Vestal Conference: 2011
Table of Contents
Exodus 21:1-6
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Everything number 117.
117.
32333.
I don't know if you're gonna be.
I'm going to.
Send.
I was wondering.
If we might take up the subject of the Hebrew servant in Exodus 21, perhaps just for this meeting. I know it's an unusual subject for a conference, but you know, the affections of our hearts often are not at the level that they should be.
And that is so vitally important for happiness in our lives and for living a life to please the Lord.
So if it's the mind of the brethren, friends, we could do that. Umm.
Anyone else has this stuff?
I'm just thinking of the 1St 6 verses of the chapter, brother. Yeah, pretty much I think, yes.
00:05:06
That'd be nice.
Exodus chapter 21.
Starting with verse one.
Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them, if thou by an Hebrew servant. Six years he shall serve, and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself.
If he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself.
And if the master shall plainly say, I love my master, excuse me, if the servant shall plainly say, If I I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out free, then his master shall bring him unto the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awe, and he shall serve him forever.
The.
Such a beautiful picture of our Lord, isn't it?
How he serves the soul for us 1St to buy us, serving us each day, and it brings out the bride and the children and.
How everyone is blessed.
I rather enjoy the setting in which we find that the 21St chapter.
The verses that we just had read to us, if we go back just a couple of verses in the previous chapter, we know in the previous chapter we have those commandments.
That were written on those tables of stone. But then right at the end of it we have the 25th and the 26th verse where we read. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build an immune stone.
With thou lift up thy true upon thou hast polluted it. So there was an altar to be built, and there was to be nothing there of beauty that was made in connection with that altar. And then in the 26th verse we read, Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar. And so there was to be no convenience, nothing of beauty or anything of convenience in in connection with worship. The only thing that was of value to God was Christ himself. And so that that's the setting into which we find this Hebrew servant.
A picture to us of that one who was the perfect servant.
Israel was called as as uh, Jehovah's servant in the Old Testament. I think of, uh, some verses in Isaiah 41.
And verse 8.
But thou, Israel, art my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend, thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
But Israel failed in that place of the Servant. Those very commandments that they were given as the servant of Jehovah, they broke.
And uh, down the end of Isaiah 41, verse 28. For I beheld, and there was no man even among them, there was no counselor. And when I asked of them could answer a word, behold, they're all vanity. Their works are nothing. They're molten images are wind and confusion.
And then in chapter 42, he introduces that servant that is going to step in where Israel had failed. Behold my servant, whom I whom I uphold, my elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised Reed. Shall he not break in the smoking flag? Shall he not quench? He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail. And uh, so Israel as Jehovah's servant really is a picture of what we are in the flesh and, and, uh, there's failure in that, but he introduces 1.
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And certainly it was in the mind of the Spirit of God when Moses penned the verses in this 21St chapter of that perfect Servant that would come in and glorify Jehovah where that first servant representing the 1St man failed.
You know that line of things continued on in the 49th chapter, don't we, with respect to the Lord Jesus address read from verse three, Isaiah 49. Three.
Said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naughty and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. And now saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be a servant, to bring Jacob again to him, though Israel be not gathered. Ye shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the preserved of Israel.
I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
The, uh, 42nd, uh, chapter you, you read it continues on to that, uh, the, uh, the fourth verse, the aisles shall wait for his law. There is a day coming. We know that the Gentiles will be blessed.
In the connection with Israel, but even at this present time, we think of the pathway of the Lord Jesus here says in the 43rd chapter, he said that he was made to toil because of their sins and the end of his pathway of laboring for Israel. He says, uh, I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for not prophetically it says in Daniel that he'll be cut off and have nothing. And we think of the blessed Lord there. It is grave. Who is there at his grave site? One woman.
Mary Magdalene stood aside weeping at the loss of her Messiah. And so we see the, the, uh, the feeling and the personal sorrow of the heart of the Lord Jesus laboring for Israel. Yet they were not gathered, they were not restored, and they are not yet to this day. And he says, I've labored in vain. We know now in this present day of grace, the blessing has come out to us Gentiles, not as of the nations as they will in a coming day, but his blessing and grace has brought us in.
Right when it seemed, when everything was lost, I think of the case of the call of the bride there in Genesis 24, where Abraham sent the servant to bring a bride to Isaac. And immediately following the, uh, the death of Sarah, it says Isaac brought Rebecca into his mother's tent and he loved her, right? You might say Sarah is a type of Israel. Right at that loss, then Rebecca comes in to the affections of Christ, Isaac, a type of Christ. And so why?
This present day, the Lord Jesus, his laborers for Israel, have not yet been brought them into blessing.
The Church has been brought in and his purpose.
This is for Israel yet be realized, but then just this final thought that with respect to the Lord and his feelings and so Israel wasn't gathered. He says I have labored in vain. The word to us is at the end of first Corinthians 15, that chapter of resurrection. He says, therefore, my beloved brother, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Russian and uh, Isaiah 42 Behold my servant could be an introduction to the gospel of Mark with the Lord Jesus is presented as a perfect burden.
The gospel, there is no gene allergies and it's beautiful to see that the Lord is there at that perfect service. Not long discourses, but there's a little word that, uh, comes off and it's a straight away space full service. And the central verse that, uh, book we can say would be in March 1045.
October March 1045 where it would be.
For reason instead of man came not to be administered to.
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Continuing on a little in Isaiah to the 50th chapter.
That the subject of of the Lord is Jehovah's Servant.
Verse four of Isaiah 50. The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned.
Or or of of the instructed or the learner.
That I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Think of the Lord here as a as a servant, and such a character that that he could take the place as one instructed by God-given his instructions as a servant would be given instructions by his master in order that he might turn around and be a blessing and help to him that is weary. A word in season to him that is weary, he wakeneth.
Morning by morning he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learner, and in the 127th Psalm it says he giveth his beloved sleep. Whether it was to sleep or whether it was to wake, all was at the command of his gone. Every word that he spoke was at the command of his God. He had an ear prepared to hear, and perfection all the instruction that God.
Had given him and what was that instruction? Well, it took him onto the cross. Obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The Lord God hath opened mine here. I was not rebellious neither turned away back all the way to the cross. And that obedience and.
You know, I just.
Have enjoyed a few.
Scriptures in connection with that, uh, one in the Psalms.
I think it's right at the end.
Psalm 142.
And this is the Lord.
Certainly, primarily verse four, I looked on my right hand and beheld that there was no man that would know me. Refuge failed me. No man cared for my soul. And so here in his sufferings, as he went on to that cross in perfect obedience, all forsook him and fled. He could look on his right hand, on his left. There were none that could enter into and understand what was before His holy soul at that cross.
And so he could say, refuge failed me, but he could look up independence. I cried unto thee, O Lord.
I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. And so he could look up and find, though he had no refuge here, as a perfect dependent man, as Jehovah's servant, he found his refuge from above and looking at the end of Deuteronomy.
Chapter 33.
Verse 27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. That was said to Israel, but who knew that Scripture like the Lord knew it? As a dependent man, he could walk through this world, and he knew perfectly that underneath him were the everlasting arms. The eternal God was his refuge, though all around him would forsake him and flee away in the hour of his greatest need.
And I connected that with another verse in Daniel.
That, uh.
Just kind of touched my heart.
Daniel and uh, the account of his being thrown into the den of lions.
Chapter 6.
And verse 20.
This is coming to the den.
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel. And the king spake, and said to Daniel, Oh, Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou service continually able to deliver thee from the lions. So he was.
Speaking to Daniel, but I'd just like to apply it to the Lord. Who could it be? More fully said, the servant of the living God who served continually, continually, and his whole pathway through and on the cross, we read.
And the 22nd Psalm save me from the lion's mouth. And so they're God's perfect servant, that one who knew those everlasting arms under him, that one who found the eternal God is refuge, was forsaken on that cross.
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And he cried out, and he was not answered on that cross.
And I just think of this little thing is that God whom thou service continually able to deliver thee from the lions. And then the next word he says in the Psalm that was heard me from the horns of the unicorns. Think of what that perfect servant went through, and his obedience, that path that went down, down, down, all the way to the dust of death, and there forsaken of God, whom He had known perfectly independence.
Undertaking form in every step of the path, giving him the tongue of the learner that he might instruct, and sealing those instructions in his ear day by day, that took him on to Calvary's cross.
The Lord and His love has the service.
That he renders to us, we, I just think, I'm sure there's other characters, but just thinking of, of, uh, the Gospel of John, chapter 13 where he gird himself with a towel as a, as a servant and, uh, wash the disciples feet. And so even now he's our example in that for one another. But even now I believe he, uh, he would, uh, take our, our, uh, our feet, as it were, our spiritual feet in his hands.
And he is our exalted head in heaven through those, uh, members of his body. And a service of love to us seeks to meet our needs. And there's a service that he's going to render in a coming day. We read of in Luke chapter 12, when he'll come forth and gird himself and serve those that are watching and waiting to receive him when he comes. And the Lord has a wonderful.
Service for all eternity as He ministers the love and grace of God to us and uh as it were, attends to our blessing and happiness.
But even though he serves us.
He's never spoken of. I don't believe in Scripture, that he's our servant.
He's always the servant of God. He's always the Lord's servant.
Jehovah's servant. He's never our servant otherwise, and and far be the thought he'd be subject to our commands. But he's not. He's not our servant, though he serves us. He's the Servant of God.
The 15th chapter of Deuteronomy and you read a little bit more about the Hebrew servant and, uh, I think it would be nice to look at those verses starting as the 12Th verse, Deuteronomy 15.
As if thy brother and Hebrew man, or in Hebrew woman be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years, then in the seventh year shalt thou let him go free from these things. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty.
Now they'll furnish him liberally out of by block, and out of by floor and out of by winepress. And that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast the bond man in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee, and therefore I command thee this day. Command thee this thing today. And then there's uh, similar verses to the uh.
Versus we have in Exodus chapter 21 here about the, uh, servant that wanted to continue to be a servant. I was thinking of the, the choice that the servant had to make. Was he going to stay with his master and his wife and his children? Or was he going to be furnished liberally out of the flock and out of the floor and out of the winepress? And so the servant had to make a decision.
He had to decide what was more important to him.
And he had to decide whether he wanted his master and his wife and his children more than starting out on his own and having, uh, perhaps we could say some a farm for his own and starting out himself with, uh, a portion that his master was bound to get him. And so it makes us really appreciate the Lord Jesus more, doesn't it, when we think of how he was willing when he had everything to have us.
00:25:19
To serve.
In the way that we've talked about his father. And so I was thinking as well as this 15th chapter sort of, uh, gives us the, uh, the idea that, uh, God really didn't want his people to be slaves. And so he made provision for them to be able to be given something so that they, if they came upon poverty somehow they would have to be a servant temporarily, but then they could go out free and they could have their own again.
And maybe someone could comment on that?
Proverbs say it says that he that laboreth laboreth for himself.
The Lord never labored for himself. He labored for his God and imperfection He did. But we find a very solemn point here, don't we, that if he came in by himself, he'd go out by himself. If he had taken a wife and born, she had born in children during the time of his his servitude. If he left, he'd have to leave them behind. And we see the power of love that says I won't go out by myself. And so we have here, don't we? A.
Well, here does the awful suffering that the Lord Jesus went through, that in order that the Lord Jesus might have a life, the church with him or his children, the Jewish brethren with him, he had to go into death. My brother quoted that verse earlier in John 12, except where it says Sirs, the Greeks came and said, Sirs, we would see Jesus, and how does the Lord respond? Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die. It abideth alone, but if it die and bring us forth much fruit.
So the Lord Jesus had to go into death in order that there might be much fruit for him.
And heavenly and unearthly people. So we have in this, this picture of this ear being borne through it, and all that servant forever. He has served here in perfection to the will of God. Israel had not been brought into blessing.
But he must go unto death, and now in resurrection He serves us in that wonderful work of our High Priest and Advocate, and then, as our brother mentioned, to his eternal delight and joy and pleasure will be to serve His people, but apart from His death.
You'll be alone.
I was thinking, Paul, when you, uh, were saying that, uh, this servant had to make a choice.
Between, uh, staying with his master and his wife and his children and going out freeing and getting those things from his master he was entitled to.
That would be a. That would be a picture of us wouldn't wanting to.
Please the Lord Jesus, rather than going out and just pleasing ourselves, wouldn't it?
Thank you, brother Paul, in connection with your question as to the, that practical side of things for Hebrew and being in such circumstances where he had to sell himself into slavery to pay a debt in the uh, in, in Leviticus where he get the, uh, instructions for Israel as to the uh.
The Jubilee and that day when everything would return to its rightful owner. Uh, the slave also returned to his rightful owner.
Couple of verses, Leviticus 25 and uh, I just read verse 23 first.
The land shall not be sold forever, for the land is mine.
It's sold right now and it's in ******* to the Gentiles, and Jerusalem will be trodden under the Gentiles till the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And then the end of chapter 25, verse 55. For unto me, the children of Israel are servants. They are my servants.
Whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. And so just jumping back one verse to fif 54. If he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he and his children with him. Why? Because really in the end they were his.
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Though a man might sell himself to his brother to pay a debt, in the end they all belong to the Lord and he will not have.
His land or his people sold forever.
Oh, it's ringing two and verse four that anything the Lord has given us is his as he's already mentioned, Steve disturbs of what we've given. He's been pleased to give us a a wife who can please give us children. Please give us, uh, a place to live and suitable occupation. All those things. Those are things that the.
The Lord is provided for us and and they're all and we are all. We are all His.
Hey, well brother Bill mentioned about the Lord being alone. Had it not been for the cross? Think of what it was for the eternal Son of God to take manhood into union with Himself, to become a man. Angels appeared in the form of men, or even a flame of fire. He maketh his ministers a flame of fire. But when the eternal Son of God became a man, when he.
Became that God, man. It was never to lay that down again.
He did not take that up to rescind it. It was not a temporary condition or anything like that. No, He was God and man and one person for eternity. Once he, uh, vain to take that step, it was never to go back. Never. What was it for the eternal Son of God who always was?
To take a step like that.
To become men, knowing it was for all eternity, never to be rescinded. He always was. It's beyond our thought. And why that he might have a companion.
A bride for himself, for all eternity. The thought of going back without her.
Was not. It just was not in his thought.
Could not be to be a man forever. It's not good for the man to dwell alone. Think of what it would have been to become a man and then to dwell alone.
Fraternity.
God says it wasn't good, and so he went to that cross and his ear was bored through with it all and he came into that place and he's going to have that place for all eternity, never to be rescinded, but to have a companion with him in it forever.
And I enjoy that thought in in Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53.
In the 10th verse we read.
Yet at least the Lord tobruse him he has put into grief.
And thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied by his knowledge. Shall my righteous servant.
Justify many, for ye shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion of the grager.
Michelle divide the spoil with the strong, because he has poured out his soul unto death.
It was numbered with the transgressors and he barely sit up many and made intercession for the transgressors. I rather enjoy UMM the third verse of this chapter and how Mr. Darby renders it. We read in the third verse he is despised.
And left alone.
Without blessed water, Lord Jesus was left alone. Wasn't it so that He could never be alone again?
Just a practical word, as we think of the Lord Jesus as that perfect servant. Think what it says in numbers 19 with respect to the red heifer. There was 3 characterizations of that red heifer. It was to have no blemish within, without, and upon which had never come a yoke. We know the Lord Jesus when He was here, He was always under the yoke of His Father's will. He always did His will and pleasure. As I come to do Thy will, Thy laws within my heart. That was His delight, and He was never brought under.
00:35:03
The influence or control of men always free to do the will of God and we marvel at the perfection of him and there's a word in that for us isn't there too. I thinking of what it says in first Corinthians Chapter 7 is you're bought with a price be not the servants of men. In chapter 6 it says be your bought with the price therefore glorify God in your body, which is God's because of the price that has been paid for us the even the shed blood of Christ.
Our bodies are to be used for the will of God, not for our pleasure. But then in the 7th chapter he says, Be not the servants of men in view of the price has been paid for you, you are not to be the servants of men. We see in the epistle to Galatians there were those that were seeking to bring the Saints of God into ******* not to the will of God, but to themselves, and they were warned against going back into that place of being a hired servant. As a verse in the second Epistle of Corinthians chapter one that I believe is a.
Beautiful illustration of how Paul labored on behalf of the Saints of God that they would be free from that type of *******.
2nd Corinthians chapter one. And we know in the first epistle Paul was very direct, very faithful in speaking to them about their state and about what was wrong there. And he says, uh, verse 23 of the first chapter. Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul that to spare you, I came not as yet in the Corinth. He did not want to come with a rod of authority. But then he says in verse 24, not for that we have dominion over your faith.
But our helpers of your joy, for by faith ye stand, we find in that passage that was brought out in Leviticus, that a brother might be waxing poor, and he might even sell himself into servitude to one of his brethren.
We can be under servitude to the world, or perhaps even servitude to our brethren, and not walk in liberty before the Lord. And we find that the apostle made a great effort not to have dominion over their faith. It's one thing to say, well, we don't do this because brother so and so says this, or because so and so says that having dominion over your faith. But we need to be fully persuaded in our own souls as to these things. And Paul realized that in order to be a helper of their joy.
They had to stand by faith. We are thankful for godly influence and for those that have, uh, brought us up in the things of God. And yet we will not stand if we're simply operating and moving onto the influence of others by faith. We stand. And Paul saw that and perhaps he could have used his natural gift and ability to bring the Corinthians back into line. He says, I'm not going to do it. Someone else more gifted or compelling than I will bring them under power to them.
But my faith we stand.
And so how important that is as we walk as servants of the Lord here, to consider the Lord Jesus, who is only and always under the influence of his Father, and that we too, that we're not walking under the fear of man that brings a snare, but the fear of God. And we're servants of God, and it's by faith we stand.
We say #257.
And so he could not.
Say, beyond my cross, my side, all of my sleep. And I left in my life without him because they're brilliant.
No, I'm not surprised that the flowers and the flower crying.
Three Worlds: That Then Was; That Now Is; That Will Be
The Lord's Grace Restores and Picks Us Up When We Fall
Hebrews 11:23-29
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I would like to go home.
11 Ottawa, Florida.
That's right.
How grateful we are.
That we can look forward to that day when we will see the Lord Jesus face to face.
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And we'll know how great indeed He really is. He really was, and we don't really will always be. And we thank Thee, our Father, that that was mindful of our need of salvation, and Thou did bring us into the light of that precious One.
And we would ask to be father that should there be any in the room that have not yet.
Don't let him leave this room farther until they are fully convicted that without Christ.
They are forever lost.
Never to see the ones that are saved in this room again.
And all the coming of the Lord draweth 9.
And soon we'll be taken out of this place.
So we thank you for what we have heard thus far and enjoyed and and from thy word.
And we would just ask the to touch our hearts, but not only to receive it, but to give it a that other might come to know their sin are covered with that precious blood of Christ. We ask that all give anything in the Lord Jesus name.
And then I wonder if it would be a profit for us to look at some of the verses in, uh.
In Hebrew Chapter 11 That pertained to Moses.
In Hebrews Chapter 11.
I can suggest that.
My brother in here would think I would be profitable.
Well, versus what are you thinking, brother?
Well, I was thinking of umm a verse 23 down to the end of verse 29.
OK, that'd be nice.
Hebrews, Chapter 11.
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. By faith Moses when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ. Greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. For he, for he had respect under the recompense of the reward.
By faith He forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the King, for He endured as seeing Him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the first born should touch them.
By faith they pass through the Red Sea as by dry land, when the Egyptians are saying to do were drowned.
Maybe just to share what particularly I have in my heart, maybe we could look at the perk of Joshua for a moment.
Joshua the 1St chapter.
The first verse we read now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake on the Joshua the son of Nun the minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead now. Therefore arise over this Jordan now, and all the people under the land which I do.
Give to them even to the children of Israel. We have a number of places, umm, where we have Moses referred to as the servant of the Lord. I was just thinking about this morning. We had before us the perfect servant and uh, this one that we had before us now was the servant of the Lord. We have him referred to that in the book of Numbers. The number of times I was thinking of this portion we have umm, we have brought before us in the previous meeting.
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The failure of Abraham. But then he went on as we have in this Hebrews 11. If we could look at it in, uh, the eighth verse of Hebrews 11 by faith Abraham when he was called.
To go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed, and he went out not knowing whither he went.
I made the soldier in a land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in the Tabernacle with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. And in this verse I was thinking of where he looked for a city which hath foundations.
So his builder and maker is gone. He thought of how Abraham yes, there was failure in his in his life, but he had before on the end of the road we had in this portion. He looked for a city with builder and maker is gone. And as we go through this.
Portion concerning Moses.
And I was thinking as I looked around the room that there are a lot of young children running around here. And so there must be some parents as well. And I thought here of this first verse that we read is really the faith of Moses parents. And perhaps we could glean some instruction, umm, for our hearts as we look at this, umm, at these, uh, these parents of Moses who, umm, who are very careful as to, uh, their conduct where Moses was concerned.
There is the portion that umm, that we have in Exodus chapter 2 as well concerning Moses, and the portion that, uh, we have in Acts Chapter 7 where Stephen brings before us many things concerning Moses.
Well, I just thought that perhaps that could be a profit for us.
Perhaps we could turn to, uh, Acts Chapter 7.
Chapter 7.
Even in his discourse here he goes through the patriarchs and takes up Jacob. He takes up Joseph, and then we find another king that rises that didn't know Joseph.
On the 19th verse we read the same dealt subtly with our kindred and evil entreated our father so that they cast out their young children to the end they might not live.
Now with neither desire of the enemy of our souls wouldn't be is that our children would not live.
Well, then, we read in which time Moses was born and was exceeding fear, for as we read in the margin, he was fair to God and nourished up in his Father's house three months.
When he was, Pharaoh's daughter took him off and nourished him for her own son. And Moses was learning all the wisdom of the Egyptian, and was mighty in words, and indeed well in the chapter that we have before us.
We have there when Moses was born and here's one who is fair to God and he wasn't, he wasn't the first born. This couple had already had two children that we know of. We have Miriam and we have Aaron that came before, but now here's Moses. And there was an exercise of the heart of Amram and Jacob had that they would take this one and they would hide him.
I'm thinking of David, of that expression. Moses was fair to God.
And umm, uh, each one, each person on this world at the current time that it has a new life, has divine life. And God can look down and see that divine life within each individual. And here this afternoon too. And he takes delight in that, seeing that divine life in that person. And of course, Moses would have had divine life, umm.
But he's even, I'm sure, more pleased when he sees that divine life in action in our everyday life. That is, we're walking by faith and walking close to the Lord and doing things for him. So I think in that way, every believer would be fair to God. But certainly there's many that I know that outshine anything that I have.
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And I'm sure Moses is one of them. And marvelous examples of the.
Just thinking of a question that the Lord.
Ask Moses in Exodus 4, verse 2.
He asked him what's in your hand And, uh.
Just, uh, the thought really that, uh.
The Lord sees that divine life. He also, uh, prepares each one and, and there is something in each one of our hands and something different.
But whatever it is, the Lord has a purpose for us to use it for Him.
The story of Moses really begins with the face of its parents and the.
Dave was mentioning about the parents that are here today. I think it's nice to notice that in Exodus chapter 2, there's a focus really on his mother nurturing him and raising him for the personal while and then.
In Acts 7, that's been referred to as speaks about his father's house and then here it's his parents. And it's nice when together as parents we can have faith for the blessing of our children.
And really, uh, pray for their faithfulness and years to come and just watch out for them spiritually and seek to have something to nurse them and to give them even as little children as they grow and things of the Lord Jesus.
When our first born came into this scene.
I was uh.
Speaking with an older brother and I was bemoaning the fact that it was a terrible world, umm, that we live in and that, uh, I had this little one and I was just seeking as to what to do with, with this little one that the Lord has given to us.
Well, the brother said to me, he said, you know, it's a wonderful time to have children. He said think of your and you had a son and you had to throw him in the river.
I know you came to realize that the Lord has made every provision for our little ones. Maybe we could see that in Exodus the 2nd chapter.
Exodus Chapter 2.
And we find the the first verse that says there went a man of the House of Levi, and took to wipe the daughter of Levi, and the woman conceived and bear a son. And when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hit him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an hour of bulrushes, and dogged it with slime.
With pitch and put the child there, and she laid in the flags by the river's brink. You know, the little story books and the coloring books that the children have show, umm, forming this little ark and making this ark and putting Moses in it and pushing it out into the water. But that's not the way it happens.
It doesn't say she made an arc, it says she took an arc.
And So what this dear sister did was, was she availed herself of the provision that God had already made for her children to be spared. And she just availed herself of that provision. She didn't make an arc. All she has to had to do was to avail herself of the provision that God had made. And so it said that she took an ark. It means that wonderful that God has made every provision for our children to go on in a manner that's consistent with the truth.
She couldn't hide him anymore and he was pretty young.
Just three months.
She couldn't hide him any longer, and our children are not too old before we find we really can't hide them from the world and its influences and its effects.
But she takes this arc and.
00:20:00
Well, it says she that they weren't afraid of the King's commandment.
But nonetheless, she does what the king commanded, and she throws that child in the river, but not before putting him in the ark. And you know, our children are going to have to enter the river of this world, so to speak.
And all its opposition to Christ.
And his deadly currents and the provision to protect them is Christ himself. He's the ark. You know, we, our greatest fear, fathers of ministry is our own little homes with our own children. And it's our greatest gospel work too, is right there at home with our own. And, uh, so insulated, protected, really, uh, surrounded.
By that which is fed to them in the home, they're protected even though they have to enter the river of this world. Other than that, it would have been death.
Other than that, it would have been dust. And so to go with the course and current of this world unprotected without Christ is certainly going to be death, spiritual death. And in another sense too, doesn't she really own, uh, typically speaking, that, uh, this child was, was born in sin and iniquity, just like every one of us and deserve to die. The edict had gone out that all those male children should.
Be cast into the river and perish.
The soul that sinneth it shall die. Our children are born in this world and sin and iniquity and outside of being in Christ.
There's certain end is to to perish.
So the wonderful provision and taking an arc is that God has provided in Christ that which will, uh, keep them through all the opposition of this, of this world that we pass through. That's the only thing that can keep them. And so here's this obstacle for faith. That commandment goes out and faith just rises above it in a wonderful way. And he's put right in that river, right in that river.
But he's fully protected.
The next obstacle to faith is not with Moses parents, but with Moses himself.
Now the question comes, will he be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter? You know the Lord Jesus? When he came of years, he said, wish ye not. I must be about my father's business.
His mother said, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing, but he refused to be called in a certain sense, their son. He said, wish ye not. I must be about my father's business. And so there's a time in each of our lives where it's no longer the faith of parents.
Uh, it's ours. And what are we going to choose?
He could have been the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and I suppose they might have still uncovered his tomb someday over there and and put him in a museum.
But he refused that.
Just like to make a comment in connection with what Paul mentioned. Umm, he referred us to Exodus chapter 2.
Chapter 2.
For the daughter of Pharaoh comes down to wash.
And she sees this arc in the fifth verse, among the flags.
And she sent her. Once she had opened it, she saw the child and behold, the babe left.
She had compassion on him and said, this is one of the Hebrews children and said his sister, the Pharaoh's daughter, shall I go and call the nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for me. And Pharaoh's daughter said under her goal. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And I just like to draw attention to what Pharaoh's, uh, daughter says to her. She doesn't just simply say take this child and nurse it for me, but she says, take this child away.
And nurse it for me and I'll give you my wages.
00:25:01
Or they would speak to us woodlanded of the separation that is needed.
For this child.
I suppose it was like Samuel.
When he was weaned.
So he would have been fairly young.
It means that such a.
Wouldn't the mother have been so cast on the Lord, and to such a demonstration of the grace of God, that Moses?
How vital for us to be.
On our knees for our children.
I'm glad you could also say how we failed and attempted being on our needs for our children.
And and they would have faith.
When they're put to the test.
Make a decision to make a choice to make a stand.
Who's as to who they're going to serve and who they're willing.
They they belong.
It's sort of surprising to me, but in act seven it when Moses was 40 years old that he says in verse.
23 When he was full 40 years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.
Just appreciated what you said, uh, Dave, in terms of our children.
Never want to stop praying for their exercise and for their desire for the Lord doing it. Moses was 40 at this point when it entered into his heart to be a help to the people of God.
25th verse of our chapter, we have umm, as you brought before us earlier, uh, Steve, the the thought of choices and choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. But before he could ever make that choice, we have the previous verse which says he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. And so before he could rightly choose, he first of all had to refuse that which had been presented.
The choice that he made, had.
Some very great implications for him, didn't it?
You see in the Exodus too, and also in Acts 7 that the choice really happened. And then he was only in Egypt what seems like a day or two more, because after he murdered, the Egyptians killed him. He tried to bury him in the sand, tried to hide it. And burying someone in the sand is not a very, it's not a long term solution. And so he ended up having to flee in and then Act seven makes it clear that he was 40 more years.
In the in the wilderness it was seen where God was dealing with him and teaching him, instructing him. And then the other verses in our Chapter 11 seem to more or less dwell with the last 40 years of Moses life when he was a a deliverer of the people of God. And so Acts 7 is actually a good study for the young people in terms of the three 40s that are there and how God worked in Moses life for real blessings.
Yeah, the 2nd 40 years. So they were really like a training time to make Moses fit, to be able to, uh, lead the children of Israel through the wilderness.
As you know.
The scripture says that we are his workmanship. We're not a finished work. We're, we're a work in progress and those things in our lives that the Lord has to bring us through a training period, so to speak, uh, so that we can be, uh, uh, profitable servant for him, our Savior.
We walk in close to the Lord for a number of reasons and think.
00:30:02
In one of those reasons is because life is a series of choices and decisions and umm, all of them refers early on. Our parents make those choices. As soon as we get older, we start making more and more for ourselves. So we're making them pretty much all for ourselves. And, uh, some of the choices are tremendously important. That and we have to live with the results of those.
So it's a marvelous, uh, reason.
And many do be close to the Lord and be guided by the scriptures and speak his mind and wisdom.
In making all of these choices, I look forward to the day when they'll be home with the Lord and there won't be any more difficult choices or difficult decisions planned.
Yesterday at our meetings in UMM, the meetings ended with an address by an older brother who, uh, who stood up and he uh, made some comments.
Specifically for those who are younger, he said. You know, I was brought up in a Christian home.
And, uh, I loved it all.
And I went and enjoyed the pleasures of sin, and they're only for a season.
He moved away from home and moved to another umm, another city and Ontario and the Lord saved his soul.
And he started to come to the assembly again.
And, uh, was not.
Where he's brought up, but he was, he was coming to the assembly and, uh.
He went on for a period of time and, uh.
He spoke to an older brother there in the assembly. He was the assembly of Hamilton and he said, umm, I've been saved for a little while now. I'd really like to do something for the Lord. I'd like to do something for the Lord and the older brother. He said this, He said the greatest thing that you can do for the Lord is to continue on. He brought before us the expectation that the apostle brought the Timothy. Well, I can't help but think of of the things that were brought before Moses in his early days.
When that time came and he had all the treasures of Egypt before him, that he could have, he could have had, and he chose to continue on in those things that he had learned and his father and his mother's household.
We could find a parallel in the life of Abraham in the Genesis chapter 14 when he is met by the king of Sodom.
14.
And verse 21.
We know that a lot.
King of brought forth bread and wine, and it was the priest of the Most High Gods, and he blessed him, and he said Blessed be avarice of the Most High God for sister of Persian evident hurt.
And let's be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hands, when he gave him the title of verse 21, we read. And the king of Sodom said unto Abraham, Give me the person, and take the goods to thyself. And Abraham said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord, the most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a tread, even from a shoe latcher.
And that I will not take anything that is dying.
Unless I shouldn't say I have made Abraham French.
What gave Abraham the strength to to refuse the good of Sodom?
It was an encounter with no kisses.
Communion.
Will the Lord will help us to refuse things of the world? We have to face different challenges in our life.
But the Lord is sufficient.
00:35:17
In the 26th verse we had a steaming the approach of Christ, greater riches and the treasures in Egypt, where He had respect under the recompense of the reward. Just like to turn to a verse in the Book of Games.
The Book of James.
And the eleven first.
We have this far of the end of the Lord. We have the thought of Abraham looking for a city that had foundations.
You have the Apostle Paul's at the Grove before him.
So we think of how.
Moses had before in the reward here in James chapter 5, we said, behold, account them happy which endure. You've heard of the patience of Job and seeing the ends of the Lord. Sometimes it's difficult for us to see the end. Sometimes, particularly when we're in the midst of trial, we can see the trial. We can see what led up to it.
But the Lord will have us here, this picture of Job and how we have the trials of Job.
Now he was in the trial. So the Lord shows us the end as well. And what is the end here? That we read of hell, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy, not just pitiful and merciful. What an end it was for Joel. Joel. Well, that's a different line of things, but what we have in our chapter is Moses. He had a glimpse of that which was ahead, that which really mattered our brother in his prayer at the end of the last meeting.
He prayed that we would be found laying hold on the things that are really light.
That which is at the end of the pathway.
I'd like to ask a question on verse 26, umm, earlier on.
Says the seemingly repro, surprised. Greater, richer than the treasures. He gets it. So I can understand that in the New Testament we grabbed somebody could explain.
How this was true of Moses?
And that is proceeding to reproject.
I wondered, brother, if it has reference to the character of reproach, because as you bring out, how could He suffer for Christ when the Lord Jesus Christ had not even yet come into this world? You know, sometimes with little prepositions. Give us a clue into it. And we think as the Lord Jesus came to His own and His own received him, not so Moses came to his brother, and he meant to do them good. He thought they would understand what He is going to do, but they didn't. They turned on him. Will you kill us as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?
And we find that the reproach that Moses endured is of that same character, is the reproach that the Lord Jesus suffered.
So perhaps not so much for him as to that character of reproach. And what a challenge this was for Moses. So we read these verses and we say, well, he chose you that he, he chose, He refused, He chose, He esteemed. But it wasn't just done in the snap moment, was it? The decision may have been, but I think of that expression as steaming. Think of the sleepless nights, the hours that he was there in the palace wondering what am I going to do? He could argue on the one sense Providence has brought me here.
I have a position of influence within Egypt. Now why don't I exercise the control I have and use this for the good on behalf of my people, that to get them out of this place. But not that would have all been reason, wouldn't it? And this chapter is a chapter by faith.
Pay tax according to the word of God and the call of God. But it's not without exercise. So these great decisions are sometimes made in a moment, but what leads up to that is the great thing. And to consider how Moses weighed that reproach. First, the rejection of his brethren and the repudiation of the Egyptians. But he says, I'll take that and go with the people of God and all of their weakness, their needs, their failure and their complaints that.
Will be greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt.
00:40:01
We read in verse 27 by faith he per SE Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king pre interior. Seeing him who is invisible. It takes courage not to fear the wrath of the king.
Every time I drive from Rockville to Smith Falls, there's a little Anglican church there and a hamlet between.
Where I I pass through it, it gets to the meeting and falls and there is a sign. There has been there quite a while and I really enjoy it and it says.
Uh, courage will follow when faith takes the lead. Courage will follow faith takes the lead in it. I, I really enjoyed, you know, every time I drive by that little church and see that sign there.
Moses made these decisions with a sense of weakness, I believe, and he was reminded of that I believe when umm.
In, in the book, Book of Exodus, when we have the, uh, burning Bush and he approaches the burning Bush and there's this discourse between himself and the Lord. The Lord has him take 3 signs to Egypt.
The one is the to take his rod and he needs to throw it down, and it became a serpent.
And he took it by the tail and became a rod again.
And then he used to pour the water from the river and it was to become blood. And we know if that took place.
In the plagues. And so there was those 3 signs. The third one was used to take his hand and put it into his bosom.
Well, the two signs.
The rod and the water being turned to blood were done in front of Pharaoh, but when he took his hand and put it into his bosom, that was a sign for himself. We don't read of him doing that to Pharrell, and I believe there's a sense.
That he he recognized that within himself there was no good thing. And take his hand and put it in his booth. And we can all do the same thing, can't we, when our hand comes out and it's leprous white as snow.
A place of dependence to realize that we're nothing.
As Moses realized, and it was for great blessing for the people of God.
But there is a great encouragement to us. Paul read earlier about when he he slew the Egyptian. He looked this way and that way and then when the thing was known, he fled. But in our verse here it says he forsook Egypt not during the wrath of the king. I take it here. That's after the 40 years in the wilderness. And that provides encouragement for us too, doesn't it? Many of us may have taken something up and and perhaps the desire was right, but yet there was fear and there wasn't courage.
Her faithfulness connected with it, but here I take it as He.
Those alpha measures not fearing the wrath of the king, thinking of what it says in the 10th chapter of Exodus.
When, uh, the judgments begin to.
Fall. Neither of them are falling. And Pharaoh said in verse 28. And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me. Take heed to thyself. See my face no more. For in that day thou seest my face, thou shalt die.
There is the threat of the king, and Moses responds.
And Moses said, thou hast spoken. Well, I will see thy face again no more. He's not quailing. He's not shaking in his boots. He responds to the king, not fearing his wrath. The king had threatened his life. And Moses responds.
Says you've spoken well, you will see my face again no more and so those years in the wilderness pay dividends for them if we can use the expression that he had learned to trust his God and he has that courage to speak. This is Elijah could speak today how?
And then it says not only did he forsake, but he endured, has seen him who is invisible. Let me see that's a contradiction of terms. How do you see what's invisible? What we do by faith. He saw it was the look of faith. And I thought in the context of the book of Hebrews, this really gives us insight to these dear Hebrew believers that were called by God to leave everything of sight behind, all the of the order and worship of the temple, the sacrifice and so on.
They're called now with that heavenly call to go out by faith. How are they going to endure? Because there was nothing by sight. They would endure by seeing Him who was invisible. And so, of course, this book begins with the person of the Son of God set before us in all majesty and Excellency and glory. Well, that's how we'll endure as well, isn't it? I seen him who's invisible by faith, laying hold of Him. And why so often do we fall along the way and grow discouraged and.
00:45:22
Get out of the way. It's because our eye is no longer on him.
As the object for our faith, the 12Th chapter brings out so nicely.
I was impressed in going through the Book of Numbers where we have the various encampments.
Of the children of Israel and the number of times that the Lord brought that company back to the Red Sea. They just didn't go through the Red Sea and that was the last they saw the Red Sea. The Lord brought them back times and time again.
The Red Seat I would speak to us of the death of Christ, that which is so needful for us and our halfway down here, Lord, would ever have us to bring that to our remembrance. And so here we find by faith they passed through the Red Sea.
224.
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1334.
00:50:08
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Our God and our Father, we thank Thee for the example of faith given to us in Hebrews 11 and this little portion in the path of Moses, Thy servant.
In this scene, through every opposition and affliction and enduring and seeing him who is invisible think about the end of his life, could say His natural force was not abated, neither was his eye. Dim grace endured to the end of his eye upon that One who was invisible.
Our God and our Father help us to rise up in faith, to lay hold on the blessedness of that path and to walk in it and enjoy it, to forsake this world. Do not turn back to look at it again.
We know the enemy will oppose the wrath of the God and the Prince of this world.
Go, thou wilt keep us to rise up to those claims.
A vine upon us and.
We do, uh, pray that thou just keep feet of each one of us in that path. And so we do commit ourselves to thee now and for the rest of the day. The gospel meeting to follow. Yes, thy blessing on it, the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen.
Gospel 1
Gospel—Erastus Ruga
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Good afternoon everyone. Perhaps we can start by singing hymn #2 in the sheet here, and if a brother would start that I would be very indebted.
Uh-huh.
And 380 small on the next umm.
Shall we look to the Lord?
Our blessed God and Father.
We give thee thanks for the gospel of Thy grace.
That gospel with so many here have received.
Have known the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
We thank thee for the wonders of it.
And we think that perhaps there may be some here who is yet.
Our undecided have not yet listened to those words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And so we pray for this hour.
And we pray for wherever else in this world the gospel goes forth.
00:05:03
That the message would receive would be received by many who as yet know not the Lord Jesus's Savior. We pray for Thy blessing upon this time. We pray for the speaker that the words spoken might be those needful as directed by the Spirit. We just commend it all to Thee, blessed God, in the alone, worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Well, it's very encouraging to me to look around and see so many young people particularly.
And there are some that are rather young still.
Perhaps, uh, one or two years old, maybe even younger, and others into their teens and even their early 20s.
And I think when I see the large group of young people.
Of the many, many years.
That I sat just like you in a meeting just like this.
And listen to the word of God being spoken.
The gospel of the The message. The gospel of Christ. Salvation through faith in Christ.
The blood of Christ alone which can cleanse us from our sins, and that it's all ours if we just accept it.
And I'm certain that almost everyone here knows the gospel message every bit as well as I do.
But I have that thought that perhaps there may be someone here who has yet not received the Lord Jesus as their own personal Savior.
It's free to own. The word goes forth. We sit, we listen.
Not everybody responds. Most everybody takes it in and has it in the head, but not ever, not to everyone as it sunk down into the heart and into the conscience. And so this is.
Something that I wish to mention at the start of this meeting.
I remember hearing not very long ago on ACD.
A message given by a brother through a group.
And he challenged the young people.
On this very issue, he said are you for real or are you a phony? For safety may have said are you for real or are you fake? Do you really know the Lord Jesus as Savior or do you just pretend you do? Do you just say you do?
And that question, when I heard it, struck home with me very, very strongly.
Because as I sat for years in the Brooklyn meeting and in other places listening to the gospel for years and years and years, it was all up here.
And the Lord bore with me, and in time it received. It came down into my heart and into my conscience. It was something I knew so well, but I had just never reached out and grabbed it, never applied that blood, never accepted Christ as Savior. I would have told you I was saved, but I would have been deceiving you because I had not received them personally. I wonder if there's someone here today.
That is in a similar situation.
We have these words of this precious hymn, come, come, come. The Lord wants us to come and that very last verse Angel hosts are musing or this sight so strangely sad.
God beseeching and man refusing to be made forever glad.
And it's not only a question of refusing the gospel. It can be a question of neglect. And of course we know Scripture says how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? So it's not enough to know the truth. We must each individually lay hold of it. We must teach individually come to repentance and to faith.
In our the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:10:01
So simple and yet so important because the message will stop going forth one of these days, and at the moment it goes out, uh, stops going forward. When the Lord comes to take his own away, all who are left behind, who knew the truth, who refused it or neglected it, will be left behind for judgment. What a sad thought. Judgment, judgment we all deserve.
But those of us who know the Lord and Savior.
Have been freed from.
We're his. There's no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
But with those preliminary thoughts, I thought.
That I would speak about certain men that are described in the New Testament.
And the first few that I thought of are found in the book of Acts.
And they are three Roman governmental officials.
To whom Paul the Apostle Paul gave.
A defense of himself and of his life because he had been unjustly accused by the Jews of profaning the Temple. And as soon as that word was spoken, there was a riot, and large groups just latched on to that word. And they would take Paul and they would beat him.
And they would have killed him.
But a Roman official, a captain, chief captain, came and took him away and eventually he was presented before 32 governors and a king. And these are the three people that I wish to speak of. As he gave his defense, he was speaking the gospel to them. He was telling him about his life and also telling them about salvation through faith in Christ.
And what were their responses? They're very different, but they are instructive. So the first one would be in chapter 24 of the book of Acts.
And let's read the 25th. Well, the 24th verse.
And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
Now we don't have other words to describe exactly what he said, but we can imagine what he said when it says.
He they heard him concerning the faith in Christ. I'm sure that his message was a very detailed and very complete and accurate message, the truth of salvation and as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance.
And judgment to come. Felix trembled.
I can imagine when a person's conscience.
Is stirred by the thought of coming judgment. For his sins, for her sins.
It has to make a person tremble.
To think of the judgment which will not just be.
A punishment for a period of time, but a judgment which will go on throughout eternity.
Eternity in outer darkness.
Those who do not want the presence of God, do not want the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, will not be forced into a relationship. They'll be in outer darkness where there is no presence of God.
Judgment, eternal judgment, Felix trembled as any individual hearing.
Would feel.
Well, did it help convert him?
As he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled.
And he answered, Go thy way this time. When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
The time was not suitable for this man. He trembled, but he could shut it off very quickly. And he said, well, when I have a good time, I will listen to you and give some thought to what you've said.
00:15:10
While Scripture doesn't tell us at that convenient time ever came.
That Felix ever heard.
The word.
From the Apostle Paul again.
As far as we know, that was the last occasion.
So the man.
There certainly is lost, because although he trembled, he did not believe it, He did not receive it, He put it off. Or what a mistake that is to put it off. What a mistake. How many of you, when you were younger, perhaps trembled at times, thinking that the Lord had already come?
I don't. I don't know of many people who haven't had that experience. I know I certainly had.
Where your parents are supposed to be somewhere at a set time, coming home from meeting with the rest of the family. And you wait and you wait and you wait and they don't show up.
Perhaps it's night time and the house is just as quiet that you could hear a pin drop and you start thinking, Am I here alone? Are the others gone? I'm certain many of you have had that experience and you've trembled. I trust that at those occasions when you've trembled and you realize that the Lord had not come, that you would write then and there.
Except the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Felix trembled, but he put it off.
The Apostle.
We don't know ever had an opportunity to speak to him again or he to hear the words of this the faith concerning the faith in Christ.
So putting it off is a very, very solemn thing. Today He will hear his voice harden, not your hearts. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow, not 10 minutes from now. Today, when you're under conviction, when the Spirit is working within you, convicting you of sin, exercising your conscience, that's the time. That's the proper time.
To take that step, to accept the Lord, to ask Him to come into your life, receive Him as your Savior.
Not later, but just then.
The other two men are a man named Festus, who was the governor who succeeded Felix.
And King Agrippa, before whom Paul spoke.
At the same time to to both of them at the same time.
And we could turn to the 26th chapter.
OK, let's read the.
From the 11Th verse he speaks of his prior life, the Apostle. I punished them, the Christians OFT in every synagogue, and compelled them to blasphemy, and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them.
Even unto strange cities.
Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and Commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven above, the brightness of the sun shining round about me, and then which journeyed with me.
And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the ******.
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest, but rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness, both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send thee.
To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them, which are sanctified by faith, which is in me. Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent.
00:20:24
And turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day.
Witnessing both the small and great, saying none of the things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer, that he should be the first that should rise from among the dead.
And should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles.
So he was preaching the gospel he didn't have. The New Testament hadn't been written yet.
He had the Old Testament and the Old Testament supports.
Everything that we read of in the New Testament, well, almost everything that we read in the New Testament, not certain issues concerning the church, but as far as salvation, that Christ, the Messiah must come, that he must die.
23rd The 22nd song.
In Isaiah the 53rd chapter of Isaiah the 69th Psalm, there are so many.
That speak very clearly of the death of the Messiah.
And so he spoke unto them.
Showing them from the Old Testament scriptures the truth that he was now proclaiming.
Well, the 1St man has had shows his effect at this point in time, and as he thus spake for himself. Festus said with a loud voice. Paul, thou art beside thyself much learning.
Just make thee mad.
Not a surprising answer from a man of the world.
If any of you have spoken to someone recently, there's a good chance you may have gotten a similar answer.
Or be completely ignored because the natural man doesn't receive the things of the Spirit of God he can.
They will not believe.
And, uh, we have it in the in First Corinthians by the preaching the gospel, uh, foolishness. The gospel is foolishness to the Gentiles.
And the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
In the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. So it's no surprise that people would think it's foolishness. They do not receive it, They consider you mad for believing it, and they would like to help you by relieving you of your faith in Christ to believe in the things that they believe. Have a good time, we only go around once.
We'll never get a second chance. Things are here for us to enjoy. Let's enjoy them to the Max. And that's the philosophy of the world. It certainly is not faith in Christ. It's foolishness to them. And until the Spirit of God, until they listen and the Spirit of God starts working within them, they cannot receive the gospel message. And Festus, he said it with a loud voice.
Much learning doth make thee mad. There was no question as to Paul's.
Intelligence.
He was a man of which we would call a super intellectual were he alive today.
But he was brought low by the Lord on the road to Damascus. He found out that he was persecuting not these Christians, but that he was persecuting Christ himself.
I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. That was a shock to him.
But his response was quick and sincere.
Who art thou, Lord? I'm Jesus, whom thou persecutest, and then he comes back. What wilt thou have me to do, Lord? He acknowledges this man that he had just minutes before.
00:25:11
Had nothing but evil thoughts about He says, Lord, what will thou have me to do? And of course the life of the apostle Paul, the way the Lord used him is.
Unique.
He was a vessel of very, very special vessel of God to bring the gospel to many portions of this world and to bring out certain truths as the the Church of God and the Jews and the Gentiles being both members of that same body, that same church. He was a very special vessel, and he was converted as soon as he heard the words of the Lord.
He believed, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Well, that was Festus response, and that is a response that is very common in the world. You're mad, you're crazy. How Can you believe that?
Don't let any of their comments.
Get into you, into your head, because they're all the comments of.
Satan inspired by whomever it is, it speaks the words.
Well then we can read a little further.
In the 25th verse he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
Will the king knoweth of these things before whom also I speak freely? For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, For this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believeth thou the prophets?
I know that thou believers. And then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost Thou persuadest me to be a Christian, Paul was certain.
That King Agrippa had us a degree of faith in.
The Old Testament and the prophecies of it. And King Agrippa could only say.
Almost thou persuadeth me to be a Christian. How sad to be close and to be lost again, as with Festus, or as with Felix, we do not know. The king Agrippa ever heard the word of God subsequent to this experience, that he ever went beyond the point of almost as far as we know, he was lost.
Almost convinced to become a Christian, but not quite. How sad it is. And you know, for any who've been brought up in a Christian family and who have heard the gospel time and time again.
And who do not perceive the Lord Jesus, they are at this point almost but not quite. And almost is not enough. It must be faith in Christ and acceptance of Him as Savior.
So these three men.
Represent many of the.
Reasons that men of this world reject the Gospel.
The excuses that they will give.
What they will say when they're faced with a question concerning.
Their sole state, eternity, where they will spend eternity. These answers are very typical.
But they're all they all lead to the Lake of Fire.
Now, in contrast to that, we have a wonderful, another wonderful example in the same book of Acts in the 16th chapter. And perhaps we could discuss a little of that. And it's a story that all of you know very well, I'm certain.
The story of Paul and Silas thrown into prison unjustly.
Bound in chains with Roman soldiers to keep them from escaping, because of course, a prisoner who escaped made forfeit the life of those who guarded him.
Imagine yourself in that position.
In prison for no good reason, no legitimate reason.
And you're bound in chains and you have people all around you to make sure you you don't do anything, can't go anywhere.
00:30:02
I think that would be very discouraging.
Paul and Silas, they were not discouraged. What did they do? You know the story.
At midnight, verse 25, Paul and Silas prayed.
And sang praises unto God. Wow. In that situation they are singing praises to God. Well, you know, as a Christian, whatever misfortune may strike you.
You should still give praise to God. All things work together for good to them that love God. All things, even trials and tribulations, things that we don't like, that we can't understand, that we would rather not undergo, all things work together for good and the Lord is testing us. The Lord is bringing us to a point that he would not have otherwise bring us to except for this trial, except for this tribulation.
So Paul and Silas, they apparently were well aware of that. And so at midnight, under these circumstances, they are still spraying and singing praises unto God. And the prisoners heard them, and I suspect that the keeper of the jail heard them also from the succeeding verses.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's hands bands were loosed and the keeper of the prison waking out of his sleep.
And seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm.
For we are all here. And then he calls for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe.
On the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Compare his response to that of those two governors and that king.
This keeper probably heard less of the gospel of God's grace than those two governors and the king heard, but he obviously heard enough because he knew that there was salvation.
Possible. And he wanted to know what it was because he wanted it.
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Simple message that's still valid today. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. No ifs, no ands, no butts. Believe, truly believe in your heart.
Don't just say it, but truly believe it in your heart. You are saved and you have God's word for it to assure you that you are a redeemed child of God, redeemed by that precious blood which He shed on the cross.
So what a nice response from this man and he and his entire house were saved.
And they were all baptized.
And as far as we know, went on very happily in the Lord from that moment.
All because of the faithfulness of Paul in bringing the gospel message to them and Silas.
At a time when it seemed inconceivable that anyone would.
Be so, uh, concerned in prison. Chained.
Possibly having been beaten, but that doesn't, it doesn't tell us that. So that's speculation, but under circumstances that were very, very hard to accept. And yet they were so happy that they could sing praises to God, that they could pray to God. And the prisoners all heard and knew that there was something to salvation that they could get from their sins. And we know that the jailer and his family.
Accepted it. What a beautiful contrast to the response of the king and the response of the two governors. So I trust that these few words.
Have been in an encouragement to some.
That any here who are as yet unsaved.
00:35:02
Might believe.
The word of God.
What the speaker says is not important is what the Word of God tells us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. For thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
And shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. Not maybe thou shalt. And it's free to all. And it's an eternal salvation, something we can never lose.
God assures us of it. We can't believe it, we can't accept it. I trust that this word will be blessed to the heart of any who as yet may not know the Lord Jesus Savior. But perhaps we could sing another hymn #12.
Because this is how we have to come, just as I am. Could someone start that please?
00:40:34
Sure, Gray, blessed God and Father, we give thee thanks.
But thy word still goes forth.
Beseeching men to receive the gospel of Thy grace. Salvation through faith in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ shed at Calvary's cross. And oh blessed Savior, that.
Thy plea come unto me, might be heeded by any who as yet have not come, that they might come just as they are in full faith in Thee. Well, we thank thee for the word that still goes forth in many places in this world. We pray for the assembled group here.
That blessed Savior at thy coming.
There would be none here today that would be left behind.
We thank Thee and we bless Thee, Lord Jesus, for all that thou hast done at such a cost.
We give thee thanks in thy own worthy and precious name. Amen.
Kings
Children—Fred Gorgas
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.
They don't tell me they don't tell all the tramps, 01 There being cramped eyes that you all Christians kill.
And love and and know.
They shall shine.
They give everything.
Right down for him and Crown.
Alright, so children that love the Lord Jesus are like jewels, and it's nice to think of how the Lord thinks of us too. Who has one they'd like to sing?
OK, Christopher #40.
Jesus loves me.
I'll give up something.
Yeah, I don't know how to get it done, but they yeah, she's not one day blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
He loved loudly.
Lying down and gave him a hug of getting the light hidden a little bit straight away my sin.
While I was there.
Upon him.
Yeah, and she's on his lungs. Wings.
Yeah, yeah.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah.
He must love me.
Like that so I might be awake. Still made me blind.
With you for me and everyone killed me tonight from the half rainbow. Yeah. Do you drive the blast me.
Nsnoise.
Yeah, let's see. That's one thing I will tell me so.
Play karrle tu bhi mohabbat Telugu.
00:05:02
Yeah, let's see if I want me.
To change my name, please Oh oh oh oh one oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh my God. I don't need to go to.
All right, just a minute. I'm just gonna point out one word in this last verse of this song, and it's, uh, a word called trust.
So it says if I trust them, should I die? If I trust the Lord Jesus and I die.
The Lord Jesus will Take Me Home. So that word trust, we're going to talk about a little later. OK, Robert? Yeah, 17.
Uh, more like the cerebral palsy with our heads and.
10-4, 2004, 1014 and then now it's one of them.
OK, you have one you'd like to see?
29 All right, let's see 29.
#29.
A roller once came to Jesus by night, and I came on the way of salvation. And why?
Don't you answer answering What's your employee? He must be born again.
Minimize people are like that.
Name my big boy again.
858-585-9509, 10-4, 11:10.
00:10:01
10-4, 10-4, 10-4 10-4, 10-4, 10-4, 010101010 10-4, 10-4, 0010101010 10-4, 10-4, 0010100 10-4 Oh oh, 10-4 one and nine pompads. Mystique message to you again today, in my theatricality, in my city. In my city, boy, I am.
Alright, before we go any further, how about if we ask for God's help?
Our God and loving Father, we give thanks for Thy kindness to us and love, and we give thanks especially for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Give thanks for this day.
We give thanks for.
The privilege that we have this day to remember the Lord Jesus and his death.
And we just give thanks for this little time for the children, and we pray that thou wilt, uh, work and stir.
And each child's heart here and, uh.
Umm, pray that thou art give them hearing hearts to thy word, and uh, just pray for thy help. As thy word is opened, ask for blessing.
And we just give thanks for thy great love for us. In the worthy name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.
All right, maybe we'll have more time to sing. I don't know, but I know, uh, sometimes.
You have memory verses and I know every Sunday school perhaps a little different, so umm.
If, uh, there was a memory verse in John 112 in last week's paper and I don't want to force people to say verses that don't wanna say verses or shy or who don't know the verse or anything like that. But if there's anybody that would like to say that verse.
Umm, that's John 112 and it starts with as many as received him. Would you like to say that verse?
Third world 12 aspirin is appreciated to the beauty power to become the southern God even to them that believe on his own once. Well OK great job. Anybody else want to say that?
OK, well, I'm glad we had one person say that verse. That's a good verse and.
Says as many as received him. Who's the hymn in that verse?
OK.
The Lord Jesus, Yeah.
And the chapter that this verse comes out of tells us that the Lord Jesus came into the world, and it says the world didn't know.
And then he came to his own, who were his own.
That might be a tougher question.
If I asked you to raise your hand if you belong to the Lord Jesus.
Which I'm not going to do. I hope you'd all raise your hand.
Put his own in this verse where the Israel people, the Jews, and it says they didn't receive.
But then it says whoever received him to them.
00:15:02
Gave thee power to become the sons of God. So what do you think about when you think about power?
Anybody have any thoughts about power? What it means?
We measure engines that way.
We measure people that way, but in a lot of different ways. Christopher, do you have something you're thinking about? What do you think about with power?
Making like chance or something.
Yeah.
You mean turn into something else?
That's, that's a pretty good thought, yeah. Turn into something else would be, uh.
That would be pretty powerful if you could do that.
Well.
Umm.
If I asked you to think about people.
That were powerful. Can you think of any people that are powerful?
The Lord Jesus.
Kings. Hmm, it's interesting.
People that are stronger than you. People that are stronger than you, yeah.
Steven President. Yeah.
OK, well it's funny you mentioned kings because I have a list here I made-up. It's all kings.
So.
You know, there's, there's a few books of the Bible that are, umm, talk about a lot of different kings.
And some of those kings were pretty powerful.
And others weren't.
So.
Umm, I tried to count up all the kings and you know, anybody know who the first king was?
Well, I'm talking about kings of Israel.
It was pretty tall guy.
Joseph.
Anybody.
Saw Saul was the first king.
And he was set aside because he disobeyed the Lord. And then came David.
And David was a king, that was a powerful king, but he had his troubles. And then he had a son. His name was Solomon.
And.
Solomon also had his troubles.
I don't think there's any kings that really had no trouble at all.
But after Solomon, God divided the Kingdom, and he split it up into two different sections, and one of them we call Israel. One of them we call Judah.
So I just kind of counted up the ones I could find.
In Israel and I came up with about 20 kings, 19 or 20.
And.
The Bible identifies every king.
Bye. Are they good or are they bad?
And sometimes it says something else about them. But but for the most part, every king in the Bible was identified by whether they were the king of Israel was identified by whether they were good or bad. So in Israel, how many of these 19 or 20 kings do you think was a good king?
That would probably be a good guess.
Like 10? That would be. That would be really nice.
8 They're, they're, uh, good answers. And you would hope that if there were 20 kings of God's people that there would be.
810 Be nice if there was 20.
5678.
Alright.
Well, you're all too high.
Three, you're still too high.
00:20:04
1.
Zero. OK, Zero. You know, there was one king. His name was Jihu. And.
He had a great start. The Lord raised him up and told them to wipe out some people that dishonored him. And, uh, and he had a great start and he went and he really kind of cleansed Israel.
And he knocked down all the things he got, all the people of the idols of Fail into one building, tricked him, told him he was having a big feast for this God and he wanted to make sure there was nobody there that.
Worship the Lord. Only people that worship fail. And then he killed them all.
But jihu.
Umm, he, he's uh.
He was pretty proud of the way he acted for the Lord, and he said, come on, hop on my chariot. And you see my zeal for the Lord, you know, and.
And, and he'd, he was really wanted to show people how great he was.
As a man of God, but he wasn't a man of God. And he ended up, you know, God gave him some consideration because he did what the Lord told him to do in the beginning of his life.
But he disobeyed the Lord.
And and he didn't. It says later in his life that he just paid no attention to what the Lord said and he was not a good king.
So that was really the only thing that that, umm, even has anything mentioned good about him. I think in, in the, uh, well, I might be stretching things to say that, so I won't say that, but he, he would be the only one you might even think about as being a good king early in his life. But then we had the other side of the Kingdom, which was, uh, Solomon's son was the first, uh, Solomon's grandson was the first king.
There and there was.
There was about 20 kings there, maybe 19 and one queen actually. So umm, you want to take some guesses again? How many good kings on the other side?
Oh, now you're not gonna guess so high.
3 Christopher.
5.
Two. Alright, could be a trick, you're right.
I'm gonna tell you because you're not guessing. You wanna guess 9, OK?
Somebody was real close. I counted 6.
Which is pretty good considering that our last answer was 0.
So.
I want to talk about just one of those kings really, and umm, he's a king that's talked about quite a bit. And there's a good reason why he's talked about quite a bit. We, we read some verses about him last week in our Sunday school because it was something that he did that hadn't been done for quite a while.
And he kept the Passover.
So the king I'm I'd like to talk about a little bit is Hezekiah. So we're gonna turn to umm.
Second Kings, chapter 18.
So he was one of the good ones.
And the reason I wanted to talk about this king is because I want you all to think about yourselves. When you think about this king, I would like you to think about yourselves because you might think, you know.
This guy's a king. What do I have that he didn't have? You know, you think of a king, you think they got a lot of stuff, and maybe you don't have so much, but most of you have something that this king didn't have.
00:25:03
So let's start with that, because, uh, I'll read.
Just a little bit in the beginning of Second Kings 18.
Came to pass in the third year of Hosea's son of Eli, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah, began to reign.
And I'm going to skip the next verse. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. OK, so.
Who was his father?
David Now that was kind of a trick question because we read in the first verse something different.
It says that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. So and then we read in the last verse that according to all that David his father did. So there's two fathers here mentioned.
Well, A has his father was not one of the good kings. And if we turn back a little bit a couple chapters to the 16th chapter, we read in the second verse about Ahaz and it says that he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord is God.
And then it mentions like David his father. So David was really one who was.
Really. All of their fathers, in a sense, they were descendants. Everyone of these kings was a descendant of David. But here was a man.
Whose father was a wicked man. And not only was he wicked, he actually, umm, he had a grandfather and a great grandfather that were godly men. So that's three of those kings right there. Hezekiah's grandfather was a godly man.
And Hezekiah's great grandfather was a godly man, but his father?
He brought all kinds of things.
Into their country that led the people away from God, turned them away.
So think about maybe something that you have that this king didn't have.
Many of you have a father.
Or a mother who loves the Lord Jesus and.
And as a help to you there.
So Hezekiah, he didn't. He didn't have a godly father.
But I want to just point out a couple things that Hezekiah did.
And.
In the fourth verse it talks about he removed the high places.
And, you know, we read about his father actually bringing in an altar from Damascus. I think it was that and, uh, and setting that up.
And, you know, maybe even some of us, there's things in our own lives that we've brought in that are not a help and would maybe turn people away from the Lord. Or maybe there's something that our parents brought into our lives that would not be a help to us.
So Hezekiah was a man who stood out because the things which had been ignored by many generations.
Umm, he got rid of.
And he kind of cleansed the land and took these high places away.
But then there's one thing that I really would like to talk about in the fifth verse that said he trusted in the Lord.
Trusted in the Lord.
So we sang that about in one of the songs. Trust. He trusted the Lord.
And it says that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. So he was unique. He stood out among all the kings.
There was no king, I believe, that trusted the Lord like this king.
00:30:01
And it says he clave to the Lord. He held on. That's kind of like, hold on tight.
And that's what I hope that when you think about yourself and you think about Hezekiah, I hope you want that in your life. Hold on to the Lord tight.
You know that's easy to do when everything's going all right. It's easy to say I'm a Christian. I trust the Lord.
But, you know, problems come into all of our lives, and some problems came into Hezekiah's life. Big problems. What would you think a big problem would be if you were a king?
Yeah, battle.
A battle is a big problem if you're a king, right? David had a lot of battles and umm, he did pretty well. There are some kings that only had one battle and they didn't do very well and either they didn't live to have another one or they were captive somewhere. Yes, Chris.
Yeah, some people want to kill the king. That's a big problem too. Well, Hezekiah had this problem.
He had another king.
Uh, from a country that had already, you know, well, Hezekiah was king.
There was another king, just kind of.
On the other side of the country, really.
And while Hezekiah was king, that other part of the nation of Israel was brought into captivity, and that king was overthrown by.
The Assyrians, the king of Assyria.
So a few years later, all of a sudden the king of Assyria is coming now after Hezekiah.
And.
He asks. He sends a message to Hezekiah and I want to just read a couple of the questions that he.
Sends umm from verse 19 in Second Kings 18.
It's the question to Hezekiah and his messengers sends this message to Hezekiah saying What confidence is this wherein thou trust us?
Well, we talked about power and strength and stuff like that. You know, sometimes we get pretty, uh, full of ourselves happens to all of us, I think. And, and we start to think that I'm pretty special. I can do things that this person can't do. And you know, I did things that this person will never be able to do. And we start thinking like that.
It's a bad way to think.
But by nature, we do that. I think we we tend to think that we're.
So this question was asked to Hezekiah, where is your confidence?
And it's good to find out where that confidence was.
And I'm gonna read a few verses here that that.
Ask him what it is.
He says in the end of verse, Well, I'll read the whole verse. Thou sayest. Verse 20 thou sayest, but they are but vain words. I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust?
That thou rebellest against me.
Now behold, thou trust us upon the staff of this bruised Reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand and Pierce it.
So is Pharaoh king of Egypt, unto all that trust on him you know there was.
Perhaps it was even his father that had.
Joined up, sent presents to this king and, and actually got him to help him in a battle. And that happened very often in old times and still happens today. The countries will join up, they kind of look and say, well, who's the bigger threat here? Who's going to wipe me out? And, and if I'm worried about this person, then I'll join up with a few other people.
00:35:20
And because we can get together and and get strength in numbers that we'll be able to defeat.
This other country so.
So I think his father did that. So the king says, do you trust in them?
And then he says, But if ye say unto me, we trust.
The Lord our God.
Is not that he whose high places and whose altar?
Hezekiah hath taken away and said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem so.
He's saying to him, well, you, you took this God's high places and altars away. That's kind of the way maybe the world looks at things, you know, because sometimes Christians attach Christian labels to that which dishonors the Lord and it makes the world look at things very differently. And, and we can do that sometimes we could, you know, call something Christian that's really not Christian and.
Make somebody think that that, uh, you know, we're how can we trust the Lord when we're taking away something that represents the Lord to them?
I'm gonna move over to, uh, well, actually I'm gonna read just, uh.
The 25th verse Am I not now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, go up against this land and destroy it. So he tells them that you think you have the Lord on your side. I have the Lord on my side because God told me to come and and come up against this land.
And I don't know what God told this king, but I do know what God said about this king in Isaiah chapter 10.
And.
This king was used by God.
And.
The only problem was this king didn't realize that he was as God put it, he was the axe, not the person swinging the axe. So he says in Isaiah 10, I will punish the fruit of the heart of the king of Assyrian, the glory of his high looks. And he says in verse 15, shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith. So if I give you an axe, it can't go chop down the tree for you, can it?
So this king was just the axe really in the hand of the Lord, and he got to think that he was really important.
So.
Umm, what happened in this story?
Was.
This king, he came up, he surrounded the city.
He got everybody worried.
And God sent this king a message. He prayed.
The answer to this king of Assyria's question Who did he trust? He trusted the Lord. We read that right in the beginning, didn't we? He trusted the Lord. Do you think you can trust the Lord?
For everything.
I hope you do.
Because that's really.
The really important thing about Hezekiah, you read a lot about him and you read a lot about him that's not in the Bible too. He was a fascinating man and I've seen pictures of tunnels that he dug through the rock under the city. I think maybe to get water in, I'm not sure. But uh, we read in the Bible, we stopped off all the wells so that the king of Assyria wouldn't have anything to drink outside the city.
But everything that he did prospered, and it wasn't because he thought he trusted himself. He thought he was great.
00:40:03
There probably came a time, there did come a time in his life when that happened with him. Umm, hopefully it wasn't a very long time and he repented of it, but umm.
The Lord delivered this king. He prayed to God.
And he said, you know, Lord, I don't have strength. It's true.
This king has really torn up some pretty powerful countries.
And I don't have strength to deal with that.
And that's, I hope, the way you come to the Lord I.
I hope it's the way we all come to the Lord is that we don't have strength, we don't have the ability to fight the troubles that come into our life, but God does.
And God sent this king an answer.
And he says, I've heard that prayer.
And this king that you're so worried about?
You won't even have to shoot an arrow.
You're not even gonna do a thing here.
And the Angel of the Lord came through the camp.
Of those people, this army that had come out against a feeble king.
Whose strength was in the Lord and the Angel of the Lord?
Visited that camp and it says that.
That Angel killed 185,000 men.
In one night.
185,000 men.
Go on like that.
The king mocked it, Hezekiah and the people and said, you know what, I'll give you the horses to ride on. I'm so confident that I can wipe you guys out. I'll give you the horses to ride on.
You just put the people on them.
He was pretty sure of himself.
Didn't know the Lord, and he didn't know the power of the Lord.
So God's power, that power that we.
Read about in that first.
To them gave he power to become the sons of God. That's God's power.
To change a life, to give life, to give a new life.
And for your life to actually be something good.
Something honored that honors the Lord.
So that power, you know, Hezekiah, all he did was trust the Lord and he held on to the Lord and no matter what, even when things looked terrible and it looked like that, he was, you know, if he if he just looked in his own strength.
He would say, boy, I'm I'm done for. I'm going to get wiped out. I just saw the other half of the country get wiped out not too many years ago.
But he trusted the Lord.
And I think a lot of how he lived his life gave him that confidence, too.
He first trusted the Lord and then did what was right.
They took all the things out of his life.
That didn't belong there. There's a verse in Proverbs that says in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence.
And his children will have a place of refuge.
Well, those children, the people in Hezekiah's Kingdom, were safe because of Hezekiah's trust in God.
And that country that he was so worried about, the Lord dealt with them in one night, and they went back to their own country, and the leader of that army was killed by his own children.
So, Hezekiah, I hope you think about him and think about his trust in the Lord, and I hope you put that same trust in the Lord.
Because he's good for it, and the things that will come into your life will be different.
But God is the same.
And God is able and God is willing to protect you.
To fight your battles for you.
And you can have confidence in him if you fear him and trust him.
00:45:01
Let's pray.
Our God and loving Father, we just give thanks for Thy word.
Think of this story which is such an encouragement of thy care for thine own and this king. We pray that we may remember this king as one who stood out none like him.
With his trust to thee.
And we pray that we may also be ones that are characterized by trusting me and fearing me and honoring me.
We just ask now for a blessing on Thy word and blessing on each heart here.
Ask for blessing on the meetings to come in a worthy name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Philemon
Reading
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106.
And.
Our godfather, we thank thee for thy love and thy care to us. We thank thee for giving thy Son the Lord Jesus and we just thank thee too for thy word. And we just thank thee that we can be gathered here. It's uh with joy that we are here to uh, look into it. We just pray for a blessing on our time. We just pray for help by thy spirit. We know that umm, you anti people to uh, be encouraged and to be corrected and to be comforted.
And we just, uh, would, uh, ask for help as we, uh, open the word. We just, uh, would pray too, for those on the road too, give them, uh, safe travels. And, uh, we just, uh, look to thee for a blessing, our God and Father with Thanksgiving and ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen.
I wanted to be profitable for us to.
Consider, uh, another servant in the, uh, New Testament in the Book of Philemon.
Under this, uh, that would be OK for us to consider this afternoon.
Philemon.
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother unde Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer, and to our beloved atheist and archipelas our fellow soldier, to the church in thy house.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God making mention of the always in my prayers hearing of Thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward All Saints.
That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you, in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in my love, because the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by thee, Brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for Love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such and one as Paul the agent, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
00:05:31
I beseech thee for my son Anesthesus, whom I have begotten in my bonds, which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me whom I have sent again. Thou therefore receive him, that is.
My known vowels.
Whom I would have retained with me, that in my stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind would I do nothing, that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldst receive him forever, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a beloved, a brother beloved specially to me.
But how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord, if thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself, if he hath wronged thee or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account. I, Paul, have written it with mine own hand.
I will repay it, albeit I do not say to thee how thou oest unto me, even thine own self besides. Yay, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord. Refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou will also do more than I say. But with all, prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
Their salute the Epiphros, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus. Marcus Aristarchus Dimas Lucas, my fellow laborers, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Philemon had a servant named an estimates as we get in this book, and he wasn't a very good servant. He wasn't very profitable. Sounds like just from, from, uh, what's intimated here. He was some real trouble to file Lehman and no doubt he had cost Philemon some expense and, uh, just like, uh, in any place you get an employee and you spent put time in them training them and.
Directing them and getting them fitted for the job and and this, this, uh, man seemed to just.
Pose a problem and finally he runs away and there goes Philemon's efforts and all his energies and, uh, his labor, so to speak, and his money and off it, it's gone and now he's got to go in and he's got to fill that place and whatever duties need to be done around the house and a very aggravating situation.
And this man, this slave onesimus, uh.
Comes in contact with Paul, whether he was captured as a slave, I don't know, but in some way, uh, he comes in contact with Paul and he's saved And now Paul, uh, finds an estimates a very useful servant, very useful, helpful serving in the ministry of the gospel and uh, he's about to, to write, he's writing back to Philemon and.
He's, he's cognizant of the fact that, that he's, he's entering into a really touchy situation, very difficult and, and circumstances that, uh.
Are liable to stir up the flesh and and even though an estimates got saved, maybe they're liable that there there might not be much affection towards an estimates and and Paul writes in such a way in a spirit of grace.
And in the spirit of Christ, and in that love that works by faith.
Uh, that, uh, works by the spirit, he, he writes back and he seeks to, to, uh, warm Philemon's affections up in a right way and the careful way, umm, without treading on, uh, Philemon's, uh.
00:10:05
I want to, I want to use the right word. I say right, But I, I don't know if that's exactly the right word, but, but an estimates belong to Philemon and, and Paul's recognizing what was properly Philemon's, uh, responsibility and, and ownership and all the while looking for an estimates blessing. You know, situations can come into an assembly and, uh, it's like taking a dog by the ears. Sometimes you just, no matter what way you go, it seems like you're going to get bit. And here's one of those situations.
And the, the, uh, the Spirit of God is giving us an example and this inspired epistle. And it's not just to find Lehman, but to the whole assembly because it's too, uh, that assembly in this house to address the situation that is we had in the previous meeting could have erupted into something that really could have disturbed the whole assembly and could have come in between the apostle and those that he loved and, and had labored amongst and, umm.
In that little assembly in Philemon's home.
Says on the bottom of my Bible here, written from wrong to file even by anesthesia servant. I believe that's the same person.
The Apostle Paul saying one of those other other pencils that after anesthesia was.
Say, umm, he thought of all diligently.
I think that was on a symphonis.
Second Timothy 1:00 They have similar names.
But you have it's it is a beautiful epistle of it's been called a Christian courtesy. And we have the great truths of the gospel exemplified and displayed in the life of the Saints. We see that there was a master Philemon who had been wronged by his servant Onesimus, and there was a mediator that brought them together. And so as the Sinner has wronged God and outraged God because of his sins, so the.
Bless the Lord Jesus is that one mediator between God and men and has brought us to God on a righteous basis.
And it's beautiful to see the way in which Paul approaches this matter, uh, between two now brethren, Philemon or, uh, was not saved when he left and he defrauded his master, but he was saved when he came back. And just so as we have the great truths of the gospel of reconciliation.
Between God and man, God reconciling sinners to himself. So here we see brotherly reconciliation and how Paul, as you brought up brother Steve, so carefully and diplomatically, if we can use the term in the correct sense, brought him back into fellowship with the one that he had wronged.
I rather enjoy the way he starts this epistle. You know, when he Rosatitis and when he wrote to Timothy, when he wrote to umm, the difficulty that there was in Corinth, when he addressed the difficulty in Galatia and he wrote as an apostle.
But he doesn't do that here. He addresses himself here as a prisoner of Jesus Christ. You know, he could have used his apostleship and said, you know, you need to take back this servant. But he didn't do that. He recognized that working already in the heart.
Was the Spirit of Christ. And so as we see later, we see the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by his brother. And so he makes the plea on that which is already operative in the heart of this dear man, and he presents himself not as an apostle, but as a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
This is sometimes spoken of as a pastoral epistle and.
That's one of the reasons is you mentioned, brother Dave, is because Paul's apostleship was not the point here. If Paul was addressing the assemblies in Galatia and the evil doctrine that had come in there, he insists on his apostleship and he, uh, he clearly shows it was not a buyer through man. He addresses to the assembly of Corinth and the many issues there. Again, he emphasizes his apostleship. That's what we find later in the second epistle. They were seeking to discredit because he had authority from God.
But this matter was not a matter that where authority was required as you bring out the thought of a prisoner would be calculated to stir their affections. And he also says down in verse nine, such in one as Paul, the agent here was an older brother that was seeking to appeal to them.
And we find that the affection how he could speak of Philemon in such glowing terms, the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by the brother. He was not a man that was short on compliments. And again I used that in the right sense to his brethren.
00:15:13
His beloved atheist, perhaps that was his wife. And to archipelas, our fellow soldier into the church in thy house. I just thought of that expression in two ways. Literally. I suppose it means they broke bread in the house. The assembly meetings were in the House of Philemon. But you know I would like to visit practical word in this day when it seems the work of the enemy is to crowd the assembly out of our house.
So there's time for everything but the assembly, and the assembly gets pushed to the back burner, so to speak. And it is not, does not hold a preeminent place in our lives. Well, here the church was in their house. They had room in their house for the assembly.
And another thing I believe it brings out is there was there was a moral correspondence with their house to that of the assembly.
And we know that holiness becometh by house, O Lord, forever we go back to Leviticus 23. This the thought just comes to mind.
Leviticus, chapter 23.
Where we have the feast of Jehovah.
And after the feast of first roots, again a type of the resurrection of Christ. And verse 16, it says even unto the Morrow, after the 7th Sabbath shall ye #50 days. And she shall offer a new meat or meal offering, so that it's the Pentecost, the 50th day that leads us to the thought of the formation of the Assembly of God on earth. But verse 17 says ye shall bring out of your habitations to wave lows of 2/10 DLS. They shall be a fine flower.
They shall be bacon with leaven. They are the first fruits unto the Lord. So there is not a type of Christ because there is leaven, but it is vacant. So the leaven is ********. It is not active working. But yet what they would bring are these two wave loads out of their habitation. And so that's really the assembly in a practical sense is composed of, isn't it? It's, it's our homes. And so the, this man here, uh, had the assembly in his house, not only in the fact that they had assembly meetings there, but I believe it brings out that there was a moral correspondence with his home with what God desires for the Assembly of God.
Good pattern for us in verse 4I Thank my God making mention of thee always.
In my prayers.
And you need to thank the Lord for our brethren, especially those that are of particular help to us, but all of them. And then the 5th 1St hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast.
Toward the Lord Jesus and toward All Saints.
Umm, we love the Lord, we love the Lord's people and uh, just, uh, there's a verse in first John 314 that says we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.
Had a very interesting experience a few months ago when I went to a Bible conference and uh, I was talking to an older brother, just went up and said hi to him and he, uh, he said hi to me and then he said, I pray for you every day and.
I just enjoyed the verse verse 4 here in connection with the apostle praying for Philemon and his family.
And, uh, it was such an encouragement to me.
To hear this from an older brother who lived thousands of miles away from here, but he cared enough for me to pray for me every day. It was a great encouragement to me.
We find in, uh, the epistles of John that if we, if we love him who has begotten, then we'll love those that are begotten of him. And we know that in a practical way, if we have a, we have love for our brother and sister, we're going to love their children. Doesn't mean their children might not be rascals. Doesn't mean they might not, doesn't mean they might not do or do everything. That's just how we think it ought to be done.
00:20:09
And so on. But we love those children because we love the ones that are their parents. And so this love and faith towards the Lord Jesus results in the love towards all the Saints, as our brother mentioned, that confirms back to us our own place in Christ. But, uh, it's a love as a consequence that doesn't require something in its object because it's focused and center is on the begetter.
Rather than the begotten.
And so it's a love that first is towards the Lord and then goes out towards all the Saints and, uh, and its result. I have a little question on verse six, perhaps the question and I thought together, but uh, Mr. Darby translates the end of verse 6. Umm, well, I'll just read the, the whole verse and new translation.
And in such sort that thy participation in the faith should become operative in the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in US, not in you, but in US towards Christ Jesus. Now there's a similar expression in the book, the Epistle to the Philippians in, uh, chapter one.
And uh.
Verse Well, I'll read verse six and verse seven, being confident of this very thing that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. And verse seven we get the grounds of that confidence, even as it is meat for me to think this of you all, because not I have you in my heart, but because you have me in your heart.
His ground of confidence in the that good work going on to the end, salvation being viewed at the end of the pathway in Philippians is that they had Paul in their heart. And really they had embraced what Paul had brought in the gospel and in Paul's doctrine in that little assembly had been established there in Philippi through the apostles labor. And they had him in their heart and certainly the truth that he brought. And so here in our chapter.
He says acknowledging of every good thing which is in US. Is that the same thought or is there something else here?
My brother and I are turning some pages. I'll just add this little thought with it, Paul says later to Philemon.
And they request that he prepare for him a lodging.
Paul had a place in Philemon's home and certainly in Philemon's heart.
Doesn't it say in first John, I don't put my finger on the verse, but he that is of God heareth us that the, uh, the mark of that renewed life is that he hears the apostles word and doctrine. And here there's a very practical effect in, in, in the life as you bring out this confidence that Paul had in Philemon, you know, that's had that confidence is sadly lacking. Another epistles, for instance, there in Galatia, he says, I'm afraid of you. He observed days and, uh.
And, and, and, and all that type of thing that would belong to Judaism. He was afraid of them. He did not have confidence in them. And Corinthians as well as they sought to, uh, they undermine his apostleship. But here the practical operation of Christianity is not only here in the apostle, but receiving him. And I'm thinking of the verse in 2nd Corinthians 8, little different context, but it has to do with the matter of giving.
OK, and the 10th verse.
Can I give my advice? For this is expedient for you who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago now. Therefore perform the doing of it, that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which he have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to the man half, and not according to that he hath not. Well, we desire to have a willing mind, that's what comes first. But God wants us to get beyond a willing mind.
00:25:29
He wants us to perform to the performance of a thing. An older brother said to me, he said his father told him years ago, there's many brethren that have a good wishbone but don't have much of A backbone. And so we need not only that desire, but to become operative in the faith that there's a performance of these things. And here it's the reception of Paul's, uh, Paul's letter and Paul's require, uh, his, his request.
At some point made to, uh, to read of the spirit that we have in Philemon here in the fifth verse, Umm, it's uh, much different than what I find in my own heart. Sometimes we read here hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward some of the faint, but we know that's not the way it reads. And, uh, often that's what I find in my own heart that there is a real, umm, a real, a real joy and a real love towards some of the Saints. But what we have here is the Philemon had a real love in his heart for all the things.
Beautiful to see Paul's different characterizations of his brethren, whether you look at the end of Romans chapter 16 or umm.
Colossians 4 here in this chapter to see how free he was with the accommodations that he gave to his brother. And such a commendable thing when we speak well of our brethren. And I find here the characterization of Philemon. He wasn't an austere man. He wasn't a harsh master from all we can tell. And what characterized him, The bowels of the Saints, that would be their, their innermost thoughts and feelings. They were refreshed. He says they're refreshed by thee, brother, but he takes up on that.
Finishes his request of him in the 20th verse. Let me have joy of thee and the Lord. Refresh my bowels in the Lord. That was Philemon's character, and now he brings that to bear on a very specific matter.
He says now you refresh my vows as you have done to all the Saints. Now there is something I am asking of you and as as he brings out how uh that Philemon as well as on estimates have been brought in the blessing to the ministry of Paul.
The request being made by Paul.
Philemon would have been a challenge to him.
As long Asimus was a servant.
Phone Lima and at the time that he was a servant, I.
I believe I'm correct that he would not have been saved then. He wasn't. He wasn't the same, that he was simply a servant. He was not a good servant. He apparently even stole from Philemon.
And umm, so Paul is now beseeching him. Maybe if we can just go to Galatians. Galatians 3.
28 Paul has pointed out to us.
In this in this verse, there is neither Jew nor Greek. And here's the uh.
The phrase that I was thinking of there is neither bonds nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. So this is a real vivid picture of putting that into.
An application.
To Philemon, who had been.
On this investors master to accept him now as a St. as a brother.
It makes me think, and I don't mean to to be offensive, but.
The gospel is open to all in the truth of gathering is open to all.
And it just strikes my heart sometimes that are we really?
00:30:00
Encouraging. Just picking up on what Brother Dave had said. Do we really love All Saints or do we just love particular Saints? Do we sometimes struggle with our ability to introduce the truth of gathering to those others that are not gathered the way we are, and are we concerned about whether they would fit in perhaps with our own individual or local assembly?
And you know, my heart is encouraged.
A number of the young people.
Who strikes me that they really do have a heart for going out and for sharing the truth of gathering and our pleas to bring others in.
And I just want you to be aware of how much of an encouragement that is to us all. It really speaks to my heart and it's something that I know that it would be pleasing to the Lord that even in this late day, there's.
A real effort to bring others into the truth of gathering. I just wonder if that's a piece of what, of why we have this book of Philemon as part of God's word to us.
There's so many scriptures that would be profitable in connection with that brother Terry just, but it starts with this love really to all the Saints.
And then each, each case, as we meet a brother or sister in Christ, there's a, there's an opportunity at times that the Lord opens up to, to, uh, share with them what the Lord has made good to us. There were two brothers no longer with us in Vestal. One most know here, Charles Little, another probably only local brother. No, that was Ed Kaczynski and Charlie used to love to tell the story.
About how Ed just seemed to know people all in the hills around this area and down into Pennsylvania. And he would Charlie go visit on Lord's Day afternoon or even other times. And and he said that would find people in just the oddest places and connections he had. And he'd say to CC, they're not all going to be gathered to the Lord's name, But he said we can feed him with Christ. And so he would go and whatever liberty that the Spirit of God gave, he would share.
Some of that truth that he had been brought into, that recovered truth that had been made good in his own soul. And every case was different as to how far it could go. And there's a beautiful principle that we can draw from the Old Testament where if an Israelite lost his ox or his *** and another found it, he was to take that animal and he was to keep it and take care of it until the rightful owner was found. And when the rightful owner was found, he was to restore it. And you know the truth.
The truth was recovered in the early 1800s for all the Saints. Not all are enjoying it, not all of want it, not all have entered into it, but it was lost and it was recovered. And we have the precious privilege and responsibilities that were to lay it up and keep it and take care of it and nourish it like an Israelite, if I can put it that way, would that lost animal. And when the opportunity comes to restore it and its rightful owners, that where it comes along and the truth belongs to all the Saints, but the Lord opens the opportunity.
Then we can give them back that which they've lost. We all have lost it, so to speak. So it's been recovered by the grace of God. So there's there's principles in Scripture. Another one was would be that we're not to receive to doubtful disputation. Maybe we come across a believer and it seems the Lord opens up opportunity to share some of the precious things that we've come to know and there seems to be an antagonistic spirit.
Well, I might be hesitant then to invite them out to meeting because I wouldn't want to introduce something into the assembly that would disturb the assembly. So every case really has to take wisdom from the Lord. But I think the underlying thing is love for all the Saints and the truth was recovered for all the Saints. And then each individual case we'd have to be on our knees before the Lord. But I have found that at work. Pardon the personal example, but you know, as I've met different brothers at work.
Not so many sisters, we just the way the interaction is or is proper, but brothers and, and, uh, they'll, they'll wanna tell me, you know, I want to promise keepers. And we had five bus loads of guys and, and you know, we got this big stage production going on. We're doing this play and I'm down in the pit playing such and such an instrument. Why don't you come on out And you know, they're really enthusiastic with what they are doing or feel they're doing for the Lord or something they're sharing.
00:35:20
Uh, it's a joy to me just to.
Kind of smile and nod and then say, you know what I was enjoying the other day from the word and just bring out and especially bring out some little Old Testament type of Christ. You know, I'm going to tell you our brethren in the camp, the Old Testament, a closed book. It's a closed book to them. And I have seen so many faces just look at me, not so many, a few to share a little something like that with them. And they just I never heard anything like that. Never heard anything like that.
And you're feeding them with Christ. And if the Spirit of God is working, you know what brother Kaczynski said this, he says it's like chickens, Charlie. He said you take a little crumbs and you throw it on the ground. They come and pack it up and you take a few steps, you throw some more and they come and pick that up. And he says pretty soon you lead them into the assembly and, and uh, you know, that's how it, how it needs to, needs to be. So there has to be wisdom as to how we apply these things. But I agree with you if that truth was recovered for all the Saints.
Grace runs throughout this epistle. We think of that passage, I believe, and look where it says when we have done all that was commanded us to do.
We will say we are unprofitable servants. We have done what is our duty to do so even if we did everything as we should do it and do it right as we should do, we're unprofitable servants. That's the bare minimum, the requirement. So you say, well, how do we ever get to be a point of a profitable servant? Because we find here Onesimus is spoken of as profitable. Verse 11, which in time past was to the unprofitable, but now profitable to thee, that is to an estimates as a servant and to me.
We can find some other profitable servant and that would be John Mark In two Timothy 4, Paul tells Timothy and bring Mark with the for he is profitable. Isn't that remarkable? The two men, the two servants inscription that are scripture.
That are spoken of as profitable. The one had a beginning of robbing his master. The second one abandoned Paul and Barnabas in the work of the Lord. Yet grace comes in and these two are spoken of is profitable.
Just imagine if this had been.
A conversation, so to speak, rather than a letter.
How it might have gone. I don't wanna, I don't wanna inject something that shouldn't be there. But I think this gives a sense. Perhaps think of the apostles speaking to Philemon and bringing before him an SMS and his conversion. And oh, I thought I might be much bold in Christ to join thee. Yet for Love's sake I rather beseech thee. Being such a one as Paul, the age of Paul. I'll be glad to take him back.
He doesn't stop there, and he keeps talking.
I beseech me now for my I'll take him back, Paul. And he keeps going and he says receive him as my own. But I will. I will, you know. And he just keeps going. But without thy mind I would do nothing. He could have ministered in your set, Paul. I just, I'm so happy to take him back and he just keeps going. And by the time he's done, I think by the time Philemon got to the Ennis letter, he just been melted in a puddle. You know, he just.
Overwhelmed.
By the expressions of affection and his affections would have been warmed towards, towards an estimates. And, uh, the apostle just seems to go, uh, one thing after another through this epistle is he seeks to reach Philemon's heart and he knows that the brother brought out he's working where love was already operative.
1St 21 There's Steve having confidence, and I have obedience. I wrote unto thee having, knowing that thou will do more than I say.
00:40:02
Yeah, just like to look at, umm, a portion over in the second Timothy.
Second Timothy, chapter 2.
On the first verse we read them.
Oh, read the 1St 2 verses. How therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the thing to tell us heard of me among many witnesses the same commits out of faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also, and then over in the book of Titus.
The apostle address is just a pistol to Titus we read in the in the fourth verse to Titus, my known son, after the common faith, and so on.
Well, we often take up this little epistle from the viewpoint of the Apostle Paul, the right to Philemon. Can we take it up too, from the viewpoint of the impossible of Philemon as he received this letter from the apostle?
But to look at it from on estimates is.
Viewpoint we find here's a man who is offended his master. He's coming to communication with the apostle. He's been saved and now he's about to go back to his master. I'm sure there would be some trepidation there as to how he would be received.
But I just thought of the way that the Apostle Umm speaks upon him and.
And I just wondered if if.
Often the truth is perhaps presented.
From the viewpoint of a father to a son.
That it would be perhaps received in a much different way. And so we find here in the 10th verse as he speaks to finding and he says I could see for my son on SMS whom I have begotten in my bond. There would have been that relationship that unless misspelled.
That he could go with confidence to back to his master, knowing he had that feeling of the apostle, that one who was umm, who had yearned over him and uh, spent that time with him as a father would to a son.
It's nice to parallel the spouses with Luke 15. You have the runaway boy and you have the runaway servant. Both were brought back. The prodigal in Luke 15 to think back with the light of his father's house and say of his servants, they have bread enough and despair. Oh, I perish with hunger. I'll arise and go to my father and so on. And he says, I will say, make me as one of the hired servants. I would have satisfied the prodigal's heart. He would have gotten back home and he would have been fed.
Security as a servant, but it would never, never satisfy the heart of his father. His father wanted him back as a son. And you see that with the heart of God, that he doesn't want simply us there as, uh, as servants, but to bring us into sonship. And so is Philemon, as Paul says, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother, especially to me. But how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord. I take it not now and simply a natural relationship as master servant, but now a new relationship in the Lord.
For God's thoughts go beyond our feeble thoughts. And again we see in this illustration of the gospel. But there's one other point I would like to bring out because this is indeed a wonderful chapter of reconciliation between brethren and restoration of, uh, Philemon. And while Paul does not insist upon anything, even saying the Philemon, I know you'll do more than I say. It's the spirit of grace that works. But he does say in the 18th verse if, which is curious, when he knew good and well he had.
If you have wrong thee, or oh, if the ought put that on mine account, I, Paul, have written it with my own hand, I will repay it, albeit I do not say to thee how thou hast sent to me even thine own self besides. And I believe there is a matter of, in this, in a situation like this, not only of, of, of restoration, of reconciliation, but that of restitution. I take it here. The largesse of, of, of Philemon's heart was grace, and this matter was forgiven. This was death. But Paul doesn't skirt the issue. He doesn't go around it. He acknowledges a wrong was done.
And Paul could say there he said, I have defrauded no man. And you have that the same thing with Samuel said before the people of God as they were departing from the Lord, blaming Sam because his boys weren't going on right. And he said, who's ox have I taken? Whose *** have I taken?
00:45:04
I've not deprived any of you and he put them in a relationship to the Lord. And so Paul had that same, that same spirit, but here in a very delicate way, he addresses this if he's wrong thee, I understand Philemon, that this has been a financial loss to you an estimates. Uh, it harmed you. Well, he knew Philemon or anesthesis Conte. He said, put that on my account. And in light of the gospel, how we can say we could never pay the debt we owed And the Lord Jesus said, put that on my account.
He paid in full what we could never pay, and the forgiveness and grace and love of God have flowed forth, flowed forth to us as a result of that finished work. But yet in practical matters, I think that point of restitution is a, is a point to consider even under the law. And the trespass offering, if one man wronged another, he was to restore the principal part and add a fifth part there too, 20% more than what he had taken. And so we don't want to ignore that side of things as well. And yet it's couched in this epistle in such a beautiful way.
It is, it is hardly even noticed. And again I take it that Philemon, in the largesse of grace, would forgive all and receive him back with blessing.
We see that same principle in Luke 10. We could turn there for a moment.
Connection with the man that fell among thieves.
In Luke 10, in verse 33 we have what a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beef.
And brought him to an end, and took care of him. And on the Morrow when he departed, he took out two pens and gave them to the host, and stood unto him. Take care of him, and whatsoever thou send us more when I come, I will obey thee.
I remember before I picked up a hammer, before I was married, I, uh, I did some accounting and I worked for a company and, uh, one of the responsibilities of our department was to, umm, was to, uh, take care of the budgeting for the, for the, uh, for the coming year.
And umm, these budgets would be set out and umm, there would be a meeting, umm, where the, umm, the various officials of the company would, uh, would get together and they review this budget. And it was, umm, it was amazing how very, very careful they were as to where their money went. Umm, they were very, very fussy about these budgets. This kind of care where the Samaritan says, whatever it costs, just I'll pay it doesn't matter what it is, I'll pay it. And we have that same spirit.
In connection with the Apostle addressing this with Philemon.
Now, whatever you'll, I'll look after it. What kind of care do we have as brethren for those of us, umm, who come in contact with, with, with brethren, uh, ourselves and our own local assemblies, What kind of care do we have? Is it this kind of care that says doesn't matter what it costs?
Whatever it is, I'll look after it. Just really impressed by the Samaritan doing that, the certain Samaritans and also here the apostles saying that to Philemon about.
I remember her brother saying that Paul is willing to spend and be spent for his brethren and I'm wondering too, and I'm not sure exactly where it is, where he speaks prophetically of the Lord Jesus Christ, where he restored that they took none away. Would that not be the same? Same idea?
Yes it is. It is the same thought I believe brother, and I enjoy what uh to think of the Lord Jesus. They're crucified between 2 Thieves and the one in the middle is the one that restored that which he took not away.
Well, can we read? Will a man rob God? And ye have robbed me. So man has robbed God of His glory by his sin and that sense, and an insult against His Majesty and His Holiness. And all that he is, is God and light. And the Lord Jesus restored that which man had taken away, that which He Himself took not away. And He gave glory to God that the 1St man really never could. But I like how Brother Lundeen put it. He added the 5th part there too.
Two things I've enjoyed with this one is that it's not that he just restored things back to their pristine condition in the garden, but He brought glory to God. That 10,000 thousand atoms that never sinned in the Garden of Eden in 1000 thousand worlds could have never brought to God. Christ brought to God in Calvary's cross, but he's also bringing many sons to glory. He's adding a fifth part there too.
00:50:43
With matters that come up or our brethren, if, if something happens and uh, Shem, Ham and Japheth, umm, we have Ham in, in Genesis 9, Noah had come out of the ark and he had gotten drunk. He had done something he shouldn't have done. And Ham looked at his father's nakedness. But umm, it says in that Shem and Japheth, because his arm is laid it upon their shoulders and went backward and covered the naked nakedness of the father.
So how? How is it with us?
Umm, something happened, someone does something to us. What is our response? Do we get on the phone and say, hey, Can you believe what Scott said to me that he did this and did that and oh, that's terrible. I can't, I can't believe that. Umm, or do we, uh, take it, umm, and, and try to cover that offense that, that our brother or sister maybe did to us? These things are real and they get.
They tend to grow roots and they grow roots quickly. And umm, it's interesting that umm, there's so much care given in this little matter. Like our brother was saying, why didn't he just, umm, you know, have a conversation And I'm sure there was many. Obviously it was, it's for our benefit and those, umm, down the ages reading the scripture, but there were certainly many. I'm sure that we're watching, uh, there, there were going to watch.
What would Philemon do? What would he do? This guy is stolen his money. This guy has treated him wrong. What, what was he going to do? Was he going to forgive him? And we too, we have people watching us, uh, as those in responsibility, uh, those who have the truth of God delivered to them. They're, if you're a young person, you have kids at school, they're watching you. They'll watch what you do. They'll watch how you treat a matter. If someone treats you the right way or the wrong way, they want to see the world wants to see how you'll react.
We as fathers or mothers, we have our children watching us.
We have people in the assembly watching those of you who are older, you'll, you have the assembly looking to you, older, older, uh, men, older women in the assembly. Uh, you have those watching and we're looking to see what, what you will do. Do you cover it up? Uh, I'm not talking serious matters that need to be dealt with, but personal offenses. Do we have the spirit of Ham that we want to uncover things and we want to, uh, talk about them or do we have a spirit of, uh.
Jim and Japheth that we want to uh, uh.
Cover something that may be of offense and, and uh, may, umm, may be beneficial to our brother. And if it was just umm, covered and forgotten about that.
138 one 3/8.
00:55:03
Regions bleeding, fleeing on the train. The roads came in front. Raised by the Rainbow King and your friends.
Gospel 2
Gospel—Dwight Dods
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Well, we've come to the.
Last meeting.
Of the series of two days.
I always feel at the end of a conference.
The solemnity of this last Gospel.
It seems to me that.
The Lord has given us such a feast.
Throughout the conference, throughout the two days.
But he gave us the opportunity, one more opportunity for any who may have sat.
In these meetings are still lost.
It seems he's just prolonged it a little longer because God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
We heard last evening.
That is quite possible.
To come to meetings like this.
Sit through them.
And go out the door lost.
And so tonight I.
Trust if someone is sat here during these two days.
I do not know their sins forgiven. They will not leave this room.
And so they're sure.
They're ready to meet God.
I don't know everyone in the room and if someone has come in.
Took advantage of the invitation to come. We want to welcome you tonight.
Well, it's a thought that this may be the very last opportunity I want to sing a favorite game of mine.
I think it's a warning.
It's #25.
Says life at best.
Is very brief.
Like the falling of a leaf.
Like the binding of a sheaf.
Be in time trading days are telling fast that the dye will soon be cast.
And the fatal line be passed be in time. In all, the gospel is not going to go forth forever.
It's gonna come a moment.
You know Noah preached for 120 years.
The judgment is coming that was going to be a flood.
It seemed impossible. They'd never seen rain.
You know, one day.
The door was shut.
Tonight, let's sing this and think about the words of it. Some women started for me, please.
Life had passed in very green, like the fall in our living, like the lighting of the ship.
When you get into 1000 times, but the power was still pretty powerful and what they were going to hide behind.
In the heart.
Nsnoise.
United Nations.
The American union of the morning water. It makes the Lord in your heart destroyed, that I am of heaven will restore.
In time.
Umm from 51035 from my way and I see when I grow up.
On the side of our hands tonight.
In time.
God's word says Behold now.
Is accepted time. Behold, now is a day of salvation where we look to Him for His help.
Our loving God and Father, we do come before thee at the beginning of this hour.
We thank Thee for the two days that thou hast given to us.
We can enjoy those things by self, enjoy the person of my beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
But now we are at this last meeting, these last few minutes of this, uh, time together.
And we're wonder whether each one in this room.
We'll enjoy these things.
Whatever, uh, be caught up to be forever with thee or to be left behind.
Well, there'll be one in the room tonight.
That uh does not know the Lord Jesus the Savior who has I here enjoyed the company of their friends.
But I've not enjoyed thy company. We do praise a night that they, uh, may realize they're sinners and they must meet thee.
We thank thee again, loving God and Father, for thy love, for thou this love, this world.
Thou the sand, thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus in this world save sinners. We thank you tonight, at this very moment, we can still proclaim that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. We know not on the door of a shut.
And so we seek Thy help. We seek help for the speaker, that Thou wilt bring the very portions, very words to his mouth to clarity of mine strength. We just ask these things and give thanks and the worthy and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
00:10:04
And turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10.
1St 31.
It is a fearful thing.
To fall into the hands of a living God.
Read that again. It is a fearful thing.
The fall of the hands of a living God.
I just read recently of a man who in Australia.
Gave out tracks for 40 years and with each track he asked a question.
Has he had on the track? He said. Are you saved?
If you should die tonight, will you go to heaven?
That was the message that he gave when he struck.
I want to ask you the same question tonight.
Are you saved? If you should die tonight, will you go to heaven? And I'd like to add, if the Lord Jesus would come tonight, will you go to heaven?
These are serious questions and this man, he for 40 years, that was his message.
Interesting, For 40 years he never heard of one convert.
Until two weeks before his death, that was a message for 40 years.
The Lord bless that.
Message.
Too many that was found out. There were hundreds, not thousands through that message that were saved. But that's the point tonight is I want to ask you that same question. Are you saved? You know, that's not a message that goes forth very often in this world anymore.
The question of are you saved? And I wanna ask you what does it mean to be saved? What it being saved from? If you're in a burning house and you someone come in and hold you out, which say that you were saved from certain death, but what does it mean when we say are you saved?
God's word clearly states that the soul is sinneth, it shall die.
The soul that sinneth it shall die.
Also states that after death.
Is it pointed on the man wants to die?
And the judgment?
God isn't a holy God and he cannot have sin in his presence.
Tonight I feel I am speaking to.
Perhaps everyone in this room who knows the.
Facts of the gospel. So I will not go into all the details because I believe you know them.
But God looked down, and he saw, and he tells us his words, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
So everyone who sits in this room tonight is a Sinner.
Either a loss center or a safe center. Everyone ascend. And if you're here tonight, not sheltered, not saved.
God and His love saw the condition of mankind, and He had a plan.
How we might be spared.
Yes.
The soul that sinneth it shall die.
And God's plan was.
That he would provide his own beloved son to come down and die so that we might not have to die.
And so it is the night that we can stand here and offer.
On God's behalf.
Salvation.
That you don't have to perish. You know, I've often said the difference between lost and perishes lost. There's still hope.
00:15:06
The parish is gone beyond hope.
We sometimes read in the newspaper how that someone is lost and they're got a search party out for them and they're looking for them. Why? Because there's still hope of finding them and saving them from perishing.
But once you read.
Such one perished. They don't look. That's the end. There's no hope for them.
And so it is tonight. If you're lost, there's hope. God has provided a means of salvation and He's offering you tonight. And that's what I want to speak a little about.
Who is this one that we must meet? This one that we've read that is a fearful thing that falls in the hands of living God? If we go down to the next chapter in verse two, we find this one is most powerful.
Verse Sorry, verse three. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.
So things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Here we find the power of God.
He spoke and the world became in the being. And I want to say that young people, and some perhaps are not so young that when you go to school you're going to be taught all the various ways that this earth possibly come into being.
Don't believe anything is simply God spoke and I say.
Some not so young, not too long ago, man, perhaps in his 50s, a Christian that's gathered and he started to explain to me how God would make and how he'd bring the molecules together and how he would make the world.
He started with nothing, it tells us.
The things which are seen.
The word of God so that things which are seen were not made with things that do appear.
God took nothing. He didn't need anything. He didn't have to bring certain molecules or whatever you want to call them together to make the world. He spoke. That's his power.
And that is the one with whom we have to deal with.
And you can see with such a one that is so powerful, and we could read that he cannot look upon sin. It tells us if he is of two pure eyes, behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity.
God is light, He can't have sin in his presence.
And so we have the meat. Such a one. If we were to turn back at least the 4th chapter of the same book of, uh, Hebrews, we find that we must meet with them.
He's got.
You can't get out of the appointment. Many appointments we can skip, call up and cancel whatever. This is when we must meet this one.
And so it is. How then are we going to find a way of meeting with them? Let's look at the.
First, uh, a little further down the chapter verse, uh, Chapter 11, verse six. But without faith, it is impossible to please him or please God.
For he that cometh to God must believe that he is.
Very starting point. First, we must believe that God made this world and we're responsible to Him because he made us.
We must believe he exists and is.
And it's impossible to please God without faith.
The last, yeah. Especially yesterday we had a lot.
Uh, concerning faith.
It's such a simple thing and yet.
I think that the more people stumbled over the word, over faith and many other things.
00:20:02
What is the?
Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
But you know, we have.
Different ideas I believe what faith is and I think for many newly converts, faith the word faith seems to cause a problem and often they begin to wonder whether.
Do I really have enough faith?
We need some and they say.
I've got my faith, you've got your faith. Let's just go on.
Total misunderstanding here of faith.
Let's turn to, I think the best definition, the one that I like best anyway, as to faith is found in Acts.
Right, you're the end of Acts.
This is where Paul was on the ship that was in a storm. They've been there for several days.
Paul receives a message in verse 23.
Says There stood by me this night, the Angel gone, whom I am, and whom was served.
Saying fear not, Paul.
Let's go down to verse 25.
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be, even as he hath told me.
I believe God that it shall be, even as He has told me.
I know no better definition or explanation of what faith is.
That we believe what God has told us.
You know when someone says I've got my faith, you've got yours.
How foolish often, if we consider what they're saying.
It depends whether the object or the person. Whatever we have put our faith in trust, we could say is another word in whether it's trustworthy.
I don't believe in the Word of God. You'll find faith used anyplace else other than that which is positive and trustworthy.
We talk, people talk about faith in certain person. There's no man in this world that we can put faith in.
We talk about and men talk about faith and certain things. For instance, I think most of us heard the story of the Titanic, that ship that left England, beautiful ship, declared it was impossible to sink. And I expected everyone who stepped on that big ship, the Titanic, got on in absolute faith that we're going to reach New York.
So it's not a matter of, oh, we got faith, it's the object or the person that we have it in that matters. We know the story of that Titanic. It never reached New York. That first trip. It made that in unsinkable ship. It sunk and hundreds went to their death.
And so.
When God talks with faith, it has to be in a person that cannot fail.
And it's not a matter of how much our faith is.
I think this is where many young people that are recently saved, many children, after they're saved, they start to get doubts. Perhaps I don't believe enough.
The point is not how much you believe, but who do you believe in. As we had some time today, the question was out later Sunday school.
In who are, in whom do you trust? That is the question. In whom is it that we trust?
In the days of the children of Israel and went to leave Egypt, and we know that the blood was put on the door, and the Angel of the Lord was coming through that night and.
00:25:04
Uh, anyone who is in a house that didn't have blood on the door and all this was slant. Everyone who was in a house that had blood on the door, as God has told him to do, they were safe. It wasn't a matter of how the person inside was nervous or whether he was rejoicing. It made no difference. It was because of what God had said and the blood was there. And so it's his night. Faith is really.
In the person.
And what is it? It's in believing what that person has told us. You know, we don't know anything else other than what we're told in this book.
And Paul could say, I believe God that it shall be, even as he has told me.
And so I'd like to just consider just a few things that the Lord has told us.
I believe every one of us in this room perhaps know these things that God has told us.
And I would like to ask the question tonight before we even get into these verses. Why have you not believed? Is it because you do not trust that God is telling the truth? You know, we're told if we don't believe what God has said, we don't believe we're a Sinner. We're saying that God is a liar.
What a serious thing to tell God he's a liar. And if we go on that way, we will meet this one that we read about that it's a fearful thing to fall into hands of a living God. Can you imagine?
Meeting the one that you have declared to be a liar.
The one who did everything possible to save your soul.
Gave his own son and you turned them down. So I don't want I don't believe you. And that's really what it is. I don't believe you. And so tonight I would like to ask you the question we asked the beginning. Are you saved?
I want to ask another question. If not, why not?
If you're in the room tonight or this afternoon and do not know what your sins are forgiven, why not?
Someone mentioned the believers yesterday that sometimes it's, uh, we just want a little bit more of this world, little bit more of the pleasures of this world. We feel if we become a Christian, we're going to have to give those things up and we just want a little bit more for a little bit longer.
Is that true? If anyone in the room? Has anyone got a thought in your mind that oh, if I become a Christian?
I'm gonna have to give up some of the fun that I'm having in the world.
To that, I want to give a very humble illustration. I think we've all, uh.
Scene, I said, driving along, and there's a dead carcass on the road and there's a crow, big crow, feasting on it.
And as we drive down you amazing how they time lapse as you get closer. Now one more bite, one more bite, one more bite. And then they try to get away. Well, we've often seen it and I'm on the way down. We saw that big crow, he took one bite too many.
And he wasn't able to get off.
He was nine dead.
Is that what you're doing? Are you going to take one more bite of this world before you come?
God says he speaketh once, she ate twice.
Has the Lord spoken to your heart before? Have you ever been exercised that you ought to come to know the Lord Jesus as Savior and own them as your Savior? Own that you are a Sinner and desire is safe?
Or do you want just one more bite of this world?
I'd like now to turn to just a new story of a man who had.
Hey, Luke 18.
Again, we know this story.
We don't need to have an awful lot of knowledge.
00:30:09
If we were to turn to those well known verses in John 3.
We would read the.
And God looked down and knew the desperate need of the Sinner.
That he was going to perish. Every single man and woman in this world would perish if there was no Savior, provided there was none that could save himself. There was no way every Sinner must die. And then we read such a lovely verse, that for God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, that is, he has faith in him, not as he trusts that one, that person that cannot fail, that one who cannot lie.
Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Then we read that he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. And now we come to this story and Luke, and we read of this blind man.
And I think we have here a little picture of a man who had faith in the person of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 35 And it came to pass, that as he was come unto the Jericho, nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside, begging and hearing the multitude passed by. He asked what it meant. And they told them that Jesus of Nazareth passes by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace, But he cried so much more.
Thou, son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I will do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight by faith as safety, and immediately.
He received his sight and followed him, glorifying God and all the people when they saw it.
He gave praise unto God. Well, here's a man. I'm sure he hadn't got a big education. He didn't know a whole lot, but he was a beggar. He was a blind man. They didn't have blind pensions in those days. And the only hope he had was to sit on that dusty road and hope for the goodness of somebody to throw a coin in.
How long you been there? Probably many years and those who have been Asian seen the dusty roads in the desert with no I'd be like to sit there down there, Jericho.
Suddenly hears a lot of traffic.
Speed. Foot traffic.
Then he asked the question, what does this mean? What's going on?
Man, you know the answer they got. Uh, there's a man here from Nazareth. I've been to Nazareth and I here, I've been to Nazareth. It's not the most nicest town in Israel.
A very poor place, they said, that Jesus of Nazareth is going by.
He's passing by.
He may never come this way again.
The self offer of salvation may never be offered again. Brother that the prayer room as we prayed before the meeting said that this may be the very last opportunity God is given. One more opportunity. This may be the last time Jesus is passing by.
What does this blind man do? I'll wait till the next time, he said Jesus of Nazareth, would you listen to me? Somewhere this man had heard that the son of David.
Would be the Messiah, the one who could give sight.
He didn't refer to that man going by as the.
Jesus of Nazareth, why does he cry out? He cries out because he had faith in that man, in the man. And we have here that.
00:35:00
And he cried, saying, Jesus, our son of David, thou son of David, he was told this Jesus the son of David, he had faith in this man. Have mercy on me.
And they rebuked him.
Oh dear friends, today, if you are exercised and your friend that is still unsaved know that you're exercised, they're gonna rebuke you.
Dear sister, I was talking to you yesterday and I'm sure she's in the room today and I'm sure she won't mind if I I won't mention her name, but.
Told me that when she was a girl.
She grew up in a religious home.
He went to church.
That, uh, that's a girl. She went off to camp with a a group.
And there she heard for the first time how to be saved.
And she accepted it and she came home and told her mother that I was safe.
Oh dear, Mother Joyce, no.
Get that out of your mind. We don't believe that stuff. I didn't know they taught that at that place.
Oh, that's what the world will tell you. That's what your friends, unsaved friends will tell. They've rebuked this man. Did it stop him? No, he was an earnest. Nothing was going to stop him. He just cried at them or.
And he told hold the seats, but he cried at the more the Son of David have mercy on me. And here we find the Lord Jesus stood still in front of a beggar and.
Word to this blind man, what do you want?
The man knew he was blind.
You know you're a center.
He said, Lord, oh I, it's amazing. But this man, that blind man, first he recognizes the son of David, now he owns him as Lord. And he says, Lord, have mercy on me.
Yes, I shall confess the Lord Jesus as Lord.
And believe in thine heart that God has raised them from the dead. Thou shalt be saved. And Jesus said unto him.
Receive thy sight.
Has God ever turned the center down? Never.
You can turn this blind man down either and he will not turn you down.
Tonight, have you put your faith in that man? Have you put your faith in that man?
And what he has told you.
He has told you that the Sinner must die.
Honey, he's told us to They're without the shedding of blood. That is, unless someone dies. Unless you die or without.
That blood life is given up without the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness of sins. But then he's told in this word, no. I love this verse.
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin.
That's one of the things that.
He's told us, I believe.
But God has told me that is faith. I believe what God has told me.
Can there be any doubts if we believe that God has told us?
The blood of Jesus Christ, all those sins that he has recorded.
Told us that we're sinners, but now he tells us away that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin.
I see your time's gone.
Have you accepted him? Do you believe what he has told him told you in his word? Oh, if you just.
Rely. Trust what he's told you, if you can say like Paul could say I believe.
It shall be, even as he has told me. You'll never have another doubt.
Because God's Word has never changed, you can go back day after day and look at that same verse.
And find the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses a small sin.
We can read through the verily, verily I sent you he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me.
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High everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation or into judgment, but is passed from death unto light. That's one of the things that he's told us. I believe that it shall be even as he has told me.
Or as you read the scriptures, I wanna suggest to you young people, especially those who have recently been saved, just read those verses and say, I believe that shall be even as God has told me.
Well, I see your time's gone. We won't sing with this. Ask the Lord's blessing.
Our loving God and Father.
As we end this time together.
We do pray if there's one in this room that when we get home.
The Father's house, thy house, when we were all together there, there'll be none there here in this room tonight. There'll be missing.
We do pray that there is one who has put it off.
Who is it where wants to feed just one little longer?
That they may realize that it could be.
Too late.
So we do ask that blessing. We thank thee, our loving God and Father, for the love that would send thy beloved Son to die. Force.
We read that Christ died for us.
No, we've trusted each one in this room can say that Christ died for us. We do pray that as we read Thy word that we may in simple faith.
Say as I believe it shall be, even as God has told me.
We ask give thanks in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Open Mtg. 2
Open—S. Stewart, P. Daplyn
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61 #61.
Nsnoise.
OK.
Turn to a Scripture in the Romans 11.
And verse 29.
For the gifts.
End calling of God.
Or without repentance.
Genesis chapter 6.
Verse five. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart.
Was only evil continually, and it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man.
Second Peter.
Chapter 3.
Verse 5.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water, or by the world that then was being overflowed with water perished.
But the heavens and earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Verse 11.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God? Were in the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth. We're in dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, saying that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.
In the scripture.
And here in this little portion and Peter, there are three worlds that are mentioned. There are three worlds. There was that world.
Which was of old in the heavens, standing out of the water, and in the water. For the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters in Genesis, and he called forth that dry land, and it stood up out of the water.
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And those same waters that filled the heavens and the earth, in that world, God separated them by a space, by a firmament, the waters above and the waters below, out of which the dry land was called up. And so the world that then was stood in the water and out of the water, But those very waters were reserved.
Just as there is fire now reserved, and by those very waters, God overthrew that first world. It repented him that He made man.
Man had changed.
Sin had come in.
And it repented him that he made man. God changed his mind about that which had changed in itself, and that world was overthrown, overflown with water, and perished.
And Noah stepped out of the ark.
Onto a new world, a world that we presently live in, world that Peter says is going to come under judgment as well, but not water stored up with fire is going to be the end in judgment on this world. But we look according to his promise for a new heavens and a new earth. There's a world yet to come.
So there's three worlds, and the world that we live in is in between, one yet coming and one that has perished and is gone. Like to look back?
At Genesis again.
A little at that new world that.
Noah stepped out of the ark into.
Chapter 8 of Genesis 9.
Excuse me? Genesis 8 and verse 20.
I know I builded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour. And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I against smite anymore every living thing as I have done.
Let's.
Yeah, I pondered that. I think even as a, as a, as younger man, it seems so strange to me to read this verse and, uh, these offerings being offered and the Lord smelling a sweet savor Speaking of Christ to his heart, looking on to Calvary that the Lord would say he was not going to curse the ground anymore for man's sake.
And then say for for the imagination of man's heart.
Is evil from his youth.
And I thought, well, isn't that the very reason he brought judgment on that world that was overblown with a flood? Why would he, say, make this part of that statement, why he would not curse the ground anymore for man's sake? What he's doing is he's introducing a principle upon which he's going to act in this new world.
That Noah and his family stepped into a principle upon which he did not really act in the world before the flood. And he says the word to know. We're going to start out right up front. Noah knowing this, the imagination of man's heart's only evil from his youth.
The fact.
And so consequently in Chapter 9.
He says in verse 5, And surely your blood of your lives will I require at the hand of every beast will I require that the hand of man, and at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso shutteth man's blood by man, shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God made he man.
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God comes in, uh, and, and what he says to Noah with this, with this very plain statement effect, man's heart is evil, his imagination is evil from his youth and therefore he needs to be restrained.
I'm not going to let man be unrestrained like he was.
In the world that just got overflown with a flood, he must be restrained. He filled that world with corruption, and he filled it with violence.
And he took his brother's blood.
That which did not belong to him. For the life is in the blood, and the life belongs to God, and the blood belongs to God. So another principle is introduced to They could eat and use animals for food.
Verse four tells us three and four tells us that. So we don't have any indication that before the flood man used animals for food and now he's allowing men to use animals for food. But he says but.
Not the blood, because the life is in the blood, and that belongs to God alone. And if I give you these animals for food, you've got to acknowledge that the life I gave them belongs to me alone and not to you. And not only that, it's the life of man and his blood as well. And if someone murders someone, Noah, you're responsible.
To exercise capital punishment and execute that one who commits that.
Send.
And so in principle, in principle, government in this new earth is committed to the hands of man.
And then God tells Noah.
Verse 7 And you be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply there. And so they were to spread out on this earth and families and to fill it, and that was God's purpose for man.
But we we read over a little bit in the course of time.
In Chapter 11.
Verse One. And the whole earth was of one language. And 1:00 Speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. And they said, one to another, Go to let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime they had for mortar. And they said, Go to let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach into heaven, and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth.
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, they have one laying all one language. And this they begin to do, and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Go to let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand when another speaks. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off.
To build the city, therefore, is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth, and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Soldier place there. I want to add one more scripture to that in Deuteronomy.
Chapter 32.
Verse 7.
Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask thy father, and he will show thee thy elders, and they will tell thee.
When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance. When he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel for the Lord's portion as his people. And Jacob is a lot of his inheritance. When God came down and divided man by language, He really created nations. It wasn't judgment.
For their wickedness of rebelling against his command to Noah to spread out and multiply and families throughout this earth. Families are instituted of God. He set that up at the beginning with a with Adam and Eve, husband and wife. And now he brings in something else here in this new world. He divides man by language and into nations. But it wasn't only just his purpose to do that in judgment.
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But he has something else in view. Though man's sin was the occasion, he had something else in view. He had a people.
And view, and a particular place and view. And he set the bounds of the children of the sons of Adam according to their nations. He purposed a place for each one of those in this earth. And he had a very special place, purpose for one special nation that was in his thoughts, and he was going to bring them into that place, and that was Israel.
And so we might look back at this, uh, time and see two things.
Families and nations both instituted by God.
Both instituted by God and this principle of government brought in to restrain man, that was really now going to largely be carried out by these nations, and they might carry it out very poorly.
I might carry it out.
Failingly.
And without regard to the one who gave them that responsibility. But nonetheless it was.
Committed to man.
Now going back to Genesis.
Chapter 10.
Verse 8 and Kush begat and Imran.
He began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord.
And the beginning of his Kingdom was Babel and Eric and Akad and Count on the land of Shiner, and out of that land went forth. Asher being made strong, he went out and builded Nineveh in the city of Rehoboth and Kayla and, uh.
Reason between Nineveh and Nineveh is, is the city of Ninas, which is really Nimrod. So it's beginning of his Kingdom was that very place of rebellion and, uh, he went out and, uh, being made strong, I think is perhaps one of the thoughts there. There's other, uh, uh, thoughts as to how that is interpreted.
And he built satellite cities. And how did he do it? Well, he was a mighty hunter. You know, I've haunted a little bit. I'm pretty poor hunter. And uh, it takes a lot of skill. But I can tell you this, I have no doubt the skills that this man, uh, learned in hunting, he applied to hunt man and he slave man. He enslaved other languages and he used them to build his Kingdom.
And this man, I'm just gonna give you very briefly, because I'm going beyond the word when I take this up, but in just in secular history, he married a woman.
Sumaramus and Nimrod was a violent man and he met a violent death and his wife gave birth to a son and said this is Nimrod reincarnated. And uh, he's, uh, he's the God man and worship him. And she and her son were worshiped.
And that's still so today. Even under the guise of Christianity, the woman and her son still worshipped. And it was the beginning of idolatry. And it spread out to all that earth in that tower they built with its many layers. You can see all around this world in the ziggurats built in the same fashion. Wherever you find them around this world in idolatry, begin to fill this world.
Something perhaps that had not been known before the flood either. We don't get a mention of idolatry until after the flood.
Hold your place there and we'll go back to Peter again.
Chapter one of two Peter.
And verse three, according as his divine power has given unto us all things.
That pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that called us by glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, are the very best.
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Promises the very best.
X 7th chapter.
Verse Two. And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken. The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Karen. And he said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I will show thee.
I want to look at another verse in Joshua.
Chapter 24.
And verse 2.
Joshua said unto all the people. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your Father's dwelt on the other side of the flood. That's not the flood.
That overflowed this world in judgment, but the other side of the river, because rivers flooded sometimes, and sometimes they're referred to as a flood in that way.
He dwelt on the other side of the flood. I take it that's Mesopotamia, the other side of the Euphrates?
In old time even Tara, the father of Abraham and the father of Nakor, and they served other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac, and back to Genesis. 10 Herb Genesis.
11.
Well, maybe we'll just, we'll skip, uh.
Chapter 11. For the sake of time and justice, look at 12. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto land, that I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great. And now shall be a blessing. Now bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and then thee shall all the families of the earth.
Be blessed. So Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Heron.
Verse 6 And Abram passed through the land, into the place of psychom, through the plain of Mori, And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed, I will give this land. And there buildeth he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
And he removed from thence unto a mountain in the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the West and Hayeye on the east. And there he built an altar unto the Lord, and called on the name of the Lord neighbor Am journeyed going on still toward the South.
And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was grievous in the land. It came to pass. When he was come near to enter into Egypt, he said unto Sarah's wife, Behold, now I know thou art a fair woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife, and they will kill me, and they will save thee alive.
Say, I pray thee that thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and my soul shall live because of thee. They came to pass that when Abram was coming to Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman, and she was very fair. The Princess also Pharaoh saw her and commended her before Pharaoh. The woman was taken into Pharaoh's house, and he entreated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep and oxen, and he ***** and men, servants and maidservants, and she ***** and camels.
And the Lord plagued Pharaoh in his house with great plagues because of Sarah, Abram's wife.
And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me she was thy wife? Why saidest thou She is my sister, so I might have taken her to meet a wife. Now therefore, behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and sent him away, and his wife, and all he had. And then we come to chapter 13. And in verse three he comes again to that place between Bethel.
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Nai.
Abraham.
We see from Joshua.
Was from a family that worshipped those idols that began at Babel. He was in that very place, in the midst of all that corruption, when God called him, when the God of glory and virtue appeared and called Abram out. And what did he say, Abram, get thee out of that idolatry? He did not say that.
He did not say that, He said, Abram, get thee out of what?
Family, kindred and country.
Those things that he had instituted in this world.
Both family.
N Nation.
Instituted by God. But he says to Abram, you get out, get out. And Abraham heard the call of God and he went out and you and I have been called too. And where in the world in in the midst of moral pollution and corruption too. And God has called us out. He's called us out of family and nation, because both family and nation are subject to corruption.
And sin and if our loyalties had to be first with family and nation, we would be bound to the corruption that they are subject to and can come into and have come into. But he calls Abraham out of those things, even though instituted by him. He doesn't say go change it, go rescue it. Go see if you can con, uh, revise things or turn them around or restore noises. Just get out, Abram. And you and I have been called out too.
We have been called out, you and I each have an individual calling of gone. Do you know, do I know we're called by God, by the God of glory and virtue to a path of following him and what is attendant upon that calling?
The exceeding great and precious promises, the best promises. Abraham was given promises.
As called by God, with calling goes promises of God, and he went out, and he laid hold on those things, and he went into that land of Canaan, and he left behind family and nation.
And the test came, and the famine came in the land.
And he left that path that he had been called to the Father of faith.
Left that path. You know there was number calling before the flood.
There was no calling of God before the flood.
There were certainly men of God, there were prophets of God, Enoch and Noah, but none of them called like Abram was. He was the 1St.
Called of God.
And God said of that world before the flood, it repenteth me that I have made man, and he repented and he overflowed that world with a flood. But Romans 11, we read the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. God isn't going to change his mind about Abraham. He called him, He's given him gifts, promises. He's not going to change his mind. And God isn't going to change his mind about your call and my call and the blessings and promises and gifts that he's given us either.
But Abraham fell, and he went down into Egypt a picture of this world.
He left that path of calling and the promises that went with it, that land that had been given to him of God. And what does he get? He goes down into Egypt. You know what Sarah is a picture of? If you turn to Galatians, we won't. She's a picture of grace. She's contrasted with Hagar. There's a picture of being under the law, and she's a picture of of the place we have in privileges, like Isaac, her son of being.
Sons of God and under grace.
And what does Abram go do when he gets out of that path of faith that the God of glory and virtue called him to? He denies his relationship with Sarah.
He denies his relationship with the grace of God. Is it word? Picture the grace of God called by glory and virtue. It's the grace of God that picked you and I out. But only get out of that path.
Of faith and calling will be brought into a place where we'll deny our relationship with grace.
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And relax in a way we won't be able to confess Christ.
And Pharaoh comes along, and he takes as Sarah.
And what does he do? He sends them all kinds of gifts. He sends them camels and that are just servants. And he's he went out of Egypt rich later. Like Can you imagine Abram standing there and here it comes from Pharaoh, all the camels and ***** and everything else, all the wealth of Egypt.
One thought.
We go through his mind.
Where's my Sarah?
How about you?
And.
We get out of that path. Spirit of God reaches conscience, does he not?
Uh, where's my Sarah?
Where is Christ?
Where's that grace that picked you up and called you into a path of walking with God? Is a friend of God?
None of that display would have mattered at all to Abram.
Where's my Sir? Oh, he denied that relationship. God restored it to him. There's always a path back.
And he comes back into the land where he bent the beginning, and now he has what he didn't have in Egypt, an altar and a tent.
I just want to make a few brief comments on our brother Steve was talking about.
Umm, you're reading in second epistle Peter.
Chapter one, Verse 4. Where, where, whereby are given unto us, exceeding great and precious promises, that by these can be partakers of divine nature.
You know, Steve, my brother was talking about Abram.
Computer too. He he failed in a similar way he was uh.
Rubbing shoulders for the world as we were wearing himself before fire.
And as a result, he denied his Lord, He denied his Lord.
The Lord Jesus looked at him.
When he denies his Lord a third time, as the Lord told him he would do.
And he went out and he wept bitterly. Wept bitterly.
But you know.
Our Lord has the thought of all grace.
And Peter was picked up again. He was restored.
You know, whenever I see a a picture of uh.
Of salvation. We can often use the same pictures as an application to restoration as well. It's the grace of God.
Fix this up again when we fall, not necessarily in sin, but uh, in a wrong path where we can't enjoy the things of the Lord as we did before.
And.
He's ever ready and willing. We turn our gaze upon the Lord Jesus Christ again to set our feet on the right path again as we were before.
And you know.
When Peter went through that time, that sorrow, that that bitter weeping, and then privately and then publicly restored by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Peter knew, and a fuller measure.
The depth of the love of God and the depths of the grace of God, so that He's able here.
To see whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. I think Peter uses the word precious seven times in his epistles.
I don't have time to find them all but.
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Chapter 2 of verse one. He also has Li lively stones are built up a spiritual host, a holy priesthood to OfferUp spiritual sacrifice acceptable by God unto Jesus.
Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture. Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone. Elect precious. He believes on him shall not be confounded unto him. Therefore which believe he is precious.
Verse 9.
But you are chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of him who have called us, called you out of darkness unto His marvelous light.
Well, I just wanted to share this few little thoughts because our brother was speaking.
How precious our Savior is to us that know Him, the Savior, and may we always.
Have our gaze on him.
And walk on that path to please him and glorify him in our pathway down here.
I don't know how long ago.
I can't call it.
We also sing #5 in the appendix.
3993.
Uh, before I speak, it's what I'm talking about, I'm afraid. I'm not sure.
Nsnoise.
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1515, 10-4 10-4 921292. 10-4 101 018111130531738.
Nsnoise.
And also saying the last verse of 160. The last verse of 160.
Breaches or Unity (2)