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My dear brethren and sisters, I bring to you greetings from the brethren and sisters in England and their love to all of you here. And at times such as this, we are all reminded of the worldwide nature of our faith, that we have one faith and we are constituted in one body in Christ Jesus, from many and varied circumstances and backgrounds, but able to gather together here through the one faith and the one hope. And this surely, my dear brethren and sisters, is indeed a great privilege for which we are all deeply thankful this week. This series of addresses on discipleship is concerned to explore the great issues and the great principles associated with our walk in Christ. Issues that transcend the particular historical circumstances and situations which first call them forth. Principles which are timeless and eternal, perpetual and abiding. Ever-present realities, continual truths, not confined to particular situations, ages or circumstances, but always relevant, vital, important, interesting and most importantly, challenging. And our aim this week, my dear brethren and sisters, is to be both expositional and exhortational in this series of studies. That each of us might benefit from this consideration of discipleship and those issues in which we are all involved. What are their foundations and bases in Scripture? No study of this nature is complete unless it seeks to consider again the fundamental and basic Scripture teaching associated with the true service of our God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the foundations we are lost, left to drift aimlessly and even subjectively through life. With no chart, no yardstick by which we might evaluate its experiences, its opportunities and its challenges. But with the foundations we have objective and positive truth to help us and guide us, to assist us and lead us. This then is the primary purpose of our exegesis and our exposition. And there are two aids, my dear brethren and sisters, which are of primary help to us. First of all, the Word and secondly, the Word made flesh. Firstly, the Word. This Word is quick and powerful. It is living and active. It is perpetual and abiding. It is efficacious and all-sufficient. With it we have hope and confidence. With it we can have faith and trust in God. But without it we are doomed. And secondly, the Word made flesh. The Word made flesh who is ever-present and all-powerful. An ever-present mediator at the Father's right hand, faithful and sympathetic to all our requests. We have not an high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. And all-powerful too. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. This Word, my dear brethren and sisters, and the Word made flesh are our basis. This gracious revelation of the Lord God in His Word and in His Son is the foundation for all our consideration. Revelation directs our reason and reason directs and interprets our experiences in the life of discipleship. And not the other way round. Experience does not direct our reasoning. And as we know only too well, this is one of the common evangelical pitfalls in the world around us. For us, brethren and sisters, revelation directs and is the basis for our reason and intelligent faith. And this intelligent faith directs and interprets our experiences. And so in the light of these bases, in the light of these great teachings, we can derive much help and benefit by way of exhortation. We shall not be concerned to consider these principles in an abstract way, still less as an end in themselves, merely that we might know more or understand more, but that we might be helped and encouraged to lives of greater and stronger commitment in our individual discipleship. This surely is one of the primary purposes of Bible school. That a consideration of this word, first of all, should have a positive, practical, beneficial effect upon each one of us. That we might be edified, instructed, motivated, and encouraged so that henceforth we might live lives that are more pleasing to our Heavenly Father. Lives characterized by greater selflessness, loyalty, steadfastness, devotion, enthusiasm, and zeal. I should make it clear, brethren and sisters, that we do not intend to cover all the important principles of discipleship. This study does not claim to be exhaustive. Exhausting, it may well be, and prove to be, but exhaustive it is not. In other words, a selection has been made from a large number of possible topics, and I have selected subjects which I hope you will find instructive and helpful, interesting, and challenging. You may feel, for example, that we do not spend sufficient time considering the great blessings associated with the life in Christ, the hope that is ours through Christ Jesus, the confidence of present help in time of need, the blessings of friendship, companionship, and fellowship in the truth, the great contribution that the Ecclesia can and does make to the life of every disciple, and also vice versa, the great contribution that the life of every disciple can and does make to the corporate life of the Ecclesia, the blessing of sin forgiven and of hope renewed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the power of prayer individually and communally. For all these things, my dear brethren and sisters, we are indeed deeply thankful. And if perhaps we do not seem to give sufficient time to these, it is not because we think that they are less important or even unimportant, very much the reverse. They are all, as we know, supremely important. But a selection has been made, and we hope that this selection will be helpful. That as we consider the great teachings of Scripture on the responsibilities and the challenges of discipleship, we each of us might be encouraged towards a greater utilisation of our opportunities, a firmer commitment to our stewardship, a more purposeful approach to our preaching, a more thoroughgoing attitude to our working in the Ecclesia, and a greater appreciation of the true and lasting issues of discipleship, that discipleship which seeks always to follow the Master even unto the end. Well, that, brethren and sisters, was the introduction. From Fischer's net, from fig tree shade, God gathers whom he will. Touched by his grace, such men are made his purpose to fulfil. And now, I would like to present to you In today's class, we are to consider the call of the disciples, the conditions of the call, and the carrying out of the call. First of all, then, can we go to the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Luke and verse 1. It came to pass that as the people pressed upon Jesus to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret and saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which were Simon's, 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. And when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a drought. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down the net. When they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net break. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished and all that were with him at the drought of the fishes which they had taken. And so was also James and John the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not. From henceforth thou shalt catch men. Or as the parallel account in Matthew 4, verse 19, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. It's very interesting, my dear brethren and sisters, to notice that these men who were called personally by the Lord Jesus were not renowned for their scholarship or their influence or their wealth or their social background. But they were lowly men. They were fishermen. Men whose working lives would be characterized by preparation, patience, perseverance, skill, and courage. In this picture that is presented to us in the early verses of the fifth chapter of Luke, I think we have a microcosm of the purpose of God. Let us consider these men who were called, called from their work upon the seas of catching fish, to work upon the land, work for the purpose of God, to catch men for the gospel of his kingdom. The choice of fishermen surely gives us an insight into the characteristics and the qualities that are required by the Lord Jesus in all those whom he graciously calls. First of all, there is patience. A fisherman has to have patience in the work that he seeks to do. It is not accomplished in a moment, in an instant of time, but it requires preparation and patience in order that that catch which is sought might finally be brought to land. Similarly, for the true disciple, he too throughout his calling and discipleship must be prepared to wait, to wait patiently for God to act or to show the way. And then there has to be perseverance in patience, prepared to go on waiting, prepared to go on watching just as the fisherman in the task to which he sets his hand. And there has to be courage. A fisherman is in a small boat, often in a large ocean. A fisherman needs courage in order to enter that ship to accomplish the task. So too for the true disciple. Even the aggregation of disciples, even ourselves today, know that we are in a very small minority. In a very large and often hostile world. And we, like the fisherman, need courage in the task to which we set our hands. The fisherman needed an eye for the right moment. A judgment when the circumstances are exactly right for the catch to be made. The maximum catch, that it might be brought safely back to land. So too for the true disciple. It's strange, isn't it, my dear brethren and sisters? We often use this quality in the business world, the eye for the right moment, sensitive to other people's needs and conditions. Perhaps there's more harm being done in the truth and in our fellowship together by failure amongst ourselves to be sensitive to one another's needs and conditions. To have an eye for the right moment, to have the word fitly spoken, and fitting the bait to the fish. I included this one because I thought you might find it interesting and challenging. What is true for fishermen is perhaps true also for disciples of the Lord Jesus. We too have to seek to fit the bait to the fish. Or as the Apostle Paul proclaimed, to be all things to all men, if by any means we might gain some. And surely, my dear brethren and sisters, these were some of the characteristics and some of the qualities which the Lord Jesus saw in these men, who were to form, as it were, that closer nucleus of His larger group of twelve disciples, these lowly fishermen, these men who were to be used by the Lord Jesus to call men and women to His kingdom. Disciples who would be willing to learn through instruction and first-hand experience, willing to learn from their Master and the gracious words which came from His lips and from their experience both with Him and with one another. It's a very interesting matter, this two-fold association. The Lord Jesus with the disciple, the disciple with the Lord Jesus, and secondly, the disciple with the disciple, the disciples with one another. We notice that there is no such thing as a solitary saint in the New Testament Scripture. It is always used in the plural, almost as if it was always envisaged that there would always be a company of disciples, that there would always be an association between the disciples, between themselves, and then between themselves and their Lord. You cannot have the one without the other. I know that some of us live our lives of discipleship, perhaps almost in isolation, but events such as this at Bible school give us the confidence and the reassurance that nonetheless we are still part, an integral part of this larger body, the body of Christ. We cannot have the one without the other. We cannot have the individual discipleship. We cannot have the solitary saint without that association, first of all, with the Lord Jesus Christ. People try from time to time to accomplish this, but they will always fail. Secondly, the conditions of the call. Firstly, self-denial. Matthew chapter 16 and verse 24. The crossroads in the ministry of the Lord Jesus, the place is Caesarea Philippi, and from this time forward, from this place onward, He sets His face to go towards Jerusalem. Verse 21. From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples how that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. And so that destination point of the Lord Jesus Christ and the revelation of that culmination and consummation of His ministry is given in that very forceful way to His disciples. And there was, of course, that misunderstanding. Jesus explains what is involved in all those who would seek to follow Him. Verse 24. And so the life to which the call is directed is a life characterized by service of the Lord and denial of self. And so the aim is basically positive. Self is denied and has to be denied in order that the Lord might be served first of all. And each disciple has to take up His cross. And why is this? Well, consider first the Lord Jesus Himself. We know that Jerusalem was in view for Him. And who was really prepared to follow Him on these terms? How could the true disciple try and persuade His Lord that it would be better to aim for a different destination? To be a faithful disciple demanded an open and a full realization of what was going to happen and a commitment in the individual life of an appreciation of those things. The sons of Zebedee came to Jesus and the mother of Zebedee's children. They wanted to be on the side of Jesus. But their intention, my dear brethren and sisters, preceded their commitment. It had to be the other way around. There had to be the commitment first. There had to be the understanding and the comprehension of the suffering and all its implications. And then there could be the looking forward to the prospect of what was yet to be. The cross had to come before the crown both for the Lord Jesus and also for all His disciples. Or it was like the man who had to sit down first and make preparations and make plans to build a tower if he was going to be successful, if he was going to accomplish the work to which he set his hand. Otherwise it was going to be embarrassing, wasn't it, if the tower was left off half-finished. And so to faithfully follow the Lord required giving His cause first priority, chapter 10 and verse 37. Matthew 10 verse 37, He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it. And he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. And the great paradox is, my dear brethren and sisters, of the life of discipleship. That every attempt to consolidate our life, our existence in this present world by whatever means or whatever route is finally and ultimately self-defeating. It is only with the denial of self that the true self can finally and ultimately be realized through Christ Jesus. And so for each of us, both at the start of our discipleship and continually throughout its progress, there will come the times when we'll have to put aside our own will, consciously and deliberately, that we might take upon ourselves his will and go to Gethsemane and to Calvary with him. For he is the pattern for every disciple. The second condition of the call is that of renunciation. Mark chapter 10 and verse 28. Mark 10 verse 28. Then Peter began to say unto Jesus, Lo, we have left all and have followed Thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospels. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life, many that our first shall be last and the last first. Disciples in those days had left all in order that they might follow the Lord Jesus. Were there to be compensations? Indeed there were. Not only the blessing of a life as a companion of the Lord, but the added blessings in their daily lives and the ultimate blessing of being granted eternal life. And so the friendship of the Lord Jesus, our association with Him, is surely greater than all other friendships. His is the preeminence, our friendship and our love for Him, and His friendship and His love towards us. It is of a reciprocal nature, my dear brethren and sisters, and we are each called upon to enter into it. Matthew 19, verse 27, reminds us of the future aspect of this renunciation. Matthew 19, verse 27, Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee. What shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And so to be a disciple then was indeed to be in a very privileged position. It was to have this gracious hope, this prospect in view for the future. But what of ourselves, my dear brethren and sisters? This is the crux, isn't it? This is the central issue of our series this week. How much of this, for example, is relevant to ourselves as disciples today? The circumstances have changed. The environment is different. The Lord Jesus has ascended to His Father's right hand. You recall His words? If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whosoever shall save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. Any man, whosoever, words that come down across the ages, words that contain an eternal principle, a perpetual truth, not confined to the initial set of circumstances and environment which first called them forth, but transcend and go beyond and come down and challenge each one of us here today. Another example, Luke 17 and verse 28. The calling of Lot out of the destruction that was shortly to overtake the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Luke 17 verse 28. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. It's a clarion call from history. It's a warning of a future time. A time when the Lord Jesus Christ is going to be revealed. And there was a warning particularly associated with the wife of Lot. In verse 31 I think there is an indication as to the true state of her heart. She didn't just look back in the sense of a fleeting glance. It revealed that her heart was in Sodom, the very things from which God was seeking to save her. And because her heart was there, she was destroyed as if she had been there. And that pillar of salt became a monument to all those like ourselves who follow after, who seek to escape from the judgments that are coming upon the world, who seek to commit ourselves into the cause of the Lord God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we might escape the judgments that are to be poured out on the earth. And so, remember, Lot's wife. Verse 33, Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. A lesson from history, but a lesson that contained a perpetual principle, whosoever, whatever circumstances or whatever age. Thirdly, steadfastness. The parable of the sower implies that there would be a varied response to the word of the Lord, that there are indeed different kinds of ground. But the Lord Jesus proclaimed, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. We know that many disciples start well, but love and commitment often wane. No steadfastness of purpose, but true discipleship always steadfastly puts Christ first. For all of us, my dear brethren and sisters, there has been that initial promise. But what of today? Is there still today that same loyalty, that same enthusiasm, that same commitment, that same steadfastness of purpose as we had on the day of our baptism? Or has the loyalty been compromised? Has the enthusiasm faded? Has the commitment diminished? What a tragedy it is when previously loyal and full-hearted disciples begin to falter and fail. But all of us, without exception, are dependent upon His forgiving mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are able to return with new resolution and with a fullness of heart. But what if we begin to walk distantly, holding on by the tips of our fingers, only just able to continue in the way of life? Well, if perhaps there are any here this day who feel that they are in that position, may I bring you to the sixth chapter of John's Gospel. John chapter 6 and verse 65. There had, of course, been many hard sayings that day. The bread which came down from heaven, they were invited to lift their minds from the temporal, the physical and the material to consider the eternal things centered in Jesus Christ. And Jesus said, verse 65, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given him as my father. From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. What a tragedy it was. So close to the Son of Man and the Saviour of the world. They'd heard His gracious words. They'd seen the miracles that had been performed. And yet they turned away. Verse 67, then, said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Will ye also go away? Today, brethren and sisters, it could be for you or for me the experience or the witness of apparently meaningless and arbitrary suffering or nagging intellectual doubts that could cause otherwise loyal disciples to ask themselves the fateful question, why stay disciples? It could be a feeling of disillusionment with our lot, a feeling of futility as we contemplate the feeble influence of the message of salvation of a world wracked with violence and hopelessness. Why stay disciples? If in a moment of despair or of suffering or of tribulation or of anguish this is our question, then let us realize that in reality we have given up all hope that there is any meaning to life or any belief that it is within our power to help to lift the burdens from others. There was one disciple who heard that question of the Lord Jesus and ultimately made up his mind to go. When the time came at that first Last Supper in Jerusalem, Judas received from the Lord a piece of bread dipped in wine. Then, says the Apostle John, he immediately went out and it was night. Yes, my dear brethren and sisters, it was night for Judas. It was the end. And what of ourselves? Is there anyone who you would exchange for the Lord Jesus as the Lord and Master, as the pattern for your discipleship? Surely we all make the discovery that once we have known Him through this word there is no one for whom we would desert Him. You may hear of those who have left the path of discipleship for this reason or for that, but I've never heard of anyone who has left because they have found someone better than the Lord Jesus Christ. We stay disciples and we stay forward-looking disciples because we see no rival Lord. This is the great hope, brethren and sisters, and this is the confidence that we have through Him. And fourthly, fruitfulness. That great picture presented by the Lord Jesus in the figure of the vine, obviously there's too much material here too. Go into any detail. Just one verse, John chapter 15 and verse 8. Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit. So shall ye be my disciples. And so fruitbearing, fruitfulness, was closely and integrally associated with the path of discipleship. But once again, these words were clearly addressed to His immediate disciples. We can ask ourselves the question, how much of this is true for ourselves today? Well, we know that John chapter 15 is part of a fairly long section in John's Gospel. And in John 17 and verse 20, we have these words in the prayer of Jesus. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. So we today are associated with that great prayer of the Lord Jesus. We too are called upon to enter into the principles of these things. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. So from the local to the universal is a very interesting theme and perhaps is a very interesting study in its own right. And it continually reappears in the New Testament scriptures. Let's just look at one or two examples. This is a very small selection of the ones that are available, but I think these will demonstrate the point. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 1. The great teaching of the Sermon on the Mount. Clearly we might think addressed to the immediate disciples of the Lord Jesus. Matthew 5 verse 1. Seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up into a mountain, and when he was set, his disciples came unto him. So we have a picture of the Lord Jesus upon the mountain, and immediately around him there are those disciples who are listening attentively to the words, to the principles that he has solely for them. So perhaps it was never envisaged that these principles would be put into practice by the world. It essentially is the manifesto of the King, the coming King, for his loyal disciples. But chapter 7 and verse 28 indicates that there is a wider audience. It came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. So perhaps there were others there too, and the traditional picture of the Lord Jesus upon the Mount surrounded immediately by his 12 disciples and then by a great congregation is perhaps not very far from the truth. But throughout these words, and let's just take these words as an example, there are many principles which Jesus clearly expresses to the immediate Jewish circumstances. There are many occurrences of the word ye and you. We're not going to look at them. Verse 11, verse 12, 13, 14, 16 of chapter 5. But there are many other words also which indicate that a wider audience was intended. Whosoever, Matthew 5, verse 19, whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, so he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Similar examples, verse 22, verse 28, chapter 7, verse 24, and verse 26. The use of the word all. Moving on now to chapter 28 and verse 18. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, verse 19, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. So it becomes very difficult, my dear brethren and sisters, to seek to drive a wedge of distinction between the words of Jesus addressed to the immediate twelve and the words addressed to the whosoever. Because by this commission, all these words of the Lord Jesus come down to us. Some more examples, Mark 13, verse 37, Matthew 16, and verse 24. And in that warning of the return of the Lord Jesus about how he can return unexpectedly and suddenly as a burglar coming into your house. Jesus says, what I say unto you, immediate twelve, I say unto all, watch. So the commission, the warning, the principle comes down to ourselves in these days. Finally, the carrying out of the call. Just two aspects that have been selected. There are many issues and principles associated with the faithful carrying out of the call, the faithful response to the call of the Lord Jesus. I've just selected two for our consideration. Romans chapter 10 and verse 14. The letter to the Romans, concerned with the great theme of justification by faith, contrasted with the works of the law. Nevertheless, towards the end of the epistle, we are reminded of the practical implications of being associated with this great doctrine, the practical effect that it is intended to have in our individual lives. So there is the need for each one of us to consider the subject of witnessing, the need for we ourselves to be fishers of men in turn, as we have been graciously called, so we should endeavor to pass on that calling to others. Romans 10 verse 13. How shall they be sent here without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. There's a progression of thought here, an argument, and we ourselves are called upon to enter into this, to play our part in being the beautiful feet, in bearing the gracious message of the gospel of salvation to those who are yet in darkness. Isaiah had to do it in his day, and these words call to mind that situation and that circumstance. There was very little response, but it didn't affect the commission, it didn't affect the message that had to be given, so too in the days of the Apostle Paul, and so too in our day today. Each one of us, my dear brethren and sisters, is called upon to show our appreciation and our thankfulness for the message of the gospel that has first come to us by sharing it with those who have not yet received it. We remember that the command, going into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, was originally spoken to the eleven disciples. And yet, we might like to look at this afterwards in Acts chapter 8, the first four verses, it was obviously not the apostles who were then following the command at this particular point. It was the ordinary brethren and sisters who were witnessing here. They weren't leaving it for those to whom the commission had originally been given. Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. To all men, we are ambassadors, my dear brethren and sisters. Surely one of the issues that we will have to face at the last is this. How have we witnessed to the word of life? Not just in the development of a Christ-like character, not just in the development of the faithful life of discipleship, but in the proclamation of that character and in the proclamation of that life to those in the world around us. So the path of discipleship is not simply a call and conditions, but we have to live the call. True witnesses are not just talkers, evangelists or preachers, but martyrs, for that's the word, willing to suffer death, to stand up and be counted for the gospel of the kingdom, to live the truth in all its aspects. Finally, my dear brethren and sisters, there is one aspect that we should never forget. That great fisher of men was told in the end, recorded in John chapter 21, to care for the flock of God. Feed my sheep. And he himself reiterates this to us in 1 Peter 5. In the truth, we should never have an attitude like this if we are preachers. Right? You've been through the course. You've been baptized. Now get on with it. We're going over here to continue the preaching. It should never be sink or swim. Fish that have been caught should never be left to die. We who catch men for Christ by the power of the gospel should never leave them to die. But feed them, lead them, guide them, restore them, and uphold them. Feed the flock of God which is among you, being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Transcript

Jesus, Thou Son of Righteousness, shed forth Thy living rays, stir up Thy strength, Thy mightiness, and manifest Thy praise. Send down Thy blessing from on high and cause Thy Word below, the good seed of Thy kingdom nigh, in faith and hope to grow. I think Brother David Brown, my dear brethren and sisters, captures the spirit and essence of our class together this day. Today's subject, the mystery of the kingdom, is a much more difficult subject than the one that we presented yesterday. And I hope in the light of this that you will bear with my measured words as we, as it were, walk amongst precipices or perhaps take the canoe towards the edge of the abyss, as we did last night. And those of you who've read widely will indeed appreciate that this is a difficult subject, but it is one that is integrally related to the theme of discipleship, and it is one, I think, that we should face up to the challenge. When Jesus was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. So the first question, my dear brethren and sisters, is to seek to elucidate the meaning of this term mystery. Now, of course, in our present usage, this means something deep, profound, obscure, and perhaps even very difficult to elucidate. But I think when we turn to the Scriptures, the center of gravity of its meaning is rather different to the normal English usage. The same flavor of the deepness and profundity is still there, but perhaps the idea of obscurity and difficulty of elucidation is no longer there. There are many passages which support the general view that the mystery, especially in the New Testament, is not something that we should understand as being mysterious, but rather as a further portion of divine revelation. And there is a number of passages here which support this general thesis. Romans 16, verse 25 and 26. Now to him that is of power, to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but is now made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith, something formerly hidden, but now made known by further revelation. Colossians 1, verse 26 and 27. The mystery, which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. So there the idea of mystery is linked with the supreme revelation of God in and through Jesus Christ, and the way in which believers, disciples, are called upon to be associated with God through him, and thereby with the hope of glory centered in him. Ephesians 1, verse 2. Ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you, ward, how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. So great though the former revelation was, its magnificence, the word of the Lord, nevertheless, in the end it was fragmentary and incomplete. Only in God's revelation in his Son did his revelation become definitive and final. So I think we should bear in mind this general idea, this general teaching associated with the word mystery in the New Testament, something kept secret throughout past ages but now disclosed by men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. A mystery is a divine purpose hidden in the divine counsels of God for long ages but finally disclosed in a new revelation of God's redemptive work. But there's also the feeling associated with this teaching that the way it affects us is associated with our walk, our commitment and our discipleship. This mystery will perhaps be something that will only be finally and fully comprehended by those who are endeavoring to serve the Father. Matthew chapter 13 and verse 10. His disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. So there is a polarizing power in this teaching, in these parables of the Lord Jesus Christ. Potential unbelief refuses to see the message. Belief understands new truth. Understanding is deepened. Comprehension is increased. Nothing we may consider those words of the Lord Jesus alongside the additional words recorded in John chapter 7. He that willeth to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine. In other words, there is a degree of moral commitment required in order that we might fully understand those things in which we are involved. So let's first of all consider the kingdom. The Old Testament foundations are very clear. Perhaps just one passage in this connection will summarize the flavor of them all. Daniel chapter 2 and verse 44. In the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall never be destroyed. It shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. That great and glorious consummation of the purpose of God in the establishment of the kingdom of God upon the earth, a kingdom that will manifest and reflect His glory. And so the Old Testament prophets looked forward to the day when God would set up His reign upon the earth. His kingdom will displace all other reigns, all other kingdoms, and all other authorities. It will break the proud sovereignty of man that has been manifest throughout the ages of the earth's history. God's reign and God's rule will finally and definitively sweep away all opposing rule. In this single great event, in this mighty manifestation of power, the wicked kingdoms of the earth will be swept away and the earth filled with righteousness. And there is New Testament confirmation of this great teaching. We could think, for example, of the parable of the nobleman who was to go into a far country and to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. By implication, if you look carefully at the parable, the nobleman is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus builds upon and confirms that teaching of the Old Testament prophets. The last book in the New Testament looks forward to the time when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. The same great and glorious consummation when the glory of God will finally be revealed and will fill the earth. What then, my dear brethren and sisters, is the revelation in the New Testament, and perhaps especially in the New Testament parables, what is this new revelation with regard to the gospel of the kingdom of God? Well, I think there are two points, one of which I've already mentioned. Firstly, it all hinges around the concept of time. When the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, the gospel of the kingdom of God, was preached by Jesus and the disciples and the apostles, it was very clear that now was the time of opportunity to receive this gospel of the kingdom. Now was the time to choose between serving Christ, between taking up one's cross or denying Him, a time to choose between accepting God or rejecting Him. The gospel of the kingdom was present in both the words and the teaching and the actions of the Lord Jesus. But although it was there, it could still be accepted or rejected. The good news was there, but it was with persuasion and not with power. Only at the last day would there be that unavoidable confrontation, the day of vengeance of God. But that confrontation presupposed that at that day it would be too late to accept or reject. The decision would have had to have been made earlier. The decision would effectively have been decided by one's earlier response to the message of the gospel of the kingdom. I'd like now, very briefly, to look at the parables of the kingdom. These are mainly contained in Matthew chapter 13. I've given the verses there on the transparency. And there's one of them, the parable of the seed in the ground in Mark chapter 4. These are parables, my dear brethren and sisters, that we know very well, so I don't think it necessary for me to go through the verses. So let's just summarize the truths that come from these parables. The parable of the sower. Remember the proclamation of the Lord Jesus associated with these parables. It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. These parables that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to His disciples encapsulate this mystery of the kingdom of heaven. The parable of the sower. Here is the mystery of the kingdom. The gospel of the kingdom is here, but not with irresistible power. The word of the gospel is preached, but it is not like a stone grinding the image to powder. It is not now destroying wickedness. It is rather giving men and women a gracious time of opportunity. It does not force itself upon men. There are some like the good soil who receive it, but there are many others who choose not to receive it. Some hear the word, but it does not enter into their heart. They hear the word, but they do not fully appreciate it. The adversary comes and snatches it away. There is no root, and so there is no life. Others are shallow. They hear the gospel of the kingdom. They seem to receive it, and they make the appropriate response. There is semblance of true life, but there is no depth. Perhaps the intellect or the emotions have been stirred by these gracious words of Jesus, but the will has not been moved. There is no real life. When trouble arises and they find that the gospel that they have received does not immediately deliver them from evil or suffering, they wither and die. When they meet persecution and evil and tribulation for the very reason that they embrace the hope of the kingdom, they do not grow because there is no life. Their professed belief is shown to be false. Still others are like the thorny ground. They seem to receive the word. They appear to believe it and to give evidence of life, but they are not prepared to accept the necessary disciplines involved. To be a true disciple of necessity means that they must accept the disciplines of that life. The cares of the age, the love of riches, the ambition, the pressure of conformity to this age in which we live choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. Jesus brings the gospel of the kingdom and yet men are free to reject it. The gospel will not experience uniform success. Not all will receive it. One day the kingdom will come with power, but now is the time of opportunity. One day God will manifest His mighty power to purge the earth of wickedness, sin and evil, but not now. Now is the time to receive the good news of the kingdom and this response must come from a willing heart and a submissive will. The next parable, the parable of the wheat and the tares, illustrates a parallel truth. A man sowed wheat in his field, but his enemy sowed tares and weeds. When the weeds were discovered, the servants wanted to pull them out, but they were told to let both wheat and tares grow until the harvest. Then the separation would take place. Until the harvest time, tares and wheat must grow together. The sons of the kingdom, those who have received the gospel of the kingdom, and the children of the world, are to live together in the world until the end of the age. Now both you and I know, brethren and sisters, that this parable has sometimes been used in the context of the Ecclesia. But I think this is foreign to the context here. It's talking about the believers, the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, living in the world, the two groups, the saints and the world. And I think if you consider the teaching of that parable in the light of the teaching of the gospel of the kingdom, you will find added confirmation of this fact. The parable of the mustard seed demonstrates a further truth about the kingdom. In ancient Semitic idiom, the mustard seed was a proverbial symbol for that which was tiny and insignificant. And the mustard grew rapidly into a very large plant. So the gospel of the kingdom is present among men in a form not previously revealed. It is here as something tiny and insignificant, as something as small as a mustard seed. But although it is small, although it is tiny, it is very important. It is the kernel, and it is the guarantee of that which is to come. Now the message of this parable, I think, is not concerned with the way in which the tiny seed will become a tree. Many have placed great emphasis in their expositions upon the element of growth, and have used it to illustrate the gradual extension of the church's influence in the world. But I don't think this is really in the parable. If the Lord had wished to teach slow growth and gradual expansion, I think the choice of the mustard seed, which quickly becomes a large shrub, would have been quite inappropriate. The slow growth of the oak would have been far more suitable to demonstrate slow growth and influence and consolidation. Growth, I think, is not the point of the parable here. It is not teaching anything about how the kingdom will come in the future. We know from other scriptures that the kingdom will come in mighty power. It will possess the earth only when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in majesty and glory. The form of the coming of this kingdom, I suggest to you, is not really an element in this parable. One truth, one primary truth, is set forth. The message of the kingdom, the gospel of the kingdom, will appear totally insignificant to men now. But in that day, its majesty will fill the earth. The parable of the leaven illustrates a similar truth. And once again, this parable, I think, has been widely misinterpreted in two directions. Firstly, that the gospel is destined to conquer the whole earth by gradual permeation and penetration, and that this is represented by the action of the leaven on the unleavened dough. Or secondly, the leaven symbolizes evil and demonstrates that the church, the ecclesia, the aggregation of disciples, would rapidly become apostate. But neither of these, my dear brethren and sisters, is necessarily revealed in this parable of the leaven. Indeed, what the leaven represents may not be a valid consideration at all. We know that a parable is a story drawn from familiar experiences of everyday life. And it may well be that some of the details are only incidental to the setting forth of the principal truth of the parable. And of course, a very good example of that is the parable of the unjust steward. I suggest to you that this parable sets forth the single truth that men should be wise in their use of substance. They should invest it so that it will help them in their day of spiritual need. All else is incidental to the story. If we try and attach specific meanings to other details of this parable, then we may begin to think that Jesus was perhaps teaching that the end justifies the means. Or, sharp practice, unlawful method is not really wrong if good comes from it. The Lord, my dear brethren and sisters, clearly did not teach this. For him, underlying motive was more important than external behavior. This was the source, the basis, the foundation for everything else. So I think this principle, this observation, is relevant in our consideration of the parable of the leaven. The truth is not that of gradual permeation of the world by the ecclesia. The Scripture nowhere teaches this. The truth is like that of the parable of the mustard seed. In its present manifestation, the gospel of the kingdom is like a handful of leaven in a bowl of dough. The dough swallows up the leaven so that one is scarcely aware of its presence. Instead of the power of God shaking the earth, his purpose was manifested in the Lamb of God, who was meek and lowly, who was destined to be put to death. One who had only a handful of supporters. From the world's point of view, what was centered in him was totally and completely insignificant. Indeed, the Roman historians of the time hardly mentioned the life of Jesus. But those who had true eyes to see would realize that out of these apparently totally insignificant beginnings would spring the continuation and finally the culmination of God's purpose with the earth. Leaven may indeed appear to be a small and insignificant thing, despised, ignored, and rejected by men. But God's purpose is sure nonetheless. The parables of the treasure and the costly pearl. The Gospel of the Kingdom is of inestimable value. Its value will ultimately transcend all other possessions. It is like a pearl whose acquisition merits the loss of all other goods. And yet we must notice again the fact that the man buys the field or the merchant buys the pearl does not mean, my dear brethren and sisters, that salvation can be bought or that it can be earned. Ultimately, it is the gift of God. And yet even though it is God's gracious gift, it is also costly. Salvation may be free to we who are undeserving, but it is never cheap. And we are each called upon to count the cost of our association with these things. It may cost a man his earthly possessions. It may cost him his friends. It may cost him the affections of his family and his children. It may cost him his very life. But whatever the cost, its possession, its acquisition justifies all that is sacrificed. The parable of the net. Those who have been caught up in the call of the Gospel will include both good and bad. The parable of the wheat and the tares describes the world at large, but perhaps in this parable we have a narrower reference. A description of the circle of men and women who have been influenced by and have accepted the Gospel of the Kingdom. Even evil men and women would be found amongst the fellowship of this relatively small group. And we know that just as a fact of history there was one of the twelve who later showed that he had interests that were alien to the cause of his master. It's interesting to notice that Jesus did not go out searching such or pointing the long finger of suspicion. But it was a fact that there was one in his midst who turned out to be evil. We remember that the Apostle Paul warned that perverse men would enter the Ecclesia itself and turn others away from the Lord Jesus Christ. And so by implication, Ecclesias today can turn out to have members who have interests which are ultimately alien to a seeking first of the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. The parable of the seed in the ground. The Kingdom of God is like a seed in this one point. The seed contains a principle of life within itself. There is nothing that the farmer can do to add to the intrinsic life of the seed. His one task is to sow the seed. Then he may go about his other tasks. While he is busy with other things, even while he is asleep, the life that is resident within the seed and the powers that are resident in the earth combine together to produce fruit. It is a miracle, my dear brethren and sisters. And so it is with the Kingdom of God. This too, in like manner, will be a miracle. It will be supernatural. Men and women cannot build the Kingdom. They cannot erect the Kingdom. It will be brought by God. But it is our responsibility to proclaim the good news about this Kingdom. But the actual working of the Kingdom will be by a divine hand. The relationship between the Gospel of the Kingdom and the future reality of the Kingdom. Remember the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying, The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repentance is at hand. Preach ye and believe the Gospel. Here, my dear brethren and sisters, very clearly is a focal point in the purpose of God. It's the Lord Jesus Christ at the crux of history. As for the Lord Jesus, so also for His disciples. They had the commission into whatsoever city ye enter and they receive you. Eat such things as are set before you and heal the sick that are therein and say unto them, The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. It was the focal point. There was a sense of urgency. There was a sense of immediacy. Not only about the message associated with this Kingdom, but about the fact of the Kingdom itself. And yet, nonetheless, the fullness and the reality of that Kingdom was still future. This day is salvation come to this house, for the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. The very central feature of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, His self-giving, His self-sacrifice, associated with those who came to Him, is followed by a looking forward to the consummation of all things. And as they heard these things, He added and spake a parable because He was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear. What more natural than that they should think that in the presence of the future King He would immediately take His Kingdom and set up the Kingdom of God. But their understanding has to be enlarged about the purpose of God that it's only going to be finally consummated at that great day. What then about the relationship between the theme of discipleship and the Gospel of the Kingdom? This is really the crux of our subject today. Well, we know all too well that the Kingdom of God is clearly and unequivocally identified with the goal of our discipleship. For each one of us there is the primary and first objective. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come. So the very next thing after our awareness of the majesty and the greatness of God is our prayer that His Kingdom might come and be manifested in the earth. This is our goal. This is our objective. But the Kingdom of God is also identified with the course and the pathway by which it is to be finally achieved. And this course and pathway is our association with the Ecclesia, the body of Christ. Think of these words of the Lord Jesus. He was speaking to the chief priests and elders. The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. So there is not only, brethren and sisters, the goal of the Kingdom, the destination of the Kingdom, but there is the bringing forth of the fruits of the Kingdom. And by implication, these fruits are born along the way to the Kingdom, not after the Kingdom is established. The chief priests and elders and the scribes had proved by their attitude, their beliefs, their motivations that they had interests that were alien to this future Kingdom of God. And so it was to be taken from them and given to someone else. And so we have here something that is more than just an abstract, a distant hope. But it is for each one of us an opportunity, a gracious opportunity to manifest its values even now. To bring forth the fruits that are acceptable to God and that are consistent with the possession of the Kingdom, the possession of the Gospel of the Kingdom. A number of other passages, which I put in parenthesis here, relate this hope to the bearing of the fruits thereof. Romans 6, verse 22. But now, being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. There's the goal, the end, the objective, and there is the root that leads us towards that goal, the servant of God and bearing fruits unto holiness. Galatians 5, verse 22. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Ephesians 5, verse 9. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. Philippians 1, verse 10. That ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. And so there is not, my dear brethren and sisters, a void between the present time and the day of Christ. There has to be the path of discipleship and the being filled with the fruits of the Spirit. 1 Peter 2, and verse 9. The Apostle Peter is talking about the disciples, the saints, those who have been called out from the world to an inheritance in the kingdom of God. And he proclaims that the saints are a kingdom of priests, even now, both in principle and in prospect. Priests who appreciate the principles of that kingdom, verse 10 of chapter 2, who manifest the values of that kingdom, verses 11 to 25, and who proclaim the fact of that kingdom, verse 12. Ephesians chapter 4. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Lord, one faith, in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. What is that but the things pertaining to the King and the things pertaining to the kingdom? One baptism into that faith, which is a submission in symbol to the government of the Lord, whereby the believer becomes part of the one body. Luke chapter 12, and verse 32. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. The ecclesia, the aggregation of the saints, is the embryonic form of the coming kingdom of God. It is that route and that pathway by which for the saints the objective is finally realized. Notice the context of those words, verse 31 of Luke 12. Seek ye the kingdom of God. As well as bearing the fruits of the kingdom, there is present hope and confidence for each one of us. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. We are not concerned with seeking to define how far the terms world or nations are to be understood. We are concerned to notice that the gospel of the kingdom was and is preached and a witness was made and is still being made. It is therefore a central feature of the message, the gospel of the kingdom of God. We have ample confirmation of this in the following New Testament scriptures. Just take the example of the Apostle Paul. He expounded and testified the kingdom of God persuading them concerning Jesus both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets from morning till evening. Interesting to notice the sequence there, isn't it? We might have thought that Jesus would be first, but no. The kingdom of God and also persuading them concerning Jesus. He was preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding Him. I think therefore, my dear brethren and sisters, that these passages and their attendant lessons and implications, this perspective helps us towards a fuller understanding of a number of very interesting, perhaps rather difficult passages in the New Testament. And I think they can now be seen to confirm this picture that we have presented to you today. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Notice the tense there is the past tense. It is our association with the gracious hope of salvation. And the word translate in that passage is a word that is closely associated with the word used in the translation of Enoch in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 5. In other words, we have been called out of the world, we have been called into the Ecclesia, and in the mercy and grace of God, we are destined for the kingdom of God. Romans 14 and verse 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men. And the context here is the relationship between considering the weak brother's conscience and the need to show love and consideration. The need to build up and to edify rather than to cut down and to destroy. The relationship between all these things and the values of the kingdom. It's sacrificial love in action in the context of the Ecclesia. Matthew 12 and verse 28. If I cast out devils by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. In the presence of Jesus, in the presence of the future King, his character, his disposition and his values, and the power that was manifested in his works, the word was made flesh with undeniable historicity. I came to do thy will, O God, yea thy law is within my heart. So it was surely in that sense that the kingdom of God had indeed drawn nigh in the manifestation of power in the works that were accomplished by him. In Mark chapter 10 there's a record of the disciples rebuking those who brought young children to Jesus that he might touch them. In verse 14 it is recorded when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased and saith unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. A very definite relationship between the necessary childlike trust, faith and humility and the entrance into the kingdom of God. Matthew chapter 21 the parable of the two sons. One said he would go to work in the father's vineyard and didn't. One said he wouldn't but later repented and did. Who did the will of God? Clearly the latter. Jesus saith unto them verse 31, Verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. The context there is the chief priests and scribes and elders once again. Matthew chapters 16 and 17 the great chapters considering the theme of cross bearing the ultimate issues of saving one's life or losing it. And then at the beginning of chapter 17 the transfiguration. There's a very interesting juxtaposition of thought here presented to us in the record. The association of future glory and also present hope and aspiration. And the characteristics and qualities that are needed in those who would be disciples in order to achieve and aspire to that future glory. The son of man chapter 16 and verse 27 shall come in the glory of his father with his angels and then shall he reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. So finally my dear brethren and sisters may we summarize what we have said today. The mystery of the kingdom is the revelation of God through Jesus Christ of the things pertaining to the kingdom. Its nature its character, its hopes and its values. It is centered in the Lord Jesus Christ and in all those who are and will be at that day part of his body. All those who have seen, heard believed and entered into the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ and who thereafter have as the primary guiding force in their lives that seeking first of the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Lives that give this goal their undivided attention seeking even now to manifest its values in a consecrated life in the treasuring of his word in a ready receptivity to his commandments in humble service seeking his will above our own in the giving of ourselves for the flock of God in persistent preaching in continual teaching in a patient waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ even so come Lord Jesus.

Transcript

Know ye not that so many of us, as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death, therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. My dear brethren and sisters, if we wanted to know something about the great theme of justification by faith, we would go surely to the letter to the Romans. If we wanted to know something about the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would go to the letter to the Hebrews or the letter to the Colossians. If we wanted to know about the contrast between the old way of life under the law and the new way of life centered in Jesus Christ, we would go to the letter to the Galatians. If we wanted to know about the fundamental issues of discipleship, we would go to the letters of John and the letter of James. If we wanted to know about the pastoral care of the flock of God, we would go to the letters to Timothy and to Titus. If we wanted to know about the practical problems of life in the Ecclesia and their prayerful solution, we would perhaps go to the letter to the Corinthians. If we wanted to know about life and new life, I think a good place to start would be the gospel of John and also the epistles of John. Just a very brief investigation with the tools available for Bible study tell us this very interesting fact that out of the total usages of the words life, eternal life or life eternal, everlasting life and life everlasting, we have the following proportion in John's gospel and John's epistles. The word life in John's gospel and John's epistle occurs 30% of its total number of times in the New Testament. Eternal life or life eternal in John's gospel and his epistles occurs 50% of its total occurrence in the New Testament and everlasting life and life everlasting, once again, 50 % of its total occurrence in the New Testament. So of course there we're talking about words, life or phrases, eternal life, life eternal and so on. So I think, brothers and sisters, for our purposes today we shall begin with the gospel of John. Perhaps we could begin in the 20th chapter where the apostle gives to us a very clear indication of what the purpose was for the overall writing of this gospel. John chapter 20 and verse 30, many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name. We mentioned at the beginning of this series, my dear brothers and sisters, that your speaker had made a selection of topics to present to you. This was also true of the apostle John when he wrote his gospel. He made a selection, but it was an important selection for it had a very important goal in view. These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ. This is the reason behind the inclusion in this gospel of those seven, or perhaps eight if you include the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, those eight signs that Jesus might be recognized as the Christ, the Son of God. And secondly, that by or through believing life through his name might be possible. Who can receive this? Well, surely the twelve disciples, that immediate circle of the followers of the Lord Jesus, but perhaps not only them, we ourselves also. I'd like to propose to you that this is one of those whosoever passages which I mentioned in outline in an earlier class. These are written that ye might believe. In other words, any reader who reads the gospel of John, in whatever age or in whatever circumstances, it is to the reader that the message is directed. I think there's confirmation of this in the context. If we look back at verse or two, verse 29, I know this is a different subject, but nevertheless there is a juxtaposition of ideas in these verses. Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. So rising out of this immediate context, there is the all-inclusive character of the purpose of this revelation. Included are those who were not first-hand witnesses of these things. This includes ourselves, my dear brethren and sisters. So the full force of this witness of the Apostle John and his teaching comes down to us, to challenge us, to instruct us, to guide us and to lead us. Considering these occurrences of the word life and the phrase eternal life and life eternal, everlasting life and life everlasting, I think it would be wrong for us to suppose that the use of the word life by John in his Gospel was meant to mean only ordinary life, ordinary human existence. As if perhaps in view of this table we might be entitled to draw a line underneath the word life and separate it from eternal life and life eternal and draw another line after the second group and separate that from everlasting life and life everlasting. Consider these words in the Gospel, except ye eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Just a simple use of the ordinary word life, John 6 verse 53. But it's not saying you will die, literally, is it? It's talking about a certain kind of life, isn't it? Needs defining of course, but it's certainly more than ordinary life. It's certainly more than ordinary human existence. Or again, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. Chapter 6 verse 63. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth in him. Chapter 3 verse 36. In Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men. Chapter 1 verse 4. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Chapter 5 verse 26. Jesus words, you will not come to me that ye might have life. Chapter 5 verse 40. I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. Or again, I am the way, the truth, the life. Just a simple use of the ordinary Greek word for life. And yet we know just by the context of those words that there's much more to it. For John is not presenting to us a picture of ordinary life at all, but life filled with a new dimension of meaning in all these passages where this word is used as it were on its own. But you may compare some of those passages which I've just quoted with these further parallel passages. Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. Lord, thou hast the words of eternal life. Chapter 6 verse 68. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Chapter 3 verse 36. Everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day. Chapter 6 verse 40. I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. The Father's commandment is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. So I think there, brethren and sisters, is ample evidence that there is perhaps no easy clear-cut division between those words life, eternal life and everlasting life, not so easy to compartmentalize them when we consider the fullness of teaching in the Gospel of John. Perhaps you want to say to me, aren't we getting too technical? Aren't we getting too overloaded with statistics, with categorizations, with observations and with deductions? Perhaps you want to say to me, it's not all that involved. It's really quite simple. We know what Jesus means by new life, life through his name. We believe we have been baptized into him and we now live in him. Indeed, that phrase in Christ is on its own a very interesting and profitable study in the New Testament. Or the phrase, through Christ, and we know what this means. Its connection with the high priesthood of the Lord Jesus. Surely, perhaps therefore, you wish to say to me this new life and its definition is very simple. It means firstly, our life of discipleship in him, founded upon belief in Jesus as the Christ and all its attendant implications in the promises and the prophecies that were revealed in him and will be finally consummated in him. This is the foundation stone, the basis of our belief. Secondly, our life of following his example, taking up our cross and following in his footsteps. Thirdly, our association continually with his sacrifice. Not only in the important way, in the breaking of bread and in the drinking of wine. Except you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, he have no life in you. Not only in that important way, but in the carrying out of that principle day to day and week to week. In an individual life of commitment and sacrifice that endeavors to mirror that of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And fourthly, our expectation of his return and the consummation of all things in him. This is what is involved in the new life, in life through his name. Well of course my dear brethren and sisters, this is true. But I think the message of the Apostle John to us today is that this is not all the truth on this very important matter. There is something more. And it's something to do with the goal that we are aiming for. And not only that. When we talk about life, or age abiding life, we usually think of it in terms of its length. When it starts, how long it goes on for, and if and when it concludes. So we picture immortality as best we can as a life of unending continuity. But my dear brethren and sisters, there's something more isn't there? We know in our heart of hearts that this is so from the teaching of scripture. For immortality is not only a life of unending continuity, it is also a life of unsurpassed quality. This was the proclamation of the Apostle Paul of those to whom he wrote. So my proposition to you today is that when the Apostle John talks about life, about new life, he's not merely thinking about its length, but more importantly, its breadth. And what do I mean by its breadth? Well, its characteristics, its quality, its direction, its goal, and its values. And the supporting evidence is of course in the scripture, and I'd like you to come with me to the first epistle of John and the first chapter. There are many passages that could be used to confirm this observation, but I'm just going to give you one. Let's begin with the first chapter just to set the scene and the context, 1 John chapter 1 and verse 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. I'm sure, my dear brethren and sisters, you will agree with me, we have something here that is more than the written record about the word made flesh. That which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled. Surely here we have a direct reference to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The life of Jesus, its example, and its basis. Chapter 5 and verse 12. With that picture of the Lord Jesus in your minds, consider this teaching of John. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Very clear cut, isn't it? There is to be for each one of us a spiritual life in this life, and that spiritual life is centered and based upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And this spiritual life is the precursor to that life in the mercy of God that will be revealed in the future. And so we see eternal life supremely manifested in the Son, in the way that He lived, and in His complete responsiveness to the Father's will. A consideration of the Lord Jesus and His obedience to His Father should give us a new dimension in our thinking, and it is a spiritual dimension. And so the living can be dead, and the dead can live again. The strong, the hale, and the hearty can be described as dead. Their life has gone out in spiritual terms. The scriptures are full of examples of this. The prodigal son was dead, but he came to life again. And it wasn't bodily resurrection, but it did reveal the kind of life that he had been leading. It was a cul-de-sac filled with all kinds of waste and refuse. I think you have an even more dramatic term in this country for our term cul-de-sac, the term dead end, which even more graphically represents the kind of life in which the prodigal son was engaged. It was the terminus of life, and it was the beginning of death. To the man with the secular and the earthly interests, the Lord Jesus Christ said, Let the dead bury their dead. To the merry widow, in 1 Timothy 5 verse 6, Paul proclaims, She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. To the Ecclesia at Sardis, Jesus said, I know that there has to name that thou livest, and art dead. No doubt it was a famous Ecclesia. It looked like a temple, but Jesus saw inside. And what did he see? He saw too a grave. The Ecclesia was pulsating with life. It was vibrant. It was memorable, but it was spiritually dead in the sight of God. In other words, death was a quality of life. It was life descending. It was life temporal. It was life transient. It was life degenerating. It was life decaying. It was a selfish life. And a selfish life is a self-indulgent life. And a self-indulgent life is a wasted life. That, my dear brethren and sisters, is the fullness of teaching of the Lord Jesus on taking up the cross. He that seeks to save his life shall lose it. But the new life, the life through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, is life exalting, ascending, renewing, triumphing, and victorious over the forces of sin and temptation. It is life at its highest and at its best. It is life as it was potentially meant to be in the purpose of God. And in essence, my dear brethren and sisters, these two kinds of life are poles apart. For that is the implication of the usage of these words in the Scriptures. Life and death. Light and dark. And so we are related to one or the other. This is the implications of this principle. Or dead to sin and alive unto God or living and still dead. And there's one passage in the Gospel of John, chapter 5, which will be well known to you. We often use it in connection with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection at the last day as a proof text to encourage our friends towards this belief in the resurrection at the last day. But I think perhaps, as we have noticed, there is further truth in these verses. John chapter 5 and verse 24. Verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live. So we know certainly and unequivocally that the Lord Jesus Christ was talking about the last day. Go a little further down. Verse 28, Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. That great picture of the coming out of the graves at the last day, the separation and the polarization between those who are faithful and those who are not. But that's not the only truth, my dear brethren and sisters, in this passage, is it? Consider again the words in verse 25. The hour is coming, future tense, and now is, present tense, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live. In other words, for the present tense application, he must be talking about the spiritually dead, that they too can come out of that state of death even in the present life and come to a new life, a fullness of life, based upon the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. And there are further passages which I'm not going to turn to, which I think confirm this, 1 Peter 4 verses 5 to 6, and 1 John 3 verses 14 to 15. But an important question, my dear brethren and sisters, for each one of us is this, can we determine to which category we belong? Do we belong to the old life, the spiritually dead, or do we belong to the new life, those who are spiritually alive in the sight of God? Well, I think we can. And one very important test is whether we see the spiritual beyond the material, whether we see those things that are associated with the new life, the spiritual life, whether we see the spiritual life above and beyond the material life. Consider the experience of the Lord Jesus Himself. Consider the lilies of the field, He said. How they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. It wasn't just decoration that the Lord Jesus Christ saw, not just an ornament or a pretty picture, but He saw the purpose of God in the past. He saw its connection with the present, and He saw its application to the life of the disciple. Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, shall He not much more clothe you? Or again, therefore, take no thought, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink? Two things that the Lord Jesus Christ brought out from that observation of the lilies in the field, just ordinary flowers. But His insight into the spiritual dimension associated with those things was related in teaching to the lives of the disciples. So my dear brethren and sisters, go out into your gardens, go out into the fields, and consider this, these words of Jesus. Surely their primary purpose is lost, the flowers, the fields, and the gardens, if they do not remind you of spiritual things, of eternal things, the flowers of the field, created by the Father's hand. Consider the flowers at a funeral. Their freshness does not remain for long. They soon lose their beauty and return to the earth. And they mirror, do they not, the life of the one in whose memory they have been given, so soon cut down, and the spirit returns to God who gave it, the transience of life. Always a reminder to we who are living that the opportunities are so short-lived and we so soon pass away. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom, that we may personally and individually search out and seek to cultivate the Christ-like life while there is yet time. Jesus knew, his faithful friend Lazarus had fallen asleep. Behold how he loved him, said the Jews. But the Lord Jesus Christ saw beyond the raising of a friend. He saw the raising of all the faithful at the last day. And so that resurrection of Lazarus to a continuance of mortal life was but a foretaste, wasn't it? But Martha's faith sealed it, both the resurrection then and the resurrection at the last day. I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. What a faith she had, not only in the purpose of God as it had been revealed in the past, but the purpose of God as it was sent in the Lord Jesus Christ who was in her very presence, that it was to be indeed Christ the first fruits and afterward they that are Christ at his coming. Jesus looked up to heaven and saw the birds and sparrows, and he saw that not one of them fell to the ground unnoticed by his Father in heaven. And from the sparrows he considers ourselves, that all the hairs of our head are numbered, and we are of more value than many sparrows. He saw the children playing in the streets, and what did he see? Not just their games and their joyful association together, but he saw their angels in heaven. Their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. He saw a man and a wife, and what did he see? He saw in the beginning, and he saw also Christ and the Ecclesia. We know that he did, because the Apostle Paul later proclaims this as a teaching and as a doctrine to the Ephesians. And the Epistle of James, when considering the principle of giving, invites us to consider our gifts, gracious though they may be, as but temporal things, and that every good and perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. And in all these simple things, my dear brethren and sisters, these temporal things and these transient things, we are invited, we are encouraged, we are commanded to see behind them the fundamental and spiritual things of the purpose of God. The Lord Jesus always saw eternal things beyond temporal things. For his mind was in tune with the eternal. He seemed to have nothing by the standards of the world, and yet we know he had everything. What about the opposite kind of life? The old life. Those who can so easily be spiritually dead. Well, we know there are examples in Scripture, and in giving this example to you, we do not in any way wish to imply that we look down upon them from a great height, as if we in any way are more superior, more developed in our Christ-like life, but merely as a warning that has been given to us in the Word of God. There was the opposite kind of life in certain of the brethren and sisters in Corinth, who indulged themselves, who pursued private goals, who neglected their brother, or even worse, would attempt to take him to law. They pursued a course of self-aggrandizement. I have better gifts than you. They got involved in parties and in factions. They fell prey to immorality. Eat what you like, think what you like, do what you like, and be what you like. And it was all centered in a temporal kind of existence. Eat, drink, and be merry, almost. So preoccupied with today and today's experiences and today's temporal life that they forgot to look beyond to the spiritual. The rich young ruler came to Jesus. One thing thou lackest, he said. Sell all that thou hast and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me. And so it's got to be treasure on earth or treasure in heaven. That was the choice then, and it's the choice today. It's one or the other in the end. Not a little of each, mixed until the blend is just right. It's not the blend that counts. It's the end, the goal, the destination. For Jesus said, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Along that central axis of our existence, the heart, its affections, its desires, its objectives, the final issue will be decided. Where is our treasure? My beloved brethren and sisters, for the heart cannot be in two places at once. For Jesus says, It would be like trying to serve two masters. You will either love the one and hate the other, or hate the one and love the other. It would be like a city divided against itself. It would not be able to stand. It's treasure in heaven or treasure on earth. It's life through his name or life against his name. It's the new life, the spiritual life. Or it's the old life dressed up. It's the old life masquerading as the new life. He that is not with me, said Jesus, is against me. And he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. It's life abundant or it's life descended to the dust from which we came. The Apostle Peter reminds us that we do indeed have a lively hope. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This surely, my dear brethren and sisters, should be a great motivating force in our lives of discipleship. The lively hope pointing us to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you. And we remember in our association with the sacrifice of Christ in a sense a foretaste of these things. For we were not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. And the very act of partaking should remind us of the inheritance that is yet to be, the inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, that we eat this bread and drink this cup until he come. Just a little word, the word until, but invites us to cast our minds back across the ages to consider the present in the light of the past and to consider the prospect of the future in the light of the present and to aim always for that future. This is the goal and the destination. It is reserved in heaven for those who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. The past, the present, and the future, associated with the great work of salvation is indeed a very interesting study. I remember it was an elderly brother in my own Ecclesia who has now fallen asleep in Jesus many years ago who first suggested this to me as a topic for a Bible class, for Bible study. There are, brethren and sisters, these three tenses of salvation used with all the great words associated with the salvation of God. It's very interesting to study them. We're not going to do so today. I'm just really reminding you of this fact. It's very interesting how that some of the contemporary communities to ourselves only emphasize perhaps two of these three tenses of salvation, perhaps the present and the past, perhaps the present and the future only, and forgetting the words of God through the Old Testament and so on. We can only have a balanced picture, a full picture of the revelation of God if we endeavor to keep all these three tenses together in tension the one with the other. So the new life, life through the name of the Lord Jesus, leads to that foolish realization of life at that great harvest that is yet to be. You can't really tell the difference now between a man who lives the old life or a man who lives the new life, the man who lives to himself. So difficult, isn't it, for us to judge one another's hearts? The parable of the net that we considered yesterday demonstrates that you have to wait till the end for the separation to be made. Jesus said that only then would the final polarization take place. But the end result, my dear brethren and sisters, is related to the time now, to our present experience. It is related to the sowing that we may choose to do now. And there's a law of sowing. We are either sowing to the Lord, or we are sowing to ourselves, one or the other. If we wish to live that fullness of life in the kingdom, we must be sowing to that kind of life now. But there's nothing really magical about an inheritance in the kingdom of God. We know what the qualities and characteristics and values of that kingdom will be. And so even now we should be cultivating and seeking to demonstrate in our own lives those values. These things are written, said John, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name. The disciples, the twelve disciples, were confronted with the message of the Lord. And Thomas, that sturdy-minded empiricist, said, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, I will not believe. What a strange thing. But it didn't really matter what it was, did it? It began with a little word, except. And that was enough. We can say the same thing, my dear brethren and sisters. We can attempt to have a kind of conditional discipleship. I will follow thee, Lord, but with certain reservations, because I'm not quite sure what the outcome is going to be, or what kind of tribulation or suffering may lay before me. And the answer of Jesus is always the same, and it comes down across the ages. Be not faithless, but believing. The great and central issue of faith and doubt. Or perhaps more correctly, faithlessness and doubt. Or is the hint in that word, that faith is something more than something that is static, something more than a commitment that was made at a point in time in the past, and is the basis and foundation for the status quo, but is rather something that is continual, continually developing and growing, dynamic, not static. The Apostle Paul proclaimed, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. So he could proclaim, certainly, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. So may we summarize, my dear brethren and sisters, what we're trying to say today. In one sense, we already have redemption. Romans 3.24, Ephesians 1.7, Colossians 1.14, but in another sense, we have still to wait for the redemption, that is to say, the redemption of the body. In one sense, we have already been justified, Romans 5.1, but in another sense, righteousness is something that we still await and hope to attain unto, Galatians 5.5. We look forward to the glory that is yet to be revealed in us by the mercy of God, Romans 8.18. But already, we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another, 2 Corinthians 3.18. We have already been granted new life, Romans 6.4, 2 Corinthians 3.6, but eternal life still remains an end and a goal to be striven for, Romans 6.22, Galatians 6.8. We are already in the process of being saved, 1 Corinthians 1.18, 15.2, 2 Corinthians 2.15, but our salvation will only be complete at the last day, Romans 5.9, 1 Thessalonians 5.8-9. We have already received the status of adopted sons, Romans 8.15, Galatians 4.5, but we still wait for the adoption as sons, Romans 8.23. In all these principles, there is a tension between present fulfillment and future hope. There is a dual relationship between the part and the whole. And each word indicates that salvation is not something attained all at once in this life or wholly reserved for the next. It speaks of something begun in the present but not completed, something participated in but not yet fully possessed. And so it is with resurrection and new life. In one sense, the resurrection is already past, for at our baptism we share in Christ's resurrection, Galatians 2.12 and 3.1. But in another sense, the resurrection is clearly and definitively future, for only then, with the resurrection of the body, will the whole man be made alive. Romans 6, verse 5, 1 Corinthians 15. So the future is related to the present. Glorious hopes of present realities, future prospects have for us an immediate foretaste. The things that will be are related inescapably to the things which now are. So ponder this, my dear brethren and sisters, as you consider his promises and the precious privilege, even now, of new life in Christ Jesus.

Transcript

There are six elements in the fourth chapter of the first epistle of Peter which we can notice in a kind of overview fashion to begin our class today. First of all, the Apostle Peter reminds us of the Day of Reckoning. Verse 5, Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. The Day of Reckoning for the life lived and the actions done. Secondly, the possibility of trial between the present time and that future time, that last day. Verse 12, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. And therefore, thirdly, by implication, this trial should not come as a surprise. Fourthly, the disciple should remain unmoved, nay, even more, he should rejoice. Verse 13, Rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. To rejoice both at the prospect of trial and in the trial itself, a most remarkable thing, a most unusual thing by the standards of the world. Fifthly, there are, at least in the context here, two kinds of trial that brought upon oneself by evil doing. Verse 15, Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evil doer or as a busybody in other men's matters. And the other kind of suffering, that brought upon oneself by bearing the name of Christ. Verse 16, If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. And both of those two kinds of trial, two kinds of suffering, have their consequences. But the first is the wrong kind of trial, brought about by the consequences of sin. It's evil, it's abhorrent, it's unnecessary, and it's avoidable. And the second kind is brought about by the world's natural hostility to Christ on all those who seek to bear the name of Christ, for dark and light in the end are at opposite poles. Just notice in passing how this theme of judgment reappears again in verse 17, bracketing this consideration of trial between verses 5 and 16. And sixthly, the trial should be a greater impetus to faith and trust in God. Verse 19, Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator. True worship and service of the faithful Creator should result in true and faithful disciples, particularly in the context of trial and suffering. So here, my dear brethren and sisters, are six elements to this subject of trial and suffering, which are apparent just from a careful reading of this chapter. We don't need any special ability to see the message and to derive help and guidance, and perhaps even courage from these words. And so the whole passage and the context implies constancy, consistency, and continuing in the faith. The circumstances of discipleship may vary. They may in fact not be conducive to discipleship in its truest and best sense. They may even be hostile. But the disciple on his part should never vary, save to improve his faith, to improve his trust in God, and his resolve, resolve of the will, to seek to perform the Father's will. The ship, my dear brethren and sisters, that sets out from the port and returns again when it encounters a storm, never reaches the destination. And similarly, the disciple, having begun the journey, must seek all ways to continue that journey until the harbor of the destination is reached. But it will not be an easy journey. We know that the storms of life are very like the storms at sea. For example, seasickness forces upon the mind the horror of continuing the journey, as all those who have experienced it will testify. But the journey must go on, for in a sense it is out of our hands. The captain steers the course. He knows the way. He knows the ultimate destination. And he knows that it is better to reach that destination than to retrace one's steps. He knows that in retrospect the journey is far better to be completed than to be abandoned. And once on the far shore, the one who perhaps was weakest at the knees during the journey only complains of being slightly off-color. But a strange thing it is, this difference between prospect, the experience, and looking back in retrospect. So it is with the way to the kingdom, the captain of our salvation knows the route, the difficulties, the trials, and the obstacles. And he knows that in retrospect the journey will be the better for being completed. Recall again the parable of the sower and he that received the seed into the good ground. There was progression. There was development. There was fruitfulness. There was responsiveness. And there was faithfulness. The seed and the good ground, that which was capable of life, matched by the quality of that which received it. The question for us, my dear brethren and sisters, is this. Do we value, truly value, that which we have received? Is it a pearl of great price? Do we treat the hope of salvation like that? Or do we treat it as if it were an imitation? Leave it lying around unguarded and uncared for? If we are conscious of the inestimable value of something so that it is, in reality, completely irreplaceable, do we not take steps to ensure its continual safety? We keep a watch over it night and day. Or the other category. When tribulation ariseth, or persecution because of the word, by and by he is offended. Only dureth for a while. And so in these words, my dear brethren and sisters, there is a very clear teaching that it is only the passage of time that tells the true story of the character, the nature, and the quality of a man's discipleship. It's not sealed in a moment of time. It's only sealed at the last day when the pilgrimage has run its course. And so if there's no developing interest on our part now in spiritual things, will there be an opportunity for us in the Kingdom of God? For that will be its primary preoccupation. And so the key idea is developing. Growth and development can be seen at every hand on the natural plane in the world. Sometimes it is good, and sometimes it is bad. And so too in the spiritual world. It is a spiritual thing to receive the word. It must be. For it doesn't make a man bigger or stronger or more athletic necessarily. But this is but the beginning. An acorn may say, great oak trees from little acorns always grow. And we may say, I will leave it to God. He will ensure that I grow into an oak tree in His good time. The law of nature, my dear brethren and sisters, but the law of discipleship is not the law of the acorn. There are at least four laws, four principles, revealed to us in that parable of the sower. Different courses that can be taken, different results that can be the final outcome. All receive the word, but not automatically into good ground. It is not a law of nature in spiritual things. It is rather related to our choice. It is a matter of the will. We decide what we are going to do with the hope that we have received. We decide what we are going to do with our time, with our money and with our energies. Our employer perhaps takes a third of our time. Our rest at night takes a further third, but we decide how we are going to use the remainder. Food, transport, shelter and clothing takes a certain proportion of our money, but we decide how we are going to use the remainder. Perhaps even then we've got it the wrong way around. We should be thinking first of that which should be devoted to God, and then consider how we may utilise the remainder. Our energies are partly devoted to our work, the necessary work. We decide how we will use the remainder. And so constancy in discipleship implies perpetual, steady abiding with respect to time that is always passing. How do you regard time, my dear brethren and sisters? Is it your friend, your companion, or is it your enemy? A faithful disciple is one who is a good steward of all his resources, which he recognises are all God-given in the first place. This is the transforming perspective which builds up today's disciple and prepares him for the trials and the tribulations that may come tomorrow, its challenges, its opportunities and its perils. But particularly in the context of our address today, its persecutions and its tribulations. There is no doubt, my dear brethren and sisters, that the immediate application of these words in the fourth chapter of the first epistle of Peter anticipated the time of persecution shortly to come upon those disciples to whom the Apostle Peter wrote. But these principles and these teachings are surely no less true for subsequent generations. Verse 15, applied directly of chapter 3 rather, Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is within you with meekness and fear. No doubt this applied directly to the situation of giving an account before the authorities, something that they immediately expected and wished to be prepared for. And we recall that the Apostle Paul had answered for himself before Festus and before Agrippa. At my first answer, he wrote to Timothy, No man stood with me, but all men forsook me. But surely, my dear brethren and sisters, these principles are true in a wider context. Be ready always to give an answer for the hope that is within you, not just in the first century context, but in any context of discipleship. There are a number of other passages in the first epistle of Peter which relate to this theme of endurance in the face of impending trial, tribulation and persecution. Perhaps we could just look very quickly at them. Chapter 1 and verse 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Once again, this idea of suffering and persecution and of testing must be seen in the context of that which is yet to be, the coming of the Lord Jesus. Chapter 2 and verse 19. If when ye be buffeted for your faults ye shall take it patiently, but if when ye do well and suffer for it ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps. Chapter 3 and verse 14. If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. Verse 17. The time of persecution anticipated by the Apostle Peter is no doubt a situation and a circumstance that was very different to our own times today. Perhaps today, the primary adversary is indifference. But which, my dear brethren and sisters, is the worst? Persecution, imminent persecution, did mean that a resolution had to be made. A tribunal meant that a decision had to be made for or against Christ. The issue was immediate, and the issue was clear cut. And so the day of Christ could be looked forward to one way or the other, in hope and in confidence or with a sense of foreboding. Perhaps our age of apathy and indifference is conducive to twilight discipleship, never really in the light and never really in the dark, not constant but fluctuating. And I use the word twilight from man's viewpoint. We know what the Lord God's viewpoint is, that there is only light or dark. A twilight disciple, one who sticks to the shadows between the meetings of the ecclesia, not really in the light, not really in the dark. And so trial, whether it be tribulation, suffering, or persecution, will always sharpen the issues. And I think we may distinguish ten principles associated with tribulation. With trial. It will come. We know that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God. But it cannot do us any real injury, for the experience can lead to blessing. 1 Peter 3 and verse 14. Thirdly, the final issue can always be left with God. 1 Peter 4 and verse 19. Fourthly, for he watches over his children and also their persecutors. Chapter 3 and verse 12. Fifthly, suffering can be a test to prove the reality of faith. 1 Peter 1 and verse 7. Sixthly, God may try or test and therefore strengthen our faith. 1 Peter 1 verse 7. Seventhly, it can also be a sharing, a partaking, a participation in the sufferings of Christ. 1 Peter 4 verse 13. Eighthly, as they were the pathway to glory for Jesus himself, so they can be also for his followers. 1 Peter 4 verse 13 and 16. Ninthly, such suffering is to be for us a reminder of the future. God will begin his judgment with the saints and so they can look beyond the persecution, the immediate situation, to a glorious future. But on the other hand, the unrepentant sinner has nothing to look forward to. 1 Peter 4 verse 17. And tenthly, God the creator is also preserver. Consider this very interesting juxtaposition of idea in 1 Peter 4, 19 and chapter 5 and verse 10. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator. Verse 10 of chapter 5. But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. And so the God whose marvels and wonders we have so recently last evening witnessed in the works of his hands in creation is also revealed as preserver that those works of his hands continue and they are as marvelous today as they were when they were created. And what is true in the natural world is true also in the spiritual world. And so persecution sharpens the issue. Adversity highlights the principles. Tribulation tests and develops the character. Let us consider our blessings for a moment, my dear brethren and sisters. How many of God's blessings do we take for granted in today's twilight world? The breaking of bread, the fellowship together with our brethren and sisters, the lecture, the Bible class, the fraternal weekend, the Bible school. If you were in South Africa and in prison, you would not be able to go to any of these. If you were in prison, you wouldn't be concerned about the house or the garden or the car or the job and its possibilities. Life would be reduced to its fundamental issues. Would we be constant then in those circumstances? Would we be able to see things to be thankful for in a dark and dingy dungeon? We hope that we would. The hope of the Gospel, life itself. My dear brethren and sisters, fundamental things associated with our calling and our discipleship are vitally important things. We must endeavor to take away the trappings of our life and see what really lies beneath. What are we left with? Are we left with a faith that is true, constant, vital, and dependable? Let us consider the future. First of all, we must be retrospective and consider the past. I'd like for a few moments to consider the man, Joe. I almost hesitate to do so in the context of this class, for we all know how deep and profound are the principles and messages contained in the book of Joe. But I think, brethren and sisters, as his experiences and as his words are so intimately and closely related bound up with our theme today, it's only right and proper that we should endeavor, however briefly, to face up to the challenge that is presented to each one of us in the book of Joe. Is suffering the central issue in this book? Is pain God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world? I wonder. May I suggest to you that perhaps the real issue in the book of Job is not so much the problem of suffering, but rather the transcendence of God, His almightiness, His majesty, and the way that this impinges upon our world, a finite world, a world of mortal men and women. So the speeches of God in chapters 38 to 41 speak of God's power, His majesty, and His almightiness. And does the Almighty spend time seeking to answer the questions and charges of Job? At first sight, it appears not. Was Job there in the beginning? Does he know where light dwells? Can he bind the stars? God speaks to Job of hippopotamuses, of ostriches, of whales, things in his creation, of meteorology, astronomy, and cosmology. But suffering is never mentioned. Why is this? Surely, my dear brethren and sisters, because Job has no right to argue with God in this way, in the first place, shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Job, in his suffering, inquires of God. And God does grant Job that which he requests. But the experience is not at all what Job expected, for he is put firmly in his place. And the Almighty deals mercifully with Job, for he is humbled rather than humiliated. He is vindicated rather than vanquished. At all events, he is vindicated against his friends and their specious interpretations of the significance of the events that came upon him. And I think, at the end, we do all get the feeling that Job is satisfied because the Almighty has answered him. And as it were, the problem of suffering is bypassed. Why should all those things have come upon this man Job, this man who was so upright and a man of God? So Job cannot solve the problems of suffering, at least in a philosophical sense. But because he has seen and heard and witnessed that revelation of God firsthand, it does not matter now in the way that it mattered before. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. So my dear brethren and sisters, in the life and experience of the man Job, we have evidence of a man who bore the test faithfully and a man who at the end received more than he had at the beginning. Surely here we have a very graphic picture of the overall purpose of God with each one of us as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we too might humbly accept what he may choose to bring upon us, that in the end we may be the better fitted for his kingdom, that he may be able to give us much more than we had at the beginning. So the ways of God are in the end finally inscrutable from the viewpoint of man. He may or may not see fit to give us reasons for our experiences. And we cannot, my dear brethren and sisters, hope to answer the problems of suffering one by one. Indeed, I think, if we think we can, we ourselves paradoxically become insufferable to our brethren and sisters. Only God knows the answers and the final outcome. The lessons from the life of Job enable us to meet the problems, to be able to cope with them, and not to be crushed by them. In the midst of unexplained adversity, the Lord God still reigns supreme as Job himself came to realize. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. Be ye therefore steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Think also of other events from the past. God who delivered faithful men in Old Testament times can deliver again. God who led the children of Israel through the Red Sea also led them to the Promised Land. And we too have come out of Egypt and are on the wilderness journey to the Promised Land. And the coming out is the foretaste and the guarantee that the entering in can just as surely follow if we have faith throughout the wilderness journey. God who guided the children of Israel by the cloud and by the fire can still today guide through the unknown. God who provided the manner can provide again to sustain those who put their trust in him. Past deliverance assures us of future deliverance. Past salvation assures us of future salvation. So my dear brethren and sisters, we must always remember that faith can and must be made stronger as it passes through the trial. Soldiers are never proved in the military academy. Students are never proved in Westfield College. This is the place where instruction is given and where measurements are made. Measurements of intellect, accomplishment and endeavor. Students are not proved at Bible school. Teachers are not proved at Bible school. The instruction may be the very best that can be given. The equipment may be the finest that money can buy. But in the end, a soldier is proved in action. He's proved in the battlefield. A student is proved after he graduates in the employment and the success or failure that he makes of it. And we all as Bible students are proved on the battlefield of life as in the world as we leave this place. We seek to apply the great issues of discipleship to serve our Lord and our Master. A man who is a theorizer only is no good when it comes to the real world. We must all, my dear brethren and sisters, be men and women of action. We must be dynamic in our discipleship. Theory and practice must go hand in hand. And through adversity, trial and tribulation, they are forged together into an unbreakable unity. Faith and action, faith and faithfulness. Consider all those great examples of men and women of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. All of them, without exception, are set forward in the context of men and women whose faith was proved in action out on the battlefield of life, prepared by the Word of God, indeed, fortified by the Word of God, yes indeed, but still proved in the application of that Word in their lives. My dear brethren and sisters, this life, this life of discipleship, is the only opportunity that the Lord God has to prepare us, to fit us, and equip us, to shape us, to mold us, to discipline us, that we might be fit vessels in His mercy for His kingdom. Finally, let us summarize. The subject of faith on trial began, as it were, as an exposition of the words of the Apostle Peter. And it must surely end with the exposition of the words of the Apostle Peter. As an example in the Word of God Himself, the Word made flesh. Not just a theorizer, but a man who applied that Word in all its aspects. It must end as an example in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Consider Him that endured. He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. My dear brethren and sisters, as disciples, we are called upon to follow Him and to enter into His experiences as He entered into ours. And we remember that the Lord Jesus was constant throughout His ministry, constant in the trials that came upon Him, from the Mount of Temptation to the cross. He was constant, and He was constant in the trial. Father, if it be Thy will, arm yourselves therefore, my dear brethren and sisters, with the same mind.

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in our life of discipleship. Surely they must be the essential components of that life of discipleship. We may think firstly of the Word of God. That Word which is quick and powerful, living and active, perpetual and abiding, efficacious and all-sufficient. When we consider the Scriptures, my dear brethren and sisters, we are considering the Word of God. Not was the Word of God, but is the Word of God. In these Scriptures, we have not merely an accurate, God-given history book, but the living Word of God, always relevant, exciting and challenging. This Word which is living and therefore able to adapt itself to new situations, new circumstances, new challenges. It has been well said, the more a man makes of the Bible, the more it will make of him. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And the two attendant implications. This Word and its preservation, reminds us firstly of the power of God. The Lord Jesus Christ said to the Sadducees, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. So I think, brethren and sisters, from the very beginning, it was envisaged that we should take these two things, hand in hand. It wasn't just that they failed to understand the Word that God had given, but they had also denied the very power of God Himself. The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. And so in the very preaching of the Gospel message, in the sacrifice of Christ, we have a revelation of the power of God and the wisdom of God. Perhaps from man's viewpoint, man's reasoning, a very strange revelation, a very unusual feature, but nevertheless, the wisdom of God and the power of God. And the second implication of the Word, as we mentioned earlier in this series of addresses, is of course the Word made flesh. I'd like just to refer you to one or two passages in this connection. Perhaps we could go firstly to the second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, beginning at verse 9. 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. Remember the words that we mentioned in an earlier class about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and how that Saul, later Paul, came to be associated with that work. I am crucified with Christ, he said. Nevertheless, I live, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me, so that in another place he could proclaim, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. It's self-denied, and it is the Christ-like life. Ephesians 1, verse 17. A further example. Ephesians 1, verse 17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us, Lord, who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. Further evidence of the greatness of God and His power was revealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So the Apostle Paul proclaimed to the Philippians that we may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Considering the Lord Jesus Christ, not only a Savior coming King to manifest the power of God in the earth, we may think also of an aspect of His work which takes us on to our second motivating force, the life of prayer. The Lord Jesus Christ, whoever liveth to make intercession for us, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need. Hebrews chapter 4. Philippians 4 verse 6, In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And there are many other passages, my dear brethren and sisters, which emphasize beyond all shadow of doubt the supreme importance of the prayer life of the disciple. Thirdly, the breaking of bread, our association with the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ in the celebration of His death and resurrection. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death until He come. Not only the remembrance of the past and the anticipation of the future, the application for ourselves as disciples today, both individually and collectively. We being many are one bread and one body, for we all partake of that one bread. What is the apostle saying there, my dear brethren and sisters, in 1 Corinthians 10 verses 16 and 17? I think perhaps alternative translations help us better to understand the meaning of these words. Because there is one bread, we being many are one body. So consideration of that one bread upon the table and its division perhaps into many pieces as it circulates throughout the assembly of the brethren and sisters, is a reminder to us that this is the means by which our unity is to be achieved. As He was one, as there is one body, so we in consideration of this are exhorted to be united in our lives of discipleship and in the life of faith and of hope. So the breaking of bread leads us on naturally to consider fourthly, fellowship. The fellowship of the ministering to the saints, the pastoral care of the flock. Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3.15, the house of God which is the church or the ecclesia of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. So we cannot, my dear brethren and sisters, dissociate the truth from our fellowship together. We cannot separate the truth from the ecclesia, its basis and its foundation, for the ecclesia is the pillar and ground of the truth, proclaims the apostle Paul. Four motivating forces and their attendant implications for our lives of discipleship. Are these motivating forces having their intended effect in our lives? This is the crucial issue. Ascent to the principle is one thing, manifesting the principle in our lives is another. How therefore, my dear brethren and sisters, may we measure our standing as disciples of Jesus? Are we nearer to the goal than we were at our last Bible school? Or are we further away? What exactly do we mean by the goal? And how do we measure our path of progress towards that goal? So I'd like now to consider the goal and the measurements that we may make upon ourselves as to whether this goal is being achieved. I'd like to do this by drawing your attention primarily to the first epistle of John. If John's Gospel contains signs to encourage and to impel faith, then John's epistle contains tests by which that faith may be judged. No doubt when this epistle was written, some time had passed since the message of the Gospel had first been preached. And over the years, new ideas had begun to infiltrate into the minds of the disciples to whom John is writing. And so he's particularly anxious to bring them back into a true appreciation of the principle and cardinal points of the Christian faith. And the letter presents to its readers a series of tests whereby their lives can be judged. Just as in the laboratory, we may be given a piece of litmus paper and told to judge whether a liquid is acid or alkali by seeing how the paper reacts, how it changes color when it is dipped in the liquid. So here we are given numerous tests which can similarly be applied to the life of the disciple in order to see how they stand in relation to the demands and the privileges of discipleship. Just as the litmus test is a kind of universal, it can be used in any laboratory, in any place of the world, in any circumstances. So the tests in John's epistles are a kind of universal. They are not confined to the particular historical circumstances that call them forth, but can be used in any age and in any circumstance. And although we know very well that the words that John wrote were called forth by particular problems and difficulties, particular beliefs, nevertheless I submit to you that the principles proclaimed there transcend those initial circumstances. At your leisure, you might like to just look at the occurrences of the word whosoever in this epistle. So the first epistle starts with the fundamental announcement in verse 5 of chapter 1 that God is light, God is all goodness, there is no place in His being for any darkness, any dark deeds or thoughts. This being so, it is to be expected that true disciples should walk in the light. But there is always the very real possibility that disciples who think that they are in the light are from God's viewpoint, in reality, in the dark. And so John sets out the tests whereby we may determine in absolute terms, not relative ones, whether we are really in the light or in the dark, walking in the light or walking in the dark. The first few verses remind us that God has been revealed in His Son Jesus Christ in an actual historical manifestation. One of the purposes of this declaration is given in verses 3 to 4, to enable the readers to share fully in the life of the believing community, a life which is itself a sharing in the life of the Father and the Son. And the shared life leads to a completed joy. And as earlier in John chapter 15, the sharing of the truth led to fullness of life and fullness of joy, so it is here. And in this, the true disciple may see the reality of his fellowship with God through faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. What then, my dear brethren and sisters, are the reliable and certain signs of a life that is truly lived in fellowship with God? Well, I think verses 8 to 10 give us our first measurement. What is our attitude to sin? Verse 8, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So there's two attitudes to sin. Sin can be faced, admitted, confessed and forgiven, or it can be denied, ignored, tolerated or perhaps even enjoyed. If our attitude is the former, we are walking in the light, but if it is the latter, we are walking in darkness. The important thing is to admit and to confess sin. To claim to be sinless or to never have committed sin is self-deception. Forgiveness of sin can only be looked for if honest confession of sin is first made. But you will know well that later on in this epistle we appear to get an advance on this. Disciples must turn their backs upon sin, for sin cannot be entertained as being in any way compatible with the new life in Christ. Some have felt difficulties with the apparent opposition of verse 8 of chapter 1 and verse 9 of chapter 3. Let's give them both together. Verse 8 of chapter 1, if we claim to be sinless, we are self-deceived. Verse 9 of chapter 3, a child of God does not commit sin. How may we reconcile these two statements? Well, I understand there is some support in the Greek for the rendering of verse 9 of chapter 3, does not commit sin habitually, that is to say, as a regular practice, something premeditated on a regular basis. But I think more probably both statements are answers to specific arguments that came to the Apostle John and so find their true meaning in the context that first called them for. Against those who boast a sinless record, John says, this is self-deception. As Paul also effectively proclaimed, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Against those who say sin doesn't matter, John says, God's children do not sin. So perhaps both statements are true in their context, and both of them consolidate our first test, our attitude to sin. The second measurement is our attitude to His commandments, verse 3 of chapter 2. Hereby we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. The men of knowledge of the first century no doubt made the claim, as many do today, I know Him, but their lack of obedience belied their words. No doubt it can be philosophized as to a certain extent it was then. God is primarily concerned with the spiritual man. The actions of the body are religiously indifferent. This is the key to unlock the prison of matter and escape into the freedom of the spirit. But this will not do, my dear brethren and sisters. It would not do in the days of the apostle, and it will not do today. Man does not have a body. He is a body. This is a great truth of Scripture. We often urge upon our friends in our lectures to demonstrate the truth that man is mortal and that he does not have as a separate entity an immortal soul, but rather he is a soul, a being, a living creature. But the message, my dear brethren and sisters, is for ourselves as well. The actions of the body are supremely important. And so our claims of knowing God stand or fall with our attitude to His commandments, whether we seek to obey them or not. If we do, then we are truly in Christ. To be in Christ means to be united with Him, to belong to Him, to trust in Him, and to be thereby a true disciple. We in Christ and Christ in us, the hope of glory. Perhaps a little digression at this point. Consider again the figure of the vine. I am the vine, said Jesus. Ye are the branches. He is the vine in totality, and we are in Him. And the life of the vine is to be in us. A further test, verse 6, the Christ-like life. He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Jesus said, I have set you an example. You are to do as I have done for you. Reiterated by the Apostle Peter in his first epistle in chapter 2, verse 21, Christ left you an example that you should follow in His steps. The fourth measurement, our attitude to our brethren and sisters. Verse 9 of chapter 2, He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. So the presence of hatred in our heart for our fellow brethren and sisters is a sure sign that we are walking in the dark, and our discipleship will be null and void, for God is both light and love. And not to share God's love means not to share His light. Hatred therefore belongs to the walker in the dark. On the other hand, if we love our brethren and sisters, we will walk in the light, we will dwell in the light, and we are very unlikely to run into stumbling blocks. Jesus said, A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. The love of the Lord Jesus Christ was to death, wasn't it? It was to the death of Himself. The old commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The new commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbor to the death of thyself. Far more searching, much more far-reaching. Verse 20 of Chapter 4, I think, confirms the severity of this measurement. If a man say, I love God and hateth his brother, he is a liar, for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? So it is impossible, my dear brothers and sisters, to love the unseen God and to hate the brother who is visible. Some have not always found this convincing. I perhaps could love my brother if I hadn't seen him or known him, but having done so, I find that I cannot. John says otherwise. This commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also. The fifth measurement, our attitude to the world. Verse 15 of Chapter 2, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, that he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. We have a direct choice, my dear brothers and sisters. Love of the world and its transience or obedience to God's will with its promise of eternal life. So if we as disciples of the Lord Jesus love the world, our discipleship is not merely weakened, it is rendered pointless. We become a stranger to the Father's love. Measurement number 6, Right belief. Verse 18, Little children, it is the last time, and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many Antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time. Antichrist then and now characterizes the opposition to the true faith. So the true disciple will believe rightly about Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is a real literal historical figure, who walked the streets and hills of Galilee, and who gave his life a ransom for many. The false disciple will have accepted what amounts to a specious faith. He will have denied both the Father and the Son, and perhaps would even go so far as to say that historicity or literality did not really matter. I think verse 19 in an alternative translation brings out the implications of this point. They went out from our company, but never really belonged to us. If they had, they would have stayed with us. They went out so that it might be clear that not all in our company truly belong to it. Measurement number 7, the moral implications of our hope for the future. Verse 28, chapter 2, Now little children abide in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Verse 2 of chapter 3, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifyeth himself even as he is pure. So only the pure in heart, brethren and sisters, will be able to see God in his full purity and glory. And here surely is the incentive to continue the process of becoming more like Christ in purity of character. The next measurement, are we to others what Christ has been first to us? Chapter 3 and verse 17, Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Perhaps even more forcibly, we're not going to turn to this, in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. When we consider our giving, even of material things, we are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to consider first the supreme giving of the Lord Jesus Christ, the giving of his life. So each of us, my dear brethren and sisters, is called upon to live a life like Christ's in this respect, a life of self-sacrifice and self-giving, a life of generosity, generosity of spirit, as was supremely revealed in his life. Are the principles being carried into practice? Verse 7 of chapter 3, Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. So claims to be standing right with God, separated from right behavior, are meaningless. Faith divorced from deeds is lifeless as a corpse. Very graphic translation there in a modern version of James 2, verse 26. Some have said, of course, that Paul and James are at variance with regard to faith and works, but I think that the gap is much smaller than a superficial comparison would first suggest. Paul writes in part to those who thought that they could work their way into the kingdom. James writes to those who thought that they could intellectualize their way into it. Paul insists that justification is by faith, not by works, though he clearly expects that faith to bear fruit in love. James abhors a barren faith, a faith that is without deeds, a faith that is a mere assent to the claims of discipleship and not a commitment to them. So principles and practice, precept, and the application of those precepts must go hand in hand. The way to victory, a well-known passage, chapter 5, in verse 4, Whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. And so the key to victory, brethren and sisters, is true faith, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Son of God. And for us, such faith will unite us to God through His Son who conquered the world. And the last measurement we are to consider is the measurement of prayer, chapter 5 and verse 14. This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. The great exhortation there, my dear brethren and sisters, to continue faithfully in the life of prayer and consider the prayers of the Lord Jesus throughout His ministry and supremely in the garden of Gethsemane. This we are to consider in greater detail tomorrow. There surely we have the great pattern for the disciple today. So we've considered some of the measurements that we can apply to our lives of discipleship to see how we're progressing. I'm sure, brethren and sisters, in what we have considered there, there is much food for thought and indeed further consideration. What I'd like to consider now is our response. We've considered the motivating forces, the Word of God, prayer, the breaking of the law, the breaking of bread, the fellowship of the brethren and sisters and all the attendant implications of those things. What are the responsive forces on our part that these motivating forces can encourage in us? Perhaps in a rather unusual way, I'd like us to consider ourselves in three groups. I'd like us to consider the sisters, first of all. Sisters, what tremendous power you have. A power to good or a power to evil, both in the home and in the ecclesia. How many good brethren in the history of the truth have been dragged down by the wrong kind of woman? How many weak brethren in the history of the truth have been held up by a strong wife? A wonderful woman like Abigail. A woman of good understanding. She saved her husband Nabal, for folly was with him. Or the opposite kind of person, Jezebel, not a homemaker, but a bringer of strife. You can almost see the epitaph written across Ahab's tomb. The man whom Jezebel, his wife, stirred up. Or Michael, observing David dancing before the Lord. How glorious was the King of Israel today, as one of the vain fellows. And she despised him in her heart. And in between these two extremes, my dear brethren and sisters, there is a spectrum of good, bad, and indifferent wives. Sisters, never underestimate the power that you have. Always use it for good, to the building up of the family in the home, and the building up of the larger family in the Ecclesia of Christ. You are not in the position of prominence, in the spotlight, on the platform, but we know that what goes on behind the scenes is often far more important in the service and in the purpose of God. It's the unseen things, isn't it, that in the end prove to be the eternal things, the lasting things. Sisters, just a simple test for you. When you last arranged for a babysitter, where did you go when you went out? Did you go to a meeting of the Ecclesia? Did you go to visit the elderly brethren and sisters? Or was the arrangement for the babysitter for a purpose not related to our walk in Christ? Single sisters, what opportunities for service and devotion you have. You have been denied the opportunity of a happy family life and a home with children, but there are still innumerable opportunities in the larger family, in the Sunday School, in the Ecclesia, in the Bible School. No doubt there are many here today who have occasion to be deeply grateful for the unstinting service of labour and love in the work of such sisters, in teaching in the Sunday School, in visiting the sick, in caring for the elderly and the infirm. Surely they have many more children of the Spirit than would have been possible had they married. These are the lasting things, my dear brethren and sisters. These are the eternal things. Brethren, husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the Ecclesia and gave himself for it. Brethren, never underestimate your influence and your power in the Ecclesia. Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Be thou an example to the believers in word, in behaviour, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Brethren, never underestimate the power and the effect of your example on your immediate family. The best of men, the best of brethren, in a moment of weakness can do a terrible amount of harm. Think of David, a man after God's own heart, the very best of men, and his son Amnon with his illicit desire for his sister Tamar. Amnon, let his weakness run away with him. But perhaps, brethren and sisters, he saw precedent for it in the behaviour of his father. Dad did what he wanted with Bathsheba and then with Uriah. Why shouldn't I do what I like with Tamar? Some men's sins are open beforehand, going to judgement, and some men they follow after, and they followed after David. So although his sins were forgiven, the consequences of those sins remained and destroyed his family life. If ever there was a man who was cornered by the effects of his own sin, it was the man David. And he ended, as it were, like the prodigal son, in a cul-de-sac, in a dead end, because you could not eradicate the consequences of those sins. Elders, a very quick look at 1 Peter 5. First Peter 5, verse 1. The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constrain, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Jesus said, Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. And the context of those words implies that the watching ones are those who will be giving service in the household of faith, those able to spiritually feed the members of the community to build them up, and to prepare them, and to equip them for the coming of the day of the Lord. Elders, managing brethren, arranging brethren, are you fulfilling your responsibilities in the Ecclesia of God, feeding the flock of God. Meetings of the Ecclesia, all elders should be there to see that this process of spiritual feeding can take place unhindered. The consideration of elders leads us naturally into our conclusion. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul as he left the elders at Ephesus. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance. This was the primary method, wasn't it, by which the inheritance could be achieved. To God and to the word of his grace, this brethren says it is our best means of securing in the mercy of God the promised inheritance. This word which is able to guide, to lead, to prepare, to uphold us, to fit us and equip us for his kingdom so that each of us, when it comes, might in his mercy be invited to share in those glories which will fill the earth.

Transcript

He could see them coming, coming on a night errand from the city of Jerusalem and down its eastward hillside with their torches and their lanterns glittering in the darkness. A great multitude with swords and staves coming to put out the light of the world. Beyond the brook Kidron there was a garden into which Jesus had entered with his disciples, the garden of Gethsemane, and his hour was come. Verily, verily I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If a man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honor. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I to this hour. He could look back and see all the way that he had come from Galilee to Jerusalem as we have journeyed this week. From his baptism and the temptations in the wilderness to the entering into the garden of Gethsemane, it had been. Lo, I come. In the volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. He could look back and he could remember vividly the entering into the city of Jerusalem. Behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And they took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him and cried, Hosanna, blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. He was entering into Jerusalem, the city of destiny, the city which was the center of God's purpose. It was the place where Melchizedek had stood and met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings. It was the place where Isaac had lain upon the altar. It was the place where Abraham had worshipped. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. And it was the place where David had wept over the child that was soon to die at the hand of the Lord, Bathsheba's child. And it was the place where our Lord was to be crucified. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, behold, your house is left unto you desolate. The holy city had proved itself throughout its history to be the most unholy city in the crimes that had been perpetuated within its walls against the men of God who had been sent to save her and to redeem her. If thou hadst known, said Jesus, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes. A place that had known joy and sorrow, a place that had seen the wisdom and the folly of kings, Jerusalem, the city of the great king. Jesus could look a little further back and see Bethany, the home of Martha and Mary, and Lazarus. Behold how he loved him, said the Jews. Bethany, that oasis on the way to the cross, the cruel road from Galilee to Jerusalem, that oasis in the final week of the Lord's life as he comes to Jerusalem. He could look further back and see Jericho, the city of Benjamin, the city of the palm trees, the pastures of Samaria. The hills of Galilee are but a memory now. The shimmering lake. The places where the fishermen had gone out in their boats and returned with their catch. The place where the fishermen had received the gracious calling of the Lord Jesus, had heard the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom, had seen his healing power and the granting of new life. Nazareth, Cana, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Tyre and Sidon. Places where the multitudes glorified the God of Israel when they saw Jesus and the healing works that were manifested by his hands. And if there were small beginnings, my dear brethren and sisters, to the ministry of the Lord Jesus, there were certainly far-reaching conclusions in the city of Jerusalem. He could look back to the place where he had said, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. And deliver him to the Gentiles, so that later on it might be written of him. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And now Jesus is to be found in a small garden, the garden of Gethsemane, in the shadow of the cross, over the brook Kidron and close by the Mount of Olives. When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. It is the last hour, and it is to be the final and decisive moment. Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. In that final act of complete self-surrender, the future of the world was sealed. For there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And they brought him from this garden into the sleeping city, into the palace of Caiaphas, and then on to Pilate and to Herod. Away now from God's creation in the garden, the flowers and the trees and the birds, into the palaces of men and of kings, to be weighed in their balances. And he was altogether alone. Not one of the multitudes came to speak in his defense. Not a single one of the 5,000 or the 4,000. Not a single one of those who could now see, who had formerly been blind, of those who had been lame but could now walk, of those who had been deaf but could now hear, of those who had been raised from the dead. Not a single one came to speak in his defense, altogether alone, as he performs the will of God. How was it, my dear brethren and sisters, that those glad hosannas of what came to be known as Palm Sunday turned into the cruel nails of Good Friday? People may change, but human nature never changes. Not this man, they said, but Barabbas. Barabbas was a robber, a murderer, a man who had led a rebellion, a blackguard of the worst kind. Pilate could have thought that he was presenting them with Hobson's choice, when he invited them to choose between Jesus and Barabbas, getting himself out of a tight situation between this just man and the envy of the Jews. No one would choose Barabbas. But they did, and they still do today. No one would choose Hitler, you might have thought. But they did, and they still do today. There is a tragic monument just outside the city of Jerusalem called the Yad Vashem monument. And it is in memory of all the Jews who died in the Holocaust, six million of them, and one and a half million children, children who were taken and put to death. And by the exit there are the words, forgetfulness leads to exile. Remembrance is the secret of redemption. We've all chosen something other than Jesus from time to time. And if you were to bring him or her or it alongside the remembrance of the Lord Jesus this day, there would be no comparison. But we've all been Barabbas' friends, and Jesus is alone in the judgment hall, all together, alone. And yet not alone, because the Father was with him. So Jesus goes to the cross, and Barabbas goes free. And so they come to Golgotha. The place called Calvary. There they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. If you go to Jerusalem today, you can go to a place called Gordon's Calvary, adjacent to a bus station. It goes back to the time of the British Mandate. And there, in gigantic outline against the sky, there is a cliff, a rock, a crag, that takes the form of a human skull. Perhaps it was that, that had given rise to the name Golgotha, the place of a skull, the name for this terrible place of death. But perhaps it was the place where David had buried the head of Goliath. When David killed the great giant, Jerusalem didn't belong to him, but it did later. And there they brought the head of Goliath as a symbol of victory. The stone of David over the great giant of the Philistines, and now in the very same place, there is another stone of David, the stone which the builders rejected, accomplishing another victory, a victory over the giant of sin, and an even greater giant lurking behind, the last enemy of death. And so they crucified him and the malefactors. No great detail of the sufferings that he endured. You would have to go to the Old Testament for that. Just four words, and they crucified him. And so the Scripture was fulfilled. He was numbered with the transgressors. They came to watch him die. Sitting down, they watched him there. The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him. They that passed by reviled him. He saved others. Let him save himself, if he be the Christ, the chosen of God. They turned virtue into derision. They turned the highest and the best that mankind had ever seen into the basest and the worst. What contortions of the human mind could lead them to this? You can't believe, can you, that right-minded people can behave in this way? But they did, and they still do today. And so the Son of Man was come to seek and to save that which was lost. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Words that, as it were, came echoing down through his ministry, from the words of his manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount. I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ, my dear brethren and sisters, was Son of God by birth and proved himself to be Son of God by his obedience to the Father's will. And so they came to the tomb, and as they were afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, the angel said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? Jesus had said, After I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee, there shall ye see me. They were looking in the place of death, and they should have been looking in the place of life. How appropriate it was that it should be Galilee. That place of earlier interest and acceptance in the message that he brought, a place of daily life, daily work, and daily activity, now about to be transformed by the presence of the risen Lord in a breakfast upon the seashore that they would remember for the rest of their lives. But one man did not initially believe. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace be unto you. What is John telling us, my dear brethren and sisters? He is surely telling us that there were greater things for faith to see than merely the marks of the past, the marks in his hands and in his feet. For in the end they only led you to the foot of the cross, and now he was beyond all this. He was risen from the dead. Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. We did not see him when he came to this poor world of sin and death. But through faith in their words, my dear brethren and sisters, we have entered into these things. We have entered into these experiences with their glorious future. So he was and is the Redeemer. God hath visited and redeemed his people. We were not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. We may take courage, my dear brethren and sisters, from this consideration. It restores hope, and it renews vision. For those who feel alone in this world, you can remember that Jesus was alone, alone in childhood, alone in the temple, alone by the Sea of Galilee, no luggage, no money, no prospects in this world, without the very three things that you, if you have visited Israel, no doubt, took with you. We strive after all three, spend a lifetime perhaps, only to discover in the end that true and final happiness does not lie down this road. Jesus was alone on the mountaintop. He was alone in the judgment hall, and yet not alone, because the Father was with him. Judged by the wisdom of the moment, you would have said that here beyond doubt was a solitary man, a man who was doomed to failure and to defeat, that the wisdom which is from above proclaimed that in him is the victory, the victory over sin and wickedness, the victory over all the forces of evil that one day will be destroyed forever. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. For those in difficulty or in trouble, who see the storm clouds gathering, and know that it will get darker yet, you may remember that he is the Lord of life. The one who calmed the troubled seas and said, Peace, it is I. With him there is always calm and assurance in the end. For those who have borne the burden and the heat of the day, who have labored over many years to serve the Lord in true sincerity and faithfulness, you may remember the kingdom which he has promised, that the Lord's rest may be very soon, so that whether we wake or sleep, we may rejoice together with him. For those who are brokenhearted, for those who have lost a loved one, whether in life or in death, and know that there is no turning back, you may remember that he is able to save to the uttermost. He is the Lord of all healing and all hopefulness, of all restoration and all renewal. The son of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings. The government shall be upon his shoulder. All remorse and regret will one day be put away. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted, spoken first by the calm of the Sea of Galilee, true then and still true today. For those who are in sorrow, tribulation, or distress, you may observe this man and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow. There is no other way. There is no other solution. For those who labor under the pressures of our world, feeling the weights that drag them down and down and down, until there seems to be no hope and all is lost. You may remember the words of Jesus. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. With him there is true joy and companionship, consolation and peace. Without him there is nothing, but with him there is everything, both in this world and that which is to come. For those who feel their faith growing dim and feel that somehow they have lost that certainty and commitment that they once had, holding on but only just, you can remember the certainties that are centered in him. The creation of which we are part demands the certain existence of a creator, such glory, such beauty and such splendor, divinely created and ordained. The certainty of his birth and life. There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, he suffered under Pontius Pilate. The word was made flesh with unquestionable certainty. You need have no doubts. In this lies your assurance for the future. God who intervened once will intervene yet again. God who delivered once will deliver yet again. God who raised from the dead once will raise from the dead yet again. The things of the kingdom and the things of the name are therefore based upon unshakable foundations. Make this the ground of all your hope and all your endeavor. For those who are afraid. For those who are afraid. There are many things which we fear. As we lie awake at night and as we sleep and wonder what the will of the Lord may be for us. That the very things that we treasure most might have to be taken from us. That we might be able to enter into his kingdom. Our health. Our happiness. Our homes. Our children. Even life itself. Jesus laid all these things down. And so did John the Baptist. And so did Paul and Peter and many others. Fear of the judgment and the separation that it will bring. Perhaps even from those that we love. For Jesus said Love us thou me more than these. A fear of death. Even with the hope of resurrection we have a fear of death. Because we fear that scrutiny and measurement of life that death will bring. The opportunities are over. No longer any more time. No longer an opportunity to right any wrongs. To heal any breaches. To show compassion to those that are out of the way. No longer time to seek any reconciliation. No longer time to forgive those who are as yet unforgiven. Fears for our marriage in today's evil world. Fears for our children. That they might be preserved to an age where they can accept the truth. Fears for our children. Innocent. Defenseless. And sometimes overtaken by tragedy. Brother Islip Collier used to live not more than three miles from where I live in England today. The elderly brothers and sisters in my Ecclesia knew him well. When you visit them they often talk of him. Their love and their affection for this man comes down across the ages. A quiet unassuming man. And his child of eleven was playing in the drive and then in the road and was run over by a truck. Sudden. Unexpected. Final. Why? We do not know. Life is so fragile. And on the tomb of the little child Brother Islip put the words referring to our next meeting with the Lord Jesus. In that day you will ask me no question. Jesus said be not faithless but believing. Wherefore understanding what the will of the Lord is give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must thank him my dear brothers and sisters even for our sorrows and it is hard but it is his will for us. And he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. These are the great issues of life. Fear him and give him glory. The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. With reverential fear we seek his guidance and his blessing that his will might become our will. For his will will surely be done but will it be done in us my dear brothers and sisters? Will we have submitted to his kingship and humbled ourselves under his mighty hand? Will our will have been aligned with his will? This is the central axis upon which our destiny is decided. Today if ye will hear his voice if we be dead with him we shall also live with him. We are either with him Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom or with Barabbas free to go but nothing more was heard of him and so it will be for us if we go along that road. It's one or the other in the end. What happened on Calvary's hill has perpetual and eternal significance. The book of Revelation looks to the future in terms of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world and I looked and lo, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. One day the discipleship will be over. Had you ever thought of that my dear brethren and sisters the King of Kings will be here in the earth. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and hast redeemed us to God by his blood to receive power and riches wisdom and strength honor and glory and blessing. Blessing and honor and power be unto him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb forever. It's the completion of the purpose of redemption. He hast redeemed us unto God by his blood. Will it be said of us this is the day for which we waited in faith. To each of us he says there is a place by me an anchor of the soul a foundation for life. The God of grace needs someone to whom he may be gracious. The God of mercy needs someone to whom he may show his mercy. Or will it be for us the end? The end of all the days of opportunity. The summer is past and the harvest is ended and we are not saved as it will be then so it is today. We had always intended to give him the first fruits of our service in loyalty and devotion but somehow we never really did not in our heart of hearts. My soul shall weep in secret places for your pride. For there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And so we must pray for the peace of Jerusalem. For they shall prosper that love thee. We too will go up to Jerusalem just as Jesus did so long ago. When Jerusalem then will no longer be Jebus or downtrodden but will be or forsaken or desolate but now radiating the glory of God her streets sparkling in the sunshine of God's majesty and God's splendour no longer a proverb or a byword but a praise in the earth. How wonderful this will be my dear brethren and sisters. How glorious is our hope. With what joy we should look forward to this time of blessing. Our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem. We too will be able to sing the songs of Zion and see that ultimate gladness and joy of her people when sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Let us pray. O Lord our Creator Maker of heaven and earth and all that is therein O Lord our Sustainer who upholdest all things by thy power O Lord our Redeemer who didst reveal thyself in thy dear Son who gave himself for our sins O Lord our Father who didst call us into thy family over the gospel O Lord our true Friend who will never leave us or forsake us We would give unto thee the praise of our lips and the thanksgiving of our hearts for thou hast done wondrous things amongst us whereof we are made glad this day. We thank thee that we are able to rejoice in thy salvation and pray that thou wilt accept our worship and our praise our meditation and devotion before thee in this place. Help us in our youth to remember thee the Creator and Lord of all. Help us in maturity to re-examine our lives and seek first those things which are abiding and eternal. Help us in the autumn of our lives to look forward to the things that are yet to be when the glories of thy kingdom shall fill the earth. We would seek thy blessing upon our lives of discipleship. We are conscious that we are not worthy of the least of all thy gifts and seek thy forgiveness in his name. We pray we may be stirred to a stronger and more fitting service in the days that remain. Help us to redeem the time and so be prepared for the coming of thy kingdom and the blessings that it will bring. We would pray for the peace of Jerusalem for the time when in thy mercy she may reflect thy glory and thy power, thy majesty and thy splendour. Help us, O Lord, in our weakness and in our distress, in the difficulties and uncertainties of life. Be with us in the days of sorrow as well as in the days of joy. We pray that as thou hast been with us unto this present moment of time, so thou wilt indeed be with us even unto the end. Help us, O Lord, to prepare ourselves for the coming of thy Son so that when he returns we might be able to welcome him and be welcomed by him and be invited to share in that eternal glory which will fill the earth. Through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.