Bring Back the Book, Ark, King

I would like to read in three portions just, but one at a time, first in Nehemiah in chapter 8. When it comes to the gospel, brethren, don't change the gospel. I feel myself that we're getting away from the repentance, and most of it is on the remedy. The Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul preached repentance towards God, not towards Jesus.

Repentance towards God, and then faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's very easy for a Sunday school teacher, this is not being critical again, but just by way of observation. It's very easy to be so busy in the week that when it comes Saturday night, oh, I've got a Sunday school class, and so I'll take up Zacchaeus of a tree.

You don't have to study for that, brethren. All you have to do is enlarge on it a bit, and you'll not get converts that way. To get at the real truth of the gospel, repentance towards God, you must get on the attributes of God, God's holiness, God's righteousness, God's justice.

We're moving amongst the Hutterites that many know, and we're glad for the prayers of the Lord's people. It's kind of leveled off a bit, but literally hundreds have come to Christ. The assemblies on the prairies are all growing because of the influx of the Hutterites.

We have said to the brethren, listen, interview them well. They don't all come up to the colonies for the right reason. Be sure that they're on the rock Christ Jesus.

Now we're moving amongst the charity, and I encourage the Lord's people to pray. Each Tuesday night, we're having 15 or 16 charity people. These are people that have left the colonies and joined a group called Charity that is its origin in Pennsylvania, with an Amish background, but we're finding out that many are not even born again.

James chapter 2 tells us, you show me your faith without your works, I'll show you my faith by my works. If any man is born again, there's got to be a manifestation of divine truth. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, gentleness, against such there is no law.

I came out of a Calvinistic background, and I was more religious then than I am now, because I was earning my way to heaven, but when I heard repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus, the walls seemed to come down, and it took me not a day or two, it took me a whole year to be brought savingly to trust in the finished work of Christ. As brethren and sisters, the Lord said, it is finished, plus nothing. It's the work of Christ upon the cross.

Man is depraved and incapable of doing any good. Nehemiah chapter 8, please, that's my way of introduction. Thank you, brother.

He's got me fired up, you know. I'm not getting any younger, but oh, the flame is still there. Nehemiah chapter 8, and again, for the sake of time, we consider our brethren.

Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 1, and all the people gathered together as one man in the street that was before the water gate, and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book and the law of Moses, bring back the book. Now, we're going to turn to 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles chapter 13, please. Again, I'm eliminating lots of reading, very profitable to read it all, and again, David consulted with the people.

This is 1 Chronicles chapter 13 and verse 1, and David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds and with every leader, and David said unto all the congregation of Israel, if it seemed good unto you that it be of the Lord our God, let us send abroad our brethren everywhere that are left in the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us, and let us bring again the ark of God to us. And a final reading, brethren, let's see if I can remember it, 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel chapter 19, and David's mourning over Absalom, we'll not read about that, and Job confronts him that you're more interested in the death of your son than the people of Israel. And verse 9, 2 Samuel 19 and verse 9, and all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying the king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land for Absalom.

And Absalom whom we anointed over us is dead in battle, now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back? That's the message, brethren, and after I've said it, I could likely sit down. Bring back the book, bring back the ark, bring back the king, that's the order. Maybe we can begin by saying one of the great periods of church history was the days of the Reformation.

What brought about the Reformation, brethren and sisters, it's the word of God getting amongst the people in the vernacular language. Up until now there was a thousand years of what is called the Dark Ages. When the Roman Catholic Church dominated the thinking of the people, there was an underground church, that's true, but it wasn't until God dealt with Martin Luther, the one that was a monk saved in the monastery, and he's the one that at a certain period of time, 460 odd years ago, he nailed his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg, Germany.

On this side was all the principles of the Roman Catholic Church, and then on this side he said, but this is what the Bible says. In the vernacular language, the German language, the people began to realize the spirit of God was at work, and the spirit of God revealed to many, especially the leaders, many rich men poured their money into tract distribution at the same time the printing press was invented. And because the Bible again got its place amongst the people of Germany, it moved from one country to another.

Thank God, it was the word of God that brought about the Reformation. We might ask, what will bring about the time of the recovery, the times of John Nelson Darby, and R.C. Chapman, and Anthony Groves, and George Bueller, and C.H. Macintosh, good writings, spirit of God dealt with these men. Some of them were already saved, but they were into the different churches.

See it took time, the time of the Reformation. God emphasized just one thing, and that is that you just shall live by faith. Nothing more, brethren, because these men like Martin Luther, and John Calvin, and Schwingli were reformers.

They wanted reform within the confines of the Roman Catholic system, but oil and water do not mix. Law and grace has no place in the word of God. And so they were reformers, and they found themselves pushed out, but in the course of time, now delivered from the system of the Roman Catholic Church, they began to look into the Holy Scriptures, and in the time of the recovery, they saw what we heard this morning, worship.

Listen, this is the missing link in Christendom today, is worship amongst the Hutterites and amongst the charity. Talk to them, maybe once in a year, or once in two times a year, they would come together to have communion, but that's not the priority, brethren. Remember John chapter 4, the woman said, where is the place to worship, here in Jerusalem or in Mount Gerasim? Ah, the Lord says the true worshipper must worship him in spirit and in truth.

You must possess the Holy Spirit and be guided by the word of God in order to worship him in beauty and holiness. So we find here, they gathered together and there was a place for worship, and I understand by reading a little bit in the background, when they came back, it was so powerful that nobody said a word, but there were just puddles of tears upon the floor as they began to realize the greatness and the graciousness of the lovely person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I say many times, on such love, my soul still ponders, love so great, so full, so free.

Say, while lost in holy wonder, why, O Lord, such love to me, love to you, brother and sister. This is what is necessary. We need to be worshippers.

That's what the Father wants, worshippers. The wise men had their worship with them, the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh. When they got to the person, the babe of the Lord Jesus, they didn't have to buy it.

They had it with them. Gathered upon the week, brethren, when you come together on the Lord's day morning, my daughter says, Dad, I don't know if we're led of the spirit of all, at all. Now listen, brethren, let's get out of this formalism of things, hymn, prayer, hymn, prayer, and the same ones you can almost pick out who's going to take part in the morning meeting.

That is not of the spirit, brethren. Spirit is not governed by form. Can't put God into form.

The spirit of God wants liberty to take up a young brother. I remember in Vancouver, I had an awful time for the first time to get up and take part. And I read a few lines of hymn number seven, the dead are diversity alone.

After Basil Boyd's father, an elderly brother in the meeting, he says, young brethren, take part. He says, the way over there in Nova Scotia, I don't know who he was, but some fishermen got saved. He says, I want to be baptized right away.

And they baptized him. And the Bible, within four days, all examples of people who are being baptized within four days, not four years. And so he sat back in the morning meeting.

Now he's baptized, of course. He had to be interviewed, but there was a lull, the lull. Nobody taking part.

And he got up and says, hurrah for Jesus. Boy, that was real worship. It just broke the brethren down.

Hurrah for him. I don't expect after 10 years to say, brother Dan, hurrah for Jesus. We've got to get a little more meat on it, but that's a good start anyhow.

Hurrah for Jesus. That was 100% true worship at that time. So here we have it, brethren.

What brought on the reformation? The word of God. What brought on the recovery? It was the word of God. Listen, what's going to bring about the regathering of the people of Israel but the word of God? They'll look upon him whom they have pierced, and they're going to say, what are these wounds in your hands? Wounds, brethren.

We get to glory. Why, the apostle Paul had 195 stripes on his back. Not one of these welts is going to appear on that body in a glorified state, but not so the Lord Jesus.

When John peers through the door, he sees the Lamb freshly saying, thy wounds, thy wounds, Lord Jesus. Those deep, deep wounds shall tell the sacrifice that frees us from sin and death and hell. Worthy, amen, brethren.

Oh, yes, now you're awake. That's the regathering. How is the soul going to get restored? By the word of God.

How is there going to be a revival amongst us? The word of God. Three things I'd like to mention in connection with bring back the book. Number one, family altar.

Brethren, are we too busy to take time at least once a day at one of the meals to gather the family together? Now, I was brought up around the word of God, but wrongly taught. We prayed before the meal and after the meal and read at every meal table. You don't think that had a conditioning effect upon us? It surely did.

We had the reverence for the fear of God, the reverence for God, and respect for his precious word. And so that when Brother John got saved in the last Second World War and came home with the gospel, it wasn't within three years, all the family children got saved. And what he thought, there you are, brother, or whoever spoke.

You did, brother. Talk about the word of God. When he would send the letters back after he was converted, I read the first few lines and it was religious.

I'm doing good. And then a big sermon came. I said, that I'll hear in the church, not from a brother.

And so I said to my mother, read it through. If there's anything of interest, tell me. But when he came home from the war, I could put his letters to one side, but I couldn't put him out of the house.

But he's the one that won us to Christ. And the last one was my mother. Standing there by the sink, Brother Garrett had got saved the night before.

The next morning, by the breakfast, we began to sing, oh, happy day that fixed my choice on the ball. We really sang it out, the whole family. And I saw by the sink, my dear mother, the tears flowing down her cheek.

I says, mother, are you not? I went beside her. Are you not thankful that Garrett is saved? Listen, he says, you don't know, but I've been trying to get saved for three months and I can't get it. I says, if you really want it, you seek the Lord with all your heart.

So I phoned up Brother Maxwell and the next 2.30 in the afternoon, we're singing as a family again. Oh, happy day that fixed my choice on thee, my savior and my God. And John saw that happy day where we all sat beside him in the morning meeting to remember him and the breaking of the bread and drinking of the cup until he comes.

The family altar, dear brother, you are responsible. You don't let the assembly raise your children. You are responsible.

We trust that in the assembly, it'll confirm what you should be doing in the home. Godly role model. Paul said about Timothy, that genuine faith that's in you, which was in your mother and grandmother, role model, very important.

And young man giving heed to the word of God. Now we're going to watch that clock. Now we'll go to First Chronicles, please.

We have touched on bring back the book. Now bring back the ark. The ark is because of God's presence amongst his people in that day.

And he says in verse 3, and let us bring again the ark of God to us. Notice, for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul, the king of Israel, the first king of Israel. He was a fleshly man.

When he was anointed, it was anointment by a vial, a man-made instrument, bowl, not David. David was, he was anointed by a horn. Wasn't it a horn? That meant some animal had to die.

And here he says, this fleshly man reigned for 20 years without God's presence amongst his people because the ark was in the hands of the Philistines. But read Sam 132. No sooner does David come to the throne.

He says, I'll not give sleep to my eyes nor slumber to my eyelids until I find a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. He went after him. When they came back, they made a mistake.

They put it on the cart instead of the shoulders of the priests. You can't barge into God's presence. You must be born into his presence.

And then we read down the chapter here. Verse 14, notice verse 14, and the ark of God remained with the family of Obededim in his house three months. Notice, and the Lord blessed the house of Obededim and all that he had.

God's blessing again amongst his people. That's what we should be after, brethren, the blessing of the Lord that comes when the word of God has its place. And then we're going to look at a final reading.

So our brethren have lots of time to get at things. First, 2 Samuel, please, chapter 19. 2 Samuel, chapter 19.

So here's Joab, he confronts David. He says, you're more interested in what happened to your son Absalom than you are against the enemy. And David, he takes it to heart.

Notice verse 9 or verse 10, and Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now, therefore, why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back? See, brethren, brethren, that's the order. If the word of God gets its place in my life and my home life and the assembly life, then we'll know that the ark, God's presence is with us.

And if we have God's presence, we'll long for the king. Because the first time when the Lord Jesus came, he came on the back of a donkey and all humiliation. He ended up on the cross.

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And there's a sheep before her. Shears is done.

Soul put not his mouth. It was all humiliation the way the Lord Jesus went. But listen, the father is looking forward to the day of his manifestation when he will not come in weakness, but in power and set up his kingdom.

And if the father is looking forward to that day, shouldn't we, brethren? But it's all linked to the word of God. It's all linked to the presence of the Lord Israel in the coming day. Israel today.

Well, we all know things are happening in the Middle East. But don't go away, brethren, thinking it's going to be better for Israel. I think it's going to be worse for Israel the way things are going in northern Africa.

You say, why is that? Listen, they want democracy on their own terms, not as we know it. And the underlying current is still there. They're all Muslims.

And apart from Israel, they would fight amongst themselves and have for centuries. But when it comes to Israel, they're all of one mind in the Mediterranean she goes. Like Pilate and Herod were made friends together of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.

Don't be taken in by what's happening. I believe God is at work, mind you. He's overturning, overturning that his will will be accomplished.

But Israel is going to have to be hemmed in. And the only thing, brethren, that's going to bring Israel to its knees is the great tribulation. She has to be repented of her sins.

And as long as she is looking to America to support her, she's not going to look up to Jehovah God. Remember when she came out of Egypt from behind the blood. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.

They got by the Red Sea. See before them wilderness on both sides and the host of Pharaoh pursuing fast after her. What could she do but look up, stand still and see the redemption of the Lord, the salvation of the Lord.

And I believe when the influences of you, dear Americans, are withdrawn from Israel and she'll stand alone, she'll have to look up and then God is going to deliver his people. What a day that will be when they look upon him to a pierce. And now anti-Semitism is rampant throughout the world, your country and my country of Canada.

But in that day, six Gentiles will lay hold upon one Jew. Why? God's blessing is with the Jews. And you know, as far as we're concerned here today, through the fall of the Jew, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

What shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? The valley of dry bones. Oh, brethren, we're on the winning side. Bring back the book.

Bring back the ark. Bring back the King.