Address—A. Barry
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M number 278.
Savior, we long to follow Thee.
Daily thy cross the bear.
And count all else but here it be unworthy of our care.
We are not now our own, but dying the purchase of thy blood.
Made by grace and love divine the sons and the heirs of God.
278.
Savior.
We love.
You.
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This afternoon.
They're young friends and all.
Is a subject of following Christ.
And we all turn both to Old Testament.
Always been possible, no matter what the state of the world has been.
For God's people to follow Him.
There's never been a day, nor will there ever be a day.
When we.
Are not enabled.
Follow the Lord.
What a marvelous.
Fact that is the state that with all the opposition, with all the efforts of Satan, still it's your privilege and God has fully provided, fully equipped you.
As you go through this dark scene to follow the Lord.
All the 1St.
Subject that comes before me is the bottom line.
Of whom we are told that he wholly followed the Lord. That man was Caleb.
And the first mention I believe we have of Caleb is in the 14th chapter of the Book of Numbers.
No, it's the 13th chapter of Numbers.
I'll just give a little account of what leads up to.
The story of Caleb.
The children of Israel had gone out of Egypt with a high hand, and the Lord had led them right to the borders of the Promised Land.
An unbelief led to their ascending spies to spy out the land, so they spent 12 men, one of each tribe, and Caleb and Joshua were among the numbers.
And when they came back from.
Traveling through the different parts of the land of Canaan.
Where they came and reported what they had seen and if you look at the 13th chapter on the 29th, 1St.
Or the 28th verse, it says nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land.
The cities are walled and very great.
Moreover, we saw the children of Sanic there. The Malachi dwell in the land of the South, and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the coast of Jordan.
And Caleb killed the people before Moses and said, let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.
But we will not go on to tell about the sad results of the unbelief.
Of ten of these spies.
They told the people that.
These anakims they saw, there were such giants that they looked like grasshoppers.
In comparison.
To these great giants that possess the part of the land.
And they they call the whole congregation of Israel.
To rebel against the word of the Lord.
And to refuse to go up and take possession of the land. Now look at the sixth verse of the 14th chapters.
And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Japanese, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes.
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And they speak unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land which we passed through the search, it is an exceeding good land.
I'll take special attention in reading the next verse.
If the Lord delighted us, then He will bring us into this land, and will give it us a land which flows with milk and honey. Only rebels not here against the Lord, neither fury the people of the land.
For they are bread for us.
Well, instead of listening to the advice of these men of God.
They rebelled against the Lord and talked about having a captain to lead them back into Egypt.
Not a sad story.
Well, because of their unbelief, the Lord told them that they'd have to turn back into the wilderness.
And all this great congregation that had come.
To possess that good land that flowed with milk and honey.
Were to wander in that wilderness.
Until they were all dead, like a lot of lot of disciplines for if we were reminded yesterday, the government of God for his people is very solid If they wouldn't believe what Caleb told them that they were abundantly able to go up and possess the land.
There was nothing but to spend the rest of their days.
In a sad wandering in that vast and terrible wilderness, until light came to within.
But here's what we're told about Caleb. Here's what the Lord says. But my servant Caleb?
Because he hath another spirit with him.
And have I noticed this have followed have followed me fully?
Him will I bring into the land wherein he went, and his seed shall possess it.
What a lovely report of a young man at the beginning of his history that he had fully followed the Lord.
Well, he had a long sad experience ahead of him from this time on.
Because he had to go along with that unbelieving congregation.
And spend those 40 years.
There in the wilderness.
Wandering here and there.
But what do we find? Beloved young people.
At the end of that 40 years journey.
Turn to the first chapter of Deuteronomy.
Notice this chapter begins.
In the third verse it says, when it came to pass in the 40th year and the 11Th month, on the first day of the month, that Moses bake unto the children of Israel.
So you see, this was 40 years.
After they had come into the wilderness.
And it was only 11 days journey to Katie's barnea, whereas it required 40 years.
Of wilderness life.
To reach the promised land. But here's something lovely to call attention to in this chapter. What Moses says about Caleb in the 30 sections, 36 verse.
Well, the 35th verse you read, surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land which I swear to give unto their fathers.
Saving Caleb the son of Japanese, he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon unto the children of Israel.
Because he.
Have wholly followed the Lord.
Now, after 40 years, it Phyllis says that he.
Wholly follows the Lord.
My wife and I were talking about the years we have attended.
General meetings in Des Moines.
And we look back over 40 years.
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Can we think of many that we knew that have gone on and are now in our Father's house?
Waiting for that glorious day when the Lord returns and wakes the sleeping faint and takes us home with Himself.
Well, we think of some.
Who are still following the Lord? Isn't that a wonderful testimony?
Some we know and some ways faces we look into that.
That we're here 40 years ago.
We're still following the Lord.
I don't expect, dear young friends, that the Lord is going to leave his church here for another 40 years. Things are.
Hasting on and things are are.
Showing every indication the Lord's coming must be very, very near indeed. But if the Lord left us here for another 40 years, who, dear young people, would you be found among that number?
Who are still following the Lord is possible.
God, as we already said, has fully provided so you can follow along.
And not turn aside to the right hand or to the left hand.
And I'm sure that Caleb.
Acknowledge this that the fact that he followed on.
And holy was still following the Lord was because of his wonderful keeping grace during all those years.
What a sad experience he must have had of seeing 600,000 people go down to their grace.
To see people destroyed by.
By judgments and plagues and plagues and fiery serpents. And kill that whole congregation.
West consumed.
If you return with me to the 14th chapter of Joshua.
Now we're looking at a subject.
Where?
The the Children of Israel have taken position for the promised Lands.
The wars of Canaan are about reached their clothes, and this good land is being partialed out to the different tribes.
Here Caleb appears again.
In the sixth verse Then the children of Israel came unto Joshua and Gilgal, and tale of the son of Gifani, the Kenneth light said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses, the man of God concerning me.
And thee and Katie Barnier, 40 years old, was I when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from.
Katie Barnier to spy out the land, and I brought him word again, as it was in my heart. Nevertheless, my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people milks.
But I fully solid the Lord my God.
And lovers swear on that day, saying, Surely the land where on thy feet have problems shall be thine inheritance.
And thy children's forever.
Because thou has wholly followed the Lord.
Doesn't that beautiful?
We're extending.
Our subject a number of years later after the Wars of Cadence. But here's Caleb again. What does it say about it? What does the Lord say about it?
That he wholly follows the Lord.
And what a great reward he received. You know, these other spies frightened the people by telling of these giants. It made them look like grasshoppers. They were the Anakin's.
But the very mountain of the Anakins that so frightened the congregation became the possession of Caleb.
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And the Lord said he was going to give that to him and to his feet forever. And why?
Finally, he gets such a marvelous reward. Was it because he had a stronger character than other people?
Was it because he had a more wonderful personality than some others?
Was it because he had an iron wheel? I'm a very determined man, Man. You couldn't swear. Couldn't.
Deceive easily. No, it wasn't bad at all.
Might have been naturally a weak character we don't we're not told but the reason is more if I could press upon our hearts this afternoon beloved dress. The only reason that he came into this reward was because.
He fully followed the Lord.
The very reason that you can.
Gain a reward that will be worth more.
And all that this world has to offer is because.
You wholly follow the law.
Now we know, dear young friends, that.
Our portion is not earthly.
The portion of God's people of Israel was an earthly portion, an earthly position.
An inheritance in this world.
That our portion is in the heavens above.
As Peter tells us, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that faith is not of waste.
And for those who go on through the difficulties and through the trials and through the dangers of the way, our promise that there are rich rewards waiting for them.
At the end of the journey.
A lot of young friends is worthwhile following the Lord.
You know, when Barnabas went and saw that that happy work there at Antioch, how did he do?
He exhorted them that they should, that they should cleave to the Lord.
With purpose of heart.
Now, I'm sure that Joshua had his ups and downs.
And his his many trials.
In his pathway of faith.
And he discouragements along the way. But he kept on long.
Although he didn't surrender the the promise that had been made him, the Lord told him he was going to give him that for his possession, and he had that ever before him. And that was his encouragement to press on and to not surrender when everything would lead him to fall in with the unbelieving congregation.
No, he continued on and on until he gained the prize that was held out before his soul.
Well, we have promised to us, beloved.
These great and precious promises.
That Peter tells us about.
And if we look at the Book of Revelation.
We'll we'll consider just.
Reward or two and the and the second chapter of Book of Revelation.
In the seventh verse.
He that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I get to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Battery of life is Christ.
And it speaks of a special enjoyment of that glorious scene when Christ is going to be the center of all that paradise, where God's glory will be revealed, and where Christ will be seen in all his glorious majesty.
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Well, we just get a little glimpse of the Father's game, you see.
By going on and following a blessed one. For remember, beloved, that the day that we're living is the day when our blessed Lord has been rejected.
This world has spit in the face of our savior. Did you ever stop to think of that?
That the world that would attack you away into its empty pleasures.
Fit in the face of your Redeemer.
Well, that's one bright reward that's held out.
As a reward to the overcomers, you know there's only two classes among God's people. They are those who are overcome and they are the overcomers.
You can belong to either class friends.
Go on carelessly and.
Take up with the world and its ideas and.
And the thing to get a place and give importance and get the highest positions in this world, If the world is holding out its attractions and you're deceived by it, you can end your course among those who are overcome.
By these present things, but you can be among the overcomers, and we find in each of these addresses to the seven churches that the Lord has his overcomers.
In every stage of the Church of God.
Well, in this same third chapter in the address to.
The Nicolaitans.
In the 17th verse he says he that happened here let him hear what the spirits up onto the churches to him that overcometh will I give to each of the hidden Mama?
And I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name.
Written which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it, you know, that takes us something into something deeper and sweeter, perhaps than even.
We are eating of a tree of life.
Because here is what expresses.
A deep communion of heart and soul.
With a person of Christ himself.
You know Christ is the manna. He says I am the bread which came down from heaven to give life on the world. Oh, we think of that blessed, rejected one that the world refused.
And if you go on and are despised by the world?
Your promise?
A special fellowship.
That is an individual enjoyment for your soul, so that it speaks of it as he's giving a name which.
No man knows saving he that receiveth it.
3 Little.
Enter into the immensity, the marvels of that fellowship in that coming day, to have for all eternity a special nearness to Christ as a result of a walk.
Of faithfulness and going on in communion with himself.
Well, those are just two illustrations we read of crowns, you know, that are promised to the overcomers.
But now.
One's mind turns to someone in the New Testament.
And that one I'm thinking of is a man named Simon Peter that we hear so much about.
And you know, the Lord said to Peter one time, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. How may we turn to Luke chapter 5?
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But before the Lord ever said to Peter.
Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men.
Peter had to find out in this 5th chapter of Luke while a poor miserable.
Worthless.
Hellbound Center he actually was.
And a lot of friends. I trust that no one is deceived as so many are in this world today and thinking that by by your efforts to follow Christ, you can become a Christian. You have to become a Christian first. You have to be born again.
Your soul has to be saved before you can follow the blessed Lord.
The last many are trying to follow the Lord as a pattern example.
And they're actually on their way to a lost eternity.
Well, in this 5th chapter of Luke.
The Lord goes to the Sea of Galilee one morning because he knew there'd be a crowd of people there. The boats came in with their fish in the morning, and the people came to do their shopping. And it was a gathering center. And the Lord took advantage, just like some of you, dear brothers, go to Newfoundland. You find some or you find some places where the people congregate on the streets perhaps, and take advantage of it, the Lord.
But just a pattern for us in looking for opportunities wherever he went.
And it tells us in the third verse. And he entered into one of the ships which was Simons, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land, and he sat down and taught the people out of the ship.
I wasn't that wonderful that the Lord selected a certain boat.
That he used, we might say, as his focus or place from which he could talk to the crowds on the shore.
Well, if you ever think of it, dear young friend, that your being here together is specially ordered of the Lord.
Or maybe I better say there's something more definitely ordered of the Lord that you were.
Brought into a little meeting back there at home.
Or it may be that you were saved in a Christian family.
In other words, the Lord selected your little bolt because He wanted to have an opportunity of getting in company with yourself. The Lord chose that boat so he could be in company with Simon Peter. Not only did he take advantage to speak to all out Strong there, but he wanted to be near Peter, get his eye on Peter in a special way.
And after they had.
The Lord has spoken to the taught the people.
Then he says in the fourth verse.
Launch out into the deep, and let down your Nets for a draft. And Simon answered and said unto him, Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, if I word, I will let down the nest.
And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net break.
Peter had normally not about the Lord.
To believe his word in the animator not fully as he might have, because the Lord said let down the Nets, and he says we let down the net.
But he knew that it was.
Humanly speaking, useless to fish.
After in the day after the fish couldn't be caught at night. He was an old time fisherman. He knew that Lake of Galilee better than anyone else, I suppose.
When he listened to the Lord.
Friends, are you listening to the Lord this afternoon?
The Lord is speaking right directly to your soul.
You fully trust his blessed words.
Well, when Peter, who lived down the net, he got such a hall of fish.
That he filled the boat, and then he called to James and John, and they came, and they filled both. Both so they began to sink.
And then Peter just fell down at Jesus knees.
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And we hear Peter saying, Depart from me, O, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
There the Lord was still in Peters Bolt, and we see this beautiful sight.
Here this old.
Weather beaten fisherman falling down before that blessed one.
And owning that he is nothing but a poor, sinful man.
What has wrought such a work in his soul?
Ah, he knew he was in the presence of one that was more than man. He knew it was only the one who was God manifest in the place who could bring the wealth of the lake into his nap.
He was just overcome with the majesty and glory of that person.
And there's a remarkable thing that while he is saying, depart from me, O Lord, he felt it was so unworthy to be near such a blessed holy.
Person.
It is. He's getting just as near as he possibly can at the same time.
And that's the way grace ever works in the hearts of sinners. It makes them feel how guilty and how wretched and how sinful they are in it. Yet the same time it awakens in the soul such a desire and such a love for that Blessed One.
That their hearts cannot do without them, and when anyone reaches that, that state in their souls history.
They're going to hear the very words that Jesus spoke here when he said to Simon Fearnon, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
All beloved, if you have found out you're a poor sinners and that Christ is your All in all, that he is a Savior, that you can fully trust him.
You need never fear as to all the questions of your eternal salvation.
Now we find, you know that Peter had his ups and downs that we were talking about and I'll have to be brief now as our time is running out.
But we find on one side occasion that Peter followed Jesus.
Afar off, he got into company with the enemies of Christ.
Hello. Let's be careful that we don't follow the Lord of far off. Are there any here that it could be said of them? Yes. Oh yes. He comes to meeting. He's a bread breaker. We see him once in a while. What about the prayer meeting? What about the reading meeting? You see him there?
Oh, how cold our heart can soon become if we're not watchful.
Well, you know how wonderfully the Lord restored dear Peter.
And I just call your attention to the last chapter of John's Gospel, where the Lord fully restores Peter in the presence of his disciples.
The Lord probed Peter until Peter has said.
Lord, thou knowest all things.
Thou knowest that I love thee. And now when the Lord has said that.
In the 18th verse.
Read verily, verily I say unto thee, When thou was young, thou girdeth thyself, and walketh whither thou wouldest. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest. Not this fake he signifying by what deaths he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said unto him, Follow me.
What marvelous grace, the very thing that Peter had so sadly failed in.
He was now to honor his blessed Lord at last.
He had said, you know in his own strength, that he was ready to go with his blessed Master to prison and to death.
Though he broke down because he was trusting himself. But now the Lord says you're going to honor me at last.
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And the very thing in which you have failed.
But all there were years ahead of Peter, years of service were before him. And so the Lord says, follow me.
Oh, what a lovely hand it was to Peter's life.
Follow the Lord and if you read his beautiful epistles as he was nearing his end and he said he soon to lay aside this his Tabernacle. So he says as long as I'm here, he says I'm going to I'll just turn to it for a moment in second Peter one.
He says in the 13th verse, Yeah, I think it meet as long as I'm in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me.
How would we feel love it if we knew that we were going to be nailed to a cross in a short time?
Could we talk to God's people in this way? It humbled us to think of what poorer, unworthy servants we are when we view ourselves and the light of the faithfulness of these men of God.
But if Kale of the Holy follow the Lord, we find Peter holy following the Lord now that he didn't make mistakes, not that he didn't follow the Lord afar off at one time.
We've all made mistakes, but let's get back to Him as quickly as possible. Let's not allow time to go by out of communion. God granted, we may keep close to His, to His blessed side and all. Beloved Father, reward awaits those who follow the Lord with purpose of heart.
Let's sing hymn #42 in the appendix.
Savior, lead us by thy power, save into the promised rest to the path the way, whatever seems to be. O Lord, the best Ye our guide in every terror, watch and keep us night and day.
Elsa Pulley's heart will wander and straighten their way.
Save your early.
And they did have a few more thoughts on this subject and ask we should extend it a little longer.
In fact, once the Lord says to Peter.
After he has says follow me in this 21St chapter 19 first.
It says then Peter turning about, see if the disciples whom Jesus loved following, which also leaned on his breast at supper and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, Lord, And what shall this man do? Jesus said on him, If I will that he carried till I come, What is that to thee? Follow thou me.
I believe that the.
Important words for older ones as well as younger ones.
What is that to thee?
We've been seeing the importance of following the Lord.
But remember this, beloved, if you get occupied with the failures of your brothers or how well they're walking.
You may get your eye completely awful. Christ.
And it can end in a sad, sorrowful departure.
Many one who started out most useful.
Got occupied with the shortcomings of his presence, got in an unhappy state of soul, and went off, and has never returned to follow the Lord. I think of a dear brother who was so useful, so gifted.
And he got where he was spending his time criticizing.
And talking about the shortcomings of his brethren. Many things true, and many things fair to, but he allowed himself to get under.
A flat state of things.
And he has gone off many years ago and never returned.
So let's remember the word to Peter when he looked at John. What's this man to do?
I remember the Lord has advice for each one of his own.
He says to each one here in his presence who knows his love and grace. He says follow me.
If you get occupied with others and their shortcomings, just take to heart these words. What is that to thee? Follow thou need.
And I was thinking to allow the Apostle Paul connection with the way he followed the Lord and all the dear Apostle Paul was the pattern St.
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He's the only one of the apostles that says follow me even as I also follow Christ. And I believe the reason why Paul could say that was because he'd seen Christ in glory and counted all things that lost for him.
But here we can in our people, measure the use of God in connection with a pathway of others. I remember one of the first copies of the messages of love that came out.
There was an article in that, one of the early copies written by brother Alec Flex, and he told about an experience he had in visiting a farmer who was trying to get his sheep into an enclosure. And there was a big pile of snow by the gate. And when the sheep got out toward the gate, they saw this pile of snow and it frightened them and they ran in every direction.
He tried to coax them through the gate and he couldn't succeed. And then he tried to drive them through the gates, and that failed. At last he fought upon the plan. He took one of the sheep and he petted that sheep, and he dumped that sheep very friendly to himself. And then he started toward the gate, and this she trotted right behind his heels. And when the other he saw this sheep falling so closely, they fell in line.
And when he got to the gate, they didn't. The flock didn't see this, the scary pile of snow. They just followed the shepherd with a cheap stone here, right where the shepherd desired to have it.
Well, remember, beloved young friend, that no man liveth unto himself, no man dieth unto himself.
Are we helping others to follow Christ, or are we discouraging others from following Christ? And you know this subject, following Christ?
Takes off every affair that we have to do with in this scene.
Now the Blessed One that said to Peter, follow me.
Is now in the glory above, but he sends a blessed Holy Spirit here to guide us through this angle scene and if it's the place where the Lord would have you gather with other Christians you have.
Guidance right from your blessed Master about it.
One thinks for all those two that the Lord sent to find the place.
Where the Lord first spread the table and gave the emerald of his death, that they were to yours, who remember Him all through their Christian history.
And you remember the story, and it was Peter and John again.
That were the ones that were told to follow a man bearing a pitcher water. They followed that man, and they found the very place where the Lord ate the Passover and instituted the Lord's Supper that day.
And then in closing, one thinks of a beautiful illustration in the Old Testament.
Just what we're talking about now that our blessed Lord is no longer here, we can't go to Him. And the way that Peter and John unburden our hearts right in His visible presence.
Hello, how marvelous to have the Spirit of God guiding us and instructing us along the way through His precious words.
And one thinks of.
Of the time that Abraham sent his servant across the desert to find the bride for his son Isaac. And you know when Rebecca was told the story of Isaac and the question was raised as to whether it was best for her to go on this long.
Unknown journey with the camels.
With far off lands they they brought her and they asked her this question.
Will thou go with this man?
You remember her reply, she says. I will go.
Well, the Lover is that the answer of your heart, of the Spirit of God brings home to your soul the blessedness, the following Christ.
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Through this dark scene.
The answer to the question yours this afternoon.
I will go. I want to follow that blessed one. All I know friends, it means a path of trial, of rejection. Been reading lately as some of the sufferings of the martyrs of old and it makes one exchange to think how little we really suffer for Christ.
Because of the same world that's nailed into the cross of the world to which we're passing and through which we're called upon to follow that one we're following, beloved, our rejected Christ.
May the Lord keep us, and may we like the dear apostles of whom we mentioned, the dear Apostle Paul. There was another like Caleb.
Wholly followed the Lord, and at the end of the journey he was able to say, I fought a good fight, I finished my course, I kept the faith, and now henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me in that day.
Then to our encouragement, he says, And not the meals only, but unto all them, if love is appearing.