YP Address—P. Johnson
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.
We have had this hymn before us before, but I've been much impressed with it. Hymn #124 Jesus our Lord, thou Morning Star, how well we know thy name. Jesus the Lord, the Crucified in glory, still the same. Hymn 124.
Jesus, our Lord.
In the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Mark.
Gospel of Mark, chapter 5.
And we'll read from verse 35.
While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, certain which said, Thy daughter is dead.
Why trouble is thou the master any further?
00:05:02
As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he sat under the ruler of the synagogue. Be not afraid, only believe.
Suffered no man to follow him, say Peter and James, and John the brother of James, and he cometh to the House of the ruler of the synagogue, And see if the tumult. And them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he said unto them, Why make ye this a dew, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they'll ask him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the Father.
And the mother of the damsel and them that were with him, and entered in where the damsel was lying, and took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talifa Kumai, which is being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise. And straightway the damsel arose and walked, for she was of the age of 12 years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straightly that no man should know it, and commanded something should be given her.
To eat.
And in the Luke Luke's Gospel Chapter 8, we have the corresponding circumstance recorded by Luke.
Verse 49.
Luke 849 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogues house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead, trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, say Peter and James, and John, and the father, and the mother of the maiden.
And all the way up and bewailed her. But he said, Weep not, she is not dead, but sleepy. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying made arise. And her spirit came again. And she rose straightway. And he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished. But he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
I read these two portions to introduce what I have for my heart to speak to all of us and especially directed to the young people, and that is the subject of food, the desire that God would have that his people.
Should be fair. The type of food you notice in the circumstances that we read here, there was one who was raised from the dead and perhaps this would represent and we could apply it in this way to one who has come to the Lord Jesus Christ as a young person, saved, brought into life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Because our remarks this afternoon are to be directed to those who have believed on the Lord Jesus.
Have life. They are not dead in trespasses and in sins. They are not the dead who will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment, but there are those who have already passed from death unto life. Not that we would ignore or have no concern for any who might be in the room still dead in trespasses and sins, but we would once again urge each and everyone to make sure and certain as to your own relationship with God.
As to whether or not you have life, he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. In rejecting the Lord Jesus are in carelessly going on without the Lord Jesus, without knowing Him as the Savior. One is dead in trespasses and sins and does not have life. But we're thinking especially of those who have believed and you have liked, just as this young maiden.
Was raised from the dead and brought to life as we have in Mark's Gospel. And if you'll notice the last verse of Mark, chapter 5.
The words of the Lord in verse 43 He says He commanded that something should be given her to eat immediately when she is brought into life, the subject of food is introduced and this is imparted young people that one understand that.
Being brought into life and having life in Christ, that food is a primary importance in order that one might be for the Lord here in this scene, that one might be sustained according to the mind of God. Food which commanded to be given her. And you notice in Mark's account in verse 37, the only ones who went with him were Peter, James and John and.
00:10:28
There's not much account taken of the parents. It's not emphasized as it was in Luke, and the reason I read the account in Luke is that in Luke's Gospel we have not only the thought of food being given, but the parents are made prominent. He takes with him not only Peter, James and John, but the the father and the mother of the maiden. And it seems that here the Lord would show.
That not only the young convert, the young believer needs food, but they need that care, that council, that help that would come, that would be represented perhaps by the parents. I'm not saying just the parents of the individual, but in the assembly, those who have some maturity and who have gone on with the Lord for some years are able to give help and counsel to those who are young in the faith.
And it would certainly be an order and according to God's mind.
That young person should expect to look to older brethren for some counsel and some help in their pathway. But it wasn't my object to speak on that aspect. But I had especially before me is what each individual believer and young believers, again I emphasize, should be exercised about and that is getting food for yourself. Food for yourself.
It was commanded that she should be given something.
To eat.
Turn back to Genesis chapter one, we see that it was God's thought in the very beginning.
To provide food.
Of course this is physical.
In Genesis one verse 29.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth.
And every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed to you, it shall be from meat or for food. God's thought is that food should be provided. And we can apply this in a spiritual way and hear what was provided was herbs bearing seed. It was life giving. It had it had the element of life in it. And we read about every tree too and earlier in this first chapter of Genesis.
We read in verse 11 and God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth. In other words, the food that God provided had the element of life in it. And we might say too, that it had an element of order. It produced fruit according to its kind. It produced the desired results.
And the food that God would have young people to feed upon would be that which would have the element of life in it, and that which would be, you might say, a result that would be, according to the mind of God, that would have a proper result. There would be fruit, as we read here in regard to the trees and the grass, the herbs that were given to man in the beginning. Well, now this is more or less introductory.
For I'm going to touch upon three ways in which I can I believe we can say that Christ is the food for his people.
And not just for old and mature Saints, but Christ as food for his people, even of the youngest believers. Not that perhaps the youngest believer would enter into it in all of its fullness.
It's food that one begins to eat. You might say Christ as food that one begins to eat when they're brought into life, like that young maiden when something was commanded to be given her to eat. And it's food that one would feed upon during the whole of his pathway through this scene.
It's one the food that would be for those who have been many years in the past.
00:15:04
I do not want anyone to get the impression that we are presenting only what belongs to old and mature Saints.
But is that which belongs to those who are just as you were brought into life. Christ is the food of his people. I believe presented in three ways. There might be others three ways I have especially before me. You'll turn to Joshua chapter 5.
The three of them mentioned there that we want to consider Joshua chapter 5.
Verse 10.
And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the 14th day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.
And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the Morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn in the self same day. And the Manna ceased on the Morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land. Neither had the children of Israel manna anymore, but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. Now we have three ways mentioned here, which Christ is food eating the Passover.
We read in First Corinthians 5 that Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us. The eating of that Passover lamb is a type of food for the people of Gong. And then, you know, in the wilderness God rained down manna from heaven, and they ate the manna in the wilderness as food for his people in the wilderness. And now that they have entered into the promised land of Canaan, they eat of the old corn of the land.
Now we know of course, that these, the wilderness and Canaan can be taken up in various ways typically, but I would like to take it up in this regard this afternoon, that the believer is at one and the same time in the wilderness. And also we are those who have brought over Jordan into the land of Canaan.
Being in the wilderness is what this world has become to us.
Since we have believed on the Lord Jesus when we were brought to Christ and receive life from Him, this world in which we reside has become to us a wilderness, but also in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and our death with Him. We've been brought into the land of Canaan. We've been brought into what God has purposed for us and what He has accomplished for us.
In the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now as to how far these things are entered into experimentally.
That's another matter, but at least God views us as his people. As to our circumstances, we're in the wilderness in this world.
As to our place before Him, according to His purpose and counsels, and as the fruit of the work of Christ on the cross, we have been brought into a land flowing with milk and honey. Each and every one of us has title to it. How much of it we possess is another matter.
But the youngest believer has title to it all in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. Perhaps that would be what I had in mind in regard to our already being in the land of Canaan. But we have three ways here in which Christ is our food, the Passover, the manna, and the old corner of the land. And all three of these belongs to the youngest believer.
As I say, I'm not going to say that all enter into it to the same extent, but it belongs to the youngest believer and I'm not going into great detail, but just to touch upon a point or two in connection with each one of them. So we'll turn back to the first in Exodus chapter 12, where we have the Passover brought before us for the first time.
The Passover is.
Really the beginning of the pathway.
We know, of course, that the Passover.
Involved the taking of a lamb.
00:20:01
And it involved the slaying of that lamb and the applying of the blood upon the doorpost.
In view of the fact that the destroying Angel was going to come through the land and smite all the first born and God could say when I see the blood I will Passover and all who were sheltered under that blood of the Lamb were safe from the destroying Angel. This of course we know is a type of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that delivers us from the wrath to come, the precious blood that Shields us from the righteous.
Judgment of God on account of our sins.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is that which cleanses us from all sin. And we know this is the first step, you might say, in the path of faith, for the believer is to apprehend the first step in the path of each and every one of us, as far as taking any pathway through this scene as the people of God is to apprehend.
The work of the Lord Jesus Christ that answers to God for all of our sins.
And gives us assurance in our hearts and in our conscience, that all our sins so great, so many, are washed away in His precious blood.
So we all start there, and I'm speaking to those who have already experienced that, You know, the precious blood of Christ, You're here this afternoon without any question as to judgment before gone. You know that you will never have to give an account of yourself to God for all of your sins. For God has seen the blood, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is satisfied with that work. That work is finished and completed.
And the Lord Jesus, his own highs, having completed that work. And so your conscience has peace and rest.
But what I wanted to dwell upon.
Is the fact that not only were they to apply the blood of that lamb, that they had taken that lamb that had been kept up?
For a period of time in their midst so that they were able to observe that Lamb and you might say in a sense, become attached to it, not only the application of the blood that we have in verse 7.
They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts, and on the upper door of the post of the house, wherein they shall eat it. Now notice here we have the thought of food.
The blood was applied, the blood was forgotten that God might see it, but the lamb was for the people of God to eat upon, to feast upon, and they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire.
This is Christ on the cross for us. This is the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Not only.
Shedding his blood.
To put away our sins. But I believe it's Christ on the cross being judged for all that we are, His being made sin, sin being condemned. We can say that we see ourselves judged and condemned. We see man and all that man is the first man condemned and under the judgment of God in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Roast with fire, which speak of that judgment that came upon him.
Eating the flesh and that night roast with fire. Verse nine it says eat not of it raw, nor sodden it all with water, but roast with fire.
Perhaps this would indicate that we are to apprehend Christ and defeat upon him as being under the judgment of God. We know that he lived a perfect life. We know that he suffered from the hands of men.
We know that it was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and all of these things are lovely to contemplate, but it seems to me here the eating of his flesh roast with fire would emphasize the apprehension of himself there as being under the judgment of God. Those three hours of darkness, when all that we are, as well as our sins was condemned. That man and all that pertains to man, the first man came underneath the eye of God for judgment.
00:25:09
He was made sin for us. Now you know. I believe that it's good for a young believer to have a proper beginning in his pathway.
And one of the things that would be helpful for a young believer to have a proper beginning is for him to see that God has condemned man in the flesh.
So that he has no confidence in man his wisdom.
His ways he has no confidence in Princess. We had these verses brought before us, I believe someone quoted in our readings.
We should have no confidence in the first man at all. You remember the Apostle Paul says in First Corinthians one, he was not sent to baptize, but to preach the gospel. Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect, lest the cross of Christ he does not with wisdom of words he doesn't say, lest no one would believe. Someone might believe if he had come with auditory. The Lord might use that. The Lord uses many things.
To bring souls to Christ. But he said, If I come with wisdom of words, if I come according to man's ways and man's thoughts, and I present myself with auditory and present myself as a great personality, the cross of Christ will be made of none effect, because man would be prominent.
And the cross of Christ reduces man right down to analogy to nothing.
Christ here the lamb roast with fire is when he took our place there on the cross of Calvary and God condemned all that man is in the flesh and I believe it's a good beginning for a young believer to lay hold of the fact that in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man has been condemned so that one would not glory in man.
One would not follow the thoughts of man in any way. And you know, sometimes I have felt that many of the problems and difficulties that young believers encounter and questions that arise along the way arise because perhaps they didn't have that proper beginning of coming to the end of man in the flesh, in the cross of Christ, feeding upon, you might say, the lamb roast with fire.
The unleavened bread, because the unleavened bread would bring before us, well, leaven, of course, speaks of that which corrupts and inflates.
That's what the flesh does, man in the flesh. He corrupts and he inflates. He he builds himself up with pride. He prides himself in his wisdom. He prides himself in his reason. He prides himself in his is a manner of doing things and his ability to accomplish things and he corrupts and to eat here the lamb roast with fire, the Lord Jesus coming under the judgment of God.
All that man is in the flesh. And then the eating of the unleavened bread, the putting away of that which inflates and corrupts. And the bitter herbs no doubt would speak of applying it to oneself individually. Not only that, these things are true of men generally. You know, sometimes it's easy to speak about what man is. That's a sort of an indefinite word, a rather broad expression. But the bitter herbs would mean that it's applied to oneself.
That there is in me, as the apostle Paul could say, there is in my flesh dwells no good thing. And so we know that all that we are by nature has been condemned. That is, that sinful nature has been condemned in the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary. Now it's good for a believer to have a good beginning, as I say, and sometimes questions arise along the way because somehow they missed this beginning.
And they they got taken up with man's thoughts and they get occupied with man's reasonings and they read books that have to do with man's reasonings. And the result is many questions and problems arise that they don't seem to find an answer for. I'm reminded of a time, I believe it's in Luke's gospel, chapter 20, when the Pharisees came to the Lord Jesus after he cleanse the temple.
00:30:06
After he had come into the city of Jerusalem, there being proclaimed as the king, and he entered the temple and cleanses it, the second time they came to him and said, By what authority doest thou these things?
Well, they had a real problem. They didn't understand where he had such authority. They had a problem and the Lord knew they had a problem. And it's strange in a way how the Lord met that problem. He says to them, the baptism of John is it of God or of man? Well, I suppose one standing by might say, well, what does that have to do with whether or not the Lord Jesus had authority to cleanse the temple? What does the baptism of John have to do with that?
That didn't seem to answer their question at all. Well, the Lord wasn't just trying to be clever.
There is a reason, I believe the Lord said that the reason was this. We read in Luke 7 that while the publicans and sinners accepted the judgment of God against themselves, and went down and were baptized by John, that the Pharisees and lawyers rejected that counsel of God. The baptism of John was the beginning of the testimony, and that testimony was as the axe is laid to the root of the trees, man is completely set aside and judged.
And so they rejected them. They missed the beginning of the testimony. And so later on in the Lord's ministry, they couldn't understand why he had authority to to cleanse the temple in this way. He is as much said to them, you've got to go back and settle the first issue. You have to settle the first issue, which was the baptism of John. You've got to go back and, and have the proper beginning and take that low place and accept the judgment of God against you, just as the publicans and senators did.
Oh, they didn't want to do that, but they wanted their curious questions answered without starting in the proper way. Beloved young people, I believe this, that if we're going on on the lines of human reasoning and human thoughts, we're going to find many problems and we're going to find many questions that can't be answered. But if we take the place of eating the Passover roast with fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, if that's the beginning and that's the direction that the young believer takes.
He will find that his questions are easily answered. Easily answered. The Lord was very patient in answering His disciples who had certain difficulties.
There were difficulties that arose in the path of those who had genuine faith and the Lord was patient and he answered their questions. But we might say that they were in the proper attitude like Peter says, Lord, to whom shall we go? He didn't understand the Lords words in John 6 any more than those who went away and said, this is a hard saying, who can receive it? And he didn't understand exactly what the Lord meant, but he had they was in a spirit of self judgment you might say there.
And he says, Lord, to whom shall we go? And if the young believer is in the right direction, I'm not saying that he knows all the answers, but we want to start off with this spirit. We know that God is true and let every man be alive. That is, as far as opposing the things of God. We do not want to follow the reasonings of men in any way. And there is no value. There is no value in reading and being occupied.
With philosophical books, even though they are connected with the name of Christ, if it's taken up in a philosophical way, the apostle Paul says to the Colossians, let no man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. Well, this is food that the youngest believer can take up and eat.
And he puts him in the right direction.
Notice also we read there in verse 11 The manner in which they were to eat it. Their loins were girded, shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand, and you should eat it in haste. It is the large Passover, the spirit in which it is eaten, the spirit of a Pilgrim and a stranger.
Now you know it was pointed out and and this we want to remember. We do not expect a young believer to have the appreciation of many of the wonderful truths in God that one who has gone on with the Lord many years has.
But the youngest believer, the one who has just today been brought to Christ.
00:35:05
Can be in the proper attitude and spirit toward this world as that out of which he is going, that from which he has been delivered by the death of Christ, and he can have a proper and should have a proper attitude and spirit toward himself.
As the one condemned in the cross of Christ, and seeing not only like Isaiah said, that I'm a man of unclean lips, but I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. That not only I myself am unworthy, but all other men are unworthy of my trust, and I want to feed upon Christ and Christ alone. Now turn to the 16th chapter of Exodus. We have another way in which Christ is our food.
We might say that Christ.
As the Passover delivers us from this world.
Just as the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt, this world in all of its wisdom and its pleasure, its flesh pots.
It delivers us from man in his wisdom and stature.
There was wisdom there. Even Moses, we read, was learned in all of the wisdom of the Egyptians. But the Passover is that which delivers from that.
And introduces one now into the wilderness. And the wilderness, as I said in the beginning, is that which this world has become since we have known the Lord Jesus.
Notice in verse 10 of Exodus 16. And it came to pass as Aaron speaking to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness. I just want that expression brought before us. They look toward the wilderness. Now we're in the wilderness.
The believer, The young believer has apprehended Christ as the Passover.
Feasting upon Christ as the Passover, rejoicing in the precious blood that Shields him from judgment, knowing that judgment of himself and all that man is. And that lamb roast with fire. And now we're in the wilderness. They look toward the wilderness.
Verse 12 Verse 11. And the Lordspeaker, the Moses saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, speaking to them, saying that even you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass that even the quails came up and covered the camp. And in the morning the dew lay around about the host, and when the dew that was gone up.
Behold, upon the face of the wilderness they lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another. Literally, Mama.
What is it? That's why it got its name, Manna. They asked the question, What is it for? They wish not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. Now. This is food. The Passover was food, the beginning, you might say. And here's food for the wilderness journey. It's food for our pathway through this world and the circumstances of life in which we're found.
Now I know that historically we read as we did read in Joshua, that when they entered the land of Canaan, the manna ceased.
But the manner will never cease.
For the people of God, as long as we're here in the wilderness, and yet at the same time we can eat of the old corn of the land, as I trust we shall be able to touch on as well. That is, we feed upon Christ as the Passover and as the manna and the old corn of the land simultaneously. We might say, though these things happen historically and consecutively here as they're recorded in Scripture, it's food. Christ is food for us at all times.
But it has a different aspect or a different bearing. I might say this too. You know the font of food is that one ones constitution might be built up even in a human way. We need nourishment that our physical constitution might be built up. Just recently I was visiting in a home at dinner in the home and I noticed some cans of special diet.
00:40:13
And.
I spoke to the young man at the table as to whether or not he was on a special diet. It isn't often you find young men very concerned about a diet of losing weight. And I thought perhaps this is what it was, but it turned out just the opposite. It was a diet to put on weight. It was a special diet. He was desiring to build up some strength. He was a rather athletic boy. And so this, this special food had that in in mind. That is, it was the the purpose of it was that he should be built up.
Constitutionally, well, now you know, they are special diets whereby certain aspects of the body can be particularly nourished. And the fault of food is that that we might be built up. So while the Passover has one aspect, the manna another, and the old corner of the land of another, we want to have all of it as our food. Christ is our food, is the Passover, the manna and the old corn of the land all at one time.
It's our privilege to enjoy him and all three of these aspects. But now in regard to the manna.
How is it that Christ is food for us as the manna? Turn over to Psalm 78.
The 78th Psalm. We have an expression there that is rather remarkable and striking in regard to the manna.
Psalm 78.
And verse 24.
Verse 23 to get the context.
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven.
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
Man did eat angels food.
Notice that man did eat angels food. The manna here is connected with the Father being angels food.
Now connect this with Psalm 103.
The 103rd Psalm in connection with the thought of the angels.
This is food that's called angels food, and here we have a characteristic of the angels brought before us, Psalm 103 and verse 20.
Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening under the voice of His Word. Bless the Lord all ye host, ye ministers of His that do his pleasure or do his will.
It's spoken of His angels. Food, the manna, and the angels are spoken of as those who do the commandments, hearkening the voice of His Word. Those who do His pleasure are, as Mr. Darby renders it, those who do His will. It's Christ.
As the one here in the circumstances of life in this world, doing the will of God, He could say I came down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him that sent me.
He could say my meat is to do the will of him that sent me. It's Christ in the circumstances of life.
To do the will of God. He was here for the will of God from the very beginning. And as we meditate upon the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we read in the Gospels, as we feed upon Him and we see him here in this scene doing the will of God, He would hear his His whole being was for the will of God from the very beginning.
So the very end, his whole life was characterized by that, to do the will of God. And this strengthens us, this builds us up, and it gives us to be those who would be for the will of God ourselves here in this world. Eating of the manner, you know, it's possible, of course, to read the Scriptures and not get the manner. It's possible to just read about these events in the life of the Lord.
And not really see him here is the man for the will of God, the man here whoever and always considered for God in the very beginning.
Back in the 16th chapter of Exodus, when we read about the manna there being given, it says that it was upon the face of the wilderness.
00:45:15
Upon the face of the wilderness.
That is, it's connected with every aspect of the wilderness, and verse 15, or rather verse 14. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness they lay a small round thing, as small as the whole frost on the ground.
It was on the face of the wilderness.
The Lord Jesus.
As a man has been in this scene in all of the circumstances in which man is found in this world.
And he was, in all of those circumstances, entirely for the will of God, completely and totally.
Even as a little boy and I thought this is one of the one of the most wonderful touches in all of the gospel found in the Gospel of Luke.
That we have, even as a boy of 12.
That he was about his father's business and you remember when his.
Parents, when they discovered that he was not in the company of those who were returning back from Jerusalem when they had gone there for the yearly feast, and after searching for him for three days, they find him in the Temple, and Mary gave a little rebuke.
To the Lord Jesus.
And his answer was, Wish ye not that I must be about my father's business.
I thought that, you know, it was strange that it would take them three days to find him.
You would have thought that they would have expected to find him in the temple. That's where he would be. He would be there in connection with his, with his Father's affairs. And in a way you might say that the parents of Jesus were, were wrong in a way when they said that we have sought the sorrowing and so forth.
And sort of administered a little rebuke, you might say. I thought that maybe the parents there weren't exactly wise as they should have been. If they had really been wise parents, they would have gone directly to the temple the moment they missed him. But they didn't. But the lovely thing is this. We read that the Lord Jesus went down with them to Nazareth and was subject to them. I say to children, your parents may not always be wise.
There may be times when parents that we have to confess.
That we haven't been wise, but it's wonderful to see the Lord Jesus.
As a boy of 12 That he went down with his parents.
Nazareth and he was subject to them because it was the will of God.
He was here for God's will and he was subject to them. Turn over to that gospel of Luke.
That wonderful portion in the that I've just referred to.
We read it was a boy of 12 and he went down and was subject to them. But now I want to point out at the end or in chapter 3.
In chapter 3.
We do not have anything brought out concerning the person of the Lord Jesus in His walk from the age of 12 until we read in verse 23.
That Jesus himself began to be about 30 years of age.
Luke 3 and verse 23.
And during those years from the age of 12.
To this age of 30.
There's no doubt, and I'm not going to speculate, the Word of God has not has not given to us details of that period of his life.
And I believe it would be unwise for anyone to try to speculate and to try to fill up details that God has never been pleased to give us. But we do know, of course, that he was involved in the normal pursuits of life. As we read in, in the 6th chapter of Mark. They say, is not this the Carpenter? Well, of course, I'm not justifying. They're saying that he was more than just the Carpenter, but at least they had known him as one who had been occupied.
00:50:05
In the normal pursuits of life.
But I believe that what we have in verse 22 would indicate.
During those years, without all of the details being given to us, we know that.
He was doing the will of God, whatever it was, may have been carved to work. Whatever it was, He was doing the will of God. For we read in verse 22, the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven which said, Thou art my beloved Son in thee. I am well pleased He's speaking directly to the Lord and he's giving him that approval, and I believe he's giving an approval of those years.
Prior to this 30 years of age during those years.
The eye of God had rested upon him with delight because he had come to do the will of God. As a young boy. He did the will of God in being subject to His parents. And then as he entered into the pursuit of life and circumstances of life, and perhaps in that occupation as a Carpenter, we know that it was all in doing the will of God as the manner that one who has come down to do the will of God in everything that He did. And now He enters upon his service.
He has now entered upon His service and maturity, becoming about 30 years of age, which speak, I believe now of having become to mature years and he's entering upon His service and in his service it is to do the will of God, and everything that he took up he had no thought of attracting to himself.
He had no thought of doing anything independent of God. Everything was according to the mind and will of God. And you know, there's a lovely touch in chapter four that I'd like to speak to or apply to the young people. You know, as the Lord Jesus was truly a man. He was a little babe. He was a little boy, and he grew up into manhood. He knew what it was to be in a family.
And under parental care, he had brothers. He had sisters.
The whole face of the wilderness was covered with that manner. The Lord Jesus had been in all of these circumstances, but in it all He was doing the will of God. The will of God was ever before Him, and His parents, of course, were godly parents. His parents, we know, they observed all that God had enjoined upon His people in regard to the sacrifices.
And in the city of Nazareth, of course, they went to the synagogue where the people of God in that day were gathered. And when the Lord enters upon his service, you might say now he is independent in a sense of his parents. He is, but he's not independent of God. He's no longer under parental care and training. He's he's independent of them, but he's not independent of God. And being as it were, you might say now in full maturity.
Where did he go verse 16?
After, of course, his trial in the wilderness with Satan, we read He came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. He came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And you know, it's a wonderful thought to think here that he comes to that place where he'd been brought up. Everyone knew him from a child. They knew him. They had observed him.
And he comes to that place where he had been brought up, and as his custom was notice that as his custom was, he went on, as it were, you might say, in in that in which he had been brought up in.
His parents were godly parents. They brought him up along these lines. And now he goes out doing the will of God and he continues as his custom was. He went into that synagogue in that very place where he was raised up. Or I would urge the young people, I would put it before you, beloved young people.
If you've had the privilege of godly parents who have been among the Lord's people, gathered to the Lord's name, and they sought to go on in the truth, and they have reared you in that truth, how lovely that when you become, as it were, of age and in a sense independent of parental guidance and care, that you go on as the custom was, there's nothing wrong with the custom. If it's according to the mind of God, there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes there are people who say that's just traditional.
00:55:03
That's all right if it's according to the mind of God, never mind if it's been done 500 years.
That's immaterial if it's according to the mind of God. That's the thing to one determine, is it the will of God? The Lord knew it was the will of God. He was going on now in his service, doing the will of God that manner and beloved young people, as we meditate upon him, we see in all of his pathway He considered for God in his service at all times. He never thought of himself. He didn't seek to attract to himself. How many times we read about when he would heal someone that is, they shouldn't tell anyone.
He wasn't just attracting attention to himself. He was doing the will of God, doing the work of God quietly for the for the for the mind of God or the eye of God. Wonderful to see him as the manner. Now finally, that last one, I just want to touch on briefly the old corner of the land for you. Remember we have the Passover in Joshua five. We had the manna that ceased, but they did eat the manna in the wilderness. And now we have the old corner of the land. And what would that speak of? I believe that's Christ in glory. Turn to Philippians 3.
Just to point out.
Christ is the object even before the young believer, and this is not necessarily again confined to Saints who have been along the path many years.
You know a believer, a young believer may not know very much, but he can have the proper object.
It isn't a matter of intelligence, it isn't a matter of ability, it's a matter of having the proper object.
Verse 14.
I pray chapter 3 of Philippians. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Related The calling of God on high in Christ Jesus.
Of course, Ephesians, is that which sets before us in detail the old corn of the land.
The old corner of the land is Canaan's food. It was that which you might say while soul and harvested in Canaan. It's Christ according to the purposes and counsels of God even before the world began, God purposed that place that Christ now has as that risen and glorified one, the head of a new creation. And you know that verse in 2nd Corinthians 517. Therefore, if any man be in Christ decision the King James, he is a new creature. It's literally.
A new creation, young believer, the moment you believe on Christ and are brought to Him, you're made a part of this new creation of which Christ is head. Christ in glory, the head of a new creation, the head of a new race. And you belong to him as a part of a new creation of new race. If any man be in Christ.
You don't have to go through many years of experience with the Lord to get into that new creation. One is brought in immediately.
God has already set up, you might say, the man who is the head of that new creation. There's going to be a new heavens and the new earth of all. He began with the earth and finished with the man on the 6th day. He began now in the new creation with the man, and he has that man in the glory, the head of the new creation. And then he's going to end up with the new heavens and a new earth to go along with it. But you and I as believers and the youngest believer in this room this afternoon.
Believer you're a part of the new creation.
The object before you should be that calling of God on high in Christ Jesus.
And oh, how this delivers from the attractions of this world. I like what a brother had to say about the comparison of the glory of this world and the glory of the Father's house, and how that the glory of this world had no attraction to the Lord Jesus, for He had come from a greater glory. And I believe, young believer, if we apprehend the purpose of God for us in connection with Christ in glory, then we will see that whatever the world has to offer really is nothing after all, in comparison to that.
It's only a little while that we're here, and then this purpose of God is going to be completed and we're going to be in that glory with himself. May we be thus minded, Thus minded, I'm sure that Christ is the Passover, Christ is the manna, Christ is the old corn of the land becomes increasingly precious to a believer as he goes on. But I am, I am convinced that the youngest believer from the very beginning.
01:00:03
Can enter into these things. Christ is the Passover, the judgment of all that we are in the flesh.
Delivering us from man in the flesh and from this world. Christ as the man of giving us to do the will of God. Inspiring as it were in our hearts to be here for the will of God. And then the old corner of the land, the object before us to be with Christ in the glory. Christ is the food of His people. May it be so for His namesake.