Open—David So
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276.
276.
Guide us, oh thou gracious Savior.
Dinosaur.
Saver.
Elegance from his family.
We are awake by the.
Or thou has drawn after we one second.
Lord, how has gone?
By us from.
My presence.
I saw my whole heart so big time.
Our success.
00:05:58
That's the Lord's help.
Joined with me to Matthews Gospel leaders in chapter 5 in last week Sunday school. If you remember Matthew chapter 5 verse 6, let's begin by reading this verse first. Matthew chapter 5, verse six. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works.
And glorify your Father.
Which is in heaven. So some of you, I trust, will remember learning that from last week's Sunday School.
Not sure if I could be able to expand on this verse. We know this word verse. Many of us know it well. But I came with this exercise because the brethren here have put something in the invitation letter that really stayed in my heart. And perhaps many of us know that when a letter of invitation was sent out, all we want to hear is when is it.
Am I able to come? Please let me take the liberty to reach as part of that letter.
And see if we can apply this verse to it in the third paragraph on the invitation from the local brethren says this. This year we have been especially exercise about the spiritual war being waged against God's people. An increasing disinterest in God's Word is resulting in a famine.
A lack of desire and and hunger for spiritual things.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Amos Aid, verse 8 and 12. I'm just going to read just a little bit more. Second Timothy 4, verse three and four describes the stage of much of Christian world today.
In quotation. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves. Teachers having itching ears, they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables. I'll just stop there.
This.
Resonate deeply in my heart.
Terrible condition, isn't it? That there will be people who want to hear?
But don't really want it here.
Perhaps some of us would stop pointing our fingers at someone across and say I believe that person or that group of young people.
I don't believe that's right. As we often say, when you point your fingers out that way, three come back pointing back to yourselves.
Their time truly is getting darker. We were reminded this morning. Darkness, power of darkness. We see we're in a country where the word of God truly is not. I should say, are not freely proclaim.
Certain phrases, certain words that you know, it's against the word of God. The world would be rejecting it.
Moral sins.
You cannot even condemn.
Why are there darkness out there?
Darkness is not the opposite of light. Sometimes you say, well, dark and light just the opposite is not.
The natural state of man's heart is darkness. The natural state of this world is darkness.
00:10:07
Light dispels darkness when there is light. If this room if we were to turn the lights out, close the curtains, perhaps would even thicker light proof curtains you will see very dark room.
But when there's a small light, even if someone were to ignite a match, you will see that in any part of the room, wouldn't you?
It may not be very bright, but the light will dispel darkness. So we had let me just read the verse we had before us in Matthew 5, verse 16. Let your light so shine before man.
We are to shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Oh, we know that. We even sing sometimes in children's songs. Hide it under a bushel. No, with the shine, aren't we? You know that's how I'm going to be, don't you? And I'm sure you sing it often. This little light of mine. I'm going to let it shine.
So why are there darkness?
And there seems to be increasing.
And I believe part of the problem is that Christendom as a whole is no longer shining that light it ought to.
When we stop being a testimony, being a light to this world, darkness seems to prevail. But you know, there's something interesting about darkness and light.
We as a little light cannot be shining in the whole city. Can you imagine you hold a Lantern in your hand?
There's a little bit of light coming out from it and some of your teenage boys will say, well, is it an LED or is it an 00 bulb that don't shine very well? Well, it doesn't matter. You can get a very, very bright LED bulb so it shine brightly in this room. How far would this light go across the city Of Montreal, let alone elsewhere?
I believe each one of us need to worry about this little corner.
Never mind about what's going on across town, across the world for the moment, how are we to shine where we are?
Now I'm going to go back a little bit from this scripture here.
Yeah, the light of the world. What did that light come from?
We're told from scriptures we were darkness.
Do we recognize that we, by our own nature, didn't have any light of our own? Let's just thinking of verse in Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2. We know these verses well. Verse 11. Wherefore remember that the being in time passed Gentiles in the flesh.
You will remember that.
Without Christ, without hope in this world.
So you may say, let's shine for the Lord. Do we acknowledge that we're the source of blessings come from?
God has to put that light.
And to give us life.
So we find academics learned that.
Can enter the Kingdom.
Unless to begin with is with the Word, with the water and of the Spirit. That's a man need to be born again.
Is from God, isn't it? He gave us to the light so that we can have life in order to recognize heavenly things. So to be born again and often we'll say what this man is born again, he's saved. No, not yet. It's nice to know that he now sees what God want us to see. Now this verse is interesting too. I hope you don't mind that I will use a little bit of worldly example.
Because we have young people I find sometimes don't always listen and I'll tell you why. I know it wasn't that long ago I wasn't listening, so I'd like to get your attention.
In learning they teach you this thing called consciousness.
There's a phrase he may learn that later on about learning, he said. The first phase of learning is we were unconsciously unconscious.
00:15:03
It means we don't even know what we don't know. You may have heard of that. And when you learn a little bit, then you become consciously, I'm sorry to be incompetent, unconsciously incompetent.
And then we become consciously competent. We sort of now know what we have to learn to be competent.
And then when you learn to be competent, then you become what they say consciously.
You become consciously, oh, I'm sorry, you become consciously that you answer the phrase consciously confident in what you do until you become unconsciously confident. You know what? What does all that mean? I'm going to look at some of the young people here. Some of you are not quite 16 yet. And I remember when my children, just before they were sixteen, one of the desires they want to drive.
And in their mind, and I'm sure some of you are going through this, you are going places, you're driving in your mind, these fancy car.
You don't even know what it takes to run a car, drive a car, but that's OK. We are so unconscious of what we don't know. And I remember one of my children when I first took this person, I got to be careful not to say he or she.
This this one first driving lesson. Who came to a stop sign?
And this person got right through the stop sign, I said, didn't you see the stop sign? Yes.
How come you didn't stop?
I was going to.
There's some translation got lost between his eyes, this person's eyes, brain and feet. You need to learn and practice, don't you? So with the spiritual things, I believe the first thing we have to understand is that we by ourselves don't even know what we don't know. We need it from God to teach us that.
And then as the person start to learn to drive, now you're learning a little bit.
And then you think you know, and I don't know about you now. I remember when I was learning to drive, I asked the person helping me, so how many cranks do you have to make for a right turn? Do you remember that because you were now conscious that you need to do something? How many cranks do I need to make a left turn?
And then you look at someone who's been driving for a while.
They're actually very.
Unconsciously capable of doing so. Just how many turns? Well, you just do it. How many still think of how many turns to make the wheel to go? You just do it. It become part of you.
So we need to recognize that let ye are the light of the world. The Lord put that light in. Yes, there are darkness around us.
The Lord takes care of that, doesn't He? Yes, some of us, in fact, in this room, we have various stages for our young people, for our children. Sometimes we make the comment too. And young people, please excuse us, older one, and we will say you should know better. This is, brethren, something I'm beginning to realize.
They don't because they haven't heard it. They don't because it's our fault. We may have talked about our subject 25 years ago. This young person is 14 years old.
So there is yet another generation. Even among ourselves growing up. We know not the Lord.
There is nothing wrong with repeating the word of God. One is for our own encouragement. 2 is to remind those who have learned. Three, there are younger generations that need to be taught. I remember a young man years ago said to me he was 19 by that point. He said I just learned what the word fornication is. Everybody assumed that you should know what fornication is.
That was too big of a word for him.
So with all these darkness going around us, are we to fear? Are we to be dismayed?
I'd like to turn to 1St Thessalonians chapter one.
I like this book because the Apostle Paul is speaking to the Thessalonians who are fairly new in the faith.
So I find sometimes when there are problems we need to go back to the basic. If we sometimes use the phrase, we got to go back to square one. They are new. He was only in cards for a very short time, 3 Sabbaths.
00:20:12
How can you teach someone in a few days what the word of God is? What? The answer is very simple. We can't.
Is the Spirit of God, isn't it? That teaches us So this morning we were praying for our brethren far and wide, from Malawi to Brazil to right here back in our own backyard. What a testimony that we forget. It bears the testimony. First of all, there is one body. We were reminded of that, but there's one spirit, the same spirit.
Who would teach you as our brethren in Brazil as in Malawi?
Toward the things of Christ. Isn't it precious to know that it's not up to you or I, but it will be very nice that the Lord can be make use of your service for my service when we're ready and sanctified for the masters used So here is interesting that these are new Christians.
The apostle speaks to them to encourage them. As I look across the room, many of you, I have known you for many years.
We don't have a lot of new Christians here, but there are some, our young ones, our little ones. You're young and new in faith. How do you grow? How do you learn? What are you to do? I'm going to skip the greetings in the chapter.
Let's start with verse two. We give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in our prayers. So the apostle begins by saying, we remember you young Christians, young people, little ones.
You're being remembered by many and we pray for you and for some of you perhaps can honestly say, you know what? I didn't do that regularly. What an encouragement that we should pray one for another. Pray for the encouragement of the young one. Now this is very interesting. Now remember the new Christians, verse 3, remembering what thou ceasing.
The three things here that the apostle bring out the work of faith, that's why.
And labor of love. That's two.
And patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.
Well, we may say what, what? What is this work of faith?
I believe we all would have a different definition of what work of faith ought to be. For someone who is saved 3 weeks ago, they may see the work of faith being somewhat different than perhaps someone who's been walking in the path for 50-60 years. Which one is right? I can't say. But is it a faith? Is it just work? Or is it a faith? And some of you heard me use this example before. We often relayed faith.
Work together, right? Work. Faith without work is dead, but work is not faith. Often we associate the two and say we have to do the work.
Faith and work is not the same. Fire and smoke is not the same. We say where there is smoke there is fire, but where there is smoke it doesn't necessary give you warmth and heat a firewood. I don't think we need to prove that because I know many of us try to be a good Boy Scout and start a fire and often we get smoke instead of fire, right? So fire and wood is not the same but works.
Illustrate or demonstrate that faith was at work, the work of faith, the work that you do, that you believe it is from the Lord. And for the Lord you go on by faith. And may I say a little bit, add a little bit more to that. Often others will look at you and say you're crazy.
Is it from the Lord? You know the the Ephesians Saints, they have work.
You can see that in the second letter in the book of Revelations, the John Sept wrote in there says, the Lord said, I know thy works, The Lord knoweth the work, the Lord knows the work that we do. But how is it different to the Ephesians, that the assembly that was given as if it were the highest truth, even the assembly truth? The Lord said, I know thy works, but I have somewhat against thee.
Now I remember brother said the word somewhat really is not proper because it softened the rebuke. We should take that word somewhat. I have against it. Oh, they have work, but they may not be work of faith. So you as a young person, do you do the work of faith, the labor of love?
00:25:23
Do you do things out of love? I remember last year here.
A theme that keeps recurring from some of the younger ones that commented was love. We need to show love, don't we? But what is love?
Is spoon feeding love and we have many mothers here. How long do you spoon feed your little one? I don't see mothers here chasing a nine year old trying to spoon feed. There are times that we've got to show love from a different weight depending on what it is and what part of the pathway they're in. We shall love differently and I use this example before and please bear with me on that. Have you heard it before? So if a nine year old come to you and as a parent and say.
I'd like you to buy me firecrackers.
Would you say out of love I will buy my son firecrackers? No, you know better now. Of course, as a child we don't understand. I want the firecrackers and my parents won't give it to me.
And some of us are so wayward that that's OK, I'll find a way to get it.
Is that love or is it because you don't care? It is love that you don't want your children. And at that age they do not understand what the consequence of having what they wanted. And perhaps one morning you look out there, you see the son of yours with a bandage around his hand. And young man, I know this phrase is quite common. What happened to your hand? Nothing.
Did the firecracker didn't work too well? It exploded too early? I don't know. But as a mother, we know what love is. The mother don't sit there and scold the child because he somehow got the firecracker and it exploded in his hand. So we know in this case that we all love exhibit. You look after that first, don't we, Michelle? I see Bandit out of hand. You didn't have firecrackers, right?
So the labor of love it could be simple thing is when a brother is in difficulties.
You know, I never saw this. When I come to a conference, everybody looks so nicely dressed, smile on the face.
And now?
As I'm approaching perhaps my later days, my latter years, I see that there are difficulties.
It seems that many assemblies, many families in the assemblies, have various sorts of difficulties.
Could be employment with money. It could be family with children.
It could be with so many things in life that hindered our enjoyment from the Lord.
By being there Sometimes the question is, I don't know what to do, just be there. That is labor of love, isn't it Labor of love. And the third thing they already learn this new Christian was the fact that.
They have hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh dear, once do we forget that.
When we are redeemed, we realize how blessed of a portion we have that we have that hope, knowing that we soon shall be with our Savior to be of the Father's house.
Is that fresh in your heart or do we sometimes fall into the trap that say Lord may not come tomorrow? I just bought a new car, at least let me enjoy the car for another day or two. Do we find that? But they have those things in their hearts. I'm going to just.
Jump down to the end of the chapter. I don't want to speak too much longer. Verse 9 for they themselves show us what manner of entering and we had unto you, and how he turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus Christ which deliver us from the wrath to come. There they are. They didn't have it easy.
There are idolatries all around. There are idol worshippers. Do you think we have it bad that we can't freely talk without someone complaining? We're in a land full of idols as well, you know. We pray for our dear brethren in different countries. They perhaps don't have a lot, perhaps hunger, perhaps poverty.
00:30:13
But you know, in a land for plenty, we have different problems. The Lord put us through different trial. We have pride, don't we? We have idleness. We have different problems. You know, I said to a client one day, I said, yeah, it's, it's kind of bad to see that there are temples in the city of Toronto. You see various temples being put up. I said those idol worshippers, He said, what do you mean? He said you.
Worshiping idols all along. You had those idols for years now is it? What idols?
You go up downtown, just look up how many tall buildings do you see? What's on it? The banks name.
You folks worship money just the same. Oh, there are different kinds of idols. That's why we're told to be careful with these idols. So when we don't even know what we don't know, we go on. And perhaps do you want you at that stage? And I pray that you see and hear the Word of God working in your hearts.
That you need to be safe. You need to come to the Lord for help, in fact.
Let me change the statement a bit. Listen to, hear, and see that the Lord is working in your hearts to save you. And then once we're saved, we learn something, don't we? We learn there's so much we don't know, but yet there's so much we want to know.
And then the third phase is the toughest because when we think we know what we think, we can expand some scriptures. Then we walk into dangerous ground, don't we? But then we're really is going toward that phase where we shall know. I like to read to him before I step down and let someone else have the time there. If you look at Mr. Darby's hymns.
Those of his hymns are not about problems here, but rather.
Heaven words go through that as an exercise, but I'm going to just read one for your encouragement. This is what we shall understand, shall see, shall walk in the good of it without worry. He sees this hymn #270 We're not going to sing it. I'll just read part of it, maybe all of it, he said. And shall we see thy face and hear thy heavenly voice?
Do we have that in our hearts and be reminded why we are here?
Do we say that within ourselves? And shall we see thy face and hear thy voice? Well known to us in this present grace? Oh, as I sing that I go. Is he really well known to me in this present grace? We think that Well known to us in this present grace. Well may our hearts rejoice. Do we do that while he's looking back, as if it were, And enjoy that.
The in garments white but the darkness all around us. No, let's oversee that we are heavenly citizens. We are already lifted up in heavenly places in Christ. If he be risen with Christ, we're told to seek those things which are above where Christ is with thee.
Garments white. Lord Jesus, we shall walk, and spotless in that heavenly light of all thy sufferings, Talk close to thy peers at side in fellowship divine. No clouds, no distance. Air shall hide glories that then shall shine. I'm going to skip down to the second.
Verse six we wait. Do we really believe in that as we sing it?
And I trust that you would turn and look at these hymns for your own, for your own hearts to enjoy. We wait to see the Lord, yet now within our hearts Thou dwells in love that doth afford the joy, the joy that love imparts, yet still wait for thee to see thee as thou art be with thee.
Like thee, Lord and free.
To love with all our heart.