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[00:00:01] Now shall we read this evening the 17th chapter of John.
[00:00:06] Gospel according to John. And the 17th chapter.
[00:00:21] These things spake Jesus.
[00:00:23] And lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, father, the hour is come.
[00:00:31] Glorify thy Son. That the Son may glorify thee even as Thou gavest Him authority over all flesh.
[00:00:40] That to all whom Thou hast given him he should give eternal life.
[00:00:47] And this is life eternal. That they should know Thee, the only true God.
[00:00:55] And him whom Thou didst send, even Jesus Christ.
[00:01:01] I glorify thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given me to do.
[00:01:08] And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self. With the glory which I had with Thee before the world war.
[00:01:20] I manifested Thy name unto the men whom Thou gavest me out of the world.
[00:01:28] Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word.
[00:01:35] Now they know that all things whatsoever Thou hast given me are from Thee. For the words which Thou gavest me I have given unto them.
[00:01:45] And they received them. And knew of a truth that I came forth from Thee. And they believed that Thou didst send me.
[00:01:54] I pray for them.
[00:01:56] I pray not for the world, but for those whom Thou hast given me. For they are Thine, and all things that are mine are thine, and thine are mine. And I. And I am glorified in them.
[00:02:12] And I am no more in the world. And these are in the world. And I come to Thee, Holy Father.
[00:02:21] Keep them in Thy name which Thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are.
[00:02:33] While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name, which Thou hast given me.
[00:02:39] And I guarded them. And not one of them perished but the Son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
[00:02:47] But now I come to Thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.
[00:02:57] I have given them Thy word. And the world hated them. Because they are not of the world world even as I am not of the world.
[00:03:06] I pray not that Thou shouldest take them from the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the Evil One.
[00:03:16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
[00:03:20] Sanctify them in the truth.
[00:03:23] Thy word is truth.
[00:03:26] As Thou didst send me into the world, even so sent I them into the world.
[00:03:32] And for their sakes I sanctify myself. That they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
[00:03:41] Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word that they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that Thou didst send me. And the glory which Thou hast given me I have given unto them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that Thou didst me and lovedst them, even as Thou lovedst me.
[00:04:25] Father, I desire that they also whom Thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which Thou hast given me. For Thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
[00:04:41] O righteous Father, the world knew thee not, but I knew Thee, and these knew that Thou didst send me. And I made known unto them thy name and will make it known. Isn't that beautiful?
[00:04:57] And will make it known that the love wherewith Thou lovest me may be in them and I in them.
[00:05:13] Just a further word of prayer.
[00:05:15] Beloved Lord, Thou knowest alone the mystery of this whole matter.
[00:05:23] Once more we acknowledge it before Thee and know that nothing less than the ministry of Thy Holy Spirit can enable speaker or hearer to discover, dear Lord, all that Thou art for us. Oh, may it be so this evening we ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus.
[00:05:46] Now we cannot really go over anything of these previous studies and I just trust that those of you haven't been to the previous ones will not be at sea this evening. I suggest that you listen to the tape because apart forgetting myself altogether, the fact of the matter is we're dealing with one of the most vital and essential subjects and themes in the whole Bible. It is quite amazing how much there is in the Bible about this particular matter.
[00:06:26] Well, now we can't go over it all again.
[00:06:31] I must just take up from last week and go straight on really from there. Last week we were talking about the danger of getting uncovered.
[00:06:42] And we pointed out that Satan has one overall objective upon which he bases his whole strategy and that is to get the believer or the church uncovered.
[00:07:01] He more than anyone else knows that the believer is absolutely safe whilst in Christ. To get at the believer, Satan knows he must first meet with Christ.
[00:07:19] He knows that whilst the believer is in Christ and abiding in Christ, hid with Christ in God, he cannot reach that one. He knows that the church, whilst it's in Christ, its life hid with Christ in God, he cannot reach the life of the church except by first meeting God.
[00:07:44] Therefore his whole plan is to entice us out by one means or another to get us to uncover ourselves, to bring us out from abiding in Christ, to draw us away from our position in Him.
[00:08:06] Well, we said a lot more last week, but that introduces really what we want to say this evening. How do we get uncovered?
[00:08:17] And then perhaps if the Lord help us, how do we get recovered?
[00:08:23] Two very, very practical matters. Now, last week I said very simply that we would just take a few things that are representative of many, many others that speak of our getting uncovered. In other words, we can just take a few ways in which we believers or the church ways in which we get uncovered. And we must remember that the ways in which we can get uncovered are in fact multitudinous.
[00:09:02] We are just selecting a few that are representative of very, very many more. Now, last week we dealt with 4. 3. Firstly, not walking in the light.
[00:09:17] Not walking in the light. That is the surest way to get uncovered. The moment we no longer walk in the light, with God as he is in the light, or with one another as God is in the light. It's not subjective, it's objective.
[00:09:33] That is, it's not what I see as light, but what God is.
[00:09:38] As I walk objectively in that light, so the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, goes on cleansing us from all sin. But if I say I walk in the light and do not the truth, I am a liar.
[00:09:56] In other words, that moment I have slid out from protection and covering. Now, you can see straight away, as we said last week, that this is one of the main weapons of the enemy. If he can't get us to fall out with the Lord and try to deceive the Lord, try to put up a facade to the Lord, then he certainly gets it in our relationships, one with another, so that we're no longer walking in the light, we can blame all kinds of causes and roots for it. But the fact remains that if we do not walk in the light as God is in the light, then we're uncovered.
[00:10:33] We're no longer walking in the presence of God. We've gone into darkness, and we're calling darkness light.
[00:10:43] The second thing was an unforgiving spirit.
[00:10:49] The Lord Jesus taught us in the pattern prayer, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them the trespass, trespass against us.
[00:11:00] Now that was an extraordinary thing to teach us, to remind us forcibly, dogmatically, that if we cannot forgive somebody, the Lord will not forgive us.
[00:11:16] He will forgive us in the measure in which we forgive others.
[00:11:21] Now we hear of all Kinds of needs, of deliverance. We're told that this person has this and this person has that. We hear of bondage, we hear of all kinds of things.
[00:11:32] And again and again people go for ministry and they seem to be helped without understanding. Very quickly they go back into bondage, back into darkness, because they have not understood so often that it's a simple fact they are not forgiving something. Oh, the people who cannot forgive a father or cannot forgive another, who cannot forgive their parents. Deep seated psychological complexes all focused and resting on this unforgiving spirit. And some people think, well, they're dead, but that's not the point, they're not dead.
[00:12:11] They may in fact not be saved, but they have not ceased to exist.
[00:12:20] And it doesn't say simply forgive those that are alive and walking on the earth. Obviously, now relationships, that's the most practical point.
[00:12:31] But you see, so often many of us are harbouring a deep seated unforgiveness over something in our past, something in our background, some other person.
[00:12:43] And we go forward for this deliverance and we go forward this answer and for that answer and the other. And everything seems to last for just a week or two. And then we revert because the problem is we need to know forgiveness ourselves.
[00:12:56] And there's a blockage somewhere.
[00:13:00] Forgiveness. Now, if we cannot forgive others as we have been forgiven, then we go out from covering.
[00:13:10] The third thing is not loving one another.
[00:13:13] It says in 1 John 2:10 that if we don't love one another, we do not abide in the light.
[00:13:21] Now it's as categoric as that.
[00:13:24] In other words, again, the same is not just a question of forgiving, but a question of loving.
[00:13:31] Then the fourth thing we spoke of last week was an untamed tongue and we dwelt quite a time on this matter of the untamed tongue. I suppose the tongue is one of the most common routes of getting uncovered. Before we know where we are, we've said something. And when we say, well, God understands my heart, this is nonsense. God says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, and by the words of your mouth shall you be judged.
[00:14:04] So we have to be very, very careful what we say with our mouth.
[00:14:08] We can say things that are heard in hell and things which hell takes up with heaven and which God cannot justify unless there is confession on our part.
[00:14:25] In other words, if some evil spirit go into the presence of God and say, I heard so, and say, say so and so and so, and so God says, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect Christ, my son has died.
[00:14:37] That one's confessed it, it's under the blood. But if it's not confessed and that person is sort of saying, oh, doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.
[00:14:45] God looks on my heart, God says, it is true, then the evil one may say, then I will take action.
[00:14:56] And God has to say, you must take action.
[00:15:00] That is the solemnity, this subject.
[00:15:06] We went through a whole lot of scriptures in James. We went through other scriptures in Proverbs about the tongue.
[00:15:14] And I think we proved to you that this little member which speaks such great things can be the cause of destruction, of spiritual bondage, of spiritual poverty, of spiritual weakness.
[00:15:34] Now, when we speak of danger in uncovering, you must remember this is not only just a spiritual thing.
[00:15:42] The Bible warns us that some of our illnesses can be the result of getting uncovered.
[00:15:49] It warns us that some of our spiritual anemia, spiritual anemia, weakness, inability to get through is because of getting uncomfortable. Say so in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 30. And it also tells us it's possible to lose our physical life because of this matter. This is therefore the solemnity of this whole matter.
[00:16:16] Well, now, those were the four points we took last week. I want to go straight on to night. And the fifth one I want to underline is pride.
[00:16:27] Pride.
[00:16:29] Now, of all the causes of getting uncovered, I don't think there is anyone which is a more basic and primary cause. It lies behind quite a few of these other things that we will be mentioning later and some that we've already mentioned.
[00:16:49] Look at one or two scriptures. Ezekiel first of all, 28, Ezekiel 28, Ezekiel 28:17.
[00:17:05] This is speaking of Satan, the anointed cherub that covereth.
[00:17:10] Verse 14. Will you compare it? Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth.
[00:17:18] Then verse 17.
[00:17:21] Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty.
[00:17:25] Thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.
[00:17:36] Satan fell through pride.
[00:17:39] If you compare this with Isaiah, chapter, Isaiah, chapter 14, from verse 12 to 15, you remember those words again to do with Lucifer, the sun in the morning, when he said, I will exalt my throne to the throne of God.
[00:17:59] I will be like the most High.
[00:18:02] In other words, pride was the first real call uncovering. Now, pride is the thing that unfailingly brings us into uncovering so often the fact that we're not walking in the light. Pride lies at the root of it. The fact sometimes that we cannot forgive a person is her pride.
[00:18:30] Pride lies at the root of so many things.
[00:18:33] Presumption it in the presence of God. Pride, the arrogating to ourselves of a position which is not ours spiritually.
[00:18:43] Pride, all so much stems from this one thing.
[00:18:50] Now, if you read James, chapter 4 and verse 6, James 4, verse 6, it says, he giveth more grace, that is God. Wherefore the Scripture says God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the heart, to the humble.
[00:19:16] Be subject therefore unto God, but resist the devil and he will flee from you.
[00:19:21] In other words, when pride is found in us, even when we're not conscious of it, God resists us.
[00:19:29] Could there be any clearer indication of getting uncovered than when God turns round to be? Instead of our protector, our resister, he resisteth the proud.
[00:19:42] But those that humble themselves know grace.
[00:19:46] If we are subject unto God, we humble ourselves, but we can resist the devil and he flees from us.
[00:19:53] There's covering for you. You stand in the Lord and withstand, having done all, you stand.
[00:20:01] Look at Proverbs.
[00:20:03] The book of Proverbs is perhaps the most amazing book in this whole connection with these practical things. Proverbs 16:18. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
[00:20:22] Now this is spoken to us as believers. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
[00:20:32] Isn't there anything clearer that we can get uncovered through pride?
[00:20:38] Oh, the need for us to know the brokenness of the cross, the need for us to know that continual work of God keeping us low.
[00:20:48] So often we can say things, we can do things, we can take positions, we can take attitudes. Behind it all lies pride.
[00:20:57] Look at chapter 18, Proverbs 18:12.
[00:21:03] Before destruction, the heart of man is haughty.
[00:21:09] Before honor goeth humility.
[00:21:14] Why?
[00:21:15] Well, I don't think there's much need to say more there.
[00:21:21] I can only remind you of those wonderful scriptures in isaiah in chapter 57. This is the other side. Listen to this wonderful word in verse 15. For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place with him also. That is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite. Or again in chapter 66 and verse 2. For all these things hath my hand made. And so all these things came to be, saith the Lord. But to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word, Trembleth at my word. No arrogance there, no seizing hold of the Lord's word and say, now, I'll pass it on.
[00:22:21] And then trembles at the word of God.
[00:22:28] The next way of getting uncovered comes out of this. All these are interlocked, if you like. Interwoven is no fear of the Lord, no fear of the Lord.
[00:22:47] It's very much wrapped up with this question of pride. He that trembleth at thy word, the opposite of pride, no fear of the Lord means there's no trembling at his word.
[00:23:00] No sensitive awareness of its solemnity, no sensitive practical awareness of what it means to be in a living relationship with God himself through the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:23:15] Look at Hebrews chapter 12.
[00:23:20] Hebrews chapter 12, verse 28 and 29. Now these are. This is a word to believers, to Christians, not to Jews, not to saints in the old under the old covenant, but to Christians under the new covenant. Wherefore receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, there is our covering.
[00:23:47] Let us have grace whereby we may offer service well pleasing to God with reverence and awe.
[00:23:58] For our God is a consuming fire.
[00:24:07] Now that's to believers. I doubt whether many of us understand that God is a consuming fire.
[00:24:16] This God of all grace, this God whose arms are open to returning sinners, this God whose second name is mercy.
[00:24:27] He is a consuming fire.
[00:24:30] So says this writer, the writer of this tremendous letter.
[00:24:36] Let us offer service that's well pleasing to God with reverence in the fear of the Lord and awe.
[00:24:44] But our God is a consuming fire. He is not changed from the Old Testament. He is still I am.
[00:24:57] Now let's move on and see what more we can find. Go back to the Old testament. Deuteronomy, chapter 28.
[00:25:05] Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verse 58.
[00:25:11] Deuteronomy, 28:58. Listen very carefully to these words. These things were written for our admonition as examples to us on whom the end of the ages have come. If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, the Lord thy God, then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. And he will bring upon thee again all the diseases of Egypt which thou wast afraid of. And they shall cleave unto thee also every sick, sickness, and every plague which is not written in the book of this law. Then will the Lord bring upon thee until thou be destroyed.
[00:26:09] And ye shall be left few in Number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude, because thou didst not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
[00:26:27] Turn to Romans, chapter 11, in case there's anyone here who says, well now, that's all for the age of law.
[00:26:36] Romans, chapter 11, verse 20. Speaking of these very saints who've been cut off because they did not fear the name of the Lord their God, well, by their unbelief they were broken off. And thou standest by thy faith. Be not high minded, but fear. For if God spare not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.
[00:27:07] Now will you look at Psalm 34, 2 Psalms, Psalm 34, verse 11.
[00:27:23] Come, ye children, hearken unto me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Now this is interesting. He's going to teach us the fear of the Lord.
[00:27:31] What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days, that he may see good?
[00:27:42] Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
[00:27:52] Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.
[00:28:01] Now will you also turn back to Psalm 19:9.
[00:28:09] Psalm 19, verse 9.
[00:28:12] The fear of the Lord is clean. Now isn't that an extraordinary statement?
[00:28:19] Of all the things to talk about, the fear of the Lord, I would have least thought of this. The fear of the Lord is clean.
[00:28:28] That's because fear is often dirty.
[00:28:32] Natural fear is dirty. There's some sting in it, there's a torment in it, it comes from the pit, it comes from Satan. But the fear of the Lord is clean.
[00:28:43] Enduring forever. What does it mean, enduring forever? Does it not only mean that the fear of the Lord is something that goes on forever just because he is I am?
[00:28:54] Therefore we shall always fear him?
[00:28:58] Be sensitively aware of it, Reverend, in our dealings with Him. But don't you think it also means the fear of the Lord is clean, causing us to endure forever.
[00:29:13] It brings something enduring into us, the fear of the Lord.
[00:29:20] I think of Ananias and Sapphira as an example of those that did not fear the Lord. If you want to understand what the fear of the Lord is or what it is, well, look at Ananias and Sapphira. What did they do?
[00:29:32] What they did was quite simple. They sold the whole of their property. And then when they came to bring the money, they said that it was the money from the whole of the property that they'd sold. Whereas in actual fact, they kept back part of the money for themselves.
[00:29:50] Now, don't you think many of us have done that kind of thing?
[00:29:57] How many people have said, lord, I've given you everything.
[00:30:03] Stood up in testimony sometimes.
[00:30:07] Ananas as a father. There was no fear in the Lord. They thought they were dealing with human leaders. They thought it was dear old Peter. Dear old Peter, he's a lovely man, a fisherman. His background, you can pull the wool over his eyes.
[00:30:19] We're people, we're landowners, you know, We're a bit more shrewd and so on. Dear old Peter, he's a loving old boy, you know. All we've got to go in is just and say, well, Peter, here's the money. We've sold all our property and we want to make it all a gift to the work of God.
[00:30:35] Dear old Peter. And John is so poetic. Charming younger man, John just. But, you know, one of those dreamy times.
[00:30:44] Always meditating, always seeing visions. You can pull the wool of their eyes.
[00:30:50] And the church.
[00:30:52] Marvelous crowd. We were there on the day of Pentecost. It was terrific.
[00:30:56] Should have heard. It was absolutely marvelous.
[00:31:03] Peter said to them, do you not fear the Lord that you have lied to the Holy Ghost?
[00:31:09] But they may well have said it. They've got the chance. Before they died, they could have well said. But Lord, we haven't. We have never lied to the Holy Ghost.
[00:31:18] We are dealing with frail human beings like ourselves.
[00:31:22] Oh, no.
[00:31:24] God said, you forget Peter and John.
[00:31:30] You're dealing with me.
[00:31:32] You forget the church and all its failed vessels.
[00:31:36] You're dealing with me.
[00:31:38] You have lied to the Holy Ghost. Ananias fell down. His wife came in as he was being taken out and she repeated the whole procedure. They'd evidently agreed together.
[00:31:49] Quite agreed. It was a premeditated thing to take in the Church. They had no idea. Now that is what it is to have no fear of the Lord.
[00:31:59] Some people think that no fear of the Lord means that you're just presumptuous in your dealings directly with Him. Very few Christians ever be presumptuous directly in their dealings with God. Although I have heard some.
[00:32:12] It's in our dealings with one another.
[00:32:15] Without even realizing it, we're dealing with the Lord.
[00:32:21] I think it was one theologian who once said, if God had dealt with everyone as drastically as he dealt with Ananias and Safav, he dealt with all believers like that. They reckoned about 70% of the church would be dead.
[00:32:40] Mercy of them all.
[00:32:42] But he hasn't. But you know, the principle always remains.
[00:32:48] We may not physically die, although in some cases we may.
[00:32:53] But always there comes spiritual paralysis and bondage if there's no flesh of the Lord.
[00:33:00] Well, let's Go on to something which comes right out of this. Taking the name of the Lord in vain. This is another way we can get uncovered. Look at Exodus, chapter 20 and verse 7.
[00:33:16] Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. For the Lord will not hold him guiltless who taketh his name in vain. Now I want to read it to you in the New English Bible.
[00:33:32] You shall not make wrong use of the name of the Lord your God.
[00:33:38] The Lord will not leave unpunished the man who misuses his name.
[00:33:47] Now that is an abiding principle.
[00:33:50] To take the name of the Lord in vain. What does it mean in vain?
[00:33:55] It means in a false way, in an empty way.
[00:34:05] Let's look at another scripture. Matthew, chapter six.
[00:34:10] Here we have again the pattern prayer. Matthew, chapter six, verse nine.
[00:34:18] After this manner, therefore, pray ye.
[00:34:22] Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:34:30] Have you ever thought of that?
[00:34:32] The Lord Jesus taught us that almost as soon as we open our mouth with God, always remember the name. Name, hallowed be thy name. What does it mean, this word hallowed?
[00:34:50] It means to make holy or to sanctify.
[00:34:56] It means to make his name the opposite of common.
[00:35:03] Now some of us can make the name of the Lord common.
[00:35:09] We can so re devalue the name of the Lord that it becomes common coinage.
[00:35:18] Don't take the name of the Lord in vain.
[00:35:24] What does it mean to take the name of the Lord in vain?
[00:35:27] It means this kind of thing.
[00:35:30] The Lord told me to do so and so and so. Lord has never said a thing.
[00:35:37] Oh, how common it is to say, the Lord told me.
[00:35:41] When the Lord says, I know nothing of it.
[00:35:45] The name of the Lord has been taken in vain. Now when the Lord tells you something, you say it humbly, the Lord has given me.
[00:35:54] Sometimes we can get up and we can say, the Lord has given me a word. And the Lord says, I've given no such word.
[00:36:02] Sometimes a person can use a gift.
[00:36:05] They say, the Lord has told them. The Lord says, you've taken my name in vain. I never said anything of the kind.
[00:36:14] The wrong use of the name of the Lord.
[00:36:19] Now, don't we all fail? Here is the one of us that has not taken the name of the Lord in vain in some way or another.
[00:36:26] That's why we need to know how to get recovered. But it's the surest way to uncover ourselves.
[00:36:35] May I of course, say many? There's all kinds of things we could spend the whole evening on. This one matter of taking the name of the Lord in vain.
[00:36:44] But you see, it's so possible to tap the name of the Lord onto something. To justify our course of action, to justify ourselves in front of others.
[00:36:58] Without realizing that we are not hallowing the name of the Lord, but making it common, we're devaluing it. Devaluing it into a tool so that we can impress others, so that we can get our own way with the Church, so that we can somehow make some impact on others.
[00:37:18] It's to take the name of the Lord in vain. And that moment we are uncovered.
[00:37:25] Instead of the name being the name of the Lord being a high tower, strong tower, into which the righteous run and is safe, it becomes the exact opposite.
[00:37:35] Our misuse of it means that we're driven out.
[00:37:38] Now, may I say something else in connection with this?
[00:37:41] I have heard it said in some quarters that all this referring to our Lord Jesus as Lord Jesus is a lot of traditional nonsense and that we should speak to him as Jesus.
[00:37:55] And you hear in so many places the name of Jesus chanted like Hindus or Muslims.
[00:38:06] Or you hear people addressing the Lord or speaking of him in such a way that you feel he's completely devalued. Now, before I bring down the wrath of many upon my head, let me just tell you the facts.
[00:38:21] Listen to these facts.
[00:38:23] Jesus alone as a name is used 651 times in the New Testament, 594 of those times in the four Gospels, and only 5,57 times in the rest of the New Testament, from Acts to Revelation.
[00:38:49] On the other hand, Christ or Jesus Christ is used 408 times, 56 times only in the four Gospels, and 352 times from Acts to Revelation.
[00:39:06] Furthermore, the term or title Lord or Lord Jesus, or Lord Jesus Christ is used 364 times in the New Testament, 126 times only in the four Gospels, and 238 times from Acts to Revelation. Now all this proves one simple fact. That the very apostles who spoke to the Lord Jesus as Jesus began after his ascension to speak of him as the Lord Jesus or Jesus our Lord.
[00:39:57] Be very careful of how we take the name of our Lord.
[00:40:04] So much people seem to think that if they just say the name Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, it will charm the devil away. Far from it if it's a taking of the name of the Lord in vain.
[00:40:17] So we need to take very, very careful note of this.
[00:40:22] Look at Malachi chapter 3 and verse 16 in this connection, Malachi 3:16.
[00:40:30] Then they that feared the Lord spake one with another.
[00:40:34] And the Lord hearkened and heard. And a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name.
[00:40:45] These people that feared the Lord thought upon his name. Isn't that amazing? Now what does it mean? They thought upon his name. Name. This little remnant was so sensitively aware of God that they thought upon the name.
[00:40:59] And it was so singular, so unique, so precious to God, that he recorded their conversations.
[00:41:07] Malachi 3, verse 16.
[00:41:11] Now I would like to read to you another scripture. I'm not just trying to frighten you this evening, but this negative side we've got to talk about before we can say anything more positive. Deuteronomy 18:20 22.
[00:41:31] Deuteronomy 18:2022. But the prophet that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.
[00:41:47] And if thou say in thy heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken. The prophet hath spoken it presumptuously. Thou shalt not be afraid of him.
[00:42:07] That's very, very severe, mister.
[00:42:10] Anyone who stands up and speaks in the name of the Lord, and it isn't in the name of the Lord, shall die.
[00:42:21] That was the old covenant.
[00:42:24] How serious that is, taking the name of the Lord.
[00:42:29] Now will you look at presumptuous claims?
[00:42:32] This comes out again. All these are interwoven. Luke 22, Luke 22:31, 33. A very well known passage. Simon, Simon, behold. Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat. But I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not. And do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. And he said unto him, lord, with thee I'm ready to go both to pray and to death.
[00:43:04] And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not, shall not crow this day until thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
[00:43:13] Now here is a rather wonderful thing which we often fail to notice. But those of you who've got an authorized version will see it. Or if you've got one of the very modern versions, the very modern version, and that is this, that the u in verse 31 is plural and the you in verse 32 is singular. That's why you will see in your authorized Version. Tis Simon, Simon.
[00:43:39] Satan hath desired to have you I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. Listen to it in Phillips. O Simon, Simon, do you know that Satan has asked to have you all to sift you like wheat? But I have prayed for you that your face fail not.
[00:44:05] Or the Neb puts it, simon, Simon, take heed. Satan has been given leave to sift all of you like wheat. But for you I have prayed that your faith may not fail.
[00:44:19] Presumptuous claims. If you turn back to Mark, chapter 14 and verses 1427 to 35, we won't read all those verses.
[00:44:41] Sorry. 27 to 31.
[00:44:44] Just that last verse, 31. And in like manner also said they all.
[00:44:51] So often poor old Peter gets the blame for something that the whole lot said. He was in fact just the spokesman for the whole lot. He said, I'm prepared to die with you, Lord. That was his claim. That was his testimony. I'm prepared to die for the Lord, come what may.
[00:45:10] Thank God when we can say it.
[00:45:13] And it comes out of deep history and deep experiences with God.
[00:45:20] But you see what happens when it's a presumptuous claim.
[00:45:26] Satan has obtained leave to have you all.
[00:45:32] They all said the same thing.
[00:45:34] And Satan hurried into the presence of God, as it were, and said, now then, they've all said they'll die for the Lord Jesus. Jesus, you let me have them. We'll soon see whether they'll die for the Lord Jesus.
[00:45:47] And of course you know what happened.
[00:45:50] Every one of them failed. But something came through because the Lord Jesus has prayed for each one now, because he said, I prayed for you, Peter didn't mean he hadn't prayed for the others. It's quite clear that in Gethsemane prayed for them all.
[00:46:07] One by one he prayed. But isn't it lovely? It's personal.
[00:46:11] I pray for you personally by name.
[00:46:15] He's gone uncovered. They've all gone uncovered. But the Lord Jesus knows about it and has prayed for them. Presumptuous claims.
[00:46:26] I want to read from Ecclesiastes in this matter.
[00:46:29] Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verse 1 and 2. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God.
[00:46:42] For to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they know not that they do evil.
[00:46:51] Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God.
[00:47:01] For God is in heaven and thou upon earth.
[00:47:04] Therefore let thy words be few.
[00:47:08] Rather sobering. But what it means is this, not to stop us from saying anything to the Lord when it's real. And honest. But think it out.
[00:47:20] Don't just suddenly make vows rashly because it's no good saying that God knew my heart.
[00:47:29] What has been uttered with the mouth has been uttered with the mouth. And there are other forces that hear that?
[00:47:37] Now turn also to Proverbs, chapter 20, Proverbs 20:25.
[00:47:48] It is a snare to a man rashly to say it's holy. Holy.
[00:47:52] And after vows to make inquiry. Now I want you to listen to this in the New English Bible.
[00:47:58] Proverbs 20:25. It's dangerous to dedicate a gift rashly or to make a vow and have second thoughts.
[00:48:09] My that finds me out about you.
[00:48:12] To make a vow and have second thoughts.
[00:48:16] Dangerous to make a vow and have second thoughts.
[00:48:21] Better not to have made the vow.
[00:48:25] Presumptuous claim.
[00:48:28] I've seen many go off the rails in this matter.
[00:48:31] We can do it so easily in testimony.
[00:48:34] We can do it so easily in dealings with one another, especially when we get heated, start to make presumptuous claims. We can do it easily in other ways.
[00:48:45] All that God would guard us, you see, Pride is the root of it.
[00:48:51] And then again a few other things I want just to list as well.
[00:48:56] Calling Satan names.
[00:49:00] You may think that's a very odd thing to to put down Jude, chapter Jude and verses 9 and 10. But Michael the Archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, the Lord rebuke thee. But these rail at whatsoever things they know not and what they understand. Naturally, like the creatures without reason in these things are they destroyed.
[00:49:33] Now, never call Satan name.
[00:49:38] Never make a joke about Satan.
[00:49:42] Never try to denigrate Satan.
[00:49:50] Be very, very careful.
[00:49:53] Satan is a terrible reality.
[00:49:57] Even the archangel Michael does not bring a railing accusation against him, let alone call him names.
[00:50:04] He didn't dare say, you so and so. You're doing so and so and so. He didn't dare do it, but said the Lord, rebuke me, Satan.
[00:50:17] Some years ago, I remember in a prayer meeting over a particular sister in great need. She was very, very unwell mentally.
[00:50:27] I remember one of the brothers who was always known for being rather forward, rather too quick, always jumping in, always contributing, always in the beginning, suddenly jumped up and said, you slimy serpent, Satan, get out of her.
[00:50:51] And a few other things I remember. For me it was like an electric shock.
[00:50:59] I knew he was finished.
[00:51:03] He was absolutely finished. He thought he was doing the work of God and warring with Satan. I knew he was finished.
[00:51:12] I Prayed half heartedly. Oh God, cover us and all of us who prayed.
[00:51:19] But I knew it was not understood because he thought the others hadn't got the power to deal with this situation.
[00:51:30] That night a curtain came down and never lifted till many, many years after it. I suppose about three years ago the curtain lifted. When he got it all right with God, Satan had him for year after year in absolute total blackness. He couldn't worship, he couldn't pray, he couldn't even read his Bible, he couldn't go to church, he couldn't do anything.
[00:51:52] Do you honestly think you can call Satan names and get away with it?
[00:52:00] Just because it's the fashionable thing today to call all those with any authority or any power names, because we think we can answer that doesn't mean to say that in spiritual things you get away with it.
[00:52:15] We live in days when dignities are railed at.
[00:52:22] Sometimes they deserve it.
[00:52:26] But the fact of the matter is in these anti authoritarian days in which we live, don't let us think that we can just do anything with even Satan. Now this doesn't mean that we don't stand, we don't resist the devil. We don't, but it's the way we do it.
[00:52:43] The Lord rebuke you Satan.
[00:52:47] We're not afraid of the enemy.
[00:52:52] I could give you many more instances of this kind of thing.
[00:52:56] I remember a while ago a dear man whose little son was desperately ill and he had got this idea that all sickness was due to sin and that you should be healed willy nilly. He went into the presence of God and first of all he tried to shake the Lord like a rat.
[00:53:18] That's the only word for it.
[00:53:20] He said, oh God, if you don't heal my baby, you're a liar.
[00:53:29] You can't do that kind of thing. But who had the courage to say to a demented father, then he rounded on Satan and called him a hound and a swine.
[00:53:44] To get out of that house that night is sun died.
[00:53:50] You cannot do these kind of things.
[00:53:57] You cannot call Satan names and get away with it.
[00:54:02] Even the greatest figure in the Angelic Host, Michael Durst, not bring a railing accusation against him, but hid in the Lord by saying the lord rebuke thee.
[00:54:18] Mrs. Penn Lewis once said, whenever dealing with evil spirits, try to keep keep the eye out of it. Never say I command you to get out in the name of Jesus Christ. Say we hide in the church in Christ.
[00:54:33] Because from bitter experience those who know the most have discovered that the forces of darkness can hit back if there's any uncovering, calling Satan names. Then another thing I would just like to list is, is 1 John 2:27 not heeding or obeying the anointing. Now we've spoken of course in previous studies about this.
[00:54:59] 1 John 2:27 as for you, the anointing which he received of him abideth in you. And ye need not let anyone teach you.
[00:55:08] But as his anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true and is no lie, even as it taught you, ye abides in him. In other words, whilst we listen to the anointing within us telling us what is right and what is wrong, we are abiding in him. But the moment we do not heed the anointing, we go out, we're no longer abiding. That is the seriousness of this question of the anointing. Now we've again found that in our experience times when we felt very unhappy about a particular, particular ministry or particular movement and we've sort of beaten ourselves and wondered whether, oh, are we being unkind? Is it because we won't surrender? Are we not prepared to go forward with God and all the rest of it?
[00:55:59] And then finally we've given in and gone on to find that we've gone out of our position in Christ, but uncovered, whenever you have that warning bell in your spirit, heed it.
[00:56:15] And if you do, you may not understand, heed it. You will stay under covering.
[00:56:22] Then again, one other thing, I've debated a little whether I should put this in. I'm so afraid it will be misused in some people's minds. But habitual and willful sin.
[00:56:33] Habitual and willful sin.
[00:56:36] If a person thinks that they can do something really sinful, grossly evil and wicked, and can just claim the blood of the Lamb every time they do it and go on, that person is mistaken.
[00:56:52] It says, if we sin willfully, after that we've received a knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.
[00:56:59] God doesn't become party to our deception.
[00:57:05] I remember, forgive me, even mentioning it. But I remember some while ago a person came to me who was in terrible need, terrible need.
[00:57:15] He was doing something which was criminal.
[00:57:22] But he said to me, but you see, he said, I know the love of God.
[00:57:27] I mean every time I do it I say, lord, forgive me.
[00:57:33] And I said to him, but the Lord has not forgiven him.
[00:57:38] He was messing up his daughters lives, destroying them and thinking, no one in this company. So don't let your mind start working, working, thinking that God would forgive him for such there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a fearful looking toward judgment.
[00:58:09] You can't play with something like that.
[00:58:13] I said to him, come to the brothers and ask for help. Oh, no. He was out.
[00:58:20] Wouldn't share it with anyone.
[00:58:22] Wouldn't bring it out into the light. It took him months before he brought it out into the light with me.
[00:58:35] Then again. Another thing I would like to list is disobedience.
[00:58:41] Whether general, not keeping his commandments, or in particular his will for me.
[00:58:47] It says in Ephesians 5, 15, 17.
[00:58:55] Look therefore carefully how ye walk. Not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.
[00:59:02] Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
[00:59:09] We need to be kept in the will of God.
[00:59:12] May I give you an illustration of this? We shall look at it when we look at the Old Testament illustrations. But in Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 11.
[00:59:26] Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest that no man fall after. The same example of disobedience. The will of God was that they should enter into the land and take it. The will of God is that we should enter into his rest and take it.
[00:59:42] If we are disobedient, we fall.
[00:59:48] See verse 1. Let us fear therefore, lest haply a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.
[00:59:57] Chapter three, verse 18. And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his the rest, but to them that were disobedient? Oh, disobedience is one of the real causes of getting uncovered. I know people that God had their hand on for service.
[01:00:15] A boar when I was younger.
[01:00:18] He had his hand on me too.
[01:00:21] And some of them were disobedient. And now they're right in the far country.
[01:00:27] One girl I can think of, she's a bar lady, used to be a Sunday school teacher in a keen evangelical church. Thought God had called her to his work.
[01:00:39] I think he had.
[01:00:41] Was disobedient.
[01:00:44] Uncovered disobedience.
[01:00:49] Sometimes on the smallest issues of obedience or disobedience rests tremendous amount.
[01:00:59] Then again, and lastly, setting aside God's order.
[01:01:05] Now, this is a very strange thing to list. But under it comes its representative. Shall I put it this way? It's representative of a whole lot of things.
[01:01:16] I may not come quite in some of these other categories.
[01:01:20] Setting aside divine order or God's order.
[01:01:25] Now, in particular, we in the 20th century need to take very, very careful note of this.
[01:01:33] Now, where can I Find scripture for this.
[01:01:36] The trouble is that I've got to read so much, and I can only give you certain passages and suggest you read them.
[01:01:44] 1 Peter 2, 2:13 to chapter 3, verse 9, or verse 7. 1 Peter 2:13 to chapter 3, Verse 7, chapter 5, the first eight verses.
[01:02:02] God has divine order.
[01:02:06] That is divine order.
[01:02:08] Now, this is true in every single speech there is divine order in my personal life, God first, Absolutely. First the people of God, others come next.
[01:02:29] Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, thy neighbour as thyself.
[01:02:37] Divine order. Now, if we change that divine order, we can get ourselves uncovered.
[01:02:43] In other words, putting it boldly. If I refuse to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord, I can get uncovered.
[01:02:53] Well, that goes back to this question of the will of God.
[01:02:56] If he can't direct me into his will because he's not Lord, I set aside divine order. I get uncovered.
[01:03:07] It in every sphere takes society.
[01:03:10] We are told that the magistrate is as God to us. We're told to honor the king.
[01:03:17] We're told to pray for those in authority. We're told to be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. In other words, the divine order. No Christian can just simply go against things just like that. Now, there are times when we have to vote against things, and there are times when perhaps we have to go even further than that, otherwise there would have been no progress.
[01:03:44] But be very careful that it's not just the spirit of the age that's in us again, the government.
[01:03:53] Divine order as divine order in the church.
[01:03:57] You read those first eight verses of 1 Peter 5. If I was divine order, if I set it aside, set myself up as an authority, then immediately I am uncovered.
[01:04:14] Obey them that have the rule over you.
[01:04:17] It says in scripture. Scripture, that's one thing. And then it speaks of those who have the rule that they should not be, as J.B. phillips puts it, little tin gods lording it over the flock. But he says little tin gods.
[01:04:36] But caring for the flock, loving the flock, laying down their lives for the flock. You see, there's a divine order.
[01:04:43] Divine order.
[01:04:46] Everyone's got a place. God hath set in the church. Some and some and some and some and some. There's a divine order. We can't set it aside. We may think God has made a mess of it. So and so shouldn't be there. So and so should be there. This should be. That should be. But be careful that we don't set aside divine order without even knowing. In the Old Testament, we find it illustration after illustration of this truth.
[01:05:14] Those who thought that they knew better than God, but of course they didn't put it like that. They just thought that the kind of human beings they were up against could be bettered.
[01:05:27] But they came up against God. There is divine order now in the family there's divine order.
[01:05:34] We live in days of women's lives Lib.
[01:05:39] But women's lib doesn't necessarily mean that God approves.
[01:05:48] Now, we don't mean at all that ladies are inferior to gentlemen, far from it.
[01:05:53] They may in fact be greatly superior.
[01:05:57] But the fact of the matter is that there is a divine order.
[01:06:04] Now, why is it that the apostle writing one of his greatest letters takes over one third of it dealing with matters in the church, relationships in the church, divine order, if you like. And then husbands and wives and wives and husbands, parents and children, Children and parents, employers and employees. Employees and employers.
[01:06:26] Why waste all that breath?
[01:06:31] Why not just simply say, now, then everyone live under the government of God, full stop.
[01:06:37] We live in these wonderful days of the freedom of the Spirit, where everyone can do what is right, what he feels to be the way of God for him. And if we all do, what is what we feel to be the way of God for us? We shall not clash, but all harmonize. He could have saved a whole chapter by using that one verse or two.
[01:06:58] But instead we have this tremendous amount. And Colossians is the same. And the apostle Peter does the same in the passages I've given you.
[01:07:09] And so it goes on. Why are all these so concerned? Because they're up against divine order. It's not a question of inequality, it's a question of divine order.
[01:07:21] We all have a place to fill. We all have a part to play. If so and so tries to do the other one's job and that one the other, it's against divine order.
[01:07:34] Of course, there can be some things that folks will immediately say, oh dear, well, we'll get into bondage over this kind of thing. No, you won't.
[01:07:44] All it means is this, that if a wife starts bossing her husband around, she gets uncovered.
[01:07:52] That's putting it in bold 20th century language. If a wife starts wearing the trousers and telling the man exactly what all things I've seen.
[01:08:04] When you go round in the Lord's work, you see some incredible things I've seen. Seen husbands wrung out like dishcloths by their wives in front of the visiting preacher too.
[01:08:23] Maybe it was justified, I don't know.
[01:08:28] But there's one thing you can Be sure, uncovering comes misery, darkness.
[01:08:36] It's the other way round too.
[01:08:39] If husbands just put up with their wives instead of loving them, you get uncovering.
[01:08:48] You see, the apostle Peter says that your prayers be not hindered. Now, isn't that an extraordinary statement, that your prayers be not hindered?
[01:09:02] It's all in that passage about not having braided hair or gold, jewels or a pal.
[01:09:12] Now, some people think that this means that ladies should never braid their hair, should never have a bit of jewelry on any part of their being.
[01:09:22] But may I ask what we do with a paddle?
[01:09:27] Obviously, they're not to be unpackled.
[01:09:34] It doesn't mean that at all. And it's a tragedy that it's been taken. It brings people into bondage.
[01:09:40] It says that their adornment is not to be just outward adornment, but an inward thing. Phillips puts it beautifully. He says the loveliness of an inner character.
[01:09:55] It's not that you're not to wear jewellery, it's not that you're not to have your hair done nicely. Phillips puts haute coifour.
[01:10:05] It's not that you're not to have it. It's rather that. As if you think that is adornment, you're mistaken.
[01:10:16] No one's going to tell me that Sarah hadn't got a lot of jewelry coming from her of the Chaldees, the creator of so much.
[01:10:27] No, no, no, that is not what it means. Now, that God may have dealings with us about these things, that God may say, I want that away.
[01:10:38] All very big things can depend upon our obedience to the Lord. It's the issue of his lordship over us. However, let's begin.
[01:10:46] We are saying that their sisters should have within them this inner beauty, this gentleness of character, this readiness to fulfill their role. And then it goes on to the husbands and says that they ought to be as stronger vessels, giving honor to the weaker vessel, that your prayers be not hindered.
[01:11:07] In other words, you can uncover yourself in your family relationships in. In such a way through disorder.
[01:11:18] Now, setting aside a divine order is one of the biggest problems that we can face.
[01:11:24] And there we are.
[01:11:27] We've spoken mostly of individual believers getting uncovered.
[01:11:33] The danger is just as real corporately.
[01:11:36] The root cause causes of corporate uncovering are basically the same as for the individual.
[01:11:44] Especially certain things like the setting aside a divine order, the presumptuous claims, disobedience.
[01:11:58] Why, these things can come to a whole company very, very easily.
[01:12:06] This danger is only 2 real.
[01:12:10] We've only to look at church history to see on Every page, evidence for this.
[01:12:18] Things that began off so powerfully, so dynamically, ending up in absolute disarray.
[01:12:33] We have only to look around us on the present scene to see all the evidence we need.
[01:12:41] So many, many groups divided or destroyed. Things that started off so well with all such great hope.
[01:12:51] Such a knowledge of the Lord, such. Such an understanding, perhaps, of his way and will I can go through one after another, broken up, destroyed, paralyzed.
[01:13:07] What is, is this terrible question of uncovering?
[01:13:13] Well, now we are going to leave it there. But let me end on a more positive note than that.
[01:13:20] Next week we'll speak about what to do when we get uncovered, how to get recovered. That's very, very important. But let us just say this. This evening, the Lord Jesus does ever live to make intercession.
[01:13:36] And I think it was lovely that in John 17 the Lord Jesus said, keep them better. Just look at that, unless I misquote it, John 17.
[01:13:58] Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me. And then he goes on, while I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me. And I guarded them, and not one of them perished.
[01:14:15] You know, the Lord Jesus often spent a night in prayer. Do you think it was covering them one by one?
[01:14:22] He heard so much.
[01:14:25] He heard the claims they made. He heard the conversation. He saw the collision. He saw all these things we've listed.
[01:14:33] I guarded them.
[01:14:38] Did he just guard them by word?
[01:14:40] Of course.
[01:14:41] But don't you think he guarded them in the secret place they couldn't understand?
[01:14:46] And we get it so beautifully when they all said, we will die with you, Lord.
[01:14:52] And he said, simon, Simon, Satan hath obtained thee by request that he might sift thee as wheat. He's obtained you all.
[01:15:04] I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith fail. Not now. Don't you think there we have a picture, a foreshadowing of our Lord's intercession in heaven.
[01:15:17] Don't you think, as he sees us, he sees these things, these ways in which we get ourselves uncovered.
[01:15:24] And he prays for each one of us by name before his Father's face.
[01:15:31] We, I can surely say, if I've been preserved so far, in spite of the many times I've got uncovered, surely you can too.
[01:15:41] Surely it is because he has said, I have prayed for you that your faith fail not.
[01:15:51] Oh, may God help us.
[01:15:54] We have a wonderful Lord who has not only saved us, but ever lives to make intercession.
[01:16:02] Shall we pray?
[01:16:08] Dear Lord, we cover now this time in thy presence.
[01:16:13] We pray Lord, that it will not just be negative, but Lord, in some way thou wilt make it possible positive.
[01:16:21] Lord, it's possible for us just to look upon all these dangers, all these ways of getting uncovered and become perhaps frightened in a wrong way, frightened of ever contributing, frightened of ever in any way sharing responsibility, frightened, dear Lord, of ever going forward with Thy people.
[01:16:46] O Lord, we pray that Thou preserve us from all such negative, interned thoughts.
[01:16:53] And grant, we pray, that we may look away to the one who is our covering and may know what it is to be found in him not having a righteousness of our own, but his own righteousness upon apart from the law, something Thou has provided. O Father, we pray that every one of us might know what it is to abide in the Lord.
[01:17:22] So now we commit ourselves to Thee in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[01:17:30] Amen.
