Walla Walla Conference: 2022
Table of Contents
Philadelphia and Laodicea
Address—Bruce Conrad
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From mostly spent most of our Christian lives on the East Coast of the US. Very happy to be further W now.
So with that behind us, let's begin our meeting by singing #166. Another thing I've learned over the years when you're not in your home territory is to let a more local brother start the tune so someone else could start #166.
Well, I would like to take up a little part of Revelation chapter 3.
In our home meeting, we have been in the Book of Revelation. We're about halfway through.
We went through these seven churches, as you would imagine, but we just kind of went through pretty briefly. I have never spoken on this portion before, but it is pressed upon my heart to take up.
In a certain manner, the 6th and the 7th churches to Philadelphia and Laodicea.
As the older brothers used to say when I was young, like these guys here, they would always tell us the well is deep and the well is indeed deep. It's infinitely deep and so.
Make apologies at the beginning. We're going to touch just the tops of the waves here as we go through. My burden, really, with respect to Philadelphia is the opened door.
OPENED past tense, opened door. And then as we'll see the Lord willing, as we get to the end of the chapter with Laodicea, we see that there's another door and someone standing by it. And so with that in mind, let's just read to start with from verses 7 through.
Through 13 to read about Philadelphia and and try to budget my time to afford proper time to.
Loud to see as well.
And perhaps you've heard people speak about Laodicea before and it's been a lot of doom and gloom. I, I really don't have it on my heart to have a doom and gloom meeting tonight.
As we say, but there are very serious things that are before us in these, in these, in this passage.
We are familiar in the New Testament with the apostles who were used to write the Word of God warning us even before they were off the scene that perilous times would come.
And John, the apostle John said it's the last hour, there are many antichrists around. When Paul wrote to Timothy in the first epistle, even he spoke a word of warning to him about the latter times. And there would be seducing spirits, doctrines of demons.
And amplified that in the second epistle. So it's been this way, which is rather unique when you stop and think about it, for almost 2000 years. But I'm not sure there is a more pointed passage in the Word of God.
Then the end of Revelation chapter 3, where the Spirit of God has put before us sequentially 7 assemblies that existed in that time and what we today would call Turkey.
And there were seven literal assemblies there, and they each had their challenges. And most everyone in this room knows that as we look back now from the vantage point of almost 2000 years since the day of Pentecost, that the Christian testimony is seen sequentially to a certain extent in these seven churches. And so the address to the assembly at Laodicea is especially poignant for us. It's the.
Time in which we live.
And so, Lord willing, will carve some time out to get to that. But first to start with with Philadelphia in verse seven, and to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right these things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee and opened door. That's the way that should read.
No man can shut it.
Thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word, and it's not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which they they are Jews, and are not but to lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
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Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation.
Which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown, Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name.
He that hath an ear, let him hear with the Spirit saith.
Unto the churches.
When we come to the address to Philadelphia in these two chapters, chapters 2:00 and 3:00.
We come to an assembly that is not characterized by anything that would be, to outward eye, very dramatic.
The Lord Jesus presents himself and has presented himself in the first five churches in different ways, largely official when he when we come to Philadelphia, he presents himself in a very simple but essential way as to his, how do we put it, his character, his person.
His inward nature, He's the Holy One and the True.
And he has the key of David.
And you say, and I've been pondering for a number of years, what is the key of David? If you go back and trace it back into Isaiah, I think it's a 22nd chapter. You read about a key of David that is on his shoulder. What kind of a key do you wear upon your shoulder? It's, it's, it's ponderous. And it seems to imply if we took the time to go back there, it seems to imply that.
David is the one who is going to exert for God's glory governmental power.
Over all things for His glory.
And yet, if you read the personal history of David, he got to a point where his enemies were at rest around him.
He's sitting there at peace as king. He's sitting in a prosperous house, no longer in a cave or or fleeing like a dog from Saul. And he says I dwell in a House of cedar.
And he was exercised and he said, I have this house. I want to build the Lord a house. And so he says to Nathan, his prophet, he says, Nathan, I want to build the Lord a house. Nathan says, oh, good idea. Yeah, do that.
Sometimes the way we are with one another, we understand that well, that night the Lord spoke to Nathan and said thus saith the Lord, and I'm paraphrasing, forsake of time. You go tell David that he's not going to build me a house.
I'm gonna build him a house. Only David is not going to build the house for me. It's going to be one that comes out of his own bowels. His son is going to build me a house. And David doesn't appear to have just he accepted that from the Lord, and I'm just touching on that portion very lightly. But David seemed to accept that from the Lord, and he didn't just say, oh, well, I'm just going to go along and maybe I'll build myself another house.
He he began to accumulate treasures.
And resources. And under David's administration there was, what was it, 100,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, timber and stone without number. All these treasures, as I picture it, all under David's control. And those were.
Under his control, so that one who did come from his own loins, who would be?
Of the name of Solomon would build that house a glorious house. So when you first read in verse.
7.
The key of David, he that Opeth no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth. It gives you the thought there's kind of a coming and going there. But I believe that the point is clarified to me in verse eight. I know thy works. In other words, I know you guys.
I know you.
And consequently I've set in front of you before you and opened door.
This beautiful, and by that I take it that the Philadelphian Saints now had access into these treasures that would be manifest to everyone in the coming day.
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And I believe this is a portion spiritually for you and for me.
I keep thinking of that passage in Matthew 13. I'm going to read it.
Matthew 13.
Strikes me more and more.
The Lord Jesus laying out before men a new thing that he was doing in sewing.
He explains a certain characteristic of a parable, which is to reveal and to hide.
Parables have that.
Characteristic both characteristics.
And he says to them in verse 16, But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them.
There are no doubt a lot of young people in here.
And you have never known anything other than meeting.
And you're going to have to go through a period of time where you really evaluate what it is that in the Providence of God you've been connected with. Some of us did not have that privilege, and our history is different.
But either way.
The Spirit of God would lead us to realize that the things that you and I have been exposed to in this book are things that righteous men, prophets down through the centuries, wish they could have seen but did not.
I've heard Brother Bill here speak about John Chapter 2.
And quote that comment that the governor made. Thou hast kept the good wine until now.
And you and I have the privilege to understand and to enjoy the most precious things that have ever been in the Council of God.
And that is quite something.
For 2000 years.
I should say for about 1800 years, maybe 1700 and 1700 years.
And there was has been such a dearth.
In the Christian testimony as to the understanding of the precious things of Christ.
And of how?
What the Apostle Paul speaks of as the great mystery of Christ in the Church.
What God would be doing between the time of His sufferings and the times of His glory.
Was a mystery hidden God not even in the Old Testament scriptures.
But in these special times in which you and I live, this mystery has now been revealed.
And we have it before us.
And your mind, And my mind was fashioned.
And our mouths and our lips and our hearts were fashioned for that very exalted understanding. You look around at what people do today. You look around at what people invent, whether it's these iPhones or whether it's you name it, at any technical field. It is amazing what men do.
And young people like, like so many of you, you go to school and you learn very complex concepts in science and mathematics and, and all kinds of things.
But the amazing mind and consciousness that God created man to have and that you have.
Its highest calling, and that for which it was especially made, is to enjoy the precious things in this in this book.
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Nothing higher than that.
When I was saved about a year.
I grew up outside of Philadelphia.
I got saved somewhere far away, came back to visit, went to the little meeting in Glenside, PA. Some of you have probably been there.
And there was an older brother there. I'll just tell you his name, no secret. His name is Ralph Reeb.
He's still still living in Pennsylvania.
And.
Somewhat of a shorter man, impeccably dressed in a beautiful suit. He did something complicated with business, is all I knew at the time, like mergers and acquisitions. And they they paid him for his brains and he was coming. He'd come to meeting from work.
And at one point he looked across at US 20 somethings and he had his Bible in his hand and he said.
Young men, you should never know more about anything than you know about this book.
He had tears in his eyes.
Some of his sons were sitting there with me.
Well, I registered it. I took it in.
OK, got it. Good advice.
And then I'm sitting in my study 45 years later.
And it just keeps coming back.
A bunch of other things too.
And I feel that's a true statement.
I'm appreciative of the opportunity I have to join a lot of younger brothers on assembly, reading meetings on Zoom. Some of them are my sons, some boys that grew up with our family and others.
Bright young men.
And my concern for them.
As we go through the scriptures and I, we just we and the other older one or two which encourage them to ask questions, turn your camera on.
Ask a question if you think we're, if you're just, we're just talking into space and not making sense and you're not grasping me and say, hey, stop. What do you mean by that? We try to encourage honest questions so that we know what people are taking in and what, what's the leading edge of what they see so we can help them on.
These young brothers, some of them are just brilliant young professionals.
One of them is in a field that I was in and I know this kid is brilliant.
Lovest Thou Me?
Colossians 2:1-8
Reading
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Before we pray, I'd like to read a few scriptures.
In First Chronicles chapter 12.
First Chronicles, chapter 12.
Start with verse 38.
All these men of war that could keep rank came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over Israel. All the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.
Particularly verse. I was thinking of it. There they were with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them.
Moreover, they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on ***** and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat and meal cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins and wine, and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly. For there was joy in Israel.
Psalm.
68.
First, the last part of verse 10.
Thou, O God, has prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
Then in.
Romans, Chapter 9.
Romans Chapter 9 verse.
23.
That he might make known the rich of his riches, of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had a four prepared unto glory over a couple pages to 1St Corinthians.
Chapter 2.
Verse 11.
Oh sorry, verse 9. But as it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard either. Have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared them that love him, God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. Hebrews, Chapter 11.
Hebrews Chapter 11 and verse 16. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city.
Hold your finger here and go to Revelation 21.
Revelation 21 and verse two and I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem.
Coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Back to Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11 and verse 7 by faith Noah.
Being warned of God, of things not seen as yet moved with fear.
And prepared an arc to the saving of his house and one last verse in Ezra.
Ezra, Chapter 7.
And verse 10.
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes.
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I'd like to make a suggestion for what we might take up.
Colossians, chapter 2.
And I would submit it to my brethren for their consideration.
I believe that chapter brings before us something that we very much need today, and that is the fullness of Christ as the head of the Body.
For fulfilling every need to that body.
1St chapter of course is the fullness of the head as to what He is in Himself before God, and also of course before us as well.
But then in the second chapter I believe we get the fullness of the head for the body.
Would my brethren be happy to take that up?
Amen.
Colossians, chapter 2.
Right with that you knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit. Join in beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power. In whom also your circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, Wherein also you're risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead, and you being dead in your sins.
And the circumcision of your flesh.
Hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them, openly triumphing over them in it. Let no man, therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days.
Which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in the voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he had not seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the head, from which all the body, by joints and bands having nourishment, ministered.
And knit together increases with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why is thou living in the world? Are you subject to ordinances? Touch not, taste not, handle not, which are all to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men, which things have indeed a show of wisdom and will, worship and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
Just perhaps as a bit of an introduction.
And this is going over familiar ground, I know for many. But in the book of Ephesians, it's the emphasis is more on what the church is to Christ. But in Colossians we get what Christ is to the church. And as we mentioned earlier in the first chapter, we get the fullness of Christ as head of his body.
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As head over all things, as head of creation and so on. And it's wonderful we could take that up and spend our readings on that. But in the second chapter, it's more the fullness of the head of the body for His church, for you and for me. And it's, I feel in my own soul a very necessary thing today when we're facing some of the problems that are brought before us here.
The things mentioned in verse 8, for example, the being spoiled through philosophy and vain. But he had heard of them. He knew how things were going on. He writes to them according to what he had heard and what he felt they needed. And you and I can benefit from that same ministry today.
With only two reading meetings, we probably won't have time to get through the whole chapter.
But I would call attention first of all to what the apostle says in verse 2.
He wants their hearts to be comforted being knit together in love unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding.
And this complements what our brother Bruce brought before us last night.
To the acknowledgement, and I'm going to read this second and third verse the way they are in the Darby translation because the correction here I believe is rather important.
To the acknowledgement it says of the mystery of God, and then leave out the rest of the verse.
In which not in whom here, but in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
There's no such thing as a mystery of the Father mentioned in the Scriptures, and the mystery of Christ is brought in elsewhere. That's more the focus in Ephesians.
But here in Colossians the emphasis is on the mystery of God. That is, it brings before us God's purposes in Christ to exalt Him as head over all things, and of course bringing in you and me as the church along with it. And I would lay some emphasis on that, because when it says in which are hid all the treasures.
Of wisdom and knowledge. We have to realize that in order to understand the Scriptures, in order to come into all the blessing that God has for us, we have to understand the mystery of God and the mystery of Christ in the church. Without that, the Scripture does not make sense. And I say it very kindly, but how many dear believers I have talked to?
Who could not understand how verses fit in properly, how chapters fit properly into the Word of God and into the interpretation of it, because they did not see the mystery or secret of Christ in the church. Maybe someone else can enlarge a bit on that for us, but I feel it's extremely important in these days to have that before us, to realize that God has in His purposes.
The exaltation of Christ has head over all things with His church as a heavenly company. And when we see that everything else in the word of God, whether it's Israel or whether it is the nations at large, prophecy, whatever it might be, it all falls into place when we have that clear in our minds. And I believe that's why the apostle brings it in here for us.
That mystery is mentioned in chapter one and verse 26 I'm going to read from.
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25 To get the context says whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God or to complete the word of God. Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and generations, but now has made manifest to His Saints. And so it was something that was not made known before.
It was hid from ages and generations. There were great men of God in the Old Testament times.
Abraham is called the friend of God.
Was a man who talked to God face to face and there were so many others as well, but they knew absolutely nothing of what the apostle Paul received a mystery that is now made manifest and I think that is so good to see. It's something that was hid from generations. Let's go back to Ephesians chapter 3 and Bill is mentioned it because the mystery.
As is mentioned there as well, and it's interesting how it puts it there.
Verse nine it says to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God. It doesn't say hidden in the Old Testament.
Of the church in the Old Testament. Now that we understand that God was thinking about that, but it was not revealed in Old Testament times. It was hidden.
This is so amazingly wonderful that you and I can enjoy things that those Old Testament faithful men that they were did not understand anything about. It was to the Apostle Paul a special instrument. Remember he was not one of the 12. He was a one born out of due time and it was to him that God revealed this mystery.
And I think, I love to think about it, that he learned the truth.
Of this mystery, Christ and His Church united together in one body the very day he was arrested on the way to Damascus. Remember what the Lord said to him.
So, so why persecutest thou me? He didn't even know who it was that was talking to him. He said, Who art thou, Lord? He knew that he was Lord, but he said, why persecute us, thou me? And I think it must have been a shock to him.
Me persecuting someone in heaven. But there he learned that in touching believers in this world he was touching Christ in heaven. Such as the intimacy of the union that exists between Christ and his church. Oh brethren, it is a beautiful thing to understand and to enjoy. And so we have in our chapter, like Paul, our brother Bill was mentioned in.
The mystery of God in which?
Our hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in this beautiful that you and I have been brought into the understanding and enjoyment of this mystery.
That's why I believe it says in that third chapter of Ephesians, and we don't need to keep going back to it, but it mentions the.
Unsearchable riches of Christ.
Are there riches of Christ that are searchable in the Old Testament? Oh yes, there are.
Wouldn't you and I have loved to have been those two on the way to Emmaus and listened for about 7 1/2 miles of walking to the Lord Jesus bring out the searchable riches of Christ in the Old Testament?
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But now what do we have today?
Unsearchable riches. Are they unsearchable to you and me? I don't believe so. But they're unsearchable in the sense that they can't be searched out. In the Old Testament they were revealed as Bob is brought out to the apostle Paul from a risen Christ in glory. And now you and I have the benefit of it all and the present living enjoyment of it all.
In this dispensation of God's grace, and how many there are, Brother Bruce was bringing that before us from Matthew's Gospel last night. How that many kings and prophets have desired to hear those things which she hear, and to see those things which she see and have not seen them, but you and I have the benefit of them. We couldn't have chosen, as many others have mentioned to us, we couldn't have chosen a better time.
In the world's history during which to be born than this present age when God has revealed this mystery or secret, that maybe is a an easier word for us to understand because the word mystery sometimes connotate something that's difficult to grasp. It's not difficult to grasp, but it's a secret that was not revealed until Paul came on the scene and the Lord chose him as the vessel to bring it out.
How beautiful it is. And so, as we said here, as it says here in verse three, in the knowledge of that mystery and the acknowledgement of it, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Some people here, including myself, have been in big libraries, huge libraries, libraries with rare books in them. I know when I went to university, they had a section of the library there that was.
Rare books, and they guarded them very carefully. They weren't allowed out of the library. You had to sign them in, out very specially. And you could look at them only at a table there in that special room. Do they have a lot of treasures of knowledge in them? They did, but those treasures of knowledge never went beyond the horizon of this world. But you and I have access to all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
That have been stored up in the heart of God, concerning His Son and concerning you and me.
So Colossians is one of.
Paul's prison epistles. So here he's getting towards the end of his ministry and he is in prison and he writes Ephesians and Philippians and Colossians and Philemon, and these are known as his prison epistles and they are the ones where he spends the most time Speaking of this mystery. We know he spoke of the mystery. He touched on it in Romans chapter 16, which was written earlier.
But the actual explication, the elaboration on the mystery and the things that constitute the mystery are really found largely in Ephesians and Colossians. And thinking of something that Bill said a few moments ago about the arrangement of Scripture and why certain things are where they are. It's good to ask the question, especially when we're younger and we're starting to study the Scriptures, why is this book even in the Bible?
Why did God give us the five books of Moses? Why do we have the book of Job? Why do we have the Psalms every? Why do we have 4 Gospels? Every portion of the word of God has some purpose according to the design of the Spirit of God.
Whereby we would have the complete written revelation of God. So let's ask about Colossians right now. And I was thinking just here in this chapter.
Where he speaks in the end of verse two of the full knowledge of the mystery of God. That's what the apostle wanted the disciples to have.
In Hosea, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, whatever knowledge that might have been at that time that they had. We want to be able to lay hold of what God has given to us in our day. What does God want me to have as a disciple of Christ today? I want to lay hold of that.
I don't want to be missing something.
And so he says here, in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge now.
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Can you think of any competitors for that?
There's lots of competitors out in the world. There are those who will profess to convey to you all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
And in the next verse.
In verse 4 the apostle says I am saying this.
Because there are those who will seek to delude you by persuasive speech. Well, we could all probably name any number of different competitors. Paul wrote this because there was a competitor, and over in the eighth verse he'd referred to philosophy.
I understand in the original that has the article, it is the philosophy he's referring to. He's not talking about reading something by Aristotle, or reading something by Thomas Aquinas, or reading a chapter in Immanuel Kant. He's talking about Gnosticism, the greatest competitor to the Christian system of doctrine and teaching.
In the early days was a perversion of Jewish thinking added to philosophy through a number of men, and this got going in the early centuries.
Before Christ and then shortly after Christ, and it professed to be a whole system of wisdom and knowledge.
That was higher and deeper than the Gospel of Christ, and so here the apostle has to let them know that is simply not the case. We see elements of this in John's writings as well, where he talks about the person of the Lord Jesus, Jesus Christ manifest in flesh. The Gnostics had a philosophy about Jesus as well, where they sought to take you to a higher level of knowledge.
But what does it do? It undermines the gospel of Christ, and it really makes the Jesus of the Gospels, the Jesus of Christianity as it was given by the apostles, forever inaccessible to you. We want to have the Jesus of the Bible because that's the only savior that God has given. And so really the apostle here in Colossians, he sees, you might say, a clear and present danger that they would be turned aside.
To something else, and This is why we might emphasize in the second epistle of John.
He says to the elect lady if anyone comes to you and preaches.
Any other doctrine, you're not to receive him into the house. He talks about the doctrine of the Christ. I remember hearing years ago, it's not a doctrine, it's a person. Yes, it's a person, it's the living Word, but it's also a doctrine. Don't ever be afraid to study doctrine. Learn what the Word teaches about the person of Jesus because he is the one that God has set forth as the Savior.
Young people, don't be afraid to study doctrine. You are perfectly capable.
You have a mind and each one of us has the indwelling Spirit of God that wants to take the things of Jesus and show them to us. Why does He want to do that? Because He wants us to have fellowship with himself. He has brought us to Himself because He wants us to have fellowship, first of all with himself and with one another over His things. So I think we can say This is why a portion like this is very critically important, because the apostle Paul he saw.
A danger?
Something that was going to turn them aside. Everyone of us in the room knows. We can name somebody who was turned aside from the faith by some. Something came in and turned them aside from the faith. And we want to make sure that that doesn't happen to any of us here. We don't want it to happen to our children. We don't want it to happen to our grandchildren. We don't want to watch as the things that the apostle is Speaking of here.
Would draw souls aside from the doctrine and the person of Christ.
I think that's why.
Rather than Dave that it mentions in verse one conflict, great conflict.
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In Darby, translation says combat.
And it's used at the end of chapter one as well. Wherefore I where unto I also labor or combat, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily?
So we need to realize there is a conflict going on and it's because the enemy wants to take away the enjoyment. He can't take away this, that it belongs to us, but he can take away the enjoyment of it. And I just want to say to the young people today, it seems so marked in our culture that it is, that our culture is given up. Absolute truth.
And when we think of what is absolute truth, I say it's that beyond which there is no appeal. It is the last word. And when we talk about absolute truth, I think we need to be very clear that we're talking about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His word. We have that verse very clear in John 14, the Lord Jesus said I am.
The way, the truth and the life, if he hadn't have been exactly that.
It would be the most awful perversion possible, but it is the truth, a person. But then, like Dave was mentioning in John 1717, it says, Sanctify them by thy truth. Thy word is truth. What we have in our hands is the truth. You know, sometimes, brethren, I think we do damage when we sometimes the way we talk about the truth.
We use ourselves as a reference point.
Help us, Lord, not to do that because they're going to see failure in US and then they will shake their heads.
It's the person of Christ and it's his precious word, the truth, and for that there is conflict.
I remember when I was in high school, I think I was a sophomore and was taking a biology class, that I was introduced to what's called evolution. And I'm sure most of us know something about that. And I thought, well, first of all, I thought, well, these guys must have good, good evidence for what they're teaching. They're teaching it as if it's an absolute fact. And and yet I came across a book which was very helpful to me, actually written by a man named Francis Schaeffer. Some have heard about him.
He was fairly popular about that time when I was a young person, and he helped me because he pointed out something that's called worldview. I believe that's really what we have in this chapter is the worldview that God gives to us, the revelation of God and the person of Christ, and three examples of the worldviews that the world would propose to us. I think it's helpful to see that we might just go over those very briefly because that's what we have in this chapter.
And as Francis Schaeffer pointed out, he said worldview is very critical to the way we interpret experiences and facts that we come in, in that we come into, come and we face in our lifetime. He said worldview is like a grid. He said two people can be looking at the same object, but through different grids and they see different things. They interpret the facts and the circumstances differently.
Because they have different worldviews, and so there's a worldview that God gives us, and that's the absolute truth.
It's the revelation of God. It's the it's the mystery. As mentioned here. Perhaps we can use a little different word, say it's really the principle of dispensational truth that gives us the outline of Scripture of which Christ is the center from Genesis to Revelation. That's the absolute truth. That verse that our brother Ben read in first Corinthians 2 gives us that same outline of the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
That's absolute truth. It's revelation, but then it goes on and it says there's three worldviews that the world offers up. Primary worldviews filters through which they're going to interpret the world. The one is that either entered into the heart of man, that's intuition, and that's a philosophy, whether it's philosophy, humanistic philosophy, or whether it's it's stepchild.
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Naturalistic Philosophy.
Remember, humanism is a worldview begins with man and it ends with man, whereas the revelation of God comes from God. He's the only one who can truly give us the truth of things. But men's philosophy begins with man and it ends with man. And we have to be careful of those filters because they're going to mislead us. Another filter in First Corinthians 2 is.
Nor ear heard. Some people go by tradition, they say well, this is what so and so is believed and this is what so and so is thought. It's been published many, many times and reviewed. It must be true. Well, not necessarily has to be tested by the word of God. And then the third one is I have not seen or observation personal experience. There's a great deal of emphasis on that today.
What's sometimes called narcissism, it's all about me, it's all about my experience. And so that's also brought out in this chapter. We're going to get into or at least touch on some of these things. But I think in a certain sense we may have a summary of it in verse 8 where we in the first 7 verses, we have the Christian worldview, the mystery. And verse 8 gives us a, perhaps a brief summary of what we have, these three worldviews that the world would.
Attempt to foist on us. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy.
That's the one we mentioned neither hath entered into the heart of man or man's to it intuition and vain deceit. Well, that's another one. Perhaps that has to do with our experience. It's something that makes me feel good and important and we hear a lot about that today. The feel good society and then after the tradition of men. That's religion, no doubt, but it's.
Also traditions of many type. And then here's perhaps the key. In a certain sense, a summary of all three After the rudiments of the world. Those 3 worldviews are after the rudiments of the world. It's those alternative worldviews that Satan's World attempts to offer to men to satisfy their needs in their hearts. But the only true worldview is that which God gives to us.
And it's so important and critical to understand that.
In an advertisement that surfaced in our valley, it said it was advertising the the Confederation Church and it said.
Come to our church, we don't condemn, we receive everyone. And come and feel good about yourself.
The AD and you see that happening today, a lot of throwing out the apostles doctrine. Thomas Jefferson wrote a Bible and it was, it ended up being very, it was a copy of the scriptures that he copied out, but he left out all of the apostles doctrine. I've enjoyed the fact that in Acts, that verse, in chapter 2 and verse 42, it says and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship in a breaking of bread and in prayers. And I think the order there is significant.
Maybe before going too much further beyond verse 8, a few comments on verses 5-6 and seven and I'm thinking of how here the apostle Paul, he was absent from them. And that takes me back to the thought that the Lord Jesus in the upper room ministry, he prepares them for a time when he is no longer going to be with them.
And so he lays out certain things to his disciples. The Lord Jesus is going to go back to the Father and he's going to empower his disciples and they are to take things out and teach others also. We have that also in Second Timothy chapter 2, how the things that Paul had, he was conveying to others and they were to take those things and to teach others, those of us who are 2000 years down the road.
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We haven't had any inspired apostles with us for a long time. Are we lacking not according to the word of God. We're not lacking and I want to use this to point out that that he has in the end of verse 5, the firmness of your faith in Christ. Every person needs to start with faith in the Lord Jesus and I want to emphasize it's been said before, do not allow.
Things that you don't understand.
To cause you to question the things that you do understand the gospel of Christ, that which brings us into his presence and sets us free from sin and fear and death. That's the starting place whereby we can learn all about the mysteries that God has revealed in his Word. Verse six as therefore you have received the Christ Jesus the Lord.
Number one walk in him.
Rooted and built up in him and assured in the faith.
How many souls can be turned aside by something that seeks to undermine their assurance? To turn, as Eric was speaking, to turn the gaze from the perfection of Christ and his work on to self. Very dangerous kind of a thing. We need to be rooted and built up in Him, a daily gaze at the Lord Jesus and learning the things that the Word teaches.
About him he says, assured in the faith, even as ye have been taught.
Teaching is important.
Abounding in it with Thanksgiving. Souls who get away from God, what's one of the first things that happened? They abandon a spirit of thankfulness for the simplest things that Christ has given to us. Every one of us can think of things that we can be thankful for. And you know what a thankful spirit does. It makes you want to draw nearer to him. I want to draw nearer to the one that I'm thanking for the good things that he's given to me or.
If I think of affliction and faithfulness, Thou hast afflicted me. There's four times in the 119th Psalm where he talks about affliction. We can even thank the Lord for the afflictions that He has given to us. This world created by God, even though man has departed from God, this world is full of the gift. And I mean this world is full of the things that God.
According to his nature has freely given to man, we even learned.
God is good to the wicked. He's even good to the wicked.
He lavishes his blessings even upon those who do not thank Him and have no use for him, those in the Psalms who say.
Depart, depart from us.
He has not yet said to them, Depart from me.
He has not uttered that word to them yet. That's an allusion to the 6th Psalm. I believe there's a day coming when he is going to say, depart from me. I never knew you. But what he's, what is he doing right now? He's not imputing their trespasses unto them. He is freely extending the gospel of Christ. And for those of us who are younger and believers, what you have, walk in it every day with the Lord and in fellowship with your brethren. And I think that that is a real help.
In in being able to ward off.
Any of these temptations to lay hold of these delusions and deluding teachings and practices and so forth, to maintain and enjoy what you have today.
So I'm glad you brought that up because maybe there are some here that are thinking this is pretty exalted truth that's being brought out. This is not that easy to grasp. Maybe some of you are thinking that way. And I believe Paul recognizes here that as brother Dave has been bringing out, it starts with what we have in verse 5.
Joining.
Paul says, And beholding your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ, and then as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, I believe that simply refers to their salvation. They had received him as Savior. Have you received Christ as your Savior? Then you are entitled to move forward with all of this. But there are dangers in the way, and Paul warns them of those dangers.
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And so these things are not in one sense that difficult to grasp, but in some cases we need to remember that it starts with as Dave has been bringing out a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and a desire to follow him in fullness of heart. And that is so important because as we have often had mentioned to us.
Bears repeating, intelligence in the things of God does not come through the mind, but rather through the heart and the conscience. And here these dear Colossians believers, and I don't know whether we'll get time to get to the end of the chapter, but they were having difficulty holding the head. Or at least there was a potential difficulty, let's put it that way.
Not holding the head.
And what was it? It was that very thing that we've just been hearing about, that Gnosticism which would bring in a higher level of intelligence and so-called truth. It wasn't really truth, but a so-called exalted knowledge which originated with man and took the mind and the heart away from Christ. And so I believe that's why Paul brings that in here to show how important it was.
That they be assured and rooted and grounded. We get rooted. We get rooted by.
Enjoyment of the things of Christ and walking in the good of it. And that's why in Second Timothy chapter 3, Paul exhorts Timothy, or at least talks to him about those things which thou hast learned and has been assured of.
He learned things from the Old Testament Scriptures. He learned things from Paul, but he was assured of them in walking in the good of them and in walking in the good of them. That assurance will be ministered to our souls, and we can move forward in the things of God, and we can learn more.
I like that word rooted because that's a root system of a tree is not visible, it's down into the earth.
It's interesting it says build up which is the other direction up.
And that's what we generally look at, the part that's up above the earth. And living in Bolivia many years, I had the experience of different kinds of trees there. We had an avocado tree in our property in Montero, and one day we had a heavy wind and it toppled over. And I found out that cotton trees.
Their roots are totally superficial.
And so when the wind came, it just blew it over. We also had another tree, it's a mango tree, and it had a huge.
Root directly down into the ground and we had one heavy work to get that to fall over and so, and another illustration was the brethren in the jungles. They cut down stretches of jungle and then let it dry and burn it so that they can plant their rice crops.
Well, he said one time I was out there and they they showed me a great big tree. He said we don't topple those huge trees because they're just too much work, dude. We just leave them there. But what generally happens is because they have grown amongst so many other trees, their root system is not very well formed. And so when the wind comes, it topples them over so we don't have to do it ourselves. And that really struck me because.
And another part of Bolivia, on the high Alta Planos, there's very few trees.
And those trees get hit with the wind from one side and another. Those trees are tremendously well rooted. And I I think in saying the truth of God that we have sometimes, brethren, the Lord allows trials in our life. He allows those winds of controversy and things that are contrary to come to us so that we will be well rooted. And so put down your roots into the.
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Scripture.
Brethren, when you have something that troubles you, you might ask your brother to help you. That's fine, but get it from the Scriptures. That's so important because this is where you will be steady and firm. And then there's a place of being built up. And that is beautiful to see some who are well rooted and then also build out.
Along that line, Brother Bob, not to carry the illustrations too far, but.
I have enjoyed reading about the huge Redwood trees in California and how that despite their huge size and so on, their root systems. So they tell me I've never obviously delved into them, but their root systems are not that big. And yet they tell me that it's extremely rare for those trees to topple over. But they say the reason for that is that.
Not only are there root systems strong, but they're intertwined with one another. They're intertwined with other trees. And so if the wind comes along and one of those trees is in danger of toppling over, it's going to have to take half a dozen more trees with it before it'll go over. Well, that shows us, and I know that's not particularly what we have here, but it shows us how we need one another, doesn't it?
Now I know that the Lord can keep us, and if we have to stand alone. And I believe with all my heart what you've been bringing out, Brother Bob. The difficulties and problems of life, they make us put our roots down deeper, just as it happens to trees. But how much we need to intertwine our root systems with one another too, especially in these last days.
One thing when we read Scripture is we see that there's a remarkable parallelism in Scripture, and I think I've enjoyed that. There's the oldest book in the Bible is generally considered to be the book of Job. I think in Job we actually have an illustration of what we're reading about in Colossians chapter 2. I'll just explain that very briefly. I believe in the book of Job we have first of all, the the three enemies of the believer.
We have Satan, we have the world and his three friends and we have the flesh and and Job himself. Job appreciated the blessings of God, but he never really learned to know the blesser himself. That's the secret of our roots being deepened, isn't it is to learn the blesser himself and we all have we're are in danger of that. But I just want to mention I believe the three friends of Job illustrate these three worldviews that we.
Have discussed in this chapter so far is is the one who illustrates philosophy. He hardly even mentions the name of God. It's all from the mind of of Zofar. He was the 3rd of Job's three friends and the tradition, of course, is brought out by Bildad. Remember the first one who spoke was a life as and a life as speaks about his own experience and we were speaking about that before. There's a great emphasis on how I feel.
And my experience and I only have one life to live and it's got to be you got to.
Got to grab hold of it because it's we're only going to live so long. That's a worldview that's introduced any life has gave some of that. And he speaks about mysticism actually borders on the occult. We have to be careful about that because that's becoming more common. And then the second friend, of course, was build that and build that center. Wait a minute, your experience is only very limited. We go back to tradition. We get the the wisdom of the ages.
So he says that's really much better, that's tradition and that that that appeals to the emotions and we have that particularly in religion. And then the third again was that we mentioned Zofar, the third friend that spoke and he speaks from intuition or philosophy. He says, well, even traditions, not that good, but we can make a higher order of intellect of understanding and we can come up with natural philosophy and different philosophies, whether it's.
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Narcissism, or much broader than that.
And these are the three worldviews. So again, I mentioned it's remarkable, and there's other places in Scripture we can find this as well, but the parallelism of Scripture is remarkable, even going back to the very oldest book in the Bible.
So in verses 9 and 10 then we can say, if we want to be rooted and built up in the faith, here are two of the fundamental pillars. Or in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Do I want to know about God? Do I want to understand the love of the Father? Do I want to see something where everything is right and according to God, I look to Him and to no other in Him?
In the Lord Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is Jesus Christ Incarnate.
He that hath seen me hast seen the Father.
And then he says, And ye are complete in him.
Do I feel incomplete? Is there something lacking? Is there some barrier between my soul and God? I come to the One in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, and I will only find completeness in Him.
And that's a good place to start. It's the only place to start.
That's it. It's all about relationship, isn't it? Yeah, that's what we're that's what we see when the two people fall in love. They they can't get enough of each other. They're they're just overwhelmed with each other and they want to learn more and more about each other. And that's what relationship does. And we live in a relationship world and the Lord Jesus, he wants a relationship with us. I think of first John there where it says in truly our fellowship was with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ. There's where.
We get straight, that's where we get rooted is in that relationship.
Like to talk about verse seven again here.
In verse seven, I just wanted to give a practical example of herself. I know we've been talking about this so and maybe this isn't the meaning of verse, but I want to give an application so rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith.
You know, when I started riding a bicycle, I started riding with the training wheels.
Spiritually, I might steal my training wheels on. There's an analogy there.
And you know, those trees like we've been talking about are holding each other up. They're taking the brunt. But sometimes there's going to be a test when I'm standing alone maybe, and those train wheels will be taken off. I want to tell you about some trees in the nursery, a procedure that we had to start doing.
So in our nursery there's.
Three different kinds of steaks we use on every tree.
We use a bamboo steak. That's a very heavy bamboo steak. It's not flexible, it's very rigid and you put that steak on the tree.
And this tree has that bamboo stake, say for four years. And if you cut the steak off the tree?
Sometimes the trees will fall over on their face.
So we used to take the stake off the tree when we're loading the trucks. We'd ship them out to the customers and they would send us pictures back that the trees were laying over.
So we stopped doing that.
There's another steak we use. It's about 1/4 of an inch wire steel steak and it's flexible.
What's crazy about that steak? I can't send the steak out the door because it's too expensive, but that steak lets the tree move back and forth.
What am I talking about this? I was raised in a Christian home.
Wind didn't blow very much on this tree, that saga.
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But the winds are going to hit you. Maybe you're 54, maybe you're 84, maybe you're 14. The winds hit you at different times. And what are you rooted in? Those roots? It's not just the roots coming up, but the tree just bends over. Some of the trees don't die. They're still rooted in the pot, but they're laying on the ground. And the wind strengthens the plants up. When you look at the plant, that is.
Moving in the wind, the caliper on all those trees is bigger diameter. They're stronger plants. So I just thought analogy here, I want to be helpful is to me it's huge. You only can protect somebody so much and there is protection. I remember what a young person said years ago to me. There is protection in the assembly. You want to be here, you want to be here when the meetings, you want the fellowship of other believers. But there's going to be a time.
When you're not going to have this room, you're not going to have all the young people, you're not going to have all of these, all this wonderful ministry, and you might be by yourself, but you're not by yourself if you have the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and if you're feeding on the right thing.
Colossians 2:9-19
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For any that weren't here this morning, we were reading in Colossians chapter 2.
Should we begin with verse nine and read it again, or did we get a little further than that?
I think we should start there.
Start with verse nine. Yeah, OK, sounds good.
Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9.
For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.
In whom also you are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you're risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly.
Triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come. But the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he had not seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands.
Nourishment, minister and knit together increases with the increase of God. Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why is the living in the world? Are you subject to ordinances, touch not, taste not, handle not, which are all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men, which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will, worship and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.
We talked a little bit this morning about making this practical.
And I would like to make a comment or two on verses 9 and 10 in that respect.
The thought here, I believe, is that.
We have one with whom we are united as part of the same body. And at the on the one hand, he is a real man, a real man up there in the glory at God's right hand. And the blessed fact, the blessed truth is that he will remain a man for all eternity in order to be able to enjoy your company and mine.
Wonderful.
Now the whole question is, do we need anything more than that to get through the difficulties, the questions, the problems, the things that puzzle us in this life?
In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him. We are united to that man in the glory, and we can go to Him.
For everything that we might need in the way of wisdom. We've been talking earlier on about how the all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are contained in the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. And that is true, most blessedly true.
But if I could use the term respectfully, I believe this ninth verse and the 10th verse brings us down if we could use the term to where the rubber hits the road.
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It's intended to be that which is practical for us in dealing with all the difficulties of this life.
Yes, God has given each of us a good brain and we're expected to use it, no question about that, but under the guidance of the Spirit of God.
And recognizing that you and I are united to one in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, we could not ask for anything more than that. And we don't need anything more than that.
Man's wisdom can add nothing to what you and I have in Christ.
It goes on to say that he is the head of all principality and power. That phrase is used a number of times in Scripture. Sometimes it refers to elect angels, sometimes it refers to fallen angels. But here I believe it refers to angels in a way that, as we get later on in the chapter, there was a tendency perhaps in the Old Testament.
And still was in the New Testament to get involved with worshipping of angels and holding them in awe. And to that extent, we know they are greater in power and might than man. We have to recognize that. But what are angels to you and to me? They are those who are sent to be ministers to us, who are the heirs of salvation. They are learning.
In you and me as we get in.
Ephesians, the manifold or multivarious, multi coloured, however you want to say it, wisdom of God. And you and I have a nearer place to Christ than those angels can have or will ever have. You and I are united to Him, and so He is the head of all principality and power, and.
We are complete in him. Paul could say to the Corinthians, Know ye not that ye shall judge angels?
Amazing fact. And so we don't need to get occupied even with those heavenly beings greater in my power and might than you and I.
God wants us to be occupied with the person of His beloved Son and all that He is a real man, Yes, He is all the fullness of the Godhead in Him. Yes indeed. Can we understand that? No, we can enjoy it and walk in the good of it.
I enjoy.
This verse nine it says I'm going to read it in the new translation for in Him dwells.
All the fullness of the Godhead bodily in chapter one and verse 19 it says in this is the new translation in him all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell. That is something just stop and think of that.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the whole, the fullness of the Godhead.
Dwelt in that person, the Lord Jesus bodily that human body like you mentioned, Bill, it's he was a real human being.
And I just marvel at it and say, and it's our privilege, brethren, to take the Scriptures, the four Gospels, and go through that and observe here is the one in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily and think of the different situations he came up against.
When he was being tried before the Jewish Council.
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It says the chief priests came up and spit in his face. I can't think of a more degrading act toward another human being and come up and spit in your face. I've had people spit at me, but not spit on me. They did that. Is that God?
Yes, it's all the fullness of the Godhead. What kind of reaction did that produce?
There he stood, brother.
Spittle running down his face.
No reaction. Is that our God? Yes, that's our God. Tremendous to try to think of it as he meets each situation and the four Gospels to realize this is our God and we can know him in the person of the Lord Jesus.
In the second chapter, in the ninth verse, like you say, it's it's adds that word bodily.
Not sure why it's added there. Maybe somebody has a comment on it, but I think it just brings it down like you say, Bill, to our level.
He met us where we were that poor.
Man on the road from going down from Jerusalem to Jericho that led fallen amongst 3 the thieves.
The priest passed by on the other side, the Levite as well.
There was a certain Samaritan who came.
Where he was, he met us right where we are. I think that is so amazingly beautiful and wonderful. Try to think about it. Like you say though, there's no way we can comprehend that. The fullness of the Godhead, the One who spoke the whole universe into existence and that holds everything in its place.
The power, the wisdom involved in all that, there it was in that man.
Oh, what a person to be occupied with, brethren. And I, I find it, brethren, it's it's necessary not only to understand these things.
But to enjoy them in our heart, let it get down into your heart.
And let it affect you because that's where it's going to have power in your life. How important that is.
In chapter one, verse 19, all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased past tense.
To dwell in him, I take it that has reference to his incarnation. And then in 29.
In him all the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth present tense in resurrection, so that perhaps the addition of the word bodily would be that He is upholding the vital truth of bodily resurrection from among the dead. Perhaps others can add to that or help me my understanding of it.
So with the incarnation, that means in the flesh, in the body.
And that is a fundamental truth of Christianity, that the Lord Jesus the Son.
Became Incarnate.
Those of us who are males became a son when we became Incarnate. I became a son of my Father when I was born in this world. But in the case of the Lord Jesus, He was the eternal Son of Godfather, Son and Holy Spirit.
And the Sun became Incarnate.
Now the the Gnostic teaching, and again I should might not have been clear this morning. Gnostic Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, which is a word for knowledge. It's a professed higher knowledge, higher than this, higher than what God gives.
In the garden.
The serpent was going to promise a higher knowledge than what God had given to Adam and Eve. And I was thinking of first Timothy chapter 6 and verse 20 right at the end of the epistle. He says, Oh Timotheus, keep the entrusted deposit, avoiding profane vain babblings and oppositions of false named knowledge of which some having made profession have missed the faith well back in the in the early part of this chapter.
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We see that we have in the mystery of God there is a full knowledge.
God has given us a knowledge, a full knowledge. When He revealed the mystery of God, He wants us to have the knowledge.
Of this mystery and we spoke of competition. Well, the Gnostic system, that which has professes to have a higher knowledge, runs in competition to the true knowledge. And one of the elements of Gnosticism is a dichotomy between the material and the spiritual, such that the material is bad and only the spiritual is good. But if you say that the material has bad, then what have you done about?
This word bodily referencing the Lord Jesus Christ, Well, some of them taught, well he didn't have a real body.
You see how every departure from the truth that God has given somehow touches the person of Jesus one way or another, every single time. And that's why the Lord Jesus is the center and the touchstone. Whatever word you want to use, the Scripture uses many for the truth of God as it is revealed He is at the center of it all.
And anything where the enemy would seek to undermine the faith is going to touch that person somewhere. Either a denial of his deity, as in many of the false systems, the cults around us, a denial of his true humanity.
A denial in some way of the union of His deity and humanity, what is referred to theologically as the hypostatic union. One way or another, false teaching always touches the person of the Lord Jesus. Why? Why would that be?
Because he is at the center of our faith, and if he is undermined, our faith is undermined as well.
Well, he's also the truth. So anything that pertains to say this is true doesn't keep a doesn't keep in who he is, then it would under it would take away or be attacked on that on him as truth.
It's all connected.
Would it be right to say when God gave his only begotten Son?
He gave everything that he could give. And if you have?
The Sun.
You have everything that you need.
Well, perhaps going on then we might be able to get to the end of the chapter if we keep going.
The next two verses bring before us that which is absolutely important for a walk in communion with that Blessed One, for you and for me, of course.
Once again we are brought into a position and then told to walk in it.
Every exhortation of Scripture is based on what we already possess.
And so here we are circumcised, verse 11, with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. Well, this is Roman truth.
Brought before us again in Colossians here, but perhaps with a little different.
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Aspect of it.
Romans, of course, and we don't want to get complicated, but in Romans we're seen as men on the earth or men and women on the earth.
And our walk is dependent upon our realization of the fact that in baptism we take that place of being dead and risen with Christ. Positionally we have died and are risen with Him in baptism we take that practically. Here we are perhaps with the practical side of it more.
If you want to go back to the journey of the children of Israel, Romans is more going through the Red Sea, Colossians is more crossing the Jordan, and so we're brought to the opposite Bank of the Jordan in the realization practically of what we already are in Christ.
Very, very important, because we cannot.
Walk in a pathway pleasing to the Lord without the practical realization of this. And so it's brought before us here. It doesn't dwell on it in a long stretch, but simply brings it before us in order that we might understand that yes, you and I still have the old sinful flesh in us, but by the grace of God and through our being dead and risen with Christ.
We are entitled, as we get in Romans 6, to reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God.
Very fundamental, very, very important, not hard to understand, but as a brother said to us years ago, he said. For some of us it seems to take a lifetime to learn it.
And we say there's a difference between circumcision and baptism.
Circumcision comes after baptism, doesn't it, in your journey from Egypt to Canaan. And so baptism corresponding to the Red Sea, as you mentioned, is really salvation, isn't it? It's when we see ourselves positionally as dead with Christ, identified with Christ, and we are now saved. We're in a new standing before God. But circumcision, as you mentioned, was on the other side of the wilderness.
I believe it really speaks of discipleship. There's the difference between salvation and discipleship, isn't there? Sometimes they go together pretty closely, but sometimes they're separated because discipleship involves consecration, does it not? When they got the Kadesh barnea, some of them turned back. Most of them turned back and they had to wander for 38 years in the wilderness. What does Kadesh mean? It means consecration.
They refused to be consecrated to Christ, and as a result they lost the blessings of entering into the Promised land. So I think there's that distinction between circumcision and baptism. As you mentioned, in Romans we have baptism. That's the basis of it, isn't it? Can't have circumcision unless you have baptism. But in Colossians, the emphasis is on circumcision because it's more the thought of discipleship. We won't enter into the mystery of Christ.
A mystery of God. If we're not consecrated to Christ, we're going to miss those. Practically, we're going to miss those blessings. Positionally, it's true, it's ours. But practically we're going to miss those treasures that we get in the mystery of God.
Yes, thank you. That's very good to make that distinction. That's excellent.
I know Mr. FB Home. I think it's FB Hole. When he writes on this, he actually puts a parenthesis around the beginning of verse 12 where it says buried with him in baptism. Mr. FB Hole has an excellent article on on the Jordan and the Red Sea, and he puts that really in a parenthesis because again, baptism is the basis for circumcision, but circumcision comes often comes later.
I think it's important that we.
00:25:00
Are as it says in verse.
13 we are dead. In verse 12, we are buried and we are risen again. These are like you've been saying, things that are true of us right now.
I find sometimes we go more by feelings than we do by.
What we find in the word of God, and I don't feel that dead. It's not a matter of feelings, it's a matter of faith in what God says. He says we are dead. With him we are buried.
And sometimes I find young people, and I went through these struggles myself, young people. So don't think I'm trying to isolate myself. But I came to the point where I realized.
I didn't have to put myself to death. It's already done. It was done way back there, and now it's just for me to simply believe it.
I talked to a young sister one time and said, she says I, I don't feel like the Lord's with me. I said, do your feelings ever change? Yeah, they change quite a bit. I said, does the word of God change? No. What you think is better to trust your feelings or the word of God? Well, I guess the word of God be better. Yeah, I say I agree with you and that's the point, rather than to realize this is our Christian position.
And we struggle with our feelings. Our feelings are very real things, and I don't think we can ignore them. But remember that feelings should be based on fact. And there we have the facts dead, buried, risen again. I think it's so amazingly wonderful just to simply lay hold on that truth. And then, like you say, Bill, then there's the basis of putting it into effect practically in our lives, isn't it?
And we have to realize that the power to do it is outside of ourselves, isn't it?
It is not within my power to put myself to death.
That is the old.
Sinful self. It's not within my power as a child of Adam to put myself to death.
But Christ did it for me and to me what we don't want to make this again too complicated, but what really helped me in understanding that was to see.
That there were two sets and this is something we don't want to get too far down into, but it's an illustration. I encourage the you young people to do some a little bit of searching on it, but when they cross the Jordan, there were two sets of 12 Stones placed in the Jordan.
The first set was placed by a member from each tribe.
But then there was a second set put down there. And how did they get down there? Joshua, a type of Christ put them there.
Yes, there is my responsibility in one sense to recognize that I am dead and risen with Christ. But there are 12 Stones. There were 12 Stones in the bed of that Jordan River that Joshua put there.
Why did he do it? Why was it his prerogative to do it? Because as a type of Christ, he put them there. Now, am I prepared to recognize what Christ has done for me and act on it? I trust so because it's important to see that the work has been done and the power to live a victorious resurrection life in all the good of that new life that God has given me in Christ.
Is not in myself the power of that new life is the Spirit of God.
And it is by that power, I believe that I am able to.
Reckon myself to be dead indeed unto sin, and to act practically on this.
It's what Brother Eric was bringing out. There's one side of it that is definitely true because of what the Lord has done. There's another side of it which involves consecration and discipleship, which brings responsibility in on my part. Again, not that I can do it in my own strength, but it's my part to act on what God has already done for me in Christ.
00:30:33
Call brethren had some expressions that are maybe helpful in this too that we can bear repeating. In the Red Sea or baptism, it's more Christ death for me, isn't it? Recognizing that he died for me and I'm identified with that. But in the in the Jordan or circumcision, it's more my death with Christ or another way to put it that they've often put it is in the Red Sea and in Romans, particularly the 1St 8 chapters.
You get your Israel is getting out of Egypt. They're becoming it. They have a new standing, but in the Red Sea, in the in the Jordan or circumcision, it's getting Egypt out of us, getting Egypt out of Israel. There's a difference, isn't there? So again, Romans is more getting Israel out of Egypt. Where is the the circumcision and the Jordan is more getting Egypt out of Israel.
And that's discipleship, isn't it? That's practical, isn't it?
In the 12 Stones, Brother Bill, I thought that the 12 men from Israel carried the stones out of the midst of Jordan and put them on the other side. Is there something else I'm not catching here? No, I was not. I didn't have mind in gear when I put mouth in motion, and I'm glad you corrected that. Those stones were taken out of the Jordan, put on the opposite bank, and they were visible.
Thank you very much for that correction. They took those 12 Stones out of the Jordan.
Put them on the opposite bank. They were visible continually. And Israel, of course, went back to them more than once in order to remind themselves in Gilgal of the very truth in tight, no doubt, of course, but the very truth in Tight that you and I are talking about. Because we know that when they went through that river Jordan, the Lord opened up that river Jordan for them in a most remarkable way.
And they went through us on dry land. There was really only one set that was left at the bottom of the river, the ones that Joshua put there.
Thank you. And that's a very good point, isn't it, that we don't have to put the ourselves into the place of death. It's been done. The Lord Jesus in his death did it, and it's for us to simply believe and think in that way. I like the way it puts it in Romans 6 when it gives us the truth of being dead to sins and alive to God in verse.
11 It says likewise, Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God. In other words, reckon means thinking, think that way. Now you're dead to sin, alive to God. Joshua was the one that put that those stones in the middle of Jordan, and they were out of sight, not of mine. Sometimes say to young people, when you bury somebody in the cemetery.
Do you, do you go out there and dig them up and see how they're doing once in a while?
I'm afraid that's what we do sometimes when we start analyzing ourselves again and again and we get so discouraged and downcast.
He put them in the grave, they're buried. Leave them there. You have a new life, a new object. It's the Lord Jesus that is our life now. That's what it says in chapter three of our of Colossians. Our life is hid with Christ and God. Wonderful to realize that, isn't it?
In action is the love of Christ when he wins our hearts and we it should be one there when we come to the cross and we that Red Sea experience is something that wins our hearts through the love that he did, but we come into the full realization of that. It's hard to do something wrong when you to someone when you love them and that's that's why we have that verse. The love of Christ constrains us.
00:35:15
That's where the power is in consecration, isn't it?
Comes comes down to relationship.
Probably the greatest treasure on this earth, I think we could say, is relationship. You think about it, look at the person next to you that's precious, and that relationship is so precious to us. Think of the treasures on this earth. Nothing compares when it comes right down to it, to relationship. But relationship with the Lord Jesus saves the soul, and it also is the power to consecration.
The only thing we'll take to heaven with us is relationships.
So what will have in heaven is Christ and everything that the Father has given to him.
So all that is Christ's he would share with his own redeemed.
Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am.
That they may see my glory, all that is Christ's.
He will share with his own and I was thinking here that.
False named knowledge again wants to counterfeit the things that God has given to us through Christ. And I think that's why after the apostle here emphasizes that in him, in the Lord Jesus, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, as well as our completeness in him.
He goes on to talk of some of these things. We've been talking about him for the last few minutes here.
That have to do with our identification with him. He speaks of circumcision, the putting off of the body of the flesh. He talks about baptism identified with him in the likeness of his death and then in the end of verse 12 he speaks of of the God who raised him from among the dead. There is a resurrection aspect in which we are identified with him as is the heavenly.
So will those be who are the heavenly again, everything that is His will be ours in Him. So we don't want a counterfeit of any of those things. So how do they seek to present? How does this vain deceit and this empty talk that he was Speaking of, how do they seek to present counterfeits to us? Well, one of the main ways we might say.
In verse 14 is ordinances.
What can I do? What kind of rituals can I observe?
To either gain favor with God or show that I'm in the right place or whatever it might be ordinances.
One of the writers said that when when faith is weak, the heart of man naturally turns to ordinances. He turns to some of the things that came from the Jewish system. Verse 16.
Dietary Regulations.
The new moons, the feasts, the Sabbaths, one thing or another that was part of the shadow that only looked ahead to Christ the body. And this is this is teaching that you find in Hebrews, for example, you've been brought to the one.
Who?
He did a sacrifice that never has to be repeated again. It's perfect.
There was nothing left undone. It was complete in every way. Now don't go back to the things that merely looked ahead to that. And then here in the end of the chapter, we, we, it was mentioned a little bit earlier. You don't want someone to deprive you of your prize in his own willfulness, a willful humility. It looks real, spiritual, real ascetic, but it may merely be the flesh.
00:40:25
Fleshly ordinances, traveling on your knees for a certain distance to gain favor with God, worshipping of angels. But notice at the end of verse 18, what does he do? It's merely entering into things by your mind that you don't know anything about. They're not accessible to us. And that's where the delusion comes in. And then and then in the last four verses of the chapter, putting yourself under all kinds of regulations and ordinances, like, I'll be better if I don't touch this or if I don't touch that.
And I was thinking of.
The doctrines of demons that Paul mentions in First Timothy, chapter 4.
You have the gospel of health and then in first Timothy chapter 6, the gospel of wealth. And don't we see those two things in the world around us today, the gospels of health and wealth, as if man can gain some sort of favor with God by pursuing everything connected with these types of things. Whereas really if if we want to walk in liberty and peace with God.
We look back to what the Lord Jesus accomplished on the cross and what He brings us into Himself to share all of that with Himself.
Might say those shadows too, perhaps they go beyond relationships in this, in this extent and perhaps more that there's an inheritance. These shadows, many of these shadows are a shadow of what the Lord's inheritance is when he brings in the Millennium. There's two inheritances the Christian has, isn't there? There's a heritage and inheritance above our heads. That's the spiritual inheritance we have right now, the many blessings.
That we have in Christ. But there's also a material inherited, perhaps we can say John, that goes beyond relationships. Although of course we're going to inherit it with Christ because we're heirs of God and coyers with Christ. But this whole world is going to be transformed into a beautiful place. The curse is going to be removed. Those shadows that are mentioned in verse 17, many of those shadows were shadows of the time to come.
The time of blessing. And I mention that because sometimes I think when we read the Old Testament, or maybe many times people don't read the Old Testament because like one brother said to me, you know, I'm not interested in prophecy because it just has to do with Israel, doesn't affect me. That's a poor understanding of Scripture because the the beauty, the inheritance of this earth is part of our inheritance. It's our earthly inheritance. The Christian is going to reign over it with Christ.
Both heaven and earth. So that's one of the things that the shadow was a shadow of. Was those like that You mentioned the the new moon. What's that? Well, that's when Israel's restored. What about the feast of Jehovah? Those are shadows. It gives us an overall picture of God's ways and councils. And it ends in the Feast of the Tabernacles, which is a picture of the of the of the Millennium. Well, is that just for Israel?
Not one bit. It is Israel, that's true, but we're going to be reigning over it with Christ as his bride for that thousand years. So let's remember that although, as the old brethren used to say, not all Scripture was written to us, but all Scripture was written for us.
So what you're saying emphasizes, I think, a good point relative to the teaching of Colossians, that that touches on the whole idea of Gnosticism, the dichotomy between the material and the spiritual. Just because something is material doesn't mean that it doesn't have a spiritual aspect.
Here's a perfect example. All of us just came back from eating a delicious meal and having fellowship together over that meal. That meal was sanctified by the word of God and prayer are freely addressing him and some of you remember brother Bill War. He said to me one time he said you know that verse that that verse means to me that when we thank the Lord for something material like a meal.
00:45:16
That we're going to enjoy together. That's like the Lord Jesus saying I want to sit down and enjoy it with you.
So it's a material thing. It's not evil. It's good because God gave it.
But we take it from the hand of God. I can be a glutton. I can just be obsessed with recipes and food and cooking and all of this kind of stuff. And that can be something that cuts a barrier between myself and the Lord. But it doesn't have to be that way. I can take it from the hand of a loving Creator. I can thank Him for it.
And that in a sense, as I'm saying, Lord Jesus, I just want you to sit down and enjoy this meal with me.
Because he gave it to us. And that is something that these people who came in with these teachings, they were undermining that with their delusive speech. And that shows that something and and this has been brought out in Galatians Chapter 2, for example.
Eating a meal.
Was the occasion where Paul saw the very foundation of the gospel being undermined and it was just people sitting down and eating a meal. And this shows that God, he's involved in every aspect of our lives. We can take everything. My relationships, my relationship with my wife who designed that relationship? The Lord did my my relationships with my children, with the Christian community, with my brethren, the food that I eat.
Whatever it might be, even the natural things he says, we can take these from His hand as a gift of His love and they are only rightly enjoyed when they are enjoyed that way.
And these false teachers, they had that all wrong. So Paul had to correct that.
And the eventual result of that is that we focus on those things and get occupied with them instead of Christ. God gives us these things and gives them to us to enjoy. I know some of us here and including myself have had occasion to travel to a number of foreign countries and people often want to know where you're from. They.
Notice.
A face that doesn't fit in with the local appearances and so on. And they want to know where you're from. Oh, Canada, Very rich country. Oh, yeah, Yeah. Or sometimes, of course, I get mistaken for being an American, which is fine. And oh, United States. So I say, wait a minute, you're saying very rich country.
I don't apologize for that, nor do I get defensive about it. I say yes, the Lord has given much to us in North America, and we're very thankful for it, his brother Dave says. We can be thankful for the good food that's prepared for us, and we can enjoy it without apologizing for it, But it's a means to an end. It's not an end in itself.
What we have here, even though it supposes godliness.
Ends up gratifying the flesh and occupying me with things.
That are not Christ.
If I use what the Lord gives me as a means to an end, that's right and good. And if the Lord gives us relative peace and quiet in North America, we can be thankful for that. We're very thankful that we're not involved in a war zone right now. I don't say that it won't come. We can be thankful that we can put food on the table without any problem. We can be thankful that we can have these meetings in relative peace and quiet without fear that somebody's going to burst in the door and arrest some of us.
But all these things should not be taken for granted, but rather accepted as the mercies of God, enjoyed from His hand, but then as a means to an end, not an end in itself.
00:50:22
Just a little comment perhaps on verse 14 as an explanation of it.
It might seem like strange language.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances. That was against us.
Which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. What does that mean? Well, if I understand it correctly, in the days when crucifixion, sadly, was a rather common way of the Roman Empire's getting rid of criminals, it was intended to drive the point home very brutally. Crime does not pay.
Rebellion against the Roman Empire does not pay, and this is the penalty for it.
But often they would put a sign on that cross outlining the particular crime for which the individual was being crucified. It was nailed to his cross.
Did that happen figuratively to the Lord Jesus? Yes it did because He took our place. What did the law say concerning those who didn't keep it? Cursed is everyone that continue with not?
I can't quote it accurately, but in all the points of the law that's not right. Maybe someone can give it more accurately, but.
Everyone that did not keep the whole law was under a curse. That was you and I before we were saved. But what did the Lord Jesus do? He was made a curse for us. He took that penalty and in that sense.
That crime was nailed to his cross.
All that result of a broken law he suffered the penalty for for you and for me. And now what is the result of that? It was nailed to his cross. No longer are you and I under law, but rather under grace, as my late father-in-law Albert Hayhoe used to put it. He said, what use is it to put a believer under law who has?
One nature, the old sinful flesh.
That can't keep it, can't keep it and he has a new life in Christ that can't break it.
Now, of course, we're talking about the law in general terms here. It talks about ordinances and things like that. The ceremonial law, we could refer to to that. That was all taken out of the way too. Things that had to do with dietary restrictions and with washings and so on, and all kinds of rituals as well as the moral law.
All of that, you and I are no longer under. We are under grace.
Why does man keep going back to all of that? Why does man keep going back and wanting some of it in spite of grace? Because it gives some importance to man and ultimately takes away from the glory and honor that is due to Christ. It takes away from that honor that is due to Christ as our object. And if I can keep the law better than you can, then I can take a little bit of pride in it.
And how quickly that came into the Christian profession after the apostles had passed off the scene.
Galatians 3.
Chapter 10 For as many as there are of the works of the Laura under the curse, for it is written cursive is everyone that continuous not in all things which are.
The wall on the side of God. It is evidence for the chest shall live by faith. The law is not a faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us.
00:55:02
Thank you Virgil, And that's the verse I was trying to quote and didn't do a very good job of it. The end of verse 10.
If you drop back into the shadows of the Old Testament.
To automatically inherit correspondingly the darkness of the shadow.
I just mentioned in that verse 17, just for clarification sake, which are a shadow of things to come. That's the Old Testament, isn't it? Under Judaism, but the body, perhaps it's a little bit confusing, perhaps a better word there is but the substances of Christ. In other words, the shadows were in the Old Testament. Now we have the substance in Christ that the shadows pointed to. So it's true that we're not under the shadows of the Old Testament, but.
Those shadows become living realities now, don't they? Beautiful illustrations of New Testament truth. How thankful we can be.
But when you have the reality, you don't go back to shadows, do you? The.
And I think it's wonderful because going back to the ordinances was basically saying, OK, that old flesh is still alive and well in me. I got to keep it under control.
That is a denial of our Christian position that we are dead, married and risen again. Lord help us, brethren, to think clearly about that. And, and it comes down in verse 19. And I think this is such a beautiful thing. I would like to.
Focus on it a bit, not holding the head. When we do those things, when we go back to those elements of the law, we're not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered and knit together increases with the increase of God. This is so beautiful.
What does it mean to hold the head?
Brethren, we are intimately connected to that glorious man in the, in the, in the heavens. They're sitting at the right hand of God in all his glory. We are united to him right now. Is that a reality with us? I think that's so amazingly wonderful. And when you go to the book of the Acts, I just like to make a few references there because to see how that was a reality.
In the church in the first days of its existence, notice in chapter 4 of Acts, and they are brought before the council, Peter and John, they are threatened of not that they should not any longer preach in this name. And Peter in verse 19 it says, Peter and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right?
In the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye, or we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them because of the people. For all men glorified God for that which was done. And then verse 23. And being let go, they went to their own company, reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord.
Said Lord, thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them. Isn't that beautiful? How they took the problem to the Lord that's holding the head? Is there a problem that's facing you? Do you know what it means to hold the head? He has allowed that situation in your life.
Does He have some purpose in allowing that? Yes, He does. And if we can simply go to Him about it, what's the result? Verse 31, it says when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spake the Word of God with boldness. The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.
01:00:15
I think it's so beautiful, the testimony that resulted in simply holding the head and how through the book of the Acts you find that through the Holy Spirit, the Lord responded, He is the head. When we have problems, brethren, do we know what it is to hold the head? Sometimes we're good at running to the old writers, and I don't say that's wrong, but we need to hold the head.
And the Word of God and living reality. Perhaps some of the old writings will help me to understand it better.
But it's holding the Lord as head. It's a living relationship. Even today, in the time which we live in 2022, He is still the head of the body. Precious, wonderful truth. Lord help us to to really make it a practical reality in our lives.
And could we carry that brother Bob perhaps a step further?
Maybe I need to be careful about how I say this, but I believe it with all my heart.
Sometimes there are problems and difficulties collectively, and they can be very hard and very difficult, very challenging. Sometimes they affect only a local assembly, sometimes they go further than that.
Oh, needful to go to the head about it first and foremost. Yes, there may be something that needs to be done, there may be an action that needs to be taken, but how much better to be able to get on our knees? I say it to my own heart, Just lay the problem before the head.
I guess I have seen in my lifetime more than once where a problem has seemed insurmountable, so complicated, so difficult, and yet going to the head, laying it before him.
How easily sometimes the Lord settles the difficulty and how it seems to disappear. I don't say that happens all the time, and it may not happen right away because if the Lord allows the difficulty, He means us each to learn something from it. And sometimes that takes a little time. But nevertheless, how important to be holding the head? You might say, why do we need to hold the head? We're already united to Him. It says so right in this chapter.
You're complete in Him, verse 10, which is the head of all principality and power and so on. And then back in the first chapter, verse 18, He is the head of the body, the Church.
Ah, there's the position in which God has placed us, but there's the practical application of it in our lives, and that's something that takes real exercise before the Lord, doesn't it?
Do you find that in Colossians 1?
118 And we quote quite often, for he is the head of the body of the church, who is the beginning of the first one from among the dead, that in all things he might have the 1St place. And that's what you're saying, Bill, that in everything we might give to him the 1St place.
Amen.
What if we can say to Brother Bill that this is true individually, Isn't it not just collectively?
Often our danger, and I was reading something recently that was written, they said one of the dangers of Christian psychology is that it focuses on the problems, how to fix the problems. But that doesn't really solve the problem for a Christian, doesn't it? We first have to go to the head. He's the one that solves the problem. And that's why again, I, I was my exercise when I read the verse in First Chronicles 16 this morning. It was first the altar, then the burnt offering and then the peace offering, the fellowship we have.
Not only with the Lord, but with one another. But I think we missed that point. So often we are concerned about all our needs, but who's the answer to our needs? It's the head.
01:05:00
Yes. The reason I mentioned the collective side, I understood, if I understood him correctly, that Brother Bob was emphasizing perhaps a little more the individual side of things. But we need both, absolutely.
And it starts, first of all, with individuals, doesn't it?
If I'm not careful and I have seen on it are times nearly gone, but I have seen it where.
An individual will say, well, if everything's right in the local assembly, I will come. And I have actually had dear brethren say to me, well, I, I want to be part of an assembly where there's a nice mix of good teachers and good pastors and good gospel preachers and a nice outreach and.
All the rest of it, and again now I'm quoting one of our old writers that many will recognize the source of a brother said Christianity is properly characterized not by what it finds, but by what it brings. God doesn't promise you and me that in these last days we are going to be given all of those things handed to us on a platter.
He says you feel the exercise, you look to me as the head, you do your part and leave the rest to me to look after.
On that note of the individual and collective side, an example would be Daniel's prayers. He prayed and confessed his own sins and then the sins of the people and indeed Job at the end of his time.
When his relationship was restored with the Lord, then he was able to be used to restore the relationships of his three friends with the Lord as well.
It starts. It starts in an individual who's exercised in himself and then caring for the matters of the assembly.
Another case perhaps of holding the head in the book of the Acts I thought about is in Acts 13 where we have in the assembly at Antioch 5 mentioned that were prophets and teachers not one man ministry there, but there were five that were occupied and it says in verse two as.
They this is collective, ministered to the Lord and fasted. How did they minister to the Lord? It really doesn't say. Sometimes fasting is connected with prayer, but here it says ministering to the Lord. I've wondered if they might have sung hymns of praise to the Lord, perhaps that in that way. But as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, I've often wondered if.
The Holy Ghost used a human mouth or.
Whether it was said in a different way, but it said separate me, Barnabas and Saul for the work we're into. I've called them when they had fasted and prayed. There's pray and fasting and laid their hands on them. They sent them away or they let them go. So they've been sent forth by the Holy Ghost.
There's holding the head. They were waiting on the Lord, and the Lord sent out to in gospel endeavour.
Very interesting, the blessing that resulted. So it's been together with the sense that the Lord is our head, direct us, Lord we want direction, and then being willing to do what He tells us.
Vision
Address—Bill Prost
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Over 330.
I realized I was looking at that clock from the side, so we'll for bear starting the hymn for a minute until everyone gets in here. 330 What raised the wondrous thought? Or who did it suggest that we the church to glory brought should with the sun be blessed?
I've always been interested in people that wrote hymns.
This one, if you look in the back of the book you will see, was written by Brother Wigram George V Wigram.
Well known brother who lived back in the 19th century and I'll tell you a story about.
Mr. Wigram, that has always touched my heart. There's a very earnest young man when he was first saved and 1St getting into the good of the things of the Lord and.
Later on in his life, when he was, I suppose, in his 70s, and he made a remark that really went to my heart, he said, you know, back in those days.
We had to pray out the truth of God on our knees.
He said now you can buy it up cheaply and read it in a book.
Hmm, we're glad for those books, aren't we? Some of which he wrote. But he felt the impact of the truth on his soul because he had to pray it out along with others on his knees.
I say to my own heart, and I say to each one of us here this afternoon, May God give us the grace not only to read this precious book, not only to avail ourselves of the good written ministry that the Lord has provided for us, but also to pray out that precious truth on our knees #330.
Well, I'd like to start by reading 3 verses together.
And maybe you can guess what I have before me from reading those verses.
First one is in the book of Proverbs chapter 29.
Proverbs, chapter 29.
And verse 18.
Proverbs 29 and verse 18.
Where there is no vision, the people perish. Or, as the JND translation reads, where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.
But he that keepeth the law, happy as he.
And then over to the Book of Lamentations, chapter 2.
Lamentations, chapter 2.
And verse 9.
Referring to Jerusalem.
Prophet Jeremiah lamenting over the city of Jerusalem.
Lamentations 2 and 9. Her gates are sunk into the ground. He hath destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her Princess are among the Gentiles. And then here's the part that I wanted to emphasize. The law is no more. Her prophets also find.
No vision from the Lord.
In one final verse in second Peter chapter one.
Second Peter, chapter one.
Verse eight, second Peter chapter one and verse 8. For if these things referring to everything that Peter has talked about in the first 7 verses. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you, that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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But he that lacketh these things is blind.
And cannot see a far off and have forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
What do I have on my heart to talk about?
Vision.
Vision This is to be a meeting for young people.
And you know, I don't mind admitting to you when they ask someone at my age to speak to young people, I tremble because I've got children, they're middle-aged now and I have grandchildren. And sometimes the gap between the world that I grew up in and the world in which they are growing up seems just to get wider and wider and wider.
And sometimes I don't understand some of the things that they are dealing with.
Sometimes they get a bit of a laugh and I don't mind it about some of the things that I talk about and the way I relate to things. That so-called generation gap has always been there.
But as we had this morning, this precious book does not change. And we want to talk a bit about vision in the sense that Scripture speaks about it, and I want to speak in a way that even younger children here can relate to it.
There are some here that are doubtless real true believers in the Lord Jesus who aren't teenagers yet, and I hope there are many of you. And I hope that some of the things about which we talk today you can relate to.
What does it mean to have a vision in the sense in which we have it here in Scripture? I believe it means to be able to see above and beyond what you can actually see with your eyes that is going on around you.
No. Of course, a vision in Scripture can sometimes be some special thing that the Lord gives individuals. For example, the apostle Paul, I believe, had seven distinct visions during his lifetime which are recorded in the Word of God. Direct visions from the Lord communicating to him. Others had dreams and visions in the past.
But what I want to talk about is.
A vision of things from God's perspective that rises above.
What you and I can see all around us.
Because the tendency in our world today is to be governed.
By the world around us.
Can we have a vision that relates only to this world? Yes, Men have had that many times.
As I was contemplating this meeting, I thought of an illustration. And since we are here in the United States of America, it works. One of the founding fathers, and you all know this better than I do as a Canadian, but one of the founding fathers of the United States was a man named Thomas Jefferson. And I had the privilege of visiting his home a couple of times there in Virginia and hearing a little bit about him and reading a little bit about him and.
When America was being formed as a country, as you well know, there were only 13 colonies on the eastern seaboard of the country and Jefferson had a vision by the time he became the 3rd President of the United States, of a country that would stretch from sea to sea.
And other people told him it won't work. It's crazy, it can't be done. It's too big of a country to administer.
To try and govern, to try and travel across.
You have to remember that in the days when Jefferson lived, I suppose, he'd never seen anything that went any faster than a horse. He never saw a train, never saw a plane, that's for sure. And here he was having a vision of a country thousands of miles wide.
He said it'll work, it'll work.
And he sent out Lewis and Clark to.
Look over the country to map it out to see what it was made of. He had a vision.
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Sad to say though, and I don't wish to spend a lot of time on it, but there's a it's very, very real doubt.
That he ever knew the Lord. He took the Bible and chopped everything out of it that he didn't like, made the so-called Jefferson Bible. What a way to dare to do chop things out of the word of God. Oh, he believed in a God, no question about that. But he didn't believe in the Christ of the Bible. But what we want to talk to you about this afternoon is a vision that takes you above this present world.
Because you are not living in a very easy world today.
It's a very different world from the one in which I grew up, and the stability of things that you were perhaps thinking and many others were thinking too, would go on indefinitely, suddenly isn't there anymore. And the Lord is beginning to show us, I believe, where things are headed and giving this world perhaps a little, and I emphasize the word little, a very little taste of how things are going to come.
Right apart during the Tribulation period.
But God never allows things to come upon man without giving him what you and I would call.
Fair warning. And God is giving everyone fair warning today. But you and I are feeling the effects of it too. And I know some of you young people have found that your careers have been at least interrupted, if not totally messed up. And maybe plans that you have made for things like a career and marriage have suddenly been sidetracked. Even younger children. I don't know.
Suppose it happened here in the US to some extent, certainly happened up where I live in Canada, where children were suddenly compelled to do all their work at home.
Had to get out their computer and do it all online homeschooling, they weren't allowed to attend classes and so on. Some thought that was great fun, others it really caused huge problems. And those, and I know there are not many perhaps here in that category, but there were those in what we might call the lower socioeconomic classes that had a terrible time with that because they didn't have a home environment that promoted good study habits.
And it messed their lives up something awful.
And maybe some of the plans that you otherwise had made suddenly don't seem to be happening anymore. It's terribly difficult in the least where I live in Canada for young people even to own a home. When I was growing up, you could go and work in an industrial plant, you could own a home, you could raise a family, you could drive a car. You could have a reasonably normal life without much education.
Now, even if you get the education, sometimes you don't know where you're going.
It is a difficult world.
God wants you and me to have a vision.
And I want to talk about three things this afternoon that I trust will give us a bit of a vision and then I want about want to talk about two conditions that are necessary for it.
The first vision I want to talk about and the most important one.
Is a vision of coming glory, and to see that, let's turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4.
We could turn to many different scriptures, but these will.
Do for our purposes Second Corinthians 4.
Verse three. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. And I'm going to read this as it is again in the Darby translation, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine under them.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.
And ourselves, your servants, for Jesus sake. And here's the verse. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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Verse 16.
For which 'cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul had that vision, a vision of coming glory, and it animated his whole life. Do you and I have that vision?
Remember while reading in some of our written ministry a.
About how a young brother approached an older brother about a serious problem, and I believe it happened to be a difficulty among the Saints of God, a difficulty that threatened to cause serious problems among the assemblies at that time and in that place. And the younger brother said to the older brother, whatever is going to become of us?
And maybe there are some young people out there today.
Maybe some in this room who were saying in a measured manner of things, maybe not to do with assembly problems, but the principle is the same whether it is an individual problem in your life or in my life or a collective 1, whatever is going to become of us. And the older brother's answer was priceless. Oh, he said.
Scripture knows no future for the believer but glory. Oh, I love that. No future for the believer but glory. Why did you say that? Because the only future you and I are promised down here is what the Lord gives us in John's Gospel chapter 16 in the world.
Ye shall have tribulation.
And you and I in North America have largely been shielded from that.
And I'm thankful for it. I'm thankful for it. The Word of God can be freely read, It can go forth very freely. Books can be printed, ministry can be done, and all kinds of travel can be arranged, and so on.
I read once on the Internet, it said what is the country?
But if you have that citizenship, you can visit more countries in the world than any other one. What citizenship enables you to visit more countries in the world than any other one?
You can probably guess right here, the United States of America.
I value that, and I value that as a Canadian I can do almost as well.
But.
We can't expect it to be guaranteed.
Sometimes telling a story.
Relates to this a little bit and I want to tell you 2 quick stories to emphasize the .1 of them, to emphasize it to younger children here and one of them perhaps to emphasize it to those that are a wee bit older.
A vision of coming glory. What does it consist of? Does it consist necessarily of understanding everything we talked about this morning? Oh, it's wonderful for that to have a grip on your soul and mine.
Back about 500 years ago in France, just as the Reformation was beginning to break the truth of the Gospel out to Europe, there was a little girl by the name of Arlette, and she was 10 years old, and she lived with her mother. And her father was one of those who had grasped the truth of the Gospel and who realized that all along they had been given a doctrine of.
Justification by works by the Roman Catholic Church. And he was so enamored with that gospel that her father went out everywhere with other men of his age bracket. And they did their best to spread that gospel, but at the risk of their lives.
Well, as time went on, Arlette's mother got sick and went to be with the Lord, and that compelled little Arlette to have to travel with her father and those other men.
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And they went from place to place. Sometimes they met up with people that were sympathetic to them and they could stay with them. Sometimes they found abandoned cabins in the woods where they put up, and so on.
But to make a Long story short, eventually they got caught. The authorities caught up with them, took those men to to prison and eventually before a judge. And they were compelled to come before that judge and to witnesses to what they had been preaching. And when they faithfully witnessed to it, they were condemned to be what was called.
Burned at the stake. That meant they were had wood piled up all around them and then they were tied to those stakes and the wood was lit and they perished in those flames.
And that's what happened to those men. I suppose there were about four or five of them, including our Let's Father.
And there was little Arlette.
Who was spared because she was a child?
Standing there looking on, Can you imagine, can you children imagine, what it would be like to see that happen to your parents?
It happened many times.
The little Arlette had realized in her soul as a little girl what it meant for martyrdom. She had been warned by her father what could happen, and suddenly it got home to her soul. This is really happening. This is real.
I don't know whether I can tell you what happened without choking up, but this is not a made-up story. This is true.
Little Arlette was standing there beside some other people who were holding her. All of a sudden she broke loose and before anyone could stop her.
She ran into the flames.
Stood beside her father.
And suffered martyrdom along with them.
Vision. Vision of coming glory.
Did she know what you and I discussed this morning in the meeting? No, she didn't. She didn't know that. But.
She had a vision beyond everything around her and all the things of this world meant nothing to her. She was going to be with Christ.
Another story of an older man that I've told before in the same country of France back about the same time.
And how?
He perished right in front of the well known Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. I remember visiting it once and standing outside in the courtyard and closing my eyes and trying to imagine being there 500 years before when a French nobleman by the name of Louis Berkwyn rode to his death in the same way.
In his best robes on horseback.
And gave up his life for Christ with all boldness rode in his finest robes.
People couldn't understand it, this young man throwing his life away.
Was it thrown away? Oh no, it wasn't thrown away. Not one little bit.
He went boldly to his death, but in the audience there, there was a 15 year old boy who was there only out of curiosity. He was just, well, something for excitement, and he didn't pay too much attention to things like that. People got hardened to it after a while.
But as he stood there and watched that man ride down the street of Paris and then boldly take his place and perish in the flames.
He went home with his cheeks flaming. He went home with his whole mind turned upside down. He said that man's got something. That man's got something, and I want it. I want it, and I'm going to find out what he got.
Maybe you've heard me tell that story before. The boy was John Calvin.
And it resulted in his searching, searching and coming to Christ, and as it were, picking up the torch where Louis Berquin laid it down.
A vision of coming glory.
You know the things which are seen are temporal.
I valued the privilege of getting married. I valued the privilege of having a home of my own. I valued the privilege, and I don't deny it, of having a good career.
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And I wish it for everyone of you here, those things that are, I hope they're available to everyone of you. But as we had this morning, are those things an end in themselves, or are they a means to an end? You and I have an unusual and unique experience of living right on the cusp, as it were, of the Lord's coming for us.
But he wants us to have that vision of coming glory, to see over and above everything that is going on in this poor world, over and above the COVID problem, over and above the war in the Ukraine, over and above all the things that are coming in. And there will probably be more if the Lord doesn't come.
A vision of coming glory.
But we want to look at something else. Our time is going.
If we are going to have a vision of coming glory, there's another vision we need to have, and to see that, let's turn to Galatians 6.
Galatians, chapter 6.
And verse 14.
But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me.
And I unto the world.
You know, there's a verse in Ecclesiastes, we won't turn to it, that says.
Say not thou, what is the cause that the former days were better than these? For thou dost not consider wisely or inquire wisely concerning this matter. You know, when people get to my age, they often start reminiscing a little bit and talking about the so-called good old days, because we often remember the good things and forget about the bad things.
And so we talk about those good old days.
Well, that was very true in some ways and there were some very good things that happened in former years. But Ecclesiastes and Solomon wrote, it warns us not to inquire that way. And I remember well a brother making a remark in a reading meeting that I really enjoyed. He said, if you are going to look ahead, look all the way to the glory.
But if you're going to look back, look all the way to Calvary's cross.
Do we have a vision of Calvary's cross? In one sense, we say, how can that be a vision because it's history. Yes, it is. But it is possible in the world of today to forget about what Calvary's cross means. Yes, we admit, and I hope there is no disagreement on this in this room.
That it represents the time when our blessed Savior suffered for us, the just for the just, for the unjust.
To bring us to God.
Precious truth. And if there is anyone in this room today that is not saved, oh, there's only one way to be saved, to come to Christ.
But here in Galatians 6 and 14, we have another angle to that scene, there at the cross, because that cross of Christ means more than simply my salvation.
It separates me from this world and you know, we like to forget about that aspect of things and every aspect of Satan's work all down through the ages.
Ultimately has been to do different things. Yes, he has tried, as we had before us this morning, to bring things in that took away the glory of Christ, either from his person or from his work. But one other thing Satan has tried to do, and sad to say, he's been very successful, is to bring Christianity down to the level of a world.
Worldly religion.
And if Christ is not before me, and if I don't know and realize and enjoy the heavenly calling of the Church, I have, humanly speaking, lost everything.
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And that's why Paul is so careful to warn these dear Galatians believers. Why was he so concerned about them? Because they were trying to bring in the rule of law as a way of life. They were admitting that you needed to be saved by faith. They were admitting that you needed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
But they said you've got to have a rule.
You've got to have a rule by which to live the Christian life.
We had that before us this morning. We don't live by rules and regulations. Why not? Because that exalts man at the expense of Christ.
Let's go all the way to Calvary's cross and when you and I view the world around us.
The best antidote to worldliness is a fresh view of Calvary's cross.
Now don't get me wrong.
We need to live and move in this world. We need to earn a living, we need to interact with the world and separating from the world in a total way, the way they did right in the early part of the Church's history. By the 4th century AD, they were separating themselves into monasteries and convents and hermits were going way off into the back of the beyond and living all by themselves in little huts and.
Some of them were even building platforms on tops of poles and sitting on top of those poles in every kind of weather, and people going and passing food up to them that they hauled up with a string, and so on. And it did exactly what we had in our chapter this morning. Not in any honor. Why? Because it was to the satisfying of the flesh.
All the pride there of man was sticking right out.
The devil knows what he's doing when he brings Christianity down to the level of this world. And one of our good writers from the 1800s said I fear worldliness among believers more than I fear bad doctrine. Not that bad doctrine isn't serious, it's very serious, but it can be more easily identified and dealt with with the word of God.
But worldliness is insidious. Worldliness creeps in because we have to live and move in this world.
And it's very easy to adopt the ways of this world.
And I say to you, as I say to my own heart, the world is making a tremendous bid for you and me today. And sometimes it's very tempting to come down to this world's level in order to make things go properly. Oh, it makes life much easier. And the devil dissuades us by saying, well, just come down to the level of the world a bit and don't be quite so.
Particular about things and so on. You can reach a lot more people with the gospel and you'll get along a lot better in this world.
It's true, it's true. I remember well hearing a story, this happened quite a few years ago now, about a young girl who was in her teens and an older brother who was full time in the work of the Lord. I won't name him, but I knew him well. He was visiting in their home and he was talking about the world and how that it did not like either Christ or Christians.
And this girl ventured to speak up and she said, well, you know, I go to high school and when I.
I have friends there and she said they don't, they don't treat me badly. They treat me pretty, pretty nicely. They don't really give me a hard time or anything. Well, the older brother was wise enough to say you tried talking to them about your blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. You try talking to them about their need of a savior. Try telling them that they are sinners before God.
As you once were and that they need a savior. Try telling them that your hopes are heavenly and not earthly and see how they react.
The same brother had occasion to be back in that same home, I guess about a year later and he asked her. He said, well, did you try it out? What I told you last time I was here, did you try it out?
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Yes, she said. And you were right. You were right. You were right.
It's very true. The world does not want either Christ or the Christian who is faithful.
So we need to have a vision of coming glory and a vision of Calvary's cross.
There's one other thing that I believe the Lord would give us today, and to see that, let's turn to Second Peter, chapter one.
We've already been in that chapter, but there's another verse I'd like to read.
Second Peter, chapter one.
Verse 19.
Second, Peter one and 19 We also have a more sure word of prophecy, or perhaps more accurately, we also have the word of prophecy made more sure. And then referring to that word of prophecy, it says, Where unto ye do well that ye take heed.
As unto a light that shineth in a dark place.
Until the day dawn and the Day Star or Morning Star arise in your hearts.
What is Peter saying? Oh, he's saying that one of the lights in a dark place.
Excuse me, is the prophecy of the word of God.
You and I can look around us and see the condition of things in this world and it looks very serious. And men of this world are already beginning to find the truth of that verse in Luke's gospel chapter 21, where it talks about men being perplexed and how their hearts are failing them for fear.
Seeing the rolling waves and so on.
Let's read that verse. It's in Luke chapter 21 and I'm not quoting it accurately.
Luke's Gospel chapter 21 Now this is referring to a future day, but it's beginning to happen now.
Luke 21 and verse 25.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, that I believe would concern those in government and upon the earth. Distress of nations with perplexity. The sea and the waves roaring. Men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.
Many are having their hearts failed for fear today. They don't know what's coming. Where's it going to end?
First of all, it was COVID and then when things seemed just about to be settling down a little. Now there's the war in the Ukraine. Many are saying, are we in for a nuclear war? Are we in for a total World War 3?
Prophecy, a light that shineth in a dark place. And I confess to you that I am not the student of prophecy, that some are. But what a wonderful thing it is to get into the Word of God and to realize that God has told us ahead of time everything that's going to happen.
So that you and I can look out on the world today and we can say, Oh yes, Oh yes, God is setting the stage for events that are going to happen and when we are called home.
But what we had this morning is crucial because if we don't understand the mystery of God, then prophecy doesn't make sense to us. And I say this very, very kindly, but how many dear believers I have talked to who have talked about prophecy? And I say it again.
Kindly, they have been so mixed up. Why? Because they don't see the mystery of God.
They don't see the heavenly calling of the Church. They don't see that the clock of prophecy was stopped for the Church period, and God is going to start it again when you and I are called home. Why is that? Because the Church is not the subject of prophecy. Prophecy concerns the earth.
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But it also concerns the honor and glory of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. But because prophecy concerns the earth, it isn't about you and me. We're a heavenly people.
It's almost ludicrous sometimes, the way things go.
This was a man who was an unbeliever and a brother called it to my attention. He'd seen it on the Internet. And as probably many of you know, there have been those frequently all down through the ages who have tried to persuade people that the book of Daniel was written as history and not as prophecy because what Daniel writes, for example, in Chapter 11.
So portrayed what was going to be the history ahead.
Of the Medo Persian Empire and the Grecian Empire and the Roman Empire that they said he couldn't have written it as prophecy. It's so good that he had to have lived after the fact and written it as history. And this poor man was writing on the Internet and oh, Oh dear. It was almost worth a chuckle. Why? Because he said, oh, he said that Chapter 11 in Daniel, he said, I don't know what happened. He said everything he wrote up.
Verse 35 is bang on, he said. It's just so accurate. The history is written so, so precisely. But then when he gets to verse 36, he just lost it somehow. And everything after verse 36 is just gibberish. It doesn't make any sense at all. You can't work into anything that ever happened that makes any sense.
I know I see Bruce with a Bruce with a bit of a grin on his face and a few others too. Why?
Well, between verse 35 and 36 is the church period and everything from verse 36 on his future. Of course the poor man couldn't make any sense out of it. Trying to relate it to history. It's all future.
The church is not the subject of prophecy, but to understand prophecy you have to understand Christ in the church. And when that is clear, then prophecy becomes an open book. Every detail, No, the details are subject to interpretation, but the broad principles of prophecy, the book of Daniel, the book of Isaiah, everything that's written in the minor prophets.
The Book of Revelation and so on. It all becomes an open book, and then suddenly you and I can be intelligent as to what's going on in this world.
A light that shineth in a dark place. Then we're not tempted to interpret what's going on in the world by things we see. We look at it through the eyes of the word of God. So I say to each one.
A vision of coming glory, a vision of Calvary's cross, and the enjoyment of prophecy. Very, very important for you and me today. And I would encourage you if you would like to look into prophecy, there is plenty available to help you read this precious book first and foremost. But there are plenty of those.
Who have gone before?
And I'm going to reiterate Bruce Conrad's remark from yesterday. If we know anything about prophecy and about this precious book, it's because we have stood, as it were, on the shoulders of giants that went before.
But sometimes those giants went a long way back. They went a long way back. Were there giants back in the days of the Reformation, considering what they knew? Indeed there were. Indeed there were.
Maybe I tell too many stories, but there's another one that has touched my heart and it again, this one occurred in Scotland and it impressed itself on my heart because my wife and I when we were visiting our brethren in England and had a very enjoyable time. We took a week and went up to Scotland on our 25th wedding anniversary and I managed to go to Saint Andrews in Scotland where a man by the name of George Wishart was burned at.
Back in the year 1546.
Faithful man.
In a comparatively young man, too, 33 years of age, a temporary of John Knox, whose name is much better known. And the prison is still there where they kept him, an awful prison shaped like a like a bottle with an opening at the top about 6 feet wide. And then it goes underground and widens out and they let you down by a rope into it. It's still there. You can see it.
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And then there's the place marked out on the street.
With a big circle on it and the stones are painted white with his initials on those stones. GW.
But talk about a giant. Did he know everything that you and I know back in those days? I'm sure he didn't, but this is a true story. The morning he was to be taken out and to be burned at the stake for Christ, the captain of the soldiers who was responsible for carrying out the sentence and had to obey orders or he would have been burnt too.
The captain was a Christian, he said. George.
Have you got any last request?
Quite a thing. What would you ask if you knew that you were going to be executed in a few hours? What would your last request be?
His was interesting.
He said, you know, you know your way around this town. He said to the captain, you know who the true Christians are. He said, if you can get them together, I'd like to break bread one last time.
Can you imagine?
It happened. The captain gathered them together.
And an eyewitness said it was the most moving experience. He said George Wishart got up and broke the bread.
He said to see a man standing there totally calm, totally in control of himself, totally at peace in his soul, giving thanks and celebrating the Lord's Supper, when he knew that a few hours down the road he was going to be with Christ, Oh, he said, that was an experience. He said it touched my whole life. Well, it might.
See a giant on whose back some of us have stood? Indeed we have.
Well, we have 10 more minutes for two last things.
Maybe, you say to me, and I wouldn't blame you.
OK, Bill, very easy for you to talk.
You're at the end of your life. You've had your career, you've had a marriage, you've owned a home.
And you've had things pretty good. And that is blessedly true. But where does that leave us young people? What about what I need right now?
I remember talking to a couple on the street in Toronto many years ago when I was handing out tracks in Toronto, ON and I was they stopped to talk and we were able to give them the gospel. The man said that I'm I'm in big trouble right now. He said. Eternity.
That's that's ahead. But he said I need some help right now. I'm in trouble right now financially and medically and a few other ways. I need some help right now.
Well, the story has a happy ending. I wasn't a rich man, but I had a few dollars in my pocket and I was able to help him out. And I have the joy of telling you that he and his wife both eventually did get saved. But the point he was making is I need help right now.
Turn to Philippians chapter 4.
Philippians, Chapter 4.
And that well known verse 6.
Be careful or anxious, it could read for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known unto God, and then down to the 19th verse. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
And then back to Matthew's Gospel chapter 6.
Matthew chapter six. Well known verse that we scarcely need to turn to.
And verse 33.
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But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Does the Lord know you need food to eat? Yes, he does. Does He know you need clothes to put on? Yes he does.
Does He need, does He know you need a home to live in? Yes, He does and you know He does. I have to say from my experience, exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Is He going to provide for you and me down here? Indeed He will. But there are priorities and you and I need those priorities.
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.
And I say without any hesitation to each one here, and especially you, beloved young people, you're often on our hearts and we pray for you as we see the days getting darker and the difficulties getting more profound in this world. I say, Lord, give each one to look to thee and to do what we have here. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Is the Lord able to provide? Yes, He is. Can He give you something in a circumstance where perhaps there seems to be absolutely no way? He can indeed, and He delights to do it. And I have to say in my own experience that when I have trusted the Lord and honestly sought Him first and foremost.
He has been so generous with me that I have been ashamed to take the largeness of the blessing.
But there's a condition.
There's a condition and that's the last thing I want to mention.
This time to first Peter.
First, Peter.
Chapter One.
And this is an extremely important condition and very much needed in the world of today.
First Peter one.
And verse 15.
But as he which hath called you is holy.
So be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.
Notice that it does not say be holy as I am holy.
No, there is only one who walked through this world in absolute perfection before God.
You and I still have the old sinful self, the flesh.
But because God is holy, he calls on you and me to be holy.
And it's getting harder and harder to do that in the world of today because as open sin becomes more common, there has never yet been a sin that was rampant in the world that didn't creep in amongst the Church of God. And I tremble, as I say, as I see the condition of this world.
I went to university in the 1960s.
And I still remember the shock and disbelief as we saw very suddenly and relatively quickly, the moral principles and the moral practices that had governed the world, at least in North America up until that point, cast aside.
And then, in a manner of speaking, we thought we were in the basement or in the cellar maybe is a better word. A basement speaks of something a little more refined. But we thought we were in the cellar.
But then later on, when, as time went on, it seems as if the concrete floor of the cellar gave way to reveal a yawning pit of such dimensions that we haven't yet seen the bottom of it. And some of us never thought we'd see the day when we found enshrined in law the awfulness of immorality.
That is so contrary to the word of God, and it invades the profession of Christianity.
You and I cannot expect to have a vision of coming glory, or of Calvary's cross, or of prophecy, nor can we expect the Lord's blessing in our lives if we are deliberately allowing sin in our lives that has not been judged.
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Is it easy to fall into sin? I know it only too well.
I was talking to one of my neighbors the other day. His wife had been sick.
And I've known him, he walks his dogs around our survey and I sometimes meet up with them. Very caring man, very nice individual. But I knew his wife had been sick so I went down just to call on him. I don't mind mentioning this. It's well known fact that a brother up home in Rio Ferry makes Maple syrup mostly to give away, and he supplies as much as we want in little pipe jars to give away with the gospel tract his own.
Said he has written up attached to it. So I went down and had a chat with his beloved man whom I know fairly well.
But he didn't want to hear the gospel. He didn't want to hear about Christ. He didn't want to hear about how things were in this world and how bad they were getting.
He didn't want to hear any of it. I said, well, you have to remember that the word of God says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Oh, he said, I haven't done anything that bad. And he went on to tell me about his life and how he'd been a good union steward and tried to help people out and so on.
Well, I said, you know, I haven't done anything, I suppose that bad in my life compared to what goes on in the world, having grown up in a Christian home. But I said, Sir, what bothers me the most and what ought to bother you is not the things that I've done, but the things that pass through my mind that I never carried out because they show what I am in nature.
And.
That that set him back on his pins, as we might say. He looked a little taken aback.
Yes, we have all had thoughts of things that maybe we never carried out, but if we would judge the thoughts that others can't see, then others would not have to judge the things that we do that they can see.
Well, our time is gone.
May the Lord bless His word to us.
I'd like to sing a verse or two of another hymn. I know our time is gone, but maybe we can spare a little bit of extra time. And I'd like to turn to number 77 in the appendix.
And part of the reason I turn to this is that here is another shoulder, shoulder on which we have stood.
This hymn was written by a woman by the name of Anna Ross Cousins. But she didn't. She was not the original of the hymn. The original hymn, well, I take that back. She wrote the original hymn, but it was based on the life of a man by the name of Samuel Rutherford.
Who lived back in the 1600s, went to be with the Lord about 1661 I believe. And if he hadn't died of natural causes that soon, they would have probably burned him too, because he was out and out for the Lord. He was a Scott and so.
This this hymn was written largely from an appreciation of his writings, and part of the reason I'd like to sing these last two verses is.
It exemplifies a little bit of what our brother Jonathan, the band, brought out this morning, and that is that the real power of Christian living is that verse in 2nd Corinthians 5. The love of Christ constraineth us. It's not enough merely to have an intellectual knowledge of things, an intellectual knowledge of coming glory or of the cross or of prophecy.
My heart has to be touched and there has to be a relationship with Christ.
77 in the appendix and will sing just the last two verses.
Four How-Tos
Gospel—Dean Rule
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Many years ago, my father-in-law told me about a meeting just like this.
He told about a man who was standing up and he asked a question. He said, and I'm not going to ask you to raise your hands, but he said, I would like to know how many here would like to go to heaven. He looked around the room.
Every hand was raised except one. There was a boy in the room, Johnny.
He said, Johnny, why, why didn't you raise your hand? Don't you want to go to heaven? And Johnny said no. Well, I I thought you were getting a group to go right now.
Just one bit of advice before we pray, heard many years ago when it comes time to die.
Make sure the only thing you have to do is die.
The only time I've had an experience to be so close to death was in Madrid, Spain, arriving late at night on a rainy night to the airport. Picked up by a couple that were in the car and the car was the sister. Wasn't real experience driving. I was sitting in the back seat. We hit a curve on the freeway. M30IN Madrid.
The car started to spin and then the car started to roll over. It went up on a wall.
I can't figure out anything except an Angel kept us from going upside down into a ditch.
And if that would have happened, I believe all three of us would have drowned.
And my feeling coming out of that, heading off to the hospital, the car was taken off to be totaled at a junkyard and the two of us that were taken to the hospital.
My thought was simply this. In that time period, in that very brief time period of spinning around and then rolling over, there was absolutely no time to think about a decision for eternity. And the other thing is this. Very simply, this room could be emptied at any moment. The Lord Jesus has promised to come back. The stage is set, the world is ready. There's nothing holding back.
Him coming?
Can you imagine what it would be like to be in a room like this tonight? close your eyes, blink your eyes and look around and see the room basically empty and be sitting there.
Just a warning, if that's true for anyone here tonight, it will be too late forever. So let's pray. Like to sing.
#8 If someone could start it, please, Shall we gather it is coming from the dead in Christ. Arise shall we hear the Savior call us to His home beyond the skies? Yes, we'll gather His coming as glorious as glorious coming. Gather with His Saints that is coming if cleansed by the Savior's blood #8 If someone could start it, please.
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Bosworth really answers for greyhounds. They're waiting for the same time it's gone.
It went by the same development.
Many years ago, when the university and the laboratory where we were doing work.
One of the fellow students that I was studying with worked with the same professor, Barry Eisenberg.
When we talked, when I said talk to him about the importance of being ready for eternity.
Barry's response was I've made every decision in life. When it came time to make the decision. When I die, I'll make the decision then.
Barry went on, got his PhD, became a college professor, and everything else. But Barry's decision was an absolutely foolish one, because the decisions for eternity are made not in eternity. They're made in time.
And God has given witness to his eternal power, his Godhead, his love. And so I'd like to start out with the easiest verse to find in the Bible, Genesis chapter one, verse one.
No verse easier to find in the Bible.
So as in the beginning, God created.
The heaven and the earth.
If that's not true.
Then you can close this book. You can walk out of here because if it starts out with a lie.
Then there's no reason to go on.
We live in a world where a lot of people are debating what happened. How did it get started?
Let's remember one thing very clearly. What is eternal does not have a.
Everything after that has a cause.
God is eternal.
The deity, God the Father, God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our eternal. Can I understand that? Can I grasp that with my mind? No, I can think to A to a degree about eternity in the future, but to go back and realize that our that God is eternal.
Goes beyond my mind understanding.
Carl Sagan, a very famous cosmologist, someone who studied the origin of the universe. Carl Sagan is now an eternity. But Carl Sagan says the universe is all that there ever was, is, or ever will be.
Carl was wrong.
Because this universe in which we live.
If it, if we understand clearly and all the science teaches that it's expanding.
It doesn't matter if it's expanding 1 inch per year.
If it's eternal and it really was started with no beginning, it would now be so completely separated out. It would be so completely burned out.
And so Carl was wrong.
My father-in-law had an expression that I that struck me and I've repeated it many times. He talked about a person waking up dead. Maybe that sounds a little bit funny, but what he was talking about is he said a person when they die, they don't go like a dog. It's sad to see a dog die. Those of us who love dogs, we realize that when they die, they die, but that's not true for a human being.
When a human being dies and they pass into eternity, they go into one of two locations.
Either paradise now to be with the Lord Jesus, or they go into the lake and into hell to eventually be reunited with their body in the Lake of Fire forever. Have an unusual schedule this coming week?
Unplanned as this is, I've got two funerals. I'm going to a funeral of a sister-in-law on Monday and then to a funeral of a brother that many of us will be out on Tuesday. And the wonderful thing about that is those people, when they, when they left that body, it was like leaving a house and shutting the door when you left your house.
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When you came here, I'm sure you locked the door, and so a body will be put down into the casket, and that body will put me down into a grave. When that body goes down into the grave, we know that they're not there. They're already with the Lord Jesus and rejoicing. Well, how about the person who does not know the Lord Jesus as their savior? The person who passes into eternity is rejected. The Lord Jesus is our savior. So I'd like to talk tonight.
In the time we have about four how to's.
If we go to YouTube or many things today, it's very easy to find how to's and so the first how to I'd like to talk about is how to be a fool. There's no book that tells you better how to be a fool than the Bible.
Because it gives a warning about being a fool. The second thing I'd like to talk about very briefly is how to be.
Religious and how far will it get you The third thing I'd like to talk about is how to know you're on your way to heaven and the fourth thing is just a warning how to pick up three enemies instantly because a lot of people stand up and I know preach a gospel meeting and say this is going to solve all your problems. You're not going to have any more problems of money or health or anything like that but the warning I'd like to give you right now is you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior you'll have.
Never had before.
Does that sound like a very good sales pitch? No, it's not a sales pitch. It's a warning. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Is it worth it Because the alternative to spend an eternity without the Lord Jesus Christ in the lake of fire goes beyond what I can begin to understand or imagine. Let's imagine that we could build a box right here and this box would be absolutely soundproof.
This box would be an absolute darkness.
This box would be heated with a fire and you'd be put in that box and if you've ever been in a place for.
Solitary confinement. The only thing I've been in like that was one time taking the boat out to Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. And you could take a tour out in the boat and walk in. And there was this room that was closed in and they said if you want to go in there, well, you can go in there. We'll close it up. And he said, this is where we put the, we put the most incorrigible, the most the prisoners and we couldn't control them.
And so you go into that room and you shut the door and it was sound proof, it was light proof and everything else, and I didn't want to spend very many minutes in there. Can you imagine what it would be to spend in a room like that for all eternity?
No escape. One of the false teachings that's happening in this world today is called nihilism. It says, oh, you may spend 50,000 years and then you can get out. No eternity. Eternity. Can you imagine what it would be like to be an eternity?
With absolutely no possibility of getting out. Absolutely being in one place. And let's look at a verse that wasn't the order I was thinking about in Romans chapter 2.
Romans, chapter 2.
Romans chapter 2 and verse.
1St.
Verse 3.
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judges them, which do such things and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God, or despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? There is one place in the universe where the goodness of God does not reach.
Now or forever?
Hell and the and the Lake of Fire.
There will be no one who will change their mind in the lake of fire in spite of the sufferings. There will be no one who will repent. There will be no one who will escape that. And so praying tonight, I hope that's not what your destiny is. God's the incredible planner. No one can begin to plan like God.
He didn't plan one thing.
It was one thing he never planned. If we could go to the book of Matthew.
Matthew, Chapter 25.
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God says I sat an incredible planner, planner of the universe, planner the way of salvation and everything else. But there's one thing he never planned.
Matthew chapter 25 and verse 41. Then shall he say to them, on the left hand, depart from me, accursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. There's only two destinies, one heaven. That's where I'm looking forward to going, perhaps this very evening, and one, the lake of fire. There's not a verse in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation that says God prepared a place for those who.
The Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
How many times we say God beseeching man, refusing to be made forever glad tonight? Don't refuse it. And so let's talk about being a fool.
In Psalm chapter 53.
Psalm chapter 53.
The fool verse one has said in his heart, there is no God. Corrupt are they? And they've done abominable iniquity. There's none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any. They did understand. They did seek God. Every one of them has gone back. They're all together, become filthy. There's none that doeth good, not one.
Sometimes on a long flight I have these things to cover the eyes and it it makes darkness.
I sometimes wonder how many people who, when they look around and I would be in exactly the same position I recognize if it weren't for the Spirit of God. It's like they've got eye covers on.
Let's take a look at this universe in which you and I live, the one God made.
The Milky Way Galaxy in which we're located.
Has an estimate of at least 100 billion stars.
It's big number. That's one followed by 11 zeros. That's that's a big number the universe.
It's calculated that there are 125 billion galaxies.
Another big number.
And the number that's calculated, that's estimated for the number of stars is 200.
Billion trillion, that's two followed by 23 zeros. Let's put that in perspective. If we were to go to the beaches of this world to see the grains of sand on the beaches of this world, and we were to compare those grains of sand with a number of stars that are in the sky, it's 10,000 times more stars than the grains of sand and all the beaches.
And you want to try to tell me that that just appeared out of nothing?
Big Bang got one thing right. The Big Bang said there was a point in which all of these things appeared. The creation appeared and it said it expanded at such a rate that that it started to place things. That said, I think the number they say is 10 to the 70th power. It's just like these things roared out and someone says, oh, you can't believe in the supernatural. And then they have these things moving it faster than the speed of light.
Why? Because of blindness. But when we start, when we step outside and we look at the stars.
And realize that there's 10,000 times at least as many stars as our grains of sand. How great is our God? How wonderful, how marvelous. And you say, oh, that just appeared. They try to say that it was a point of infinite, of infinite density and infinite.
Billions of degrees? Well, let's let's look at that for a minute. Does that even make sense?
How many times have you seen an explosion that produced round spheres? How many times in the Milky Way Galaxy is a spiral with two long arms and two short arms? So you expect that this explosion is going to just put a spiral out like that? I'd look at from home at the farthest point from the center of the Earth, you say? Well, no. Do you live near Everest? No, I don't live near Everest, but I live near a mountain that because of the Med Equatorial bulges just enough higher and it's only a difference of a couple.
Skills. It's over 20,000 feet and Everest is 29,000. And so it's just that much. But here's a this round sphere in which we live and when those of us who are old enough maybe remember when Mount Saint Helens blew its top, blew out the side. And so when you think about this fear in which we live, if we were, let's just look for a minute at Psalm 104 and something that's quite interesting there.
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Psalm 104, it says.
Verse 31 The glory of the Lord shall endure forever. The Lord shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth and it trembles. He touches the hills and they smoke. What?
Is the volcano explode? The volcano explodes because underneath the earth there's a radioactive layer. And that radioactive layer heats up the the, the solids that are there. And when you heat it up, something expands and so it comes out on the top. So it's God's way of replacing what happens by erosion. What would happen if that radioactive layer was on the surface?
If it was an explosion you wouldn't have any difference but that radioactive layers underneath. Some of the poor soldiers of Russia were stationed to be near Chernobyl and had to make dugouts. Found out that this wasn't so good an idea because they were exposed to radiation. So when God made the things, he made these spheres, and explosions don't produce spheres.
But why did he make the one in which you and I live? Let's go to Proverbs chapter 8 for a minute.
Proverbs, chapter 8.
And and it says.
Verse 22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning or ever. The earth was the eternal Son of God, was with the Father, with the Holy Spirit.
Perfect harmony.
Perfect communion.
Perfect enjoyment.
But they were missing something.
The father wanted a bride for his son.
The father wanted someone his son could show his love to.
And So what does it say in verse?
30 I was by him as one brought up with him. I was daily as delight, rejoicing always before him. And then it comes to this rejoicing in the habitable part of the earth. My delights are with the sons of men.
It's a marvelous thing to think about the Lord Jesus Christ in this immense universe in which we're really just a little speck in comparison. And then we are planet and planet earth. And then when we compare ourselves on this planet, we're even smaller. And yet He knows us. He loves us so much that he.
Knowing what we would be.
He went ahead and created man.
Father wanted a bride for his son.
Are you going to be part of that bride? Are you going to spend eternity separated forever? Let's look for a minute in the book of of Job.
Before we go on to the next topic on my mind.
Jog.
Chapter 34.
In verse 14.
He set his heart upon man. If he gather unto himself, his spirit and his breath, all flesh shall perish together.
And men shall turn again unto dust.
If I'm talking to the ones your children are young, one of the first things you do in a science experiment in class is they give you a magnet and they push it. You push it together and you find out that the positive charges repel.
Every atom beyond hydrogen has at least two protons in the nucleus.
Why don't why don't they fly apart? You can talk about the nuclear charge in in classes and everything else.
Colossians chapter one, the one before we're having says by him, all things consist when you want to think about the immensity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think about this. He's holding all those atoms together.
And if you want to think about the three hours, which we'll talk about in a few minutes, if we have time on Calvary's cross, if during those three hours suffering what I deserve to suffer and what you deserve to suffer, if if for one instant he had forgotten to sustain the universe, the whole universe would have exploded apart.
00:25:19
Can you imagine there's a verse that says standing on sin, not that's that's our God. Is that your God?
There have been debates, people like John Lennox talking to Richard Dawkins and Richard Dawkins says to John Lennox, who made your God? And John Lennox reply was if my God was made, he wouldn't. Your God made me is one that's made mine's not, mine's eternal.
The evidence is so clear about the existence of God. He's without cause, but he the intelligent design, if we look around the universe, if we look around things. Let's just look for a minute at a verse in Psalm 139, if I remember correctly.
It says Psalm 139. Fourteen in the previous verses show these omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, omnipowerful. I will praise the frying fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works. You're sitting here in the chair. I'm standing up here.
You're we are part of the most incredible plumbing job that there's ever been.
The blood vessels in your body and my body are approximately 60,000 miles long. That's enough to wrap around the equator almost 2 1/2 Times. The nerves in your body, the nervous system is estimated to be about 100,000 miles long, enough to go around the equator four times.
Who else could do that?
Beside the creator.
Number of cells in your body.
Somewhere between 35 and 60 trillion.
The nerves in your brain and my brain estimated the nerve fibers something like 500,000 kilometers, 300,000 miles long.
And you say that just happened by accident?
If you're a student and sitting in class and they're saying this, this happened and that happened and everything else, do you know that there's never been one cell, even close to 1 cell that any laboratory, the most sophisticated laboratories in the world have ever been put together, let alone an Organism?
The DNA in your body and my body is considered to be estimated. Well, they now have it's all mapped about 6.4 billion.
Nucleotide base pairs long. That's approximately 10,000 times longer than the longest single volume novel that's ever been written. And then someone tries to say that just all happened by accident. Time will do it. Time is nothing. No, time doesn't do anything. Time is just a measuring stick.
You've been fearfully and wonderfully made, but what are you going to do about it? Well, the response of many, and we have to keep moving in time. Let's go to the book of James.
James chapter one.
In verse 27.
Pure religion. So we've talked about how to be a fool. You be a fool, you just ignore you say there's no God, but you're you're going in in the face totally contrary to all the evidence, because no other thing can explain the existence of what we've talked about apart from God. But James chapter one, verse 27 says pure religion and undefiled before God and the father is this to visit the fatherless and widows and their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
They've done multiple surveys here in the United States and the last one I read about.
They said how do you get to heaven? And I think the number was 48% of the people who responded said by being good.
Nothing wrong with visiting the fatherless and the widows. There's tremendous need. If you don't know where to look, let's talk after. But it never says there that that will get you anywhere. That's not going to get you to heaven because there's a problem. The problem is simply this.
Religion doesn't get you to heaven. Those are good things to do. I'm not saying they're not good things to do, but I'd like to go to a verse. Now that's been very, very common. Most of us have heard it for from the beginning of our lives in Romans chapter 3 and verse.
00:30:05
23 starting with 22.
Romans, chapter 3.
I'd like to read from the end of verse 22 because I think it's important to see that for there is no difference for all of sinned and come short of the glory of God.
The farthest point West in the lower 48 states.
Is.
Cape A Lava in the Olympic Peninsula of the state of Washington. If we were to go out the door and get in the vehicles and drive, we could be there in somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 hours.
Let's try to understand a little bit this concept of coming short.
There was a swimmer in 2013, 62 or 63 years old, Diane Nyad, who swam the 110 miles from Key West in Florida to Cuba. She did it in 53 hours.
Incredible swimmer.
I think those of us who are past sixty say that's even more incredible to do what she did. You imagine no help. She couldn't be around in a cage. She couldn't jump in the boat for a rest or anything else. She swam 110 miles. So let's, let's line some people up on the shore of Cape Alava in the Olympic Peninsula here in the state of Washington, and we're going to have a competition. Diane's going to be there.
There's going to be some people here that are very good swimmers, there's going to be some people that are prolonged exposure above the level of their nose.
And they're going to drown.
Who do you think is going to make for Tokyo, if that's what the race is?
She'll make it farther than almost anyone else, which is not going to make it.
And So what God says is you're going to come short. There's no difference. We say, well, I'm not a mass murderer. I'm not this, I'm not that. Well, it's true. Although I, as Bill reminded us today, if I wouldn't want you to see a recording of my thoughts, even actions, but thoughts worse than that.
Come short.
Far short. And so yeah, Diane may be able to swim in a tremendous distance, 110 miles in open ocean water. She'll never make it to Tokyo, and neither will anyone else. And you'll never make it to heaven on your own.
And so some people also have this statement. They say if God's a God of love and no one is going to go to the lake of fire, let's imagine that this weekend for this meeting tonight that the those here in Walla Walla said, we're going to go, we're going to grab some people. We're going to put them in handcuffs and we're going to have them in here. And they're going to spend this meeting listening. The police will be right after you.
Howard's no place for those who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Held the lake of fire, was prepared for the devil and his angels, but that's the only destiny for those who say I don't want the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, he says you're going to come short.
But we said, the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. What's repentance? Let's go now to the book of Luke.
Chapter 22.
Verse 39.
And he went out and and went as he was one to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said to them, Pray that she entered not into temptation. He was withdrawn from them about a stones cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will but time be done.
There appeared an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him, and being in agony, prayed more earnestly. And a sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer which come to His disciples, he found them sleeping.
Repentance.
If you and I had been there and been awake at that moment.
Watching the Lord Jesus in a place that he was accustomed to go to.
And seeing the agony that he was going through, why was he going through such agony? We don't have time to look at it. In Second Corinthians chapter 5 at the end of the chapter says he who knew no sin was made sin for us. Can you imagine what it was for that holy?
00:35:10
Perfect.
Impossible to send man.
To take upon the burden of my sins, that would be tremendous in itself, but to take on the burdens of the sins of everyone who will believe in Him and suffer so great that He could offer salvation to everyone.
Wonder what repentance is?
Got it with him into that garden. Go watch him go. Be there at those three hours of darkness on Calvary's cross and realize that if there was any other alternative, there was any other way that God could have made for you and I to go to heaven, He would have. But the Lord Jesus was going through something that we cannot begin now or all eternity to understand.
Being made sin for us. Why did He do it? Because He loves you and He loves me. He doesn't want us to spend eternity in a place that He didn't prepare for us.
What's your choice? What's your choice tonight?
Repentance. Think again. Turning back.
If you go to the cross and you think of what he had to go through so that you and I could be saved.
And let's go on in that chapter. And it says and and from there.
By the time it reached 9:00 in the morning that Friday.
He probably had been up at least 27 hours.
When the the fake, and I hope there's no fakes here tonight like Judas when that fake said this is the man, he ended up hanging himself when that fake did that, he went through six trials. By the time day broke, he was taken to the House of Anise.
Taken to the House of Caiaphas and then early in the morning before the Sanhedrin, the group of religious leaders of the Jews met.
Before that happened.
He was condemned.
I was sitting in the dentist chair about six weeks ago and and the dentist is, you know what it's like to be sitting in the dentist chair and they're talking and expecting you to answer with their hands in your mouth. Doesn't work very well. But the dentist was saying, well, if we could just get a hold of the religious leaders, we could stop this war in the Ukraine and Russia.
Religion hasn't solved worse.
The first condemnation, those first three trials, came at the hands of the religious leaders, and then they turned them over to.
The political leaders.
Those in Israel would have been very happy at that moment if he'd said, I'm going to be king, I'm going to get rid of the Roman rule, I'm going to free us of this. But their hearts were not ready. And so then he was face, face to face with pilots of the one who was.
Responsible for that area. Pilot really didn't like to have to spend his time in Jerusalem. Pilot like to spend his time down on the coast and the Caesarea town of on the coast north of Tel Aviv and Israel. You can still go there and see the ruins. It was a little Rome. We could go have fun. We could go have pleasure, we could go have a good time. And now you want me to come up to Jerusalem?
Pass the baton over to.
Herod.
Had sent him back after he had his curiosity satisfied, Pilot asked a last question. Brooke, John chapter 18. John, chapter 18.
Verse 38.
Pilots saith unto him.
But it's truth. Three of the most important questions someone can ask, and I hope tonight you understand that the one who is the truth is the Lord Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life.
Pilate asked a series of questions. I think have counted them. There's at least seven. What did Pilate do when he asked the most important of all the questions he asked? It says. And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews. He didn't even wait around for an answer. He didn't even wait around for an answer. And he was in front of the one who is the truth.
Man ignored the warnings of his wife. Typical foolish thing that men we often do.
And then he was going to face the 7th trial. He was 9:00.
Now after this, put on a cross up on Calvary's hill. Let's try to visualize this for a minute. The Mount of Olives is not a peak, it's a Ridge. He came down to the Garden of Gethsemane, that garden where we read about him praying. And the trees in that garden, they estimate now what's growing there is a between 900 and 1000 years old. But an olive tree, when it's cut, will come again from the roots. And so maybe those same roots were the ones that were there when the Lord Jesus was in that garden.
00:40:23
And then he would had to descend on down to the valley of Kidron, the brook, and start up. And there was someone who helped him, Simon with the weight of the cross.
You can imagine how tired he was after at least 27 hours after being beat on the back with a whip with metal piercing into his back. Why? Because he loves you and he loves me. You can imagine what it would have been like to carry a heavy cross up the hill with your back like that. So they had someone carry it for him. And I don't, and it's amazing. And here's someone who is God was sustaining the whole universe, but his man. Someone helped carry that up at noon.
That day.
If it wasn't a wake up call, I don't know what could be because at noon that day everything went black dark for three hours because God was not going to allow His Son to be seen in that suffering in those three hours when in that darkness.
He paid the penalty that I could never pay. He covered the debt that I could never pay off. He did it for you if you'll believe in him tonight, if you haven't already. If you don't, the warning is it could be too late.
But then there was something that incredible happened. Let's go back to Luke.
Luke.
If we were in John, I'm sorry, but for time I won't go but it and John talks about how a soldier pierced aside blood came out the blood the only thing that can wash sins away and then.
And then?
He was put in a tomb.
If you go in Jerusalem from the Valley of Kidron up to where the cross is.
Just to show you what human beings are like and what the religious world is like. There's three different groups that control that area and there's things that are written down very carefully as to who can do what. And leading up against the wall, there's a little three or four ring wooden ladder that wasn't included in the agreements. And they say if they tried to move it, that'll start a battle between them. People are still fighting instead of bowing their knee before the creator. But if you go up from that hill.
There's a.
An empty tomb. They don't say for sure that they know it's the one that he was buried in. Sitting in a garden? Empty.
Empty. Why? Because the tomb could not hold him when he got out of his grave clothes, when he was wrapped in the word. And I don't know Greek, but I understand that the word says it was just like someone just came out of them. They were sitting there that all the wrappings were like that. It wasn't like when Lazarus was freed. When Lazarus was freed, they had done wrapping, but the Lord Jesus just walked out of there, moved the door.
They went to sleep.
People are trying to say that didn't really happen. Well, he was seen by over 500. No one's ever been able to find the body. He was seen. And what was the proof of it of those 12 disciples that have been with them? We know what happened to Judas the fake. He went out and hung himself. We know that John was exiled to the island of Patmos. The other 10, history says died as martyrs. You say What's the difference between that and a Muslim who kills himself? Why does a Muslim kill himself?
Because in the false teaching of Islam, it says the only way you can guarantee you're going to go to heaven is to kill an infidel.
What's selfish thinking? That is what false thinking. But the other ten could not be convinced if you lit Yeah, there was a William Wallace, Warren Wallace, who's written some books, a former detective of the Los Angeles Police Department in the in the homicide division.
His dad if you want to keep something secret.
Make sure you only have one person do the crime because one will tell on the other.
But why did those people do what they did? Because they knew. They saw the Lord Jesus risen, and they saw him ascend, and he ascended from the.
On Mount of Olives and he's coming back there. I'm coming back with him.
00:45:01
Coming back with them. Are you coming back with him begun from this earth for at least seven years. If he came tonight, it'll be seven years and a little bit at least. What will it be like to come back with the Lord Jesus and, and, and land in a sense on that mountain and have him say, look across there and realize what had happened to those three hours of darkness? But to say we spent seven years together in the glory, we're going to spend forever in the glory. Will you be there?
I hope so well.
The last thing is, as I said, how to pick up three enemies. I would be totally false if I said to you tonight that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and everything will be solved. All the troubles are going to go away and it's not true. You're going to pick up three enemies instantly.
Start to battle inside because I've got rotten flesh and hasn't gotten any better, and I'll guarantee it's not getting any better. It's a continual battle.
Satan.
Why did this world plunge into this universe into what the problems that did it says? And we know in Genesis chapter 2, we didn't have time to look at it, but it talks about how it was without form and void. And if you go to Isaiah chapter 45, you know, he doesn't make things that way. We leave things incomplete. But there was a battle before you and I were ever here between Satan and.
God, he said. He wanted to exalt himself. He wanted to pretend he was something, and he's still a created creature.
And so he had things had to be remade. Well, he's done for it. He lost the battle. He lost it in the Garden of Eden. He lost it at the cross. But he's still fighting to take people down with him. And then this world system. Yeah. You're going to pick up all those three enemies. Let me tell you, it's worth it because it's only temporary. And then we're going home. Are you going with us?
Johnny said I want I thought you were getting ready to go right now. Well, I hope you're ready to go right now, because if not, it might be too late, but.
Three Things
Talk—Matt Richerzhagen
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.
So I just wanted to bring before us in the in the brief time that I have, I just wanted to bring before us three things. And the first thing I wanted to talk about is knowing, and this is very similar, what our brother just shared, knowing what is true. We live in a world that is so full of pressure that we cannot stand against it on our own.
We used to go a lot to the Yakima River when my kids were little.
Littler. And there was a day that we went and there was a spot in the river that wasn't even knee deep. It was like it wasn't up to my knees. And I went to walk across that water and it just swept my feet right out from underneath me. It was so fast. It was so powerful. I don't know how many people in here have been to the beach and they've been smashed by a wave.
Water is so powerful and the current of this world is so powerful, you will not stand against it.
On your own, you can't. You're not strong enough.
We need the Lord's help to be preserved in this scene. And it says be careful if you think you stand, lest you fall. And the first thing I want to talk about, I'm going to start in the same verse that our brother just read in John 18.
John 18, verse 38.
And it's this verse right here. What is truth Pilot verse 37 art thou a king Then Jesus answered, thou sayest that I'm a king to this end was I born and for this cause came I into this world that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth here with my voice and Pilate said what is truth. The truth is being attacked so much today that you interview. I don't know the percentages, but there.
So many people that do not long that do no longer believe in absolute truth.
They don't believe in absolute truth. Well, that might be good for you today. Maybe something else would be good for you tomorrow. You can't build a life like that.
You can't. It doesn't work. Things are true or they aren't true. You may not like that the answer, but it is true. People have this old long time debate. If a tree falls in the wilderness and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? How many? How many people can answer that question? Raise your hand.
It makes a sound, absolutely. And there are people who don't understand that. They spend their whole life going in circles and circles and circles. It's either raining outside or it's not. And we can debate in here all we want, but if you step outside, either you get wet or you don't. There is truth. Where do we determine? How do we find truth?
This is a question and answer. How do we, you and me, how do we find truth?
Through God's Word, absolutely, and we know that this is true because of the author and because of all the proofs inside it. Like someone said earlier that the people that argue against the accuracy of Scripture, they look at Daniel and they say it was written afterwards because it's so precise, it's so true. It couldn't have possibly just.
Happened.
You don't walk along and see a building and say, oh, a whole bunch of matter blew up and there it is. Life doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that way right now and it never worked that way. You know good and well from playing with Legos or from those of you who are carpenters. Stuff doesn't just blow up and make something. It never has and it never will. We need to have a basis in this book.
Right here we need to have an understanding.
And let's turn to.
Romans, chapter 12.
There are different worldviews that our brother mentioned.
And there's a way that people change their mind. Thinking leads to beliefs. Beliefs lead to expectations. Expectations lead to attitudes. Attitudes lead to actions. Actions lead to habits. Habits lead to character. Our character leads to our destiny.
How do people go? Like I've talked to somebody who grew up in this assembly, he doesn't believe in God. How can you get from Sunday school to I don't even believe in God? Because you keep thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking different thoughts and you start to reason and you try to understand and explain all this stuff and you get to where you believe something that's completely off the track.
00:05:13
Read this with me in Romans 12 verse one. This is the apostle Paul and I want to say this to you guys in Hebrews, the apostle Paul says 13 times, let us I'm not here preaching at you. I'm not talking down to you. This is worked in my life. This has changed my life. I'm sitting in this wheelchair full of joy. I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world because I believe the Lord has set me in this chair.
And I am so thankful for the opportunity to talk to you.
I'm not talking down to you. This is this is life. This is what he has for us in this life that we can face.
Any circumstance with confidence, and with joy and with power. He says this in Romans 12/1. I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. You know what A sacrifice is hard to keep on the altar when it's a living sacrifice. Do you know why it squirms off the altar? Because it hurts.
It hurts. It's gonna hurt your flesh. If you're gonna seek to serve Christ with all your heart, there's a part of you that says no, I don't want that.
If you really want him, you're gonna, you're gonna pursue him. And that's that flesh is gonna come off of you and it's gonna come off of you and it's gonna come off of you, and you'll be more and more comfortable and you'll have less and less resistance that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. We're not ours. We're not ours. We're not in this world for.
50 years to make money and have a perfect life and that's not what makes us happy.
That's not how we're fulfilled as human beings, and God knew that.
And he wrote out a prescription for us. He said, I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly. And we're going to talk about our worldview in just a second, that we believe that's what faith is. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How do we experience this? We don't fall asleep and wake up. We don't fall asleep on the Bible and wake up in the morning and be more spiritual. We got to read it.
We got to seek to understand it and we say, Lord, I don't understand, what does this mean to me?
What do you want me to get out of this? And he'll teach you. He promises that if any lack wisdom, let him ask. How do we know what's true? It's right here in the word. Right here in the word. What's one of the biggest things that we're facing with question about what is true in our in our country right now? One of the biggest things you see everywhere, at least I see everywhere.
It's a question about.
Who just said that? That's awesome, thank you. Alex. What is a man and what is a woman? I want to read you a verse. This is not that complicated you guys. This isn't that hard. Turn with me to Genesis chapter #1.
It says in Proverbs the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. And it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Understanding what he says and applying it to our lives. Knowledge is one thing. You can know the whole entire encyclopedia, but that doesn't mean you're going to have a good life.
That doesn't mean you're going to live, right? It's the application of the knowledge. It says right here, chapter one, verse 26, let us make and God said let us make man in our image. Verse 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created him, male and female created he them.
Way back.
In the very beginning.
In the very beginning, on the 6th day of creation, God made a man and he made a woman. And they're different creatures. They're fundamentally different. Fundamentally, one is not right and one wrong. They're both beautiful. And what our culture is trying to do is trying to blur the distinction so much that neither one of them is anything.
And it's wrong. It's wrong and it's a deception. It's a lie.
From the devil, from the pit of hell. And it's trying to make men become more effeminate and it's trying to make women who are supposed to be feminine more and more and more and more male. And it's ruining God's design. And we're seeing the effects of this in our culture. And people are all confused. And the people that are confused aren't happy. This isn't a path to joy. Well, I don't know what I am and I feel confused. That's not that's not the path of.
00:10:21
Really, it's not.
And I want to say this to my dear beloved sisters in this room. I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just telling you your calling is a high calling.
What God has created you as a woman? It says. The woman is the glory of the man.
It's a beautiful thing. Don't listen to the lies of the enemy that would say, well, you know, you should just go be like a man. Don't give up what only you can do.
I implore you to go do what a man can do.
You're too special for that. You have a calling that's so high than that, so much higher than that. And I'll tell you, my wife went to college to go do stuff and she gave her life to me and to my children.
To raise them to serve me. You want to know how much I love that woman? I love that woman so much. You know what her deepest dividing emotional need is? Love.
Her service created that in me. That's the way God designed it. That's the way God created the world. Give and it shall be given unto you. Press down, shaken together and flowing over. That's Luke 638. It's so important to understand. We need to know the truth and we need to know we can't do it on our own. And I'm not saying that if someone here is single, I'm not saying.
That you're not valuable. You weigh that before the Lord. The Lord is calling everyone to walk individually.
Even if you're single, you're going to have relationships with someone else.
OK, the second thing I want to talk about is relationships, and all of us are going to have relationships. Every single person. We're going to have brethren. We're going to have people that we run into.
The only reason people fight.
Is because their feelings get hurt.
The only reason, only by pride cometh contention. That's Hebrew, That's Proverbs 1310. And I can still see that sticker. Rob Morell had that on his toolbox in his shop, and I can still see it. It's burned into my mind Only by pride cometh contention. And what usually happens in a marriage or with your children or with someone else is you feel like you're not being heard, so you feel like you have no value.
If we just listen to each other, usually the the biggest issue is not the issue.
The issue is I don't feel heard so I get mad, so I withdraw. Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen.
Number two, other people, I hate to tell you this, other people are going to slow you down. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That person that is your spouse, if you're going to be married, is not like you. The other person, if, if they were exactly like you, one of you would be unnecessary. It's like 2 puzzle pieces.
My wife is so different than me. You don't have to be the same.
That's not how God designed it. God designed it so that the compliments would go together like two puzzle pieces, so that what I'm good at makes us a better team. What she's good at makes us a better team. OK. And it's beautiful. God designed it that way. I wish I had more time to talk about that.
Let me I was gonna plug this in. This is the third thing I want to share with you.
How many people can you hand me that? How many people know what this is?
Answering machine no, it's a good guess.
It's an alarm clock. So let me let me turn this on. Hold on. My watch is beeping. OK, let me turn this on. This is the third thing I talked about. What is truth? Where do we get the truth? It's from the word. And then we need relationships. We need other people.
Only by pride cometh contention. Seek to understand. Seek to understand. This is the third one.
If I could turn this thing on.
I should have practiced with it before I.
00:15:00
OK.
Russia, reportedly.
In the capital key, can everybody hear that?
OK, so you got that one?
The consensus of people.
Never saw you coming. OK, I really get into my music.
I was, I was trying to find the Hispanic station. I couldn't find it. OK, Do you guys realize that all this radio right here just played different music, right? It's not this radio.
Is this radio any different? What different sounds that came out of it?
Is a radio any different? No.
Why did it play different sounds?
Different frequencies. It's tuned into a different frequency. There's all these frequencies around us. All you are is clock radio. I'm just kidding. There's different frequencies all around us that we can tune into.
OK, this is faith. This is what faith is. In turn with me to Hebrews Chapter 11.
Verse #1.
Hebrews 11 verse #1 It says this Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. You know I can go through my life.
And I can be tuned into the radio station that says poor pity for me, poor pity for Matt. Look at the family I was born into. I wish I was in the Portland Assembly. I wish I was in the, the people in Tacoma are a lot nicer. The people, you know, I wish, I wish I didn't live in America. I, you know, I wish I was a communist and I couldn't do anything and didn't have any food to eat. I mean, like whatever you want to tune into, you can. There's a, there's a station out there that'll play that tune.
What faith says is that God is for me.
He wants to bless me and make me a blessing. And if I'm tuned into that radio station, I'm going to experience his presence in my life. And this isn't a theological process. This is a physical, actual reality because I believe what he says. If we believe in Romans 828, it says all things work together for good. If I believe that when I'm run over.
I believe that He is purposing this for my blessing. I'm not trying to get out of it. I'm not sitting there fussing about it. I'm looking for the blessing. I'm looking for His healing. I'm experiencing His presence. And I didn't get here in one day. I'll just say that because I've spent a lot of time walking up the road, up my Rd. screaming at the Lord. Lord, why is this happening to me? So I didn't get here overnight. It's a process. Faith is a process.
But when we believe him and we take him at his word, it transforms what we walk through. It changes it. It changes us as we walk through it. And we can listen to the radio station that says, Lord, why did you let this happen to me? Why? Like it would. Oh, Lord, poor pity for me. Or we can listen to the radio station and TuneIn and hear the Lords for me. He's working.
Being a blessing and every single day we can choose what we tune into and your life is a reflection of the radio station that you listen to, what you're tuned into spiritually. That's why it's so important to be reminded of the promises in this word. That's why it's so important to be reminded. The Lord says I am for you.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope in the future.
Not because there's something in us, but because his love saw something in US.
He sees more in us, He sees more in you than you see in yourself.
00:20:07
He, the Lord, is so good.
Lord is so good.
It's, it's unbelievable. I'm, I, I should probably quit because I'm out of time. If we knew his truth, we're not going to go astray.
Right. We're not going to go straight. If we're on the path. The waves may pull us this way, the waves may pull us that way, but we're going to be preserved because we're on his truth. In Matthew 7, it says the wise men built this house upon the rock, and the waves came and the house stood.
So many people's lives, their life looks good until the waves come, and then their life is completely washed away. Their house wasn't founded on the rock. If we understand that, we need other people.
We need other people. They're not just an annoyance, we need them.
And then learn to work with them. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. And then to choose faith.
Choose to believe.
And trust him.
It transforms our life. So on March 8th this year.
Which was just over seven weeks ago. I was at my house and I was going to go to a carrier meeting for this conference. And I was going to go. And then I wasn't going to go and I was going to go and I wasn't going to go. And I finally decided, OK, I'm going to go. And I paid my bills, which I never do on Tuesday. I always pay them on Saturday. So all my bills for the month were paid. I got in my car and I drove to the meeting and we sat there and talked. And then I thought the meeting was over, so I said, hey, let's pray and we'll go. And somebody else talked for a few more minutes.
And then I said goodnight to Ron Junior and I went out and I got in my car and I started driving on the highway to my house and I said the cruise control, 63 miles an hour. I didn't know that there was a drunk driver who was driving back and forth on that stretch of Rd. over and over. And he'd been pulled over by the Washington State Patrol. He was drunk, but the guy didn't know. The officer didn't notice that he was drunk. He didn't have any insurance and the guy didn't check for insurance.
'Cause they always ask, where's your driver's license?
Proof of insurance. He didn't have any, so he shouldn't even have been on the road. He was driving back and forth on that road and I was driving, you guys don't know where it is. But anyway, part way home and this guy was coming at 105 miles an hour. He's driving so fast and I got almost even with him and he turned right into my car head on. I was going 63 miles an hour and I'm thinking it it, I was still awake and I'm like, why would you run into me? I was just like.
Just like baffled, like, 'cause it, it seemed like he did it on purpose and I'm just like, why would you do that? So I'm sitting there in my car and I was like, OK.
I've been in a car wreck, OK, like trying to, because it was a pretty big crash, you know, trying to, you know, gather my wits and everything, and I move my leg. I knew I had a broken leg and I moved my hip and I knew I had a broken hip. So I, I remember unbuckling my seat belt. The guy that pulled me out, he said he unbuckled my seat belt. So maybe I misremember that. But my car caught on fire and I still hadn't moved. And there were people that had stopped alongside the road and this man who had just been passed by the drunk.
He was driving down the road and the drunk driver passed him and he came around just a little bit down the road, and here's a car wreck. He gets out of his pickup and he comes over and he climbs into a burning car. He doesn't know me. And he says to me, he tried the driver's door, which was broken. He said, you got to get out of here, your car's on fire. And I'm like, right, yeah, that's a great idea. I got a broken leg and a broken hip. Anything else we should do?
I wasn't trying to be funny. He put his arms underneath my arms and nothing happened.
And he tried my seat and the power was out. The battery was burned up or it blew up in the car wreck or whatever. And so he put his arms back underneath my arms. And he said, Lord, help me get this man out of here. And my guardian Angel lifted me. I went like this up against the ceiling, over the back, over the seat, into the back seat. I have never in my life. It wasn't like somebody pulling on me. It was like a forklift moved me. It was so.
And it hurt like crazy because I was obviously kind of broken up and I got in the back seat and he couldn't Get Me Out of the car. He had to go get someone outside and they came and they drugged me outside and I was bleeding to death because my femoral artery was cut. So they stopped the bleeding in my artery and something blew up. It was really super exciting. It was like being in a movie. I'm not kidding you. That's what I thought. I was like, wow, this is really cool. Like a movie, but I'm the stunt dummy.
00:25:03
Anyway, so then they drugged me down the road, they got the bleeding stop and here's an ambulance and I'm not watching my watch.
But I'm like, wait a minute.
You know, it takes a while to call 911 and it takes a while because we're out in the middle of nowhere. It takes a while to send an ambulance. Well, these amazing EMT people and the police, the fire department, they were doing EMT practicing exercises and they ended at 9:00. They're all suited up, all ready to go, and they were just a couple miles down the road. So 911 call comes at 9:10 or 913 and they send an ambulance and they're right there. And I'm like, no possible way.
So they get me in the ambulance and they drive to town and they ask me my name, my birth date, my phone number, my wife's name, my wife's phone number. They didn't ask me her birthday. I don't know why.
Anyway we got to the hospital and they did a CT scan and my whole my I had a broken.
Talis bone crushed in 17 pieces of broken leg Bone 3 broken ribs A burst small intestine, large intestine, colon.
And a fractured pelvis you could put two hands through into my leg.
And my insides were, they did a CT scan, I was completely full of blood and feces. So they cut me open but and they kind of cleaned me up, but they couldn't, I wasn't stable enough to do surgery on because I was so beat up. So they put me on life support for a couple days to where I was strong enough they could get my blood pressure up to 75 / 50 so they could do surgery, which is on Thursday. And all this time the Lord watched over me.
Like I shouldn't have survived that accident.
Just the impact. And I should have bled to death right there. And I should have, you know, I should have, I should, I should, I should have. And I'm just like, OK, Lord. And I just want you guys to know I don't understand. Like this makes no sense to me, but I trust him.
And I'm not through this. I am like way far from being through this. I can't even walk on my own. I walk with crutches. But I started thanking the Lord. Thank you Lord, for this trial. And I cried when I thanked Him the first time. It hurts, but you know what? There's blessing in what the Lord passes us through.
For every, for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. If you have a little trial, there's a little opportunity for blessing. If you have a great, big, huge trial, there's a great, big, huge opportunity for blessing. And that's what I'm looking for. Thank you guys all so much for listening. I love you guys so much. You guys are the future. I know it, Jesus knows it, and the devil knows it. And every resource is there for you.
So follow after him. So go ahead. I already prayed for the refreshment so.
God bless you all, I love you.
Weights
Children—Marc Debu
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.
Very good. All right, Well, thank you so much, guys. You guys came prepared. That was great. All right, I want to talk about a couple of verses I think that we're all pretty familiar with. It's like versus that the Lord directs me to quite often because I need to read them again and think about them again and kind of learn the lesson again. And the verses are in Hebrews chapter 12.
If you want to turn to Hebrews chapter 12.
And I read the first couple of verses and then we'll talk about those a little bit.
Hebrews chapter 12 and verse one.
Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every way in the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame.
And is sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him.
And I'm going to talk about these verses a little bit, but there's one word in these verses that I specifically want to talk about, and it's the word weights. Weights. And so maybe before we start, it talks about weights and sin in that verse, right? And before we start, maybe we should say, well, what does it speak of? We all know what a weight is, but what does it speak of? What does it mean in this verse when it speak about weights? We all know what.
Right, and we know we shouldn't sin and we need to really try hard by obeying the Lord and, and and praying and so on, not to fall into sin. But then it speaks about weights too, you know, and the Bible doesn't repeat itself. It's very precise. And if it speaks about weights and sin, they must be different. And So what I think what weights speak of is it's things that we would.
Allow in our lives. That would slow us down, weigh us down.
And our pathway for the Lord. But it's not things that in themselves are wrong, right? There's a lot of things that are not wrong in themselves. But if we're not careful, they can kind of slow us down. And so he talks about with patients running the race that is set before us. And in the New Testament, several times, you know, Paul talks about a race and he talks about a Christian path.
You know, and for example, in First Corinthians he talks about the race.
And we need to run it in such a way that we win. That's kind of interesting, right? And I don't think he means that we should be faster than the person next to us. But I think we all individually should run our race or Christian life in such a way that at the end the Lord can say, well done. That's kind of winning the race in that aspect. And then Timothy talks about a race again, and there he says, you have to run the race. We have to do it lawfully. You have to do it right.
You know you can cheat in a race, and the Lord doesn't want us to do that. And so in our Christian lives, we have the Bible.
That kind of shows us how we should walk our lives. But here he talks about a race again. But what he talks about here is that we should not allow things in our life to take up our time or affections or energy that would slow us down as we want to please the Lord in our lives, right?
And what I did here, while we were singing, I put out some cards and then those cards I wrote certain things that are not bad, but that can become weights in our lives. And so I have two volunteers. I have Anna and Russell, right. Do you guys want to come up?
And I didn't tell them that we were going to talk about weights. I told them to choose a few things that they enjoy that they like. And so let's see what they choose. Russell, what do you have?
The first one that he chose is probably the one I would have chosen first too. It says sports. You like doing sports like playing like baseball and stuff like that. Great. Is there anything wrong with playing baseball? No, Let's see what else you have. Well, you know what, let's let's do this whole different. You know what I have in here? I got a couple of backpacks here and which one do you like?
Like that one? You came with this one. Why don't you put the backpacks on guys?
I'll see if we can make him fit a little bit. We'll have to probably tighten the straps a little bit.
00:05:00
OK, yours looks pretty good. All right, so Russell chose sports. Nothing wrong with sports right now. How much do you like sports? Do you like to do a whole lot or just a little bit? You like to do a lot? You know, I got some more stuff in here. What? What's in the what's in the bucket here?
Weights. Yeah, I got different sizes of weights, different kinds of weights. So let's say you like sports and you like it a lot, right?
Should we put a little weight in your backpack for sports? Let's try that, All right, and see how that works. All right, now again, Russell. Russell didn't know that we're going to talk about weights. He just saw some things that we like. Is that OK? You look pretty strong. You can handle that. All right. What else do you have, Russell?
This one, he's got games, toys, video games, right? How much do you like games and toys and video games like more than sports even or less less. OK, good. Maybe you're catching on to me here. So let's see you know, I got and this is kind of interesting. Look at this here. Let me see.
I got these two here. They're different ones. Which one do you think would be heavier? Which one would you think would be?
Any idea which one? Which one would you want in your backpack? You want this one because it's a little smaller, right? But you know what? Can you read this? What does it say?
2 1/2 right? What is this one? So let's see, what does it say here?
2 1/2 They're the same. Isn't that interesting? And you know what? I just, this is a real lesson for us because we will all admit that we all have weights in our lives, right? And oftentimes you look at other people, other kids and say, well, their weights, they're they're, they're worse than mine and they might, but this one looks heavier than the other one, right?
But it's exactly the same, and we tend to do that. We tend to kind of justify what we allow in our lives.
And think that other people's things are a little worse than ours. OK, what else do you have? He's got friends. And I kind of hesitated to put this one in because, you know, most of your kids, you have good friends and friends are something that the Lord has given us and they can be a tremendous help in our lives. And I got quite a few friends in this room. So my younger than me, some are my age, some are older. And they've been very encouraging.
But you know what, friends, especially as you grow up, you need to be careful with who your friends are because they can be some something that drags you down. And we got examples of that in the Bible.
You know, the story of the prodigal son, remember that story? He went out and then he came back. But at the end of that chapter, it talks about the older son. And he had friends, too. And, you know, his friends didn't help him at all because they kind of pulled him away from the father. And there's examples like that in the Bible of bad friends. I'm thinking about Rehoboam to, you know, Solomon's son. He had to make an important decision and he listened to his friends.
And they gave him bad advice and it didn't turn out very well. So in general, if you have good friends, that's wonderful. But be careful, especially as you get older and maybe in school or at work, people want to be your friends. And they might not be a help. They might be a weight. OK, so how about friends? Should we say a lot or little?
It's a lot, but you know what, I'll give you a little bit of a break because I'm pretty sure your friends are good friends. So we'll put we'll put this in here. OK. OK. Is that still working? Not too heavy yet. OK, let's see how we'll keep this like this. All right, Anna, why don't you come up? What did you choose?
OK, All right. There's some similarities here. So she chose friends, too. And that's very good because you probably have very good friends here, right? A lot of friends here today. That's great. What else did you choose? I'll. I'll give you a way. You won't get that much of a break. She chose books. You know, I got somebody at home, too. Boy, if we don't know where she is, she's in her room with a book.
You have books. All right, well, let's let's see here. So, OK, I'll do the same as I did with Russell for friends. And then you tell me how much do you like books?
A lot. All right, well, you were a little bit bigger, so we'll I got this one here. We'll see if you can do this. Is that OK? All right. Yeah. You're you're used to heavy stuff. Probably. OK, And what's the last one that you chose? Oh, look at that. She chose sports too. How much do you like sports?
00:10:20
Not that much, right?
That's good. All right, we'll just, we'll take him out soon, so don't worry about it. But here's the thing. Now you know all, you know, you guys have literal weights in your backpack, and probably the longer you have him there, the heavier they feel, right? Well, what we're talking about is not literal weights, but things that kind of take up a lot of our time if we're not careful, right? And the problem with these things is.
Their weight's not just when we're occupied with it, but it kind of waits 24 hours a day because if we really like sports or books or whatever it is we tend to like, even when we're not doing it, we think about it, we're occupied with it. They capture our affections. And so they they are with us all the time. And so it tells us to to be careful with them. We'll talk about that a little bit more, but what if I told you now?
You have to just keep these backpacks on for the rest of conference.
That wouldn't be that much fun, right? Because I'm sure if you stay here tomorrow for the picnic, you guys will probably play games and run around. How would that work with whatever you have in there? 20 lbs or so? Would you like that? No. And so we need to be careful because those things really slow us down. And it talks about a race. Let's make one more point before we take the backpacks out here when you come over here.
And I do have the most weight. So why don't you sit down?
OK. And how does that feel better? Feels a lot better, right, Because the chair is kind of holding the weight. So. But if you run a race, are you sitting down? Are you making any progress? You're not. And so sometimes we are like that. We say, well, yeah, I have some things in my life that kind of take up a lot of my time, but they don't feel like weights.
Maybe it's because we're not making any progress in our Christian pathway. We're sitting down or we're lying down.
We're not going anywhere. And so, yes, we might not feel that weight so much, but then we're not going anywhere. And that's not what the Lord wants us to do, right? OK, why don't you guys come, come back here. I'll take the weights out. There's no need here to make you miserable.
But you know what? A few years ago, I was visiting my family in Belgium and I did a Sunday school that was kind of similar like this. And my nephew, who's about 9 or 10 back then, he volunteered. You can sit down, you can keep the backpack. He volunteered and I did the same thing. And I made the mistake of not telling him how many cards to take.
And I think he ended up with seven of them. And he's a very, some people know him, Louis.
He's a very kind of honest, you can keep the backpacking. He's a very kind of open, honest kid. And every time I asked him how much do you like, he's a whole lot. And so when I put the last, I didn't have weights, but I used different sizes of water bottles. When I put the last one in, he was actually toppling over. I had to steady him. I'm like, wow, this is working out better than I thought.
And then I talked for a couple of minutes and, you know, he kind of studied himself.
And I looked at him. And so your case says, no, I need to take it off. It was just too heavy. He was about to, you know, collapse.
And isn't that interesting? I mean, that's it was kind of funny, but you know what? That's sometimes how we are in our Christian lives. We're just, we can't go anywhere because we have so much weights, different things.
That we've allowed in our lives that we're not making any progress. And so I'll show you some of the ones that they didn't choose.
Here's one that maybe some people like music, you know, painting arts, that can be something that takes up a lot of time.
I got a couple of boys at home that are great fans of this here.
Maybe this How about school Oregon work? You know, I never was a huge fan of school, but I know some people are That can be a problem. But here's another thing and.
Yeah, I used to always think that way and I still do. But sometimes we think, you know, when I get a little older, things will get easier.
And I have a few here that may be for you younger kids. It doesn't mean that much. And you know, when I put the cards out, the toys, the friends, the sports, I wrote two of them because I thought there's a good chance that both my volunteers will take those. But I got a few here that I only wrote one, and none of them got taken. But I just want to show you that as you get older.
00:15:24
There's still things that we need to be careful of, you know, How about this?
Is this something that can be a weight in our lives? Social media, anybody? If I would, you know, ask for a show of hands, very general one, but we know what this means. Our phone can put it in your pocket. You'll hardly feel it's there. The boy, can it be await in your life?
Maybe some of us are very interested in all kinds of news. Might be World News, might be business news. Whatever you like, it's there and as much of it as you want. And here's another one.
What about this? Can this be a problem in our lives where we live because we live in a place where we have lots, the good life, you know, all the things that kind of pamper the flesh. Can that slow us down in our lives? I think it sure can. And so, you know, I had Russell and Anna who were volunteers.
And they did very good. But don't think this is just a lesson for kids. You know, Jayden, if I would ask you up here, I would have put a backpack on you. How would you end up? Would you have weights in there? It would be pretty heavy. Yep. I think if I had to do it, and I'm quite a bit older than you guys, I probably need a bigger backpack.
So don't think that as you grow up, those things will kind of just go away and everything will be fine. We need to be very careful in our life. So let's read that verse again. It says wherefore sing. We also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every way and the sin which dot so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. You know, there's a lot in that verse.
And it says, let us you know what that means is that we are responsible. We have control over the things that we allow in our lives.
You know we live in a world today when more than ever.
There's the availability of things that can distract us. You know, everything is available now all the time. And if we don't make a real effort to say that's not going to help me, that's actually going to distract me and slow me down in my life for the Lord, it's there and we might not even notice it. You know, the problem with these weights are they usually start very small. It's just something, oh, that's interesting. And as we go on and we're not careful.
It takes up more and more of our time. You know, maybe I would ask Anna Russell to come back and next year and they might say, well, you know what, I'm actually reading more books than I did last year. I need a heavier weight. And that's how it tends to go in our lives. If we're not careful, those things grow. And I was thinking too, last night, you guys probably were here for the gospel meeting at the very end. Brother Dean said, you know, if we accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour right away, we get three enemies.
And they, the world, the flesh and Satan, they work together to slow us down in our Christian pathway.
They know, and that's very wonderful that they can do anything about our salvation because our salvation is not based on what we do and what we're occupied with. Our salvation is based on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, right? And nothing can ever change that. And that's wonderful. But they're going to work really hard to bring all these things in our lives.
That we're not living for the Lord anymore. That we're occupied with all kinds of other interests.
That take our hearts, so it says let us, and then it says let us lay aside every way.
You know what we tend to do sometimes if we realize that we spend too much time with other things, we might pick the thing that interest source the least and say, OK, maybe I'll put that aside. There's certain things that we really like. We don't want to part with that. But here it says, let us lay aside every way. And then it says to that they easily beset us. It's very easy to pick up weights. It's a lot harder to lay them aside so.
How do we do that? Now you know, here we have and probably most of us would have to say, Yep, I got a pretty full heavy backpack when it comes to weights, but so wonderful. The Lord when he wants us to do things, he always gives us instruction as to how to do things. And so the second verse says this, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of.
00:20:25
The throne of God. So in the previous chapter, Chapter 11, we have all these stories about people from the Old Testament that did wonderful things and always says by faith this person did that. And so they're kind of examples or witnesses to us that it's possible to live by faith and that we can do things for the Lord. And that's good. But now it says, look unto Jesus because he's the great object.
He's he's more than an example. He's our object, but it says that he's the author.
And finisher of faith. And where do we read about the Lord Jesus? It's in the Gospels, right? We read about his life there. And if you look at his life from the beginning till the end, everything was characterized by faith. So he was the completer of faith. We have the perfect example of walking by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you know, we all know the stories and the Gospels. Can you think of anything that the Lord did that was?
A way, as we talked about it today, that kind of slowed them down or hindered them in doing what his father wanted him to do. Does anybody have an example of that?
No hands. That's good because there are no examples. You know the Lord Jesus. Actually, some of the things that were here on the cards, he did them.
You know, I think, you know, we read about the Lord Jesus, he ate, so he was occupied with food. We even read of him providing food for thousands of people. So food was part of his life, but it never became a way. You know, the Lord Jesus, he actually, I think he exercised the law. If you read about his life, he was always on the go, you know, and if you look at a map of Israel, he was in Jerusalem then he went up to.
To the Sea of Galilee even went more north. He went to the coast, He came back.
He was on the go all the time. He didn't have a car. He was, you know, hiking, walking all the time. So that was part of his life, but it wasn't his object. He did that to help him to serve the Lord. And so we can have friends, you know, we can have things in our life. But let's think about, are they helping us and pleasing the Lord or is it the opposite? Do they hinder us? Because if they're helping us and serving the Lord, they're certainly not weights, they're helps.
But if we allow him to take up too much of our time, they become weights. And then there's one more thing here that I want to talk about a little bit. So the Lord Jesus, his whole pathway was characterized by obedience, by faith. But then it says that it was for the joy that was set before him. You know, we can ask the question, why do we sometimes take up with some of those things?
And I think the answer is because we think they're going to make us happy, right? There's going to be joy.
In doing some of those things, and a lot of them, if they're done in moderation, no problem. But the Lord Jesus found his joy.
In serving his father. And sometimes we think, well, I really like this or that, and if I don't do it anymore, I'm not going to be happy.
But if we kind of substitute those things with things that we can do for the Lord Jesus.
We're actually going to be more happy, but it takes faith to do that. It takes faith to do that because naturally we tend to gravitate. We like those things.
And again, in themselves there's nothing wrong, but it takes faith to do that. And so we have a perfect example of somebody who ran the race, the Lord Jesus.
With nothing that would slow him down and he was happy in doing so. Even though, you know, not everything, every day, not everything was was a happy thing in his life. He was happy in doing so and was just thinking to that, you know, we talked about these things of weights.
We could add a lot more to them. You notice things that can slow us down, like difficulties and trials. I didn't put those in, but that's a whole different set of things that can be weights in our lives. And the Lord tells us that we can cast our cares upon him and He cares for us. He takes care for us. And so really it is it's are we living by faith or are we allowing things in our own lives that we think will help us or make us happy?
To really slow us down and to distract us.
So thank you for the volunteers and thank you for listening and just all of us. Let's just be careful that we don't get too occupied, spend too much time on things that are not a help to us. It won't really won't make us happy. We might think it will, but it won't. But doing things for the Lord, those things will make us happy.
Some Characteristics of the Kingdom of God
Open—Cornel Visan
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.
Psalm 145.
Starting at verse.
We could start at verse 9. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and Thy Saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy Kingdom, and talk of Thy power to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His Kingdom. Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom.
And thy dominion endures through all generations, and.
So here we see that the the Kingdom of God is glorious and majesty.
And we find out that the Kingdom of God consists not of not only of material things, but of spiritual also. So it says, we find this the verse that says the heavens declare the glory of God.
The heavens are part of his Kingdom. It's part of what he has created.
And so they declare the glory of God. Well, what about the waters? What about the mountains? What about the grass? What about the the the cells? Last night it was mentioned that we have somewhere between 35 and 60 trillion cells. What about each cell in our bodies, individually and collectively? Do they not declare the glory of God?
And it says here all thy works.
The Lord is good to all, and all His tender mercies are of all His works. In Ephesians we have that God who is rich in mercy. The mercy of God is not doesn't have only to do with salvation.
But it's over all his works.
So in the Kingdom of God, we're just going to take a few moments to see some of the characteristics of the Kingdom of God.
So what should our worldview be? How does God see what he has created? God created the heavens and the earth as his Kingdom.
And he has placed man in there for that very purpose. So that should be the way we should view the world, the heavens and the earth. And it says here that thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, Thy dominion through all generations.
We could go back and.
Just read real quickly.
That verse, Those verses that were referred to earlier in First Chronicles 29.
First Chronicles, 29.
Thine, O Lord, verse 11, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine. Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
That is the correct worldview, and if we don't get anything else as out of this meeting or as of this time, it is to come with that, to leave with that, that the heavens and the earth is the Kingdom and the Lord is above all.
So you say, well, you know, I look around and I see a lot of stuff that's bad and, you know, the news doesn't seem that good and there's all these things. So it's kind of hard for me to believe that.
I understand we're going to talk a little bit about that, how we how that plays into things, but.
We have to take the testimony of Scripture as to what it says to us.
And we go by the testimony of Scripture, not necessarily by what the news or what we see.
So the Kingdom of God.
The Lord in John says, I did not come of my own will, but the Father sent me. And he says again, The words that thou gave us, me I gave them.
So when the Lord Jesus came into this world, what?
00:05:04
Words.
Did he?
Proclaim to the people What were the words that the that the Father gave him the message for him to proclaim to the people, knowing full well that the the people, the nation and and the world was in darkness.
Was in sin, was enslavement. So what was the message that God gave to the Son to give to us? So for that, let's turn over to Luke chapter 4.
Luke chapter 4, verse 42.
And when it was day, he departed, and went into a desert place, And the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
If Walla Walla was a city in Israel.
2000 years ago.
And we were there as belonging to that city and the Lord Jesus.
Came to Walla Walla at that time.
What would he preach? What would he tell us of?
The Kingdom of God.
He says I must go to other places and preach the Kingdom of God. For therefore, for this reason I am sent God, sent the Lord Jesus to preach the Kingdom of God.
Moses in the Old Testament says, And the Lord will raise up a prophet from among your brethren like unto me, hear him.
There is a thought in that statement that as the Lord had brought something into this world through Moses.
That the Lord now was going to bring something through this prophet which we know is the Lord Jesus. So he says, hear him. The Lord Jesus did not come into the world to repeat what Moses brought in.
The Lord came to bring something else so.
Let's go to Luke chapter 16.
Luke chapter 16, verse 16.
The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the Kingdom of God is preached and every man presses into it.
The Law and the Prophets. Moses.
Was until John. From that time the Kingdom of God is preached and every man presses into it.
So we see here a separation, we see something a break and something different brought in.
And the Lord Jesus was the one that brought that in.
He was sent for this.
Every man presses into it.
There are different philosophers that have come up throughout the ages.
And.
They seek to answer a number of questions, and two of those questions are what is reality?
What is real?
And who is well off, or who is blessed, or who has the good life?
To describe what the good life is.
So what is reality?
00:10:01
Reality is God.
And his Kingdom.
Reality is God and his Kingdom.
We have to deal with God and we have to deal in the world that He has created.
And that's what reality is.
And what is the good life?
The good life is those that are born.
In the Kingdom of God.
The blessed life is those that are born in the Kingdom of God.
Now in the world, you're not going to be told that. In the world you will be told that the good life is the people that make a lot of money.
In the world, you'll be told that you see all these advertisements, that the good life are people, that.
Are beautiful people.
They have full head of hair, you know, they have nice teeth and things like that and that's the good life.
It's people that are like that or the good life are people that are famous.
And things of that nature.
What the Lord says is that the good life, those that are blessed are those that enter into the Kingdom of God, those that are partakers that are citizens in the Kingdom of God. That is the life, the good life that God has determined to be. And we'll see why that is.
And when you have, when you are part of the Kingdom of God, it doesn't matter then whether you're rich or not. It doesn't matter if you're wealthy or not, or if you're doesn't matter your social standing. It doesn't matter if anybody knows you're, nobody knows you. None of those things matter because you are in the Kingdom of God and that is all that matters.
So the Lord said that people press into it. How do we enter into the Kingdom of God? And before we we we look at that like to give a definition. So the Kingdom of God is the the realm, the area where the effective will of God is.
Taking place. And so we see that God's will, effective will, is in heaven.
And on Earth?
They're His and what He wills happens in heaven and on earth. So from a creation standpoint of you, that is true.
There is one place, or one area I should say, where the effective will of God is not, and that is in the heart of an unbeliever.
And that's what God wants to do is he wants to come in and have his will be done in your life, in your heart as well. And when the will of God by the Spirit.
Comes in and rules in your life. You are in the Kingdom of God and that's where he wants you to be. That's the place of blessing that God has for us.
Just really quickly with before.
Before we look at how to enter the Kingdom of God.
We'll see that this was a prominent topic that the apostle Paul had on his heart and and part of his ministry. So let's turn over to Acts chapter 18.
Acts chapter. Sorry, chapter 19.
Pause an emphasis.
He meets the disciples of John and he prays and the Holy Spirit comes upon them. They're about 12. And so verse eight he says, and he went into the synagogue. This is an Ephesus and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God.
00:15:16
Verse 10 and this continued by the space of two years.
And then Acts chapter 20.
Now he's speaking the defeat of the Elders when he's taking leave from them.
And he says.
Verse 21, testifying both verse 20 and how I kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but I showed you and I've taught you publicly, even from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I might my life dear unto me myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the minister which I have received the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more so.
He first when he gets Ephesus for three months he's disputing about the Kingdom of God, and now he says.
He had spent two years there. He says, you know, I have gone from house to house publicly and privately, and I've preached the Kingdom of God to you. What a tremendous thing that Paul was occupied with and so.
You don't have to turn to it, but I'll just read at the end of his life for two years. He's in Rome and it says and Paul dwell two whole years in his own hired house received all that came unto him, preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence. No man forbidding him.
Beautiful. So what the Lord began.
Preaching the Kingdom of God, Paul continued.
It's a very important topic. So now, real quickly, let's turn to John chapter 3.
John chapter 3 we'll start verse one. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, the ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except the man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old?
Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and a spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
So the Lord first tells a result of what happens. What can a person that is?
Born again, What can they do? A person that is born again can see the Kingdom of God.
A person that is not born again cannot see the Kingdom of God.
But then he says that unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. So our entrance, remember we the Lord said that people press into to enter into the Kingdom. So the way we enter into the Kingdom of God is through the new birth, through the birth of the water and of the Spirit, the Spirit. If we're not born of the Spirit, we're not, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
So I'm not going to take the time, but I'll just point out that the 1St.
So the Lord, now what is happening here is that Nicodemus, who is a chief ruler, obviously he was not, he was not one of the people that would have been in the audience to hear the Lord teach, because the Lord was considered somebody. He was considered somebody that is leading the people astray because he had not been brought up into the Pharisee.
And the religious schooling so.
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The people were saying that he's leading the people astray. So he didn't Nicodemus, but he, he had this information somehow that the Lord was doing all these miracles. And so he says, Lord Rabbi, we know that you're come from God because nobody can do these miracles that you do except God be with him.
But the question is, how is the Lord doing these miracles? Well, he answers that in Matthew. You don't have to turn to it. He says, but if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you. The Lord Jesus was doing these miracles through the Spirit of God. And the Lord said, if that is true, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you.
What a tremendous thing that he was revealing to them.
That the Kingdom of God had come to them and that they could enter and he made the Kingdom of God accessible to people. You don't have to be. You don't have to be college educated. You don't have to be.
A hero you don't have to anything. The Kingdom of God is accessible to everybody.
So it's by the Spirit.
So in this chapter, what the Lord is doing, first he's telling what God's part of it is because he says then he'll begin explaining, says, well, you don't know how the Spirit moves. So he tells about how God, God's part of it, and then he tells man's part of it. So he says just as Moses raised up the serpent, those who looked on him were were healed.
So, so the Son of Man will be raised up and those who look to him believe on him.
Will be healed.
So what one of the things that were on the minds and on the hearts of the people of Israel was is the Kingdom of God coming?
You had Anna, and Simeon says that they waited.
Nicodemus was one who Joseph was, a man who waited for the Kingdom of God. So in Luke we could turn there to Luke chapter 17.
Luke chapter 17, verse 20.
And when he was demanded.
Of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The Kingdom of God.
Cometh not with observation, neither shall they say, Lo here, or lo therefore, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.
The Kingdom of God is within you if you have the Spirit of God. If you have been born of the Spirit of God, you have the Kingdom of God within you.
So it was not some big outward show that the Kingdom of God would come.
But it was one person at a time.
And so we are carriers of the Kingdom of God. So what happens is the Lord tells the disciples, go and preach the Kingdom of God, and in the city that refuses you, says, when you leave, shake off the dust of your feet, but tell them this, that the Kingdom of God has come near.
We, each one of us, wherever we go, we take the Kingdom of God with us.
Because it's within us, through the Spirit.
So let's turn over to Romans chapter 14.
In Romans chapter 14 we find Paul writing these verses. This verse for the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
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Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't.
So what we find in the Kingdom of God is exactly opposite of what we find in the Kingdom of men.
Or if I could even put it in the Kingdom of darkness, Satans Kingdom. Because Satan has his own Kingdom. So what we find in the Kingdom of God is righteousness. What we see in the Kingdom of of men is unrighteousness.
And everybody complaints about that. Everybody complaints about their government because somehow or another their government is unrighteous and they're not doing things the right way.
Whether a person is a Democrat, they'll complain when a Republican is in power or when.
And vice versa.
So we complain about unrighteousness, but in the Kingdom of God it is righteousness.
Kingdom of God is peace.
We don't have to belabor this point. Peace is so sorely lacking in our world, but not only in our governments and politics and things like that, but among people.
In the Kingdom of men there is not peace.
People are not peaceful.
And in the Kingdom of God, we have joy.
In the world, there is no joy, so that's why the world has an entertainment system that continues to manufacture joy, so people can fill this void because they can't go on living in in a state of sorrow, which is what they experience in this world.
Because they're living in Satan's Kingdom and not in the Kingdom of God.
So we have these three things, righteousness, peace, and joy.
In the Holy Spirit.
Are we experiencing those three things in our lives?
And to what measure?
And notice that they're not dependent. Well, if my job is going OK or if my health is going OK or whatever.
Then I'm going to experience these things. No, these things are there. It is. They are the fabric of what the Kingdom of God is, and they are the result of what the Kingdom of God will produce. So a person that's living in the Kingdom of God will experience these things.
Regardless of what's going on in their lives.
So I'm not going to turn to it because my time is limited, but you all, I'm sure, are familiar with Acts 16 where Paul and Silas.
They're in a jail.
And their backs had been beaten.
And it's around midnight.
And what are these two men doing? They're praying and praising God.
There are other, there are other people that were were prisoners in that same jail, but they were not praising and they were not praying, they were not praising God. So here we have one jail, we have two groups.
One set of group of people, they're not in the Kingdom of God.
We have another set which are these two people, Paul and Silas. They are in the Kingdom of God and so even though their situation is the same.
Outwardly, yet they're living in two different kingdoms.
And the outcome is that Paul and Silas can rejoice and praise God.
Even though their backs were beaten and they were in shackles.
How is that possible? Because they were living in the Kingdom of God, which produces.
Righteousness, peace, and joy.
That is the message that God gave the Lord Jesus to give to us.
One more verse.
And I apologize for having to go through different scriptures, but that's where they're located and I want you to see them so you could further study on this. You don't have to turn to it, but it's First Corinthians chapter 4, verse 20.
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So Paul, he's now speaking to the Corinthians and he's bringing up this topic again, but he says this at this time, for the Kingdom of God is not word, but in power.
The Kingdom of God is not Word, but is power.
When we take our place.
As being part of the Kingdom of God.
Then we have power to go and live according to that.
So what would your day look like?
If in the morning.
You might say something like this.
God is here with me when you wake up.
God is here with me.
I'm in the Kingdom of God.
And the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, joy, and power.
What do you think that the outcome would be? You would you go out into the world, into your daily life, feeling defeated, feeling overcome, feeling like you're fighting Goliath because of the problems that you're dealing with?
No.
If you take your place in that which you are in, if you're born again, you're in the Kingdom of God.
Then, oh, I'm in the Kingdom of God.
Then I'm going to act according to this.
You know.
Just as an illustration.
We, we came from Romania. We came to the United States. When we came to the United States, it did us no good to start talking Romanian to everybody because nobody knew Romanian. We had to learn the language of the country. And once we learned that language, then that empowered us to communicate with people and to go get a job and and live life.
So it is by adopting those practices of the place that we're in that made it possible for us to to progress and to to live our lives.
And so it's the same thing when you take your place in the Kingdom of God that gives you power.
Because if the Kingdom of God is righteousness, then I belonging, I'm in that.
Then I will be able to produce righteousness myself. If the Kingdom of God is peace, then I will enjoy that and I will be able to be peaceful and have peace in my life because my life is no longer just kind of open season, but it's within the Kingdom of God.
God is in control. His will is working in that place.
His will working in my life.
And when I have that, when I have that I take my place in the Kingdom, I have joy. Why?
Because the Spirit of God, that's what he produces. He produces joy in my life.
I have joy of what has been done to me, meaning the Lord died on the cross for me. My sins are forgiven. I'm going to heaven. I have that joy right now. Not not in the future when I get to heaven, but right now. The Kingdom of God is to be experienced here now on the earth.
When I take my place in the Kingdom of God.
Kingdom, God is power.
It is eternal. It's not going to go away.
The Roman Kingdom came and went, the Babylonian Kingdom came and went, the Grecian Kingdom came and went, and all other kingdoms are going to come and go. But the Kingdom of God remains. It is power.
God.
Is we say God is in control, God is on the throne, on the throne of what? He is on the throne in his Kingdom.
That gives us power to take a stand.
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That gives us power to go forward because we know that the Kingdom that I belong to cannot be destroyed. I can be destroyed. My life could be taken away, but So what? I die in the Kingdom of God.
What a glorious thing.
That's what prompted those martyrs throughout the ages.
They saw.
Something else?
They saw the Kingdom, Scripture says. We look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen.
The natural man cannot see the Kingdom of God, but we can.
We can because we've been born anew. And so that's why Paul says he prays. I pray that your eyes might be the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened, that your understanding might be enlightened. Why? So you could see this Kingdom which is real.
And so all then the instructions that we have in Scripture take on a new meaning because so the Lord in in Matthew chapter five, he talks about anger.
So he says, you know what, in the Kingdom of God there's no anger.
That's not the way we behave, the Kingdom of God.
In the the Lord talks about scorn there about about thinking less of your of your neighbor. He says no, that's not the way we behave in the Kingdom of God.
And so you see the Lord Jesus in Matthew, he says, you know he has the Kingdom of God in his heart.
And in his mind, and that was what God had told him. So he's, he's always looking for ways to help people understand what it is. He goes, what should I like in the Kingdom to So he's looking for things that are familiar to us so he could teach us about the Kingdom.
And one of the things he says?
He talks about, you know, the forgiveness, the man that owed his master $10,000, let's say, and his master forgave him and then he somebody else owed him $100 and he didn't forgive him.
So what he's saying is, in my King, God's Kingdom, we operate on the basis of forgiveness.
In our relationships.
And think about that.
Think how different that is in the Kingdom of men and the Kingdom of the world. It doesn't matter if it's in the United States or in China or anywhere else. The man operates on the same thing. You know, forgiveness is probably the hardest thing a person can do.
But the word says that's what God's Kingdom is, and I want you. Since you're part of God's Kingdom, this is the way you need to behave.
In the Kingdom of God.
Men love their wives.
As Christ loved the church.
Well, in other places.
Men beat their wives.
So you see all these things, then take a they have, they have a purpose. They're teaching us what the Kingdom of God is like.
So.
Last night it was mentioned by our brother that things have changed.
From when he was younger, economic and things like that, and we see things are in a constant flux and change in the world.
But there's something that's not going to change.
And that is the Kingdom of God.
So if we plant our feet, our lives in that.
That'll help us to give us a direction. The Lord says, seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Do that first and then these things will come.
And so it is is it any wonder why he gives us this instruction to seek ye first the Kingdom of God. It's because that's the message that the Father gave him. So he says this is the message you need to you need to pay attention. You need to learn what this is in the Gospel of Matthew, you have the Kingdom of heavens, plural is 32 Times mentioned. So you have 32 data points.
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32 different things.
Points of information that the Lord gives to us about the Kingdom of heavens in the Gospel of Luke.
You have the Kingdom of God being mentioned 33 times, so 33.
Aspects. Things that the Lord wants you to know about His Kingdom.
And about your Kingdom, because that's where you've been placed.
So the Kingdom of God.
Is God's message to us.
And the Kingdom is righteousness.
Peace, joy and power.
It says when the Kingdom is preached, people press into it. Do you want?
To live in that kind of a Kingdom.
And that's the point people complain about, you know, the government and things like that and.
I'm sure they don't do things right.
But they do the same things in their own lives. They don't want to go somewhere else.
Meaning they do not want the Kingdom of God. So really what happens is.
Their hypocrisy is being shown because when an alternative is being presented to them, they don't want to do that. But if you want to do that, it says you have to press into it.
May the Lord help us that we would be able day in and day out to understand, recognize that we are in His Kingdom and that as being empowered by the Spirit of God, we have the power for righteousness, for peace, for joy, and the power to be a testimony for Him.
Till he comes.
What is Man?
Open—Bill Prost
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Well, I very much hesitate to speak again, but I trust it'll be of the Lord.
We had brought before us rather vividly this morning the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we sung together in one verse of a hymn we had this morning. Lord, what is man? Tis he who died, and all thy nature glorified. And it brought before ME3 Scriptures that bring before us.
That question What is man?
We'll have to be brief because of the time factor, but turn to Job Chapter 7 for the first one.
And I believe, at least I speak for myself, that we can all relate to this job. Chapter 7.
We don't have time to go into the history of Job, but I think most if not all of us are familiar with what happened to him.
Then what do we read here concerning Job's reaction to it in the 7th chapter?
Verse. It's hard to know where to start, but let's start right with the question in verse 17, Job 7 and verse 17. What is man, that thou should us magnify him, and that thou should have set thine heart upon him, and that thou shouldst visit him every morning and try him every moment? How long will thou not depart from me, nor let me alone, till I swallow down my spittle?
He really means death there, I believe.
Verse 20 I have sinned, what shall I do unto thee?
And it should read. I think you'll see it this way in the J&D translation. What shall I do unto thee, O thou observer of men? Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?
Have you ever felt that way? Life is not fair and you have heard it from unbelievers. But if we're honest with ourselves, we as believers can react the same way, can't we? Lord, what did I do to deserve this? Why are you picking on me? That may sound a bit irreverent, but if we don't say it out loud, at least we sometimes think it up here.
Why are you picking on me?
Man incomplete.
And Job didn't realize that God had blessing in view for him.
When the Lord allows difficulties and problems even in the lives of natural men.
It is in order that they may realize their need of a savior.
God can use even this war in the Ukraine to bring souls to Christ, and I am sure he is.
He can use the hardships in this world.
Now let's not be too hard on Joe Job was a good man and even God himself paid tribute to him. And it's quite something that when the Lord held Job up as an example of goodness, Satan doesn't come back and say, oh, but did you see what he did back then or did what he did here or there? No, Satan doesn't argue with the Lord about Job's goodness. He proceeds to give him why he thought.
There were good reasons for Jobs, good character, but he doesn't argue with the Lord.
That says a lot for Job's character, but here he complaints.
Well, let's turn over now to the 144th Psalm.
This is a step upward.
Psalm 144.
What do we have here?
Verse 3.
Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him, or the Son of man that thou makest account of him? Man is like to vanity, his days are as a shadow that passeth away, and so on.
This is one step upward, man in repentance.
If we see the context here, we realize that prophetically, it brings before us.
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The godly ones of the nation of Israel, particularly the godly remnant, who have gone through that awful tribulation period that lies ahead of them at this point and have suffered immensely, Yes, at the hand of God, but to what end? In order to bring them to repentance?
Without wanting to point the finger, Israel is pretty proud today of its military and its intelligence.
Every country in the world fears the Mossad, Israel's intelligence, one of the best in the world.
And they've proven their ability, no doubt, of course, with a good deal of help from the United States, to hold their enemies at Bay, even though they usually outnumbered numerically 100 to one.
But there's a day coming when God is going to allow awful judgment to overtake them to such a degree. The Scripture tells us, and the Lord Jesus said it himself, that nothing before or after will be anything like it. And it will bring them to the point that they realize that Lord what is man, they think they can defend themselves. And you and I can learn from this.
Because if we're honest with ourselves again.
I speak for myself. How often we want to do things in our own strength and in our own way. How often we want to grab hold of things. I know how to do it. I can fix this.
And sometimes there is real ability in a natural way to fix the problem.
But how many times have you discovered? And so have I.
That if we think that God is going to allow everything to go smoothly in our personal life, in our work life, in our family life.
And shall I say it, in our assembly life we find out that as fast as one problem goes away.
Another one comes along.
Why? Why is that? Oh, because the Lord wants you and me to walk and continual dependence. And here we find Israel at the point where they have to say look at verse 11, rid me and deliver me from the hand of strange children whose mouth speaketh vanity and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. And then they proceed to ask for that wonderful millennial blessing that.
Lord is willing and ready to give them, but they have to recognize.
That they can't get it in human energy, They can't get it in their own strength.
When they crucified their Messiah, they thought they could somehow attain to God's righteousness as Cornell was bringing before us. They thought they could have the Kingdom of God in their own strength. And what did their own natural hearts do? They got rid of the very one who was prepared and ready to bring the Kingdom of God.
Right into their midst.
But that Kingdom of God could only be theirs through the finished work of Christ on the cross.
And they ought to have known that from the Old Testament. That's why the Lord Jesus says to Nicodemus, art thou a master in Israel and knowest not these things? In other words, Nicodemus, have you never read Isaiah 53? Don't you remember what it says in Ezekiel 36 and a few other scriptures that you need a new heart before you can enter into these things, That you need to be born again?
But then we go back to the 8th Psalm.
And this is the one that we get in Hebrews chapter 2, repeated in the New Testament. The only one of these verses that the Spirit of God repeats in the New Testament, Psalm 8.
And verse four, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of man that thou visitest him?
Sounds very much like Psalm 144, but quite different because Psalm 144 is man in his weakness and recognizing it. Psalm 8 is man in Christ.
What is a man, that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of Man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and ox, and, yeah, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passes through the paths of the Seas.
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Oh Lord, it could read. O Jehovah, our Lord, how?
Excellent is thy name in all the earth. This is an occasion, I believe, which is referred to in the first chapter of first Peter, where those who wrote in the Old Testament found that the Spirit of God carried their pens and their thoughts far beyond their own experience.
They were speaking about Christ. They were speaking far beyond their own experience.
This is a Psalm of David. But did David ever have dominion over all the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the air, and the fish in the sea, and all that?
No, no, not at all. No, this refers to Christ.
And that's what God wants you and me to be occupied with. What is man that thou art mindful of him? Ah, the Lord Jesus Christ became a man, or the Son of Man that thou visitest him. As Son of Man, he inherits all things. As Son of Man, he takes his rightful place. As Son of Man, he comes in power and glory.
And as we read this morning, this world rejected him and said that's blasphemy, we won't have that.
But he will come.
And all the world will cringe before him. All the world will be compelled to bow before him. Where were you and I be?
If we know Him as our Savior, we will be with Him, that blessed One who remains a man for all eternity, in order to bring out that Kingdom of God which will be eternal. It will go right on into the eternal state, the moral character of God Himself, which characterizes those who recognize and own the rightful King in that day. It will not be a Kingdom.
That is only related to a few. It will extend itself over this whole universe for all eternity. And that Blessed One, that one about whom we have been reading in Psalm, will be the center of it all.
2 Timothy
Address—Bob Thonney
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What we do in conferences in Latin America is to get the brethren to come back. We start singing and then they hear and come back.
So let's sing #242.
Sing aloud to God our strength. He has brought us hitherto. He will bring us home at length. This the Lord our God will do. Doubt not, for His Word is stable. Fear not, for His arm is able.
Well, I would like to go to the Epistle of Second Timothy.
I want to do a brief repass of the epistle.
Not in any extensive way, but picking up on things that have been a tremendous encouragement to my own soul, and I want to share them with you all. Remember, Timothy evidently was a young man. He says in the first epistle, Let no one despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers.
So he was a youth. I don't know what that means. What?
Kind of age he might have had, but he was a young man in comparison to the Apostle Paul who took him and wanted him to come with him. I must say, brethren, it has been a very great blessing in my own life to have an Eric Smith, a Ramon Alarcon, a Clemby Cannon that have asked me to accompany them.
You know, discipleship.
Is not only learning by what is taught, but it is learning by example. And I must say, I treasure in my soul the memory of how they handled situations. So here we have Timothy with the Apostle Paul, and Second Timothy is the last of his writings.
In the fourth chapter, he says I'm now ready to be offered.
And the time of my departure is at hand. I think it is so interesting.
Is Paul discouraged? Well, let's see here in chapter one. Let's start there. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. Timothy, my dearly beloved Son, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God whom I serve for my forefathers.
With pure conscience that without ceasing eye of remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day. Here's something mentioned in this chapter. I just want to focus on a bit. He talks about a pure conscience. We don't have time to go back to first Timothy, but in first Timothy in two separate verses.
He talks about a good conscience.
Maintaining faith and a good conscience.
How important it is the question of your conscience.
You know what your conscience tells you about.
And Paul says here in Second Timothy, I've served from my forefathers with pure conscience. Notice he doesn't say a good conscience, a pure conscience. Because Paul, even when he was not a believer in the Lord Jesus, he was doing what he thought was right. It was a pure conscience, but it wasn't a good conscience because as he watched them stoning Stephen to death and his face shining like an angel's.
The Lord Jesus said to him a little later, he says, It is hard for thee to kick against the ******. The ****** of conscience came into his soul. He must have thought, what is going on?
At least he had what is called a pure conscience. But it's important to maintain a good conscience. You know what conscience is.
It's that which is in every human being, even little children. You know, sometimes in a home, a mother might say to a little child, don't you touch that vase on that table.
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And the child wandering around goes up to that table, looks around at his mom, see if his mom's watching before he wants to touch that vase. Why does he do that? His conscience. Conscience is what man did not have.
Before the fall in the Garden of Eden, he was innocent means without the knowledge of good and evil.
But when he ate of the tree that was forbidden, that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, immediately they knew that they were naked, and they hid themselves. What was it? Conscience. And you and I have conscience, Paul says in the book of the Acts. Herein do I exercise myself to have.
Always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man. He doesn't say I always have a good conscience. No, I exercise myself. It's a continual daily exercise.
Don't ignore the voice of conscience. Is there something in your life right now that you know is not right and you're just trying to push it off into a corner?
Listen to the voice of your conscience. Somebody has said a conscience is a good policeman.
It's not a good guide because conscience operates according to the measure of light it has.
I have good eyes. I can see you all out there.
But if it was all dark in here.
You could hear some noises around. I could guess there might be some people in here. That's when somebody switches on the light, then I can see you. That's the way conscience is. It's the light of the word of God that makes conscience work properly. And so the Lord help us to be reading the Word, especially you young people, be encouraged to take time to read the Word. It's the light, and that way you will.
What is good and what is not good that's so important in our lives?
Exercise yourself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man. Now we go on verse.
Forth, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy when I call to remembrance.
The unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunice. And I am persuaded that in thee also in this nice to see that Timothy had a grandmother and a mother that had real faith. And in chapter 3 it says.
That from a child he had known the Holy Scriptures.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
So important for those who are parents to let their children hear the word of God. I've had sometimes parents say to me, I I don't really know how to explain the Bible. That's why I don't read it to my children. I say, you don't have to explain it, read it. Faith comes by hearing. It doesn't say faith comes by explaining the word of God. No, it's by hearing the word of God.
That's so important. Anyhow, we don't know very much.
About Timothy's father. He was a Greek.
And it really doesn't say if he was a believer or not. But Timothy's grandmother and mother were women of faith, unfeigned faith. That is beautiful.
Verse 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. I love that.
Timothy had a gift. We don't know exactly what his gift might have been. Chapter four, he says do the work of an evangelist. He didn't say, Timothy, you're an evangelist. No, just do that work. And you know, you and I can always give out a gospel tract or a calendar or whatever and perhaps speak a word. There are those who are gifted as evangelists.
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But he was told to do the work of evangelists.
I don't know what his gift may have been, but he's told to stir up the gift of God, which was in him in the Spanish translation is wake up. You know, I think some of our gifts are dormant.
And that to me, really concerns me because I see and hear so many young people that are coming along. Are you aware of the fact that God has given you a specific gift for the blessing of others? That's what He does in the body of Christ, and each one has one. It's very clear in Scripture. We have the gifts mentioned in Romans chapter 12.
In First Corinthians chapter 12.
And Ephesians chapter four, we don't have time to go to those scriptures, but in each place it says very clearly that.
Each one has a gift.
Are you using that gift?
What are you going to do? You get before the judgment seat of Christ and the Lord said I gave you a gift. How did you use that?
I didn't even realize I had a gift. Are you going to say that it's kind of late to say that it's now you want to wake up as to the gift that the Lord has given you. And I must say, I see certain young people starting to exercise their gift. You know, gift is something that is developed with the use and so be exercised. Remember, Chuck Hendricks was asked one time.
How can I know what gift I have?
His answer was, I'll just say what?
Mary, the mother of Jesus said to the servants at the wedding feast, whatever he says unto you, do it so be exercised before the Lord. If the Lord put something on your heart, do it, because that's the way gift will be developed in time. I thought that was a good answer.
The thing is to be exercised, not dormant. You know, if it's dormant, you're just not doing anything.
May the Lord help us, dear, especially I say to my dear young brothers and sisters. I've seen some of them when the Lord turns on the switch. I don't know how it happens exactly, but oh the blessing that there can be. Had a brother in the South of Bolivia. He got saved when he was probably in his 20s.
And he had never gone to school at all. He didn't even know how to read. But in his intense desire to read the scriptures, he taught himself how to read. And that brother turned out to be a blessing in the South of Bolivia, especially because he knew fluently the Quechua Indian language, which is used in many of the.
Assemblies in southern Bolivia.
Oh the way God can use even those that are uneducated. Look at Peter and John and how the multitude.
Marveled that these men were unlearned, unlettered men and yet God used them in such a marked way. That's our God. He's giving gifts and you need to stir up the gift of God that's in you now verse.
Seven, God has not given us the spirit of fear.
But of power and of love and of a sound mind, I guess. So beautiful. You know, in the last couple years, there's been a lot of fear floating around in the United States. Fear of getting sick, fear of dying.
Brethren, the Lord deliver us from that. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power.
And of love and of a sound mind. I'm not saying we should be careless in our habits. We should be careful. We should take precautions that we can but don't get under the spirit of fear. It says in first John chapter 4 that.
Perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment.
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Oh, brethren, the Lord help us in this. God has given us not the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
What brother was talking about in the open meeting about the Kingdom of God is in power. Oh, it's wonderful to see the Spirit of God working. It's not a matter of who I am, brethren. I'm just a nobody. But if the Spirit of God is allowed to operate, there's no telling what might happen.
Wonderful, beautiful God has not given us.
The spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Now he says in verse 8, And I love this. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.
Don't be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord.
Nor of me, his prisoner. There was Paul in prison in Rome.
Waiting any day they were going to take him out to the chopping block outside. I don't know where it might have been, and he'd have to lay his head down on that chopping block and the executioner would take his axe. What?
Paul, aren't you ashamed? Your life is one complete failure. Look at the way as you've lost everything in life.
Verse 12 he says for the which 'cause I suffer these things. Nevertheless I am not ashamed. Don't you be ashamed, Timothy, of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. I I love that. It's so wonderfully beautiful. No, we don't have to be ashamed.
The Lord Jesus is not.
Accepted in the world that we live in.
But it's not anything that we should be ashamed of. The power of God and the gospel is the power of God and to salvation to everyone that believeth, we're going to be ashamed. That word power really is the dynamite. It is the power of God. And you know, we often go into prisons to preach the gospel. And I like to think that they put those men in prisons, they enclose them.
But they can't change them.
The power of God gets inside of those men and changes them from the inside out.
And it is amazing what God does in some of those prisons and their extremity.
Nothing to be ashamed of. So it's beautiful here Paul says I am not ashamed of the in verse 12, he says, nevertheless I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded. I, I love that, you know, to be persuaded means you've got some evidence presented to you and based on that evidence you have been persuaded.
Brethren, are we persuaded, or is there quite a bit of doubt floating around in our soul? Lord help us that we too would be persuaded. I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. New translation says my deposit. You know you deposit money in the bank, in the savings account.
Or whatever.
And sometimes a bank fails.
And you're going to be ashamed, but there is an account you can deposit into.
That you will not be ashamed. Oh, I want to encourage you young people to live in view of that coming day of glory. Deposit your energy, your time, your resources into that heavenly account that deposit on high. You know, I must say, I was really challenged by the life of dear brother Eric Smith.
Since we traveled together, he told me a lot about his early years in New Zealand.
And how his father, who was not a believer when he learned that Eric Smith had gotten saved and decided to go to Bolivia.
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As a missionary, he thought it was such a foolish thing. He wanted all his sons. He had quite a few sons and he wanted them all to prosper in life, to get a good education and to earn good money.
And when he learned that that was Eric Smith's decision, he said, if that's your decision, son, get out of my house. You don't have any longer any place in this house. Get out. And he had to get out and make his own way. He studied medicine for two years in Bolivia. They always called him El Doctor Smith, but he went to Bolivia.
Arrived there in 1921.
I went for the first time in 1967 to Peru with him and then to Bolivia in 1968.
Rather, when I saw the results of what he had sown in those countries, I said to the Lord, Please, Lord, please help me not to be deceived by the material things of this life, but to live for that which is coming.
I was able to visit him.
Shortly before he went to be with the Lord in a nursing home in Montreal, Canada, and he couldn't speak anymore, he he died two days short of his 103rd birthday.
In 1997, and I must say it was a challenge to me. As I walked into the room, he looked at me, those little beady eyes. He couldn't say anything.
But I greeted him in Quechua.
The only thing I saw was a little nod of the head a little later.
He went into the glory.
Rather.
It was such a challenge to me to think of him going into the glory and meeting so many of those Bolivian people that came into the knowledge of the truth of salvation through Christ.
That that again, was a tremendous challenge to me not to focus on things down here that are so soon going to pass away.
Paul was not ashamed.
Hopefully we want to be ashamed either. It's interesting there's another man in this chapter that was not ashamed. It's verse.
16 on Nessa for us. He was not ashamed of my claim chain. Beautiful to think about. I want to go on now because quite a few things I want to focus on in chapter 2, Chapter 2. Sometimes it's been called the Magna Carta of the Christian testimony.
In the in the present age, but just let me point out two things to me that are are bulwarks in this chapter that don't depend on me in any way, but they are bulwarks that you can lay hold of to me. It is so amazingly wonderful. We're living in days of ruin of the Christian testimony. People look around and say, I don't see that there's just one body of Christians here in this town.
There's one body over here and another body over there and another body. What do you mean by there is one body?
Well, it's true the Christian testimony is in ruins, but remember, the truth remains. There is one body, and that truth is as much true today as it was on the day of Pentecost when the church was first formed. How important it is to get those things true. And that one body includes every true believer in the Lord Jesus.
Whether they meet with us or not, if they are a real believer, they are part of that one body.
And so we are to recognize that precious truth. But I just want to point out these two things that are a bulwark in my own soul. It's one of them is inverse 13. It says if we believe not yet he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself. I just find that a bowling.
He abides. Faithful. Sometimes people complain to me, those brethren over there, they're not really being faithful.
Yeah, it could be true.
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I wouldn't want you to look at me for faithfulness, brother.
But there's one who is the faithful and true witness. He abides faithful. He always will be faithful. You can count on him. He cannot deny himself. God is God and God is faithful.
To me, that's a bulwark.
Let's hold on to it in these days that we live in the other one that I find as a bulwark here. Before we go through this chapter, I just wanted to point these two out is in verse.
19.
And it's the first line of that verse says, nevertheless, he's been talking in the verses previously of Hymenius and Phylidus, who concerning the truth have erred in saying that the resurrection is passed already and overthrow the faith of some. But notice what he says then. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure.
The foundation of God is sure you know in the Old Testament.
When the children of Israel were unfaithful, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to come in.
And to take over the country. And he destroyed the temple, and he broke up the foundation so that when.
They came back in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. They had to relay.
The foundations.
Remember, in the New Testament, the foundation is never removed. It's firm. You can count on it. What is that foundation it says in?
Ephesians chapter 2 That it is the foundation of the fossils and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. So it's the Scriptures that God has left us in the New Testament that are the foundation work and it stands firm. It hasn't been removed.
You might have to dig down through your own thinking sometimes.
To get to the foundation, but it's there and it's been such a consolation to me to realize that. Dear young people, here's the two bulwarks. I want to leave you in this chapter. First of all, he abides faithful. The second one, the foundation of God stands short.
I'd like to go back to the first part of the chapter because we have Timothy, a young man given different figures of the believer in this chapter.
And there are figures that we know in life commonly.
Verse three is the soldier. Verse five is the athlete. Verse 6 the husbandman. Verse 14.
I mean, I'm sorry, verse 15, the Workman and verse.
19.
I'm sorry, verse 20 vessel and verse 24 the servant. They're figures that we know in life and they're all put there by the Apostle Paul for us to learn lessons. But before he begins with those who just want to comment on verse one.
Thou therefore, my Son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
What is it will make us strong? It's not, brethren, being legalistic and setting down rules and regulations. That's not going to make us strong. It's to enjoy the grace that is in Christ Jesus that will make us strong. And I find that very tremendously beautiful. You know, grace touches the heart and the heart is the mainspring of Christian life.
If I lay down some rules and regulations that doesn't touch your heart, I'm sorry, it's not going to have much power over you.
But it's when we understand the grace that is in Christ Jesus that we will be enabled to go on even in days of ruin. And then verse two, he talks about faithful men. Notice there's four generations in verse 2. The things which thou has heard of me, the apostle Paul #1.
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Timothy heard of him among many witnesses. The same Commit thou to faithful man. That's the third generation.
Who shall be able to teach others also? That's the 4th generation.
What kind of men does God use to carry on his testimony?
He doesn't say Timothy 8. You looked for some really good, eloquent preachers.
No, he didn't say that. What kind of man? Faithful man. What's a faithful person? It's one who is obedient, who does what he's told. That's a faithful man. And that's the kind of man that God will use in the Christian testimony. So we have illustrations now in verse three and four of a soldier.
What's the number one lesson a soldier has to learn?
Obedience. Obey.
You know, in Bolivia.
They're used to military governments sometimes and let me tell you, you hear about some things that happen.
One of the brothers told me he was a student in a university, in the military, was in power, it was in the democratic government, and they came into the university to round up some of those students because they were giving them trouble.
And he was one of them.
And he says the chow is terrible.
So he said he took his plate of food and just kind of carefully put it under the table and dumped it out so he thought nobody would see him, and he put it back on the table.
To a chagrin, one of the sergeants saw him do it.
And came up to him and said you didn't like the food. No Sir.
And so he signals another soldier to come bring 3 plates of food and they put him down in front of him. Then he said bring 1/2 pint of kerosene and he pours that into those bowls of soup. Now you eat those three plates and he had to eat the three.
With a kerosene.
He says the next morning I was first in line and I like that stuff.
Well, he learned what it was to obey. Sometimes it doesn't seem reasonable. The brethren, when God speaks in his word, learn to not reason with what God says. Learn to obey so important the next one is that he speaks of.
Is in verse five is an athlete be a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully. In other words, if you're going to run a race, you've got to do it according to the rules of the race. You can't just say I'm going to cut across the middle and I'll be there first. Can't do that. You have to respect the rules of the race. God has principles in his word you can't ignore.
There are people who just say, oh, that was for the Corinthians. That doesn't apply to us now.
You can't do that.
When God has said specifically in the book of Corinthians to the church that is at Corinth and to all those in every place that call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, how important it is to learn simple obedience to the Word of God. If you want to be used by the Lord, you've got to remember to respect.
God's principles of his work. Then we have the husbandman in verse six are a farmer.
Harmer of husbandman, that laborers, it says here must be first partaker of the fruits, but really the thought is he must first labor to be partaker of the fruits. The new translation gives that that way to understand it. In other words, you're not going to have immediate results.
How long does it take to produce a crop?
Here in Wawa, I don't know who's a farmer yet here. Is there any farmers left?
Let's see Ron, where are you?
How long does it take to produce a crop of wheat from the time you plant it to the time of harvest?
Ten months.
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OK, so you don't get discouraged after two or three months you don't have a crop yet?
No, and that's the way it is and the things of the Lord don't think you're going to get immediate results. Be patient. So Paul says to Timothy here. Notice in verse seven, consider what I say and the Lord give the understanding in all things. In other words, in these illustrations, these natural illustrations.
There's a lesson to be learned. And so he says in verse 8, Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead, according to my gospel.
I used to not be able to understand why did he put that verse there.
But it's come to me this way and I believe this is the thought there.
The Lord Jesus at the end of his life on earth, it appeared to be complete failure. How many disciples he have? 12 disciples. 3 1/2 years. Only 12 disciples.
One of them was false.
The other eleven took off and ran, and he was left completely alone.
It condemned.
No one stood up for him. It looked like his life was a complete failure.
Remember Timothy, Jesus Christ of the seed of David?
Raised from the dead, according to my gospel. In other words, God's answer is not in this life. God's answer is in resurrection. And all that's so important to remember, Even the apostle Paul, it was the same way. We've already said it looked like his life was a complete failure.
But.
Paul told Timothy. Don't be ashamed.
No, it's worthwhile. God's answer is in resurrection and in that resurrection day when we stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ. I am certain if you have lived in view of that day that Paul talks about in chapter one, verse 12, you will not be ashamed.
But I fear sometimes that we get so occupied with material things we are so busy we don't have time to.
Use our gift that God has given us for the good of other fellow believers.
Let's stop and let's think about it. Dear young people and older ones, to each one of us, how important it is to live in view of that day.
Well, we come down to verse 15 and we have another.
Illustration of a believer. It's a Workman.
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a Workman that needeth not to be ashamed.
Rightly dividing the word of truth. You know, there's in scripture it says there's Jews, there's Gentiles, there's the Church of God, there's different people groups in Scripture. And when you read the Scriptures, remember the people group he's addressing.
In Psalm 150 it says to praise the Lord with all kinds of musical instruments.
You brethren, why didn't you have some musical instruments in here to praise the Lord?
That was written.
To the Jewish people, and that was very proper and right in its day. But when you come to the New Testament, you never find in the church musical instruments used. There are two instruments that are spoken of, the heart and the lips. Those instruments we are to use in praising the Lord. But beyond that, we're not to use musical instruments, we are to praise God.
In spirit and in truth. I like that because it's in spirit, because God is a spirit.
In truth, because it is according to the revelation of God that we have in Scripture.
That we worship Him. Oh, how wonderful it is to understand these things that are precious, brethren. So to put things in their place is to be a Workman that doesn't need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Another thing I think that is often mentioned in Christian circles is the question of tithing.
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You're in $100.
10% is gods, 90% is for you.
But you know what in the New Testament?
We find that tithing is never practiced in the church.
Why not? You know why? Because 100% is God's and we are just administrators of that which God puts into our hands. So if I say 10% for God and 90% for me, I'm robbing God of 90%. Careful what you do. It's all Gods and we are to use it for Him. So it's rightly dividing the word of truth. How important those simple.
Things are.
And so that's to be a Workman now in verse.
1920 and 21 we have the question of being a vessel and talking about a great house, and in that great house there are all those that name the name of the Lord, the name of Christ, it says in verse 19. And if you name that name, you are responsible to depart from iniquity.
And so in that great house there are many vessels.
Vessels of gold, and of silver, and of wood, and of earth. And it says some to honor, and some to dishonor. Therefore a man purge himself from these he shall be a vessel until honor sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. In other words, if I'm going to be a vessel that God can use, I need to be.
Separated for him.
I sometimes use the illustration of sister is washing the dishes after a meal in her kitchen. Here's all The Dirty dishes in one side. And then there's the water with the I guess everybody has dishwashers now. But if you do it by hand while you have the water with soap in it and then rinse water and then a place to put the ones after they're washed. So here I'm going to take up a dirty one and I wash it and I rinse it off.
Nice and clean. Shall they put it back with The Dirty ones? You can say no, no, don't do that, Don't do that. Why do you tell me to not do that? It's just going to get dirty again.
And so here we have now we've washed a lot of dishes and we got a nice clean, clean bunch over here. Pick up a dirty one over here and put it with a clean one. Where's the sister of the house going to say no, don't do that, don't do that. Why? You're going to get them dirty and we want them clean.
Brethren.
Things contaminate in that great House of profession and we need to know how. It's not a matter of saying we're a bunch of better people. That's not the point.
Lord help us, because when the Lord comes into his house and he wants to use a vessel.
He's going to look for one that's clean. I hope I'm clean. I know I get contaminated sometimes and I have to be washed to be a vessel. Meet for the masters, use the Lord. Help us in that. Another point in verse 24, we have the servant of the Lord.
And he says he must not strive, but be gentle unto all men. Apartment to teach, patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves.
Oh brethren, may that be the character of our lives in meekness, instructing those that impose themselves. Don't get this Henry cantankerous spirit in criticizing others. The Lord help us in this. I just do want to mention a couple more things before we go on to.
The Gospel meeting. But in chapter 3 we have.
The perilous times of the last days. And these are pretty easy to see that we are in these times. Interesting. Notice verse two men shall be lovers. What's number one lover of their own selves?
Does that ever characterize our culture? And then it says the second one, covetous.
00:45:03
New translation puts it lovers of money.
And a little later down verse four, it says lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
Are there lovers? Yeah, these people are lovers, let me tell you. They love their own selves, they love money, they love pleasure.
But there is no love of God.
Nor of God's people. Tragic, but this is the characteristic of the day in which we live.
Brethren, the Lord help us, I have to say, as I travel between Latin America and the United States frequently.
I have to say, and I've said this in a number of places, that what I really believe is killing the Christian testimony in this country is the principle of pleasing yourself.
I've got money in my pocket. I'm going to do what I like and don't you criticize me. I'm going to do what I want. I've got the rights to do it. That's killing the Christian testimony. And since I've been going down to South America, I, I just have to say rather than it's not what I've done. First time I went down, there was only gatherings to the Lord's name in Peru and Bolivia.
Now there is in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile.
Ecuador and I should say Brazil and Paraguay and I haven't done it, it's been the Lord that has done it. And I just say why is there such blessing down there? Because people know how to self sacrifice. It's not self pleasing, it's self sacrifice. That's the principle of Christianity. The Lord Jesus said Vinyaman will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Deny yourself. What in the world?
Deny yourself.
That's what's killing us.
Because we want to please ourselves.
Lord help us, brethren, I I have to confess here. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not pointing the finger at anybody out there. I have to point the finger at me because we are living in this culture and it's a strong current that affects you if you're in it and I'm in it and I confess that I've been affected by it. But I think the best thing we can do is to recognize it and to confess it to the Lord and ask him.
To help be overcomers.
Yes, these in the last days are lovers of their own selves.
Lovers of money, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. But I think it is so beautiful how he ends the chapter. He talks to Timothy. He says, verse 10, Thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life. Not only his teaching, but his manner of life corresponded to it. Purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity.
Patience, persecutions, afflictions. She came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra.
What persecutions I endured and out of the mall the Lord delivered me. Yeah, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution rather than we don't know much about persecution in this country. Our brethren in other parts.
Are passing through severe persecution.
We need to remember them in our prayers if nothing else. Brethren, in Nigeria, northern Nigeria, Muslim tribes are coming into towns at night and slaughtering Christians. It's incredible what's going on. You know, there is a list of nations in this world that persecute Christians and Nigeria has gone way up on that list.
As close to the top, if not at the top now.
But there are others. And with the reports you hear of what's going on in those countries, brother.
We don't know what it means to be a Christian very much. We have it so good, so comfortable.
The Lord help us, Lord, stir us to be stirred up to pray at least for those dear brethren over in those other countries.
Evil men shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things that thou hast learned and have been assured of, and of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou has known the Holy Scriptures. You're able to make thee wise and to salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
00:50:12
All scripture is given by inspiration of God means God breathed.
And is profitable. Even the Old Testament scriptures are profitable.
Don't stop at Justice the new The new talks about the church.
That's the main focus in the New Testament.
But all Scripture is profitable. And so we go back to the Old Testament, that which refers to Israel and those faithful men of God in the Old Testament, and we learn. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, which means teaching for reproof.
For correction, For instruction in righteousness, that the man.
Of God may be perfect. It means complete, mature, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
I just want to point out a couple things in chapter 4 before we close.
In verse one it says, I charge thee therefore before God in the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and at his Kingdom. Preach the word the instant in season out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust they shall heap to themselves teachers.
Having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables.
But watch thou in all things endure infliction. And here's this exhortation we talked about before.
Do the work of an evangelist. Make full proof of your ministry. You know, brethren, I think it is so important to keep a gospel focus in our ministry, in our assemblies. It keeps us down to the basics. It's important.
And our assembly in Lawrenceville, we had the privilege. The Covic had shut it down for a while. We're hoping to get back in, but into a state prison there.
And those of us that go find that when you talk to those men, you don't have to tell them they're guilty. They know it, but you've got to talk at their level. And I think that is healthy. Sometimes in meetings we talk at a different level. And sometimes young people are not exactly sure what we're talking about. And I think if you get into gospel work, you have to talk at the level of the people you're talking to. And it's helpful, I find it very helpful to keep down to reality.
So do the work of an evangelist.
And he says, I'm now ready to be offered. We mentioned that late, earlier in the time of my departures at hand. Notice verse seven. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them that love His appearing.
Just want to point out in verse seven that he says I have finished my course.
I like to compare that with the Lord Jesus in John 17. The Lord Jesus says I have finished the work thou gavest me to do. I think he's the only one that will be able to say I have finished the work thou gave us me to do. Paul could say I finished my course, but all of us have failed in one way or another.
We can't hold up ourselves, brethren, as being faithful. There is one who was completely failed.
Grateful he could say, I've finished the work that thou gave us me to do. I must say, brethren, life is short.
I left here, Walla Walla 60 years ago this year. I can't believe it. I don't know how you look at me. If you look at me as an old guy or what. I don't feel old, I feel young.
But that's the way life is, that's the way time is. It's very relative. So young people take advantage of the years you have now. Use them in view of that day, not out of this world's day.
Be in Time
Gospel—Josh Costron
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Well, on the heels of our brother Bobby comments that the time is short and given this is an abbreviated meeting, I trust that what is before me tonight in terms in terms of the scriptures that I would like to read shortly that they are appropriate and timely.
For the first.
Scripture I'd like to read.
It would be an Ecclesiastes chapter 3.
Ecclesiastes, chapter 3.
And it says this to everything. There is a season.
And a time to every purpose under the heaven.
A time to be born.
And a time to die.
Turn over to 1St Corinthians Chapter 7.
Verse 29. First Corinthians Chapter 7.
Verse 29.
But this I say, brethren, the time is short.
The time is short.
Over to Psalm 89.
Psalm 89. This verse was read at the beginning of our conference.
Verse 47.
Remember how short my time is?
Over to 2nd Corinthians chapter.
7.
Or chapter 6 rather.
2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2.
For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted.
And in the in the day of salvation have I suckered thee?
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation and one final verse.
In Hosea chapter 10.
Hosea chapter 10 and middle of verse 12.
For it is time to seek the Lord.
It is time.
To seek the Lord.
You know, I suppose over the last two years.
I think it would be fair to say that we have taken many things for granted.
But I suppose that there is something that.
Amongst all of the things that we may have taken for granted, there probably is one thing that we take for granted more than anything.
And don't give it a second thought often. And that is our time.
You know, it's interesting for the believer that we're exhorted to redeem the time.
We need to buy it back, set it free for the purpose and use of God in our life and for the blessing of others as believers.
Brother Bob was exhorting us to that extent.
But you know, for the Sinner, I would say it's, it's even more important in a sense because it is in the framework of time whereby you and I make the decision for our eternal destiny.
And you know, we often lament about the fact that the time is just so short. Where did the time go?
I wish there was just more hours in the day. And on and on he goes.
00:05:04
And we realize that our time is like a vapor.
You know, in James we read about our life being just that. What is your life? It is even as a vapor that appeareth for what? A little time?
And then vanishes away.
We read it. We read in Job Chapter 7 today.
And the first verse in that chapter says this. Is there not an appointed time for man upon the earth?
And yet we wasted.
And pleasure and sin.
And all of that.
And how many people have entered into a lost eternity?
Because they wasted their time.
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. And so God agrees with that assessment that we have all made that our time is short. In fact, in Job Chapter 7, it speaks about our life being like the wind.
It's here today, it's gone tomorrow in a moment.
It's just a vapor. It's gone.
We are not given any promise that we will see.
Tomorrow.
And so today, dear friend, if you're in this room.
We are calling out to you.
And presenting to you God's message of salvation, the good news.
That in time, you can be in time tonight and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior and Lord.
It's time to seek the Lord.
You know the nice part, the wonderful part about the gospel is that if you are seeking the Lord, you'll find Him.
The Bible says, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way in the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, for he will have mercy upon him.
And to our God.
For he will abundantly pardon.
God is waiting to pardon you tonight of all your sin. Set you free from yourself.
To give you life, eternal life, the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This morning we had opportunity to look back to the cross and there we saw the King of Glory hanging.
As a sacrifice for sin.
And there are those three hours of darkness.
God poured out His righteous wrath, unmitigated upon His only begotten Son.
So that tonight we might have an offer of salvation to you. God's good news that there is opportunity for you to be saved and on your way to heaven.
You know there's a most disturbing passage. I read it the other day in Amos chapter 8.
It said that Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor of a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, from the north, even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord.
Shall not find.
What happened?
They ran out of time.
There's coming a day upon this world when untold agony.
And suffering and tribulation is going to fall.
When the church will be called home and after that, God's judgment will rain down on this world.
00:10:02
And it was mentioned the other night in the gospel that if you could just imagine for a moment.
Just in the moment, in a twinkling of an eye.
The church will be called home.
And there you sit.
Time has come to an end for you.
To be saved.
God's message of salvation is not guaranteed to be offered to you tomorrow if you find yourself here one last time.
To hear the message of God's grace and love to you.
God is offering you one more opportunity to be saved.
You know, in first John, it says this the time it is the last time. In fact, if you look at a more critical translation, it says this, it is the last hour.
Friends.
We are on the threshold of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ face to face.
And that is such a bright prospect in hope for all those here today who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
That is what we all look forward to and hope.
That we will see the Lord Jesus tonight as he gives that shout to call us away.
But for you, you're here in your sins, young child. Maybe an older one.
That is when the door will be forever shut.
And the master of the house will rise up and shut to the door, and he will say, Depart from me, for I will never knew you. You might come to the door and say, Well, just let me in.
And you'll say no.
It's too late.
Tonight.
There's hope.
There's life offered to you in the Gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners. God's own well beloved Son, the eternal Son of God, the one who upholds all things by the word of his power, the one in whom all things subsist, were held together. It is that same one, that same person who came into this world.
Who lay down his life?
At the cross.
Who was raised from the dead the third day? Who shed his precious blood that washes away all our sin?
And it is Him that offers you free salvation tonight.
That if you just accept him in your seat, for he knows your heart and he knows your thoughts.
If you just bow before Him in your heart and mind right where you are, tell him, Lord Jesus, I want to be saved. I'm a Sinner and you are a Sinner. You are lost, you are guilty, but God loves you anyway.
And it was demonstrated at the cross 2000 years ago, and this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Through Him there is none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved.
It is all, excuse me, it is only through him and him alone.
That we have access to heaven, to God, and it is only in the person of Christ that we come to know who God really is.
I'm going to close now.
But I'm reminded of what that hymn writer said. The gospel hymn that we sing often Be in time, be in time, while the voice of Jesus calls you be in time. If in sin you longer wait, you may find open gate.
And your cry be just too late.
Be in time.
Daniel
Talk—Mark Rogers
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Hi, my name is Mark Rogers and I go to an assembly with some of us here.
An hour West of here.
This is my first time doing this.
I look forward to speaking to a gentleman on All Long Time.
And.
I enjoy speaking to young people.
And specifically about the word God, because the word of God.
Can get you it's me lingerie and I'm hoping that maybe tonight I'd like to do this little differently because I also know I also know that a lot of you are burning your candles at both ends right now.
Lack of sleep, a lot of play and I also know this I'm standing between you and ice cream and games. So I want to make this very, very interactive with the word OK, I could go address, but let's not do an address. What this means is that I'm going to do I'm going to we're going to pick up real briefly the man of Daniel and I have an idea that.
Everybody here, these young people here.
All know a fundamental understanding of Daniel and I would love to take up just a few points. Just a few points. We only have like 20 minutes here and.
I also know too that things are changing right now.
One thing I've told the young people back home I pulled my own kids.
You are making the most decisions. May ask this question first. Who's here? That is 14/15/16, maybe 17 days. Again, that is Friday. There you go. OK.
I'm going to talk about Daniel because Daniel was going to be somewhere in that age bracket, OK?
And the other thing I'd like to talk about is is between the ages of 15 and 25.
I believe you're going to be making the most changes, most decisions.
For the rest of your life in that age bracket.
For good or for bad.
And so I want to impress upon that is that you are going to cherish this 10 year tier period of time if you're in that bracket because that is going to put a trajectory for the most part as to what your path may be down the road unless we're going to use all things. Now another thing is too back home is.
They had a couple athlete, Mark, you're going to use them for dad, you're going to use the whiteboard. I said not, I'm not going to use the whiteboard, right. But Eric, I got here.
I see a whiteboard. You're not and I brought pins. All right, so I brought pins and I asked for permission. And it does so here we go But before we do, let's ask the Lord for help. Our Father, our God. We're thankful for these young people. We're thankful so much for this time that.
You have here these last two days, what a tremendous time it's been. And now we ask for just a few more treasured moments as we as we.
Speak about this man father, we know that I was call him a man greatly beloved and we just looked at to look at him for a few minutes here. We heard these young people as they have their minds ahead of them and we ask for help for the time here and our Lord Jesus name and good thanks Amen. All right, OK, so like I said, we're going to do this right. I I am asking for just shout out one when I asked for a question. I want you to give an answer out here.
Each other one word answers and I'm going to take it down from there. The two categories I'd like to talk about tonight, real simple is going to be.
The world, world system, OK, we're going to talk about world system and this is all going to come out of the first chapter of Daniel for the most part, first chapter of Daniel and the second topic is going to be.
Daniels.
Daniels.
Behavior more or less as in some items there. OK, so the first one we're going to talk about is the world system.
Who can tell me out of the first chapter of Daniel?
I'll just give the preference here. Let me give some background here. This is important. Daniel, he says about 16 years old when he's taken out of Judah and when he's taken out of Judah.
00:05:02
He is hauled out of there when the Babylonians come down. The Babylonians came down there three different times and he came down on the very first time. They came around, circled around the two tribes and they took out Daniel and his friends and a bunch of other guys left with him, right, and.
That was on the first cycle, and then Nebuchadnezzar came down to more times what Daniel was already in battle at that time. So he's 16 years old thereabouts and in the first chapter and he's introduced immediately into a new system.
You know they have an idea how large Babylon is, give or take.
Yeah.
I don't know, 100 miles by 400 miles. That's how big something like that. It's it, it in the, in the, in the, the walls were 86 feet wide. You had chariot races on them. They had 100 gates, 100 bronze gates or whatever it Daniel is transported with all these young men and young women into the system. That's absolutely different. And he did it in a matter of 6090 hundred days, right.
Life changed.
Let me tell you something, Ukrainian young people over there have had their lives changed in 60 days. Their lives have changed. Your lives can change in just a few days. Daniel's day, Daniel changed. He had his system. He got up out of and I don't know what is that. It's going to be interesting to get to glory to somebody to talk to him and talk to him. What was it like back in June? Because what he did, he took with him out of Judah and he transported into Babylon. My question is what?
Is Babylon look like?
Anything.
We're getting a lot of lot of hints in the first chapter of Daniel.
It all applies today.
Some of idolatry. There you go. OK, we're gonna put idols up here. You betcha. Let's put that up here, idols.
What do we see? We said we we find that belt, the shadow says I want to take all those. I want to take all your, your golden cups and everything. And I want to take him out of your holy house down there, Jerusalem. I will put him in my, my idols, my House of idols. That's what happened, right? So he's immediately confronted with items everywhere. What else?
What do you mean by that?
Like you know, world major, major, you talk about major commerce there. Was that coming through OK.
OK, now.
To that, Daniel is being sought after. For what reason? Here he says I want the best, the best men to be in the courts. I want the best men to serve me right, the best men. What's another thing?
Kings me. All right, Let's call it diet. OK, Diet. What else got changed, anybody.
Language language got changed. Sorry you can't read it back here, but this is my scribble language.
Language got changed. What else got changed? Yes, name got changed, that's right.
Names got changed.
Yes.
Bad, bad behavior. Bad behavior got changed. Well, they're already good boys. Everyone were good boys. That's what. They're a cop. Yeah.
Clothing got changed. You're right. Well, yeah.
What happened because the king says I want the best on those guys, right? He says I want the best. Alright, Clothing got changed. Good. I did not think of that because we see that over and over again that the king always wants to have his young man in his courts. He wanted to be dressed as the best. And you can see it all the way to Daniel. There's one more thing that happened to Daniel.
One more thing very important. Yes, made a unit.
All right.
Now I want to take this and go. Do you see this?
Do you see this in today's society? Do you see these traits in today's society?
OK, let's start with items. Let's start at the top of the list. Idols. What we we work some things Idols.
Here we go. Here we go. Let me ask you this. Is this an idol? Yes, it is. It can be an idol. Is it a tool? It is a tool. How about YouTube on here is is YouTube a tool?
Absolutely, absolutely. I'm learning a software right now and I'm learning all my software based upon looking on that software up on YouTube. OK, when does it become an idol?
00:10:01
Yeah, OK. And then?
What an e-mail out of context.
Wrong reason. We heard something today. A four letter word today starts with the T What? What? What? What is that?
Time, time that will tell whether that's an island, how much time you spend on it. Now myself, I happen to like Facebook. But you know one thing I have said for myself, I don't have Facebook on my my smartphone, my cell phone.
Well, five whole history is I used to work for Hewlett-Packard way back.
Before their smartphones and their Blackberries and we got to see in the technology world what this was going to become. And it's interesting where it has become because now we're all we're all connected.
That's a good thing, and it's about that.
OK, idols. So we do have idols today. We're full of idols. I say that idols have just the electricity pole plugged into them. But as we said today, it can be sports, it can be many other things that can consume, consume our time. It consumes the way the affection for Christ. All right, let's see here, diet, diet, diet would kind of play into that a little bit as well because that's the media flowing in. All right.
Language, language. Yeah, yeah, the language is changing. The language is changing. You know, something interesting is the world will determine if you're if you're a Christian or not by not using certain words.
Right. If you don't use God's name in vain, that's going to determine something.
Or some kind of synonym of that.
G.
Or whatever it is, there's a lot of them.
So the language. You don't have to say anything about the Lord Jesus Christ, and merely your language will betray you.
Names, names and I want to go down to unit here. This is very interesting. We have something that's hit us here in the last, I don't know really hard in the last 12/12/24 months and specifically in the corporate world which I no longer work in is we now have.
Gender neutrality.
The world system does not want a man to be a man and a woman to be a woman. And Babylon's system, world system says, he says, I'm going to take these boys that are supposed to be God's men. And you can read it in in the Pentateuch, you can read the young men.
Were to be godly men in certain ways, and a eunuch was not one of them.
The problem is, is I believe that unique ISM, if that is a word, is taking over today a youthful generation.
And I'm not meaning from a sexual way either.
I'm talking about a man not being a man just by barely shaking his hand.
Or man's word is a man's word.
Clothing, I always like. I like that clothing. That's very interesting, very defining, is it not? Is it not defining? The world has. I'm not a girl, but you know, those that were shop for girls clothing. I get it. It's a very difficult prospect. I understand. Thankfully had a wife.
That's been able to put together search out.
Clothing.
And put it together so that it is modest.
OK.
Clothing. Clothing distinguishes it now, hey, I like sports. What's the number one thing in sports you got to have? You got to have the right gear if you're going to be on the right team, right? And tell us who you are. Clothing is a very key thing as to who you are. Very key. You see two guys walking down the street and they wear white shirts and black ties. You know who they are, right? Clothing, that is an identifier, all right.
This is the world system. I don't want to go and I hope that gives you some some food for thought. It's all in the first chapter of.
Daniel, more or less.
We don't run on time. Let's talk about Daniels behavior. You like Daniels behavior, All right, I do too. This is very good. All right, easy questions, not going to be as many answers to you probably. But what is 1 attribute of Daniel?
00:15:04
You need to let somebody else help. Yeah, there's a whole bunch of faithful back here.
Purpose is hard. Let's use that. You bet. Yes.
So he's purposing in his heart.
Purpose.
Of heart. Now that's a very good one. I had not I I've enjoyed that, but I didn't have that down. And I want to elaborate on that purpose of heart. Purpose of heart says there's a goal in mind, right? Right. In other words, if you're in a baseball game, you're in the batters box and the balls coming at you, what's the purpose?
No. If you're in the batter's box and you're sorry, if you're, if you're hitting, if you're swinging, what's the purpose?
The purpose is to get on first base. However that happens to get on first base. That's purpose.
Purpose of heart. Daniel had a purpose of heart somehow. Whatever happened back there in Judah. And Benjamin, I don't know if I remember what tribe he's from, but he got taught something there that he came out of there and he's landing in this situation with him and three friends. And there's a bunch of other guys, but only those four guys are being detailed out and they have purpose of heart sometimes.
OK, what's one other thing for Daniels behavior?
Yes.
Man of prayer, very good.
All right. Now this one I would like to come back to. That's a very good one and it's got a few aspects to it. Let's continue on and we come back to that.
One more, that's what else yes.
Good friends. I had not thought about that. That is very good. Very good. All right.
Good friends.
That's good. And you're going to see that in chapter 2. Chapter 2 has has that Chapter one has it a Chapter 2 even more so. Alright, alright.
Now a little bit tough. There's some questions I ask that are a little bit more advanced there. Anybody else got any other thoughts? Yes.
There you go. I love that. Sorry for being scared. I love this one. I love this one. All right, we're going to come back to this, too. He's separated. He's separated from.
And he separated 2. It doesn't do any good if you're separated from, you're not separated unto something.
OK. All right. And we're going to come back to that one other one, one other one and you will see this with happening both with Nebuchadnezzar.
With the vision and you're gonna see what Belteshazzar in. It's an attribute that Daniel has when belt the sheds are saw the writing on the wall.
Profit. What is it? Profit. Profit. What was that?
Word from God. OK, same thing. I like it. I like it. Word from God and I'm just gonna put my words I had.
I had shared God's plan. OK, same thing.
Shared.
God's plan. Very good. Very good. All right, well, there we go. We got some meat to chew on here. All right.
Like that. Good to meet you, alright.
Alright, so let's talk about the separated from and to.
Give me example to die that one real quick. Separate from and separate onto. What did he separate from and what did he separate on to?
Separated from the world system to God, God says yeah, but I example I'm gonna dive into do we have a remembering of where that it might be in the Daniel in Daniel. I'll tell you what, let's open the scriptures here. Let's go to chapter 5.
Good chapter 5.
Daniel, Chapter 5.
Daniel, Chapter 5.
And verse, this is, this is the handwriting on the wall. Now I'm going to take up #4 #5 here the job. Chapter 5 of Daniels was the one where Belteshauser's having 1000 Princess and he's having a big party and it is just a good time. And then what happens?
What happens?
Right on. Well, there's a hand that's on the wall and it smells that belteshowsers loins did what?
Smoke together, smacking together and just smacking together, right? He's got 1000 of these guys in there with all their concubines and all their wives going on, and they had to pull Daniel in. Daniel was separated, best I can tell from the context here in Daniel Five, he was not at that party.
00:20:17
Right, the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother says.
Verse 11 There's a man in my Kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods and the days of my father light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of gods was found in him. When the king desert thy father the king, I say thy father may master and the magician's astrologers, Chaldeans and Sioux cities. For as much as an excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding, interpreting of dreams, showing apart sentences, dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel.
You have an opportunity, I have an opportunity to do the very same thing. There are people that are concerned right now as to where things are going.
They are concerned because the world is changing and it's changing in a scary fashion. No sooner had we been locked down as a world for two years due to this pandemic that a war breaks out that looks very similar to the entry level of World War 2.
Read the history of World War Two. It looks very similar to it and the Europeans are scared of that.
But we have an opportunity that if we are separated from the world system.
And we have a fundamental understanding. What did Paul tell Timothy? Rightly divide the word of truth.
And this goes for not only young men, but it goes for young women as well. You have the ability to share one-on-one, if you will.
God's plan for them and God's plan for this world, Because what do we have here about a week or two ago, Earth Day?
Isn't that solemn to think that everybody's worshipping Earth, if you will, but the Earth is going to be burned up at some point here.
OK, so Daniel is called, he had to be called in. He was separate from the party being brought in, and he's got a job to do and he's there to share God's plan. All right, let's look at this. Let's look at the next chapters, chapter 6 and verse 10. Now this is interesting too. This is a very common verse. Daniel 610. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being open. Chamber or Jerusalem.
Kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime. He is separated from the street.
Now we know that Daniel sat on the gate.
But to pray three times a day, Apparently he went into his house and he threw his windows open.
Now it also says here it says toward Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem?
Why? Why When he was shopping for real estate for an apartment, he bought a house that had.
A via westward viewers and towards Jerusalem. I think Babylon is east and so he's looking towards Jerusalem. Why?
God dwelt there. Now, interesting enough, you're right. And yet God isn't one there. But more importantly, it is God's center. Absolutely. And that's the point I want to make. He, even though he couldn't be here, he was still respectful that God has a center.
And christened them today. And it's getting pervasive.
That there is a thought that God does not have a center today. I'm here to tell you on the word of God that God has a center today. And happily, if you were here this morning, it was in here in this region of Walla Walla. It was right here, I believe.
God has a center He's given us.
And many of us, obviously, during this pandemic were caught in a situation where we couldn't go to be with the Lord in the center collectively.
OK. So he is separated from and he's also determining there is a center. All right, what else do we got here?
Prayer where we we covered the prayer there, but there's some other things here too.
Let's go to Chapter 2.
Chapter 2 on prayer real quick.
So the gist of Chapter 2 is the king says, you're not going to tell me my dream. I'm going to go ahead and start killing all you wise men, all your soothsayers, all your astrologers. And Daniel says, oh, no, me.
00:25:12
Give me some time. And what does he do? He goes back and he has, we know he has good friends.
Isn't that nice? Isn't that nice to be able to come together with some friends to bear up prayer? Because I'm going to say something right now. There's stuff coming and I don't know what it is.
That's going to require some individual prayer, but also some friends prayer, getting together. Don't think the Ukrainians don't think the Russian kids, You don't think that they're not getting together prayer because life is on the line for some of those folk.
Don't think the Chinese, the Chinese are locked up or in Shanghai or one of these cities, the code, there's millions of people locked up committing suicide. Don't think that there's not prayer going on during a situation like that. And so here he brings together verse 17, verse 16. And Daniel went in and desired the king, that he would give him time if the king would, that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house.
And made the thing known to Hananiah and Michelle and Azariah's companion, that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning the secret.
That Daniel and his father would not perish with the rest of the wife in the battle. And then the secret revealed on the Daniel and the night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Now this is the first record, like the first recording of a public prayer and scripture probably happened before, but that's where we get the first time that you have a collective prayer meeting.
Where's another collector for me in the scriptures?
He was in jail. Yeah. OK, that's one.
Another 1-2.
Peter what?
A collective prayer meeting there.
He's praying, he's praying there, but I'm talking about a collective prayer meeting.
It's an axe. It's an axe.
Yes.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, yeah, I hadn't thought about. That's a good one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When they were getting together that 12Th apostle, they were praying. Yes, as good call. Now that's an act too. There's another one. This is where prayer was want to be made.
Yes.
By the river, who was it?
Paul actually shows up. It's actually some sisters.
Isn't that nice Lydia? Sell our purple where prayer was. Want to be made that beautiful by the Riverside.
So prayer, What kind of prayer is there?
There is individual player, This is a broad subject, individual prayer. There's collective prayer, but let's there's some other stuff here. Let's go to Chapter 9 because Daniel is going to describe that Chapter 9 and verse 3.
Here we go, intercessory prayer. Daniel 93 I set my face unto the Lord God to seek my prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, and I pray them to God, Lord my God, and made my confession and said, Oh Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant mercy of them that love him and unto them, and keep his commandments, we have sinned. Now interesting enough, do you read about Daniel sinning?
Don't read about it.
But he's interceding on behalf of his people.
That is a type of prayer interceding on behalf of someone else. What else does it say? It says supplications.
What we heard at the conference here, there's a couple things they're bringing. We heard something about sometimes prayers are getting to be a lot of health issues or something, you know what I'm saying?
Right, It's easy. It's easy because I see somebody over here and they're and they got help. I'm going to pray for them. But have you thought about And I love what brother Michael Bryan says. I love it.
What's he say? He says give more praise than petition.
Give more praise than petition. Do you understand? Right now the Lord Jesus is up in heaven and he's not on his throne.
He's on his father's love.
Think about that. There's a day coming he's going to have his own throne.
But give Him honor and glory for being there and being interceding for us. And, and, and you and I both need intercession. He is the great intercessor for us on our Father's throne.
00:30:09
It's beautiful.
OK, there. Before I go any further, we missed one over here in Daniel's behavior and we see it back here. A little hint, it's back here in Chapter 9.
Chapter 9 and we see it here. This is very interesting. I think this might be the only place in the Word of God. Verse two. Anybody see it? Another behavior of Daniel.
I'm not gonna give the answer, I need the answer.
Huh.
No. Chapter 9, verse two. Yeah, say it again.
Read the scriptures. There you go.
There you go.
Read the scriptures. What did he read?
Jeremiah. He read Jeremiah. Interesting enough, Jeremiah was kind of a contemporary, but somehow he got a scroll of Jeremiah.
And he read Jeremiah and he found that God had given Jeremiah something about 70 weeks, which is a beautiful thing in itself, but he got it from reading the Scriptures.
So Daniel's a man of prayer, he's a man that reads, he's a man that's separated, he's able to share God's plan with people, and he's got purpose of heart.
Let me ask you something. All those other kids that you see in the chapter, chapter one, you ever hear about all the guys?
I don't know where they are. I know the three friends are sitting there. Isn't that beautiful? This is Daniel and he's separated. He's in the world and he's separated from the world. He's separated to God. But I like what Ryder says. He's first serving God and then he's serving man because who did he serve? He went through two kingdoms. You talk about ACEO or ACFO, that goes through some companies, this guy.
He he saw Nebuchadnezzar go on, he saw his son Belteshauser, or grandson, whatever he is, and then he saw Cyrus coming. He saw massive the massive Babylonian system come in, and then the Medes and Persians overnight.
But you know, something interesting is that.
We need young men and young women moving forward and you can ask the old ones in the back.
How fast are we sliding? I hate to break it to you.
We're on a double double black diamond here and you don't know it. You're about ready to get hit. The double black diamond, it's going fast, sliding fast.
And you're going to have to have these traits here. And I'm gonna wrap up because we're just having, I'm having a good time. But there's one thing here that you and I have. If you know, the Lord Jesus is your Savior, there's something that you and I have that Daniel did not have. What is it?
Beautiful OK perfect. There's a there's a couple of the Holy Spirit do I want to dwell on that he had we have the Holy Spirit dwelling on and what the Old Testament saying the Old Testament St. as David would say in Psalm 51. Let not thy Holy Spirit leave me. That was a fear. Can you imagine living in the system honoring God to the best of your ability hoping that.
That God would be merciful but you and I, if you know the Lord Jesus your Savior.
We have the security of the triangle, one part of the training Godhead living inside of us. What's another one along the same lines?
Newburgh new birth, yes, basically he, he, we have a savior, right Daniel? Daniel wasn't looking back at a savior that died on the cross for him, did he?
You and I can look back and you can see a savior hanging on the cross for you and I, and we can relish on that.
And a resurrected one too, right? Yeah, You didn't have that. So those are things that you and I have.
Oh, and the other thing is we have the Father. That's the whole book of Gospel. John, the Lord Jesus says, I'm coming to show you the Father.
Daniel didn't have the Father, he had Jehovah.
It's a more distant relationship.
You and I have the Father to go to. We have a personal Savior. We have the Holy Spirit. Daniel didn't have that, but Daniel was living to beyond, if you could say what normal Jews. And The thing is, he was succumbed to the sins of his fathers. The sins of his fathers was putting him in in Babylon in his wicked system.
00:35:08
All right, let's go after him. All right, so.
Let's turn over. Let's repeat what Brother Bob said today. This is on my heart. Second Timothy, Second Timothy one. And you know, I woke up this morning about 4:00 in the morning and it's all kind of came to me. And this, this first came to me here. Second Timothy, chapter one.
And verse.
Well, it's middle verse 12.
For I know who I have believed, and am persuade that he is able to keep that which I committed unto him against that day. Paul is writing to a son, Timothy.
Hold fastest form of sound words for sound heard of me, and faith and love which is in Christ Jesus, that good thing which was committed unto thee. Keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US. Isn't that beautiful? Keep the Holy Ghost is dwelling you keep it.
We'll share now something I just learned a couple weeks ago. I was listening to a podcast by dear brother and he mentioned something that I had never heard before. It's a very beautiful thing. It has to do with prayer right here.
I'm going to give you give you an idea. Take it if you want. This young man who serves God mightily in his capacity in a network for God, was relating to the fact that when he was in high school, he was going to an older sister's house to visit with her.
That older sister took upon herself.
As a responsibility to pray for you.
I don't know what college you went to. You probably went to some high fluid in college with this guy Smart. And what are we in college when he would come back?
And she was still fighting for him.
She was not related, apparently.
And I will say that.
Looking for anybody else in here in my lineage.
They're gone, but some of us are products and I'm just only speaking what I know. I don't know what you know, but we are. We are actually as as Paul was telling Timothy, he had, he had a grandmother and mother.
And if you're sitting here tonight, you probably are a product of printer by a grandmother and a mother.
OK.
What's striking to me? My grandmother passed away here a couple years ago at 100 and 102.
Things have changed.
I don't know, but she's with the Lord.
But here's the challenge that this guy's saying is he committed as a young man to visit with his sister to update her on his life so she can pray for him.
I thought that interesting.
And you know something, there are plenty, and I'm just going to use older sisters for a moment. There are plenty of older sisters that would be happy.
I believe.
To pray for you.
If you build that relationship.
If you take that time to go visit with them and figure out if that's something they have on their heart.
That has to be related to you and it may not be near you. Maybe it's on the phone.
There is plenty of lonely older sisters 'cause they're not living the guys.
And they're in full dependence and they've got a tremendous job to do, and prayer is a tremendous thing.
That was just a little 5. Wouldn't that be nice? Would that be nice if young people would call up?
An older sister and say what to tell you about my life. I can tell you about some of my directions and where I'm going, where I'm thinking about. Can you pray for me on this tonight? You know, I'd love to check back with you on this.
Older sisters also like, what do they like? Do they do e-mail?
Yeah, How about a little handwritten card? I don't know. Just a thought. Just a thought. Anyway, That's a little something that has to do with Daniel. He was a man of prayer. All right, so I mentioned this earlier. What was God's name for Daniel? Not the front row. God's name for Daniel.
Sorry, I asked him then I think it's fun to ask him dance, but.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Old man greatly beloved. Old man, greatly beloved. Isn't that beautiful? Old man greatly beloved. Think about it. He spends his entire life, he starts off around 16 when you pick him up, and we easily take him into his 80s, into his 90s. And somehow there's that consistency all the way along the way, all these things we talked about. An old man greatly beloved, that beautiful.
00:40:24
All right. Any questions?
We'll wrap.
If there's any questions I love take them.
Yeah.
Yeah. So how many drinks do you have? How many drinks do you have to interpret? Well, you interpret the the one dream, right with the the image and then you have the tree, right. So you got 22 dreams, I believe.
Right, he was a man called on, but you will be a you will be a man and a woman call upon in your circle. If I believe, if you if you follow the separator from the world and separate unto Christ and you're in prayer and you're in the word of God and you got friends around you too. Is that beautiful? So but this stuff over here, this world system stuff over here on the left hand side.
Here's the deal.
If you have too much ice cream.
You're not going to like the cooking. That's the beautiful cooking that's got the salad and all the stuff you should be eating, right? And the ice cream was on the side. It's good. I mean, you might have a little taste here and there. I'm finding out I can have less taste. They're older. You grow, you have less taste of ice cream. But too much of this stuff gives you problems.
Purcell to Mike's or March Sunday school this morning. All those weights in the back.
All right, well, let's I guess we'll wrap. So within time or overtime, let's wrap and give thanks for are we have a nice thing?
We're half OK, all right, let's ask God's blessing. Our Father, our God. We're thankful again for these young men and young women. And Father, we as we leave this conference, we consider that.
Entail and keep them. We think of these things, as Daniel has outlined. We think of this world father we're living in. Let's leave us in here for a few more, whatever, maybe days, moments, weeks, years. And we ask for help. We ask for help.
That we would be close to the Lord Jesus along the way and that we would wait for thy coming Lord Jesus any moment. And then we have this little refreshment here. We have the games. We're thankful for this time that we can be together this evening and also this weekend. Again, we Father, we just look at the brother in here that have given us this opportunity to be together. And we love the Lord Jesus and we cry Even so come thy name, we pray, Amen.
I get some glasses here here.
Justice, just so everyone knows, we're going to play a scavenger hunt for anyone who wants to participate in 20 minutes 945 If you all wouldn't mind trying to move through the food and dessert lines quickly and get to eating so we don't run into the curfew and can start the game in 20 minutes. Thank you for all your help, 9:45.
I'm not going to be there. I wear knee braces.
No.