St. Thomas Conference: 1990, Four Requests of the Lord (12:19)
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
That has been before us in the last meeting and in the singing of this hymn. That there are four things that the Lord has asked us to particularly do until He comes. And just like to start with the Gospel of Luke in the 19th chapter, the 19th chapter of Luke and the 12TH verse. He said therefore a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return. And he called his 10 servants an and delivered them 10 lbs. And said unto them, Occupy till I come. As I said, there are four different things that I have in my heart that the Lord has asked us to do until he comes. But here we have this very first one, and I don't think any of us have any doubt about who is referred to. And it says, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom, and to return. We were talking a good deal. About this this morning, speaking about the Lord Jesus as the one who was rejected here but has gone away, and then the time when he would come back. And we know that when he comes in power and glory, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And He will reign forever and ever. But we know that before that time of tribulation and the time that he takes the Kingdom, he has gone back and He's there at the right hand of God. He is the one who is the head of the body, the church. He's the Lord of the harvest. He's the one that you and I as believers are waiting for that glorious moment when He'll descend from heaven with a shout and call us to be forever with Himself. Now this is what our brothers spoke to us about in this just preceding meeting, where he had that theme before us of the hope that is before us as believers. Oh, how wonderful it will be, brethren, to look into the face of that One who died for us, that One who for all eternity will bear in His hands and feet inside the marks of Calvary. Well, that means so much to us, and we all who are believers long for that time. But here is something that He has given us in His word, as an exhortation to occupy, or, we might say, to have a little service for Him, tells us in Galatians, chapter 6. Let every man prove his own work. Then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. We know that in the Tabernacle each one of the Levites was given a service and a burden. And every one of us as believers has some little part to fulfill here as we wait for the coming again of our precious Savior, a place to occupy too in the body of Christ. And so he delivered them 10 lbs. Each one received £1.10. I believe in the Scriptures speaks of responsibility. Godward there were 10 commandments. We have 10 fingers, 10 toes. It brings before us the thought of. Responsibility, and we have a responsibility, but it's a privilege, brethren. And wouldn't it be nice if each one of us, like Saul of Tarsus, when the Lord saved him, he said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And I want to say to each one here who belongs to the Lord, young and old, God has a place for you to fulfill in his harvest fields and in the body of Christ that no one can fulfill better than you. There will be a gap if you don't fulfill that place that the Lord has given to you. It's true that if we have an injured hand, the other one can come to its help, but it'll never do the job quite as well as the one that was intended to occupy that special place. Wouldn't it be lovely if each one of us brethren just looked up to the Lord, like Saul of Tarsus did, and said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? How happily things would. The function in the assembly, in our homes, in our contacts with the world, each one of us have a particular place and the Lord has said occupy not until we get appreciation. We may not, but he says occupy till I come. We might say, well, the days are very difficult. It's hard to do things for the Lord. That's true. It will become more difficult. All exhorting Timothy in. In the second epistle of Timothy, he told him about the days when things would get worse. But he said, but continue thou, but continue thou. Our brother spoke of what a man of the world could say, never give up. But how much more so when we know that we're serving the one who's Lord of Lords and King of kings, when we're serving the one who loved us enough to die for us, the one whose head of the body, the Church, and each one of us.
Members of that body to fulfill a particular place. We can't tell others what they should do, but each one of us can ask the Lord. And how long are we to occupy? Well, isn't this beautiful? Occupy till I come. And as we think of the nearness of the Lord's return, as we think of that blessed hope that is before us, that perhaps before this day is out, we'll hear the shout. Or if He leaves us here a little bit. Hunger little hymn says how will recompense his smile, the sufferings of this little while. And so I just want to pass on this word which is given to us here, spoken by the Lord Jesus himself. Occupy till I come. And again I say, just look up to the Lord, Ask him what place he has for you to fulfill. Or you say somebody else can do it better. No, not so. If you find the place the Lord has for you to occupy, well, no one can do it better because He wouldn't put you in a place if there was someone else. He wanted to occupy that place. He put you there because being the Lord of the harvest and knowing about all our abilities, our tendencies, our hindrances, He put us in that place. What a privilege. Occupy till I come. And then we turn over to 1St Corinthians Chapter 11, the 23rd verse. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he brake it and said, Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you, this dew in remembrance of me. After the same manner also. Saw he took the cup when he had stopped saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye is after she drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come here. These verses are introduced with those words that Paul received this from the Lord himself. Now Paul was not at that Last Supper. He wasn't there. When the Lord instituted the feast. But we know that he was caught up and he received this directly from the Lord. And the way it speaks to my heart is like this, that the Lord made this request on the night of His betrayal. But after that all the disciples forsook him and fled. They seemed to lose heart when they saw what was ahead. Very easy for us to lose heart too. But I love to think like this. That after the Lord Jesus had gone back to glory. He allowed Paul to be caught up there to the 3rd heaven and said Paul, I still want the believers to Remember Me. I know that they all forsook me and fled, but I still value the response of their hearts. As we look at ourselves, we might say we're no better than the disciples that forsook him and fled. How often we too get discouraged by the way and obstacles overwhelm us, but isn't. A precious word from the Lord Jesus himself, from the glory, I say, not only on the night of his betrayal, but when he spoke these words to the apostle Paul in the glory, he asked that we would continue to remember him and for how long. Well, we know that difficulties arise. Sad to say, in many of the gatherings of God's people are many difficulties, and as one travels about a little bit, I find many who become discouraged. The trials and difficulties that the enemy seems to bring in among us seem overwhelming at times, and we might say, what's the use? Everything is in such a broken state, but oh, isn't that wonderful. This is, as our brother Brown used to say, a guarantee to us that the Lord will continue a testimony that's according to his mind and will until he comes. Not that there won't be weakness and failure, but that in His goodness, not because of our faithfulness, He would preserve to us this privilege. Our brother Brown used to say he wouldn't ask us to do it unless he provided a place in a way in which we could do it.
In such a way as to honor him. And what a privilege this is. I remember when I was just a boy hearing a brother speaking about this passage, and he said he had been saved for some time, but he had never remembered the Lord Jesus in his death. And he said one day he had this thought. He said supposing the Lord should come. And I had never remembered him. And when I got up to glory, the Lord said to me, And you never remembered me, and you never remembered me, as I requested. And I believe this spoke to his heart, spoke to my heart at that time too, and saw this is a privilege, brethren, that we have. We ought to value it. We need, as our brother brought before us and the young people's meeting to watch that we might walk with godliness and in separation from evil. But in this place, here, it just seems to move our inmost hearts. We think of that loath that speaks of His body given in death for us, the cup telling us of his blood shed for us. And perhaps when it says that we would show the Lord's death until he come, it seems to me like this in a world that would forget Him, use His name in vain. More and more we see people wanting to go on forgetful totally. Of the Lord Jesus having been coming to this world and having been crucified, They'd like to forget it. But as it were, we want to show to those around us that although they may forget all about it, they may disown that wonderful Savior. That we want to remember Him. That just as it's precious to him to have us around himself. Those of us who are parents, we know what a great joy it is to us. To have our loved ones around us. What a joy it is for us as believers here. I think the reason we enjoy such meetings as these because we are surrounded with a great number of people who have like precious faith. It's dearer to us, it's precious to our hearts. Well, it's precious to the Lord. And when he finally takes us home to glory, it says. He'll joy over us with singing. He'll rest in his love. When we get there too, He's going to lead the singing because his joy will exceed ours. Well, brethren, he's asked us to occupy till he comes. He's asked us to remember him until he comes. What a privilege. And the nearer we feel that his coming is, I believe the more we'll value this great privilege given to us in these lands. It's comparatively easy because of the liberty that we enjoy. To those in other. Lands, even the disciples had their doors shut for fear of the Jews. We can have the doors open. We can be thankful for the privileges that we have. Do we appreciate them? The Lord Jesus says here, this do in remembrance of me. You might say, well I do remember the Lord in my heart, but there's 2 words that precede it, aren't there? This do in remembrance of me. We may be remembering Him in our hearts. I'm persuaded that there are many. Who haven't remembered him in the way he's asked that really are remembering him in their hearts. But he said this do in remembrance of me. It's only our privilege until he comes, brethren, and the nearer we think his coming is the more this ought to be precious to us because we won't have that privilege above. Now we're gathered too rejected Christ. Then we'll be gathered to a glorified Christ, just like David when? He was a crowned king. There were vast numbers that came to, but when he was rejected, there weren't too many that wanted to follow him. And so we know the Lord Jesus is going to have His rightful place. Now we have the privilege, brethren, of being gathered around him in His rejection and remembering Him until He comes. I'd like to turn to one other passage too out there, but this one in Revelation chapter chapter 3, chapter 3, and verse 11. Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. And then if you'll also turn back to the second chapter in the 25th verse.
But that which he have already holds fast till I come. Here we have the exhortation about holding fast. Here we have the exhortation that we are to. I'll read that again in the third chapter. All that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. It's a very blessed privilege that we have to hold the precious deposit of truth that has been committed to us. We know that there's much giving up in order to perhaps have unity and large numbers and so on. Often there's a compromise. There's a sacrifice of the truth of God. And sad to say, many who really. Love the Lord Jesus, are willing to go on with those who mix truth and error, perhaps groups of real Christians, some among them believing you could be saved and lost. Some of them question the eternal sonship of the Lord Jesus, some of them going so far as to teach that Christ could sin. And yet we hear them saying we can all work together. Well, we cannot. In any way, compromise or sacrifice, shall I say the truth of God? It's not our truth, brethren. It's not brethren's truth. It's God's truth. And we are responsible. God has committed a deposit to us. All in exhorting Timothy said that he should hold that deposit of truth that had been committed to him. And I believe that we have a wonderful privilege of being gathered according to the truth. It tells us in in First Timothy chapter 3 that the Church of the living God is the pillar and ground of the truth. And let us remember this. We might treat it as if it was something that we could let go, that we could give up in order to get along with perhaps others. But it's God's truth, and we need to hold that the positive truth that has committed, been committed to us now. It is true indeed that we should speak the truth in love. The truth should never make us proud. Because it says, if a man thinketh that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet. Because he ought to know it. What does that mean? The man thinketh that he knoweth anything. He knoweth nothing, yet as he ought to know it. Well, brethren, if learning the truth doesn't make us humble, we haven't learned it in the right way. I can't learn about the wonderful love of the Lord Jesus and the marvelous place that I have been brought into and that you have been brought into holy and without blame before Him and in love espoused as the bride of Christ to share that place of glory that He will occupy for all eternity. How can I point at myself and be proud? I don't know why He chose me. I don't know why He picked me up learning the truth of God. If we learn it in the right way, it'll never make us say, oh, I know, I know a lot about the Bible. One time someone put out a publication and wrote quite a little introduction in the beginning about what a wonderful expounder of the Truth and Teacher was Mr. Darby. And he wrote back to him and he said if you publish that article again, please don't put that at the beginning of your article. If you want to say anything about me, just say I'm a servant of the Lord. Brethren, we can't learn. Our portion in Christ. We can't learn the truth of God without it making us humble. We're nothing. It's only sovereign grace that saved us. And if in His goodness He's gathered us to His precious name, and given us the privilege of giving expression in the breaking of bread to the truth of the one body, it ought to make us humble. Instead of proud. But it is something worth holding. And so how long are we to hold it? Well, it says here that which thou hast already hold fast till I come. Or again in the 3rd chapter, Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast let no man. Take thy crown. We know that when David came back. At the end of his life, he honored those who had been identified with him in his rejection. And so there's a coming day when the Lord, in his goodness and in his wonderful love, is going to take notice of every little thing that's been done for him. Not a cup of cold water, not a thought upon His name that any service that we render.
To him will be forgotten in that day. And so this is the third one that I'd like to speak of. Hold fast till I come. Now there's one more in James, the Epistle of James the 5th chapter and verse 7. Be patient therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it. Until he received the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Well, here we have this one. It says, Be patient. Therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. There are many things that perhaps tend to try our patience in these days. We're living in a rushing age. When we drive a car, why we tend to be. Upset if somebody in any way obstructs the way we want everything just now. It's sometimes called a now generation and this spirit tends to get hold of us brethren that we want things right now. We think of the Lord Jesus Satan came to the Lord and he offered him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. He said that is mine to give. We know he only had it as a usurper, but. The Lord refused. He wouldn't fall down and worship Satan. Why? Well, he waited the Father's time. How long has he waited? Almost 2000 years have elapsed since that time that Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the world. Is he going to have them? Yes, but he's waiting the Father's time. And we read in the second Psalm. That it tells us there the Father will say, ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possessions. And so there's a time coming when the Lord is going to have the kingdoms of this world, but he's waiting the Father's time, and he is the man of patience, waiting now, the man of joy. Forever Thou we often sing, Lord Jesus come. Well, sometimes we tend to say I have waited long enough, I've been patient long enough, I just can't put up with this any longer. How long, brethren, are we to wait? Wait God's time, wait till the coming of the Lord. Oh, I say this to my own heart. I have sometimes mentioned this, that there was an assembly, was having a great deal of trial and problems. Some of us know a little about this and the meetings went on and things didn't seem to get settled. And as they walked out of one of the meetings, one brother said to another, how long is this going to last? And the other brother said, till the coming of the Lord. Brethren will never come to a time individually in our personal lives, in business, in the assembly, where it won't require patience. Be patient, my brethren, and to the coming of the Lord. Surely, as we think of how patient the Lord has been with us, how he's born with us in all our weaknesses and failures, how patient He's been, surely we can be patient with one another. And as we do, there's a peace that the Lord gives. Tells us in the 10th chapter of Hebrews. Cast not away there for your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after that ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Why? It's only right that we should have confidence in the Lord. But the Lord values that so much. Listen to these words. Great recompense of reward for what? For trusting Him and just being patient. Indeed, when it speaks of the turn to Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 10. That she might walk worthy of the Lord. Unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in or by the knowledge of God. Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power. Unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. Someone commenting on this said, When it says Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power. We had expected to see some.
Great service mentioned here that we were given the strength according to his glorious power, but what is it with all patience and long-suffering? And I think every one of us who are realistic will say that's one of the hardest things is to be patient when things are wrong. Just go on counting on the Lord. Dear Moses was faithful to the Lord for the 40 years that the children of Israel walked through the wilderness and so often complained and grieved him. But at the end he lost his patience. I guess he thought, well, I've put up with that for 40 years. And it says they provoked his spirit so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. May the Lord keep us, brethren, in the. These things, I just mentioned them again. He has a little service for us, occupied till I come. He has a privilege for us, tremendous privilege to remember Him in His death until He comes. And if there are difficulties in the assembly, remember it's God's faithfulness that preserves the testimony. He can use us if we keep near to Him, or He can do without us if we don't, but He'll preserve the testimony and the privilege and so. He's asked us to remember him, then he's given us a deposit of truth, and he's asked us to hold fast until he comes. He's not going to change his truth because of the generation in which we live. But he says hold fast that precious deposit that has been committed to us. And then as we see things that grieve us and hurt us, perhaps individually. And sometimes even collectively, may He give us grace to be patient with one of another. Remember a remark of our brother Brown. He said, If my brethren can be patient with me, I ought to be patient with them. Well, may the Lord keep us as we think. And we've been singing, and had in a special way before us the nearness of the Lord's coming. May that be our blessed hope, and may He keep us till that day.