Growing Together in God's Family and Faith

hands we can't live to ourselves we are God's people and we can't diverse ourselves from the relationship and the whole family is involved by what we are and by what we do now if only we always remembered this what a difference it would make what strength and power it puts into US you can't detach yourself you can't say you're an isolated individual we can't do that of course in the natural sense a prodigal son may feel that he can he's finished with his father and his mother and his Brethren and sisters and home he goes away he's an individual he he's no longer going to be bound by all this so he thinks but of course he can't do it what he does reflects upon the whole family the whole family has to suffer the whole family is brought into a kind of aium everybody's talking about the family he's be smed the family name he is indeed the black sheep in the flock and he can't isolate himself there are certain things we can't do and that's one of them well now it's exactly the same with a Christian that is what I sometimes say that there's no such thing as a holiday in the spiritual realm the Christians never on holiday in that s the relationship is always there and we are always Christians there must be no kind of false dualism in US false dichotomy we are one and we are all God's people God's children and what we do reflects upon the name of God and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ well now the realization of that obviously is a tremend mendous source of strength we are thus conscious of the fact that we are Representatives we are agents and the whole honor of the family The Firm the country that's behind us and all that we belong to is as it were in our hands now there is nothing that is more calculated to strengthen us and give us Vigor and courage and power than just that realization [00:12:48]

what makes a man a Christian is that uh a seed of new life is put into it this is the biblical terminology as you know John uses that take for instance again the first Epistle of John 3 and: 9 he says whosoever is born of God does not commit sin what he means is does not practice sin does not go on and continue habitually in sin whosoever is born of God does not commit practice continue in sin why for this reason for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin he cannot go on living like that in sin because he is born of God now you see the argument to be born of God means that a seed or a principle of eternal life has been put into us now this is most important Doctrine it is the doctrine as I was indicating a fortnite ago that makes it quite impossible to accept that teaching about let go and let God you see what we are told here is this that because this seed of new life is in us we cannot go on in sin the way to solve the problem is God's way of solving the problem is not to tell us that we can do nothing but that we hand it over to the Lord no he puts a principle of Life a seed into us and we cannot go on practicing sin because the seed is in us because we are born of God now this principle of life that he has put into us has got power in it it has got strength in it it changes everything if any man be in Christ he's a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new you see this idea that a Christian remains what he always was but just relies upon the power of the Lord using that illustration of the poker that if he ceases to abide he becomes cold and black and rigid again it seems to me to be a denial of this teaching about the seed no no the Christian is a men not just a man who's taken a decision who has decided to follow Christ or to do this or that he has done that but what makes him do that is this that this seed of eternal life has been put into him he is born of God there's something new in this man that is bigger than the whole man this is the new thing that's going to govern the whole of his life he can't go on living as he did because of this very well now then here he is he's been born again the Bible says that at first he's but a babe in Christ he's but an infant now here's the question how can this babe grow how can this infant develop or to put it the other way around or in this form how can this principle of life and of power and of vigor be fostered nurtured developed so that it may become yet stronger and stronger and stronger well now that's the to which we must direct our attention [00:15:52]

now and I think we can follow it along the line of the analogy that is suggested by the very terminology that is used in the scripture itself what is needed well obviously food and drink there's your newborn bab what does that need above everything food and drink it needs to be nourished if that is to develop into a child into an adolescent into a full-grown men it must this is the way food and drink are absolutely essential the newborn babe helpless weak can't do anything for itself but a day will come when it will have Vigor and strength and power be able to do things for itself and for others what produces this food and drink now it's exactly the same in this Christian Life and this is the way in which we do become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might already the moment we become Christians we are given a strength a power this seed of life yes but it's got to grow and develop that's what he's exalting us to so we don't just do nothing and hand it all over no no we've got to take measures to see that the life that he's given us is going to grow and going to develop and become stronger and stronger how does this happen well now here of course I've got to try to summarize this great teaching that deals with this almost everywhere in the Bible I start with this because it must come first food and drink I say what is it how do we get it well let our Lord himself answer let me read to you the 35th verse in the sixth chapter of The Gospel According to St John he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me me shall never thirst food and drink satisfaction of hunger and thirst where where is it to be found it is to be found in him by going to him by keeping on going to him that's what it means you keep on going to him you just don't go once at the beginning and then rest no no you keep on going to him he that cometh he keepeth on coming to me shall never hunger and he that goes un believing in me shall never thirst [00:19:02]

now but let's go back again to that chapter that sixth chapter of John a portion of which we read at the beginning and that's why I read it listen to these words beginning at verse 53 then Jesus said unto them verily verily I say unto you except ye eat the Flesh of the son of men and drink his blood ye have no life in you whosoever eateth My Flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day for my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him then listen as the living father hath sent me and I live by or because of the father so he that eateth me even he shall live by or because of me now here is of course very profound teaching here is what we must call Mystical teaching and yet it's given to us here our Lord spoke this to the people you remember the reaction some of the people said this is unheard saying who can hear it what's he talking about how can this men give us his flesh to eat they stumbled at it we are told indeed that from that point many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him they said we can't stand this and they left him the Son of God when he was offering them the most marvelous thing of all they couldn't understand this what all this mean so that these words come to us as a test this morning our reaction to these words proclaims exactly what we are and where we stand this morning nothing more glorious more wonderful has ever been offered to people than this and yet you see it's possible for people to reject it and dislike it heartily everybody seemed to believe in him so our Lord turned to the disciples and said will you also go away and Peter not fully understanding where he was not what he was saying said Lord to whom can we go shall we go thou H has the words of eternal life and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the son of God now then what does it mean well well our Lord says that his words are Spirit not flesh he's not talking about anything material he's talking in a spiritual manner he's using a kind of analogy here what he means is this he says the father has sent me and I live because of the father what he means is this I am living by the father I am looking to the father for everything my strength and my power that's the meaning you see of the Incarnation he hadn't ceased to be the Son of God but he had taken unto him human nature and he's living that life now in human nature he's not using the godhead it was still there he's not using it he is living a life of utter dependence upon the father that's why he prayed as he did and so on and he says I live by because of the father I draw my strength my nutriment my everything from him and he says in the same way the man who truly Believes In Me Is a man who lives because of me he puts it in terms of eating his flesh and drinking his blood that means really taking him believing in him as he is in all his fullness and having your life henceforth determined and controlled and governed by this belief in him this surrender to him this Reliance upon him and the power of His might he puts it dramatically in those words in order that we may see that this is something that you and I have to do in a very thorough manner we don't just say yes I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ I believed at a given point I've been a Christian ever since oh I've always believed I've always been a Christian it isn't it eating the flesh drinking the blood in other words rarely taking it in chewing it masticating it making it a part of yourself realizing that this is your bread of life I am the bread of life he says he contrasts himself with a manner which was but a type and a figure something given to maintain physical well-being but a great type of what he was going to do when he came I am the bread of life and the man who eats of me he says shall never die they die do at the man whoever eats of me will never die in this spiritual sense because he is receiving life he becomes a partaker of the divine nature he is feeding on a Heavenly manner he is eating me he's living on me he's living by me he's living because I am what I am and of done what I've done and he puts it there I say in terms of flesh and blood in order that we may realize what a thorough work this is that we really have to appropriate Christ not just an intellectual belief no no Christ becomes our life my food my drink my everything now then that is the meaning part of the meaning of dinate which can be expanded infinitely of that most astonishing statement which our Lord makes there let me put it in another way to use the analogy that the Apostle has used himself in this epistle in chapter 4 and especially in verse 16 where he again reminds us that the church is the body of Christ and that Christ is the head from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part make it increase of the body and to the edifying of itself in love which means this you remember that everything ultimately comes from the head and that what we have to do is to realize our dependence upon the head all the vital energy comes from him comes from the head the brain it's the source of all power all this energy this nervous energy by which we live and move our muscular energy our everything it's here here's the center Christ is the head and I have to realize and this is the way to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might I have to realize that I'm a part of him my utter dependence upon him for this strength and power I operate as the part that I am with all my might yes but the energy I know is coming from him and I live on that I rely on that eating and drinking the body and the blood the Flesh and the blood of the son of man well there I say is the first and the most important thing that we must always realize that we draw our life from him he's put the seed in yes but all that is necessary to its growth and development still comes from him and he gives it and we are to partake of it more and more freely very well there is one great metaph for us to work out from this moment as long as we live in greater and ever increasing detail but let me come to something which is still more practical there's a part of my food and drink there is the most essential part of it but then there is a kind of Aid something to assist this something to give me a great greater appetite for that and what is that well it's this word this written word that is why it has been given to us you remember the statement which the Apostle Paul makes to Timothy who was a very temperamental unsteady unstable kind of young man always ready to be frightened and alarmed the devil could very easily get Timothy down he could terrify him frighten him Paul's an old man Paul's dying what you going to do then who will you have to write to where will you get your advice from and Timothy was trembling shaking Paul you remember us to pull him up and say be strong th therefore my son be strong in the grace that is is in Christ Jesus but he doesn't stop at a mere exhalation he gives him some practical advice as to what he's got to do so listen to him in The Second Epistle to Timothy in the third chapter and beginning to read at verse 13 if you like verse 12 yeah and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution he says he shouldn't be put off by that you should understand that as they've persecuted me they'll persecute you don't be frightened but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived but continue thou in the things which thou Hast learned and Hast been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them that's the way to be strong to remember the things that he's been taught by Paul and others and that from a child thou Hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make the wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect truly furnished unto all good works here it is and of course there are many other statements in the scripture which point in the same direction there's a particularly beautiful one in the 20th chapter of the book of The Acts of the Apostles let me read to you verses 28 and 32 Paul giving his last words of advice to the Elders of the church at Ephesus of all places the very chapter that very epistle that we're dealing with take heed he says therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost ha made you oversears to feed the Church of God which he ha purchased with his own blood that's verse 28 but listen to verse 32 and now Brethren 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 among all them which are Sanctified that's it I commend you to guard into the word of his grace which is able to build you up to make you strong see this is how you become strong in the Lord and the power of not just sit down and say I Leave It All To The Lord hand it over and just keep looking to him not at all you need to be built up and you can be the word has been given in order that we may be built up and made strong now there is no question about it as those scriptures alone in and of themselves prove abundantly that all the scripture has been provided for that reason had you ever asked yourself that question why did God ever give us the Bible what's the purpose and object of the Bible well this is the answer it was given to strengthen us to build build us up in our Most Holy Faith and obviously therefore the more we take of this the stronger we shall be so if we want to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might one of the first things we've got to do is to read and to take in and to masticate again this book no that doesn't just mean you know reading your daily portion and rushing off to catch your train that's not rarely taking this as food the devil is so subtle I'm a great believer in systematic Bible reading people waste a lot of their time in just opening the Bible at random or reading favorite passages uh there's nothing better than to be a systematic reader of the Bible and to make sure that you go through the whole Bible every year but you know the devil can even make a snare of that you see you've got your daily portion and in the end you're more concerned about having read you a daily portion than what you're reading and it doesn't help you at all you can skim through skip over verses and you might as well have been reading a novel you've read your daily portion I know but have you got the truth have you really taken it in it's given to you as food you don't bolt this food you got to chew it and masticate it so that it be thoroughly digested and it becomes a part of your Constitution and it builds you up this is the thing which gives us knowledge and knowledge as this Apostle puts it to the Corinthians edifi it builds up love builds up this true understanding this true knowledge is something that makes us strong and builds us up and establish Us in the faith now it's very interesting to notice how the scripture itself commends itself to us in that way take the Old Testament for instance now there are many foolish people who say that there's no point in a Christian reading the Old Testament oh you he's finished with that he's in the New Testament the Old Testament Jewish history it's all quite interesting in its way but nothing to give me as a Christian that isn't what the New Testament tells you about the Old Testament this is for instance how this Apostle Paul puts it again in 1 Corinthians 10:6 he refers them to a bit of Old Testament history the children of Israel being led by Moses under the cloud and going through the Red Sea now he says these things were our examples to the intent that we shall not lust after evil things as they also lusted you see you can learn a lot from the children of Israel in the Old Testament that's why the record is kept verse 11 now these things happened and to them fore in samples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come in other words here are you are New Testament men confronted by the devil and all his wilds and the principalities and Powers how are you going to be made strong to withstand him well a very good way says the New Testament is to read your Old Testament not exclusively but read the new as well but certainly read your Old Testament why well you'll find some very wonderful warnings there here are the children of Israel they were God's people but look at their history look at their shameful Behavior look at the defeats to which they were subjected why well all because they didn't remember that they were the children of God they began to rely on themselves their armies their own power made alliances with Egypt and with Assyria down they went why simply because they were fools they didn't realize who they were they didn't rely upon the power of His might read their stor says the New Testament they written for our in in samples don't you make the same mistakes as the New Testament look at them take warning so you see as you read even your Old Testament you are warned in this way against this very danger and seeing how somebody else has gone wrong you are made strong yourself it's an obvious argument isn't it a wise men always learns from the mistakes of others whether he's in the same business or profession it doesn't matter what it is he sees a man coming to disaster he says well what exactly did that man do that he shouldn't have done where did he go wrong where did he make a mistake and ah he says it was there very well now then I'm going to watch that now that's wisdom isn't it now that's exactly the argument used here these are written for our amples listen to Paul again in Romans 15:4 for whatsoever things were written a time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope now then you see why the New Testament Church the early church decided to incorporate the Old Testament with their new documents it's all one it's the same God it's the same people of God we can learn and learn tremendously from the Old Testament that's the value of so much of that history very well let's make use of it let's read it let's take it in and it'll make us strong as we see the warnings and the dangers we are strengthened we're on guard and we're ready to quit our ourselves as men very well then that is something that we can all work out for ourselves when you come to the New Testament it's still more obvious isn't it why were these new testament Epistles written why do you think these Apostles ever wrote and there's only one answer they wrote them in order to feed the people they were going wrong though they believed in Christ they were going wrong many of them in their Doctrine and because they went wrong in Doctrine they went wrong in their lives evil Communications corrupt good manners the moment a man begins to play with Doctrine and to go wrong here's all life's going to follow that's what we are witnessing in the world and in the church today the church first went wrong in our Doctrine she then goes wrong in her life always happens now that was happening in the early church and there were many of them frightened and alarmed so these men were moved by the spirit of God to write their letters to them what for to make them strong to feed them to give them understanding and it's only as we have UND understanding we can fight if you don't know you see if you come into the Christian Life thinking that it's something like this that all you've got to do is to take a decision and say you're being a Christian you'll never have any more problems or troubles and you'll be reclining on some bed of ease and be carried to heaven without doing anything if you come into it like that and think that that's Christianity well you won't have gone very far before you'll be very miserable and unhappy you'll find yourself failing you'll find things going wrong with you and you'll have all sorts of trouble and you begin to wonder whether there's anything in it or not many have done that what's the answer oh the answer is to know your New Testament and to know the truth about the Christian Life to realize that all that are Godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution you see Paul had to tell Timothy that Timothy says I'm being persecuted I a preacher I a follower of Paul I'm being persecuted people are unkind to me they're doing unpleasant things to me and he was trembling and quaking and wondering what was going look here says Paul all that live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution it's inevitable they did that to the master didn't he say so if they have called me be El what shall they say to you now but we need to be told these things and the moment I'm prepared and told this when it happens to me I don't quake and begin to run away I just stand and I say very well I stand as a man of God this is a proof of my calling I'm suffering persecution I am a child of very well I'm ready to stand and so with all these other subtle attacks that come to me as the result of the Ws of the devil every new testament epistle was written in order that we might be strengthened for the fight the more we know the able we shall be the stronger we shall be you see a teaching which tells you you've got nothing to do but to hand it over to the Lord is really saying that all these Epistles are totally unnecessary but the New Testament says they're essential and it even tells us this but there are different types of teaching here I have fed you with milk says Paul to the Corinthians and not with meat because you were not ready to take it yet whatever your condition and state this morning there is the appropriate food for you here the appropriate food and drink if you're a newborn baby in Christ there's milk for you the sincere milk of the word that he may grow thereby there's Peter putting it desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby if so be that you have proven that the Lord if if you have proved that the Lord Is Holy here it is Peter says it's un adulterate it's sincere milk of the word take it he say that you may grow thereby if you have proved that the Lord is gracious now then that is I say the purpose of all this there's milk for the babe yes but there is stronger food and we are meant to go on to the stronger food strong meat he says there is strong meat available whatever your physical condition whatever to use the energy your spiritual condition you need the appropriate food you live on milk when you're a bab but you don't spend the rest of your life living on milk you come to strong meat there are grades and gradations and it's exactly the same in this life and we must go on we'll get stronger and stronger and stronger we develop into adult men that's why John again divides up the church you see into little children young men old men different grades according to the way in which they've grown and have developed very well there is the next thing the word of God and then you come to prayer what does prayer mean well this is another way of receiving sustenance and strength and vigor and power prayer doesn't just mean petitions prayer means primarily communion and fellowship with him listen to him he says behold I stand at the door and knock If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in unto him and will s with him and he with me that's not an Evangelistic statement it's addressed to the church to Christian Believers people here it is you see he's ready to come in and to suck with us and that's the meaning of prayer it isn't just sending up your petition taking your request to God no no it's opening the door and Christ comes in and he sits there other side of the table and he has a meal with you and you talk as you're taking the meal fellowship and communion and as you're talking to him and sing with him you're receiving strength and power from him you are making your request known unto him and he is telling you things about himself and his concern for you and his care for you that's the real meaning of prayer prayer is communion having Fellowship having a conversation with God the Father God the son and God the Holy Spirit and this is the way to be strong the greatest Saints have always been men of prayer and they've spent great time in prayer look at the people in the New Testament always when in trouble they turn to God In Prayer not immediately to start with their difficulty but to adore him and to worship him and to talk to him they liked being in his presence and being conscious of his presence my friends this is prayer and the first step in prayer should always be the realization of the presence of the Lord one of the greatest men of Prayer of the last century I mean since 1860 till 1960 was the saintly George Muller of Bristol he is an expert in prayer and he always thought that that the first thing you do in prayer is to realize the presence of God you don't start speaking immediately you can utter lots of phrases but you might as well will not have done you must realize the presence of God it's got to be this Fellowship this communion this conversation and the realization that you're in his presence is infinitely more important than anything you'll say so we realize this and as we do so we are filled with strength and power again the human analogy is obvious when you're in the presence of any saintly person you always feel better yourself you always feel stronger multiply that by infinity and the realization of the presence of the Triune God is the greatest source of strength and vigor and power lastly for me to close this morning the sacraments baptism and the Lord's Supper but particularly this what's this for well its ultimate object is the strengtheners to give us this Vigor this power this life we take of him again you see we must avoid the trouble the error that those Jews fell into when they were offended by our Lord's words this is spiritual we don't believe in transubstantiation we don't believe in any magic of that type no no it's a spiritual taking of the Lord he chose to use this simple analogy and it helps us very much we eat bread and we drink wine and that reminds us of the way that we take of him we not only remember his death we start with it but we remember that he rose again and that he's there as the head of the church and giving us life and power we take of him we take of Thee the living bread we are eating of Christ we are taking him in we are reminding ourselves that he is our life and our Vigor our power our everything which will make us strong to go back into the battle and to fight as men that's that's the reason for taking of this that nothing there that you don't get in a sense from the preached word except that it's one of God's appointed ways he appointed the preaching of the word he appointed this also the breaking of the bread the drinking of the wine and in this way we take in of him we feed on the bread of life he is the Heavenly Mana he is God's food for the soul and we take of him and we go out from that communion service with new power new Vigor strong in the Lord and in the power of His might well God has provided for us very abundantly hasn't he but this is how you do it this is the way to become strong in the Lord and in the power of His night [00:43:49]