord. He doesn't have to say I have a few things against thee, or I have against thee this or that. There's nothing but encouragement to each of those assemblies. Suffering and weakness is acceptable in His sight. There's no censure for weakness or suffering, but they're both plagued by a religion that's pleasing to the flesh.
Uh, Christianity made acceptable to this world.
I remember when I was first saved and I went to one of the places my dad used to go to.
Talking about making things acceptable to the flesh, They didn't. They didn't just have an organ there, they had a complete orchestra. Complete orchestra.
So that wasn't worship, that was entertainment, really.
Got bored with patience at the beginning of the Christian era. And so the whole of the book of Acts generally takes up God's ways in connection with the church at in its earliest history. And his patience with those that were Judaizers, we might say. And yet his firmness with them that, uh, Christianity was not to be mixed with Judaism, that they were entirely distinct and that Christianity.
Takes up with the person of Christ and that Christ is a heavenly man and that you and I are heavenly citizens. We're sons of God, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. Our riches are in the heavens. And so God did not want Judaism mixed with Christianity. But as her brother has said, Judaism was acceptable to the natural man because it gave him something to do. But Christianity, Christianity, the work is all done.
It's done by Christ. We wouldn't want to add anything to it or take anything from it. And so the enemy was seeking to introduce or to corrupt the truth. And that was one of the tactics that the enemy had in the book of Acts is to corrupt the truth of God and to introduce false doctrine very, very early into the church period. But during this time of tribulation, if you look at first Peter chapter one, God not only encouraged them, the Lord Jesus himself with this letter.
But Peter encouraged them as well, and he says in chapter one and verse seven, perhaps verse 6, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations or trials, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, may be found under praise and honor and glory.
At the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love, and whom though now ye see him not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Well, the Lord was working with his Saints in the early period of the Church, and He's working today too. And our faith is tried in the fire, as it were. There are trials that come, and God is seeking in His grace, in his wisdom, in his love for us, that if there's anything that's mixed with my faith in Christ.
If I'm relying upon the flesh in any way.
That, uh, there's going to be gonna be tested in the fire and, uh, oh, how he loves us and how he delights, delights to have our faith in himself, not mixed with something else. And so today we have, uh, an age of prosperity and often times we're not as dependent as we ought to be because we have money in our wallets and things like that. And so how, how he delights to just, uh, have us to be dependent upon himself. And so the trial of their faith was precious to him.
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Isn't that nice?
When your faith is tested and when you have a difficult trial to go through and he's testing your faith, it's precious to Him. It's precious to him to see how you respond and how you trust Him for the trial that you're going through.
I think it's important to remember when he does passes through a trial like that, it's not so he can find out what our response is, because that's because he knows what the end is from the beginning, so we can know what our response will be.
Well, there's a special encouragement given here because many of them would be martyred.
And uh, the encouragement is that be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of light.
And so their natural lives would be cut off just as the Lord's life was cut off. He was cut off in the midst of his days, says and Daniel and umm.
The Lord Jesus was murdered as a young man and many of them as children during that time of persecution. Young people.
And older people were persecuted and martyred. They were put to death. Some of them were burned at the stake, some of them were, umm, gruesomely dealt with torture. But uh, speaks of them at the end of the Hebrews Chapter 11. And, uh, they didn't accept deliverance because they would not deny the name of the Lord. And so they were faithful unto death. They were loyal to the Lord and to his name and to the confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
And that they were in relationship with him as the children of God and they wouldn't give it up. And so he says, I will give thee a crown of life. And so there's a special reward for those that are martyrs, those that give up their lives and their lives are naturally speaking put, uh, they're ended before the time in a cruel way. Why God has a reward. So what an encouragement it was to them, no doubt, to read these verses of Scripture.
And to realize that the Lord would reward their faithfulness. It wasn't their motive to look for that reward, but uh, they were encouraged while they laid down their lives that the Lord would see things in the proper light and that one day it would be made right.
That persecution is uh.
Well, what we can read of it is, uh, really almost beyond what the mind can take in and, uh, what the Saints suffered. And there's none of us that would read it that say, I could never, uh, endure it. I could never go through that and be faithful to the Lord. And we really, you realize after reading enough of those accounts that it's only his grace at that time that would enable anyone of his own to endure that you can't, uh.
Is it where? Plan ahead, so to speak and say, well, I'm I'm finally there. I've arrived the place where I could endure that. No, it's just His grace at the time.
And yet it was limited. He says 10 days here and that persecution, there were 10 great persecutions corresponding to this reference to 10 days under the Roman Empire. Uh, over about 250 years, there were laws that were reprieves between them. The Lord knew how much his own could endure. And, uh, they thrived in between and they thrived under it.
And, uh, all up until.
Uh, about the time of the reign of, uh, Constantine.
10 tremendous persecutions that they endured, but you know, that crown of life is referred to in another place, and that's in the book of James.
James chapter one and verse 12.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. You know we read to we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren, and brought out in the previous meeting how the apostle did not hold his life dear, He laid it down for his brethren. He gave his life and service to Christ.
00:30:19
And he suffered a martyr's death too. But you know, you might not suffer a martyr's death, but if you endure that temptation, the temptations that can come and trials even in a land like this, uh, where maybe there's not persecution of being put to a stake, but they're scorning. There's a despising of a testimony for Christ and the individual life. There's a crown of life for faithfulness and enduring temptation, even if it might not end in martyrdom.
And you know, it's I. It's almost hard to say this because it might seem to speak lightly of what those Saints of God endured beyond description, but.
To, uh, be brought before council and say, either confess obedience to this idol and bow down and kiss this idol and renounce Jesus Christ or die. To say I'll, I'll never renounce him and be let out to death.
Is an act of a moment, but a lifetime of enduring temptation and standing for Christ.
Is precious in the sight of the Lord too. And he says there's a crown of life for that. Blessed is the man endure temptation. When he has tried, he shall receive a crown of life.
I remember Bob Tony telling a story once somewhere in South America, I don't remember, maybe in Bolivia, I'm not sure where these, uh, terrorists came in and they wanted, and they came into the meeting room there and they wanted them to deny the Lord Jesus by stamping on their Bibles. So some of them laid, they went outside. They, they went outside the ones that were going to stamp on their Bibles, if I remember the story correctly. So they stamped on their Bibles.
And because they because they said if they did, they were going to be shot.
So what ended up really happening was they shot the ones that stamped on their bibles and spirited ones that didn't.
I could just, uh, diverge for a moment and something that maybe has come up a little recently in connection with the thought of persecution. This was a general persecution of the Church of God and the days of Smyrna. It was widespread and most of the church was under that, in that sphere of things of, of that awful persecution.
And again, just to repeat something said in the last reading meeting in any period of the Church's history we will find.
All of the conditions I believe that are given to us and these churches somewhere, but each of them also speaks of the general condition of the Church of God at a certain period in history. So Ephesus was that very earliest period and then followed by those 10 great persecutions under the empire, Roman Empire.
And so on. And we'll, we'll go through them, Lord willing, but I don't believe in the day that we're in that the church as a whole, widespread throughout the world is going to come under a persecution in the way it was in the days of Smyrna. I don't believe Scripture bears that out again. Uh, the words of this prophecy refers to the entire book, including these two chapters. And it is true that persecution, uh, as it did in Smyrna has the effect.
Of purging the Saints of God and that which is not real.
Is is weeded out because that which is not real will never suffer for the name of Christ, and only what's real is left. It's a it's a trial of fire that purges away the dross, so to speak.
And it's true that that is the effect where there is persecution in the world today amongst believers, and it has a purifying effect. But I don't believe that we're going to see a worldwide persecution of Christians again in that way. When we come to the Church of Philadelphia, the Lord says I have set before thee an open door and none can shut. None can open it. Only he, when he opens it, none can shut it. And.
00:35:01
It's a wonderful thing to trace the history of the Church of God. There's different historians that have given it to us.
And at the time of the spread of the British Empire, in which it was said, it was an empire in which the sun never set because it spread around the globe. They had colonies around the globe. And the result of the power of that empire was a general piece. And it allowed the spread of the gospel in a wonderful way. And it really gave the underpinnings of the recovery of the truth of God that we know and enjoy today. And the Lord opened that door and he set an open door to the truth and in the lands.
And under the governments where he has set that open door and the truth is spread, I don't believe anyone will shut it. I don't believe there will be a general persecution of the Saints of God where we will not be able to meet together and practice the truth of God that has been recovered in his grace to us. Now there has been a thought that has gone out and it's gained great momentum that when Christ comes again, he's not going to come again and claim a, a church and weakness and failure and and all these kind of things, but that.
The Lord is going to allow worldwide persecution of the church, and it's going to purge out what's not real, and then Christ is going to come and claim His purified bride for himself. But that's not the testimony of Scripture. Scripture says evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse. And really we get the last condition of the church, generally speaking, in Laodicea. It spewed out of his mouth that empty profession that's nauseous to him. I don't think a worldwide persecution.
Is, according to scripture, that's going to purge the church so it's pure and ready for him when he comes.
It's going to be an individual pathway. It's going to be enduring temptation, uh, for that crown of life like we have in James and those places where the Lord has set before, uh, us an open door and the, uh, opening up of the, of the truth of God and, and the way to practice it. And so one can sympathize and, and we all should feel it as we look at the condition of the Church of God today and all the sin that has come in and failure and weakness and the lukewarm state of things.
And, you know, you could almost desire maybe the persecution would come in just to clean things up, just to bring us closer to the Lord. But the desire to have it so has given birth to the doctrine that it will be so. And it's being preached. And that has LED one more step. Then the church will go through the tribulation, or at least the first half of it, to purge it, and then we'll be caught up. You see, one bad doctrine leads to another. And I'm not saying that the thought or intent behind it was bad.
But I don't believe it's according to scripture and I believe it leads on to bad doctrine as to the truth.
Of what the church will pass through in this scene.
To for the church to go through the tribulation means the church will suffer under the wrath of God, because the tribulation is the pouring out of the wrath of God.
But Christ suffered that wrath for us, and to say that the Church will have to endure wrath is as much to say Christ didn't suffer it for us. No, we may endure chastening, we may endure temptation, we may endure trial.
Will not endure wrath. We will not go through that tribulation.
As you say the enemy's tactics in chapter 3 of Revelation verse 17, this is the tactic he's using now. Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.
There was a man in Ohio that, uh, got saved a few years ago and, uh, his name is Dan Strong, Roman Catholic. He was brought up Roman Catholic and, uh, we did business for many years and, uh.
He sat in his car one day and he got saved.
His daughter had got saved and she sent him a Bible and uh.
He became in earnest about his soul and he got saved and we used to get together and have breakfast together in a restaurant every Tuesday morning and, umm, he was only saved for perhaps three or four weeks. And uh, he said to me, you know.
He said, uh, persecution didn't work very well, did it? I said, what do you mean? He said, well, persecution didn't stamp out the Christian testimony. And, uh, he says, but, uh, you know, the enemy has another tactic and it's working beyond his wildest dreams. It's called prosperity. And, uh, it's, it's really working very well. So I don't think he's gonna change his tactics. Now, this is a man that saved maybe three or four weeks. And he had that discernment to know that, uh, the enemy's tactic today is to lull the Saints to sleep.
00:40:14
And to occupy them with riches and goods and all those things that are brought out in, umm, Revelation Chapter 3, typically. But as you say, the persecution ended at the time of umm, Constantine, perhaps the, uh, uh, perhaps around the year 300 or 313, I think it was. And umm, so then they, that period of church, uh, church history, Pergamus begins.
And it becomes a mixture of the world and the Church, a worldly religion. But what the Lord was seeking to preserve right now at this time with the persecution, was to preserve that testimony for Himself.
What has been brought out by, uh, Steve and Robert is is borne out by the fact that when we look at Laodicea, not to jump ahead too much, but.
There's really no mention of, uh, that kind of persecution. There's, there's kind of a false, uh, empty shell of profess profession of being, uh, an assembly. A third says I will do that out of my mouth. That's the false part of the way to see it. Umm.
And then there are there are those who he says, those whom I love, verse 19 of chapter 3, as many as I love. I refuse to umm.
And so on in first and then in verse 20, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and come into him, and we'll stop with him. And he was me, and to him that overcometh boy ran to sit with me in my throne.
So on so there were those who were real and lazy part of the bride of Christ and and they will be they'll be fine. They'll they'll be taken up at the rapture. But the profession of of later the seat as an assembly has a testimony the Lord would have to do that as really no persecution.
Spoken of there, and the Lord walks in the midst of the assembly, and he sees who is who, who is real and who is not. And he owed to his work according to what he says.
Messages to the seven churches and kind of think to ourselves, well, yeah, they were wrong at this and they were wrong at that. And over here they they had this. That was wrong and we're OK.
We're we're, we're, we're going on, we're by the praise of God, we believe we're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus alone.
But there's a danger for us to think that all these things that are brought out here in these seven epistles.
Or for all the other Christians in the world. And we're we don't really need them because we're OK.
Let's be honest with ourselves, brother. And I speak to myself first.
We need these expectations that are in the 70s ethical and the word says here in each one. I believe through each one. He's 1/2 an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit says unto the church.
Sometimes I wonder.
If the Lord.
To, uh, give us instructions to send a.
Send uh to write to the to the assembly in Montreal or the assembly investor or wherever it might be.
What would he have to say to us, President? So let's take to heart and apply these things to ourselves, not to other Christians that we see around us that we think are on the wrong track. Maybe the Lord has unto the Lord has things for us to see.
00:45:21
To keep up on the right track following him.
The last, uh, word that he gives to them is umm.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee crown of life. Umm, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says under the churches. He that overcometh shall not be heard of the second death. And so you might say, Well, why does he bring this in here?
He that overcometh shall not be heard of the second death. Well, I wonder if it isn't that the fact that there was already false doctrine creeping into the church and umm, there were those that, uh, even in that day began to attack the work of Christ, the person of Christ, the finished and the holy work. And, uh, with question eternal security. And we have that even in the day that we live in those that would say that, uh, it's possible to be saved and lost again. And, uh, those kinds of, uh, false doctrines, but the Lord Jesus himself.
I find this very comforting that in spite of all of the error that has come into the Christian profession, we can go back to the very words of the Lord Jesus and how the apostles have built upon His word as well. And umm, he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. And so there is life. They were looking forward to life with Christ, to depart and to be with Christ. It wasn't going to be trying to hold on to salvation for themselves, but the work was already done.
So I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Now you have this address to the church at Pergamos, this assembly here in the state of things for the next, uh, uh, couple 100 years, maybe 170 years or so, 180 years, you have, umm, Pergamus and Pergamus, uh, uh, the name means, uh, I believe twice married. And it wasn't just umm, uh, the church in testimony, uh, being associated with Christ himself, but it was.
Uh, really, uh, the church joining forces with the world and accepting the protection of the world. And that's really a part of what, uh, brought down the, umm, umm, the, uh, time, the period of the Reformation. They joined with the world as well, didn't they? But here at the, uh, to escape the persecution perhaps, and, uh, to lessen the, uh, stress, they, uh, compromised. And, umm, uh, as brother Steve has alluded to earlier is, uh.
Christianity became the, uh, accepted religion of the of the Roman, Roman Empire, and so here they joined with the world. It says, uh, I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seed is.
And so the Satan seat is, it really speaks of the seat of the government of this world. And the enemy is the, uh, God and the Prince of this world. And he's behind the, he was behind the Roman Empire that were when they took the Lord Jesus and uh, in an unrighteous way, crucified him, the Lord of glory and in an unrighteous way, he's in the behind the scenes.
Uh, moving men and, umm, a part of the government of this world, this world system. Now we know that the Lord is over it all, and I'll just turn to that in Roman in, uh, Revelation chapter 17 and verse 17.
Revelation 17 and verse 17 it says, For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree, and to give their Kingdom under the the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And so all that men are doing in this world politically is being allowed of God and we may be distressed in some measures. We see the decline of the government in the United States and in Canada in the western Christian world. But God is allowing it and all that man is doing is only bringing forth the purposes of God.
Things are being set up that the during the tribulation the conditions will be right for the judgments to be executed as the Lord has outlined them to be in this Book of Revelation. So in Pergamus we have the mixture of the Church with the world.
00:50:21
God hates the mixture, doesn't he?
God hates the mixture.
He hates the mixture.
Keep thyself pure. That's for the individual. But when it comes to a collective testimony, there's responsibility. And so This is why he writes to those that are in oversight. In that assembly to the Angel of the Church of Pergamos, there were those that were responsible brethren at that time, and they were responsible for how the Christian testimony was reflected before this world.
When Constantine had that vision.
In a battle that he was in or he claimed to have a vision, we don't know that he really did, but I had a vision. And so he said of the cross and he heard these words in this sign conquer. And so he put the cross on the top of the Roman standards right there with the rest of the idolatrous symbols that were there. And he went on and he was victorious and, uh.
So in, in, in the end, Christianity was adopted as the religion of the Roman Empire. Uh, Roman armies were marched through rivers to baptize them and make them Christian And, uh, the profession of Christianity swelled and all of a sudden these, uh.
Brothers and sisters in Christ that had been so persecuted were now instead of being chased and hounded, they were at a different status. And those who had been leaders among the Saints of God were now welcomed into the courts of kings and given honors and given power and privileges and money. And all of a sudden, you know, to someone out there in the world, that was quite a thing to have. Well, I think I'll get religion too. And I think I, I can do that too. And, and pretty soon there was all kinds.
Of unreality that just swelled into the ranks of professing Christianity, and it began to grow tremendously. There are some things of note, though. Here he does say, And thou holdest fast my name, and has not denied my faith. In that period of time there were some great councils of leaders of the Church, and discussions came up as two doctrines as to the person of Christ and the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
And God overruled in those things, and they they held on.
To the truth of Christ Person is the eternal Son of God, His incarnation.
And his perfect manhood, his sinless humanity and so on, as well as the fundamentals of the faith of, of salvation and so on. But what was happening in the background was these, uh, uh, unbelievers coming in and bringing idolatry with them. They didn't leave their idolatrous practices behind and it wasn't judged. And instead the church began to go out and say, well, as one Pope said, uh.
Uh, well, you can't stop them from getting drunk, but is it? They're gonna get drunk. Let's, uh, have them get drunk in the name of Christ and took their Pagan festivals and gave them Christian names and, uh, stamp Christ on all that idolatry, all that was swelling in even at the same time that those councils were held, that, uh, were overruled of God, that preserved the doctrines of Christ and the fundamentals of the faith. And so the Lord's seen with an unseen sheathed sword, He's about to judge this.
He's not going to allow this to go on. And he says, repent. You've got uh, uh, those that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who's cast a stumbling block before my people to cause him to sin. What did Balaam do? He told Balak, if you can go get the children of Israel to sacrifice to idols and commit fornication, you'll bring the judgment of God down on them. And that's exactly what swelled into the church was idolatry. And they came in and got stamped with a Christian name. It's still with us today, brethren.
These things are real.
These things are very real and I know it's, it's somewhat mocked, but you know, Christmas is a Pagan, uh, holiday stamped with the name of Christ. It absolutely is. There is not an encyclopedia that you can pick up in the library. They won't tell you that. This is a common knowledge. Easter, Halloween, all of these things that were adopted by the church are just Pagan in their origins. Have they changed their character on the sight of God because of the years?
00:55:25
As God said in some spiritual alchemy that what was sin is not sin any longer.
It's very real. And yes, as our brother said, it's not just Pergamus that needs to have these things applied. We do too. We do as well. Idolatry came in and got have the name of Christ stamped upon it. And the Lord says I'm ready to judge that. I'm ready to judge it. But he says repent. He calls them to repent. He desires to have a change among his people and to to see what he's going to judge and be separate from it for his glory.
And he brings out here the fact that there was a faithful martyr in those days, one that wouldn't compromise, one that was faithful. And he says even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth. And so there were those that were faithful, as you say, that wouldn't bow the knee to those that were idolatrous. And, uh, oftentimes.
They were persecuted. He mentions one name and God in his grace, uh, in his kindness as an encouragement, I believe to us and others in different dispensation in different areas of the church history. And, uh, even at this end of the age period, perhaps, uh, brethren and, uh, China and other places where they're still persecuted to death, The name of Antipas is there, Antipas, my faithful martyr. So God recognizes individuals.
They're never forgotten. And so don't think that I'm just a person that's not gonna make a difference. None of us liveth unto himself and no man dies unto himself. It says in Romans, I think it's chapter 14. And so everyone of us makes a difference. And if you desire to walk faithfully with the Lord and hold the truth of God, enjoy the truth of God and to uh, uh, enjoy the things that have to do with the work of and, uh, the person of the Lord Jesus, you're going to encourage your brother.
Be faithful in it. And the enemy is doing everything he can to get us to give up a little bit of Paul's doctrine. Just a little bit. Not all of it, but just a little bit. Now, if you just take a little bit of it away and soften it a little bit, then, umm, you know, the natural, the flesh will say that, uh, there will be more prosperity in the church. There'll be more, uh, it'll be more acceptable to the Saints and so on. But oh, how wonderful it is that all of God's truth is perfect. And it's, uh, that which nourishes us and.
Paul could say to Timothy in chapter 2, second Timothy chapter 2 and verse two. He says the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. There are thou therefore endure hardness as a soldier, a good soldier of Jesus Christ. So isn't it nice this man Antipas is mentioned he made a difference in his life.
In his testimony, his life was cut short because of it. But you and I can make a difference in the Christian testimony today if we're faithful to Christ, faithful to the truth of God, faithful to the Word, loyal to the Lord Jesus because he's worthy of being loyal to.
We passed over it, but I might just mention in verse 12, just at the end of verse 12, it says these things sayeth he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. And so the real failure became came in because the word of God was set aside and your the failure in your life and mine. If there's failure in the assembly, failure in the home, whatever it might be, it begins because we set aside some portion of the word of God.
And we?
Walk in lawlessness.
In our own wills. And so the Lord reminds them about his word. Cut two ways. It was sharp. 2 edged sword.
01:00:15
Now he mentions it again in verse 16. Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against thee.
Against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says under the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hinted manna.
Well, the sword of his mouth, his word is not going to change. He's not going to compromise his word. And so they lived in an era of compromise as we do, don't we?
That sort of you're a little slip. And then correction. Brother Robert is helpful. He says, I'll come unto thee quickly. But the sword, he says, I'll fight against them. Those that the Angel of the Church of Pergamus had allowed in and should not have allowed in. That which came in and should have been judged but was not judged. And it's the same with you and I. The sword is not against us, but against whatever we might allow in our lives. That's evil. Then the Lord applies it in that way. Judgment is behind us.
But the sword gets applied to that which we might allow in our lives, and collectively as well. And so he says, I'll come unto thee, uh, fight against them. If they won't purge that out, then he's going to use the sword to purge it out, is really the thought.
This is the birth of Christendom, which is a contraction for Christ's Kingdom.
When the world and the church merged, so to speak, and the church became worldly and the world became churchy, and uh, you. It's that which the Lord spoke of more in connection with the Kingdom of heaven, of that mustard seed that grew into a great tree and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches. This was the beginning of its tremendous growth. We get its full growth in the next church, Thyatira.
I'd like to make a comment in connection with the overcomer.
The umm.
In the first three churches that we have here, we have this statement, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, and then you have the promise to the overcomer.
In the last four.
You have the promise to the overcomer, and then you have the statement. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. There's a difference there. I'd like to turn to the Book of Numbers, just for a moment.
Numbers, Chapter 13.
I believe what as Justin brought before us, the disciples in the Gospels were faced with the overwhelming odds of of the world closing in upon him. The Lord Jesus could say be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.
And here in Numbers chapter 13.
Which is really the first time in the Word of God that we have the thought of overcoming.
We have umm and I'll read a few verses here.
Uh, in verse 26.
They went and came to Moses and to Aaron. This is after they returned from from spying out the land.
And umm, to all the congregation, the children of Israel under the wilderness of Perrin and Kadish, and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and show them the fruit of the land. And told him, and said, We came to the land, whither thou sendest, And surely it blows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it. Nonetheless the people be strong as well in the land. The cities are walled and very great. And moreover we saw the children of Enoch there. And then the amount the Amalekites will the land of the South and the Hittites.
And the Jebusites in the Amorite dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the coast of Jordan, All these overwhelming odds against the people of God. And now we find in verse 30 and Caleb still the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once and possess us where we are well able to overcome.
But the people that went up with him said we are not able to go up against the people before they'd be stronger than we.
Well, we could go on further and just see what transpired, but here in our chapter we find that every time there is that which is presented to the overcomer.
01:05:04
It's in connection with overwhelming odds that are absolutely possible to deal with in the arm of the flesh every single time.
And I just enjoy how every time there is something that is presented to the overcomer, it's presented in relation to the difficulty that was there. Just for example, in the first example, we have Ephesus and we have the difficulty of how they left their first level. What's presented to the overcomer, that which is the most beautiful picture of.
Of that tremendous love of Christ as seen in the cross. That is what's presented to the overcomers. So we have that in each case.
Where there is something that is presented to the overcomer, it's in relation to that which is on their plate at that particular time. But I would just like to draw our attention to the 17th verse where we have in connection with, umm, those deer ones at Pergamos. He's at half an ear. Let him hear with the Spirit, dance under the churches to him, and overcome us. I will give to eat of the hidden manna.
Yeah, we know. We think of the man that was was given to the people of God all the way through the wilderness, and then we think of that portion that was taken and put in the ark that nobody could see except God. And yet here, when there is this situation where there is overwhelming odds against the dear ones at Pergamos, what is presented to those that could overcome was that portion of Christ that only God could see. But those that would overcome, it's just like God says. Well, you know, I'm going to let you have a little look.
And that which I enjoy, my beloved son, the Lord Jesus. And So what he gives is a little portion of the hidden manner that only he could see. You know, it's so beautiful to go through each of the overcomers and to see that which is presented to them is in relation, relation to the difficulty that was before them. And it's so beautiful that with overwhelming odds, that which is absolutely impossible for them to deal with in their natural in their natural flesh, they could go through with the Lord, just like the Lord could say to the disciple of the good cheer. I have overcome the world, just like Caleb could say. And he's still the people. Don't worry about the odds, the people.
There in that day they, they took the difficulties and they compared it with themselves, but Caleb took the difficulties and compared them with the Lord. And the result was there was that overcoming spirit and there was great blessing brought. Well here in this portion we have that spirit, that portion of Christ that's hidden from all. And yet to the overcomer that's opened up and the overcomer can see that portion of Christ that God sees in His beloved Son.
Just as thought as to the overcomer.
I think that's beautiful, and we have to remember that the only way we can be overcomers is because the Lord Jesus himself has already overcome.
Satan would like us to you know, he would like to twist our thinking into thinking, well, you can you can do something really wonderful for for the Lord. He knows he can't take our salvation away. So he.
But he can twist our thoughts so that we get off track and he'll say to us, well, you can be a real hero, you know, amongst the world's people and, and be an overcomer, umm, in your own strength. But it's not in our own strength that we can be overcomers. It's because the Lord Jesus himself has overcome. And in the 5th chapter, I I've just enjoyed noticing that the.
In chapter 5.
Where umm the end of verse five, one of the elders says to John, the uh lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. I believe in Mr. Darby's translation it says that he is overcome.
So as to be able to open the the book and to.
The Lord Jesus has overcome, and if we're going to be overcomers in any way, it has to be in His power and his strength and because of what he has done.
What more encouraging to, uh, a child of God and a condition of things like Pergamus where the worldly church isolates him and his desire to be separate from all that's going to be judged and all that dishonours the Lord. What more encouraging to him in walking and in a separated path despised by others than to feed on the hidden manna. The the Lord said, I am that bread from heaven.
01:10:15
The manna is Christ once humbled here.
Christ come down into this world and walking a lowly path, and to have his own pathway opened up to the soul by God himself to see Him in all his moral glory.
In his earthly pathway, he himself, who is separate from his brethren, was cast off and despised. You couldn't get a greater encouragement for one who was isolated by Pergamus.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
Alright, our God and our Father, we look to thee now and thank thee for thy precious word once again. And we pray that we might glean these things for our own souls, not only to be instructed as to uh, what has uh, befallen, uh.
By people and all that has come into the profession to see what thou art uh, judging but to have its own application in our souls, each one of us individually and collectively. And we pray that we might be encouraged by thy precious word because the word to the overcomer. What more uh precious could thou uh, uh thing could thou give to us than thine only begotten Son who thou gave him calvers cross and thou thou it's given.
01:15:24
Uh, to us is the occupation of our renewed hearts.
And so we pray that it might be so with each one of us in a real way to enjoy, to take up and, uh, and holy hands hold our precious Savior, whom we have heard, whom we have seen, whom we have looked upon.
And our hands have handled of the word of life. So we commit ourselves to thee now in his precious and worthy name.
Pardon Full and Free
Gospel—Peter Marcus
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I think now how?
We have another opportunity to tell out the gospel, the power of God unto salvation. And we would.
Give the thanks, Father, for each one here that has already been covered in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But we're humbled to think, Father, that perhaps.
There might be one or two or even 3 sitting here in this company.
That have not made that decision, that have not trusted in the finished work, his finished work at the cross.
If not.
Been cleansed.
By that precious blood.
So we would ask for help. We cast ourselves upon the in.
As for help as we would.
Look into thy word and ponder.
This one.
As one who's been the subject of so much already today.
The Lord Jesus Christ, we give thee thanks now in his most worthy and precious name, Amen.
Let's start with a little story, just a little illustration.
Want to sort of set the picture of a young boy and his father up on a hilltop and then going out to fly a kite on this particular day and.
Kite was quite a ways up in the air and some low flying clouds came in and.
All of a sudden, Kite was up inside the cloud deck and.
A little boy To his eyes it looked as though that kite had disappeared, and he got quite upset and wanted to know where the kite had gone. Father, where's the kite? So his father carefully handed him a little roll of string and.
He said. You feel that tug.
You feel that tug And the little boy said, yes, I feel the tug. And the father said, well, that's how we know the kite is still there, it's just up in the clouds. But that tug tells us the kite is still there.
And so if you're saved here tonight, if you've been washing that blood, if you've been redeemed by that finished work of Christ at the cross, you have a tug. You have a tug in your heart and in your soul. Every single day of your life, you hear His voice.
You have a sense of His presence and the Bible says you've been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The moment you were saved, you were indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Sealed onto.
That time when he will come.
Down into this the clouds into the sky, and call us up home.
And so.
We don't have the ability to look into hearts and souls here today. There was only one, the Lord Jesus. He walked on this earth and He could look into someone's eyes and He could see every facet of what was going on in their soul, in their life.
We can't do that, per Perhaps mercifully, we can't do that. But.
The Lord knows where you are today. He knows exactly where you are.
And so.
If in fact, there are any here that are still wrestling with the question.
How can I be saved? How can I know for sure?
That I will be in heaven someday.
Well, the gospel.
The gospel is a word that really means good news, and so we.
We are here to tell that gospel out. We're here to share the good news.
That the Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven.
That he ministered here.
That he went to that cross outside Jerusalem.
Was crucified.
Died.
Was buried and then rose again on the third day.
And now the free gift of salvation that's offered to everyone, every child, every woman, every man. The free gift of salvation is that you simply accept.
00:05:06
God's offer.
The Father points to the cross.
And says done.
He points to the cross and says done, and so we.
Here and now to lay down any thoughts or any hopes that in some way you would be able to live a life that would be somehow pleasing to the Father. That you would in some way be able to do things here in this scene for whatever number of months or years the Lord has you, leaves you here alive with breath in your lungs, that you could do something to please the Father, your Creator.
Somehow merit his favor, merit his love, merit his forgiveness for those things that we've done wrong.
We want you here and now to forsake any hope that you could get to heaven that way, that you could, that you could find some way into heaven through your own good works, your own good deeds.
Not of works the Bible says, lest any man should boast.
We are saved by faith.
Grace is God's gift to you, and you accept that gift by placing your faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. So we want to spend a few minutes talking about this one.
The Lord Jesus Christ. You know, I want to start perhaps before we go to the Gospel of John, I want to start with a couple of comments about the song that we just sang.
Ye must be born again.
You know, it's discouraging to me to see.
Out in the world.
How those two words?
Are so are so corrupted.
How those two words are mocked? How those two words?
Are misinterpreted. And yet those were the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those were the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ when one perhaps just like one of you here today walking along in this scene, not not sure of your place before God.
But with questions, perhaps a real desire to know the truth.
A real desire to get the matter of eternity settled. 1 Just like you came to the Lord Jesus Christ at night many years ago.
And he wanted to know a little bit more about this one who was performing these miracles, this one who had such authority in his words, this one who was attracting crowds of hundreds and thousands to himself every single day.
And you know the Lord Jesus Christ.
He didn't mince any words. He didn't even respond to the man's first question.
He immediately cut to the heart of the matter and he told that man, whose name was Nicodemus, he must be born again.
And so that was our little him here to start. But you know the world.
The world is trying to make a mockery of those two words.
The world wants to paint a picture.
About those who can happily claim that they've been born again, washed in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, somehow that they've.
They've.
Laid aside their reason.
They've been pulled into some.
Strange way of thinking, some religious system, just one of many religious systems that are offered here on the earth. But we have to, we have to cut through all of that.
All of that.
And we have to say, those are in fact the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
00:10:00
And so we we wanna be.
Somber when we think about those words, you must be born again. There's a responsibility here that there's a decision to be made.
There's no sitting on the fence.
The Lord Jesus Christ said he who is not with me is against me.
He left you no room.
To waffle on such an important question a question.
On which your eternal soul hangs in the balance.
He longs for you. If you're here today and you don't have the assurance of salvation, if you've not been indwelt by that Holy Spirit, if you don't feel the tug in your heart and your soul, He wants you.
He pleads with you today to make the decision, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and walk out this door today, knowing without any doubt that if you were to die this evening.
Your portion is eternity with him in heaven in glory. Let's turn to the Gospel of John. I want to look a little bit at this person, this glorious person, the only begotten Son of God, the one who said of himself, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man.
Cometh unto the Father, but by me, or by or through me.
You know.
I hear the statisticians talk about how the world population is sorted out as to religion. There's so many of of this religion, there's so many of that religion and there's so many that adhere to Christianity.
And that pains me, because it puts Christianity on the same level with all those other systems.
But we have to say to today to you.
As clearly as we possibly can. Christianity is not a religion.
It's not a religion, it's a personal relationship with the Lord of glory, your Creator, the One who created you.
Religion.
In every one of its facets always boils down to some set of guidelines or rules that tell you do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that.
And when it's all said and done.
You'll be weighed in the balance.
Perhaps you'll be good enough to have gotten in.
And again I repeat, the father says to you today.
Look at my son and look at the cross.
There it was accomplished. You add nothing to it.
All you can do is step into the good of it by trusting in Him.
Well, the 1St chapter of the Gospel of John, one of my most favorite portions. I want to spend a few minutes here.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
Now we're going to go down to 14.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.
Full of grace and truth.
I have to go no farther than what we just read to be able to say to you today.
That this one, this one that came 2000 years ago and paid for your sins on the cross.
Was none other than God Himself.
Incarnate, that is, He took on flesh. He came to the earth. We know the story. He was born in that Manger in Bethlehem.
The Angels announced his coming.
The shepherds came. They did homage.
00:15:02
This was.
God come to the earth in the flesh.
Make no mistake.
God here walking on the very earth that he had created.
In eternity past.
All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
Hebrews tells us.
The world were framed by his word.
Sam tells us that he he stretches out the heavens.
Everything we see.
This one, the second person of the Trinity, spoke into existence out of nothingness. Everything that you see was created by this very one, who came as a babe.
And so.
He started his life humbly.
He grew up.
We have very little in the scriptures about how he spent his early days.
It was not not God's purpose that we need to know a lot about that, but we see Him.
We see him growing up and then.
At the beginning of his ministry, beginning to reveal himself slowly at first.
The out shining of that glory. The out shining of the glory.
God in the flesh.
So he.
He proved in miracles, in words and deeds.
His deity.
Every every word validated every word.
Every instance where he dealt with those around him.
Perfection.
Grace. Grace upon grace.
And so.
Is it necessarily had to be?
Those to whom he came his own received him not.
Verse 11 In our portion He came unto his own, and his own received him, not the Jews given the opportunity.
A viable offer of the Kingdom.
The Messiah with them, present with them.
They rejected him.
They would not have him.
To be their king.
And so.
Persecution.
And then?
The cross.
Now we're moving very quickly here, but.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and eternity past could look down through those tunnels of time.
Their crowning achievement in the creation. The creation of a creature.
All of us here today created in his image.
Body, soul and spirit.
But then sin came in. We know from Genesis sin came in.
Ruin.
God's purpose before the earth was even formed.
Was to provide.
A solution provide.
Amending a healing for that sin that came in every one of us infected.
With this thing we call sin.
Hertz.
You know many of us here today.
Have had loved ones.
That have gotten sick.
00:20:01
Eventually.
Going into eternity.
Sometimes older ones, grandparents, perhaps sometimes younger ones.
Mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, perhaps even children.
You know.
In those times.
And I've lived through those myself.
It's easy to fantasize about.
The power that God has to heal, the power that was manifested when the Lord Jesus was here on the earth and how he healed those that were ill, those that were on their way into eternity.
Heal them with a word.
To think about a loved one.
Heal.
You know, if you were in that position.
Someone in your family was sick.
You were without hope. Yet there was one. There was one who had.
Secure, there was one who had the ability to speak the word, to heal that loved one.
Oh, you would want. You'd want them to step up. You'd want them.
To step up, provide that cure.
But you know, we all have.
We all have that stain of sin, every single one of us.
You were born with it.
And we prove it out.
If we're honest, we look in the mirror, we have to admit we've all fallen short of the glory of God. That's what the Scriptures tell us. We've all fallen short.
We all have a rap sheet.
A mile long, even Paul, the one with whom we were.
Occupied this afternoon.
That greatest of.
Evangelists.
That greatest of workers in God's Kingdom could say with absolute sincerity that he was the chief of sinners.
You know everyone who's truly saved here today.
Can stand with Paul and say the same thing. The chief of sinners eye the chief of sinners.
We know, we know what he meant.
Uh.
The stain of sin.
There is a cure.
And shame on us if we don't present you with that cure.
So simple.
So beautiful, so complete, so perfect, so free.
Again.
All you do is reach out and receive.
That free gift offered by God and the cure is yours, the same of sin removed.
So his own received him not, but in verse 12 as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
You know when I was first saved.
And the reality of of these things, these eternal questions that we.
That we ponder this afternoon.
Became more and more in focus.
The reality that without that covering, without the shed blood of Christ, that I.
Was on my way to a lost eternity.
Comes into sharper and sharper relief.
As time goes on.
But it says here that he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
Simple, childlike faith.
The world, particularly that you young people face.
00:25:03
The message you're going to hear time and time again from the world is you have to work, you have to strive, you have to achieve, you have to learn.
You have to climb.
You have to succeed.
And yet the Bible tells us.
That it's simple belief on the Lord Jesus Christ.
That cleanses you from your sins.
That places you.
That places you.
On a right standing in fellowship with God.
When God looks upon you, if you haven't been covered, if you haven't accepted this cure for that sin problem, God sees those sins and those sins separate you from Him. They separate you from Him here and now.
And far worse if you go into eternity. If you die in your sins without that covering, you're separated for all eternity. There's no hope.
But today is the day of salvation.
God says right now.
I will make you whole.
I will bring you in to my family. I will make you my child.
I will make you.
My son.
The power to become the sons of God that is yours. Today that free gift is offered to you.
Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
You know.
Most of us here along the pathway.
We've had conversations with many people, many unsafe people over the years and I'm sure we all can recall conversations that went something like this.
Do you know?
That if you die tonight, that you'd go to be with God in heaven. Are you sure?
The answer comes back, well, you know.
Like our brother said this afternoon, well, I do a lot of good things. I fix cars for poor people for no charge or whatever.
Or you know my.
My father was a pastor in that church up the highway there.
Used to go there for Sunday school when I was a kid.
Oh, we could think of 100 answers that could come out.
But those answers are not.
With the question.
Those answers are not dealing with the question. That's why the Lord went right with Nicodemus, went right to that statement. You must be born again. He was not going to even allow Nicodemus to get caught up.
In his place, his position.
His, his Jewish religion, none of that was going to be allowed in.
Let's go right to the heart of the matter.
Not of blood.
You're not gonna be able to stand before God and say, well, you know, I had all these relatives that were fine church going people they.
They were, uh, they were born against.
They believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nobody's going to follow or cling on to any coattails.
At the judgment of God.
This is the ultimate one-on-one situation.
You won't have mother, father, sisters, brothers. You'll have none of those relationships that would mean anything.
Before a righteous and holy God.
It's you by yourself. It's you and God.
00:30:03
And the question will be, how did you deal with that Blessed One that he sent to the cross? What was your decision?
Not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, you know.
Might be nice.
If someone could pronounce you saved.
Doesn't work that way.
It's not my will. It's not even your will.
You can't wheel your way to this place.
A forgiveness of redemption.
Its belief on the specific.
That we are talking about the specific person, the specific work of.
Down to 16 and of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace now.
The one that wrote this gospel? Johnny speaking as a believer here.
And of His fullness have all we received in grace for grace, or grace upon grace, you know, John.
John's ministry and it was brought out a little bit this afternoon.
Really brings in the heart of God's love, Brings it in in a precious way to our souls.
The love of Christ.
The love of Christ that brought him all the way to the cross on your behalf.
It's been said many times before that if you are the only one, if you are the only one here on the Earth.
In need of that redemption?
Christ.
Would have gone to the cross for your soul.
Christ would have paid.
Paid the penalty for your sins at the cross.
Grace upon grace for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
You know the the 10 commandments in the Old Testament.
They speak to us.
They're a mirror that we can look into and we can see how far short we fall.
If we compare ourselves to the perfections and the glories of Jesus Christ.
The law was good and that it did that job. It showed us how desperately wicked, how desperately needy we are before a righteous and holy.
The Word but here really isn't necessary, for the Law was given by Moses. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
We could never. You could never.
Live according to the 10 commandments, a perfect life.
Could never happen.
And in his love.
God said.
I will send my son.
And the son said I will go.
And in obedience to the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ came humbled himself.
Humbled himself all the way to a cross and was nailed there on that cross.
The most shameful kind of death that a man could die at that time in human history. The most shameful kind of death that a man could die.
Yet he had said before he went to the Cross.
If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to me.
He draws you now.
He draws you now. He pleads with you.
He does not come condemning or pointing a finger at your rap sheet. He is not interested in reviewing with you all the things that you've done wrong.
00:35:15
No, he comes pleading.
With you.
That you would accept him.
That your name would be added to the Lamb's Book of Life.
That you would be sealed.
For eternity.
That you would have the assurance of knowing that when you die, you'll be brought up into his presence to be with him forever.
Good.
Not by works, lest any man should boast.
He pleads with you.
And we plead with you.
If you're here today.
And you're still struggling with these questions.
Read the scriptures.
Seek him out.
Repentance is the first step.
Repentance simply means that you're going to turn from the path that you're on right now. Where, wherever, wherever you're found here this afternoon, whatever your path in this life is, they're simply going to stop.
You're going to turn. You're going to contemplate God's claims.
About.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Father's claims about his Son. You're going to contemplate those claims.
You're gonna do something about it.
You're gonna make that decision.
We talked about creation a little while ago.
You know, I find it fascinating to read.
About what the astronomers are now seeing as they peer deeper and deeper and deeper out.
Into the cosmos.
So when we have that scripture in Psalm where it says he stretches out the heavens.
We now see that in in all of its magnificence, the mind of man can't even comprehend.
We don't come close to comprehending the power.
Of his creation.
The beauty, the magnitude.
And yet the one.
That spoke all that into existence walked here in the scene.
And he makes that claim. He makes that claim on your life now.
U.
You are a miracle of creation.
You look in the mirror.
Ponder that.
An infinite.
Mind.
An infinitely powerful, omnipotent personality designed you, created you, nurtured you in your mother's womb.
He.
Once a personal relationship with you and it starts.
With the repentance that we talked about, a simple turning and acknowledging.
All things.
That God has you to know about himself, about the plan of salvation.
About how He can bless you in your life here as you walk with Him in that path of faith. It's all contained in this book.
00:40:08
The Bible is.
Complete.
In every way, shape and form as God's revelation of Himself to you.
So she came out.
Read the Gospel of John.
As you ponder these questions.
To close today I want.
Move to Revelation.
Chapter 20.
We've been doing some reading.
At Mount Tabor.
In Revelation.
We are in chapter 20 now.
You know, we talked about the first in Psalm, how the Lord is stretching out the heavens.
In his creation.
But there will come a time when he's going to roll it all up.
It's gonna roll it all up. All of the physical creation is gonna be rolled up like a scroll, Isaiah tells us.
And then all of the all of the physical creation that you see around you here is going to be dissolved with intense heat and this creation will be gone.
And it's at that moment.
In God's timeline.
Where the Lord Jesus Christ?
Now.
Risen now the judge of all the earth.
We'll sit on this great white throne, and this is the last judgment, the last judgment that we have in the Bible. And I want to read this. And I saw in verse 11, we'll start in verse 11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.
They were judged every man according to their works, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
We would be remiss.
Tell out the gospel.
Not talk about the consequences of unbelief, the consequences of going through the scene.
Rejecting that free gift that's been offered.
Re rejecting that so great salvation that the Bible talks about.
So great salvation.
To dismiss that, to neglect it, to walk away from that wonderful offer.
Means.
That one is.
Left to face this great White Throne Judgment.
And whosoever's name was not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life or in the Book of Life, here was cast into the Lake of Fire.
The somber thing?
It's a somber thing to contemplate, an eternity separated from God in a place of torment.
We plead. We plead with each one here.
That might still be wrestling with these questions.
Do business with God.
Do business with God.
At that cross those many years ago.
There were those three dark hours.
Three dark hours.
During which time everyone of your sins was laid on him, as he hung there on the cross.
And he suffered the punishment.
00:45:03
He suffered the wrath.
That you.
Should have suffered.
He took it on himself.
We might say he deflected that wrath to himself and away from you.
If only you'll come and trust in him.
Be saved, be born again.
And at the end of those three dark hours, he uttered 3 words.
Probably.
The most important words.
That have ever been uttered.
He said it is finished.
It is finished. Everything had been accomplished. All your sins had been paid for.
Now.
Make him your sin bearer.
He was your sacrifice for those sins.
Remember, John the Baptist called him the Lamb of God. He was the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God. Now.
Let Him be your sin bearer. Let those sins be born away by placing your faith in Him. The good of what was accomplished at the cross is only yours if you reach out in that simple childlike faith. Trust in Him.
He washed in that precious blood.
Let's close with a short word of prayer, our God and Father.
We give the thanks for the Lord Jesus Christ we think of.
The love.
The grace.
That was poured out for us.
How that he went all the way to the cross?
To accomplish.
Our redemption.
All the pardon full and free.
So again, Father, we would just.
Lift up any here.
Going on.
Without that certainty.
Just lift them up.
Come in, father.
Come in and guide them along.
Bring them to the cross.
They might receive that gift so full and free.
We give you thanks in his most worthy and precious name.
Amen.
Yes.
Swimming
Children—Howard Potter
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Good morning.
Who has a song that we could start with this morning?
What's your number, Nick? Number four. OK, sing #4.
Crisis usage.
No, I didn't say I am fine. I'll be in touch with my creatine and by my pleasure reading.
If it's a danger for me.
Nsnoise, grandpa. Nsnoise.
Nsnoise, 8, 138.
Let's just take a moment and ask the Lord for His help this morning. That's right.
Our God and Father, we do thank thee for this wonderful day. We thank thee for the beautiful weather we have here, and we thank the Our Father for the Lord Jesus, we thank you for this opportunity to once again open thy word and and.
Tell thy love, Lord Jesus, for lost sinners. We thank Thee, Lord Jesus, that thou art the Savior of sinners, and we trust this morning that if there is.
Perhaps one still here this morning, still in their sins, that they would receive the Lord Jesus.
On their need and come to thee, call upon Thy name and be saved. So we just ask for Thy help this morning, and we thank Thee, our Father, and the precious and worthy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. OK, who else has a number we could say in this point?
32 Did someone else have one? OK, we'll sing 32 first and then we'll sing 38.
4, 97311.
83191.
9/4 170015 Double blah blah blah blah blah.
Umm oh, congratulations and find out what.
98189.
OK. We had someone else up here ask for number 38, so we'll say #38 also.
Nsnoise.
00:10:10
Thank you for those wonderful songs and uh, thanks for being up here this morning to help me out because I need a lot of help. Well, this morning what I'd like to talk about is, uh.
Something that I'm sure a lot of you children and older ones too like to do. I enjoy doing it. And, uh, you know, recently, uh, we made a little trip about a month ago to another state, uh, Arizona, you know, where Arizona is, it's, uh, it's in the southwestern part of the United States and they have some very interesting terrain there in Arizona. They have mountains and.
Desert and you know, they have some different animals and what we have, uh, where I live in the Midwest.
Supposedly they have rattlesnakes there, but I looked around and I couldn't. I couldn't find a rattlesnake. I really wanted to see one. But my wife, she was glad that that we didn't see a rattlesnake and she was glad I didn't see one. So anyway.
We had a nice time there and we visited the brethren there and they really enjoyed having us. And you know, the, the verse, the memory verse, I'm sure some of your children learned it and, uh.
Uh, this morning, uh, I appreciate the fact that you probably took the time to learn the verse. The verse I had was found in Romans. Uh, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Wonderful, wonderful verse. Romans 10/13. Well, you know, uh, what I was wanting to talk about this morning was, uh, was swimming.
And, uh, I know, uh, when it's hot out, well, there's nothing more refreshing than going for a nice swim. Do, do any of your children have a little pool at home that you like to, you like to play in and get wet? And it's, it's a lot of fun, isn't it? Well, when we, uh, when we get out went down to Arizona.
Like I mentioned, they have a lot of things that you can do there and one thing we enjoy doing is we like to go and you can go up into the mountains and, and you can hike and they have nice little, uh, streams that come running down out of the mountain and, and you can climb on the rocks and, and you can play in the water and it's nice and cool. You know, it's pretty warm. When we were there, I think the first day we were there was 110ยฐ.
But where we went to was a little cooler because it's a little higher elevation.
So we stopped at this one place, UH-1, umm, afternoon and, and, uh, you had to pay a little money to go into the park there and, and to hike. And, you know, there was a lot of people there and they were, they were climbing on the rocks and having a really nice time playing in the water. And, you know, uh, uh, they had, someone had taken in a tree and they tied a rope up in the tree.
And you could climb up on these rocks and you could grab a hold of the rope and you could swing out over the water and drop, drop right into the water. The nice cool, refreshing water. It's a little cool for some people's taste. I remember being up there in March before and, uh, the water is so cold that, that, uh, it's not really all that pleasant. I mean, your head will go your, your head gets numb from the water. It's so cold.
But it's a lot of fun anyway, so, so there were a lot of people doing that and there was a lot of kids and uh, there weren't too many older ones new. And I imagine I was probably one of the oldest ones doing it. If there's some fun to be had, it's, that's what I, I like to have fun like that. I, I'm getting older, but I still feel young, so.
Anyway.
We were about finished up.
And one group of young people they were they were having a nice lunch, sitting on the rocks and enjoying and being in the sun, and a family came along.
And, uh, part of the family, they weren't really dressed for getting in the water and they were just watching and they had a little boy and I think, uh, I think he was probably about your size.
00:15:09
You know, he was only about that tall. Maybe. Is that about how tall you are? Maybe. Well, he was pretty small.
And, you know, it can be dangerous jumping into the water like that. There's lots of rocks around and, and one has to be fairly careful because if you landed on a rock, you could get hurt. And that wouldn't be very fun, would it? So this little boy, he climbed up on the rocks and.
And he grabbed a hold of the rope and why he had everyone's attention because, you know, not only was it maybe a little scary, you know, to see that little boy up there because he could get hurt, but yet everybody was, you know, happy for him that he was going to have some fun and try this climbing up there and swinging on the road.
So he got up there and he got a hold of the rope.
And he paused, like most of us did the first time we did it, you know.
It's you have to take a deep breath and maybe count to 10 or something and you need a lot of people going. Come on, you can do it.
And he did. And he swung out over the water and everything let go. And he let go of the rope. Splash right into the water. Nice landing. Perfect. But everybody was clapping and Hooray, you did it, you know, and everybody was excited. I was impressed. You know, it took a lot of courage for that little boy to do that. And you know everybody.
Then they were kind of, you know, went back to their, what they were doing. Well, this water, uh, this stream where the water had pooled, umm, it really wasn't much wider than from this row of chairs to this row of chairs. And I think I could touch bottom. I'm gonna guess the water was about up to here. But this little boy, he was only about this tall. So where do you think the water came on him?
The water was over his head and so he landed in the water and he's a paddling and, and, uh, everybody's going about their own thing, you know, and not paying any attention. His family's over here maybe 20 feet away, you know, standing around and visiting and enjoying the nice day. And, uh, there were some that were standing here right next to where most people would come up out of the water now.
You have to remember that, that in, in this area, so there's a lot of rock, there's a lot of rock, big rocks. And when rocks are underneath the water, they get, you know what I mean? They get this, uh, they get like a film on them, like a, like a slippery, you know, when you try to climb up out of there and you just keep slipping and you just go right back into the water well.
There was some over here and there was a big jet of rock that went out and, and you kind of had to hang on to the rock, you know, when you walked around there. So it kind of obstructed some others view of what was going on. But this little boy, he was, he was swimming and he was, he was just having a great time And he was, uh, well, you know, we figured he's going to come over and get out of the water. But all of a sudden these people over here, they noticed that.
He was saying.
Help.
Help.
Real, I mean, I couldn't hardly hear him. And there was, you know, lots going on and, and, uh, you know, they were, people were having fun and, and laughing and, and having fun and, and not paying attention. And here's this little boy. He was crying out for help, you know, and he's just a little guy and, you know, and he doesn't have a big real booming voice. He can't yell and he's calling for help. Well, this person over here notices. Well, that little boy is calling for help.
And nobody's doing anything about it. Nobody's paying any attention at all. So this person yells at this person over there.
There's a little boy, he's calling for help. He can't get out and he's just swimming in one spot and he's calling for help and he, he just, he can't do anything. He can't get to the side, you know, And the, the, the water is over his head. So that a man, he jumps in and, and he grabs a hold of the little boy and oh, the little boy, he was so happy.
00:20:04
You know, when, when he, when the man got ahold of him, the little boy just hung on to him and just like, like, uh, like he was never going to let go. Isn't that wonderful? You know, and the parents, I assume this group of over here was the parents as I was watching this and, and it didn't seem to notice at all. It just really kind of shocked me.
But you know, boys and girls.
If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you're just like that little boy.
You're powerless. There is nothing you can do of yourself and in and of yourself to get yourself out of that situation. Like the little boy, there was nothing he could do. He was trying. He was trying as hard as he could and I'm sure he meant to get out of the water. And you know, if you're still in your sins, maybe there's maybe you're trying really hard and and you really, really intend.
And mean to do something about your sins.
And you're paddling and paddling and working and working and you don't seem to get anywhere. And it's because you haven't called upon the name of the Lord Jesus. That's how we're saved. How we can help get help and and be free from sins is by calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus.
And so.
I wanted to talk a little bit about swimming and, uh, it, it's very important, I think anyway, as a, as a parent, I and my wife, she thought it was even more important that our children learn how to swim because, you know, boys and girls and older ones too, that we like to get in the water and swim and, and, uh, it's, so it's a good thing that we know how to swim, isn't it?
Raise raise your hand if you want to tell me, do you know how to swim?
How many of you know how to swim? Yeah. See, a lot of you have learned how to swim and. And as you get older, it's a little easier.
You know, uh, my daughter and I, we, uh, we took a trip a couple of years ago. We went, uh, there, there was, uh, an assembly in, in the, in the Missouri, St. Louis. They were, they were having, they were having a, a, a time for the young people to come and be together and, and do some activities. And, uh, we went and stayed in a, in a friend's house. We did with my daughter and I and, uh.
We had a nice time.
And, you know, uh, when we got there, it was late, it was late at night and we were tired, you know, and my friend, we, we were talking about a little bit together and, and, uh, he told me that, uh, he liked to swim. He liked to swim. And he asked me, yeah. I said, do you know anything about swimming? And I said, well, I can swim, you know, but I don't know how good of a teacher I could be or.
How much I can teach you? And he says, well I wanna, I wanna learn more about swimming. He says I wanna know about swimming and I'm gonna test your kids knowledge and, and I know that uh, umm.
Your children are are very smart children are very smart. And all I wanna do is is I wanna show I wanna show you this morning how smart you are. And so I brought some things in the bag here and I'm gonna ask you I have some things here and I want you to tell me as I show you these things I want you to pick pick out when I get to it. I have one one particular thing that.
Would be very useful.
In in swimming.
But I have some things that may not be so useful in swimming, so you tell me when I when I take these things out.
I found this this morning.
I wasn't sure what it was at first, but.
I think it's a hockey glove, is that right? We don't, where I live, we don't, uh, there's not much hockey going on because in the winter time nobody wants to go outside because it gets too cold. And in the summer time where there's no ice, would that be very good for swimming?
00:25:03
No, it wouldn't be very good for swimming, would it?
Well.
I want to tell you something very interesting about my friend who wanted to know more about swimming.
And the next morning?
Uh, we had gotten to bed about midnight and.
I went to bed and at 6:00 Saturday morning, my friend, he opens the door and he's got his swim swimming trunks on. He says come on, let's go swimming.
OK, can I have a few minutes?
That's pretty early to go swimming well.
He had it where he lives, right in front of their house, maybe just out there where the parking lot is. They have a lake, a small lake, and that's where we went swimming.
So we went out there with our swimming trunks and our and our beach towels and.
We limbered up and, you know, and we got in the water and we were swimming a while and I was showing them a few things and, and we were talking as we went across the lake and we were going to swim clear across the lake. I don't even know how far it is, but it's quite a ways. And then we were going to swim back.
But I'll tell you something about my friend. But I want to ask you, I got something else here.
This would that be very useful in swimming?
Maybe, you know, I suppose maybe, but, uh, you could.
Pull yourself along with a little bit, maybe if you had two of them, but that's not something that you use very often in swimming, is it, you know?
No, it's not.
Well, my friend.
He was 84 years old.
84 years old and he wanted to learn more about swimming.
And we had a really nice time together.
And unfortunately, he's older now and I don't think he swims much anymore. And, you know, he made it across the lake with me and he got, we got about halfway back and he decided that he was going to get out and walk along the shore the rest of the way back, which I was thankful for. I, I didn't want to have to rescue him because I didn't know if I could or not.
You know, I was thinking about that, that little boy.
That couldn't help himself, and I thought about a story in the Bible. If we could turn to it, it's in loose gospel.
Loose Gospel, Chapter 7.
And my, my, my children, they all.
They've heard me say this before but so I'm sure they'll be patient. But when they were little?
I used to really enjoy reading this story to them and uh, it's in Luke Chapter 7 and I'll just read the beginning of verse one.
Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, that's the Lord Jesus, he entered into Capernaum, and a certain centurion servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent him, or he sent unto him the elders of the Jews.
Beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant, and when they came to Jesus.
They besought him instantly, saying that He was worthy for whom he should do this, for he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with him, and when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy, that Thou shouldest enter under my roof. Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee, but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers. And I say unto 1 Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith.
00:30:24
No, not in Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the house found the servant whole that had been sick. Isn't that wonderful? It's a wonderful story.
I have something else here.
How about this?
Would that be very helpful in swimming?
No, I don't think it would be great For playing what?
Baseball. Yes, I love baseball. That's a fun game. That's something we do do in Iowa, play baseball, softball.
You know, I was thinking about.
This servant.
And there's, there's so much that we could we could talk about in that story.
You know what really impressed me, among many things there in that story?
Was here with this man, this man who was a centurion, who was, he was in charge, you know, he had a, he had a lot.
Going on there, he had, he was, uh, very probably an important man and, and, uh, you know, he said, well, it didn't matter if he had people that if he told him to do something, they would do it no questions asked, I'm sure. And, and he had a lot of authority and he had power.
But he had a servant, and it says that this servant.
Was dear to him.
He loved, no doubt. I really believe that's what that means when it says it was that the servant was dear to him. He loved that man. He loved that servant.
And you know, I don't, we don't really know much about this centurion and I don't want to say anything that isn't that Scripture doesn't say but.
You know, we consider his position and we take into consideration what kind of a man he was.
And having authority, and I'm sure there were times where he had to.
He had to be stern with those that were under his authority.
And, you know, sometimes we might think those kind of people, they, they have to be very, very bold because, you know, if, if they're not bold, then they're they're those that are under their authority may not listen. And so maybe we get a picture in our mind as somebody who isn't very sensitive. But you know, I like to think of that that centurion here was a man, a servant that was.
That he loved.
That was dear to him and he was sick.
And here this centurion was completely powerless. There was nothing.
He could do to help his servant, you know, he could say to his those he had authority over his many. You do that and they would do that.
Immediately, but there was nothing he could do.
To help the servant and you know, boys and girls.
You and I, we were like that.
And if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, you're like that servant. You're sick.
You're sick and you need help.
And you need the Lord Jesus, and you know this man, this in Syrian.
He realized that there was nothing he could do, but there was one thing that he knew that he could do, and he believed, and he had faith.
And he had heard about the Lord Jesus, no doubt, and he had heard that the Lord Jesus could help those who were sick and those who were who were lame and those that needed help. And you know, like that little boy that was in the water, and the man went down and saved him.
The Lord Jesus.
He healed the servant and, you know, imagine that Centurion was so thankful, you know, boys and girls.
00:35:03
You know your moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas they desire.
That you children would be saved and come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
And what a wonderful thing it is when we realize that we need help and we call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
You know.
I want to get to what I got here to how about this? Would that be very good for swimming?
No, I don't. I don't think so either.
Would just come. Would that be very helpful for swimming?
Uh, right In Sync right away, wouldn't you with that?
So.
Maybe. Maybe this is more.
More of what we might be looking for for swimming.
How about that?
Yeah, that would be helpful in swimming. Not only would it be helpful, but I think it would make swimming more fun, wouldn't it? Have you ever, you ever used one of these when you go swimming, you know, sometimes, uh, you can use these, uh, to look down in the water and see fish and it's very helpful to have one with these. You can swim a lot longer and safer, so.
No, uh.
About a week ago I was visiting with a a gentleman.
And I don't, I don't know how we guys are talking about swimming of all things, but, uh, he was telling me that when he was a little boy, his mom and dad, they had a very large family, has lots of brothers and, and, uh.
And they had a they had fun together when they were when they were little and.
His name is Chad and Chad was telling me that his mom and dad.
Wanted him to learn how to swim.
And so he had to take swimming lessons and.
Chad did not like taking swimming lessons.
He did not want to learn how to swim.
Have you ever felt like that you didn't want to do something your mom and dad wanted you to do?
Yeah, I have two. I have two and.
So he didn't want to learn how to swim. And you know, his mom and dad, they wanted him to learn how to swim so that when the boys would go off and and get in the pond or whatever, Chad would know how to swim so that he would be safe. They cared about him.
They love Chad and they wanted him to learn how to swim. And you know, sometimes we can be like that too. Where?
Our mom and dad, they, they want us to, to, to do something. They try and, and direct us into a certain way and oh, maybe we don't wanna go that way. And, and so.
We rebel, we we say no, or maybe we get a we get a bad attitude.
You know boys and girls.
It's like Chad's mom and dad and like the centurion that we read about in Luke's gospel.
Your mom and dad love you.
And there are many here who love you. But most of all, most importantly, the Lord Jesus loves you. And He wants you to be safe. He wants you to be safe for all eternity, safe in his arms. And so I trust this morning.
That there any children here that don't know the Lord Jesus?
That they would call upon him and be safe for all eternity.
Let's just close in prayer.
Our God and Father, we do thank you this morning again.
That great love that thou hast shown in giving thy Son the Lord Jesus.
And Father, we pray this morning.
That.
00:40:01
The message given out was simple and clear.
So that even the youngest.
Might understand and realize their need. Father, we just pray.
That they might come to know the Lord Jesus.
And Lord Jesus, we thank Thee this morning.
That thou art.
Loving Savior, and thou art not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And so, Lord Jesus, we do pray that if there is any that has not repented, not called upon thy name.
That they would own their need and turn to the Lord Jesus and be saved.
And so we do thank Thee for this time together. We just do. Leave it all under Thy hands as we give Thee thanks, Lord Jesus, and Thy precious and worthy name. Amen.
Paul's Love and Burden for the Corinthian Saints
Heart to Heart for Young Mothers
Revelation 3
Reading
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Shall we sing #36 in the appendix?
We go to meet us.
At 3 megabytes, make ourselves a little friendly and make it strong.
They're together.
Our God and our father, we're so very thankful for my precious word. And I pray now that if we have another opportunity to have it open that my spirit might have liberty to take it and to make it good to our hearts that we would be, uh, encouraged on in that path of going to meet the Savior and.
Just, uh, ask for help and for those who, uh, would speak that they would have courage and they might speak as the oracles of God. And you just, uh, pray that in everything Lord Jesus would be glorified. And I just pray this in his precious and worthy name, Amen.
Well, this is our last reading meeting and umm.
I would suggest, if, uh, might be the mind of the Lord, to just, uh, make some brief comments on the, uh, umm, last, uh, couple of the assemblies that are addressed by attire and then Sardis and then, umm, perhaps to read and, umm, comment a little more in depth on Philadelphia and, uh, perhaps late to see if we have time. So perhaps we could read the, the third chapter.
Of revelation and then maybe make some brief comments, as I say, about Thyatira and that period of time that, uh, is umm, referred to by the Lord himself, and then Sardis, and then maybe begin to take up Philadelphia.
00:05:02
Revelation chapter 3.
And unto the Angel of the Church and stardom right these things, saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars. I know by works that thou hast the name that thou liveth, and our dead.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast perceived and heard, and hold fast and repent. If, therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what power I will come upon you. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not filed their garments, and they shall walk with me in light, for they are worthy.
See that overcometh the same shall be clothed, and white raining. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit land under the churches. And to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia. Right these things, saith He that is holy, he that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shut it, and shut us, and no man open it.
I know by works. Behold, I have set before thee and open door, and no man can shut it, for thou hast a little strength.
And has kept my word, and has not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not. But do why? Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved, because thou hast kept the word of my patients. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
And that overcometh. Will I make a pillar in the temple of my God?
And he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
And onto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans. Right these things, saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would that thou art cold or hot. So then, because thou are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And know us not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor.
And blind and naked, I counseled it to buy a green gold tried in the fire. Uh, thou mayst be rich and white, Raymond, that thou must be clothed, and that the shame of my nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine eyes with Isaac, that thou mayest see as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will Sup with him, and he with me. To him, and overcome will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and have sat down with my father at his room. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith under the churches.
I think it's been brought out the last, uh, meeting that, uh, these last four churches or assemblies that are addressed, the, umm, spirit of them really continues on until the end. And so Thyatira is, uh, a picture to us in the word of God of Roman Catholicism and that time, that period of time from, umm, basically around the fall of the Roman Empire and, uh, the.
Hopes that came in and all of the the.
Wickedness that really the world coming in, in, in Pergamus, it really manifested itself fully in Thyatira in the world fully and infiltrated, christened them. And so you have evil doctrines permitted and even taught, and you have Jezebel here, that woman in verse 20 which calleth herself a prophetess.
Which to teach and to seduce my servants, servants to commit fornication, to eat things sacrificed into idols. And so we have a picture, a graphic illustration of Thyatira and Thyatira itself. I think the name means, uh, a continual sacrifice. So it really refers to the mass and, umm, how there was uh, uh, a continual sacrifice and transubstantiation and all those, uh, doctrines that the Roman Catholic Church.
00:10:21
Uh, brought in and penance and, uh, confession all those things and umm, so the Lord speaks to those at the end of the his address there it says in verse 25, but that which you have already hold fast till I come. So there were actual real believers as the dark ages and even the world refers to this period of time in church history and world history, Western civilization as the dark ages. And that is because the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ was hid.
And much of the truth was lost and they still held the, the Trinity, the truth of the Trinity, but it was, uh, mixed with, uh, uh, it was, uh, the woman hid, uh, a little leaven in three measures of meal. And so there was, umm, evil in that system. So you have those that are addressed there. Hold fast till I come. So they had in the last four churches, the Spirit of God reminds and the Lord Jesus himself says, I'm coming quickly.
Fast what you have just hold it fast and in scripture the apostle Paul used that term hold fast and the Lord Jesus himself used the term hold fast. I don't believe anyone else, none of the other writers uses that term.
And so the Lord Jesus in the last, uh, written revelation to the church here uses this term. And so he presents himself as the morning star. He had half an year. Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And then he writes to Sardis. And Sardis is really addressing that time of the Reformation. And it was really a work of God during the 1500s. And there was a real work of the Spirit of God. Men were saved and, umm, they sought to, uh, throw off the yoke of, uh, Roman Catholicism.
And umm, they saw the evil of that system and there were two things that really energized them and that was the recovery of some of the truth in connection with the, the Lord. They held, uh, the word of God that began to read the word of God again. And they held that the word of God was the supreme authority for the believer in this world. Isn't that nice? You and I, we hold the Bible in our hands. It's the supreme authority of God in the world for you and I and in the assembly in our homes and then.
The other thing was that it was salvation by faith alone, by grace. Are you saved through faith and not not of yourselves? It is the gift of God. So they saw that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son was shed for them and they didn't need an edict from the Pope or from the priests to, umm, get them into heaven in any way. And so those two things the reformers held. But what we find is that the the Lord says in verse two, be watchful and strengthen the things that remain and that are ready to die. For I have not found my works perfect before God.
And so Rome persecuted Sardis, those that were in this period of time during the church reformation. If you read Miller's church history and if you don't have a copy of Miller's church history, it's one of the must haves in the library of those I believe that are gathered to the Lord's name is just read this little, It's a big book. It's maybe, uh, seven or 800 pages, but little headings and broken out nicely and goes through this era of the refor reformers.
And they were persecuted to death. Some of them were burned at the stake. They paid.
They paid a heavy price to name the name of Christ and to seek to separate in some way from the evil of the Roman system and umm, But the persecution was so great that oftentimes what happened is that they look to the government's in the Western Europe to protect them. They in the Switzerland, they, uh, petitioned the government in Bern to protect them and, uh, to, uh, seek to deflect the umm.
Persecution for that was coming from Rome and from the church. And so the church became again infiltrated by the principles of the world. So you had the, uh, national churches of Protestantism really, that were formed and established at that time. And so that's why you look out and you see a Presbyterian Church. You see, uh, umm, uh, the Church of England, in, uh, England, all those, uh, national churches, they still continue today, but it says here the Lord says.
Umm, hold fast and repent. Remember, therefore, verse three, how thou hast received and heard. Hold fast and repent. If therefore, thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Well, Sardis is going to continue on until the tribulation, and so the Lord, when he speaks us coming as a thief, is always in connection with his appearing, and so he's going to appear and take the kingdoms for himself, as we have this morning. But, umm.
00:15:29
Sardis continues. There. He gives them encouragement. Those that, uh, would walk.
Worthy they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. And then he says he encourages them. He says I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. So in Sardis during the Reformation.
The Church of Rome.
Assume the response the.
Power to blot out from the book of life the names of those that left the church or would dare to oppose the Pope. And it's opposed the Roman Church, the Roman Catholic Church. And so the Lord here encourages him. Isn't that nice? Just encourages, says no, I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. He wasn't going to allow anything to come in. So he brought in in the Reformation.
A sense of the eternal security of the believer that had been lost in the past. And then we have here, uh, Philadelphia. And so the address the Lord begins to speak to Philadelphia and not begins in approximately 1827 when the church truth was really recovered and work a real work of the Spirit of God using men like Mr. Darby and, and, uh, Mr. Ballet and uh, others. And I believe the work really began in umm.
Ireland and uh, in the British Isles was discussed a little bit, perhaps, uh, yesterday.
If we look at.
Colossians chapter uh, chapter 2.
We all, we all know these verses, but I just want to be good to read them.
From which all the body by joints and bands have nourishment, ministered and lit together, increases with the increase of God.
Of the thought of of of not holding the head.
And umm, I do believe that holding the head is in connection with.
Are beginning to realize the mystery, the heavenly aspect of the mystery and, uh.
Allowing to head his place.
And I think this was probably lost early on in church history.
Then we popped up, they replaced the head, and then in Tardis the head still isn't isn't restored.
The head still is not restored in Sardis, but the head gains his place once again.
In Philadelphia. So this I think we can say that about, about Thyatira. In other words, what? What Thyatira?
Pretending to have a biker for Christ, et cetera, replacing the head.
God restores. I mean, we know it's done in Steps and Sardis there was restoration of justification by faith and so on. But then in Philadelphia, the head gets his place once again.
I'd just like to make one, uh.
A couple brief comments on verse uh two of uh chapter 3. Be watchful which remain that are ready to die.
No. Normally when something is ready to die, there's some kind of signs to look for before it can, before it's gonna die. Unless, of course, it's gonna be more. Unless it's mortally wounded. Then there's perhaps no warning. I.
00:20:10
I don't intend to be humorous, but I'm not very good at taking care of house plants at home. And, uh, generally they start to droop a bit before they get watered. And when I, what I'm gonna say next is speaks as much as to my own heart as to anyone else here. Is that how we treat our brethren? Do they have to droop before we're ready to diminish to them, ready to edify them and strengthen, encourage them?
Philadelphia responds to the time when there was a a new beginning, a revival of UMM, and a work of God to recover the truth to the Church, that the church was a heavenly body, a heavenly Organism, and did not belong to this world. And so God raised up faithful men at that time that were well suited to UMM, dig into the Word of God and to minister the truth and were prepared to buy the truth.
With their position in leaving the national church systems, many of them left those church systems that have been raised up during the time of Sardis, during the Reformation. So 300 years had passed.
From the time that perhaps, uh, a man like William Farrell had lived and, umm, the, uh, the whole system of things, uh, had uh, in some way, umm, a great measure become a dead system. It lived it. It said that it had life, it named the name of Christ, but the truth of God was largely obscured still during Sardis. But isn't it the grace of God at the darkest time of, uh, man's history? We look at the children of Israel and at the darkest times.
In, uh, namely as day and Ezra's day, God raised up, uh, these two men and uh, others that went with them. And, umm, there was a, a real recovery. And the wall was built again in, uh, Nehemiah's time and in Ezra's time, the, uh, temple was built and there was a real recovery of, uh, worship of the true God in the land of Israel, but it was a remnant that came back. And so here you have in Philadelphia, that's not.
A widespread movement, if I could use that terminology. But God in his grace for his own purposes of blessing was going to raise up a testimony once again that when the Lord Jesus came, when he would come, that there would be evidence of a testimony in this scene that was suited to the character, that the holy character of the Son of God. And so he he raises up a testimony and he raises up those that would teach the truth.
That the truth might be once again known and held and enjoyed by the Saints.
My brother mentioned the other day that, uh, there's a change in the way the overcomers addressed and.
And, uh, once you get to Thai Tyra, umm, and the hearing ear is, uh, only mentioned after the overcomers address. So on the first three churches is it where there's, there's, uh, uh, a hope that, uh, there would be repentance and a restoration to that Ephesian, uh, state of things, a recovery of, uh, that, uh, first love that had been left.
And so on. But when you get to Thyatira, umm, repentance is, uh, not going to take place. And that from that point on, a remnant is distinguished among, uh, the church that's, uh, being addressed through the assembly that's being addressed. And the overcomer is the only one where the, there is a expectation that there's going to be a hearing here. So the expectation, he that hath an ear to hear comes after the word to the overcomer, really.
There's not an expectation that the church as a whole is going to hear just the overcomer. And so we come to that statement in chapter 2, verse 21. I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she really should read. She will not.
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And, uh, from that point on to the Lord's coming is held out as the really the true hope.
Of and remedy to all hold fast till I come. It's really his coming. There's going to be no restoration back to that pristine day of things, that Pentecostal, uh, glory that, uh, and grace that the church had, but, uh, rather a remnant that is, uh, uh, marked out, separated from the corruption around and only to the overcomers. Uh, they're going only found among the overcomers. Will there be a hearing ear?
Uh, until the Lord comes. And so you get really a succession.
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus and time, Thyatira finally, and out of thigh Tyra, uh, comes Sardis. Protestantism and Catholicism. And so the Church had been seen in a certain sense as a whole outwardly by the world up until Sardis, and now the world looks on Christianity and what do they see? They see Catholicism.
And they see Protestantism and they see Christianity, as it were, in those two groups. And that's how, what the world sees. But when we come to Philadelphia and Laodicea, we're getting what the Lord sees, what the Lord is taking, uh, knowledge of and, uh, addresses. And so really Philadelphia and Laodicea, you might say, are two conditions. Uh, I don't want to say states of Seoul. That doesn't exactly represent the thought, but it's two conditions of things very opposite from one another.
That really are present there among in this world that only sees Catholicism and Protestantism, but the Lord sees.
Laodicea in Philadelphia, he sees those two conditions of things. Uh, he looks deep into the heart, doesn't he? The world only can look on the outward appearance and see these two great camps, as it were. Uh, and so that's, to me, that was a help in seeing that, that, yes, there is a certain sense in which it was in time and there is a succession in time, but once you've passed Thyatira, you're not viewing the church as a whole in its whole condition.
You're saying Protestantism just a part of what professes to be the Church of God in this world. And then two conditions of things, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
There were three things that characterized this movement.
That was really a movement of the Spirit of God among his people.
And when Philadelphia is being addressed here, the three things are in connection with His Holiness. It says He that is holy, he that is true. And then the third, the second thing, he that hath the key of David, and then he that openeth. And no man shut us, and shut us, and no man openeth. And so the Lord was working himself and intervening in, umm, this world, in the testimony himself and umm.
The ones that were first began to be exercised about what it was to be connected with the church systems in Protestantism and UMM.
Saw the error of what? How the Reformers had not gone far enough and had once again really just had Roman Catholicism with a little bit of a different flavor. In many cases. They began to see that the Lord was holy and that He is true, and that God desired to have holiness and truth if, uh, we were truly to be gathered to his precious name and to be found in his presence. And so he says, umm.
Be, therefore holy even as I am holy. And so they began to be exercised about that thing, that, uh, element of things. And then it says he didn't have the key of David. And this perhaps refers to the, uh, prophetic scriptures that, uh, in connection with the Lord Jesus and his rights in the earth and, umm, his relationship to Israel and his relationship to the church that, uh, you and I are not, uh, a part of, uh, prophecy. We're, umm, the church is not, uh, the subject of prophecy, but Israel is. And so they began to read the prophetic scriptures and to be able to.
00:30:07
And began to understand the prophetic scriptures and be began to write about those things. And we know that ladies powers court and those that met with her and those that were of wealth and had the ability to be able to meet for meetings, conference, you might say. And they had, they took up the prophetic scriptures. They began to understand the church's place in history. They began to understand that God was, uh, soon.
To, uh, take up with Israel again. And so this has to do with the, uh, the key of David. And then he that opened it, and no man shot us and shot us, and no man openeth. I have set, I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it. While this was a work of God, that umm, the word of God was being opened and the Spirit of God was working in power as, umm, they desired to walk in the light that they were given.
And church truth was recovered and men began to men and women began to be gathered to the Lord's name again, gathered by the Spirit of God, remember him in his death. And church order once again was restored in large measure to what it was in the apostles day. And umm, no one, no one was going to be able to stop it. And so as uh, we remember in Sardis, they in Protestantism, the Roman church raised persecution and was in a large measure, umm, responsible for.
The movements, perhaps you might say fizzling out and not coming to fruition as it ought to have come. But, umm, now the Lord himself was going to withhold the work of the enemy. There was an open door. And uh, so Paul's doctrine was, uh, read and taught and held and there was an open door. There's still an open door in the day that we live in to be able to read Paul's doctrine and minister the truth in connection with the heavenly calling of the church.
And the rapture, the things that have to do with Paul's doctrine in this scene be remembering the Lord in his death as the Lord, uh, gave Paul, it says, uh, first Corinthians Chapter 11 For I received of the Lord that also which I've delivered unto you. And so we ought to be very thankful for that light. So the darkness that was seen in Roman Catholicism began to fade a little bit, as if you might say in Sardis, there was a little light that Shawn, but they didn't go as far as they could have gone.
But the Lord in His sovereignty saw to it that the truth was recovered, and here in Philadelphia the door was open.
And that's, that's character and authority, isn't it?
Character authority.
And that's what.
You might say verse seven sums up character and authority, the Holy One and the True.
Possessing the key of David, and that's.
And realizing him giving place to him, the meetings took on that character and gaining his authority, he gathered in his name.
Character and authority.
And uh, just just to comment too on what our brother was just saying.
In verse 8A, Precious thaw.
You know, resuscitation of Paul.
Is where the head gets his place again.
The person of the Lord Jesus.
I like to put it this way.
We might say for our hearts, John comes first. Christ in humiliation wins the heart.
And the heart wants him and follows him. Well, where does he lead?
And union is realized with him.
And thus the potential to allow the head to have his place once again.
So as they realized that John and their hearts and their souls, they were brought to Paul.
And Paul was given place again.
The head of the Church now had his place again, as those early brethren realized union with him, and gave place to him.
00:35:01
Joined him where he was, where he is.
And his presence was felt amongst them.
One might ask, well, how do you connect Paul's doctrine with what we have here in Philadelphia? The Lord says, uh, thou hast kept my word and not denied my name. It was especially the apostle Paul that directly had communicated to him by an ascended Christ that truth which was recovered in the early 1800s. My word, not just the word of God, but it's very specially my word, that which was communicated.
Uh, to Paul, it's Christ speaking here.
My word and so that's especially I believe the connection with Paul's doctrine here and uh, as her brother brought out its result in Christ being exalted. There's a holy in verse seven and true, and then we get my word and my name and verse 8.
To keep his word is to keep it in the heart, treasure it in the heart, but it comes out in the life, doesn't it? In a holy walk. He that is holy, keeping his word goes along with holiness and walk. And, uh, it could turn back just to, uh, uh, the Gospel of John.
Uh, chapter. Excuse me, Chapter 14.
Verse 23.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. But earlier in the chapter the Lord had.
Uh had uh said just find the verse here.
Verse 21 He that hath 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 is a little difference between commandments and words. You know, it's like David asking, uh, longing for that drink from the well at Bethlehem. Those were words. It wasn't a command, but it was the breathings of his heart.
And those three took it up. They took up the breathings of David's heart, and they loved David and they fulfilled that desire of his heart and brought to him what his heart longed for. And that drink from the well at Bethlehem. You know, there's the commands in Scripture and how well we do to take them up and keep them. And if we, if, uh, as he says here, uh, he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he is that loveth me. If there's love for the Lord, we'll take those things up.
But then he goes on to say, if a man loved me, he will keep my words, not just my commandments, but the very breathings of his heart, all the little things in scripture. You know, it's really the thought of going to the Scripture and, and looking for all those little things and the hearts, uh, desire to take them up and, and, uh, keep them. And so when he says thou has kept my word, not only Paul's doctrine, but it's more than commandments. It's really taking this book up as the breathings of his will.
And uh, and a longing desire from the heart to walk in the good of it and, and please and please him in it.
Just like, uh, just like in the Apostles day.
He's always doing the work. He's still doing the work. Thank God, through his mercy, he's doing the work with all of us.
And he was doing the work with the apostles in that day, preparing them for his departure. Was it?
And there's a there's a there's a similarity with the apostles in their day and with, with the men of the recovery in the day of Philadelphia. God was doing the work.
We're noticing that.
In their ignorance had the nerve to seek to replace the head. Naturally they can't replace him, but as far as on earth goes, what they did would.
00:40:02
Keep the Saints from anymore looking to the true head they now had. A artificial head, you might say.
But but the Lord was doing the work even in the recovery days, and it's.
Started and Sardis and he he completed it, we might say in Philadelphia, as we've been noticing, but in John 17, the Lord we all know the upper room ministry was was preparing the disciples for his departure, especially those those 1314151617 those chapters. The Lord is is preparing them for his departure.
In chapter 17.
Verse six. It says, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world, thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.
Now that's because the Lord was doing the work with them.
And it's the same thought in in chapter, in verse eight of our chapter.
They have kept my word and not denied my name.
There was a sovereign work with those men being brought to that point where they received the word from the Lord and kept the word. I, I'm just my point is that this is a sovereign work of the Lord. It's a mercy. It was such a mercy of the Lord to allow this restoration of the, of, of church truth to the church. She had let it go. She had let it slip. She had even tried to replace the head. I should, I should say we as the church.
But God in his mercy was doing the work.
It, it, it works no doubt through the end of Tyra, into Sardis and then into Philadelphia. But just like the Lord could say, I have manifested thy name, they have kept thy word. It was it was a result of the Lord's working in their hearts, in their souls. And that's the same reason that they in verse 8 kept His word and did not deny His name.
Mentions here too that they had a little strength. Their proper rendering is a little power.
And so they had the, the same power as, umm, what was evident in the Pentecostal era when the church was first formed, but just a little power, just a little of that umm.
Glory that shone in the church. The testimony was evident and they had power in that at the beginning of that Philadelphia, that, uh, era of Philadelphia, the church period that's marked by Philadelphia here and umm, there was revival. There was a work of God. There were hundreds that were saved. The gospel went out with power. Halls were packed to hear the gospel of the grace of God. Assemblies, umm, were formed in many places.
Throughout the Western world and uh, there was a real power, real energy of the Spirit of God. It was just a little power. It wasn't in the same, uh, to the same magnitude as it was in the Apostolic era, but was the same truth. It was the same energy of the Spirit and it was the same word of God. And they had a value for the name of Christ. It's a word to us ourselves. You know that to my own heart, if, uh, we're going to value the word of God.
There's going to be some energy of faith and God always values faith. God always values our faith. If we're going to walk in faith and the energy of the truth and then here to be associated with his name, let him that name is the name of Christ, depart from iniquity. We need to be careful as we name the name of Christ and have taken his name by receiving him as Savior. Now to walk in a path that's a clean path because we are named by the name of Christ.
Might be good to refer to Acts chapter 20 as well in connection with the Paul preaching there. You have several pictures of the, uh, church history given in the Gospels and in the UMM.
Particularly Matthew's Gospel and the book of the Acts. And this is one of them. And her brother just said, how do we know it's Paul's doctrine that was being referred to here when there was an open door and the word was presented. Well, it says in Acts chapter 20, umm, let's read verse seven. Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the moral, and continued his speech until midnight.
00:45:08
And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eudicus being fallen into a deep sleep. And as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
And Paul went down and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him. And when he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
Well, there's a little picture there to us of how Paul's doctrine was taught and preached in the church. And, uh, Paul, the Apostolic era was going to end and he was going to depart on the Morrow. And he continued his speech until midnight, right into the darkest time of, uh, the Middle Ages. Even in Thyatira, there was something of, uh, Paul's doctrine, those that, uh, perhaps of, uh, the Waldenses and others that, uh, held some of Paul's doctrine and sought to walk in the truth in the measure that they knew.
But to the church at large in verse nine, that speaks of a young man fallen down to the world's level. And then it says, umm, he fell down from a third loft and the third loft, perhaps Speaking of, uh, the highest truth that was delivered to the church in connection with the heavenly church, uh, the heavenly calling of the church, uh, the epistle to the Ephesians and so on the third loft. And Paul went down and embraced and fell on him and embracing him said trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him. So it appeared to the world.
From outward appearance that the church was dead, but God in sovereignty.
Wrought and by his power, there was this testimony that was raised up again and it was characterized by holiness, by truth, by the recovery of, uh, the proper teaching and understanding of prophecy and, uh, by an open door. The enemy wasn't going to shut this down. And umm, then a little power, a little energy in the power of the spirit and umm.
The love of the Word of God and the study of the Word of God, the value of the Word of God, and then characteristic of having a value for the name of the Lord Jesus, and that's what characterized that age.
It's not God's way to, uh, use great displays of strength in a day of ruin and weakness. And it's a little strength. It's just a remnant character of things. And he wasn't going to restore things back to the day of Pentecost, but he did give this, uh, little restoration and, and a remnant character of things in Philadelphia's little remnant out of, out of these, uh, great, uh, outwardly seen, uh, things in the world, Christianity, Protestantism.
Protestantism and Catholicism, it's just a remnant character. And, uh, you know, in Ezra's day, uh, a little before his day, he came a little afterwards, there was a little remnant of the Jews brought back to the land of Israel. And, uh, you know, there was no ark with them. And when they crossed the wilderness, there was no pillar of cloud or fire. There were none of those displays of power that characterized that exodus out of Egypt.
Just a feeble little company, but they sought to be true to his word, and that's really why they came back. They wanted to keep his word, and they wanted to go back to that place where Jehovah had placed his name in Jerusalem. And so they returned. But God had a purpose in it, maybe not even seen at first by themselves. But you know, the Messiah was to be born in that land, and he brought back a little company that would be there to receive Messiah when he was born.
In that land, well, sad to say.
We know the reception that he received at large, but you know, there were the few, there were the shepherds, there were the Anas and Simeons and, uh, the Zacharias and Elizabeths and so on. And, you know, there was still a little remnant character there in the land to receive Messiah when he was born. And the Lord allowed the recovery of the truth. And one of the great aspects of that recovery was the truth that the church is true hope.
Is not death to die and go to heaven?
But the church's true hope is Christ's coming out of heaven for her to catch her up, to be with himself. But that had been lost, you know, when, uh, Anthiatyra, after the church settled down the world with Pergamus, and then Thyatira really isn't just settled down and the world is reigning over the world and, and Catholicism became so powerful. And really, I believe it was under Augustine, we start to really see the development of some of these doctrines.
00:50:18
That, well, aren't we supposed to get everything? Doesn't the scripture promise that we're going to possess all things? Well, then let's take them. They're ours, right? I, I sit as a queen and I'm no widow quoting from Revelation. And they sought to rule the world and did for a time, so to speak, uh, and so that doctrine went out that yes, presently it's the rain of Christ and presently.
It's the time for the church to reign with him and possess all things. And there are various aspects of that doctrine. And so when the reformers, uh, broke away from Catholicism and then Protestantism developed, they never left fully some of those doctrines. And the doctrine that was held in the, uh, late 1700s, early 1800s, uh, and Protestant Christianity was.
You know, we gotta go out and evangelize the world and convert the world to Christianity. We've got a we've got to conquer all those, uh, Muslims and Hindus and so on, and bring Christianity to them, although Christianity to them was often just civil, being civilized, learning how to read and write and so on. No, no gospel at all. We've got to go out and convert the world to Christianity. And when we do, there'll be a wonderful time of peace, and the arts will flourish and the sciences will flourish and medicine will flourish.
And it'll be a wonderful golden age will unfold on this earth, and at the end of that time, the Lord will come from heaven and claim His pure Kingdom for himself. And that's what Mr. Darby and Kelly and those brethren came out of.
And when the Lord opened up to their understanding that the Church's true hope was no such thing like that in this world.
But to be caught out, she was not part of this world at all. Her character was unworldly. It was a heavenly calling and a heavenly hope. That truth went around the globe and and Protestant Christianity and was embraced by many, many believers. And what was the Lord doing?
If he had not recovered that truth.
Would there be those who are waiting for the Lord to come?
No, you know, there were those who were waiting for the Messiah to be born. Oh, Anna went around. She spoke to all those in Jerusalem that were looking for deliverance, who were waiting for Messiah. The Lord recovered that truth so that His people would be waiting.
For Him, and that He would have here, though it be in weakness, though it be in little strength, though it be a remnant character, that which represented His bride on this earth that He was coming for.
So in verse 10 he says to them, Because I was kept the word of my patience, they entered into the patient waiting of Christ to come and claim his bride.
He says, I will keep thee from the hour of temptation. Well, what is that hour of temptation? Well, we're not left to our own, he says, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell.
On the earth, he's Speaking of the great tribulation, not kept through it like Noah's ark through the flood or lot led by the hand out of, out of, uh, Sodom that was, uh, being rained on with brimstone and, and fire. But like, Enoch caught up from this scene, like Elijah caught up from the scene. And so it's not through or in, but it's from the hour of temptation. And so that was another truth that was recovered. The church was not going to go through the tribulation. Not only was her hope the Lord's coming.
But it wasn't any moment coming of the Lord. There was nothing to take place prophetically, no tribulation to take place. That's part of the prophetic scripture. No, the church was not going to pass through the tribulation.
Any moment the Lord could come for her, and that was her true expectation.
Well, you know that that truth has has marked itself above all the other recovered truths, I think upon many of our dear brother who never separated from the camp to be gathered to the Lord's name. But they have embraced that, and thankfully so, and it was the Lord's purpose that it would be so.
00:55:18
You have the Lord speaking in Matthew's Gospel chapter 25, and he brings that out in a seed plot, as it were in, uh, the parable of the 10 virgins. And he says, uh, in verse 5, Matthew 25, verse five, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And so you have a picture of that midnight cry going out and the truth.
Pulse, uh, doctrine, part of Paul's doctrine, a large part of it has to do with, uh, the church, uh, umm, the rapture. And so First Thessalonians chapter four and 1St Corinthians chapter 15 and uh, perhaps, uh, Philippians chapter 3, verse 21 And how we shall all be changed, uh, into, umm, I'm not gonna quote it properly, so I'm just gonna read it, uh, Philippians chapter uh, three.
And verse 21 Who shall change our vile body, or our body of humiliation, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working, whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself? And so that was particularly.
Brought out and there was great rejoicing, wasn't there in that time at the early as the truth was recovered. And umm, it's, it ought to bring great joy to us today that, uh, we're, we're almost 200 years closer to the coming of the Lord as the truth was recovered that he was coming and it's being lost today. And I just want to give a little bit of a warning as to what we read and what we listen to. If we listen to Christian radio today, the, the people that are talking on the Christian radio are confused. They're becoming more and more confused.
They don't know when the Lord's coming. And the reason is that they're giving up some of Paul's doctrine, some of the teaching of Scripture that Paul taught because it's not popular to hold. And so we need to hold all of Paul's doctrine. Be careful.
What you read and what you listen to, because it's not all right. Christianity, the Umm Sardis and Protestantism today and the evangelical world is starting more and more to give up the truth that the Lord's coming is before the Tribulation, as our brother's been bringing out.
In verse 11 he says, Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. And you know the Philadelphian believer had a crown.
He had a crown that he, he valued and cherished those truths that had been given by an ascended Christ, and he, he valued them and, uh, in, in the heart walked them in the life. And the danger was that that crown would be taken. In other words, there would be a loss of really having a value for that which had been recovered in a remnant character.
And a despising of it and a carelessness to it. Uh, uh, So what?
Attitude and really we just have a minute or two left. So just say this Laodicea is really the result of that recovered truth being let go in a careless, indifferent and callous way. It just doesn't matter. And that's really that final aspect of things of a lukewarmness towards Christ.
Uh, that he spews out of his mouth. And so there's, it's a warning that we, I need to take to heart, hold that fast, which I'll have. How much truth has been ministered to us over so many years by faithful men of God and, uh, how much we have been given and so much we are responsible for. Hold it fast. There's a man that wants to take that crown. And you know, it's been often occupational men, hasn't it?
And, uh, men.
That have been used and so we go back to that little word we had on Acts 20 man among your own selves arising, seeking to lead away disciples after themselves. It wasn't lest Satan take your crown. No, some man occupation was some man in some way or some form. But there was that danger of losing a heart that valued and cherished that which in the grace of Christ he had been pleased to recover to his church lost for so many years.
Our loving God and our Father, we thank Thee for this little hymn that we've sung together and the sentiments of it sung is a little prayer.
Blessed Savior, we long to see Thee in all of Thy glory, to see Thee face to face, and it thrills our souls to think of how we've considered in the Scriptures the history of the Church, and it's just about to end. Thy true Church is vote to be called home in Thy glorious presence. And so we thank Thee that the hour is just about upon us, and we pray for Thy blessing upon Thy precious word as we've had it before us, that we might be found holding the head.
In the glory and walking as those that are members one of another and uh, walking in love and uh, holding, uh, the uh, truth of God with affection to our breasts and uh, in our hearts rejoicing the word that thou has given us. Behold, I come quickly. And so we commend ourselves to thee and ask thy blessing upon my precious word, our God and our Father, and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Questions
Open Mtg. 2
Open—R. Boulard, S. Stewart
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#5 in the appendix.
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Our God and our Father, we thank Thee for Him that we've been seeing together.
And we thank Thee for that time in our lives, our gods.
As a sheep that was lost now to bring us back to thyself and yet our God, we think of how we've been saying that now that we've grown to be there are those things that we're prone to.
And we own it before the and we just would think now, our God, of the little time that's before us, and we just would pray that we might indeed hear thy voice.
We think of the very needs that there are here, our God, and we just would pray that our affections would be touched this afternoon, we think.
00:05:37
I'd like to just turn to Acts chapter 20.
And read from verse 17, this, uh, chapter different ones this morning in our prayer meeting and, and, uh, during our reading meeting, as we took up, uh, some portion in Revelation chapter 2, this, uh, passage of scripture was referred to several times. And, umm, I just like to give just a try to give, uh, a little orderly outline of what the apostle Paul was trying to say here to the brethren in Ephesus.
It was an address to the Ephesian elders, those that were really, uh, experienced and mature in the things of God and, uh, those that were responsible that the assembly might go on for the glory of God and for the blessing of his people. That there might be something, uh, of a portion of Christ and a suitable state among the brethren there at that time that his people might be fed and nourished, encouraged. And so let's just read from Acts chapter 20, verse 17, it says.
And from my elitist he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church, and when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the.
First day that I came into Asia, after what manner of time I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying and weight of the Jews. And how I hell kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God.
And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold, I go, bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem.
Not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move I move me neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received at the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God.
Shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the witch, or wherein the Holy Ghost have made you overseers to feed the Church of God, which He had purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock Also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things.
To draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend unto you, commend you to God, and.
To the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them.
Which are sanctified I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yeah, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto My necessities, and to them that were with me. I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. And when He had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, soaring most of all for the words which he spake.
That they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him under the ship. While in this little passage of Scripture, the Apostle Paul presents himself to the Ephesian elders as an example of one that would be, umm, a model of suitable for oversight, One that would be, uh, genuinely caring for the Saints of God, genuinely feeding the Saints of God. And umm, I'll just bring out a few points here.
And it says in verse 18, the very first thing he points out is his consistency of his path. It says when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, what after what manner I have been with you at all seasons. And so there was a time when they met the apostle Paul. And perhaps there's been a time, you know, when you have begun to read Paul's doctrine, you've begun to read some of the epistles.
00:10:27
And I trust that you pray and ask the Lord to help to open up the word to you, open up those epistles, the heavenly truth or the heavenly calling of the church and the privileges that are ours in the Christian era that are so blessed. And perhaps you pray, ask the Lord for help as you read those epistles. And the Apostle Paul, you know, he was introduced to these men in Ephesus and they hadn't heard about the Holy Ghost. Let's just turn to that and, and Acts, I think it's chapter 19.
It says in verse two, Well let's read verse one, Acts 19, and verse one it says, It came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus. And finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard, whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul had laid his hands on upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied, and all the men were about 12.
Well, they heard from Paul's own lips later on in this chapter. It goes goes on. And he was there for two years and three months.
It was a small start, small little start to that little assembly. There were 12. All the men were about 12. And I used to think when I was younger, you know, that that assembly must have been huge for the apostle Paul, the mighty apostle, to write to this, this letter to the Ephesians, assembly must have been a big assembly. But no one was a small start, a small beginning, perhaps a small assembly, and nevertheless precious insight of the Lord. And Paul had met these dear ones. And when they met Paul, there was a consistency in his Christian life, a consistency.
Of his character that was evident when they first laid their eyes on him and when they first spoke with him and as they knew Paul as he moved among them for those two years and three months, he didn't change. He wasn't an up and down Christian. You know there was a steadiness to Paul's testimony and that's what you and I need as we if we desire to be any blessing to our brethren or any blessing to ourselves or in our families, we need a steadiness and a predictability is that we're.
An evenness really speaks, perhaps of the meat offering in connection with the Lord Jesus. Perfect, evenness, perfect.
In every way the Lord Jesus, every grace was manifested in perfection in that blessed One.
But you and I, you know, we get a little off sometimes and we don't have that evenness and that predict predictability. Well, the Apostle Paul was a model in that way. The Ephesians Saints could always go to Paul. They know how he'd react. He wasn't one day in the dumps and then one day up on cloud 9 as we speak. No, he was consistent in his, umm, Christian character in his walk with the Lord. And that's something that you and I can do.
As well, you and I need to walk with consistency with the Lord one day at a time. Not just one little spot here, 1 little spot there, but the very first thing that needs to characterize your Christian life and mind is consistency in the walk with the Lord. And if you walk and see me one day and you say I met you five years ago, and then you meet me five years from now, am I still walking with the Lord? Am I still teaching the same thing? Am I still walking?
In predictable, in a predictable course, a path of obedience and faithfulness to the Lord. Well, this is what characterized Paul first.
And he said, you know that the first day that I came into Asia. So there was that predictability. Then it says in verse 19. The second thing is that characterized him in his oversight among the people of God as an apostle and as he presents himself as a model of, umm, oversight perhaps here in verse 19, serving the Lord with all humility of mind.
You know, Paul could have said, I've seen the Lord.
I've seen the Lord, perhaps someone made the comment. I've been searching it out lately, but uh, maybe you can search it out as well that the Lord appeared to the apostle Paul seven times and very instructive. Every time that he appeared to the Apostle Paul, there was a lesson to learn. And the first time that he appeared to the Lord, he saw that great light from heaven and then gets towards the latter part of the book of Acts and he says it was a light that was greater than the light of the sun.
00:15:28
It's shone brighter than the the sun itself.
I saw a light, I saw in the way a light from heaven above, the brightness of the sun shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. Paul, you know, could have said, I've seen the Lord, you haven't.
He could have in some way suggested that, uh, his course as a Christian was superior to theirs, but he didn't.
You know, you and I are nothing. We're zeros. I like the little statement that Brother Albert Hale used to make years ago when we were young people. He said, you know, brethren, we're just all just a bunch of zeros. Every one of us is a zero. And except for the one out in front, we'd all be zeros. We'd be nothing. But, oh, thank God for that one. And God had worked in Paul's life and, umm, he had worked in that man's life that he wanted to exalt Christ. And the Lord is working in your life and mine. He's trying to work in your life.
And he wants the Spirit of God to have his way. He's trying to work with you and me. That we might be humble, that we might realize that we're sufficient. Our sufficiency is of Christ. We're nothing. And umm, if we have anything at all, it's in Christ. If we have redemption, it's in Christ. It's because of his blood. If we have any value at all to God, it's because of the work of Christ, because of the blood of Christ. We're purchased with the precious blood of Christ.
Well, Paul was humble in his way of dealing with these dear ones. He had a lowliness of mind and he was serving in humility.
He was serving in humility. Well, we know that the problem perhaps at the beginning in in Ephesus was that they did want to have a little bit of a better A1 man one upmanship. They wanted to have a place of prominence and so on. And Paul addresses that a little bit later. But umm, you know, wonderful thing to take a little place and to serve our brother.
Have you ever served someone?
And he has served. Know the Lord Jesus came. He came to serve. He came to serve. That blessed man came and he knelt down before his apostles. He washed their feet.
What a work of service. Was there ever any man as humble as the Lord Jesus?
Never let this mind be in you. It also was in Christ Jesus all the apostle Paul sought to imitate Christ in his humility. Well, that's the second thing that needs to characterize us if we're going to be a blessing to the people of God. And then in the latter part of verse 19, or perhaps.
The middle of it, it says, and with many tears.
Many tears. Here you have the Apostle Paul.
Saved on the road to Damascus, the one who had seen the Lord time and again.
And at the end of his life, perhaps seven times, he'd seen the Lord. And the Lord stood with him, as it were, in the prison in, uh, Second Timothy chapter 4, just before he was to be martyred. We have a faithful God. The Lord stood with Paul.
But it meant something to him whether the Saints went on or not, It meant something to him as to whether the brethren went on in faithfulness to the Lord, whether the young people had an affection for the Lord, whether the young people were interested in the things of God. It meant something to him.
It meant something to him.
And he wept.
Paul the apostle wept.
And the Saints in Ephesus had seen him weep.
He'd seen perhaps some of the failure, and he'd been weeping.
They've seen it and it's not a bad thing if our brethren see that the things of God means something to us and they move us to tears at times because we value the things of God. We value the work of Christ. And when we see the name of the Lord Jesus dishonored or we see His work made light of that, it brings tears to our eyes. We hear His name used the way it shouldn't be used and brings tears to our eyes.
00:20:02
Well, he had a genuine love and a concern for his brethren. Do you have a genuine love and a concern for your brethren?
Everyone of us should genuinely care for one another.
Thou shalt love thy neighbors thyself. The Lord was telling that story in connection with the story of the Good Samaritan and umm, that lawyer that tempted him said, well, who is my neighbor? He sought to deflect the question. We know who our neighbors are, we know who our brethren are, and there needs to be a genuine love and concern for our beloved brother.
Well, then, it says there were temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews or the plots.
And, you know, the Apostle Paul, this is the fourth thing that I want to present. There were temptations which befell him, and there were trials that befell the Apostle Paul all through his life, you know, as soon as he was saved.
The enemy was trying to destroy his life. Here was a man who was mad against the Christians who was very, very, uh, brutal and umm, various, umm, efficient perhaps in his work of persecution.
If there was someone that could have boasted as being one of the best persecutors of the church, it would be Paul. He had letters from the high priest to go and to drag ones to prison and so on. And no doubt he speaks of it later on in Philippians. And all those things that he boasted about, he his sorrow that he ever had done. He counted them but done.
But he endured. There were trials that were endured day after day after day. I'm just going to read in Chapter 9 of Acts, just present this aspect of things in connection with Paul.
It says uh.
Chapter 9 and verse 23. This was perhaps after about three years that the apostle Paul was in Damascus. It says after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him, but they're laying in wait. A wait was known of Paul, and they watched the gates that day and night to kill him.
And then umm.
In verse 29, well, let's read verse 28 and he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem and he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Grecians and they went about to slay him. When you got saved, I'm sure that no one was looking to to put you down. No one was looking to slay you but the apostle Paul, Paul the convert saw of Tarsus. He opened his mouth and he spoke about the Lord Jesus and it he spoke with power, he spoke the power of the Spirit and he had.
Knowledge about that one that he'd seen in the glory, or seen the glory of.
And they sought to kill him. He endured trials. Is that something that you and I desire to endure? None of us have it easy. And you know this world is not going to get any easier to live in.
God is speaking to this world.
There was a flash flood in Nashville, TN. There was a flash flood in Arkansas. There was a flash. There's been flooding in France. There's been volcanoes. There's been all kinds of things. There's an oil well that can't be plugged.
Believers are out of work.
Believers are suffering as the Lord begins to turn up the heat a little bit. Things are not going to get back the way they were once before. And so you and I are going to need to suffer a little bit, perhaps as this world begins to feel the heat of what the Lord is bringing upon it. I'm not saying that we're entering the tribulation. That's not the truth. But I believe the Lord is starting to heat things up and we're going to need to endure trials, not only in the assembly. And perhaps this was partly of what Paul was Speaking of.
But in the world, Paul was enduring temptations, he was enduring trials. He was submitting himself to the trials that the Lord had allowed in his life. And you and I, if we're going to be a help to our brethren, need to submit to the trials that the Lord has allowed in our lives.
You've heard me perhaps say it before, but I think of this often times in connection with myself. And I can't say that I've been perfect in what I'm just about to tell you, but our brother Gordon Hale, when, uh, we were at Otter Lake, oftentimes would, uh, tell us as young people that, uh, we're going to have to face trials and difficulties. Things weren't going to be easy all the time. And as life progressed, things were going to get difficult. And he said that, you know.
00:25:23
When the Lord allows a trial in your life.
Get down on your knees in the presence of God in your own room and thank the Lord for the trial that He's allowing in your life. It may be difficult to thank Him for. It may be an illness, it may be something else. But get down in the presence of the Lord and thank Him for the trial and try to learn. Young people, he'd say. Try to learn what the Lord is teaching you in that trial and desiring to draw you to Himself and umm.
For the very few times that I've tried it, it seems to be a real blessing to submit to the trials and to endure the trial, to take it from the hand of the Lord Jesus. Because He loves us, He loves us. He loved us unto death.
And so this is the fourth thing that Paul speaks of as far as one who is an oversight and among the people of God and one who would be a help to his brethren, is that his brethren could see that things weren't always easy for the apostle Paul, but that he was enduring those trials. He wasn't seeking to escape them. We know that there was failure that came in a little bit later, but the Lord is presenting here and by the Spirit those things that were characteristic of Paul.
And then it says in verse 20 it says, how I kept back, or I held back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you.
Or announced to you and have taught you publicly and from house to house.
And so here was another thing, perhaps the fifth thing that characterized Paul and his, uh, ministry among these Saints was faithfulness to God. He didn't keep back anything that was profitable for them. And you know, the sharp edge of the sword of the word of God is necessary with each one of us because it cuts both ways. And sometimes we're a little shy to quote a verse of Scripture one-on-one because it might be a little too sharp, we think.
And, uh, we need to be kind to one another. I'm not suggesting that we need to be unkind, but the word of God needs to be presented to. We need to present the word of God in its truth and its simplicity and not hide the truth of God from one another in any way. And isn't it, well, wonderful that the, the Ephesians Saints could say, yeah, Paul told us the truth. Paul didn't hide anything that was going to be profitable to us. He, he told us exactly what we needed to hear. And God is like that. He doesn't tell us what we want to hear.
He tells us what we need to hear, and by His grace and His kindness in His love for us, He desires to minister to our souls at the time that we need certain truth brought before us, encouragement, correction, perhaps reproof, whatever it might be that we know that the Lord is able to bring that before us while Paul was faithful.
And he wasn't after a place of popularity among his brethren. He sought to be faithful to the one who loved him and gave himself for him. Is that something that characterizes you? Are you seeking to be faithful to the Lord, loyal to the Lord? You know that's one of the fruits of the Spirit says that the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. You know where it says that in Galatians 5/22 it means loyalty.
Means loyalty.
Loyalty to Christ is a fruit of the Spirit. Isn't that nice?
Paul was loyal to Christ in every way that he could. And when he went to someone's house, he was diligent. You know, he went and visited folks from one house to another and he said the same thing. He said the same thing. He said he went ministered the truth in the assembly and umm, he warmed their hearts perhaps. And perhaps he he corrected different things, but he taught that the heavenly truth of the, the church.
That were part members of the body of Christ. All those things that, uh.
Would have been part of his heavenly, the heavenly character of his doctrine. But he didn't change his story. When he went to Brother so and So's house, he spoke the truth and he held the truth. And whatever the Spirit of God had taught him in connection with the truth of the Word of God, the doctrine, the teaching of Christianity, he held that truth in faithfulness and loyalty to Christ. Not nice.
Went to God, all of us were more loyal to that man.
00:30:02
He was loyal unto death, faithful unto death.
The Lord died for you, faithful.
Faithful to death, faithful unto death, and he was faithful to His Father in perfection. Well, then, in verse 24 he brings before them the fact.
That he says, None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with Li with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God well.
He didn't count his life dear unto himself.
It wasn't selfish. He wasn't using his life for himself.
He wasn't using it just to please himself.
He didn't count it dear to himself. He was had personal faithfulness and devotion to the Lord.
And he was willing to offer his life to the Lord.
That's what it means to be a living sacrifice.
Is to offer your life, you know, a living sacrifice. A sacrifice is offering to someone else something that is very, very valuable to yourself. Every one of us has a life. Every day is precious. It'll never happen again. This day, one day is being lived at a time. And I'm I'm going to use it for myself today.
And deny the Lord the pleasure of my company today, or I'm going to give him that day. I'm going to live it with him. And for him. I'm going to sacrifice that day. It's a precious day. I'm going to give it to him that one day. Well, it's not that way. One day at a time. The Lord desires the preciousness of each day that He's given us, that it might be used for himself. Well, Paul was like this. He used his life. I count neither count I my life dear unto myself, you know.
It's like Paul said, the truth was worth dying for.
Christ is worth dying for. He died for me, and the truth of Christianity and the teaching of the truth of the word of God is worth dying for.
And I'm willing to die for.
Well, you know, we've just begun to read in Revelation Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 and what we find in latency in the Age.
Of the church history that we live in just before the Lord comes.
Is we find that Christianity is a religion of convenience. If it's convenient, I'll go to the prayer meeting.
If it's convenient, I'll go to the reading meeting. If it's convenient, I'll do. I'll read my Bible today if it's convenient. But if it's not convenient, we won't do that. We'll do something else. Oh, how the Lord yearns to have us make Himself a priority, and that we wouldn't count our lives a deer unto ourselves. That that we sacrificed our lives, our days, our hours to Himself. There's not many of them left.
Behold, I come quickly.
He also therefore patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
The Lord's coming draweth nigh. We're not here for very long.
And, uh, when we get home to the glory, we'll look back on the days that we've wasted and we'll just wish that we had given him a few more days, just more time, but it'll be too late. So today is the day of personal sacrifice. Well, it says a little later on, it says, umm, in verse 24, the latter part of it, the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God and how, and now I behold, I know that.
Ye all among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. So there are three things Paul is energetic. This is the seventh thing is that he was energetic in the gospel, energetic in the things of God going out to others. And so the gospel of the grace of God really is in the last part of verse 24 is really to all men, it's to everyone.
You'll forgive me for telling a personal story.
But I was working with a car mechanic in Ohio when we lived in Ohio, had some vehicles, needed oil changes, all that kind of stuff, and spoke with a man and gave him the gospel.
00:35:02
And, uh, he told me how many good works he was doing and he was fixing cars for people that were broken down on holiday weekends and so on. And he was really doing good works and, uh.
He had been a church going man, but he was relying upon his good works to get him to heaven. And so we gave him the gospel and there was really not a whole lot of response. Anyway, to make a, a, a Long story short, a couple of years later he got cancer, pancreatic cancer, and the doctor gave him a couple of months to live. He lived eight months. His name is Tom Hearn and the next time we met after he got that diagnosis.
Gave them the little track Gospel track, the matchless Pearl.
And he listened to the gospel intently.
And that man read that track and got saved.
And umm, after a little while, he got a little insecure, maybe several months. And umm, I discerned that I sent him a handwritten letter and put another track in the in the letter and umm.
He got assurance of salvation.
Can we be sure that little gospel tract written about Queen Victoria?
And.
Umm, he went home to be with the Lord.
On August, I think it was August the tenth, maybe it was August the 6th and the funeral was August the 10th, 2006. And uh, he told his wife that she asked him whether he was afraid to die. This really, this is what he said. He said, no, Debbie, I'm not afraid to die. I've taken Christ as my savior.
And I'm going home to be with the Lord.
And I hope he takes me home soon because I can hardly stand this pain.
That man never darkened the room of the meeting room, never came to a gospel meeting.
Never went to a reading meeting.
When he was weak, he would stand leaning on the car and we'd quote scripture and we'd talk about the Lord's things.
For half an hour or so, that's all he got.
And I asked him before he went home to be with the Lord. I said, Tom, you've been running this garage for 25 years. How many people have given you a gospel tract?
He said. You're the only one that's ever given me a gospel tract.
I said, Tom, you're in the middle of the heartland of Bible Belt, Ohio, and I'm the only one that give you a gospel track. No, no, he says. There's another one. You mailed me one as well, he says. The two gospel tracts, those are the ones that you gave me. I no one else ever gave me a gospel track.
Brethren, we need to be more diligent in giving little gospel tract a little paper to those that are yet lost.
They read them, they get saved.
Paul was diligent. He spoke the gospel of the grace of God, and then in verse 25 he went around preaching the Kingdom of God, and that's practical Christianity.
And it speaks of the moral side of the truth. That's what he was diligent in it and he spoke that way. And then in verse 27, he spoke all the counsel of God. And so that really brings in perhaps dispensational truth and prophecy, all those things that Paul brought out in connection with the truth of God. He brought out all the counsel of God. So if the epistle to the Ephesians, there's nothing that was hid from them at all.
Isn't it wonderful? God doesn't want anything to be hidden from you.
But there's something that the Spirit of God can't do that you have to do. The Spirit of God can't do this. Can't.
Implant the word of God into your head. You need to read it. You need to take it up yourself and read it individually in the presence of God in it. Marvelous that we have the CD's Bible on CD. We have the printed page, the Bible on our in our pages on the word of God. We have audio. We have all kinds of things to help us in connection with getting the word of God and reading the word of God and knowing the word of God well. This is one of the things that characterized the apostle Paul, his diligence.
In bringing the word of God before the Saints, and then it says in verse 29 or verse 28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood. First thing is that they needed to take heed.
This is the instruction that he gives them. We've looked at the seven characteristics of the apostle in connection with oversight and how he was used of God to be a blessing to the people of God.
But now he gives them instruction based on his model. How are they to act? The first thing is to take heed to ourselves.
00:40:07
And that is that we're in danger all the time. The enemy isn't going to give up.
In Ephesus they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
But then a little bit later on, why they the deeds are the little Nic Nicolaitans turned into the ways of the Nicolaitans. They had accepted that clergy system. And so the enemy isn't gonna give up with you and I.
He's a subtle enemy, and just at the end of the Church age, he's going to seek to destroy the testimony of those that are gathered to the Lord's name, and he's going to seek to turn away the Saints from the Lord himself, but one St. at a time.
Sometimes he's efficient in a sense by causing division or being used in division. He's energized.
And he seeks to turn us away, the Saints. But we need to be take heed to ourselves. Are you taking heed to yourself? Are you careful every day?
Sin, you can't take a little sin, just just taste a little sin and try to get away with it. No, the apostle Paul was saying, you need to take heed to yourselves. Every one of us need to be on guard because the flesh is at war with the Spirit and the fleshiness wants to gratify itself. And what appeals to the man of the world appeals to the Christian if he's going to live in the flesh. And then their responsibility was to feed the Church of God.
You know, it's interesting in verse 28, it's the Spirit of God that raised up those that were an oversight in the assembly.
Those that took an administrative lead in the assembly.
God, thank God.
He raises up some.
That want to take a little bit of a lead among his people for their good, for the blessing of the Saints, Not out of selfishness, not out of a place, not because they want a place among God's people, but thank God that God Himself by the Spirit, raises up some of the brethren.
The desire to see the Saints go on well and weep over them privately.
We think we need to thank God for raising up those that will take a lead among His people in a godly way, in the same character of the Lord Jesus did.
Unselfishly.
Made it says here.
There were two things, perhaps three things that would characterize. We read this this morning, Brother Robert, I believe. Read it also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. There's three things that characterize a defective elder. Those that could have been a help to the Saints, those that should have been a help to the Saints. Perhaps we're a help at one time, but they became defective.
And the first thing is this, that they arise in prominence. They arise, they just kind of arise, they get a little more prominent among the people of God. And then it says here that.
They speak perverse things speaking perverse things, they speak things that are not characteristic of godly order, and they seek to, umm, twist things just a little bit or make perhaps be theatrical and how they take up the things of God.
To bring themselves to prominence.
And then it says the last thing is they want to draw away disciples after themselves. We want to have disciples that follow the Lord, don't we?
A disciple is one that follows the Lord. He learns about the Lord Jesus, Matthew Chapter 11, He's a follower, he's a learner. And in the end of Luke chapter 14, I think it is, uh, he, uh, values one relationship above all others. There's one relationship that means more than him than anything else.
The relationship with the Lord Jesus, he follows him. We need to have those that are disciples to follow the Lord. So he says watch and remember that by the space of three years. I cease not to warn everyone night and day with tears. Isn't that something with tears. There you go. He he meant something to him and then in verse 32, he gives them two things, two resources that you and I as Christians have, every one of us has but those that are.
Particularly responsible in the assembly at home have when things aren't going quite right and when things are going right, the first thing is I commend you to God. That's prayer. Do we pray for the Saints?
00:45:07
I have a habit I I sometimes tell it, but when I pray for my brethren in Hammer Bay.
I go through the names and I see them where they sit in the little rows in the assembly. Maybe you, you pray for your brethren that way. I don't miss them if I do that. I just pray for them starting at the back row and coming up and going up and then across the way and I pray for them going that way. We need to pray for one another.
Pray for one another. Paul prayed for them.
He prayed. You know what's interesting? In the Epistle to the Ephesians, he mentioned all kinds of names. I went through recently and I numbered all the names. There were 30 names. He names in those six chapters, 30 names. Every name, every person meant something to him. He mentions the name of the Lord, that's one of them. He mentions his own name, that's the one of them. But he mentions 28 other names of different ones. Everyone precious to the heart of God.
You're precious to the heart of God as an individual. He died for you. He lives for you on high in the glory.
And so he commanded them to God, prayers necessary. And then to be preserved, we need the word of his grace. We need the word of God. And so it's the will of God and the word of God that ought to be used in the assembly as we seek to maintain a place that's clean and a place that's honoring to God, and where there's a place where we can in grace, by his sovereign love and grace, meet with the Lord.
And enjoy his presence. Most two things can be used those two resources to that the Saints might be preserved. And then here there's another thing. Verse 33 I have coveted no man's silver. Gold. Yeah. Yourselves. No. That these hands have ministered under my necessities and to them that were with me. And so you know the apostle Paul wasn't a burden to his brother.
And he took of the goods that he had, and he used them for the Lord.
You know, last winter, uh, last fall, I shut off the water. I thought I shut off the water in the upper cottage at the, at the house and umm.
I didn't shut it off as much as I should have. I left a couple of valves closed in my I went to turn. I turned the water on a couple of days ago.
Someone's gonna come and stay in the cottage and, uh, there's burst pipes and there's water spraying all over the place. Well, I wasn't very diligent. I didn't close off all the valves.
I just tell you this because, umm.
When we were buying the place for my father-in-law, I had a little private conversation with him.
I bought the house that Jan and I have been in on and off for the last 30 years.
And I asked him, I said, dad, we're just buying this piece of property from you. Is there any special requests that you have at all?
He said yes, there's just only one special request that I have.
He says to use this property for the Lord. Not good advice.
He said won't you use this property for the Lord? Use it for him. Don't use it for yourself, use it for the Lord.
Isn't that nice? Paul took of what he had. He not only ministered the truth among the people of God, preached the gospel, preached the Kingdom of God, practical Christianity, the moral side of the truth, and all those things, but he took of what he had.
He worked with his own hands that he wouldn't be chargeable unto any of the Saints. And, uh, he sacrificed his own good. And so you and I can build up the little testimony where we live by using our resources, our physical resources to enrich our, our brother.
Use them. Use what we have that the Lord has given to us as a blessing for our brethren and use it for the Lord. Well then it says a little bit later on in verse 36.
Let's read verse 35. I have showed you all things how that support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all, and they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, soaring most of all for the words which he spake, that they which should see his face no more may accompany him under the ship. While we spoke this morning of how the apostle Apostolic age was going to end.
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And it was ending at that time. Paul was going to pass off the scene in another generation, was going to rise up or be given the responsibility to take over in the assembly and to help out in the assembly and that the people of God might be nourished.
And I saw a young man walking from the Bible, from the little tables there, and he had a whole wad of books and booklets. I just made my heart rejoice.
How are you going to know the truth? How are you know how to defend the truth? How do you know, how do you know how to feed the Saints of God if you don't read the word of God and read some good solid ministry? And the time to do it is when you're young.
And I wish somebody had said this to me at a conference when I was younger and I might have taken the advice. Maybe not.
But umm, I wish somebody had said, Robert, you're a young man, Why don't you take, you're not married, you don't have any responsibility. And I know you're going to college, but I think you can do this. Take $100 every time you go to a conference and buy some books, buy some tapes, buy some audio books, do something, but buy some ministry and read that ministry. And instead of wasting your time on all kinds of things today, perhaps it's electronic toys and so on.
When I was younger, perhaps on hockey and all the other things that occupy a young person, sport, the enemy is going to use sport and anything he can to distract you and to waste your time.
Turn off the electronics and read some of that ministry, but take some of that $100 that you're going to spend on electronic toys or whatever it is, and spend it on ministry and get yourself a little bit of a collection of written ministry and spend some time in diligence learning the Word of God. While Paul left the scene, he never saw those Ephesian brethren again.
I just say this, there's a lot of young people here, a lot of younger men, younger sisters. Thank God for the older brethren in your assembly.
They're passing off the scene 1 by 1. It's a wonderful thing to have the sound of young people in the assembly and children in the assembly. But, uh, thank God for every older brother, every older sister that has sought to go on in some measure of the truth.
Sooner or later, they're gonna pass off the scene, and you'll wish that you were able to still talk with them.
I had brother.
Gordon Hale's sister Earth, his.
Daughter.
In my home recently and I had to say to, to her and to her husband, I said, I still wish that I could just call Gordon, just talk to him about one or two things. I just wish that I could talk, talk, talk to him. So dear young people, you have older brother in here. They're not going to be here forever. And if the Lord carries just a little while, they're going to pass off the scene. So get to know them, speak with them, read with them, enjoy their company and, uh, seek to share something of things of God with them. And I'm sure that they'll.
Seek to enjoy your fellowship as well. It's a time to learn, it's when you're young.
00:55:01
J.
Saint Joseph 1200123.
Oh.
Before we close in prayer, could we?
Just read.
Gospel of John 21St chapter and then a Scripture in Second Timothy ยค John 21, verse 22. Jesus saith unto him, If I will, that he that is John, Harry, till I come, What is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then what this sang abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. Yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die, but if he.
If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that?
To thee Second Timothy, chapter one, verse one.
All an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.
Just this brief thought and connection with what's been brought before us.
We just read.
The the parting address, the farewell address of the most devoted servants that ever labored in the vineyard of Christ to those Ephesian elders. And he passed off the scene. And where we read in John 21, there was another apostle who was told by the Lord that there would come a time when he too would be taken from this scene.
And there was another one, John, If he tarried till I come, what is that to thee? And Peter's ministry to the dispersed Jews had its place. Paul. He built that structure of the house, as it were, a wise master builder. He laid the foundation, and his time came, and he has passed off this scene. And John was left to oversee.
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That which Paul had built.
And we come to Revelation where we've been reading and the readings, and we find him in the Isle of Patmos, a prisoner, and he's looking out off that aisle and he's looking off over that scene where Paul's ministry had been in those seven assemblies in Asia.
Compose laborers had been there and he had built that house. And one has said, I don't know who it was, but Paul, as it were built to, gives us the house, but John's ministry gives us the light and the love that fills that house.
Just in consideration of what we've had before us in the life of the apostle in Acts 20.
And what has been before us in the letter to Ephesus, and what, Lord willing, will be before us in the rest of the letters, in a day of breakdown of the public testimony and the breakdown of all that the apostle labored in, there is nothing so precious in the sight of God. Is that eternal life?
That John gives us in his ministry that was manifest in this world and now is manifested in the Saints of God down here below.
And so beautifully picture to us and the apostles ways it was the life of Christ. Why is he an example to us?
Because he followed him, and it was Christ's life that was manifested in the apostle and in this day of ruin and weakness, God looks down in this scene and the manifestation of eternal life in the.
Lives of his own as they go through this scene is precious. It will never lose its brilliance, its preciousness to him, until he comes posing prayer.
Our God and our Father, we thank Thee now for this little time to have Thy precious Word open. Help us to take these things in in a real way. They speak to our hearts. Thy precious Word would search us out. Oh, help us to have tender consciences.
That thy precious word might make us impress in our souls, and that the life of Christ might be manifest in each one of us here below. And no matter how dark the day, how great the ruin, our God, our Father, that's the very life of Christ.
Might shine out in our own lives here below. And so we do commit the rest of the day to the as Thy continued blessing. Now the precious name of the Lord Jesus our Savior, Amen.
Open Mtg. 6
Open—S. Stewart, D. Mearns
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We say #168.
168.
1.
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Nsnoise.
Our God and our Father, we do thank Thee that Thou hast given us an object for our renewed hearts, Thy beloved Son, who is at Thy right hand this very moment seated there.
Raid and glory and beauty, and by faith we look up and see Him there, and rejoice to know that our Savior has been raised by Thy power.
And now has it glorified and exalted, thy beloved Son, and we thank Thee for that promise that He will come quickly for us and our God and our Father. It's our desires we have sung together in this hymn, that we might be more conformed to the image of Thy beloved Son as we gaze upon Him in His glory at Thy right hand, and we might learn more of Him, and that the earnest desire of our hearts is that impressive Christ is.
Pressed upon them might be that to leave off everything that would be contrary that would not uh, uh, be in accordance with what we learn of him. And so we do look to thee. We thank thee that the scripture is profitable, uh, for needed, uh, reproof, doctrine, instruction and righteousness, edification, exhortation, comfort and not us know our needs. And so we look to thee. We would specially desire that the Spirit of God.
Might be free to take without us. Have for our hearts this afternoon.
Administer it to us. We thank Thee for that heavenly ministry of the Spirit of God, sent down from a man in the glory, to tell us of that One who sits in the glory from which he came.
To occupy us with him. And so we know that at times we need to, to be occupied with uh, things in our past and, and uh, correction is needed too. But All in all, we thank thee that thy purpose is the perfection of thy Saints. And now this desire worshippers and worship in spirit and truth. And so we pray that thy precious word might have its way in our hearts to make us.
Those worshippers that thou dost desire, and so we do ask thy blessing now as we uh look to thee and Lord Jesus, as we look to thee too as the head of the Church, which is thy body. Fullness resides in thee, Lord Jesus, and it is from Thee that all true ministry flows by those joints and bands and ministers, that which uh thou and thy grace best purpose for thy members here below.
And, uh, so we look for that grace.
Thy name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.
First Corinthians? Second Corinthians. Excuse me?
Like to.
Especially look at the third, maybe low at the 4th chapter and some here will pardon me.
They've heard me take this up before. Trust that the Lord's will to look at it again.
And, uh, first Corinthians, the apostle had to write to the Saints at Corinth and there are many things that had to be corrected. Very grievous things had come in and it, it was a tremendous, uh, burden to the apostle, but he had a responsibility and he had to write them and he had to bring before them plainly those things that need to be corrected. And after he had written that letter and he had sent it.
We find in Two Corinthians that it just grieved his heart. You know, he could say I sent it and then I was sorry that I sent it.
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It's hard to imagine that here divinely inspired epistle, the Spirit of God taking the pen and moving the apostle and all the words that were written there, and yet he says I'm sorry because he was anxious and concerned as to whether they would receive.
What had been sent in that first epistle?
And he was purposing to go to Corinth and, uh, he turned aside in his purpose and they, he had let them know that he was purposing to come. And yet when he found out about their state and about the sin that had taken place there, he could not go. And he had to turn aside in his purpose and write that first epistle.
And he had, uh, I suppose intended to perhaps, I don't know how he's going to journey there, go across the ocean from Ephesus to see there to go to Corinthian city turns and he goes northwards up towards Troy. And, uh, his, there was a great ineffectual door opened in the gospel to him there and many were being saved. And, uh, the apostles ministry, I think we just kind of touched on a little bit has two platforms there was that.
A gospel that he preached and the salvation of souls that was before him. But there was also that ministry, uh, to the Church of God. There was, uh, God our Savior who is willing that none should perish, and that one mediator between God and man. And there was the church, which is the pillar and ground of the truth. And those two ministries the apostle carried. Well, there he was laboring in that gospel ministry in Troas, but you know, he couldn't have rest in his heart because he didn't know.
How the brethren and Corinth had received that first epistle.
And so he sends Titus, Titus go and find out how the brethren and Corinth receive that. And Titus didn't return right away. And uh, he, he just is so burdened. He leaves that wonderful work in the gospel behind and he goes over to Macedonia because he, he, he wants to find, see if he can find Titus. Not the days of communications and cell phones and those kinds of things like we have today.
And he met Titus there, and Titus brought him good news. The Saints and Corinth had been humbled when they read that letter, and they had got before the Lord, and there was real sorrow and tears, and they had judged in a measure that which had taken place, and there was a work of restoration begun in their souls. And the first two chapters of First Corinthians takes up.
Uh, the apostles joys his sorrows, and then his joys at finding out.
Uh, that that work was taking place at Corinth and we get the very highs and the lows that a servant of God can go through in his care and his love for those that he seeks, uh, to minister to. And, uh, we also see a beautiful little picture of how here was the apostle, a member of the body of Christ and given a gift, uh, by the ascendant, given as a gift by the ascended Christ to the church.
And he seeks to minister to those members of the body of Christ at Corinth. And when they receive it, what does it do? It ministers to his soul. And so there's this mutual, uh, building up of one another and, uh, raising up for the apostle out of just great sorrow and discouragement and for the Corinthians out of a very bad state and a wonderful work of the Spirit of God. And the ministry of the apostle Paul wrought repentance.
With the Corinthians.
And he rejoices in that, uh, work of repentance. Now we come to the third chapter of, uh, Second Corinthians. And there was, there were other things that Corinth that needed to still be corrected. But now the apostle, he has confidence, the work of, of the Spirit of God has begun and, uh, that, that the Lord is going to complete it and carry it on until he writes.
In confidence this second epistle. And there were those that accused him and said, oh, look, he's wishy washy. You know, he purposed to come and now he isn't coming. And uh, no, he wasn't wishy washy. He wasn't uh, uh, waffling in his purpose. There was a reason for it and he couldn't come right at that time. He didn't want to come in a corrective way. He wanted the work to be in their soul by the spirit of God and a real restoration there. He wanted to come.
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In a way that he could come in blessing. There were other things still that needed to be corrected. And, uh, much of it had to do with, uh, their attitude towards the apostle. And, uh, there were those that, uh, accused him of all kinds of things, of wanting their money and of not really being an apostle and, uh, on and on. And so he starts out this third chapter.
We'll just read a little here in verse, starting with verse one.
Do we begin again to commend ourselves, or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our Epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.
Not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables.
Of the heart and such trust have we through Christ to God word not that we are sufficient of ourselves.
To think anything of ourselves, that our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament or New Covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. And so he starts this chapter and he says, you know, do we really need to come with letters of commendation to you? Aren't we really known of you Corinthians?
Not only that.
We don't need a letter of accommodation, he says. You're our letter of commendation. You're the very proof of my service and ministry. You know, when brethren go out in the Lord's work often, I suppose perhaps most Times Now, their brethren at home might give them a letter of commendation saying, we commend this our dear brother, and I want to extend the right hand of fellowship to him and his desire to.
To serve and and write a letter commending him to the Lord's work in that way, Apostle says, you're my letter. You're my letter. The fact that there's an assembly here at Corinth is the proof of the service and ministry that I have. You're my letter of commendation. Not only that, he says.
It's a letter, an epistle in our hearts, known and right of all men. Oh, you know he had them on his heart. It was an epistle, letter of commendation that was just engraved in his heart.
So bound up in his service and his love for those Corinthian Saints known and read of all men. If somebody said, what are you doing here, Paul?
You'd say, look over here at this little assembly in Corinth, That's what I'm doing here. There's the proof of my ministry. Here's the proof that I ought to be here and why I'm here. But he goes on and he says more than that. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, and so the Corinthian Saints themselves, and really this is collectively.
Or the Epistle of Christ. They were a letter of commendation of Christ in this world, A letter of commendation not written with ink. Where was it written? Not written with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart. You know they were an epistle of Christ.
Whether they were going on well.
Or whether they were going on poorly. They were an epistle of Christ, and the world was reading that epistle.
And the apostle was burdened because what was the world reading in that epistle of Christ in Corinth?
Wasn't reading very good things about Christ.
And that first letter had been used by the Spirit of God to correct the Corinthian assembly. And all the apostle could say, oh, now you're the kind of epistle to Christ that I want you to be. You're a commendation of Christ. And you know, the world isn't going to pick up this book and read it and find out about Christ, but they're going to read the believer. They're going to read you and I. And they're in is the epistle of Christ in this world? They're in this world reads.
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A commendation of Christ, good or bad, and the believers here it is collectively. We can apply it individually, but there is a collective aspect to this which the apostles taking up each local assembly in that sense is responsible the Church of God itself.
Is the epistle of Christ in this world? What does the world read in that epistle? Oh, you know.
We can't.
Can't lift our heads high.
As we think of the testimony worldwide to the name of to Christ Jesus our Lord in this world.
But the apostle, his ministry by the Spirit of God was sought to correct that. And so it was ministered by us. But it was written with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone. And so the apostle is going to come in and open up a subject that's been on his heart, not in tables of stone, not like the law was written, though it was by the finger of God and tables of stone.
Tables of stone and flexible.
Unyielding.
But can be broken.
You know that law could be broken, but it was inflexible, it was unyielding, it was installed. But this epistle of Christ was an epistle written in the fleshy tables of the hearts of the Saints of God.
And so he says in verse four, And such trust have we through Christ to God word not that we are sufficient.
Of ourselves to think anything of ourselves. And so he says it's this work of the Spirit of God and in your hearts to make you an epistle of Christ as you ought to be in this world. He says it's not our work. We're not sufficient for this. We're not able. This isn't because some personal ability or some very capable speaking qualities or some attractive personality.
That the apostle, or those that labored with him, had no such trust have we through Christ to God. Lord, it was God's work, It was the Spirit of God's ministry in their hearts, who hath also made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter.
But of the Spirit, for the letter killeth of the Spirit giveth life.
You know, in the Old Testament that Old Covenant was the covenant of the letter. It was written in tables of stone and it was just given. And they Israelite didn't need to be intelligent, he just had to obey. We read in Romans that our services and intelligence service, a service of servants that are within the circle of their master's confidence and understand and know his purposes and his ways.
That old.
Covenant was written in engraving in stones, but the new covenant and the fleshy tables of the heart were not under the new covenant. But God is going to put it in the fleshy tables of the heart in Israel in a coming day. But all the blessings of that new covenant are ours because we belong to the one who has shed His blood, the blood of that new covenant. So the Lord took that cup. He said this is the new covenant in my blood. It was the foundation for that new covenant that will yet be made with the House of Israel in the House of Judah.
But all the blessings are ours because we belong to the One.
We belong to the one who made that covenant good through his work on Calvers Cross, or I should say, laid the foundation for it.
Now we come to part of the chapter. Really, it's a parenthesis from verse seven. It's a little digression, so to speak. And uh, comes down through verse 16. For if the administrate, for if the administration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather?
Glorious.
How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?
That law that came down from Mount Sinai, written in those tables of stone, Moses brought it down to the camp, and we know what happened. Sin had taken place in that camp, Grievaston, you know, like sin had taken place in Corinth. And Moses brought those tables down. And as I say, they were inflexible, and so he broke them.
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Beneath that mountain he could not bring those tables of law into that camp. But nonetheless, what happened in the judgment government of God upon that people who had broken that inflexible law 3009 that day, that of the inauguration of that ministry of the old covenant, It was a glorious ministry, Stephen says. It was given by the disposition of angels.
That mountain all on fire and smoking and the voice of a trumpet and the people said, oh, we can't hear it anymore. There was a a glory that attended that ministry.
Of the Old Covenant.
But it was a ministry of death nonetheless.
But what happened when our Lord Jesus Christ was caught up to glory? You know, we've touched on some of these things through the meetings and their remembrance of the Lord this morning. What happened when the Lord Jesus Christ was caught up to glory? He was given the Spirit of God by God the Father, and then he gave the Spirit of God shed forth this, as Peter says, which he now see and hear in the Spirit of God, came down personally to this earth just as personally as the Lord Jesus was here.
And united those believers into one body. But his purpose in coming here was to tell of the one who was ascended to God's right hand in glory.
He came down and he told of a man in the glory, and how much more glorious was that?
How shall not the ministration of the Spirit capital S be rather glorious? He came down to tell of a man, and the glory of a finished work accomplished at Calvary, whereby you and I have been brought in the greatest blessing before God our Father. And what happened on that day? Three thousand were saved.
3000 were saved. Isn't that rather glorious?
For its administration of condemnation be glory.
Or attended with glory, much more doth the administration of righteousness exceed in glory.
All we find in Hebrews what is our privilege as believers. We exercised it this morning. We have a priesthood. We have liberty to enter into the holiest of holies, into the very presence of God as worshippers in spirit and in truth before God our Father. All that ministration of death, though, was attended with glory.
Forbade the entry into the presence of God, but you and I it's a a administration of righteousness and it exceeds in glory. How is it that we can go into his presence and be accepted. They're all then made the righteousness of God through that work of Calvary, we've been constituted righteous before God.
Then made the righteousness of God, clothed with the righteousness that we never had before, and in that blessing and in that position we can enter in to God's holy presence. All that law could never make a man righteous. It could never take an unrighteous man and make him righteous. It could only condemn him. It was a ministry of condemnation. But the ministry of the Spirit of God is one of righteousness and privilege and blessing.
How much more glorious it takes exceeds in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. Oh, the old glory of of Moses coming down from the mountain, those tables of stone given by the disposition of angels, has been eclipsed now by the glory.
Of that ministry of the Spirit of God, sent down from an ascended Christ to occupy us.
With a man at God's right hand.
So the apostle goes on, for that which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious. That which was done away, that first covenant has been done away. It's seen its end. It was involved in the test of the first man, and his test ended at Calvary's cross. And in the words of God, just before the flood, the.
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And of all flesh has come before me, and we see it judged in the person of the Lord Jesus in Calvary's cross. He was made sin on that cross.
It came to an end.
But what about the ministry of the Spirit of God?
Come down from an ascended Christ indwelling your heart and mind. Will it end? It has no end. You know the Lord Jesus. It says in in Acts chapter one when he was raised from the dead and he spoke to the disciples, he said he spake to them by the Spirit. That man was indwelled by the Spirit of God at the river of Jordan.
The only clean vessel that the Spirit of God could ever take up his abode in.
And when he was raised from the dead, after passing through death and resurrection, he was still and dwelt by the Spirit of God. He spake by the Spirit. And you and I have been brought in in righteousness now through that work, and sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, should we die, Or when we're caught up to be with the Lord, should he come.
We are when we're raised or caught up are still going to be in dwelt by the Spirit of God just as he is. It's not going to and that ministry of the Spirit of God to your soul and mine is going to go on for all eternity for all eternity. All that old covenant was glorious.
But it's eclipsed by what we have now from an ascended Christ, seeing them that we have such.
Hope we use great plainness of speech. Oh, they said we don't want to hear anymore at the giving of the law of the apostle says we use great plainness of speech openly declaring.
By the power of the Spirit of God that there's a man at God's right hand and all the blessing that is flowing out.
From their death, resurrection and glorification of the Lord Jesus, and not as Moses, which put a veil over his face that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.
But their minds were blinded. For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old covenant, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses has read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.
And so Moses came down from that mountain, and it says here in verse 13 he put a veil over his face.
You know, it says he wished not that his face shone. The skin of his face shone. And the children of Israel saw a reflection of the glory of that first covenant. Moses had been on the mount with God and received that first covenant. He'd been in the presence of a holy God. And they saw the reflection of the glory of that first covenant, and they couldn't bear it. And they said, cover your face. And he covered his face with a veil. And it says that they should not steadfastly look to the end.
Of that which was abolished, what was abolished? We just read it. The law of the first covenant was abolished. They couldn't look to the end of it. Its abolishment, no, it's object.
We use that term and the end justifies the means. The object justifies the means. We use that term word end in that way sometimes as object, and that's the way it's used here. They could not steadfastly look to the object that the law had before it.
They couldn't see it. They told Moses to cover his face. They couldn't see that all that was given in that old covenant looked on to Christ. They couldn't see it. It was covered to them.
They couldn't steadfastly look to the end the object of that which was abolished. Their minds were blinded. And so when they read the Old Testament, that veil is still there and it's a closed book, you know. Is it your brother that was with us and with the Lord now and spent many years as a believer and going from church to church, if I can.
00:35:10
Say it that way.
Searching for the truth. And you know, he made this comment for me. The Old Testament was a close book, said it was a closed book until he came among those gathered to the Lord's name, and he heard those types and figures and shadows taken up in Christ presented over and over again. He said it was a closed book to me.
And so that book is closed to Israel and will be until the time that that veil is taken away. It says in verse 16, there's a time when Israel will be restored nationally. And that veil that is blinding them from seeing the true object of the law, which is Christ. Well, what are those sacrifices speak of Christ? What does the ark speak of? And all its and all its construction and every detail speaks of Christ.
And the Tabernacle speaks of Christ. Everything that Moses was given on that mountain speaks of Christ. They couldn't see it. But for you and I, this is an open book. It's an open book. And so there's a day when it will be for them as well. Now that comes to the end of the parenthesis in this chapter. So let's go back and take up from the beginning and just read verse 6 and then go right on and read verse 17 because you know, you can read.
A sentence and take out a parenthesis and it still makes sense.
Who also have made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Now the Lord is that Spirit, the Lord is that Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, there is liberty, but we all with open face beholding, just leave out, as in a glass beholding, the glory of the Lord are changed.
Into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Lord is that Spirit. The Lord Jesus is the Spirit of that old covenant. He's the true object of all the Old Testament scriptures. He's the Spirit.
He is the center of all God's purposes and counsels. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where the Spirit of God is free to occupy my soul, and your soul with a man ascended at God's right hand, therein is true Christian liberty.
And there is the deep and true motivation for taking up and walking in and obeying every precious word of God. Otherwise, to you, this book is nothing but a letter that kills.
But if it's taken up with Christ as the object, there's liberty to walk in every word of it.
Every word of it.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. That's not Speaking of the liberty of the Spirit of God.
In the assembly meetings.
It's true. We look for that and we ask the Lord for it. That's not what this means.
It's taking up the liberty that the believer enters into when he has she has the true object of their hearts before them, Christ, He who was the Spirit of everything in that old covenant.
As well as the new, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. We all with open face, beholding the glory of the Lord, there is our true occupation, a man at God's right hand. And that's the wonderful ministry of the Spirit of God sent down from that man to occupy your heart and mind with him in glory. And what happens or changed or changed will never be changed if we take this up as a letter.
Of the law, but will be changed when we take it up in occupation with Christ.
An occupational Christ, it will change us from glory to glory, even as by the Lord. The Spirit is how it should read.
00:40:06
There are two men.
Like to look at perhaps one I'm only going to refer to because of our time.
Elijah and Elijah, the time when Elijah was going to be taken up and uh, the Lord was going to take Elijah and Elijah knew it and they were walking together. You can read it in Second Kings. And they went on together cross that river Jordan. And uh, Elisha said, uh, I pray thee, you know, give me a double portion of my spirit. Elijah asked him what he wanted and he said, if I'm going to go on here.
In that ministry that you have, I'm gonna need twice as much of the Spirit of God as all the rest of the sons of the prophets. And he said, you've asked a hard thing, but if you see me when I go up, it shall be so. And if you don't see me, it won't be so.
And you know, he saw him caught up, and he saw him caught up. And he said, my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, the horsemen thereof. And then it says, and he saw him no more, but he saw a man ascend into the glory. Beautiful picture of what we have here. And now he goes on in ministry. It's a ministry of grace and his pathway that's characterized by being occupied with a man in the glory.
And he takes up the mantle of Elijah.
And he comes and he smites that river and it parts. Says, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? He takes his own garments and he parts them, and he leaves them there. And he takes that mantle up, and he goes across. He smites that river and it parts, and he goes across.
You know, the Apollo, I'm just gonna turn over three together Philippians and uh, third chapter 2 verses there.
The apostle there can only speak for himself, he cannot speak for another. But nonetheless, this can be the portion of your soul and mine.
And it's like when Elisha, Elijah, Elisha Cross took that Wren, his garments took that mantle and crossed that river. Verse eight. Yeah, doubtless. And I count all things but lost for the Excellency.
Of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things.
And do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness. Oh, he rent those garments.
And there they were left.
Not having my own righteousness.
Which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, Which is of God by faith, all the glory.
Excelleth exceedeth in righteousness.
That I may know him and he took that mantle. Where is the Lord God of Elijah, that I may know him?
And the power of his resurrection. And he went down through that river of death, and the fellowship of his sufferings.
Even if it means suffering to know him, I want to know Him being made conformable to his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, even if it means a martyr's death.
I want to know him.
His occupation was with a man at God's right hand in glory. And he said, now I want to know the pathway that took him there. And Elijah was caught up to glory in Elijah. Elijah was caught up to glory and Elijah says, and he traces the same path back. He says, now I want to know the path that took him there.
Turn over to X.
7th chapter.
We'll we'll read a verse to in chapter 6.
Verse 15.
And all that said in the council looking steadfastly on him.
Saw his face as it had been the face of an Angel. Stephen.
He was occupied with a man in glory.
Turn to the end of the chapter.
You know what? Can you hold your finger there? I just want to read a couple more verses from chapter 4 so that the connection comes across. I'd like to make chapter four of Second Corinthians.
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Verse six. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed. And so that heavenly ministry of the Spirit of God, like God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness in Genesis, is shown in our hearts. For the shining forth is really the effect He shot it in, that it might shine out, but it's contained in earthen vessels.
And the apostle had been through much in the afflictions of his soul. We read that in the first two chapters, and you can turn to the end of this book and read more.
And the light shone out. We have this in earthen vessels, persecuted, you know, but.
Not distressed, and so on the vessel as it were. Broken down, but sustained. Broken down, but sustained by God. Broken down again, but sustained by God.
Gideon, his men, they had those vessels. They put a light in them, and at the word of Gideon, they smash those vessels, and the shards fell to the ground, never to be recovered. But not here. The vessel's broken, but it's sustained by God. Vessels broken, sustained by God.
Until we get to chapter 5, we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building.
Back to Act 7.
Verse 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?
And they have slain them, which showed before of the coming of the just one of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart. They gnashed on him with their teeth, but he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven.
And saw the glory of God in Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. And they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet. His name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice.
Lord lay not this sin to their charge, and when he had said this, he fell asleep, and he has the building of God in heaven he's yet to wear.
And so that earthen vessel, the light just shone out, and they saw his face as it had been, the face of an Angel, reflecting the glory of the man who he was occupied with.
And they couldn't bear those words any more than they could bear the words of Sinai.
And they gnashed on him with their teeth, all with a different reaction to grace, and they cast him out in that earthen vessel.
Was.
Broken down a very real way.
As those stones flew.
And that vessel was broken down. The light just showed up more.
Because he was occupied with Christ in glory, looking up into those heavens, he became like his Master.
Any other similar words?
Lord Jesus received my spirit, and those stones flew, and that vessel broke down more, and the light just shone out more and again. He becomes more like the man that He's occupied with. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
This is our true liberty.
Occupation with a man in glory. It's the only thing that will change us.
00:50:01
To be like him.
And that's the only way we can take up this book and walk in obedience to its every word.
Lest it become a letter of a law.
No, it's not that to us. We have a ministry that exceeds in glory. It excels. It's eclipsed all that came before, the heavenly ministry of the Spirit of God sent down from a man of God's right hand to occupy and fill our souls. And it's never going to end in eternity. We're going to go from glory to glory. It's never going to end His occupation of our hearts with Christ.
Just a few minutes left. I'd like to make a few brief remarks to those here that are young mothers.
Sometimes hard to sit through a conference a couple days with the young children.
What happened in my heart is specifically for you. There are those here, umm, I'm sure we can all benefit from what the Lord has for us. There are those here. Uh, it's been my, uh, my privilege to observe as we walk through the grounds that there are those here who are not young mothers yet. But it looks like if the Lord leaves us here, they are to be.
Just a word to you.
Revelation chapter 12.
Take this portion out of context.
Revelation chapter 12, verse one. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head was a crown of 12 stars. And she being with child, cried, travelling in birth and pain to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and 10 horns, and seven crowns upon his head, and his tail, drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered for to devour her child as soon as it was born. This is what takes place every time a child is born in this world. Every time a child is born, whether it's at home with a midwife, whether it's in the.
In the hospital with a doctor.
That's going to deliver the child. The enemy of our souls wants that child.
Every time a child is born, let's turn over to Hebrews Chapter 11.
Hebrews, Chapter 11.
I'm gonna read 3 portions.
In Hebrews Chapter 11.
And verse 23.
By faith, Moses.
When he was born was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the King's commandment. Now back to Acts Chapter 7 where our brother Umm read from.
Acts Chapter 7.
In verse 15 Jacob went down to Egypt and died he and our fathers and were carried over the into psychomed laid in a sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emor the father of Psychom. And when the time of the promised Jew and I which got his horn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till another king arose which knew not Joseph, the same dealt subtly.
With our kindred and evil, and treated our fathers so that they cast out their young children to the end they might not live. That's what the enemy of our souls desires. In which time Moses was born and was exceeding fair or fair to God, and nourished up in his father's house three months when he was cast out for his daughter, took him up and nourished him for her own son. Now in Exodus chapter 2.
Exodus Chapter 2.
And there went a man of.
The House of Levi, and took a wife to wife, a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bear a son. And when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an arch of bulrushes, and dogged it with slime and with pitch, and put the child there in. And she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit, what would be done to him.
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The daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself of the river, and her maidens walked along by the Riverside. And when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child and be held. The baby wept, and she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews children. Then set his sister to Pharaoh's daughter. Shall I go and call to the nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for me? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her goal. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away.
And nurse it for me, and I'll give you thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him into Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses. And she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
And so there are those here who are young mothers. I'm not one of those.
And it would be perhaps more appropriate for someone who was an older mother to be making these remarks. But it's not going to happen in a setting like this. And so I humbly submit these things.
We looked at Revelation as to what takes place every time a child is born.
Then we turn to the book of Hebrews.
And we see there that.
Moses was nourished.
In his parents home.
In Acts.
We saw that he was nourished in his father's home.
And here in Exodus.
We see the responsibility is with the mother.
I just submit this when our first was.
Our first born was not yet born.
I was bemoaning the fact that.
It was a solemn thing to bring a child into this world.
In the era that I lived in, what a solemn thing it was. And I was sharing this with a brother, an older brother. And he said to me, you know, Dave, it's a wonderful time to bring a child into this world. Just think, if you're Amram and Jock a bit and you had a young son that was born and you had to throw him in the river.
It helped me put things in perspective. But here we find the responsibility in Hebrews lay with the father and the mother as to the raising of Moses.
But then we find an acts you know our brothers be brought before us.
That which Stephen saw as those stones were flying and all. If we had a vision of that which he saw in our gaze, how it would be a preservation to those young lives that are sitting by our side at the present time.
And so in the book of the Acts, there was a responsibility for the father, but then here in Exodus, we find it's the mother. And So what do we read here?
When she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of Borussia's. Did she make an ark? No, she did not. She simply availed herself of the provision that God had made for her child. God had made a provision for her child, and she availed herself of that provision. In soul. God has made a provision for your little ones. You don't have to make that provision. You simply have to avail yourself of.
That provision.
Our time is gone.
Verse 9 Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away. Part of the nourishment for you who are young mothers, as you nourish those little ones, is to take the child away from the world that presses in on them. Here they were in Egypt, and what was the word here for this young mother? She was to take the child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thy wages and the woman.
Took the child.
And nurses.
01:00:06
Shall we sing #18 in the appendix?
#18 in the appendix.
Oh my goodness.
I believe in the love of your life and.
Do you recommend ourselves?
Our loving God and our Father, we thank the.
For our Savior, the Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for that object that thou has set before our souls, even in this scene.
One seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, in all of his glory.
And how those permitted us to.
See by faith.
By thy word.
Through the instruction of it.
See into the heavens something of Thy glory, blessed Savior.
And to think that we're going to be changed from glory unto glory.
Very shortly to see thee in all thy beauty. Blessed Saviour, we thank thee that this is the prospect that lies before us, bright and fair.
01:05:00
We think, too, our God and our Father, of our little ones and of those that have the particular responsibility of raising them. In the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, the fathers and the young mothers, our loving God and our Father, we pray for special grace for them.
That they might indeed hide them from Feral, and that thou art give them faith in this day of ruin, this day of weakness.
And as we see the energy of the enemy seeking to devour our little ones, we pray that thou sin thy mercy and kindness. Preserve them. We thank Thee for the sound of little ones in the assembly. We pray for each one here this afternoon. Preserve them, our God. Save their precious souls. Give them to have a desire after they're saved, a desire and a thirst for the things of God.
And I play too might see something of the glory of Christ even in their youth, a glimpse of that blessed man and the glory. And so we just commend ourselves to the this afternoon. We pray for our beloved brethren that uh, may be traveling after this meeting. We pray our God for safety and that, uh, our loved ones might arrive safely home again.
Without incident, if it be thy will, we cry to Thee for thy blessing the remainder of the day too, as we have thy word before us. And so we thank thee for thy goodness to us, and pray that there might be a chewing of the cud.
That there might be.
Further nourishment and that thy spirit might have free course and be glorified as a result of our time together here. We ask it, and we commend ourselves to thee now and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Gospel 8