Vestal Conference: 2013
Table of Contents
John 14:1-6
Reading
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.
93.
And I bought one of my accounts but I don't want to do it.
Nsnoise.
Regarding our folder.
Surely thou hast done.
Far, exceedingly far above all that we could ask or think.
And what do you think of those councils and the Godhead in the past? Eternity and life. Purpose. Settled purpose.
And my beloved Son, to glorify Thyself, and thou hast brought us in objects of mercy in life, and of Thy love, that thou widest have children, feeling glory above for the satisfaction of thine own heart.
And truly, objects of mercy we are.
For we were lost and undone in our sins, and we think of how Thou, in thy eternal purpose and thy Son, would send him into this world to redeem us. We're dead in trespasses and sins, that we might be brought in, in grace in all its fullness. And thy heart of love and mercy and grace might be told out as it never could have before. And so we thank the our God and our Father for all that house brought us into. And Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for going to that cross.
To bring it all to pass, to finish the work that was given me to do. Lord Jesus, we think of the as the eternal Son from a past eternity, looking onward and seeing the Church and redemption's light.
Help me for the ravished with the sight that was give all.
On Calvary's cross. And there we were.
John, what our minds can take in Thou was already rejoicing to share with us all that.
00:05:06
Roots of victory, the spoils of the cross. We thank thee, Lord Jesus, for the hope that is before us this morning. And so we look to these thou fill our hearts well thy precious word this morning that thou lead us to a portion that would, uh, need us in our needs without us know them. Lord Jesus and our God and our Father, we pray that by the power of the Spirit of God, our hearts might be.
Minister to this day, and that it might bear fruit in our lives for Thee and as worshippers in Thy presence, for Thou seekest such hearts illuminated with divine truth to worship Thee. And so we just commend this to the asking My help, my guides and direction by the Spirit of God and the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen.
I realized that on an occasion like this, we usually take up a chapter or portion.
But I'd like to suggest a subject for these readings that the brethren Felix of the Lord, and that is the subject of the Lord's coming.
It's a subject that I believe is on the minds and hearts of many as we pass through the circumstances of life here in this world, as we see things changing on the world stage and developing for what is ahead. As many of the Lord's people are going through physical circumstances, circumstances in other countries with governments and the shake up of every level of society.
If we were going to do that, what I'd like to suggest for we begin in the 14th of John with those first.
6 verses and we might not get to it this morning, but then to read also.
In the fourth chapter of.
First Thessalonians.
From verse 13 to the end of that chapter, like give us a basis to at least begin with, and as the Lord leads, perhaps we can look at some other scriptures to bring before us this very precious truth and hope. I just put that out as a suggestion.
So I'll read the 1St 6 verses of John's Gospel chapter 14 and verse 13 to the end of First Thessalonians 4.
John 14 verse one.
Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest. And how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth.
And the life no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
4.
Verse 13.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that she sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so them also would sleep in. Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain.
Shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
00:10:13
Well, I don't suppose there's ever been a day when the people of God desire to be comforted, like the day in which we live again. There are so many trials and difficulties in every level of society in the world around us, in Christian circles, often in the assembly amongst those gathered to the Lord's name, problems in the home, problems in the workplace, and so on. And it just seems like never before we desire to be comforted.
I have thought a lot recently of what, uh, the exhortation to Isaiah in the 40th of Isaiah, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people. And I believe we need to be comforted in the day in which we live. And there's nothing will comfort our hearts, brethren, like looking beyond the horizons of this sad world. Because if you and I didn't have something beyond this world, a whole beyond this life and beyond the betterment of society down here as people phrase it, what a sad people we'd be this morning.
There would be very little, if any joy or comfort in our souls as we sat here this morning if all we could do was to look for better days down here. Because even in men, men in high places today, if they're honest with themselves, realize that they are dealing with an interplay of economic, social and political forces that are beyond their control. And you talk to people in in places of authority, corporately and governmentally and so on.
And they realized that the elastic is being stretched further and further and that it's got to snap somewhere. And if there's ever been a proof that we're in the last days, it's that verse that says men's hearts failing them for fear and looking for those things that are coming on the earth. And look in people's faces today and read the fear in the faces of the unbeliever, as optimistic as they may try to make things sound.
There is a inner fear behind that facade that perhaps has never been there before. And so we find here in this portion where we began, the Lord comforts the hearts of the disciples.
The Lord Jesus was going to leave the disciples. He was going to leave them in a world that wasn't going to improve.
It was only going to get worse and in these chapters that we refer to as the Upper Room Ministry, chapters 131415 and 16, these final words of the Lord Jesus before he goes to the cross.
And then anticipates returning to the father. He prepares to show them that while he's going to leave them behind, things are not going to get better in this world, but that he's going to make full, full provision for them. And so in these chapters, he just covers everything. He he begins with his a confirmation of his love at the beginning of the 13th chapter, the truth of seat washing and the way communion and fellowship with himself can be maintained.
After he leaves them, he takes up in these chapters the subject of the Spirit of God, the power for their new life, the one that was going to minister Christ to them and confirm the truth to them, and and so on.
But one of the things he gives them for their comfort to in the midst of it all. And this is what I would have had particularly before me.
Is himself in glory and the truth that he's going to return and receive them to himself. He says to them in the beginning of this chapter. This is not the end of the story. And while I'm going to leave you in this world, it's not home.
If you're just going to be sojourners, you're just going to pass through and you say, how could the Lord comfort them? How could He say, let not your heart be troubled? One promised brethren, He was going to come again and receive them to himself. There was something far better waiting for them. And I don't know when the Lord is coming, but one thing we're sure of, we are closer this morning to the fulfillment of this promise that He made on this occasion.
Than we have ever been before and can't we take comfort and joy from that?
00:15:10
So just to get a little outline of these first three verses of John 14, there are, as has often been pointed out, really three things that the Lord Jesus gives for the comfort of the disciples on this occasion.
The first one in the first verse is you believe all. You believe in God, believe also in me.
Believe what he's really setting before them here is himself, but not himself in the way they had known and appreciated him here as they had walked with him during his public ministry.
Someone raised the question at a Bible conference just like this one time. What is Christianity?
And someone said, well, Christianity can be summed up in one word, Christ, But that needs explanation because it's not Christ in the way that the disciples knew him on earth. It's Christ as the man in the glory, Christianity as another, as said, begins the other side of the cloud. The cloud received him out of their sight, and they saw him no more. And from that vantage, then he sent down the Spirit of God.
In the second chapter of Acts and there was a link and a connection that was closer.
To the Lord Jesus, and even what the disciples had known and enjoyed on earth with resources that, as these chapters explain, are greater resources than those disciples had known and appreciated when walking with the Lord Jesus here. So as the apostle Paul said, henceforth no, we know man after the flesh. For though we knew Christ after the flesh, henceforth know we him no more. And so Christianity is Christ.
But it's Christ as the glorified man in glory at the right hand of God.
That is what is unique to Christianity, a relationship with a glorified man. So the Lord says to the disciples here, you've believed in God whom you've never seen. Now you're going to have to believe on me in the same way.
You're not going to see me with the physical eye. So as Peter later on says in his epistle, whom not having seen ye love, though now ye see him not yet rejoicing, ye, we yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. So we've never seen Christ with the physical eye, but we do see Him. We see Jesus, but we see Him with the eye of faith, and we're associated with Him.
As the man who is beyond this world now, beyond its circumstances, and who is seated at the right hand of power. So that's the first thing He gives them for their comfort. Then, and we can develop this in the second verse, He sets before them the new home. The many mansions are many of both the new home. What a wonderful comfort for the disciples. And then the third thing is in the third verse.
The promise that He's going to come again and receive them to himself. So I think just for a few moments this morning, it's good to just develop this and meditate on these three things that are given to the disciples for their comfort and for you and for me who are still in this world of woe and difficulty. We're not there yet to realize we have Christ as the man in the glory for our resource, the home at the end, and the promise that He's going to come and receive us to himself.
The believer's heart can be troubled.
As he looks around in the world.
It can also be troubled as he looks inside.
The Lord in the last chapter, the chapter before he speaks to Peter.
To him denying the Lord three times.
I would think this would have been troubling to Peter.
So.
The sinner's heart gets troubled when he's convicted of sin.
And he believes in the Lord Jesus as his Savior.
And the believer's heart is troubled when he falls into sin.
I need to be stored by the Lord Jesus as Advocate and my priest.
00:20:01
And the believers heart is troubled when he sees those thoughts coming up in his natural heart and say, Lord, how could you love someone like me?
Well, because we believe in imminent character and His love and His grace, then our hearts can be rushed because we have a wonderful Lord and Savior.
He really is a beautiful example of that, isn't he in in chapter 12 and verse 27 is he reflected on what was before him? He said now is my sole trouble.
What shall I say? And so on.
Then in chapter 13.
Verse 21. Excuse me then when Jesus had thus said he was troubled with spirit.
Testify so to think of him, what he was passing through his own soul, and yet he could turn to his disciples.
With their blessing and their their hearts and view and say, let not your heart be troubled.
I was thinking of that too, brother running just to back up in the 13th chapter because even though he was troubled in spirit as he anticipated the cross and two, as he understood the hearts of the disciples and that there was a betrayer amongst them that Peter was going to deny him. They were all going to forsake him and play. It's interesting what it says about the Lord Jesus at the beginning of the Upper Room ministry, verse three of the 13th chapter.
Let me read verse 2 to get the setting and suffer being end of the devil, having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him.
And the Lord knew what was in Judah's heart and how it must have impinged the heart of the Lord Jesus.
To realize that here was a man who had walked with him and with the other disciples, and had remained unregenerate to the end, and now his heart was hardened to such a point that he was about to betray the one that he dared to call his Master. But what does the next verse say? Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he would come from God, and went to God. He rises from supper, and so on.
How could the Lord Jesus do such a thing? How could He calmly rise from supper, lay His garment aside, wash the disciples feet and go on then and continue to comfort their hearts and give them this precious upper room ministry? He knew that there was One in full control. He knew that everything was in the Father's hand. And He also knew the end of the story, that He had come from God and He must return to God.
And again, brethren, I believe that those two things are what are going to give us comfort and confidence to go on amidst the turmoils and difficulties of life again, first of all, to realize there's one in full control.
I remember one time we were going through some real turmoil in the local assembly and I went to see an older brother and my heart was pretty in pretty much turmoil. And I sat down in this brother's living room and he made one statement to me with all he had to say. He said, remember this, Jim, sometimes things seem out of hand, but they're never out of the Lord's hands. And I believe if we can just keep that in, in view in our souls, that.
It's going to give us comfort and confidence. And then, as we find with the Lord Jesus, He had the end in view. He knew that though He was going to go to the cross, yet there was the hour of His deepest sorrow and suffering was still ahead.
Yes, there was an end. Knowing the import of that verse that says weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. He looked beyond the long dark night. He hailed that coming day when He would return to the Father with the joy of having accomplished.
The Father's will so he could comfort them. And if I can just say this too, and Ron alluded to it, sometimes what troubles our hearts is not necessarily the condition of things in the secular world, but right amongst believers. And often to write amongst those we are in fellowship with us, gathered to the Lord's name. I know you've experienced it, and I certainly have, but I've appreciated what Paul said to Timothy. Not in First Timothy where things were in order.
00:25:05
But in Second Timothy, where things were in disorder, and there was much wanting amongst the Christian testimony in the last days in perilous times, what does he say to Timothy near the beginning of his exhortation?
He says he's not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. If we're afraid this morning, we didn't get that from the Lord. We got that from somewhere else. The enemy wants to make us afraid.
But if we are truly trusting in our God, occupied with a glorified Christ, and have the hope and the end before us, we are not going to be afraid, concerned, exercise burden. Yes, but He hasn't given us the spirit of fear.
Isaiah 5311 The Lord Jesus prophecy said we shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. She's looking ahead to when that work was accomplished on the cross that those who the Father had given him could enter into His rest.
And there's something that we have before us, the heavenly rest, that when we go to meet with the Lord, when He comes to get us, we'll feel instantly at home.
In His presence and the Lord's given us a privilege of being in His presence collectively.
For the various meetings, you think of the breaking of bread and the prayer meeting and the reading meeting.
But it had the work on Calvary had to be accomplished in order for that comfort that the Lord Jesus was giving us to His disciples to be fulfilled.
How His heart was straightened until it was accomplished what He had to complete on Calvary for us. And this He did and went through in the midst of all this without His disciples understanding the work He was about to accomplish.
There was no one he could turn to around and that he goes with surrounded him.
These things, and yet He was going to accomplish that work for us at such a great expense that when He sees with the travail of his soul, he will be satisfied. And then, as we have, I believe in the psalms of progress, we shall be satisfied when we're with Him.
Just say this too before we pass on that if we ever in our souls begin to doubt.
The thoughts that we are going to be there, safe in the Father's house with the Lord Jesus. What we need to do is look up by faith and see where the Lord Jesus is now. Because the fact that the Lord Jesus is there, having accomplished the work of redemption is the assurance that we are going to be there.
In the end, it might be helpful just to take a moment and go to Hebrews chapter 6, because I believe there's a little incident there, a little illustration there that brings this out and gives us, as I say, that confidence. Because I've talked to those who I really feel are true believers and they are looking for the Lord's coming, But there are times in their lives when their hearts have been full of doubt.
Are we really going to be there? Is it really the way it it? It says, am I really going to make heaven in the end? But I believe this little incident that their illustration at the end of Hebrews six really gives us the assurance to faith. Just read from verse 18.
That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge.
To lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whether the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus.
Made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Our hope in connection with the Lord's coming is referred to in different ways in different portions of the New Testament. It's a blessed hope in Titus. It's a Good Hope in Thessalonians. It's a living hope in Peter. But here it's a sure and steadfast hope. This is the only hope that we can speak of in that way. All hope connected with this life in the first man is uncertainty at best.
00:30:22
We hope to do many things, but how many things have we hoped to do in our lives that have never come to fruition?
But the hope of the Lord's return is only hope in the sense that it hasn't happened yet.
We're not in the full reality of it yet. It's only hoping that sense. But what I want to point out here is he uses this little illustration of the forerunner. The Lord Jesus is the forerunner. It's an illusion back to that which took place in the days, Bible times in the days of sailing in and around the Greek harbors because history tells us that the Greek harbors in those day early days were many of them were only accessible.
At high tide, because of the rocks and Shoals at the mouth of those harbors. And so when a large sailing vessel approached a harbor that it desired to enter if it was low tide, what they would do is they had a little boat attached firmly to the to the Bo, to the large sailing vessel. And what they would with an anchor attached firmly to the sailing vessel. And what they would do is they would put the anchor in the small boat actually called the forerunner.
And the Forerunner would be rode across the mouth of the harbor and the anchor dropped safe inside the harbor. So if you and I had stepped up to the deck of one of those sailing vessels that was waiting to enter the harbor and said to the captain of the crew, Are you sure you're going to make the harbor? Oh, they would have said, you see that rope attached to the bow of the boat? On the other end of that rope is an anchor. And the Forerunner has already rode across the bar.
And drop the anchor safe inside the harbor. And that's our assurance that when the right moment comes, we too are going to make it safe within the harbor. And brethren, our forerunner, the Lord Jesus.
Is already there now as a glorified man. God has received him back now.
And I want to speak ever so carefully, but if God were to refuse me entrance now.
At the right moment into the Father's house, he would have to banish his own dear Son for eternity. And that is impossible. That is the security in which you and I have this sure and steadfast hope. And if you ever doubt your hope for your salvation, just look up and realize that God has received the forerunners there. And if it if there's a forerunner, it necessitates after runners.
Christ is there now where the after runners we're going to make it when the right moment come.
So the place being prepared isn't the thought of the Lord up there that we're making room for us, physical room for us. He dispels that thought was saying there's many of those. It's not a question of is there room?
But as our brother brought out, it's himself being there, so he's prepared a place. The moment he stepped into the glory of the man, that place for you and I was prepared. There's a man there will be there as men and women too.
And the place that he is prepared, has been brought out, is his own place. We're accepted in the beloved, and that's 100% acceptance.
We have a place of sun and glory already prepared for us, but the cross that He was going to has prepared us ourselves for the place that He has prepared for us in the glory.
His heart comes out in verse three. I will come again and receive you unto myself. The thing of the Lord Jesus back there is a man in the glory. He's the only man.
00:35:04
In the glory, in that way there are the spirits of those departed.
To be with Christ, which is far better. But as the man's spirit, soul and body glorified, there's only one and the glory. When the eternal Son of God took manhood into union with himself, it was what we call the incarnation. It, uh, was a step that was never going to be revoked.
When the eternal Son of God became a man, it was never going to change. It was not going to be something he would lay aside.
The mystery of that union is beyond us, but it's never going to be laid aside. What if he had gone back without the cross? He'd be a man in the glory alone forever. And what a prospect would that be for you and I to think of being alone for all eternity.
You know, God hasn't made us that way to be alone, has he? And so when Adam was in the garden, all the animals were brought before him. There was none to help me found for him. There wasn't his like. And God said it's not good for the man to be alone. And it's when we think of the Son of God becoming a man that can be said of him. It's not good for him to be alone and to have gone back without the cross. To be a man alone for all eternity, uh, is beyond what we'd be able to take in in our thoughts.
But he says I'm gonna come back because my heart is towards you and I want you with myself. I'm not gonna be a man alone in the glory for all eternity. I'm gonna have you with me. And so it's himself, in the glory that he sets before us is the object for our own hearts affections to be with him. And he's opening up his heart. He's saying, this is my heart towards you. I want you with me.
It's interesting to see in scripture sometimes a combination of words that are sequential and in verse three we have one set.
We have the word where and then we have the word there.
And if we go back to Genesis chapter 19, we see two other words that are sequential. And I'm sure that we could find other examples of this in connection with Lot.
In verse 15 of chapter 19 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened a lot. So we have when and then and then down verse 22 The Lord says, I cannot do anything till thou become thither. Then verse 24, then the Lord reigned upon Sodom.
So it's interesting to see these short sequential words that are used and what a a nice combination we have in verse 3.
Where I am, there you may be also.
This is the Lord coming for us collectively too.
For most of the church's history, I believe these scriptures after the apostles passed off the scene, the real meaning of them was lost.
And the believers, uh, before a recovery of, of, uh, dispensational truth felt that these verses indicated that at the time of death, the Lord would come and receive that dying person as they passed into death and out of this scene would receive that person to himself. And so that every believer, uh, had the expectation that when I die, the Lord is going to come and, and take me to heaven.
And that's how these verses were understood. But that made the believers hope then to be a hope and death.
And that was a whole But we don't have a hope in debt. We have an assurance that should we die, to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. But those that have departed to be with Christ have not changed their hope. They are still looking forward to what the Lord is saying here, His return for us collectively. The apostle Paul has been departed from this scene to be with Christ, which is far better for many hundreds of years.
00:40:06
He's still waiting for the Lord's coming. He's in a better waiting place, but.
There are many believers that still today that look at these verses and say, well, that's my hope, that when I die I'll go to be with the Lord. But that's not the believer's hope as we'll get to it in First Thessalonians 4 as well. Our hope is in the Lord's coming for us and his personal return for us all together at once collectively. And that's why we need the epistles, because if John 14 was all we had to go on.
We wouldn't really be able to speak the way we've been speaking this morning because the Lord didn't develop it here.
He just gave them for their comfort these things that we've been Speaking of, his return to the glory, his the the house, the home that was going to be prepared as a result and the truth that he was going to come again. But he just says, I'll come again and receive you unto myself. He doesn't develop it. And that's why we need the epistles. I remember a brother I knew quite well and he said to me one time He said, well, I only read the Gospels because that's to me is the most important.
Well, we certainly need the Gospels, and we need the pattern that was laid down, the example of Christ's life. Here we have much of the truth that is later developed in the epistle sown in the Gospels by the Lord Jesus himself.
Such as in these chapters in John's Gospel, but you'll never get the development of it and the full understanding of Christian position and what our true hope is unless you go to the epistles. And I'll just say in that regard to that, will never really fully understand the truth of the hope of the Lord's coming without Paul's ministry.
I realize that other of the apostles, other of the writers later on, bring in various aspects of the Lord's coming.
Like John develops it a little bit in first, John three and Peter talks about a little bit and James a little bit. But again, to have the real meat of it and to understand how it's all going to unfold, you must go to Paul's ministry. So it's important, isn't it, to have that full scope, just to, again, put it concisely and to summarize a little bit. It's already been said, but I think it's helpful to realize that on the cross.
The work of Calvary prepared the people for the place.
And So what has prepared you and me for the to be in heaven in the Father's house is the work of Calvary. And if we've availed ourselves of the finished work of Calvary, we're as prepared this morning as we will ever be.
By one offering He had perfected forever them that are sanctified but His presence in heaven. Glory in the Father's house, as Stephen said, is what has prepared the place for the people.
You know, sometimes we might invite company over and there's a lot of preparation goes into getting the house ready for the company. And sometimes things aren't quite ready and we say, well, I hope they got stuck in traffic a little bit or I hope they were a little bit late leaving and maybe we'll have a little extra time to get things prepared. But that, as you say, Steve, is not the thought when it comes to the preparation of the Father's house. The only reason that we're the Lord Jesus has not come yet.
And called us collectively to the Father's house is because there is still a work for the Spirit of God to do here on earth.
There are still some to be gathered in as part of the Church of God. When that work is completed, then the Word is going to be given and we're going to be raptured home. And as long as we're here, the Spirit of God will be here. That's why at the end of the Bible it says the Spirit and the Bride say, come. He doesn't leave till we leave because there's a work for him to do right up until the rapture. And another thing that's unique to the age of Christianity is the abiding presence of the Spirit of God.
Working here on a in a very unique way on planet Earth and that work will be done.
I realize the Lord will still work by His Spirit as He has in every dispensation after we're gone, but there's a unique work going on now. So it's not that the place isn't prepared. As Steve said, His presence in the heaven has prepared the place for the people, but it's the work of the Spirit of God that isn't completed yet. And there's something for each believer to do in the power of the Spirit here on earth as long as we're left here and when that work is done.
00:45:09
The Lord Jesus will come.
Sports desire.
We have it in John 1724.
Father I will, and they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.
The Lord wants us not only in the same places He is, but He wants us with Himself. I will receive you unto.
Austin and White.
Not just people who live in the same home.
They're enjoying each other's company.
And so the Lord is looking forward as we should.
Joining our company, I think up there in His presence to behold His glory to to worship and loving life.
John's ministry brings us into relationship with the Father, doesn't it?
And that's why it's called the Father's house here in John's Gospel. It's not heaven.
It will be heaven, but it's not referred to in that way. It will be glory, but he doesn't refer to it in that way. He refers to it as the Father's house because in the sixth verse he says, I, I don't want to miss what's in between, but he says I am the way, the truth and the life. Now we often take up this verse in the gospel, and that's OK. But in its context here, what the Lord is saying is that He is the way to the Father.
He's the truth about the Father, and he's the life that enjoys the Father.
Because again, that's the whole subject of John's ministry. It's bringing us into relationship with the father through through the son. And so it's the father's house. Not only that, but it's home, isn't it? We think of the father's house as home. And with the prodigal, I know it's a little different, but when he came back as a repentant young man, the father didn't just receive him onto the estate and give him a bunk out with the work, with the with the servants.
No, he was brought right into the father's house to sit down and enjoy fellowship and relationship with the father.
And that's we have that privilege now, we're in relationship now, and we can enjoy that fellowship. Truly, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. But there's a day coming when the full fruition of this is that we sit down as God's children, not just in heaven, but in the Father's house. And I suggest that while it's true no man hath seen God at any time, God is a spirit.
Yet we will see the Father in this way. We will see the Father fully reflected in the Son.
We will be conscious of the father's presence in the father's house and we will see the father in the son because he was the express image of his person. And he says later on, have I been so long time with you?
And hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hast seen me, hast seen the Father. We're gonna see, not just by faith, but we're going to see face to face the Lord Jesus in the coming day. Are we going to be conscious of the Father? Are we going to see the Father? I believe we will see the Father in that way. And so as God's children, we're going to be home, and home is the place where we're most comfortable, isn't it?
You know, I, I'm very comfortable in many of the homes of my brethren and they come out and they try to do everything to make you comfortable.
But I saw a little motto in a guest room I was staying in one time on the guest room wall it said. So it's not home sweet home adjust. And isn't that what we have to do down here? And even our own homes, as comfortable as they are, there's always adjustments. But brethren, think about it. When we get to the Father's house, as God's children, we're gonna sit down perfectly comfortable, nothing to bother us from within.
00:50:03
Nothing about our surroundings. Everything is going to be fullness of joy in every aspect. Can you imagine what it's going to be like not to have something physical or emotional or circumstantially to bother you or annoy you? You can't. I don't think any of us can enter in because there's always something. Even the young people here. It might not be something physical, but there's burdens and cares and concerns, and this isn't that.
But in that day, perfect comfort.
Enjoyment of the of the Lord Jesus and perfect rest in the Father as we see Him reflected in the Son.
I'd just like to give an illustration for the children and perhaps some young people.
In the illustration that we were invited here from our vegetable brethren.
It's like an invitation to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Now our brethren here have worked very hard and are continuing to work very hard to accommodate us.
And we sank some fork, but also we've got the invitation to come and stay at the hotel.
I picture that as going to say we're going through a journey.
We've been invited to several artists of Christ as our Savior.
We've been asked to come to him, be invited to come to him now.
He's coming to the end of the journey in this scene, but he's prepared to place for us. I didn't have to worry when I came here where I was going to stay. It was already arranged. It's like our salvation is in Christ, our home is in heaven, and it is already reserved.
I didn't have to worry about where I'm going to sleep. It was already prepared.
We are preparing here a meeting together over the Word of God, and I picture that as being with Christ. We're at home here, are we not? We sure should be. If we love the Word of God and love the Saints, we are at home. A lot of brethren and sisters here that I don't know and they don't know me, but that doesn't matter. We all have one object and that's the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we know that there is a phone waiting for us. We don't have to worry. We don't have to fret. We just know that our pathway is guided just like our journey is here to this conference. I I know it's a very few about illustration, but I think it sort of gives us a picture of our pathway of our invitation, not worrying where we're going to spend eternity and knowing that we will be in Christ presence.
Perhaps this may have been of help to some of the younger ones.
Just like to read 2 verses in Psalm.
That word that is used in our chapter.
Verse 24 of Psalm 23.
Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and after receiving me to glory. A slightly different thought here. It's being received to glory the Father's house that we have in John 14.
But let's notice what the Psalmist says in verse 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And so it's the person of Christ.
That makes heaven.
Uh, home to us it says, there is none upon earth that I desire, uh, beside thee. So it's nice to see that there is a person connected with the place as in our chapter.
That was Psalm 73, verses 24 and 25.
00:55:02
Another misconstrued thought that some have in reading it the way it appears in our Bible is the thought of mansions. Now, I've had opportunity to drive through some very upscale districts of this continent and other parts of the world, and you see St. after St. of these beautiful homes that you would refer to as mansions. But that's not the thought here. Is it really the thought of many abodes? It's really the thought that there's room for all.
There will be none, and the Father's house is going to be filled, but there is going to be room for all. Not only that, but again, you think of many mansions or even many abodes, many rooms perhaps.
You think of some who perhaps are out there or over there and a distance away and so on. But let's remember, brethren, when we arrived at the Father's house, we are all going to enjoy a special place of nearness and relationship to the Lord Jesus for eternity. You know, you come to a conference like this or a large gathering, everybody can't be up front. It isn't physically possible.
But there's a day coming when we there's going to be myriads in the Father's house, myriads of redeemed, but everyone is going to be able to enjoy a place of nearness to the Lord.
And so it's not like there's going to be those out on the fringes or trying to get a look or trying to hear.
Whatever it it might be, no, everyone will be close to the Lord.
And you notice too, that he's not going to send a messenger for us. You know, we might prepare a house, our house, for visitors, but those visitors are responsible to get there on their own. Our brethren prepared for us this weekend, but we had a responsibility to get here on our own. Nobody came from Vestal and escorted Faye and I down here yesterday. No, we were very happy to drive down on our own and find our own way and so on. But the Lord Jesus says.
I've gone to prepare, I'm going to prepare a place for you and I'm going to come again and receive you unto myself. The Lord Jesus is going to come again. And so when we go on, it's in another meeting this afternoon, take up First Thessalonians. We're going to see that spelled out so very beautifully. He's not sending Gabriel. He's not sending an Angel or messengers as he sent another occasion to different ones, even to to lot. No, he's going to come again.
And receive us to heaven, yes. Receive us to glory, yes. Receive us to the Father's house, yes. But as Brother Bruce and others have said, that's not what he says here. And receive you unto myself, Why? So that we can share in the glory, yes. So we can share the Father's house, yes. But that's again not what he says here. That where I am, there ye may be also. And I don't believe the heart of the Lord Jesus will be ever fully satisfied.
Till He has all the redeemed physically gathered around himself in the Father's house to be with Him for all eternity, His heart will never be satisfied till we're all there.
He's looking forward to it. He's waiting as the man of patience now, and his desire is that we would have that hope and be waiting for the same thing that really he is waiting for. And we don't always think about, do we?
We think of our waiting, but there's one who's waiting, and perhaps with greater anticipation than we could even have. By the grace of God, He's waiting for His bride, He's waiting for His redeem, and He's waited a long time.
But he will have the fulfillment of the joy of his heart at that moment when he comes and receives us to himself.
There's no second generation in God's family. It's a, it's a very happy thing on this earth with a family and children are little and you sit down at the table and everyone's there. But as they grow older, you know, seats, uh, get empty and there's a certain, uh, sense of loss of, uh, someone missing as time goes on in that way and grandchildren coming in the picture and another generation comes in and so on.
01:00:03
But when we're in the glory.
There's no grandchildren. We're all children of God. There's no second generation, and we're all gonna sit down together with the Lord there and the Father's house. And there's not going to be the sense that anyone's missing either. Brother Don Rule brought that out so nicely earlier this year at Saint Thomas Conference. Not going to be a sense that anyone in God's family is missing. We're all going to sit down. Every seat is going to be occupied, and there's going to be a supreme satisfaction.
In all of our hearts that we're all brethren.
That we're all God's children and not one of us is missing. Everyone's around the table, so to speak. And what a wonderful feeling that is going. What a wonderful thrill it's going to be in our hearts to be there with the Lord and all of our brothers. There may be someone we longed over here that didn't get saved. We're not going to sit down, say, oh, they're seated. No, we will have the sense that.
Everyone is there and the family connections that we've had here and that are precious and, and God comes in and blesses and families here, they're gonna be gone. There's gonna be one family in heaven. There's not gonna be this family and that family and the other family in the sense of Christians, he is, God is, uh, uh, we find in Ephesians after whom every family in heaven and earth is named. There are others outside the Christian company.
I'm Speaking of the Christian company.
Not one other family name in this room is going to matter. That's all gone. There's only one family that's going to matter, and you and I are part of that for all eternity. And what a wonderful sense of satisfaction in our hearts to sit down and that day and say we're all here. We're all here.
So our time is gone, but just so we can move on in the next reading, just to sum up at the end here we find we've already mentioned the six verse, but we find with Thomas, you know, when the Lord was here, there were certain places on earth where the Lord resorted to. There was a place He resorted thither with His disciples in Luke 11. He was in a certain place praying and so on. And Thomas found it hard to get beyond a material or physical place on earth.
And that's why he raises this question. And so he says, Thomas says unto him, Lord, verse five, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way? Well then we've mentioned it, but that's why the Lord Jesus gave him the.
Answer that he gave him, and again the Lord Jesus was showing that in connection with the Father.
There he was, the way to the Father, the truth about the Father and the life that enjoys the Father, and that what he had been Speaking of previously in connection with the Father's house was not a material place in the sense of a place here on earth, or something that could be discerned and enjoyed in a natural way. But this was something that was beyond anything that Thomas or any other could imagine.
And it's interesting that when the Apostle Paul later was caught up to the 3rd heaven, temporarily the eternal dwelling place of God, he didn't even talk about it for 14 years because there just wasn't any way to describe.
What he had seen or what he had heard there in the in the eternal dwelling place of God. But brethren, that's the place we're going to. We're going to an unspeakable place, and it might be before the next meeting.
140.
Wednesday 2025 and now.
01:05:02
Nsnoise.
And walking to the.
Light.
Nsnoise.
5/3.
UH23I don't wanna ever have like that.
No more ever, Quinnipiac.
Bella Thoroughbred, 000000100004 Shallow tea.
We, we're together.
Beloved God and our Father, we thank Thee for the time that we've been able to spend here, thinking and meditating upon.
Portion that is designed in the coming days and that will come and receive our Son to thyself, blessed Lord Jesus, and we thank thee for the hope that we have that, Fossura said back. We thank people for the hope that we have that we can look forward to something beyond this world with this trial difficulty and sorrow and pain. And so we just thank thee that we have such an object.
For our hearts, the Lord Jesus and the future that is before us, we pray to blast our time together. Our fellowship too, and I thought it's leave us here For the blessing and the rest of the conference, we pray give thanks for our dear brethren. Aaron, thank you, Lord, provide goodness to us. It'll be great. In the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.
Boards of Tabernacle a Picture of the Believer in Christ
Hearing the Word of God and Applying It to Your Life
Encouragement to Shepherds
1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Thessalonians 2
Gospel 1
Gospel—Dwight Dods
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I wonder if we could open the meeting this afternoon.
Singing #25.
I thought to sing another hymn, but you know, after the last couple of meetings.
Hello, Emma S at the Lord's return. It's so near.
I can't help but give this name out once more.
We'll just sing the first verse and the third verse to save time. It says life at best is very brief.
Like the falling of a leaf.
Like the binding of a sheath.
Be in time.
Fleeting days are telling fast that the dye will soon be cast.
And the fatal wine be passed be in time #25 the first and third verse.
Wow, that's why I'm jealous. I'm calling from European time.
1110 years on your way, you're looking fine. Don't go and get it and you're driving up to like anything.
Umm, acknowledgement of someone.
Living in arms of genius was followed by him.
Oh my God, in your mouth dot com there is a very big problem.
2:00 PM Umm, And then you're lost in your way. You're going to make mine so long precisely, and you're crying in touch together.
In on.
This little hymn gives a sense of urgency.
Salvation is offered at this moment.
God tells us and now is accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
Someone mentioned I believe it's this morning.
Lord might come before the end of the meeting.
And so we cannot promise you even another 45 minutes.
Ere the Lord gives that shout, and all his own are taken.
And if there should be one in the room?
Was not ready.
No child comes. You'll be left behind.
It would just look to the Lord for self and blessed.
Our loving God and Father.
We do come before the beginning of this solemn hour.
We have just sung this little hymn.
Urgings to be in time.
Ere the fatal lines.
We thank you.
For that marvelous plan of salvation.
That was purpose in the past eternity.
How that could bring honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ and blessing.
00:05:07
To center.
And we signed these this afternoon.
An offer of salvation has now gone forth.
For more than 2000 years.
We know that offer will soon end.
Thou art not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But we do know.
That he cometh, the Lord draweth nigh. And we've had pressed upon us this day, uh, near Lord Jesus, thy return is.
And so we're solemnized if we look into the faces of some here.
Boys and girls, young people, perhaps older ones who may not still know the Lord Jesus as Savior, we do pray this afternoon.
They may not leave this room.
Air that fatal line be crossed.
We seek Thy blessing and help this afternoon, for we ask it in the precious and worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Apostle Paul.
Tells his word that he'd sooner speak 5 words that could be understood.
In 10,000 words.
That couldn't be understood.
And this afternoon I'd just like to read 5 words.
I want to read just one phrase.
In God's Word, it's one that the boys and girls hear.
I'm sure could repeat by memory. It is one of the first verses that often young boys and girls learn in Sunday school. Those little stickers that they put on cards. I remember them well. Children come to the Sunday school and very young we look to find short verses so you could memorize.
And this is one.
Let's turn to Amos.
Chapter 4.
10 verse 12.
I just want to read.
The middle part.
Towards the end of that verse.
Prepare to meet thy God.
You know this verse has been repeated so often in Sunday school.
I wonder whether we find the impact it ought to have.
When you stop to consider this verse and how much is in this little verse.
This afternoon and this morning we had it.
Several times the word prepare.
That which has been prepared for us.
How cross of Christ?
Has prepared a means for with God can bless.
The center.
We had that. The Lord Jesus, when he went to heaven, prepared a home for us.
But here, in God's Word, he's speaking to us.
And again we have this word prepare.
I think the boys and girls, certainly the young people here, would understand what that little word means. Prepare.
It means that something is not ready and it needs to be made ready for some occasion.
We gotta prepare for it.
So God has said there's something that you have to do.
I was thinking now of man's responsibility.
It was mentioned that our salvation is God's souvenir, but was also mentioned that this man has responsibility.
00:10:10
Get ready to meet.
Thy God.
Today we've had very much and much we enjoyed.
But meeting the Lord Jesus, our God.
The hope of the Lord's return gives many in this room to rejoice.
So the thought, we're just speaking to our brother after the meeting and he said what will it be?
We can't enter into what's ahead for us.
The Lord's coming.
But you know, as I sat there and we listened and enjoyed that thought of the Lord's coming.
I thought of some props in this very room.
That wouldn't bring joy to their hearts.
Prestige younger boy, A younger girl who has grown up in a Christian home. I did.
I sat in meetings such as this.
I wasn't prepared to meet God.
And if the Lord Jesus had come?
During that those years.
I'd have been left behind.
So it may be this is a boy or a girl in this room in such a condition.
Did I know? Had I heard the way of salvation? Yes.
Put it off.
Put it off.
Put it off.
I remember well sitting in a gospel mean.
Understand. I'll get saved when I get home.
Get home, go to bed.
Get up, go again.
I knew if the Lord came.
I would be lost.
I wasn't prepared.
Let me go on.
You know.
Can we enter into this even what a terrible thought would be to be left behind, and the Lord comes.
I remember her brother Albert. Hey ho.
Give me another account of one of his trips to a foreign land.
And he said he had prepared all his papers, as far as he knew, that everything was in good shape. And I want to say tonight or this afternoon to anyone in this room.
Who is not absolutely sure from God's Word that you are prepared?
To meet God, don't leave.
If it's just your own thoughts, because we know that the way.
Of man only leads to death, there's a way that Seamus right under man to put the ways they're off are the ways of death.
And you may consider that you have everything.
In order.
You've lived a good life.
You have belonged to some religious organization, or perhaps you just came to the meetings and you said I have always come to the meetings.
What you're basing your preparation on.
Well, our brother Albert told us that he was over in some foreign country, I believe with his wife.
Perhaps even one of the children.
Heather ready to leave that country. I forgot which one it was.
And as they came to the airport, immigration immigration officers went through the various papers they had.
00:15:11
And for his wife and the other passenger believes with him.
You can board.
But they kept going over one of Albert's papers and finally said we have a problem, there's something not in order.
You will not be on the board. You will not be able to leave.
Well, our brother tried to explain that everything he understood, he did everything as as he thought.
But it didn't meet the requirements of that country to leave.
And it's always pleading, he said. It didn't do any good.
They said you can't leave.
And you know what he said. I watched as my loved one got on the plane.
That plane took off without me.
And I can remember, say I'll never forget as long as I live, but the feeling of being left behind.
Well, that was the only easy we left behind for a few days. So he got his paper straightened out in this life. But what would it be my friend, tonight, this afternoon, if the Lord Jesus had come?
And you were left behind. Oh, you young people who know the way of salvation to know. But not with this room emptied. You would know where they went. What would it be to be left behind? Too late, the fatal wine been crossed.
And so I do plead with anyone in this room.
That may not know of the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Don't put it off another moment.
You know what we consider?
And we think and write your soul of the love of God.
That love that has been so told out. But you know, I'm reading in the scriptures and I come across such words as this. It is a fearful thing, the fall of the hands of living God.
Our God is a consuming fire.
Is this the same one? This is the same card.
I want to ask you young people especially, perhaps some of the older ones too.
We know that it is quite possible to fool the brethren.
You may be passing in this room.
Today as a Christian.
But you know there's a verse in God's word that says if any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Marnatha are cursed at his coming.
I want to ask you, is there a love in your soul? Does the Lord Jesus Christ mean something to you?
You know, sometimes I hear of those young people and it makes me afraid.
Who say they are Christians?
They go on with the other young people.
They enjoy the social outings.
And yet.
Never pick up the Word of God from one meeting to another.
You tell me that they love the Lord Jesus.
When there comes an opportunity to be under the sound of God's word, perhaps they're reading me or the prayer meeting.
They've got no desire to be there.
I don't say this, dear young people, to be critical. I say there's no hope to reach your conscience.
Is your confession real? Do you really love the Lord Jesus or are you just passing as a?
00:20:11
Someone who fits in is willing to go along as long as we can enjoy some of the shows or activities of the young people.
Challenge your own hearts, dear ones, if that's the case.
Many know here.
My wife comes from the United States.
Comes from at that time from Woodbridge, NJ. We couldn't travel back and forth as easy to do today. We couldn't couldn't afford to even make a telephone call.
I think in their years that we knew each other before marriage. Something like 2 calls.
But we could write a letter.
And we did write many letters.
Almost every day.
Interesting. Also those letters came much faster than doing nowadays. Usually one day and I could get her letter from New Jersey.
But you know, I'm gonna ask you to answer the question if when I come home from work.
And the place I was staying is boarding at a brother and sister's house. I think you still leave the letter on the bottom of the staircase on top of the post at the bottom of the stairs.
I wonder what they would have thought if I had come in and walked by that letter Later on, come down for supper and they said to get the letter. Yeah, I saw it there.
I'll I'll get around to it sometime re reading it.
What would they thought? What would you think? Would you say that they had any love for that person? No.
So I challenge you, if you've got no desire to read God's Word and to be where He is exalted and glorified and spoken well of, question your heart, dear friend, this afternoon.
Now we come.
We have to prepare to meet.
Thy God.
Have you ever thought?
Of what?
And who this one is?
He's the creator, yes, he's the sustainer of this world.
If he forgot you for one moment.
You'd be dead in your seat.
David could say there's only a step between me and death.
Did you know, I thought there's only a breath between me and death if God just withdrew his thoughts from me for a moment?
That's not just power, but I wanna.
We might consider this afternoon.
That he is, as we read in God's Word, God is light and God is love. God is holy, God is righteous, God is just.
He is a God of love.
Hogan, such a garden.
Bless the Center.
Oh really, such a God have a Sinner in his presence.
We're told that God is of pure eyes to behold evil and cannot look upon iniquity or sin.
How can he have sinners in his presence if he is?
Holy and just good.
We're told we must meet with this one.
Well.
Some have said that we can meet with them. We can meet them by our good works.
There's many in this world if you go down the street here in Vestal, Johnson City or anything.
00:25:02
And ask how can I be prepared to meet God?
I judge that majority, I tell you, by doing the best you can.
I'm gonna ask you a question. Perhaps the boys can understand this.
If you have a nice toy.
Nice, steal it or break it.
And you come and complain and you I say, well, uh, I'll try and be good after this. And I'll, I'll help your neighborhood. I'll give the other boys some candy. I'll, uh, maybe get them a gift sometime. I'm going to do the a good deed. Yeah. Wait a minute. What about my gift? Oh, even the boys know that that doesn't justify and right the wrong.
And we have grown-ups.
Who believed by doing the best they can, by doing good deeds, they can prepare to meet God.
So how can a God that cannot overlook sin?
Have me in His presence.
Someone mentioned this afternoon or today at least.
How that in a past eternity God had a a plan, a purpose.
To bring honor and glory to His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and blessing to us.
And So what was that plan?
Well, let's suppose then.
We have.
A wrong gun and we go before the judge and we've got a judge who is noted for being kind of.
OK. And so I'm found guilty.
And the penalty is?
$10,000.
I proned you. I owe you it.
But this judge is very, very kind, and so he says I'm a loving judge.
I'm going to forgive you. Don't do it again.
You say, wait a minute, there's no justice there.
OK, we got the judge that is very on justice, but he's got a heart of steel.
And so I've done you wrong, he says. You're gonna pay the penalty to the last cent.
Where? Where is your kindness justice?
When comes the Lord Jesus?
They came to a they had that plan and a past eternity how they could meet that situation.
God's plan was that He would send his beloved Son of this world.
We read the Father sent the Son to the Savior of the world. We read that Christ Jesus came into this world as a save sinners.
And we read in First Corinthians 15.
That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was raised again the third day according to the scriptures.
We've read this afternoon where he'd gone back to heaven.
The plan was and has been.
That God and the person of His beloved Son were coming to this world.
And he would take the punishment. He would bear the punishment for our sins.
No. Can he be?
Accused of being unrighteous.
God, says the Sinner.
A soul that sinneth it shall die, and after death the judgment.
That's God's word, so how is it He gonna bless me? The Lord Jesus came into this world.
And he said I'm not, I can't change.
Righteousness must be carried out.
Death must remain carried out, but he said I'm going to die for you.
The Lord Jesus went to the cross.
00:30:01
And there.
Guide.
To the center we read, And while we're yet sinners, Christ died for us.
He can now tell forth he can be righteous.
He can show his love and has shown his love according to the cross.
And I want to read just at this point, just a little verse him in the little flock him. But you don't need to turn to it. But it's #67 the back explains it so well, better. And I can explain it.
1St 67 says.
The perfect righteousness of God is witnessed in the Savior's blood.
Hazing the cross of Christ, I see a trace. His righteousness, Yes, wonders grace.
God could not pass the Sinner by.
His sin demands that he must die, but in the cross of Christ we see how God can save yet righteous be.
The cine lights on Jesus head, his and his blood, since death is paid.
Stern justice can demand no more, and mercy can dispense, restore The Sinner who believes is free can save the Savior died for me, can point to the atoning blood and say this made my peace with God.
Saviours died.
It's risen. God has been satisfied with that work.
Those sins that were placed on him.
My sins, and the sins of everyone in this room who believes God's word, because God has said that God so loved the world that He gave His only forgotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. We read too, that verily, verily ascend you. He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent Me, shall not come into come condemnation into judgment, but is passed.
From death on the life beyond the judgment.
Goddess, call upon preach, Sinner.
Then how do we prepare to meet such a God?
The way is simple.
Is to believe what God has said about the Lord Jesus.
Do you believe what God has said when he says that the Lord Jesus died for you?
We have that in numerous places.
Christ died for our sins.
Do you believe that?
The blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us from all sin. There on Calvary's cross, as he hung there in, a soldier pierced his side, and that blood flowed on his side.
At cleansing power of the blood of Jesus.
Well, why then will there be many?
Will be left behind as it's coming unprepared.
Toby Penney.
Because they didn't believe.
Garden has always made a way of escape when he prevents judgment.
He said to Adam.
We're going to partake of that fruit. If you disobey, you'll die.
We know that atom, that first man.
Disobeyed.
And he was afraid.
Is there anyone in this room this afternoon who's afraid from the thought of the Lord's coming? Thought of meeting God makes you afraid.
Adam was afraid, he said. When you heard the Lord's voice in the garden, he said, I was afraid. Why? He had disobeyed. He sinned.
And he tried to fix himself up, make him presentable to God. And many are doing that today. And then maybe even some in here, they're trying to just be a little bit better and act a little bit better. As a boy or girl, I did that. I used to say, oh, I'll come when I get better because I wasn't always the best.
00:35:16
And I'd say, well, the Lord wouldn't take me as bad as I am. So if I can get through a week, uh, without being a bad boy, uh, then I'll come, You know, I couldn't get through a week. I couldn't get through a day. I was in trouble all the time.
But Adam tried to fix himself up. But no, God wouldn't have that something. His death had to come in and we know the story how that God took a an animal.
Hence, no doubt, Adam looked on the first time he'd ever seen death.
And he saw that blood flow to the ground from that animal, and the life flow out.
I wonder what Adam was thinking. He probably said that animal had never done a thing at all. He's been perfect.
It's dying because I sinned. It's dying for me.
When we come to the judgment of his.
The fall on those in Israel, Lord, again made a way of escape.
He said at midnight he was going to pass through the whole land of Egypt and all the first born in that land were going to die. But he made a way of escape. He said take a lamb, kill it.
Put the blood in a basin, take it and put it on the outside of the doors, and with one other condition, it had to be inside the door.
And he says when I go through the land at midnight, when I see the blood, I will Passover you. When I see the blood on the on the middle and the sidepost of that house, I'll Passover.
I want to ask, was he dead in Egypt? Man, he died that night.
It wasn't sufficient to know that the lamb would provide a place safety, the blood of the lamb. That wasn't sufficient. Nor was it sufficient to have the blood in a basin and carried it to over the door.
And no reason. It wasn't even sufficient.
To have the blood on the outside of the door if he didn't take shelter behind it.
And so boys, girls, young people here, I am certain that there's no one in this room who doesn't know the way of salvation, that do not know that Jesus died for them.
You could tell us you could stand up here. Many a young person could stand up here and present the gospel better than I can.
That doesn't save a soul. Are you taking shelter behind that blood?
Are you staying close behind that blood inside the door? This.
Got the blood on the outside.
The preparation is to apply that truth to your own soul.
And don't put it off.
Story I remember many years ago was a boy who was noted for.
Not been prepared for anything. This is a procrastinator.
And it became serious that he was never ready when everybody was supposed to be ready.
His uncle, who is a Christian, became quite concerned over this young boy.
Because if that was the case, he put off his salvation.
And so he.
Decided he teach him a lesson.
He told his nephews and nieces and some of their friends that someday he was going to pick them up and take them on a sleigh ride. Well, if you know, like I remember as a boy how much I enjoyed going on a sleigh ride in winter time. And these boys and girls, they talked about this site. And he said, well, when is it going to be? Like, I'm not quite sure, but he said, uh, it'll probably be on. It'll be this Saturday. It'll be this Saturday.
And so his brothers and sisters, this boy, his friends, they got all ready and they talked. And this boy said how much fun he was going to have with his friends on that sleigh ride. And they all were getting ready to go. And this boy's mother said, I've forgotten his name, but let's call him John. John, you make sure you have everything ready because your uncle has said he's not going to wait. He's not quite sure what hour, but when he comes.
00:40:23
He'll stop and pick you up, but he's on a tight schedule and he's not going to wait for anyone.
Well, John's been to have it, so he said, Oh yeah, I'll I'll be ready. I'll be ready. I'll be ready. He said, John, get your boots ready, your mitts ready, your hat ready. So when he comes, you can just grab him and go. Yeah, yeah, Mom. Yes, yes, mom. Well, John put off and that's Saturday morning came and they heard the bells of the horses and the other kids raced out. They were ready. They just grabbed their hats and coats and put them on. And Johnny's a mother. Mother, where's my boots? I laughed them up, Mother, My Mets, where did I put them?
And the uncle drove off.
It was too late.
Is that going to be the way some are here? You're going to take? What are your chances?
You're not gonna be ready. You're not gonna be prepared to meet God.
Oh, don't put it off. Don't let that fatal line be passed.
Why not come this afternoon?
God has told us more than just exhorted to be prepared. Prepared to beat thy God and always. I sat here this afternoon and this morning I thought of the coming of the Lord Jesus.
And what a blessed hope it is.
We can't. I am imagine those who love the Lord Jesus who is going to be caught into his presence. Oh, the thought burned my heart. There might be someone here.
That we've left behind.
Would it be you?
Be ready. Be ready now.
Let me see the last purse number.
25 Number of the last verse of #25.
Center Heath.
Good morning voice, someone started. Please.
I'm sorry, yesterday's good morning, Laura.
0232899999.
They didn't get along and grow things. You look like *****. Prepared and surprised he comes to play games.
Umm, just remember.
That if you leave this world and have to meet God in your sins, it's a fearful thing that falls into the hands of the living God. May we pray.
Our loving God and Father.
We thank you. At this very moment, there is no need.
Hamilton.
A God that is a consuming fire.
The opportunity this afternoon is for everyone to be the Savior God.
We thank Thee, Lord Jesus, for all that Thou hast done in order that sinners, in order that we might be able to enjoy.
Thy presence through all eternity and from the blessed hope we have of soon.
00:45:05
Hearing that call, that would call us to be forever with and likely. And so we do pray again.
That if there should be someone here.
That has passed.
Before their friends, before their brethren could have no love for the Lord Jesus.
That they may this day come to know thee is the one who died for them.
We pray thy blessing of thy word.
And they were worthy. And the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Jesus Dying on the Cross for Me
Children—Paul House
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I presume we're using the hem sheet. Somebody have a hem we want to start with?
Any of the children.
#32.
Come on, start that place #32.
500 and 11935 S blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Oh my God, that's right.
Buffalo, uh, make me crying. That's no more.
No, no, no, no, no. I was surprised. Melbourne, I think, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
It is uh.
My friend and besides being nothing.
For thine, heart, thyroid, nothing but the blood of Jesus hour.
Oh gosh, I can't tell.
Round, take me twice. I'm slow. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I've got a different sound and I'll make no.
Nothing like the sun.
Nothing has more than I thought, not in the past.
OK, umm.
Nothing like the bloody Jesus.
And all my right, children, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, that's not.
Long.
Uh, may, may I know?
No longer frowned, signing down. And how it seems like the blood on another one.
46.
New York, NY City and I come back on The Boss and everything. Now watching, now watch the whole day.
So this meeting today, this morning.
Is primarily for you boys and girls. So this is a great song too, isn't it? The first one we started with talks about the blood of the Lord Jesus.
00:05:04
And we're going to talk about that today, Lord willing. And now we would just like to tell the older folks that are here that they can listen to and it, but it's really for all of us that we're here, but especially for you children.
You know, most of you have been brought here by maybe your parents or your grandparents, and their purpose in having you come today is to hear about the Lord Jesus and how he died for you. And if you've never put your trust in the Lord Jesus, you've never believed that when he died on the cross, he died for you, then you need to do that right now because that's why you're here, to hear about how the Lord Jesus gave his life for you on the cross.
And how he suffered for you. So let's pray. And then we're going to have a couple more songs and then we'll have the memory verse. And then we'll have a little story and then some verses, OK?
Our God and our Father, we thank Thee that we can be here together. We thank Thee for these hymns that tell us the good news of how Jesus gave himself, how his blood was shed on the cross, and how his blood can wash away all our sins. We thank Thee for each boy and girl that's here, and we thank Thee for the older ones too. And we just pray that each one of us may be trusting in the Lord Jesus as our Savior if there's somebody here today, Lord Jesus, who is not saved yet.
We pray that when they're sitting there right in their chair, they might open their heart to the Lord Jesus and accept Thee as their Savior, too. And we thank Thee for the privilege that we have to open Thy word in this country and for our brethren here that have invited us. We thank Thee for this nice time together, and we give thanks and ask for Thy help. Lord Jesus and Thy name, Amen.
But let's have a couple more songs.
California, uh, Tommy, number one, you're probably thinking of number one in the other book, but the kids book, what we'll sing this number one because that's a good one too.
Number one, someone started please.
Nsnoise.
So when the memory verse for this week?
We actually, uh, have a little bit about preaching in that verse.
That's what we're doing this morning. We're talking about the Lord Jesus publicly and.
This this verse here talks about.
Almost persuaded. There was a man who the apostle Paul, who was a great evangelist, he told him the gospel and he almost believed the gospel. Almost. But almost isn't good enough. We have to believe for ourselves. We have to accept the Lord Jesus ourselves. We can't say, well, I'm almost ready to be a Christian. That almost isn't good enough. We have to be one. OK, another one.
Another song anybody? This little girl here?
00:10:01
42 Thank you 42.
A little child of death.
And they never happened in their hands. They'll have real surprise me. All right, he's gone.
Salvation.
Rules.
Now there was a request made by a few of the children here that they wanted to say the verse.
So who would like to say it?
OK, Samuel.
Perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. First Corinthians 118. First Corinthians 118.
And to us which are the breaching of the cross, into them that perish foolishness like when to offset their faces, the power of God for strengthens. 19.
Anybody else? Thank you, boys.
Anyone else?
The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1St contains 118.
The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. First Corinthians one of you. Thank you.
Anybody else?
Does the Paris start with?
Very good. Anybody else?
Older people can say it too.
OK, thank you for that, children. It's a wonderful treasure, isn't it, to put the Word of God right in our hearts.
We read that in the word.
He wants us to treasure it up in our souls and then when we need it, we have it. We never have it in our minds and in our we never read it then we won't remember it later on when we need it.
I wanna tell you a little story, boys and girls, about the cross.
Whenever I go on a trip.
I'm driving along the road, I always look for crosses.
And today or the yesterday or the day before yesterday when we came.
I saw a new one.
On the side of the road.
Just off a little bit from the side and it was a white one.
And there was something special about this cross. It was made out of a kind of wood that was kind of like trim almost. It was kind of curving a little bit. And then the piece that went across like this, it was kind of curved too. And it looks so neat.
But who can tell me why that cross is probably at the side of the road?
Daniel.
Because someone died there in an accident.
That's true. That's probably why it's there.
I don't know how many of you boys and girls look for little crosses at the side of the road, but if you drive from here to where I live up in Ontario, you'll see a whole bunch of them along the side of the road.
There's not lots, but there's a few here and there. There's little crosses and usually.
It marks the place where someone died in a car accident.
Right near where we live.
00:15:02
There's a place where there's three of them.
Three of them together. There's one big cross that's about this high, and then there's two little ones. Now who can tell me what the little ones would talk about?
What do you think, Tom? Let me come and you can tell everybody.
The crooks.
No, not this time. But we'll, we had that this morning, didn't we? In our little reading, we had the two people on each side of the Lord Jesus and why they were dying there. Anyone else know why there'd be little? Let's fall over here, Evan.
Children. That's right, they probably were children. And what about the big cross?
What do you think, Steven? Well, in that story Tom was talking about, it was the Lord that died in the center cross. But the, the, the one I was talking about where there was the two little crosses and then the bigger cross and then the in the on the side of the road, it was probably apparent. Perhaps a mom or a dad and a maybe a boy and a girl or two boys or two girls. We don't know. But three people would have died there in a car accident.
And that's really sad, isn't it? So when we drive along the road and we see a cross.
We think, oh, boy, somebody died here. You know, what a nice sunny day like we have today. We usually don't think about too many accidents on the side of the road, but, you know, they do happen in the summer, but especially in the winter time when it's slippery. And we came across a bridge on our way here and it said, watch out for the ice. And I said to my wife, no ice today. But, you know, there's ice in the winter times and some sometimes bad things happen.
Accidents happen and so sometimes little children are called to leave this world.
You know, there's some kids who think, you know, I don't need to get saved yet because I have lots of time. I can wait until I get a little bit older.
I'll put it off.
But you know, that's not a good thing to do.
Because if on your way home.
Something happens, a wheel comes off your car or a truck runs over top of your car. You might be gone. And if you'd have put it off, then you wouldn't be saved. And so the Lord Jesus, he wants you to come to him now. And that's why we have Sunday school, so we won't put it off.
I have another question. How come people put a little cross in the ground? Why is it a cross? Does anyone have an idea why it's a cross? Maybe I should tell you. Oh, this little one.
Well, the Lord Jesus Christ, he died on a cross. So when we think of a cross, we think of people dying, don't we, because of that? So it's a little emblem or a sign of somebody dying. So it makes us think of the cross of the Lord Jesus, doesn't it? And that's what we're going to talk a little bit about today. So we had in our verse, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
But on to us, which are saved as the power of God.
You know, there's a lot of people who think that.
Being a Christian and accepting the Lord Jesus as your savior is kinda.
Kind of foolish, not very smart. You know what those people that think that they're the ones that aren't very smart, they're the ones that aren't prepared. We had that yesterday in our in the gospel meeting, didn't we? There's that verse that says prepare to meet thy God.
And being prepared means that we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, that we believe that when he died on the cross.
He died for us.
So I want to speak just for a few minutes about some of the things that the Lord Jesus said.
When he was dying on the cross.
Because the things that the Lord Jesus said actually were wonderful.
The things that he said were wonderful when he was dying on the cross. And you know, the Bible tells us seven things.
That the Lord Jesus said seven things. We may not talk about all of them, but I want you to remember there were seven things.
And you know, the first thing that he said was about you.
You know that, and it was about me.
00:20:03
So the Lord Jesus was thinking about you, and he was thinking about me.
When he was dying on the cross. So let's turn to the book of Luke.
Luke, chapter 23.
So we're going to talk a little bit about what the Lord Jesus said when he was dying on the cross.
And we know that the Lord Jesus went to the cross because he loved us.
But these verses that I'm going to read really prove what I said, that He did go to the cross because he loved us.
So verse 34 says then said Jesus Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.
So I said that the Lord Jesus was talking about you, and talking thinking about you and thinking about me.
So the first thing he said was Father forgive them.
Who is the them?
Them is me and it's you, and it's the people who put him on the cross with the religious authorities who wanted him to die. It was those soldiers that pounded the nails through his feet and through his hands.
It's really something, isn't it, to think about.
You know, this week or last week I was working and I cut my hand really bad. Right on my hand right here.
And the blood was all running down my hand like this. And all the guys that worked for me were like, oh.
You know, I was thinking about that.
I was thinking about when they pounded those big nails through the hands of the Lord Jesus.
And then they pounded them through his feet.
I was thinking of the blood and how much it hurt.
And I was thinking of why the Lord Jesus allowed those men to do that to Him. It was because he loved them.
And the Lord Jesus went to the cross because he loved me, because he wanted to pay for my sins.
On the cross and if you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior, then He will pay for yours too.
And then you can love him too, like I do.
And the people that brought you here to the conference, they love him too. That's why they brought you, because they want you to love him as well.
So the Lord Jesus said, Father, forgive them. We were talking about forgiveness this morning if somebody does something bad to you.
You can get really cross at them and say, oh boy, I'll get them back.
Or you can be like the Lord Jesus and say, I'm really sorry that that happened.
But I don't hold that against them.
You know, we can feel sorry for people that do mean things to us. We don't have to get back at them.
We can forgive them, and the Lord Jesus said Father, forgive them. Now. When he said Father, what did he mean?
He meant God.
He asked his Father to forgive sinners like me.
And like you.
Have you asked the Lord Jesus to forgive your sins? Have you asked Him to be your Savior? You know right now is a very good time to do it, if you haven't already.
Now the Lord Jesus, he had a mother.
And if we turn over to the book of John.
Chapter 19.
The Lord Jesus, when he was dying on the cross, he even thought about other people.
He thought about us to save us, but he thought about people that were there.
Standing at the cross, watching him suffer.
And one of the people that was there was his very own mother, Mary. She was there at the cross, at the bottom of the cross where the Lord Jesus was hanging there, not just for me, but for her, for Mary.
So let's read what he said to Mary in John 19.
Verse 25 That now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Cleopas and Mary Magdalene, when Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciples standing by whom he loved.
He saith unto his mother, Woman, Behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her onto his own home. And so the Lord Jesus.
00:25:12
He got John, who perhaps was the closest to him in some ways, because he laid on his bosom, we read.
He got the Apostle John to take care of his mother.
The Lord Jesus was the first born of Mary and as the oldest son.
His responsibility was to take care of his mother, and so he did. This is a wonderful thing that the Lord Jesus did. He cared for his mother.
You know, sometimes when we get hurt, we just think about us and how much it hurts. Oh, that splinter in my hand, I gotta get it out. Oh, oh, but we forget about other people that may be hurt too, or maybe have needs. The Lord Jesus, he had nails here and here and through his feet, and he was hanging on a cross in the sun. He was suffering. Everybody thought of his mother, who would take care of her.
So we asked the disciple John to do so, and I'm sure John was happy to do it.
Now if we turn back to the book of Luke.
We read in some of the gospels that there was a man on each side of the Lord Jesus.
On another cross, each one on a cross on either side of the Lord Jesus, and it says the Lord Jesus was in the middle.
And we talked about that this morning and we realized that maybe those soldiers and the religious leaders who didn't love the Lord Jesus and wanted to get rid of him, maybe they put the Lord Jesus on the center cross to make him look maybe even worse than the other two thieves that were being crucified on each side of the Lord Jesus. Isn't that a sad thing?
So it says that verse 39 of chapter 2423 it says, And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God? Sing thou art in the same combination, and we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, Remember Me.
When thou comest into thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee.
Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
So here we have the scene. The Lord Jesus is in the center cross. There's a cross on each side of him, and there's a bad thief on each side. These men had stolen something and the crime they committed a crime. They've done what was wrong. And the law said if you steal, then you're going to die on a cross. They were really bad criminals. And you know, when the Lord Jesus was first hung on the cross, they were like.
All the other people that were there, the Jewish leaders that were saying, oh, you're so good, then you get down from the cross, Jesus, then you just come down. And so one of the thieves, he said terrible things to the Lord Jesus too. Actually, both of them did it first, But then one of the thieves, I'm sure that he kind of watched what was happening.
He could see the Lord Jesus, how he took care of his mother, how he could say to godfather, forgive them and you know this thief, these thieves, they wanted to get off the cross. They didn't want to die, they didn't want to suffer. But that one thief, he thought, wow, here's a man that's dying on a cross and he's thinking about other people and he's asking for forgiveness of on his enemies.
Wow, that's amazing.
You know, I like that man.
And so he turned to the Lord Jesus, he defended him to the other thief, and then he turned to the Lord Jesus, and he said, Lord, Remember Me?
Now Remember Me means don't forget me.
Don't forget me. And it says, when thou comest into thy Kingdom, that means that that thief.
He really believed that Jesus was a king and that someday Jesus was going to have a Kingdom and he wanted to be part of it.
And for those of us who love the Lord Jesus, we can look forward to the day when the Lord Jesus is going to be the King.
And we're going to reign with him in that day.
00:30:02
Now the Lord Jesus said to him, Today shalt thou be with me?
What a comfort for that man.
That man was leaving the world, this world.
And he could leave with the assurance that Jesus said you'll be with me.
Now, you know, sometimes we go to a retirement home. At home there's some very old people and sometimes they don't know where they're going when they leave this world.
Boys and girls, do you know where you're going?
Can every boy and girl here say, I have put my trust in the Lord Jesus, and so when I leave this world, I'm going to go to heaven to be with him? I hope each one of us can say that. But if you're not sure that the Lord Jesus is your Savior, you can be sure today, right now, you can just where you are in your chair, you can say, Lord Jesus, please wash away my sins. Please become my Savior.
You can do that right right now. Please do if you haven't already.
Now let's turn to the book of Matthew for another verse.
The first, the first one we talked, we said was Father forgive them for they know not what they do. This is the the middle thing. The fourth thing that Jesus said when he was on the cross. We read it in a couple of the Gospels, but we'll read it in Matthew chapter 27.
Verse 46.
And about the 9th hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying Eli, Eli, Lama Sabaxani, that is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Now the verse before will back up.
From the 6th hour there was darkness over all the land until the 9th hour. Children, I was thinking about this yesterday when there were some very faithful words said concerning my life and how I would live it for the Lord Jesus.
What will give me the desire to live for the Lord Jesus in this world?
What will?
You know, I think that if I really can see the Lord Jesus dying on the cross for me.
And suffering for me and being punished for me then.
When things come up in my life.
Where I have to decide what to do that will help me to decide?
To do what's right to please him. When I think of how much he had to be punished, how much he suffered for me, then there will be a response in my heart to say thank you, Lord Jesus. I'm going to try to do what's right to please Thee. Because of what?
He did for me.
We read about those hours of darkness. Three hours.
When no one can see.
What was happening? And in those three hours of darkness, the Lord Jesus was punished by God for the sins of each person like me who has asked for forgiveness.
The Lord Jesus was punished by God. Now notice it says, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
God had to turn his back away from the Lord Jesus.
In those three hours of punishment, the strokes and strokes of God's wrath.
Came on the head of the Lord Jesus. It doesn't say Father here, it says God.
God laid the punishment on his Son for my sins. Everyone of my sins says the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Well, let's go on to the next one and.
We'll go to the Book of Luke again, 23rd.
Well, it's actually John. Go to John 19.
Verse 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, and that the Scripture might be filled, fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar.
And put it upon Hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
00:35:03
So this is the fifth thing that Jesus said. He said I thirst.
You know, on a hot day like this, we need to drink a lot of water, don't we? Or juice or something. Keep the water in our system because we're made-up a lot of water and we need that. We get dehydrated and then we don't feel good. We get a headache and you start feeling terrible. Well, the Lord Jesus, he had been beat up by the soldiers and by the crowd all night, and then he had been mocked.
And then he had had to stand before Herod and Pilate and.
And then he had had to carry his cross.
To that hill of Calfree and then he had to suffer in the sun and the heat for three hours while people like me said terrible things to him.
That if you're really the Son of God, then come down from the cross and we'll believe. And the thieves we talked about, they said that too at first, one of them.
And then it was dark for three hours.
And we saw how that the Lord Jesus was punished for the sins of each person that would trust in Him.
Well then, he was thirsty.
He was thirsty and what did they give him to drink? They gave him vinegar to drink. Now if you were all beat up and your mouth was bleeding and you were in trouble and you'd been, you were very hot and you'd suffered. And none of us can understand this. We've never hung on a cross for hours on end.
But the Lord Jesus said I thirst, He wanted something to drink. And in the Old Testament it says.
That the suffering Savior, the Messiah, would be given vinegar to drink.
When he was suffering and this is what they gave him to drink, they gave him vinegar.
Now vinegar is an acid and when you put that on a cut uncut lips, that would just hurt so bad. Not only that, but when you're dehydrated, you need water, you don't need acid, it makes it worse.
These people hated the Lord Jesus. I am going to ask this question. Is there somebody here today?
And you hate the Lord Jesus too.
I hope everyone of us loves the Lord Jesus and when we hear them going to give him vinegar to drink, we think, oh, why did they do that to my Lord, to the one I love? Why did they do that? But the Lord Jesus, he suffered because of me, because he loved me, and because he loved you.
That's why he suffered.
When Jesus this is the sixth thing. Now verse 30 when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said it is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
What does it mean it is finished?
Well, I think it means.
That the punishment from a holy God for sin.
And for sins was finished. He had exhausted the punishment that I deserved. And when I read that verse, it is finished. I know that I'm going to go to heaven. You know that. I know that when Jesus died there, he died for the sins of each person that would trust in him. And he finished the work. He was fully punished for those sins. Each one was paid for.
And so when I read that verse, I am so thankful because.
That work that God gave the Lord Jesus to do is done. I know that my sins are paid for. I know that I'm on my way to glory to heaven.
He bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Now there's a little bit of more of it we read in the book of Luke that he said.
Just before he bowed his head.
So we started with Father, forgive them. In the middle we had My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And now we have Father again.
So Luke chapter 23.
Verse 46 and when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, we just read that he said it is finished and John.
Then he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave up the ghost. So he says to his father, The work is done. And the Lord Jesus bowed his head, In death he died.
00:40:12
What happened next?
What happened next was the Jews.
They didn't want those three men to be on the cross on the holy day.
So they went to Pilate and they said pilot.
Can we break the legs of those thieves?
And have them die right away because they couldn't push up on the cross to breathe anymore if their legs were broken. So Pilate said sure, no problem. So the soldiers, they came with their big axes, Bam broke the legs of the first man, the first thief. That was the end of him. He couldn't breathe anymore, he died. Then they walked around the cross of the Lord Jesus, and they went to the next cross on the other side, and they broke Fang, the legs of the other thief.
And he died too. Then that soldier came to the Lord Jesus.
And he saw that he wasn't breathing. He'd already died. He gave his spirit back to God.
He had said it is finished, the work was over.
And instead of taking his big axe and breaking the legs of the Lord Jesus, he was already dead. So what did he do? He pulled out his big spear.
Right into the side of the Lord Jesus. And it tells us that out of the side of the Lord Jesus came blood and water. And I just quoted that verse that says the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sins.
And boys and girls, that is the way to have your sins forgiven, to believe that when that blood came out of the side of the Lord Jesus.
That he said it for you and ask him to wash your sins away in his precious, precious blood. Well, let's just pray.
Our loving God and our Father. How thankful we are that we could read these few verses that would tell us about the cross.
And as we've had some opportunity today to preach of the cross, we thank Thee for it. We thank Thee for the work that thou didst do, first for God on the cross and then for us. We think of that load of sin without its bare. Each one of our sins was laid upon the Lord Jesus. Each one of our sins of those who believe. We pray if there's a boy or a girl or a young person or older one here today who has never had their sins forgiven, who has never come as a Sinner.
And asked to have their sins washed away in thy precious blood, that they may do so right now.
Lord Jesus, we love Thee so much for taking our load of sin.
For suffering in our place, and as we see the hanging there for us, Lord Jesus, we pray that this will give us a desire to live for Thee. And so we give thee our thanks and our praise this morning. And we pray that thou just open our hearts and praise and worship to thee and give thee our thanks. Lord Jesus, in my name, Amen.
Good, Great and Chief Shepherd
Address—Ron Klassen Jr.
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.
Perhaps we could start the meeting this afternoon with him #124.
Her brother could start it for us, please.
What I want to do?
Is turn round and round again. I'll follow up.
Today 170 two 1220 lbs.
I'm cluttering on.
When I fly green and.
We see God's health together.
Our God and Father, we thank Thee this afternoon for the the blessedness of the privilege to be able to trace the blessed footprints of our Lord Jesus while He was here.
We thank you too, that he's no longer here.
By faith we can look up to see him there at thy right hand.
Everliving for us.
Now we thank Thee, Lord Jesus, for what Thou hast given to us these few days.
Indeed, to remind us that heaven's morning breaks and glory dawns when we see thy face.
What a moment is before us we thank thee for.
Encouraging our hearts, Lord Jesus, with that thought. And now we look to thee for what's before us this afternoon. We need thy gracious help. Our God, we thank thee that.
00:05:04
The many and varied needs in this room are known to thee Are now alone by thy Holy Spirit can meet those needs.
You believe, Lord, there are hearts that are saddened here today, perhaps some in quandary.
And so we pray Thy blessing upon thy word, Thy gracious help, our God and Father, we ask it and give thanks in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Perhaps we could turn to Ezekiel chapter 34 to introduce the subject that's on my heart.
Ezekiel 34 and verse 11 For thou, saith the Lord God, behold, I even I, will both search my sheep.
And seek them out.
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered soul, I seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the dark, cloudy and dark day. Verse 14 And I will feed them in a good pasture and upon high the high mountains.
And verse 16, verse 15, I will feed my flock and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
Thinking of this first, especially, I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and we'll strengthen that which was sick.
Awesome.
I can speak for others as well as myself.
Yesterday.
There was a tender entreaty to our hearts, was there not?
I believe not only.
Touched our hearts, but no doubt searched our hearts in regard to this matter of shepherding the work of a shepherd.
And particularly in regard to those that have left or gone are no longer with us.
So I thought with the Lord's help this afternoon, we could continue in that vein.
Only to observe the footprints, the way, the manner of the Good Shepherd.
The Great Shepherd. The Chief Shepherd.
You know, I've enjoyed meditating recently on the 40 days between the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and his ascension.
Those must have been wonderful days.
We know that when the Lord Jesus was crucified.
It was a tremendous shock to most that had been following him and ministering to him, even to his disciples.
And had he gone back to heaven, then we.
We don't know what would have been, but you know, it was part of the work of the Lord Jesus after his resurrection to go and to restore his Saints.
And that's what I want to look at this afternoon. I believe that there were 11, some say 12 different, uh, appearance or manifestations of the Lord Jesus during that time. Uh, those don't even account for half of those 40 days.
God has seen fit not to tell us a great deal of those 40 days, but I believe we get enough to know that those must have been wonderful days.
I believe that when the Lord Jesus.
Want to be corrected if this isn't true, but in in John 17, the end of that discourse that we've had the privilege of taking up in our reading, meeting the Lord Jesus prayer, intercessory prayer. He says I finished the work which thou gaveest me to do.
I believe, indeed, primarily that was the work of redemption that we had before us this morning.
But I believe it also included this work of shepherding.
00:10:02
Restoring the hearts of his own. And you know, he says in that prayer.
Those that thou hast given to me, I have lost none of them.
If you and I would have been there right after the cross, we might have wondered.
And so I believe that that's included in that finishing that work.
You know, it says, John says there are many other things which Jesus did that if they were written 1 by 1, the world itself cannot contain the books that are written. And it's interesting that that's placed after some of this restoration that we have in the word of God.
They must have been wonderful days.
During those days, there were those that had.
Because and in, in virtue of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, they themselves, as we've had in the First Thessalonians, chapter four had actually been raised from the grave. It says in Matthew that there were, uh, many bodies of the Saints arose and went into the holy city and there appeared unto many.
What would it have been like to be there in Jerusalem and to see, we don't know who they were, some of the Old Testament Saints that we've read about?
What days those must have been.
To commune together, to see the fruit of resurrection.
Some have said that they die. We are not told.
But I believe there's a hint in that word appeared.
If you search that word out that they appeared unto many, you'll find it in the pre incarnation.
State, or I can say it of the Lord Jesus, He appears, you find it after he's resurrected, He appears, but it never says appear about any of the believers or even of the Lord Jesus himself as He walked those 33 years on the earth.
But this matter of restoration.
Perhaps it touches our hearts.
And searches us because it's rare, isn't it?
How much do we know?
Of having those that we love live.
Happily enjoy the Lord's Supper with.
And they have left for one reason or another. How much do we know of a bright coming back and restoration?
And so it's wonderful to read these verses because in verse 11 That we read for thus saith the Lord God. Behold, I even I notice the personal pronoun I even I will both search my sheep and seek them out in verse 13 and I will bring them and verse 14 I will feed.
Verse 15 I will feed, I will cause, and verse 16 I will seek that which was lost.
What I say today.
By way of encouraging and stirring our own hearts, I trust will remember that, as the psalmist said, he restoreth my soul.
And if we've ever tried on our own to restore someone, we've you find out how true that is. None can restore a soul except the Lord Jesus.
But you know, he says to us in Galatians chapter one, ye which are, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself less.
Thou also be tempted.
There he rests the burden upon you and I.
When we say under shepherds.
We can't do it ourselves.
In fact, I hope we see this afternoon I'd like to look at perhaps 4 restorations if time doesn't defeat us.
We'll see that.
00:15:03
It was the Lord Himself.
Brought before His own vividly and precious, in a precious way that restored their hearts. And so if you and I are used in the restoration of our brother, sister in Christ, remember it will be in the measure in which the Lord Himself, by His grace, through His Word, by His Spirit, has been brought in living reality.
Before the soul.
Recently.
I got a phone call from a brother who grew up in the assembly, Walla Walla where I'm from.
And I was sort of warned, otherwise I would have been completely.
Uh, I would have needed to sit down to hear this brother's voice and to hear what he said.
He left bitter.
And had caused quite a stir before he left and he'd gone out. These are his own words. He'd gone out in a path of of self will and just living for himself.
And got a long ways from the war.
And in this case, as far as I know at least, he is not said anything. And as far as ones that the Lord used.
He said it was the Lord himself.
That came first, took him to the bottom, and then came and touched his heart.
But you know.
It's been so precious to my own heart, such an encouragement to experience that.
After all those years, if the locust is eaten, and believe me, they're scars.
And now he values.
The place he once eagerly left, but because of his circumstances he can't leave. The closest assembly is, I believe 10 hours.
And he mourns that.
But it's precious as to how dear it is to him now.
And how precious the Lord is to him.
And so I'm blessed every time he calls.
And so maybe I'll take the time we can turn to Psalms 51, I trust by way of an incentive for our hearts, because in Psalms 51 we get the utterance of one who himself.
Became very low.
1/2.
Was in a very responsible position, David.
And you fell.
Mild.
And you and I, if we had been there and learned what David had done.
We may have said, well, you know, uh, David may be, uh, brought back to the Lord, but I don't know that the Lord can use David at this point. Think of what? Think of the blight on his testimony.
But I like to read the words of one that's been restored of the Lord. Verse 12 of Psalms 51 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. Uphold me with thy free spirit.
Sometimes we hear that voice. Verse quoted. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.
But David wanted God's salvation. He'd known what it was. He'd known the joy, the peace, and he wanted it. But notice verse 13. Then he says, Then will I teach transgressors thy ways? Then sinners shall be converted unto thee.
This brother has called others whom he know.
Have left the path as well. He sometimes tells me what he told them and I I gasp.
And I know that they could say to him, what room do you have to talk?
But you know the Lord's using them.
I will teach transgressors thy ways.
Verse 14. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
Who could praise like one that is known a wondrous fullness of the grace of God in restoration? In verse 19 he says, Thou shalt be pleased with the sacrifices.
00:20:07
Of righteousness with burnt offerings, with whole burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
Oh, never think.
That you've gone too long.
And that for you to be restored could never be for that if by God's grace you were restored, you could never be used of Him.
We know that Peter and I want to get to him this afternoon if we can. Peter, the Lord said as he publicly restored him. Feed my sheep, shepherd, my sheep.
I wonder if Peter wasn't overwhelmed. You mean the Lord can still use me?
Yes.
In fact, perhaps there had been that removed that had hindered the Lord from using Him just in that way.
Dear John, Mark, Paul could say bring him, Bring Mark with thee, for he's profitable to me. There was one time when Paul said that, well, we can't take him, we can't take him. But then there was a time when he said bring him.
And the Spirit of God uses John Mark to pen about the perfect servant.
Who could have written it better?
Then one that knew what it was to be a failing servant. And so if I can encourage our hearts this afternoon.
Do you need incentive to reach out?
His brother Fred said yesterday to be at the prayer meeting, to pray for these ones to go out in dependence on the Lord, to seek, at least to seek.
Where they are.
Isn't this incentive? I can tell you again that the encouragement that this restoration has been to my own heart I cannot convey now let's trace our Good Shepherd. Let's go first of all to.
John, Chapter 20.
John chapter 20 and verse one, the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark until the sepulchre, and see if the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
And she run up, and come up to Simon Peter, and to the other disciples whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
For the sake of time, verse 11. But Mary.
Well, verse 10.
Then the disciples went away again to their own home, but Mary stood without if the sepulchre weeping.
And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the currency of two angels in white, sitting. The one at the head, the other at the feet, were the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, Why weepest thou? She sayeth unto them, Because they have taken away notice, my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not it was Jesus.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?
Who seekest thou she is supposing him to be? The gardener said unto him, Serve thou have borne him hence. Tell me where thou hast taken him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabonai. Which is to say, Master.
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my father, and your father to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
I'd like to take these restorations up in the order in which I believe they occurred.
You know, when we think of Mary, you say, well, what do you mean she needed to be restored?
Well, she had a broken heart. She hadn't gone astray at all.
00:25:04
But she had seen the Lord crucified.
She had gone and marked his grave, and she had come with the other women to anoint him for his burial.
And when she comes, as we read, he was gone.
And all what a.
Would avoid to her heart, you know, even if she had him in death.
She wanted at least that, but when she came and she didn't even see his body, it was too much for her.
Mary Magdalene, we know, has had seven devils cast out of her.
And she loved the Lord Jesus.
Deeply.
You know, you and I, we may have had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home. We may have not.
May not know too much about our own hearts by nature.
But I appreciated what another has said. They said I am far worse than the sum of all that things that I have ever done. And we can accept that by faith. You and I don't need to stray to have our affections knit to the Lord Jesus.
I believe you see in this restoration of Mary, a brother said to me this morning, just this morning, he said, you know, I don't feel as near to the Lord as I have enjoyed before and I miss that.
Perhaps we all need this restoration. I can say I do.
Think of those words of the Lord Jesus in Jeremiah chapter 3. I remember the.
And the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
Mr. Darby says. I remember four of these.
The love of thine espousal.
Yes, the Lord Jesus remembers our brightest days. Do you remember when we were near Him?
Perhaps all of us can think of a time when our hearts were raptured with Him.
And then things come in. We're living in a scene that's designed to come between US and him. And so I think we see this in Mary. She did not have a home.
If the Lord Jesus wasn't here.
Do we? How comfortable are we here?
When he's there.
You know she sees angels.
I've never seen an Angel, but the effect of those that saw angels in the scriptures quite profound.
But her heart was so engrossed, her heart was so fastened on one object, that the angels were.
Were no deterrent at all to her, not even a wonderment it seems. And when she sees this one that she thinks is the gardener.
You know, it's wonderful.
In the first chapter of John's gospel, the two disciples of John that were following the Lord Jesus, he turned and he says to them.
Watsiki.
But notice here he sees Mary and he says.
OK.
Verse 15 Whom seekest thou?
You know, I believe.
Beloved brethren.
The reason why our hearts grow cold.
Is because we lose the sense.
With the Lord Jesus.
Is the same. He's no different than what we read of him in his precious word. He's still that tender man.
We can hurt him.
We can grieve him. He does care what we're seeking.
If he asked you that this afternoon, if he said to you, who are you seeking? What is the burden of your heart?
If you were honest with him, what would you tell him?
Mary didn't pause and I just think of the delight of the heart of the Lord Jesus. He knew who she was seeking, but he wanted to hear it.
00:30:10
He knew why she was weeping.
It was precious to his heart.
You know he didn't wait long.
To go and begin to restore his own after he had risen.
No, it seemed to be the work that was first and foremost before him.
Do you know what it is to think? Well I I really should go and visit so and so?
You know, it's been a long time. I I hope there's an opportunity.
And and we do look for things that maybe openings that the Lord gives, but all it could get his heart in connection with his own.
She says, Sir hath borne him hence.
Tell me where the oscillator, and then I will take him away. And Jesus saith unto her, Mary.
It doesn't take a lot.
Bill Frost just so recently reminded us that Mister.
Mr. Lundin used to say Communion takes care of everything it does, doesn't it?
That closeness.
How wonderful. And the heart is soul and search, soul longing for its object, as Mary's heart was for the Lord Jesus, that just one word can fill it.
To overflowing.
That was the voice she knew.
So well.
The one she loved so well.
What's her response?
A long tirade, no.
Ravoni.
How wonderful and the heart so full.
That I can't say more than that.
We have the interpretation of RuPaul and I hear, and so I want to be very careful to say anything beyond that. But I have enjoyed one of the writers who said.
That it means master of my heart.
Rabbi, I believe, means master, but Rabo and I.
As master of my heart.
You know, she said when she was asking this question, she said they have taken away my Lord.
You didn't say they took away Jesus, she said. They took away my Lord.
But thou shalt confess, Jesus is Lord.
Because with a heart man believeth unto righteousness. And I believe if I can encourage your heart steer young people the struggle of the Lord Jesus being Lord of my life.
Can I encourage you with this incentive?
That you won't have the affection that Mary did if he's not your Lord. I believe it's that.
In a real impractical way.
That will give him to be very dear and precious to your heart.
Let's go on to Luke.
Chapter 24.
Verse 13. Luke 24. Verse 13. Behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem, about 3 score furlongs.
And they talked together of all these things which had happened. It came to pass. While they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were holding that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that you have?
One to another as you walk, and are sad. And one of them, whose name was Cleopas answered, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things?
And they said unto him concerning Jesus from Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty indeed in Word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
00:35:13
And we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. And besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yeah. And certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre.
I'm gonna have to forsake of time. Verse 25. And he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
The beginning of Moses and all the prophets He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself, and they drew nigh unto the village whither they went, And he made as though he would have gone farther. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us.
First towards evening and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them The Cave to pass. As he sat up meet with them, he took bread and blessed it and break and gave to them, and their eyes were opened, and they knew him.
And he vanished out of their sight, and they sent one to another. Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way? And while he opened to us the Scriptures, they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem.
And found the 11 gathered together, and them that were with him, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he the Lord Jesus was known to them.
In the breaking of breath.
I like to look at this.
As once we we see that they're leaving Jerusalem.
And they're going towards Emmaus.
Brother that puts together to greet the friends made a comment of as you put a new issue together.
How much smaller it was in the last time.
No doubt all of us.
I've tasted in the home assemblies which we come from, the sorrow.
Of having some decide that they could no longer continue.
We know that Jerusalem, as we have it in Deuteronomy chapter 12, that there was a place.
The Lord says that there were those that did their own will and their own choice, but when they came into the land, they weren't to do after that manner, but they were to go to the place which the Lord your God shall choose.
And one thing we sooner or later in our life we'll come into the realization of is that where the Lord is in the midst, there's not place for my will.
And you know, these were we can understand the shock to their soul. And as they're walking along and the Lord draws alongside of them to hear their heartbeat, we realize their disillusionment.
They had witnessed. They had witnessed something that they would be forever affected by. They spoke about the rulers.
How the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death.
And they've crucified him. You know, even Pilate knew that he was. That man had done nothing amiss.
It was innocent blood.
And yet this.
This body, this governing body, the Sanhedrin, who is known for its justness and fairness.
There had been such a travesty of justice that day, and they all knew it.
And you know, it seemed to be too much for these.
They're not going to stay in Jerusalem.
Take a minute and turn to Axe.
Acts chapter one.
I know this is subsequent to the chapter that we're reading, but I believe.
The truth of it remains the same.
00:40:04
Verse three. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, to whom also He showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them 40 days, Speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
And being assembled together with them, commanded them. This is what I want us to notice. Commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait.
Commanded them.
At Strong.
And why did he need to do that for this very reason.
Because they themselves were afraid as they met together, they closed the doors and they didn't know if this same.
Spirit of hatred towards the Lord Jesus would spill over into those His followers.
They had seen this travesty of justice.
Who wants to be in Jerusalem when it's ruled in that way?
And so the Lord Jesus says, don't leave Jerusalem.
Are you thinking of leaving Jerusalem?
This afternoon.
You can say I have reason to.
Perhaps.
You could say the way that so and so has been treated, the way our family's been treated or whatever.
And you have to hear the Lord's voice to us. Don't leave Jerusalem.
You know, in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 12. I want to take the time to read it.
I have heard.
My dear brother.
Come and declare that they are no longer.
Going to come to meeting, they're going to leave. They no longer want to be in fellowship.
Because of their children.
I'm so encouraged this time.
My dear couple that's here.
Do they believe the Lord has moved to a?
Assembly. That's one whole brother, and they have children, little children that you and I say are in need of companions.
And yet they shared with us something of the preciousness of the breaking of breads, that they've had just three of them.
You say what about their children?
Deuteronomy 12 Says in verse 12 in connection with a place the Lord your God shall choose. That says ye shall read Deuteronomy 12/12 and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye and your sons, and your daughters.
And your men, servants and maidservants, and so on. And then verse 28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee forever.
When thou doest what is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God.
Uh, if you think that you need to leave for your children's sake, it's as though the Lord makes gives us to know there's Make no mistake, your children can't be happier than where the Lord is in the midst.
And you know, I just want to look.
That's some of the things that I believe.
Are pretty calm.
With me if I decide that I'm going to leave.
I believe we see it in these two.
I think it's a man and a wife. We don't know for sure, but there's another place that speaks about the wife of Cleopas and we know that they went to the same home together. And so it appears that it's a man and a wife burden their family. They're leaving. But notice in verse 16 it says but their eyes were holding.
And it says that they should not know him and will not take the time. But if you have Mr. Darby's translation, this word no will take you on a footnote. Over to Matthew. I believe it's 1127. It's worth reading. What is in that word? No, But I just want to mark this. Their eyes were holding.
00:45:02
I believe that, you know, these had been there and they had heard the testimony of Mary.
They even speak of it, these women, besides all these things, certain women of our certain women also of our company made us astonish. One of the earliest the sepulchre and found out in his body and came saying they'd seen a vision of angels and so on.
If I decide to leave Jerusalem.
There is a governmental blindness, I believe, that's very real.
These ones got their eyes open.
Through the restoring work of the Lord Jesus, but their eyes were holding verse.
15 they reasoned.
They reasoned.
You know, if I'm going to leave Jerusalem.
I need to think up of a reason.
And so my reasoning will take me, I don't know where.
But its reason it is not faith.
And so this reasoning process goes on now instead of being governed and directed by the Word of God. It's my logical conclusion.
Verse the end of verse 17 as you walk and are sat.
That's often the case. How could it be different?
You know, sometimes we hear this comment.
Well, remember, they haven't left the Lord.
And I want to say carefully and graciously.
If the Lord Jesus is in the midst.
Can I leave?
In that sense, I have left the Lord.
And I am the loser for.
O the Lord, give us grace.
To hear his voice.
You know what the Lord Jesus and, and, and let's just notice he draws alongside of them. They don't know who he is and he says to them, what are you talking about? I can tell you're sad. I can tell you're downcast.
And we can't hardly imagine someone speaking to the Lord like this, but you know, their eyes are holding. And so they said in effect, well, if you live in a wholesome place or something, or why don't you know what's going on?
We might be ashamed what comes out of our mouths sometimes.
When we're being directed other than the Lord.
But you know so wisely, he says to them.
You don't know about these things and he says to them what things?
What things? And so they tell him we entrusted, and then he, and so on. Their hopes were dashed. And what does he do?
He opens the scriptures, remember?
Remember that if the Lord is going to use you and I.
In this needed work.
It won't be by going and figuring that we know what needs to be said. We do well to go and ask what things? What are the things that burden your heart?
We do well, rather than to be drawn into argument, to rather open the Word of God and let the Lord Himself speak through His Word. It's safe.
My brother told me one time.
Meet, Refute. Air.
By speaking the truth, one of the enemy's greatest advantages to drag us down. And we read in, in Galatians 61 Considering thyself, lest they'll also be tempted, That work of restoration can be a dangerous work.
And so if we we go to meet us all that's bitter and angry and has all these reasons and causes and this reasoning, we need to be cast upon the Lord. But the secret is the word of God and the word of God that brings out the Lord Jesus Christ. That alone is going to melt the heart. Because if it's my brother or sister in Christ, they too have a love for him. They too have a light, a new life.
00:50:03
That allows what is of God and has the very life of God.
And so may we be directed and guided.
By our Good Shepherd here as he brought them back, as he, as he opened, as he caused their hearts to burn, you know, he went as though he would go farther. Such wisdom to not to press ourselves. And again I say it doesn't take a lot. Perhaps our greatest, our greatest enemy is that we say too much.
Remember Thomas?
The disciples.
See Thomas, He wasn't there the first Lord's Day.
Then he's there with them and they say to Thomas, Thomas, we've seen the Lord.
And what a blast they get. I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it. I could put my hand in his side and put my fingers in his hands.
And we may well experience that.
But you know, they didn't say anything. At least it's recorded beyond that, they simply said, Thomas, we have seen the Lord.
And I believe the joy of their countenance was all it took for Thomas. He could say what he wants, but he's there the next week, isn't he? He's in the background, I suppose. And so the Lord singles him out.
And Thomas is one, perhaps, who had a difficulty walking by faith. But you know that path that you and I are called to? It's a path of faith. We live in a world that's so visual, and we spend a lot of our time looking at things.
But the path that we were called to is a path of faith.
And then we're looking for whatever to assure our hearts that the Lord is here, the Lord is there. We may well go astray, but if we have His precious word on which to rest, we won't.
Let's look very closely at at uh.
John, Chapter 21.
If you'll forgive me, we we won't so much read as as just speak of it. We're well acquainted with, I suppose, Peter's restoration.
We know that Peter said to the Lord, The Lord said to him, All ye shall be offended in me tonight. And he drew on that Scripture. And Zacharias said, Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
And he said that all of them would leave him the Lord Jesus. And Peter stopped the Lord and said, Though all forsake thee, yet will not lie. And if we turn to Mark, we see that the Lord told him No Peter, you will. And he, he affirmed, he, he talked back to the Lord, No, I will.
We know that there was a private meeting between Peter and the Lord Jesus.
You know, the Lord Jesus told those women, go tell Peter and my disciples. In fact, even before that, remember, it doesn't take a lot. It was just a look at Peter that melted him. That was a result of the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus. Peter, I prayed for thee. Oh, thank God for his intercession. None of us would be here this afternoon apart from the Lord interceding for us, apart from this advocacy when we've gone astray.
And that turned Peter. He went out and wept bitterly. He felt the depth of what he had done.
Perhaps I can just take the time to say this. You can see it in Mark.
If you trace it closely, you can see that Peter denied his brother because he was asked. Thou art also one of them, and he denied them.
Then they said, well, you KN you were with this man and he said, I know not the man. And then they said of a truth, you were with him. And I just thought of it this way. It's not original with me. But you know, I may say, well, I I no longer want to be associated with those brethren. I'm not one of them.
But you know, I didn't stop there with Peter.
00:55:00
Taking that grounds, he was tested again. Now he denies the truth.
The Lord help us if we find ourselves on a course or we are going to maintain anything.
The Lord help us to realize and not have to go. Finally, he denied the Lord because you know they're all connected.
The Lord Jesus, the truth.
And his church, you can't divorce them. And the effort of the enemy is often to put the brother in one light, and the Lord in another light. But you can't do that. May the Lord preserve us from that well. And so the Lord had a visit with Peter, and we know nothing of what that was.
Perhaps in that restoration, Peter could tell the Lord he was sorry for what he had done.
And no doubt the Lord forgave him.
But there was more needed. The Lord had said, Peter, when you restore, that's the new translation. Go on this, confirm or establish your brethren.
But you know, when we find him out of Galilee where the Lord said he would meet them, perhaps they didn't see the Lord right away. And Peter and his restlessness said, I'm going to go fishing. And others said, well, we'll go along with you.
And so this need and even they're out in the boat and the Lord takes them back through that.
Have you? Do you have any meat?
And they have to admit that they don't. And then he tells them to cast the net on the right side. And, you know, John turns to Peter and he says, and and here again, there's what the Lord uses for restoration.
All he says is the Lord is the Lord.
And Peter jumps into the water and heads for shore. I don't know why we can't judge his motives, but I wonder if there's still this thought that he's he's he's more he loves the Lord more. He's not going to wait for the boat. He'll he'll go in there that I believe we speak of this as the the public restoration of Peter. And it was it was necessary that right in front of his, we can say his brother, the Lord brought him down.
Three times and down and down.
And aggrieved Peter.
And none of us find it easy.
But you know, may we not resist.
Because the end is the Lord can use us.
In the end, our hearts are free in His presence.
Peter, do you love me more than they do? You see, the Lord is reaching for the root. Peter did love the Lord.
But the difficulty of feeling that he was a little more spiritual or a little more affection and devotion to the Lord, the natural consequence is that it puts his brother in a lesser light, and the Lord wanted to deal with that. It's native to our hearts.
And so.
Splendid shepherd.
He restores his servant.
We're out of time.
I'd like to read 2 verses that have been a comfort to my wife and I in regard to our children because I believe that we share perhaps some of the burden of hearts here.
In regard to our children.
I want to read them, perhaps without much comment, just in uh, I believe it's Ezekiel chapter.
Ezekiel, chapter 14.
Well, the Lord speaks about his bringing his judgment, and he says, neither son nor daughter shall be delivered. But then he says in verse 22, Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth.
Both of sons and daughters, behold, they shall come forth unto you, and you shall see their way and their doings, and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem.
01:00:05
Even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you when you see their ways and their doings. And ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done.
In it.
I'm too used to page placements. I'm sorry I don't have the other one. Let's in closing, let's just look at Luke chapter 24 again.
The Lord Jesus.
In his ministry.
Those 40 days are up.
And here is this company.
Whose hearts he has restored.
Who he has appeared to, Who he has communed with a.
They follow him out in Luke chapter 24.
And verse 50 And he let them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. It came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried off into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
And we're continually in the temple praising and blessing God.
Hold on a moment that would have been as they followed him out as far as Bethany, that place he loved so well, and there as they were around him.
And he lifts up his hands to bless them.
And as he does, it says he was separated from them. I believe that that tells something of their hearts towards him. They felt There he goes, there he goes.
It says.
He was he was parted or separated from them, and carried up, or taken up into heaven.
Looking up that word carried or taken up that has the thought of drawing another said, Here are his own longing and wanting, wanting him. They're seeing him go up with his hands outstretched to that little company that he loved. But there was the father above drawing him up.
He said, I I want him to come up. And there he went and sat on the right hand of God.
There he is at the Father's right hand this afternoon, beloved.
And he's real. He's a man. He feels. He feels all that we feel. And he knows how much he means to your heart and mind. And he would say to us, don't leave Jerusalem, you know, I thought.
It says that the Lord Jesus was seen of about 500 brethren at once.
And you have the Day of Pentecost comes, and there's only 120.
A brother was asked what?
How to what about that discrepancy? And, and he said, well, they're on the upstairs upper room praying, weren't they? So it was a prayer meeting. That's not uncommon at 25% attendance.
Isn't it? But I wondered this, if there were 500 brother that saw the Lord Jesus risen, where were they on the day of Pentecost? Had they left Jerusalem?
If they did all what they missed that day.
May the Lord preserve us near to Himself. I think of the hymn writer that said, Oh, keep us love divine near Thee, that we are nothingness may know, and ever to thy glory be walking in faith.
While here below I'm sorry went over time, let's pray.
Our God and Father, we thank you this afternoon for the one that restores our souls.
The one that preserves us in the way. Lord Jesus, we thank thee for thy restoring grace, Thy wondrous goodness, thy intercession for us, thy advocacy. We pray as we return to our homes with the encouragement, Lord Jesus, that Thou are going to come again.
Thought our feet would be kept, that our hearts would be more and more attached to Thee.
The thoughts be the one and only object of our hearts, and that we would be prepared that we would, Lord Jesus, be longing that we would be inviting Thee to come. We thank you for this time and as Thy blessing upon it, and I worthy and precious name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
1 Corinthians 15, Philippians 3 and 1 John 3
Gospel 2
Gospel—Jim Hyland
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I'd like to begin the Gospel Meeting this afternoon with Hymn #8 on the gospel hymn sheet. Shall we gather at His coming When the dead in Christ arise? Shall we hear the Savior call us to His home Beyond the skies? Hymn #8 on the hymn sheet, if someone could please start it.
It is a lot of money.
No, no, no, no. I'm just blah blah, blah, blah blah.
1 980 I think I'm coming in Charlotte and all the things.
Uh, I don't know. Maybe It's about a lot of life I have. No.
Yeah, but I don't know where I want to get. Uh.
Right now it's just going to rain up and uh, what's up with me? Yeah, I'll get everything. Let's say everything's done and we just, uh, watch them not there and you can go forward. Uh.
Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father how thankful we are for each one here this afternoon who thrills as we speak and sing of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are so many of us who lift up our hearts and our voices and say Even so come Lord Jesus. But now as we've come to the last of these meetings and we have the opportunity to present the gospel once again.
Our God, how solemn it is to consider that there may be those still here in this room.
Who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior? We pray that if there are such, that thou awaken them in the power of the Spirit from the pages of this blessed book this afternoon, that thy word might be as that hammer that breaks the rock and twain. So we ask for blessing. We pray that Christ might be presented in all His loveliness and beauty, that we might be solemnized with the brevity of life and the brevity of time, and two, that the hearts of thine own might be refreshed and encouraged.
00:05:32
As we speak once more of the precious things of Christ together, so we ask thy help and blessing. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory. Amen.
Like to read 3 portions of the word of God to begin with one. We've had much before us but we're going to re read it in John chapter 14.
John chapter 14 and just 4 words about the middle of verse three. I will come again and then in the book of James.
James, Chapter 5.
James, Chapter 5. The last part of verse 8.
The coming of the Lord. I want to read one more portion in the book of Luke, Luke, chapter 13.
Luke chapter 13 and verse 24. Strive to enter in at the Strait gate. For many I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the master of the house hath risen up, and shut, has shut the to the door, and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you.
I know you not when she are. I believe these are very solemn statements to read, as we've had the subject before us this weekend of the Lord's coming. So many of us thrill as we speak of the Second Coming of Christ. We look forward to it, and I trust that those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior at the end of these meetings have a fresh appreciation of the hope of the Lord's coming, and that it is a reality in our soul like perhaps never before.
That our souls are longing, thrilling for that moment when we're going to be with and like our precious savior.
And we have no doubt thrilled as we have read together and quoted this expression.
This promise by the Lord Jesus, I will come again.
But what we want to stress for a few moments at the end of these meetings is.
That the hope of the Lord's coming, while it's a wonderful hope for the believer.
It's going to mean different things for different people. Again, for those of us who know Christ, it's going to be snatched away to have changed bodies in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, to meet the Lord Jesus in the air and be ushered into the Father's house and to be ever with the Lord. But, you know, if the Lord Jesus were to come before this meeting is completed, I wonder if every seat in this room.
Would be empty. You know, we read how that when the Lord comes, he's going to give a shout. And you know when someone gives a shout, everybody within earshot hears that shout. But you know there's going to be a shout sounded throughout planet Earth that is only going to be heard by a certain few. It's going to be heard by those who have died in faith and they're going to come forth from the graves.
And it's also going to be heard by those who are alive on earth, who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
But that shout is not going to be heard by those who have either neglected.
Or rejected God's offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus and the work of Calvary. And I think it's very solemn to consider that if you don't know the Lord Jesus this afternoon and the shout were to be given and it might be given before this meeting is concluded. But if you don't know Christ, then the shout comes, you will not hear that shout.
But you will see what happens. You will look around and you will see the seats in this room empty. Perhaps you will be the only one. Or perhaps you will look across the room and you will see someone else who wasn't ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus, who didn't thrill at this blessed promise. And let's make no mistake about it. The truth of the Lord's coming is a reality.
00:10:27
We talk about it, we go over the fundamental doctrines concerning the Lord's coming.
But you know it's going to happen. One of these moments. It is a reality sometimes for myself, I have to say.
I'm so familiar with some of these things that I forget that these things are really realities. They're going to happen.
And they're going to happen very soon and what an impact it's going to have.
You know, we have the Lord's coming illustrated in the Old Testament. It's not a hope or a truth that they had before Christianity, but we have it illustrated in various ways, and we can go back and see it illustrated for our learning. And you know, there was a man in the Old Testament, a prophet by the name of Elijah, and Elijah was one who was raptured to heaven.
Without dying, he was taken away in a whirlwind in a chariot of fire.
A picture of what's going to happen when the Lord Jesus comes.
Because, as we said this afternoon, we shall not all sleep. We're not expecting death, we're expecting the Lord to come.
But to my own soul, what is so serious in connection with the rapture of Elijah?
Is who actually missed him when he was gone.
You know, it wasn't the general populace in Israel that missed Elijah when he was gone.
It was the sons of the prophets.
And I look around the room like this, and I see the sons and daughters of Christian parents, parents who are going to be gone when the Lord Jesus comes. And if you're left behind when the Lord Jesus comes, you're one of, so to speak, in the language of the Old Testament, one of the sons of the prophets. And the sons of the prophets questioned what had happened to Elijah. But not only will you question it, I believe you will know it.
But you know, there's something else even more serious than that. The word of God tells us that those who sat in gospel meetings like this, those who had parents and grandparents and other family members.
Who are going to go at the Rapture when you are left behind? Very quickly the enemy Satan is going to launch out with a lie called a strong delusion, and it's hard for me to take it in, but you're going to believe it.
And you're going to be convinced that something else took place other than the rapture. The Lord's coming. Isn't that solemn? You know the strong delusion isn't for the heathen. It's not for those who've never heard the gospel. It's for those that have heard it because they receive not the love of the truth that they all may be damned.
You know, hell is a reality too.
Hell is a reality.
The stories told some years ago of a man called a Stoker.
A Stoker was a man who is a man who tends fires. And this man was the Stoker at a glass factory where they had this huge furnace, and they had to keep this furnace heated so hot for the manufacturing of glass within the walls of that factory. And this man would come and he would stoke the fire. It was back in the days when they used wood and coal, and he would stoke the fire.
And he would keep it burning hot.
This man was a believer. He knew the Lord Jesus as his savior.
And one day as he stood before the open fire, stocking it with wood or coal or whatever he was using.
He said out loud to himself, not realizing that anyone else was around.
He uttered out loud. What must hell be like?
Because the scriptures describe it as the lake of fire, a place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, And this Stoker, overcome with the reality of a lost eternity, but saved himself, said aloud what must hell be like. What he didn't realize was that there was an infidel. An infidel is a person who doesn't believe the Bible or believe.
00:15:27
What we were Speaking of this, this weekend?
This infidel was passing the glass factory, and just as he passed the open door of the room where the furnace was, he heard this man gazing into the seething flames, say, what must hell be like? You know the spirit of God brought to bear on that infidels conscience, that expression, that statement. And the story goes that that infidel returned sometime later to talk to that man.
And find out what he was really saying and that infidel.
Came to know the Lord Jesus as his savior. And so we find the Lord Jesus said to his disciples before he left them. I will come again. I know it's been 2000 years plus since the Lord Jesus gave that promise. Does that mean that that promise has failed? Not for one moment. All the promises of God in him are yay and in him Amen to the glory of God by us there is not failed one word of all his good promise wherewith he hath promised.
And so, again, for those of us who know Christ, we thrill to think of the fact that the Lord Jesus is coming at any moment.
And the book of James where we read tells us the coming of the Lord.
And with every tick of the clock it's getting nearer and nearer and nearer.
I remember three or four young men in curling Newfoundland quite a few years ago who came to some gospel tent meetings that were being held in that community. And I had watched these young men for some time over the course of the week of meetings or whatever it was, and I realized that these young men were not serious.
As to eternity or the message that was being presented night after night in the Gospel tent, in fact, I concluded that these young men had come just to disrupt where they could and to distract others from listening to the story of God's love and grace. And so one night after the Gospel meeting, they were standing outside the tent door and I went over to them and I said, young men.
I said, is it worth the risk? Is it worth the gamble to say that the Lord Jesus will not come today, tonight, and that you'll have another chance to get saved tomorrow? I said, is it really worth that risk? You know what they said to me? I tremble to tell you what they said to me. They said, we'll take that risk.
You know, man is a gambler at heart. Man likes to gamble, but oh, don't gamble with your soul tonight, because not only is eternity near, perhaps be cut through death, there's a step between me and death. He holds our breath, you know, Daniel said to the greatest king of his day, King Belshazzar, the God in whose hand by breath is and whose are all thy ways, Hast thou not glorified?
But not only that, but the coming of the Lord draws nigh.
There was a moment when Elijah was raptured out of this world. If we were to back up to the book of Genesis, we would find another man, Enoch. There was a moment came when Enoch went to heaven without dying.
And there is a moment coming, as sure as we are in this building tonight.
There is a moment coming when the Lord Jesus is going to give that shout.
And he's going to call the Christians home.
You know, we heard last night about preparation. You know God has made every preparation that is possible of the Lord Jesus. We read prophetically a body Hast thou prepared me and the Lord Jesus at the right moment, in the fullness of time? It says he came into this world born of a virgin, born of a woman.
00:20:09
He came into this world as a man. He went to Calvary's cross. He laid down his life. He shed his precious blood. He rose bodily from the dead and bodily He returned to heaven, and He's there now as the savior of sinners.
We read a story in the Gospels about a man who prepared a marriage feast for his son.
And he said all things are ready. Come, he said. I have prepared my oxen and my fatlings, and he sent his messengers out into the highways and byways, eventually to compound to bid them to the marriage.
He sent his servant, singular, a picture of the Spirit of God to compel them to come in. You know I can't compel you tonight.
I'm like the servants I convinced you to come. The Spirit of God is the one.
That compels. And what that he would work tonight. If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your savior, but God has made preparation. Everything is prepared. The moment the Lord Jesus entered the Father's house as a man with the marks of atonement on his body, the house was prepared. It's been prepared since the Lord Jesus took his seat at the right hand of God. And the work of the Spirit of God has been going on for these years.
Bringing one and another in. Maybe not 3005 thousand in great multitudes like in the early days of Christianity, but one and another. And these meetings would be worth it this weekend if we knew that someone.
Came to know the Lord Jesus as their savior.
You know the gospel is free, but it's not cheap.
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And what makes a gift a gift is that it's free.
To the one who receives it.
But it's not free to the giver. The giver has to secure that gift in one way or another, and gifts are often secured at great expense and personal sacrifice. But God is offering a gift tonight, and He's offering it free. But I say it's not cheap. It costs God his Son. It costs the Lord Jesus his life. It cost him the shedding of his precious blood.
But have you made preparation as we heard last night?
The preparation is so simple, it is to simply come and receive the Lord Jesus as your savior.
You know, when we study ancient societies and civilizations, we find so often that there were many.
Who had a very misconstrued idea as to how to prepare for the next life.
And there were many, especially the kings and nobility of those societies.
Who went to great expense and even personal sacrifice, thinking that they were making preparation for, as they said, the afterlife.
I have on several occasions stood at the Great Pyramids and the Giza Desert outside of Cairo, Egypt. Pictures don't do them justice. If you've ever stood there, it's awesome. It takes your breath away. Just stand there and see those edifices. In fact, they are the only one of the original 7 Wonders of the World that are still standing intact.
But I have stood there and been solemnized in my own soul to realize that those 3 pyramids and many other like them in Egypt.
Were built by the kings and nobility of that country back in the days of the Pharaohs.
As preparation for the next life and there was not only.
Great expense and carefulness in building those pyramids as their burying places, but making sure that every provision was supplied in and around those pyramids for as they thought, the journey into the next life, the largest of the three pyramids.
Was engineered.
Under the direction of Pharaoh Khufu, who had a fairly short reign from 2589 to, I believe, 2566 BC. But he spent his whole life having his slaves and his servants erect that pyramid, and making sure that every provision was provided, even to having the vote that he traversed the Nile River on varied beside that pyramid.
00:25:23
And if you were to go there today, which I have had opportunity to do, beside that pyramid, there is a pavilion built over that boat which what has been in recent years excavated and lifted above ground for those who are interested in history to come and to view. But oh, I think of it how misconstrued their thoughts of preparation for the next life were, what great expense they went to to prepare.
For what they felt would be ahead when they left this world. But oh, tonight it is so simple. We sometimes sing A little child of seven or even 3 or 4 May enter into heaven through Christ the open door.
I've told this before, but I remember A-25 year old girl. Maybe there's some five year old girls here the Southeast this afternoon, but I remember 25 year old girls who came to some gospel tent meetings that were being held in a place called Truro NS up in the Canadian Maritime.
One of those girls knew the Lord Jesus as her savior and she brought a little friend with her to the morning Bible hour. And I'll never forget those two five year old girls after the morning Bible hour.
Concerned that the one who wasn't saved would be saved before they left that gospel tent and the gospel story was presented to them again, so very, very simply.
Because it is simple. So simple it says a wayfaring man, though a fool may not err therein.
And as that message was presented so simply to them.
That little girl, I believe, came to know the Lord Jesus as her Savior. Her sins washed away in the blood of Christ.
Ready to go when the Lord Jesus comes, but what touched my heart and I will never forget.
It's those two girls walking hand in hand out of that gospel tent and the one who had brought her friend saying to her friend. Now you can say that Jesus died for you.
Is that complicated 25 year old girls who understood so very clearly that Jesus had died for them. And you can know the joy of that tonight too. It doesn't matter how young you are, It doesn't matter how old you are, how often I've heard stories, and you have two of those in the last moments of life who come to know the Lord Jesus.
As their savior.
So is a man in Nassau, Bahamas along with the Lord now?
But as an old man, he had hardened his heart against the gospel his whole life.
His sisters knew the Lord Jesus as their savior. They were gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But Harkey Kelly was lying on his deathbed.
His sister Gladys was sitting by his bedside.
She didn't know if he was conscious or aware of what was going on, but she was determined to sit by his bedside, to be ready, if he so much as opened his eyes, to give one last appeal as far as his soul salvation. And she sat there hour after hour, day after day, Tirelessly, she kept her vigil on her brother's bedside.
And one day, as she sat there, he opened his eyes and he looked up.
And she leaned over him, and she said, Harkey, if ever you needed the Lord Jesus, you needed him now.
He looked up and he said, Lord Jesus, I believe he took one last breath.
And he was in eternity.
Absent from the body, and present with the Lord, I believe it with all my heart.
One simple act of faith, one look to the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:30:01
And he was taken from his deathbed in Nassau, Bahamas, to the presence of the Lord Jesus. But don't assume that you're going to have an opportunity like that again. What if the Lord Jesus were to come, The coming of the Lord Draweth nigh? Or it's in our language, say it draws near. It's getting close.
And you say, what's the big deal?
If the Lord came, well, I know the story and surely God is merciful. The Lord Jesus is loving, surely He'd give me another opportunity.
We read here in Luke's Gospel something exceedingly solemn. In fact, I want to read it again because it's the word of God that God can use to burn into your soul this evening. Not just mine, not so much my explanation, but the word of God. And so I'm going to read what the Lord Jesus himself said here and what the story is going to be.
For you, if you do not know the Lord Jesus.
And the Lord Jesus comes.
One one verse 25 of Luke 13 one once.
The master of the house has risen up.
And has shut to the door, And ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you're not, whence you are.
Pretty serious, isn't it?
You know the door of mercy is open tonight. The door of salvation is wide open for everyone that comes. And the invitation is whosoever will may come. But there's a day coming when the Lord Jesus is going to rise up and he's going to shut that door and it will never be reopened again. You know, it's interesting if we were to go back to Genesis and read carefully the account of the ark.
It's very interesting to follow the different mentions of that door.
And the lack thereof. You know, when Noah went in at the invitation of God, God shut the door. God didn't trust Noah to shut the door. God shut the door against the judgment.
That was going to fall.
And you can trace ever so carefully and you never read of that door being opened again.
You say, how did they get out of the ark? They removed the covering and left the ark. You can search. You'll never read of that door being open again. Why? Because what the spirit of God is impressing upon our souls today is that when the Door of mercy is closed against the judgment that's going to fall on this world, it will never be reopened again. And I look into an audience like this and I think of something else that says about the flood.
When the door was finally closed after about 120 years or so of Noah preaching and giving testimony to the judgment that was coming by the building of the ark.
It says the flood came and noticed it and took them all away.
You know there must have been boys and girls and young people on the earth at the time. There were middle-aged people on the earth. There were older people. There was no discrimination. The flood came, took them all away.
Does that stir your soul? You who do not know the Lord Jesus as your savior, Are you ready for this momentous event that's going to take place when the master of the house rises up and shuts to the door? It's illustrated in another way in the parable of the 10 virgins, those who had who had oil in their laps. They went into the wet, the marriage, the wedding, and the door was shut.
There were others who came later.
You know, I've been at a couple of weddings in the last few weeks and there were people came late to both of those weddings and you know, they got in, they slipped into the back seat, but you know, there's a wedding coming when the door is shut.
00:35:01
No late guests will be allowed in. Five of those ladies came late and they wanted in.
And the words came back from the other side of that closed door. Depart from me. I never knew you here, he says. I know you not whence you are. And in both the stories you notice it's Lord, Lord, you know, that's profession. Again, it's those who've heard the truth. It's those who've had opportunity who say, Lord, Lord, they maybe even act like Christians. Maybe they shake the preacher's hand at the door after the meeting and.
They nod and say, yes, I know the Lord, but it's all just words, it's all just profession. Those ladies that went to trim their laps, you know, when they let their lamps, it flickered up for a moment and then it says our lamps are going out because there was nothing inside. There was no reality, there was no oil. And there are many who make a profession who go along on occasions like this.
But if the Lord were to come, he knows your heart.
I don't know what's in your heart today. I can only see what's on the outside. I always enjoy the children's meeting Lord's Day Morning when I see the children line up on the front rows all dressed so nice. Sometimes the young boys have white shirts and ties. The young girls have nice dresses and a nice hat. I enjoy that. But you know, it's not what's on the outside that's important.
Or, most important, it's what's on the inside. Because God sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. And so I ask you again, Are you ready? The Lord Jesus has said he's coming. I know again, at the end of these meetings what a thrill we're gonna be, those of us who know Christ with and like him for all eternity.
And I just want to say this too, in conclusion to that which we've had before us in these meetings, you know, we spoke much of not only being with Christ, but like Christ. But let's keep before our souls this one precious truth that in that day, while heaven is going to be filled with those sons and daughters who are all just like Christ and God the Father is going to rejoice to have heaven filled with sons and daughters.
Who are all like his beloved Son, but remember the Lord Jesus in the midst.
Will remain the only Begotten of the Father for all eternity. He will remain distinct for all eternity. He will be our occupation for all eternity. Any glories that are reflected in our lives and in our person in that day are simply reflections of himself. It's all going to be of Christ, but all this as we end this gospel meaning to think of the One.
Who humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The one who shed his blood, of which it says the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
The one who rose from the dead, the one who is on high and the glory, is the Savior of sinners.
Oh, he wants you to be there in that day. He wants you to be ready. Be also ready. It says, Are you ready tonight? By the grace of God, I'm ready. I'm thankful that as a young boy there was a work in my soul. And I delight to stand before you today and say I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my sins are gone, that I'm a child of God.
That I'm the Son of God, and I know without any shadow of a doubt that when the Lord Jesus comes, I am ready to go. He's not going to leave me behind. He's not going to leave me here on planet earth when the shout is given. I'm going to rise to meet the Lord Jesus in the air, and I'm going to be ever with the Lord, you know, sometimes at the conclusion of a meeting like this.
There may be those who wonder.
How can I really be saved? You say it's simple, but how is it really?
I'm going to pray in a moment and it's this simple. If you are not ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus, if you have never had your sins washed away in his blood, all you have to do is while I'm praying, talk to the Lord Jesus in your heart. You don't have to say anything out loud. He knows your thoughts are far off. He knows what you say. Even in your heart. All you have to do is talk to him.
00:40:27
Confess that you are a Sinner. Receive his offer of salvation.
It's just like reaching out and taking a gift when someone offers it to you And what do you do? You say thank you. If you just in your heart say thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying for me. I believe you'll be saved. You'll be ready for that event of which we have gone over at some length this weekend. You will be ready. You will be more than ready. And you will not only be ready, you will be looking forward to that time when the Lord Jesus comes. Well, may everyone of us.
Leave these premises this evening, rejoicing in the truth of the Lord's coming.
May we be looking for it? I know there's some here. You've been saved for many years, more years than I've been alive, and you rejoice as you think of the coming of the Lord.
Maybe there's someone and you've just been saved a short time and you think wonderful we're gonna see the Lord another day perhaps before the sunsets this afternoon. And maybe there's someone here and you're gonna get saved right now and you're gonna be able to go out those doors rejoice thing and saying with the rest of us Lord Jesus, come let's pray our God and Father. We are so very thankful again.
For our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that mighty work of Calvary.
That has was accomplished there to save us from our sins, to save us for from hell, but not only so.
But to save us for glory and to be with the Lord Jesus for all eternity. And now we thank thee for this happy weekend we've enjoyed together. We pray for blessing on Thy word, and now particularly on on we ask blessing on Thy word as it's gone out in the gospel these last couple of evenings. And to the boys and girls this morning our God we pray. It's how follow Thy word in the gospel with blessing, how solemn to think that there may be the sons of the prophets here who are not ready and will look around and see.
Their parents gone when the Lord Jesus comes. So we commit ourselves to thee for safety for those who are traveling.
For those of us who will be and blessing on the local brethren, thanks for their exercise and zeal, and having us together, we pray for much blessing and fruit as a result. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Open Mtg. 2
Open—M. Payette, K. VanSpengen, F. 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.
202.
Right. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I don't know. I'm talking to you and come on. Come on. Bye. Oh my God. I'm confused. I'm confused. And you can give me the railroad blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Nsnoise.
Ask the Lord blessings, our loving God and our Father, we think of the words.
Think of some of the lines and the hem that we have sung together. We were singing about singing. We shall see his face. We were singing about hearing. We will hear that well known voice and we have been singing about knowing. And so we shall know the fullness of his love when with him and like him for all eternity. So as we would uh.
Just wait in Thy presence this afternoon in connection with the ministry before us. We would just ask that Thou lead by Thy spirit that we might have suited portions, uh, that which is necessary, that which is encouraging, that which perhaps uh, might stir us up. We would just leave all to Thee and the leading of this meeting to thee too.
We just thank Thee for the prospect that awaits us and that a soon coming day when we shall be all ushered into Thy presence. We give Thee thanks, blessed Savior, and Thine alone, worthy and precious name. Amen.
00:05:33
Read some verses from Exodus chapter 26.
Perhaps to connect what we've had before us as to our hope of the Lord's coming and us being with Him and like Him forever.
We have in the Old Testament the Tabernacle presented to us as a picture of heavenly things, of things in heaven.
And also, I believe as a model for us to to learn from. So just like to read a few verses in Exodus chapter 26 and perhaps get some thoughts from that portion.
Exodus chapter 26 and verse 15.
And thou shalt make boards for the Tabernacle of Chittendenwood standing up. 10 cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.
Two tenants shall there be in one board set in order one against another. Thou shalt thou make for all the boards of the Tabernacle. Thou shalt make the boards of the Tabernacle twenty boards. On the South side, southward thou shall make 40 sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two sockets under one board for his two tenants, and two sockets under another board for his two tenants. And for the second side of the Tabernacle, on the north side there shall be twenty boards.
And there's 40 sockets of silver, two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the sides of the Tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards, and two boards shall thou make for the corners of the Tabernacle on two sides. And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto 1 ring. Thus shall it be for them both. They shall be for the two corners. And there shall be eight boards and their sockets of silver, 16 sockets, 2 sockets under one board.
And two sockets under another board thou shalt make bars of shining wood. 5 for the boards of the one side of the Tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other side of the Tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the Tabernacle for the two sides westward.
And the middle bar in the midst of the board shall reach from end to end. And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make them rings of gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars. For thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.
Well, I trust most of you have seen pictures of the Tabernacle and if you haven't I I suggest you look into the subject because it is full of precious types and figures and teachings for us.
But I'd like to speak specifically on this, this description here that we have of the board of the Tabernacle and now that we're set up because I believe they're a picture for us of the believers.
It's a remarkable thing. You know, these boards were exactly the same. The ones that were in the holy place were exactly the same as the ones in the most holy place. Our physically in the presence of the Lord and you know, our standing right now is exactly the same as it's going to be when the Lord Jesus comes. We have a perfect standing in Christ can't be made better.
But as I suggest that the same, these boards were the same in the Holy place and the Most Holy. In the Holy place there was a table of showbread, the altar of incense, and the golden Candlestick, whereas in the holy place all there was was the Ark of the Covenant, which was a picture of the Lord Jesus. And I believe the holy place is a picture for us in this present dispensation of time, where we are around the Lord, and held together by the power of God to be a testimony to His name.
So as I consider these boards and seeing them a picture of the believers, I'd like to get a few thoughts to bring this to our hearts practically too.
The first thought was that they were standing up.
We read in the Epistle to the Romans that the Lord has put us standing up and he's able to keep us up.
And if one falls, he's able to rise us up again so that we'd be standing. This is the desire of the Lord Jesus for us to be standing for Him individually in our Christian life and testimony.
These boards, they had 10 cubits, 10 cubits in length. They all have the same length, same height.
00:10:09
When you think of justification, you know in the Old Testament, if you could have kept the 10 commandments, God could have declared you just on the basis of your performance. But we learned from Scripture, nobody can stand before God on the basis of his performance. We can have a perfect standing before God and perfect righteousness that 10 cubits speaks of on the basis of the work of the Lord Jesus and your trust, your faith in him. And I trust everyone here this afternoon is put their trust in the Lord Jesus and how's this standing before God?
Now these 10 cubit boards had two, uh, bases, you might say 2 silver bases. And, uh, I've enjoyed different thoughts about that in connection with the repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because silver that speaks of, uh, redemption. But I also thought of the appreciation we can have as believers in the Lord Jesus have two aspects that are very important and are, are parallel and are presented here in that.
Uh, in those two bases of two things that we often speak about, and perhaps sometimes we can get off in our balance of these things, and that is the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.
It's a wonderful thing to know that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
And that God is sovereign, and he works through people and circumstances, and he draws us to himself. Lord Jesus says no one can come to me lest the Father that sent me draws them. That's God's sovereignty.
When God makes you hear the gospel and makes you responsible.
And perhaps, and most people here this afternoon, they've been visited by the Spirit of God and have accepted the Lord as their Savior and rejoice in the fact that God is sovereign and has done that for them.
That doesn't take away from your responsibility as a believer.
You know, I heard the gospel from another believer.
And the people around you, God wants them to hear about that wonderful Savior He sent into the world.
And today our standing before God is on his sovereignty and the responsibility he's committed to us of being faithful witnesses to the world of the Lord Jesus and also being faithful witnesses to what he's made us to be in Christ. You know, Lord Jesus died for each one of us and also died to make US1 together. And that's part of our responsibility to show that practical oneness and are going on one with another. So I'd just like to suggest that starting connection with.
The 16th verse it says the width of the board was a cubit and 1/2.
Doesn't specify the depth of it. I I believe it was one cubit, but it doesn't specify the depth. But the width was identical to everyone and so we all have the same standing in the same place before God, you might say. But the thought of half a cubit brings to mind that 1/2 isn't complete.
To be complete, needs another half.
You know, there are things that we can't do alone.
There are things that we need to be two or more to do, for example, remembering the Lord.
For example, being gathered to the Lord's name.
You know, the Lord says, there am I in the midst.
Have a mist? You need to have at least two. You don't have a mist if you don't have two.
You could be with the Lord and join him. There's no means.
So we need one another and I I believe we have this picture here in these boards that they were incomplete in themselves as to what they were part of. To manifest what they were really part of, they needed others. And so these boards all had a cubit and 1/2.
Now, you know, if you read a little bit earlier or later, I'm not sure, I have to check it about the, uh, the holy place, when you came into the court, there were four pillars in the court. When you came into the holy place, there were five pillars.
And I'm sure many of you are familiar with this because.
The five pillars would speak of entering into those things that God has, has revealed to us by the Spirit of God. And these five pillars have been compared to, uh, the ministries we have in Ephesians chapter 4, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, There's five of them when compared to the five authors of the epistles that present to us the truth of Christianity, So Peter, James, John, Paul and Jude.
00:15:01
There's five pillars.
And that's how we're introduced into.
This realm of things, which is the truth of Christianity right now, being members of the body of Christ, enjoying these things that we've been enjoying this morning were brought into that by these ministries, by the epistles.
But you know, this is not what held.
These boards together, they have the same standing, the same height, the same width, yet I'm sure they were perfectly lined up. Yeah, they're perfect line up on the east wall and the W wall, on the back wall. I'm sure if you look, it was perfectly straight, perfect line up. What made them so straight?
You know, if you know mechanics or you work with all sorts of different things, sometimes something stops working.
And all the bigger pieces are there and they're all fine and they look all fine, but it won't start or it won't run. It doesn't run properly. And sometimes you find out this this little piece here insignificant piece was missing or malfunctioning and that's what made the whole pay for it all.
And you know, there are small things that are indispensable. You want the Lord Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in Manchester 23 He said that he they shouldn't have forgotten the more important things of the law. And I do neglect the smaller ones.
Sometimes we tend to neglect the smaller ones.
We can be enjoying the realm of heavenly things and the Lord's coming, and these wonderful truths were given to enjoy, made clear to us.
In the scripture and while doing that, neglect the smaller thing.
Well, there were small things that were mentioned here that held these words together. And he was 5 sockets of gold.
Or rings of gold. Let me see here.
Rings of gold verse 29 and make their rings of gold and place the bars. That shell shall overlay the bars with gold. There were 5 bars on each panel and each board had I believe four rings of gold in the center bar went through the middle.
And I've enjoyed that picture very much. I mentioned it before, but every board there, if you compared every board to the Lord Jesus, it had four rings of gold and it appears in the middle.
So the Lord Jesus has four rings of gold 2IN his hands, two in his feet, and he was pierced in the middle.
I am crucified with Christ, yet I live yet not. I live, but Christ lives in me. That's the position God has given us to be identified with him as crucified ones.
And then you can line us up any way He wants, because we belong to Him, and then redeem with the precious blood of Christ, and has given us the life of Christ in us to be able to carry out in our lives that which He's made us to be before Himself.
To carry out together that which has made us to be before him.
So there were five, umm, wooden bars overlaid with gold and these bars, they went through the rings and through the middle bar. And when that was complete, you could just look at these panels of wall and they were perfectly lined up.
Take off the bars. The rings are there, but there's maybe the ground wasn't level and it it didn't wind up perfectly.
And I have suggestion for our souls of five little things in three epistles, because there were five boards with the rings on one side and 5:00 on the other side, and one on the backside.
There are fifteen of these boards or these, I'm sorry, bars.
That were used to hold this structure together.
I have one in Ephesians. I have one in Philippians and one in Colossians. One after the other. Three following epistles one after another. Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4, verse two. We'll read verse one. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.
I believe this is our collective vocation.
What we've been called to be together.
With all lowliness.
And weakness.
With long-suffering.
Forbearing one another in love, Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
I have these five things.
00:20:01
Perfect harmony with the character of the Lord Jesus. Lovingness, meekness, long-suffering for bring one other in love.
And one was filled with the Spirit.
Philippians, Chapter 2.
Verse one. There's five in there too.
If there be any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, or any compassion or mercy and mercies, there's five there.
Colossians, chapter 3.
Verse 12.
But on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering. 5 more.
All little things.
But necessary things.
Things that contribute to this oneness, this smoothness of the Saints, one with another.
No quarreling, no lifting up of voices, no argumenting.
What a wonderful thing, dear ones.
To be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
And I say.
What a responsible thing.
What a responsible thing to claim.
That we know him.
And we enjoy him.
And are like what he wants us to be around himself.
We can rejoice in that and marble in it yet.
Not feel our responsibility. And I'm afraid as time has gone by in the history of the Saints, I believe the lack of these little things, the lack of judging when our spirits are out of this.
Blending of character with the character of Christ with one another. That difficulties come between the Saints.
And As for which Christ died to make one?
Is torn apart in its testimony.
And you know, we can all be in the same room and enjoying the same thing.
And then we can leave and never see ourselves again until the next time we're all in the same room, enjoying the same thing.
But I believe the Lord has made us members of the body of Christ on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and that we should have a care for one another.
We speak about this half cubit.
I tell you, brothers, sisters, you need me.
And I tell you, I need you. We are complete without you. We are not complete without you.
It says love others. No, it says love one another. My son was reading to me a calendar page from We're Traveling Together and from the Christian calendar in French, and he spoke about feet washing.
That was very good and it was in line with everything I hear about feet washing.
And what I heard was wash other people's feet.
That's not what it says.
Wash one another's feet.
I need my feet to be washed. I have to be ready to have my feet washed as I can be ready to help my brother and my sister.
The members should have the same care one for another.
OK, for you and you care for me. Well, just these thoughts I had their ones on this portion of Scripture. Uh, we can't do justice to what is brought before us in the Tabernacle. There's always new thoughts being brought to us by the Spirit of God. But I've enjoyed this perfect lineup in the model.
And having these thoughts of how it can be carried out practically and I've enjoyed these pictures as referring to these portions in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians about 5 little things necessary and that makes all the difference as our going on together for the Lord and for his glory.
I know that on the notices there was nothing mentioned about a young people's meeting.
And my idea is not just for the young people, but I do have the young people in mind. Could you please turn together to the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 13?
00:25:11
This passage is very well known to most of us.
About the showing of the word.
But I trust that as we take this up.
Not very long.
But there'll be something for our hearts, something for an exercise that we need. And I'm speaking for myself just as well. I used to be young once. It's hard to believe how time flies. I can remember being you guys age. It was a hard time. I got to know the Lord when I was about 20. No, sorry, 16 years of age.
And I trust this portion as we take it up about hearing the Word of God that we apply it. Now we're just going to go over very briefly, but I hope there's something here for each one starting at verse 18.
Hear ye dare for the parable of the sower.
When one hears the word of the Kingdom.
And understandeth it not. Then cometh the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received the seed by the wayside.
Perhaps there's some of you here young people.
That come in this category.
You're hearing the word of God.
Like you're not too interested.
You've got other things on your mind. You've got other thoughts about what's gonna happen tonight. You know what activity you're gonna have, football or gonna have hockey or whatever. Your mind is not on the subject as it ought to be. So the seed is being sown, but you're not too interested because you got something else and you think you have something better.
This, I would say is the person that receives it, but receives it by the wayside.
Verse 20 But He that received the seed in Stony places, the same as he that heareth the word, and a nun with joy receiveth it.
You know, there are times when, uh, we can, we can get, uh, excited. I might say we hear something we're anxious about it. Hey, this sounds good. This sounds good. You're picking up years a little bit. It's got your attention. But the following verse says.
Uh, yet have not yet. Has he not rooted himself by Bureau for a while? For when tribulation or persecution cometh because of the word.
By and by he is offended.
This is a time of testing.
You young people, you have a lot of testing.
And your youth, you've got your schoolmates that are pulling you one way.
You've got your friends who to choose.
Which way do you go?
You've heard the word, you're happy, you think about it, but you go back on on Monday to school. My question, are you on holiday? Sorry, but when you go back to school again, hey, your buddy say, hey, come on, let's go do this or let's go do that. And the word of God kind of drifts off like it's less interested to you. Let's go on.
He also then received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word in the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of the deceitfulness of riches choke the word.
And it become as unfruitful.
That's what happens, you see. The world pulls you away.
Your friends pull you away.
Other things become an interest. The biggest interest today is sports. I'm not against sports. I love it. I love soccer when I was growing up and I have nothing against sports. But you know, we're getting to the age in the time where sports takes such a big picture that I have seen young people.
End the meeting.
Who will go through every practice, go through every tournament, and be turned away from the word of God?
Satan is a deceiver and he'll say, hey, sports is great, it looks good for you. You know, we got this image of ourselves, hey, and so and so, and it becomes an ego.
00:30:08
And it takes away the word of God because you're away. You've got to go to practice. And parents, I just want to say their word to you. I have known parents who have had children that are busy taking them to a tournament when there was a meeting on that night.
I should not know, I've seen it.
And what happens in the long run? The children aren't in the meeting anymore.
Why? Because they're more interested in that soccer game or that hockey game.
So here's your word of caution, should to the parents.
Be careful, be watchful where you lead your children. Sports can lead them away.
We are responsible as parents.
Discontinue.
Verse 23. And he that receiveth seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it, which also he beareth fruit, and bringeth for some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
Now there's real fruit.
It has taken hold. You're here today. You've been to conferences before. What effect has the word of God been to you?
Has it taken hold a little bit? Just to interest you a little, but I think you forgot it.
Has it interested you enough that you might be the one of the 30s?
And then kind of staying alone, are you one of the 60s or are you one of those one hundreds?
I'm pretty interested each one here, especially the young people that you will be one of those 100.
All out for Christ, non barring.
Let's continue on.
Verse 24 Another parable put you forth unto them, seeing the Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.
But while man slept, his enemy came and sow tears among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and was brought forth, then appeared the tears also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? From whence then has it chares? And he said unto them, An enemy had done this. And the servant said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, lest he gather up the tares, ye root also up the wheat with them.
Satan is a great deceiver.
I'll have to tell you a little story. I love gardening.
I love vegetable gardening, but I also like flower gardening. It's not my favorite, but once in a while my wife sends me out to the flower garden and she and I have planted perennials, annuals.
And after a while, things grow up. I haven't taken a study on what I'm, what I'm putting into the ground. I should.
After a while, when the wedding comes, I'll come along. Oh, it just looks like a weed pluck. This looks like a weed pluck. That looks like a weed. And a month later my wife comes up to me. She says where is such and such? Where is such and such?
I don't know.
I don't know a weed from a real thing.
Oh, my wife don't like that. You can ask her after how many real flowers do we have in the yard? I still don't know. I looked at the yard the other day and I still ask myself which is a real flower and which isn't. We've even planted wildflowers. Some of our grandchildren have come over and put a little packets of seed in the ground and watch them grow. I don't know what's what. I shouldn't be eating in the garden. My wife should do it herself freely.
But Satan is a great deceiver, so we have to be careful.
With what we sow and what we reap, and the more we sow the Word of God, the more we reap from the Word of God. Let's not get tangled up with the weeds. The weeds are there. The weeds are like sin. It's there. The deceiver has planted all these things in front of us, Soccer, hockey, baseball, whatever.
Those seeds are amongst the good seed.
00:35:02
The question is, what seed is going to be more precious to you? Right now I'm growing a vegetable garden and the rain has done real good. My peas are about that high and I love Peach and so are all the other vegetables. And I look forward to a nice tomato sandwich. You know, Mayo, salt, pepper, little leaf and lettuce on it. Delicious. I look forward to it. But I know what the tomato looks like. It's a good thing, but I don't know a lot of other plants or herbs.
That I haven't got a clue in.
So the challenge I have to you is young people.
Be ready to learn the Word of God.
Shake it in 100%.
Study it, show yourself approved unto God, a Workman that need not be ashamed.
No, what is the seed and what is the real, what is not the real seed? You know, young people, I, I have to tell you this and I'm ashamed of it. When I grew up in my late 50s and up, especially in the early 20s, I roamed a lot. I roamed from church to church.
I went to the Pentecostal and I went to the Baptist and everything else in between.
But you know.
I didn't find happiness there.
We just came back from Pennsylvania country 5 weeks ago to see the Amish country.
And I've learned that the young people in the Amish country have a room Springer, 18 years old and up for two years.
In those two years, the young people have to decide to go out. They're allowed to go out into the world, to taste it, to see it and see if they like it.
If they like it, they leave the colony.
If they make a decision, they get baptized and come into the church. That's when they're serious.
But you know, we don't have to be like that.
We don't have to wait till we're in the late teens. A lot of young people here, you're 1415 and up 20s.
Don't but find out the hard way what is right and what is wrong. What is the good seed and what is the bad seed. You've got it right here.
Another thing I want to see is this. You're gathered to the Lord's name.
Is it precious to you? It is to me. Now if I look back at my history and say, what did I think about that group or that group or that group?
I'm telling you, forget it.
You have the most truth before you here today, in your lap.
For what we're hearing.
Those who meddle about don't be deceived by the deceiver and say, oh, there's something better out there.
It's not. It's not.
Be 100%.
Go out for God.
Just, uh, want to say a couple of words. Maybe we'll start, uh, reading in Ephesians 4.
Verse 11.
And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Have on my heart to just encourage.
The Lord's people to be shepherds, if the Lord has put that.
On your heart.
Think of uh.
The brother read about the UH boards standing up.
And it's always encouraging to, uh, come to a conference and to hear the Lord magnified.
And sometimes it can be a little discouraging to go back to your local assembly. Maybe it's a small assembly.
And it may be full on Lord's Day morning.
And then you come to the prayer meeting and there's only a few there and, uh, you might ask yourself why.
00:40:10
We're all like sheep.
And uh.
Let's go to, uh, Luke 15.
Just read a couple verses there.
Luke 15 verse four. What man of you having 100 sheep if you lose one of them?
Does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it.
Umm. I think the reason why.
That prayer meeting is so empty is because.
First of all.
Is there a love in my heart for maybe that one that's not there?
Every one of us has that tendency that, uh, that meeting is going to come and, and we're gonna say, you know, my brother mentioned, uh, sporting events or maybe it's work. Maybe it's just, I'm too tired. Uh, maybe I'm discouraged. Maybe I say I don't get anything out of that meeting.
Everyone of us are somewhat susceptible to that.
And we all need shepherds. Every one of us needs shepherds.
The Lord says I'm the Good Shepherd, I lay down my life for the sheep. But he also puts in the local assembly shepherds.
Maybe you're one of them. Maybe if you're a young boy or a young girl, an older woman.
You might be a shepherd.
And I just would like to encourage you.
I can think back when times in my life when an older sister came up and justice showed me the love of the Lord.
And I think about it often.
End.
Maybe if everyone of us.
Thought on our brethren a little more and consider that, umm, instead of maybe thinking how few might be out, but think about each one of our brethren. Pray for each one of our brethren and.
Just like in that parable, the Lord told don't just sit there and meeting and wait until they might come back, but go out and look for them. It takes some effort to be a shepherd and it's never easy.
But the Lord has put in every assembly shepherds. And don't think that maybe, uh, I'm too young. I'm too old.
I'm a woman. I'm, uh, busy with this or busy with that and I can't speak right.
Do you have a love in your heart for the Lord's people?
Do you think when someone's not there, do you think about their soul?
Maybe you're a shepherd.
And the Lord has something for you, I think, when I was younger.
I remember some things that some older brethren said to me, but I know what I really remember. It was people that, uh, were my age in my teens that came up to me and said, you know what? You're on the wrong path. You need to do something about that.
Don't think that because of your age.
Or anything else that the Lord can't use you to be a help to your brethren.
207.
207.
Five star hotels.
In regards.
511.
And Friday.
I don't want some information to do that. Do you have anything to do with anything? Umm.
So that'll help you continue the current number. That's what I'm blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Right, Lord, we thank you that we can be here, and we are happy to be here to thank you that we can.
Be enjoying thee, Lord Jesus, and we thank you that we can be apart from our work, our responsibilities at the home, uh, responsibilities from homework or whatever we may have and just enjoy the Lord for this, this time. We just, uh, thank you for this happy time. We thank you for, uh, the encouragement that we've, uh, received here from our three brothers and we just pray that we would, uh, put it into effect, that it would sink down into our hearts and into our hands and into our feet.
And we just would, uh, ask for help, Lord, as we, umm, seek to go on for thee, We thank thee that we've had thy coming before us too. We know that it's short. We pray that we would keep that coming before us so we could be encouraged to go on for Thee. We often feel our, uh, failures. And when we just occupy, uh, ourselves with ourselves, we uh, have tough times. Help us, Lord, you turn our eyes on thee, Lord, and.
00:50:15
We just would, umm, look to the two as we hear Thy word, help it to umm, sink in, Help us to open our hearts to what you'd have us to hear. Often times, Lord, we uh, close out something that maybe we think is too tough or that would really, umm, be hard for us to, to put into practice in our lives. To just help us, Lord, to be tender and help us probably more important to be obedient to all the truth that we know, even some small portion of it, Lord, that we would be umm.
Fruitful as we've, we've heard, we just would pray too, that we would be exercised to reach out and be shepherds caring for, uh, those around us. We often have felt in our lives, people pulling us in One Direction or the other or giving us, uh, a sweet thought of thyself that would, uh, straighten this out. You just, umm, thank you for the shepherds that you've placed into our lives. And, and we thank you too, Lord, that you are the Good Shepherd. You are the great shepherd.
And we thank you that you've given your life for us dumb sheep. We just, umm, again, thank thee for, uh, this time, this happy time that we could be over thy word. And again, we just would, umm, uh, give the thanks for thy love and thy care. And we do so in thy precious name, Lord Jesus, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 4 & Various
1 Corinthians 15:51-58