Address—D. Bilisoly
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.
This afternoon.
By singing #309.
309 Jesus, before thy face we fall, our Lord, our life, our hope, our all, For we have nowhere else to flee no sanctuary, Lord but thee. In thee we every glory view of safety, strength, and beauty too. Tis all our rest and peace to see our sanctuary, Lord in thee.
Whatever foes or fears be tied in thy blessed presence, let us hide and while we rest our souls on thee.
Thou shalt our sanctuary be.
Through time, with all its changing scenes and all the grief that intervenes, let this support each fainting heart that thou are sanctuary art.
Jesus, before Thy face we fall.
For me, I don't know where else to play.
Alice.
And blessing upon his word.
Let's turn to Galatians.
Galatians, chapter 4.
00:05:03
And verse 17.
Galatians 417 They zealously affect you, but not well.
Yeah, they would exclude us that she might affect them.
But it is good to be zealously affected, always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
This thought of being zealously affected.
Has been upon my mind lately.
And.
We see how clever these Judaizing teachers were that came in among the Gentiles, even a whole province here like Galatians. We're not sure how many assemblies that may have involved.
How active they were and how they had such a way to get people stirred up in zeal.
What kind of zeal?
You know, there's all kinds of zeal in this world.
And it's amazing the energy people will put into a thing.
It is a astounding how dedicated people become to a thing.
Just like for example, on a flight we met a man, a nice mannered man.
Whose whole cause was to Save the Children.
No doubt a very worthy cause in itself, and all the energies and efforts being put forth to do this.
Well, it's touching in a way, to consider the compassion in the world. We can't be hard to that, can we? If we land in a hospital somewhere, we're kind of glad for some compassion, are we not? And we're thankful that we have amiable neighbors that don't just close in on us and rob our houses when we're gone.
Some even would watch our places to a fault. We sometimes leave the house open for the brethren, and our neighbor behind us has a key. And some of the brethren came one evening and they turned the light on, turned the heat up, and they ran to town for a minute to get some groceries. When they came back, the light was turned off and the heat was turned down. Well, it's nice to have caring neighbors.
But think of the causes that people are stirred up about in this world, and what is it all coming to? They zealously affect you, but not well, this was all in connection with the law. And here these were Christians and Galatians that who never, who never had any connection at all with the Law of Moses.
But we see even with those that were originally under the law of Moses.
How sad it was that they seemed to have no desire to give that up.
And it kept them immature. It kept them like babes.
And Paul, whose heart was very much toward his people, he loved his people. He had a deep love for his people, he said. You remember, he could wish himself a curse from the Christ for Israel, no doubt before his conversion. But what a deep love he had for his people. No wonder the Lord said to Paul, don't you go back to Jerusalem again.
In fact, he told him to get out of Jerusalem. At that time they will not receive my testimony, Thy testimony concerning me. Get out of Jerusalem. He should never have gone back. The Holy Ghost forbid him to go back. The Lord well knew his tender heart and compassion toward his people, his harsh desire that all Israel might be saved. And you know the day is coming when all Israel will be saved. Isn't that a remarkable thing? But what a change will occur in that nation.
But he should not have gone back that last time to Jerusalem, because once among his beloved Jewish brethren, his heart melted.
And they listened and they rejoiced over the way the Lord was using him among the Gentiles. But they didn't lose much time before they said they'll see his brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe. And they're all zealous of the law. Oh, what a state of things dear believing Jews that really believed on the Lord Jesus. But they were all zealous of the law and.
00:10:03
Dear Paul melted under that situation.
Well.
It was really his former state, you know, He was exceeding zealous, it says of the tradition of the fathers. And he had such a zeal, it says that he even persecuted the Church of God.
And he thought he was doing God's will, but he was doing it ignorantly. He had plenty of zeal, no lack of zeal in that connection. But he was doing the work of the enemy all the time. What blindness in in that regard. And so we see that he had to realize what a blind state he was in. You remember the scales were upon his eyes for those three days.
What a sharp reminder of the state that he was in.
What we must consider the other part of the verse here passage and that is.
That it is, well, the apostle says it is good to be zealously affected, always in a good thing.
He adds. And not only when I am present with you.
Sometimes it's easy to be, shall I say, more zealous around a respected person.
Am I saying too much? I can remember when a very well respected brother many years ago came to Denver.
And it seems like we all, all of us young people, were energized more. We felt more zealous in the presence of that person.
And I have been encouraged and I have been stirred up. I believe in zeal.
By someone that is a faithful evangelist. I need that. I need to be prodded that way. And so I appreciate a faithful evangelist. It stirs me up if I'm with somebody of that sort.
But now?
Should we just be that way in the presence of someone respected or very influential?
No, that's what Paul is saying to us. You know, over in Romans chapter 12.
Where we have such practical exhortations, I think Mr. Darby words that something like this, he says as to diligent zealousness, not slothful. In other words, there ought to be a consistent zeal, a consistency to our zeal.
We shouldn't.
Get slothful, but we tend to, and I'm thankful for these meetings. The Lord is so good to use these occasions to stir us up in our hearts and give us a greater desire, I trust, to really honor him and please him the little time that remains, and to press on in faithfulness in whatever he entrusts us to. Henry, could I trouble you for a little water?
You know, when we were in Malawi?
We couldn't get water everywhere. Our friends can attest to this.
They just didn't always have it in the store. The bottled waters and you don't dare drink their water.
And there were times that we really missed having water. It became a great concern with us.
And we take things like that for granted.
Sometimes your mouth gets almost like cotton.
Without enough water, You understand that? Oh, I read a story once and I could hardly finish it.
Where a flight crew went down in the Sahara desert and they overshot their base at night and they thought that they were closer than they were, so they knew the direction to go.
And.
After about 10 years, the diary was found of this captain and they found what was left.
But those men made an effort to try and get back to their base on foot, and they had one canteen of water between them.
And it reached such an extremity they stopped and tried to protect themselves in the day.
And they would March at night.
And finally they reached such an extremity that all they could afford was to put a little water on their mouths and tongues.
00:15:01
Isn't that something? What an awful thing to consider in the gospel. That's all the rich man wanted, you know Lazarus to do. He didn't dare make any further request. Just a little water on his tongue. You know it's awful, is it not? Dear ones here this afternoon to consider in any aspects.
What a lost eternity would be like. God tries to describe it to us in a way that we can't miss the point.
We can hardly enter, as it were, into the joys of heaven. How marvelous they are, but.
As we are occupied with the person of Christ, then indeed we have more and more of the thought of what it will be like to be in the glory with Christ. And the Spirit of God delights to occupy us with him in that way. And so this afternoon, you know, I'm thinking of the Lord Jesus in his pathway here as a man, and there was indeed zeal with him.
You know, he could say my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. Is that not zeal? You know, you get into Mark's Gospel and you see how it seems like there is one event after another as the Lord Jesus is so busy in his service for the glory of God. Thank you, Henry. Apologize.
No, that's all right.
But you remember.
When the Lord Jesus came into the temple for example.
And he saw all those beasts and the money changers, and it was righteous indignation. The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up. He knocked over those money changers.
He whipped out the beasts, and he says, You've made my father's house a den of thieves and so forth. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Oh what a beautiful and a perfect example we have in our blessed Lord Jesus of diligent zealousness even when he was tired, even when the disciples too, I believe, were exhausted even when they didn't have so much.
As leisure time to partake of a meal, you know the Lord.
When they wanted to eat and so forth, here were all these people, and the Lord says I have compassion on the multitudes.
How would we react in such a situation as that? Well, it's humbling whenever we consider our Blessed Lord in any way.
But.
It's well always to be zealous.
As it says in a good thing.
Beloved brethren, I trust that we're leaving these meetings with renewed exercise, with a real desire to pursue faithfully whatever the Lord has given us to do for Him. And you know, you take a person like Epiphros.
Who had a great zeal for a couple of assemblies? It's very difficult I must say, when you become aware of an assembly here, assemblies there, assemblies here.
It's very difficult to keep all of them on your heart every day, as it were. But let me ask you a question. Let me ask a question. Let's see if this hits home.
Do you pray every day for the people in your assembly, the dear Saints in your assembly? Do you pray for them by name? Do you? Do we? Well, it's a good thing, is it not? That's a little bit like apropos. I believe he had a real zeal, you know, for the Colossians. He knew of the problems that were developing there. He had a real zeal for those Laodiceans who at that time perhaps were going on well. But maybe there was at work already things that were.
Undermining the Assembly That deadened state that we read out there in Revelation Chapter 3.
But he had a zeal. And how did he exercise that zeal towards those dear Saints of God? On his knees?
How much are we on our knees for the people of God? I'm humbled, I'm ashamed when I make a statement like that. I said to a brother just before the meetings here, I said whatever I may say might hit my conscience as well as anybody else's. You know, it's very true. But we can find ourselves so busy that our time is cut short. Short, cut short. We've got to allow time, of course, for the reading of the word of God, but really, how much time do we allow for intercession?
00:20:21
That takes some diligence. That takes a zeal.
And.
You, I'm sure, would consider many other things we're overlooking in this respect.
But I thought perhaps we might consider an Old Testament picture too, in connection with the example of SEAL. Now one that comes before me is I've thought about it and it's.
It's the most remarkable account turnover to numbers 25.
Numbers 25.
Now to lay a little groundwork for this passage in question.
You remember that King Balak of Moab hired?
Balaam Balaam, the prophet, a false prophet. That man was remarkably intelligent, though let me say that. But he was he was not a true prophet of God, but he had powers of divination.
And King Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel.
And you know the story well enough.
You know how determined he was to do this? For what reason? For game, to make a game. He was promised great reward if he would do this and that covetous man was very anxious to get that reward. And he tried. Even when he knew he was going against, directly against the mind of God on this thing, he tried to curse Israel, and God would not let him curse.
But rather, he ended up blessing the people.
But we see that he was so anxious to get that.
Money that reward.
That he devised another way for Moab to get this.
Advantage over Israel since he could not curse them directly.
He taught King Balak how to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel by association, and that certainly holds true today. You understand what I'm talking about.
And so here we have this horrible thing that occurred at Bail Pure.
And we well know what a bane that was to the people ever after.
And how the Lord's anger was risen against the people over this.
Wicked thing that was going on here, verse four And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.
And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay every man his men that were joined unto Baal, pure.
And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianite Tish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel who were weeping. Oh, there was a few. There was a few that were greatly troubled and distressed over this thing. They didn't know what to do, but they wept. It's a little like what we have in Ezekiel.
Put a mark upon those that sigh and cry for all abominations. In Israel they wept. Sometimes there's things that there are situations we're not sure, but the Lord values the tears. Beloved brethren who were weeping before the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation. And when Finna has the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the priest saw it. He rose up from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand.
Well, you know, there may have been some that saw this.
And maybe, some said, what is he going to do?
00:25:05
Some may have thought in their minds, is he going to do some rash thing?
You know, sometimes people do not understand the true motivation of a person.
And when after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through the man.
Of Israel, and the woman through her belly, so that the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died in the plague were 20 and 4000. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Finnehas the son of Eliezer the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake, among them that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace, and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. I know what's going through your mind.
I know it's going through your mind. Finna has was a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus.
Who stood in the breach? Who met the situation?
In its crisis, you might say. And he was the one who laid down his life. That's a little bit, I think, like in Hebrews 8, perhaps, where he offered himself, in effect, you know, Finna has offered himself. He took a great risk in what he was doing. After all, who was this couple and why did he single them out? Because they were people of rank and nobility.
And their brazen act set a precedent before all the people. A Prince and a woman, Perhaps it was like a Princess.
And here they boldly went in the face of all the congregation and those weeping.
And went into that tent, and Finnehez was filled with righteous indignation and jealousy for the glory of God.
Oh dear.
Young brother.
Dear young sister.
You know God uses faithful young persons. You, dear young brothers, may in time feel important, responsible places in the assembly, and there may be an occasion for the Lord's glory.
Where the responsibility might fall upon you in assembly matters, and in regard to the Lord's glory, and in harmony with your brother. And what a difficult thing, what a risk Finna has took in order to carry this out. Was the Lord pleased He knew the motive spring of his heart. We can leave these things up to the Lord. And so he was zealous for the Lord's glory in this case.
The Lord used it and honored it. This was indeed of God, and he executed a real work of God for the glory of God. It's not surprising that when another problem occurred in Israel, it is that is raised up and is the mouthpiece. In regard to this problem, I think over in Joshua 22, I'm not sure.
And a faithful man. And even on that occasion he reminds them of this awful thing here at Vale Pior that identified all the people in the sin. This was a very collective thing, no question about it. But he also at that time reminded the people that the sin of one man, Aiken, identified all Israel with that wickedness you see one person. That shows the importance of assembly discipline.
And to keep the assembly pure.
Very important. One person can identify all the assembly with the evil. In this case it was a number of people.
These instances became a very serious thing in the of he was a champion for the glory of God. We're coming into times when it seems that the truth is being so challenged and tested in a number of ways. Oh, you dear young brothers, I trust that you will not only really lay hold of the truth, but you want to go on and walk in the fear of God.
00:30:03
And He'll use you. Indeed, He will use you to His glory if you continue faithfully.
We see that this dear man of God was given the assurance of an everlasting priesthood.
Well, the Lord Jesus, of course, is the true fulfillment of that priesthood. Now we have another picture, and it is not a pleasant one, but turn over to.
Second Things, Chapter 10.
Now you know the background of this in connection with Jihu.
Jihu was anointed of God.
To be king and to overthrow the House of Ahab.
And.
Jihu knew his Bible.
That increases his responsibility.
We're responsible here for the truth that we have. He was commissioned to destroy the House of Ahab.
And he knew exactly the scriptural references in connection with what he was doing.
I think we begin to see some things about him.
That would.
Raise a question in our minds about the man's integrity.
For one thing, he goes beyond.
The Commission given to him to destroy the House of Ahab, he goes beyond.
And.
He's exceedingly energetic in doing all of these things.
Almost without compassion, shall I say.
Just carnage.
But now, in the midst of all this, and he was doing a faithful work from that standpoint, He was doing what God told him to do.
But in the midst of all that, here he comes upon a man by the name of Jahan Adab. See in verse 15.
We're not really told much about Johanna.
I take it that he must have been a very honorable.
Man at that time and known. Perhaps he was known in both Judah and Israel.
But we see that Jihu, when he comes upon him, he recognizes him to be a very honorable person.
And so, Gee, who is a little unsure, you know?
Whether or not John Adab is really with him in what he's doing. And so he says in verse 15 he saluted him and said unto him, as thine heart, right as my heart is with thy heart. And Johanna dab answered, it is.
Johanna dab, I believe, recognized that Jihu was doing the work of the Lord in what He was doing. This was absolutely necessary according to the prophecies, and so he took him up in his chariot.
But what does he say in verse 16?
And he said, come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. So he made him write in his chariot. Scary, huh?
Oh, brethren, I hope. I hope that's not in our hearts. I hope it isn't so that brethren, see.
Is that why we're doing it? Is that the motive? Spring of the heart?
Is that brethren might see.
What we're doing for the Lord.
What did he what was he doing in his zeal?
I have the feeling with.
The presence of that honorable person there, you know, Paul says. Not only in my present, but in my absence.
But in the presence of that honorable person, he must have been a very respected person, Johanna Dad. But in the presence of that honorable person, here comes the zeal.
00:35:03
Of jihu.
Seal he calls for all the worshippers of Baal, demands that they be there at the House of Baal.
He makes sure that they all get vestments on.
And he goes so far as to offer a sacrifice to bail in deception.
And when the timing was right, he says, don't let a man escape or you'll lose your life if you do to his men. And they destroyed all those people that were the worshippers of Bail.
Did he ever Commission to do that? Come see my zeal for the Lord, he said. But carnage.
And we don't read anymore of Johanna. Damn.
Where was Jahan Adab? How did he react to this whole?
Zeal for the Lord.
How did jihad have act or react to it?
Brother, I believe he was heartsick.
I believe he was absolutely heartsick to see this sort of thing happen in Israel. No opportunity for repentance, No chance to give the people a second thought like in Elijah Day when the contest went on at Carmel. No, no such thing as that. No chance for the people to say I've made a mistake. I should not have gone on with this Bay of worship. No, they were slaughtered. And I believe that Johanna Dab was absolutely heart sick.
You say. How do you know what gives you that idea?
Because he counseled his descendants, he said, don't drink wine, don't build houses.
You're you're not going to have joy down here.
This place is ruined and things are in a ruined state. Don't settle down. Don't make this the place of your joy, of heart, the place of your satisfaction. No, you just you just go on as strangers and pilgrims.
And you know what?
Those Ricobites did exactly that.
They were obedient to John, adapt their forefather, obedient, amazing, and clear off in the days of of Jeremiah. Here they are.
Still subject to this, their father, Jehanadab, God says to Israel, Look, look, those Ricobites, there's some Missy to their father and you're not to me, you won't submit to me, he says. They would never fail a man of that.
Family. Oh, it's marvelous to see these things and dear ones here this afternoon. May we search our hearts as to what our motive spring is and what we are doing. But if we're really doing it for the Lord, leave it with him, then leave the appraisal of the whole matter with him. And I really believe that when we get home to glory, we may be very surprised.
And who gets the greatest reward and the greatest recognition from him?
And I really believe that there's many, many dear godly sisters that will outshine the men.
But anyway, we'll leave it with him.
He'll review everything. Nothing escapes his eye, and he sees what is done so very quietly, only for his eye alone. Some things are more publicly, perhaps, but what is the real reason? Is it for the Lord if it is really his work? It is a marvelous thing to witness. You realize how absolutely helpless you are. You can witness it, you can marvel at it, but it is His work of grace.
O beloved brethren, may we go on in true zeal for the Lord consistently.
As to diligence, zealousness, not slothful. I appreciate meetings like this. I get stirred up in my heart. But now the test comes. How are we going to practice when we go on home? What will our attitude? Now we've got to face those hopes in the world when we go back to our jobs or back to school or in the neighborhood. Now how about it? Are we going to go on in this?
00:40:06
Diligence and zeal for him, and seeking to be a witness for him. Well, brethren, may the Lord encourage us to.
The pathway of faithfulness. What a privilege has been ours these few days together, and it's hard to part, is it not? But we have to. It's easy to to be bright among the Christians. But now we've got to face the world right? And so are we going to be faithful for the Lord in all our varied circumstances? May the Lord help us? Shall we pray our God?