Shadow Hills Conference: 1986, They Began to Be Merry (15:21-24)
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
I'd like to turn to the Gospel of Luke and the 15th chapter. And the 21St verse. And the Son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and I am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the Father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring hit her the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again he was. And is found and they began to be merry. Well, since this is the first day of another year, I was just thinking, brethren, of that little word began. And this passage, I'm sure, is well known to each one of us, this 15th chapter of Luke. And here we have brought before us a boy who had run away from home, who had turned his back upon his kindness, the Father's kindness, and all that he had done. And now we see. The boy is returning home and if there should be any one in the company here this afternoon. Known who has not yet received the Lord Jesus as Savior? What a welcome awaits you if you would just come to him. Oh, how willing he is to save and to bless. I think the Father's heart is brought out in such a wonderful way in this well known story as we think of this boy and how he had despised all his Father's goodness. He must have had a very kind father to have divided his living to him. Very often after loved one's are gone. They leave what they have to their family. But this took place beforehand. Now this boy was surely very blessed that his father had actually divided the living, giving half to him and half to his brother. But he went off and he wasted his substance in riotous living. A picture of the way we lived when we think of all the goodness of God, even looked at in the natural sense in this world. It says he left not himself without witness. That he did good, sending rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling men's hearts with food and gladness. Well, how much good he bestows upon humanity, and yet how unthankful many are, for all his goodness to them. But as he came to himself in the far country and realized what he had done, then he comes back to his father. He had some sense in his soul that his father would receive him, but he didn't know the welcome that awaited. He didn't know that his father had no intention whatever when he returned, of receiving him as a servant, but as a son. And so when the boy returns, he has his little saying all made-up how he planned to say, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son. Make me as one of Thy hired servants. But when he came and his father threw his arms around him and kissed him. And then when he started to say what he intended to say, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son, his Father interrupted him. That was enough. He did not say anymore. God doesn't require servants in that way. He wants us to enjoy the happy liberty and joy of relationship. And so. What a lovely thing a son comes to this point. I am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, you know, he said to the servants here, the boy didn't have to do anything. I've been struck by this. He didn't even have to put on the best robe. He just needed to be willing to receive it. He just was all provided for and done by his father. And you know, that's the way God receives the returning Sinner. And oh, I say again at the beginning here. Or if there should be anyone here, if you haven't yet, come to the Lord Jesus. Oh, there's a welcome awaits you. He's not looking for you to become a servant, although I'm sure you will happily serve. We have children in our family, and we never call them servants, but they did serve. But they didn't serve as servants. They served in the enjoyed relationship in which they stood with us. And so that's what the Father wants this boy to know. What is this best robe? Well, I'm sure we all know what it is. Brethren, we're not only forgiven, but we are made the righteousness of God in Christ. We could not have a better standing before God than we have if we truly know the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Because every believer is not only forgiven but accepted in the beloved.
Holy and without blame before him. In love. That beautiful verse that we all know so well in first John one and seven, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. When it says if at the beginning of that verse it is not that some Christians walk in the light and some do not, it's a contrast there with believers and unbelievers. Every believer has been brought into the light and every brother, every believer has been fitted for the light. We were sometimes darkness, but now are we light in the Lord? Someone said to Mr. Darby, But what if a Christian turns his back on the light? Well, he said the light will shine on his. In fact, that's where we are, brethren. We may not be walking in the good of it, but we have been brought into a place, and it's a marvelous place, that we can have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, and that we can have fellowship with one another. The last thing a Sinner wants is to feel that he is in the presence of God. That makes him uncomfortable. But once we have been saved, we can say thy presence is our. And then more than that, too, we enjoy the fellowship of other believers. We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. We have been brought into a place where we enjoy the fellowship of one another. That's why we're here today. Many people have thought of an entirely different way of spending New Year's Day, but because we have been brought into this place. By it gives us joy to be here. And so it says, and the blood of. Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. That is all that the light makes manifest. The blood cleanses from perfectly fit. And more than that, having a new life, as it says, so that we can have this kind of fellowship, it says in John 17, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Eternal life is not just simply that. For all eternity, because even the lost will exist eternally. It's not called life, though. It's called death, because it's eternal separation from God. But for the believer, it's eternal life to be forever in the enjoyment of the life that God has given us down here in this world. We're out of our element. When we get to glory, we'll be in our element. If we had a fish here on the floor and it was alive. It has a fish life, but it's in an element that's not at all suited to its life. It doesn't enjoy itself because it's out of its element. And if the fish could talk, it would say, please put me in my element. I love to be in the water. And you know, you and I in this world are sort of out of our element. That's why Jude says, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. That is the life that we have. Will find its fullest expression and enjoyment in the father's house. Well, a boy is brought home. He's clothed with the best robe. He's not only brought into the house, but he's perfectly fitted. Now his father's arms have been around him. He knows he's accepted. And it says put, put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. Just think of this boy. Father didn't say again. He didn't say now you. Get the best robe. You get your shoes and put them on. No, he does it all. He says the servants are to do that. And isn't it blessed? The work of salvation and what fits us for the presence of God is all outside of ourselves. It's done by another. And all the promises of God in him are. Yeah, and in him Amen to the glory of God by us. Then they had food too. They killed a fatted calf. And they were to eat it and be merry. That's our enjoyment, brethren. After we have been saved, our enjoyed portion is to think about the Lord Jesus, what He is to the heart of God the Father, and what He is to us by grace. And so there was a feast prepared here for this boy and others to share, and it was to be in the Father's house.
Well, God wants us, brethren, to be enjoying the Lord. And I say again, if there's anyone here who's not saved, you might say, well, I'm just not that kind of a person. I don't enjoy those kind of things. Well, you won't be that kind of a person until you're born into the family of God. And then immediately when you receive a new life, the new life has new joys, new affections, new appetites, and you will enjoy the things of God. Many of us here today can say that there was a time in our lives when we didn't. But now by matchless grace we do. And this boy now had been accepted, and now he could enjoy these things. And so it says, for this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to be merry. As another has commented, it never, it doesn't ever say that it ended and the joy that we receive in the Lord Jesus, the position that grace has brought us into, the standing before God, the ring on his finger, endless love, and the shoes on his feet so that he could be in the presence of the Father in the Father's house. Oh, how lovely it all is. And they began to be merry. But you know, brethren, the enemy. He will try all he possibly can to hinder our enjoyment of these things, but God has given them to us to enjoy, shall I say, 365 days in the year. He wants us to enjoy what we have in Him constantly, all the time. Well, he began, and if there's one here who hasn't come, may the Lord work in your heart by His grace and cause you to come. It'll be a moment of blessing. As our brother said the other night, it will not be thing you'll ever regret. Some decisions we make in life we regret making we we don't think they were wise decisions, but no one ever received the Lord Jesus as his or her Savior. Who would say I'm sorry I did. The present joy, the eternal joy is ours. Well, this was the portion of this prodigal certainly not one who would naturally have. Have expected all this welcome and neither would you and I. If God had asked us, I believe that's the meaning of that verse that says unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. So often the verse is applied to answered prayer, and that's very beautiful too. But I believe in the context in which the verse is given, the thought is this, Would you and I have ever asked for such a wonderful place as God has given us? If God were to come to any one of us and had said, now what would you like me to do for you? I suppose we might have had a few feeble things we would have asked for. By the heart of God will never be satisfied. Until everyone of His own are supremely blessed. And He is not only willing to do it, He's able to do it. Often friends are willing to do things for us, but not able. But my precious Savior is both able and willing. So they began to be merry. How could we turn back to Second Chronicles? And the 29th chapter. I have to read a few verses here beginning at the 27th. Verse. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar, and when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets and with the instruments ordained by David, king of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. And all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with them bowed themselves and worshipped. Moreover, Hezekiah the king and the Princess commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their head and worshiped. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near and bring the sacrifices and thank offerings into the House of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. And the number of the burnt offerings which the congregation brought was 3 score and 10 bullocks, 100 Rams and 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the consecrated things were 600 oxen and 3000 sheep. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings. Wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them till the work was ended, until the other priests had sanctified themselves for.
The Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves and the priests, and also the burnt offerings were in abundance with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the Lord of the House of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced and all the people that God had prepared the people, or the thing was done suddenly. Well, I'm sure you noticed again in this passage, here in this. 27th verse The word began is mentioned twice, and this is a scene of praise. This is a time of great blessing in Israel. It wasn't, shall I say, as bright as some previous days in Israel's history, but it was a time of restoration. If you recall the reign of Hezekiah, there was a great restoration and many people that had left God's center at Jerusalem and had gone off and worshiped at the. Place where Jeroboam had set up down in the 10 tribes, they came back and there was a wonderful time of blessing there in Israel. And you know, we're living in the last days, brethren, and I'm sure that our hearts ought to be more stirred in Thanksgiving and praise. And somehow I feel, too, if there were more of that in our souls, others would be attracted. I believe that someone else has said our testimony is our joy in the Lord. The world is looking for pleasure, and they're trying every means possible to find pleasure. But you and I who know the Lord Jesus, know the source of it all. At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. And so we find here, although it wasn't as it was in the days of Solomon, there was weakness. Division had come in. Nevertheless, there is a beautiful picture brought before us here of restoration and of blessing and of joy. And we might mourn as we see the condition of the Church of God, and we have to acknowledge our part in it too. It isn't that we lift our heads and say, well, which is a better group or something? We have to hang our heads and say we're part of the common failure. But nevertheless, the Lord does delight to bless. And I believe here that where we began here this offering of the burnt offering, it says when the burnt offering began. And then the song of the Lord began. And I think, brethren, if we enter more fully into the true meaning of the burnt offering, there would indeed be more praise in our hearts to the Lord. I think most of us are aware that there were five different offerings. There's also the drink offering, but that was poured over some of the other offerings. But there were five different offerings. The first one recorded in Leviticus was the burnt offering. Then there was the meat or meal offering. Then there was a peace offering and then the sin and trespass offering. There were five different offerings. And I believe that the sin offering and trespass offering bring before us particularly. The meeting of our need by the work of the Lord Jesus upon the cross. And then in the peace offering we have communion, in the meat or meal offering we have the perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus, the one who came into this world and became a man. It says the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, not to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. But why does the burnt offering come first? And what is the real meaning of the burnt offering? Well, I believe it's something that we tend to lose sight of, brethren, the real meaning of the burnt offering. And I believe if we lay hold of that, it does deepen our notes of praise. It makes us more thankful. And so this is where it tells us here, when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began. I'm sometimes used a little little illustration that perhaps helps to understand what the burnt offering really is in the scripture. Supposing I have a great debt and I'm not able to pay that debt and a friend comes along and says Gordon, just give me those bills and I'll pay them for you. And he goes and kindly pays this great debt, brings back the bills to me and they're all marked paid in full. Well, I'm very, very grateful that this person has done that for me a great.
Lord has been taken off my shoulders to know that my debt has been paid. But let us suppose it another way, Supposing when my creditor himself sees this huge debt on his books, he has a son whom he loves very much, and he says to that son. I love that Gordon Hayhoe. And would you be willing to sell your house so that we can raise the money? And take this debt off our books. And if you will do that, then I'll send the receipt to him and I'll mark on the receipt paid in full through the kindness of my son. Well, to my amazement and surprise, this is just what I get in the mail one day. Here is this huge debt that I was totally unable to pay. And I get this receipt and it's marked paid in full through the kindness of. Of my son, well, isn't that a lot more than just knowing that my debt is paid? In the previous case where a friend paid it for me, I haven't learned to know my creditor at all. Maybe he likes me, maybe he doesn't. If he has a son, I don't even know whether his son likes me. All I know that he has had a satisfactory payment. But if it's he himself who planned this in his own son, who pays my debt? Oh, how different my feelings now toward my creditor, why I want to go to him. And I want to tell him how I'm so thankful for the love that was in his heart. And I tell him what I think of his son, what a wonderful son he has who would be willing to do that in order to shell his love to me. And brethren, perhaps we can see now why the burnt offering comes first. Supposing I went to my creditor. And all I had to say to him was, well, you don't know how wonderful I feel that I'm out of debt. And I never particularly talked about his love or what his son had done in obedience to him and in love. I just talked about the grand feeling of being out of debt. Wouldn't there be something lacking in my Thanksgiving and praise? But if I go to him and make much of his son and so thankful for his heart toward. All how much deeper that kind of praise would be brethren, I believe this is very important for us too and I believe that's why the burnt offering comes first. I believe that's why here that it tells us when the burnt offering began the song of the Lord began. I'm saying this because I had the privilege of being brought up in the meeting and I heard it commented at times that. I heard a commented that we worshiped in the burnt offering character and that was just words to me. I didn't know what it meant. And so sometimes we use expressions and we don't stop to think of what these things really mean. And perhaps there might be someone here and that thought has never laid hold of your soul and I'm sure it hasn't fully laid hold of mine. What a blessed thing it is to come into the Lord's presence on Lord's Day. Morning we're thinking of that Father's love as we sing sometimes about hymn by thee, O God invited we look unto the sun. For again in 155 what was it, blessed God LED thee to give thy Son. And then in the second verse, what led thy Son, O God, to leave thy throne on high, to shed his precious blood, to suffer and to die? Well, this deepens our notes of praise, brethren, when we get hold of the true meaning of the burnt offering. And so that's why the song of the Lord began, and it was instruments ordained, ordained by David. In other words, David, as we know, is a picture to us of the Lord and how precious we we hear an expression sometimes, well, every man should worship in his own way, but no, we need to come in God's way. And God has a way that he would have us gather. He has a way that he would have us to worship. And it's most important that we follow the divine plan.
Sometimes said. Cain believed in the same God as Abel because I've heard people say, well, we all believe in the same God and we all worship him in our own way. But Cain believed in exactly the same God as Abel. But Cain was rejected and Abel was accepted. And we need to realize that God is a holy God and that if we are going to approach him, we must approach him in his way and his only through that which speaks of the work of God's beloved Son. You and I can come into His presence. There's no other ground of acceptance. There's no other way in which you and I can be in His presence and accept, offer acceptable service. Philip tells us then in this 28th verse, and all the congregation worshiped. No, sometimes a brother might get up and give thanks and we say that brother and I gave thanks, but isn't a nice thought when we all do. That's why the brother who stands up to give thanks, he doesn't say I thank thee, he says we thank thee. He actually is only the mouthpiece of the assembly, and it even says. In First Corinthians 14 that how can a person say Amen unless he understands what has been said? And so the brother who gives thanks becomes the mouthpiece of the assembly. And as we were noticing the other day, God in his wondrous goodness has given to us in saying a way of blending our voices together. Just think what a marvelous thing this is. We were saying the other day, there are no two birds that. And sing in harmony. It's not possible. God hasn't made them that way, but He has made it possible that you and I can blend our voices together to make one sound in praising and thanking the Lord. Now we know that there were instruments that God used in the Old Testament here in connection with the Jewish worship because they were an earthly people and God was, as it were, putting man to the test. Would all these outward things. Do anything for man. Well, sad to say, the people who had the grandest building the best music. And surplus choir, if you want to speak in that way, because they were all arrayed in white linen and robes and all that. They rejected the Lord Jesus. They didn't. They wouldn't have him. And now the Scripture says, and the first woman, the first person to learn what true worship is, is the poor saved Sinner in the 14th chapter. At 4th chapter of John. And she comes, and the Lord says to her, The hour cometh. And now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship him. That is, unless you and I are worshiping in spirit that it is from our hearts, and that it is according to the mind and will of God, then there's no true. Acceptable worship. It isn't how well we can sing, but it's what comes from the heart produced by the Spirit of God. That is true worship, where we have a little picture of it here because the Bible tells us that the law had a shadow of good things to come, but not the very image of the things. And now we worship or can worship in spirit and in truth. I'm sure you've all noticed the absence of musical instruments in all the worship in the New Testament. Because God is wrought in our hearts now by the Spirit, and it isn't how well we can sing, it's whether it comes from the heart that has value before God. But they continued on this until the burnt offering was finished. I think this is lovely. It went on. It wasn't just, it wasn't just at the beginning. It says when the song of the when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began. And you know, some of us can think of times when we have come together with the Saints of God and what a happy occasion it was. When right from start to finish in the meeting, there was a warmth. From start to finish, hearts were taken up with the Lord Jesus and just overflowing in praise and Thanksgiving to Him. So I think it's nice here that it not only began, but it went on until the burnt offering was finished. Then we see how there was gladness in the end of the 30th verse, it says, And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped. Then we read of other sacrifices too here.
It says in the. End of the 31St verse. Thank offerings and as many as were of a free heart. Burnt offerings. Perhaps there was some and maybe they weren't able to bring a burnt offering, but there was thanks in their heart. You know, this is lovely because you might say, well, unless I can express myself as well as another brother, I don't think that I have anything very much to offer. But there were thank offerings and there were burnt offerings. The Lord values even the smallest little bit of response in our hearts. They've always enjoyed that. What is said about Jonathan? We often think of poor Jonathan and how he didn't follow. David into his rejection into The Cave, and so that he died on the fields with his father. Out in the mountains of Gilboa and it seemed a very sad end that Jonathan came to. But I've always enjoyed what David said about Jonathan. He made this comment about him. He said thy love to me was wonderful. I've heard people quote that verse as though it were the Lord's love to us, and I can certainly agree that His love to me was wonderful. But I think it's more overwhelming almost to think that the Lord would think that my little bit of love to Him was wonderful. And here, Jonathan. This one, who perhaps didn't seem the most faithful one, and yet when David commented about him, he appreciated even the smallest return from his heart. And brethren, shouldn't us encourage us? I believe that when we come together, we may not all feel we can offer a burnt offering, but we can have thank offerings in our hearts. And then it goes on here to speak of other offerings. And in the 35th verse it mentions. And also the burnt offerings were in abundance and the fat of the peace offerings. Well, the peace offering, as we mentioned before, is the communion or fellowship offering. And no, it's very precious that we can sit there and have communion. I, I used to have a little difficulty about that word communion. As I said, I was brought up in the meeting and you often hear expressions and don't lay hold of them. And when they spoke about being in communion and out of communion, I can remember. I wondered what that meant. To many people it means. Partaking of the Lord's Supper. But it's not just used that way in Scripture. Communion means common thoughts. And even when we break bread, we don't take communion because you can't take common thoughts. You can have common thoughts, you can have the privilege, and we do have the privilege of breaking the bread and drinking the cup, but the communion is in the heart. Do we, when we do it, just go through it? As a ritual or do we really enter into the thoughts of God as to what that loaf means and what that cup means? That's that's having communion, that's entering into his thoughts. Isn't it lovely to sit at his table and meditate upon the fact that He gave himself? He bore my sins and his own body on the tree. He shed his blood to put away my sins. Not that one unbroken loaf tells me that I am in such a place of nearness as. Member of his body, and that includes every other true child of God in the whole world who is a member of that one body. Oh, how precious. And so there was a peace offering too. There was the communion offering. And you and I can not only praise the Lord, but we can enter into and enjoy His thoughts. We know how we like this with a friend. And we can talk over something with a friend and feel that they enter into and that we're enjoying something in common. If you go on a trip and you take a friend and the friends not enjoying what you're doing, you'd say, oh, it wasn't any fun today because I guess I was the only one enjoying it because my friend with me didn't enjoy what we were doing at all. But how much nicer when you enjoy it together. You know, the Lord wants us to enter into and enjoy things in harmony with Him. He takes pleasure in us and He wants us to find our joy in Him. That's the force of that verse, the joy. Of the Lord is your strength. What will give us strength to go on in a day like this? Well, I believe it's the knowledge that the Lord finds his joy in US. And when you have that, then you also can find your joy in him. Some have a little difficulty and understanding how when it says the joy of the Lord is your strength.
What that really means when it's his joy in US. But let's put it this way. Supposing you had planned, you've been invited to someone's place for an evening. Then it turns out to be very bad weather. And you say, oh, let's see if we can't. Go some other time instead of going tonight because the weather is so bad. And when you're talking about it, the phone rings and your friends on the other end of the line and says, oh, I sure hope you're coming tonight. We're looking forward to it. We're really going to find a lot of pleasure if you'll be with us tonight. What happens? Well, you get a little extra spirit of strength, don't you? You say we've got to go. They want us and you go, and there's a mutual joy. They want a Jew and you enjoy being with them. That's the peace offering, brethren. The Lord finds His joy in seeing us gathered around himself, and we find our joy in response. And I believe that's something of the thought in that verse. Herein is love with us made perfect. You can love somebody and not get a response, but it's grand when there's love with us, when the person you love responds. Kind of a flow of love that goes between them. That's the peace offering. So it tells us here the fat of the peace offerings and drink offerings, they were poured over it and for the burnt offering. And it says so. The service of the House of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people that God had prepared the people for the thing was done. Suddenly. I think this is beautiful, the way this all ends. The service of the House of the Lord was set in order. But does God desire whoso offereth praise glorifieth me? Don't we often feel that there's a lack of that praise? But here we see this beautiful picture of it. Hezekiah rejoices and all the people and it wasn't something that was planned by human arrangement. It seems it was just done suddenly, spontaneously and that's what God delights in spontaneous praise from our hearts that was just rises up in spontaneous praise and Thanksgiving to him for all he has done. Now I'd like to look at a couple of other scriptures, One in Ezra 5. Ezra is right, the next book. After this Ezra chapter 5 and verse one. Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of idol, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Them rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealdiel, and Joshua the son of Jahzadak. And began to build the House of God which is at Jerusalem. And with them were the prophets of God helping them. And if you'll turn over to the end of the Old Testament third last book, Haggai chapter 1. Verse 2. Thou speaketh the Lord of hosts saying this, people say, the time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your sealed houses, and this house lie waste? No. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. The 12TH verse. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealdhiel, and Joshua the son of Jazadek the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God. And the words of Haggai the prophet has the Lord their God had sent him. And the people did fear before the Lord. Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger, in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. And the Lord stood up, stirred up the spirit. Irrevocable, the son of Shealdiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jazadek the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and did work in the House of the Lord their God in the four and 20th day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
Here we see another beginning. Some previous time they had begun to build this house. It was just a little remnant, very small in comparison to the number in the nation of Israel. But this little remnant had come back and they had started to build a house. But there was a lot of opposition, and some of their enemies laughed them to scorn. And the people got discouraged and they all gave up. It's very easy, brethren, to get discouraged. There's a lot of those who find fault. There's a lot of people who say things that perhaps are hurtful, and we're liable to say, well, my efforts are not appreciated, I give up. I'm afraid that's in all our hearts at times. But here we find the service of these two men, Haggai and Zechariah. They come along and they try to stir up the people. The people were saying, oh, it isn't the time, some other time. But not just now. But there is a time, and God's time is now. Now is the accepted time. And you and I ought to be stirred up, as the Scripture says today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Well, it's very commendable here that when these prophets stirred them up, that the people did respond and they came together. They had time they they really thought it was time to look after their own interests. And it seems to us that that's very natural. We see many things that we want to do in our own homes and for our own interests, and it just seems that's always the time to do those things. But. Are we taking the time that we might be looking after the Lord's interests and that which has to do not so much here with service among the lost, although that is very important, but here among the Lord's people. So they listened, and there's a nice commendation here in the 13th verse about this man Haggai, that he was the Lord's messenger. In the Lord's message, isn't that a lovely common day? For one who seeks to serve the Lord, the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message. That's why Peter says if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. It isn't that we just think, well, we all should have something to say, but we ought to be before the Lord about any part that we take among the people of God, that it might be something not just from ourselves but from the Lord. And if so, it'll be a blessing. It was a real blessing here because as a result of their words to the people, they came. But notice what Haggai says. First of all, I am with you, brethren. We'll never, never have the courage to go on in the things of God if we lose the sense of His presence with us. That is the thing and the only thing that will sustain us. Especially in a day of ruin. I am with you, saith the Lord says in another place, that it was according to the Word that He covenanted with them when they left the land of Egypt. Long, long before the Lord had made that promise. And in spite of all the years that had passed by, all the ups and downs of God's people, God still loved His people and would not forsake them. Oh, how encouraging to our hearts. So the Lord. Stirred up these hearts, the prophets did their little service in trying to stir them up, and God used their message and they came and they did, it says in the end of this 14 verse, the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they came and did work in the House of the Lord of hosts, their God. Well, I think this is very beautiful. And perhaps now, as we, as I said, are beginning a new year and we think of how perhaps we have become slack in the things of God. It's so easy to find time for our own things and to neglect the Lord's things. In fact, I don't think we ever really have time for the Lord's things unless we take time. We take time. I think you'll find that anytime. That you want to do something for the Lord. The devil will make sure that a whole lot of things come into your mind that should be looked after. And you say, oh, I must do this and I must do that. And the enemy brings them so that we wouldn't have this time for the Lord. I really believe that's the force of things in connection with.
In connection with Martha and Mary, I think sometimes people have a little wrong impression about Mary and almost speak as if she wasn't as active a person and doing the necessary things like her sister Martha. And I think that's not the true picture that's presented there at all because when the Lord came to that house, I believe the 2 girls were both working. And I believe that because when Martha complained. Notice what she said, Carest thou not that my sister hath left me to serve alone? I believe the 2 girls were working and when the Lord came to the home, Mary said we can't miss this opportunity. The works got to go, we got to leave the work because the Lord's here and we want to hear what He has to say to us. But Martha thought keeping on with those things that were necessary. In themselves was more important than sitting at Jesus feet. And I, I want to call your attention that the Lord didn't say that, Martha, that Mary had chosen a better part. He just said she's chosen the good part because there are necessary chores. We should look after temporal things. It's right and proper. But there are times, and we all find them, when you have to leave things to have time for the Lord, a little song says. Take time to be holy, and these people had come back and kept the whole. City of Jerusalem was in shambles and you can understand their feelings. They said, oh, we've got to get our own houses straightened around and they were working on these and said we'll, we'll do the Lord's house afterwards. Haggai, yes, we will do that. But not just now, but through the stirring up of the prophet. They left those things and they attended to the Lord's house. Well, brethren, may the Lord's claims come first. I'm not just talking to you. I'm talking to myself. It's so easy to find things to do. And we find perhaps afterwards that things that we could have done for the Lord have been neglected. And as we were saying to the young people last night, we can never, never recall past time. If a thing has been forgotten in the past, we can never, we can never bring back the time. But we do have the rest of our time. I'd like to just turn. Aaron to Matthew, chapter 21. In verse 28. But what think he? A certain man had two sons, and he came to the 1St and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not. But afterward he repented and went, And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, Sir, and went not. Well, perhaps we've been talking first of all about the Lord's joy in receiving the Sinner, and they began to be about the joy of being worshippers. And as those God's people were gathered back to his center at Jerusalem, and then to that little remnant, how they might have got discouraged and not put the Lord's claims first. But here, it seems to me in this passage, it has particularly to do with service. I think the thought in the Lord's vineyard is. Service for him, reaching out to those who are lost. And I believe that's a very important thing. And the Lord said here, son, go work today, not tomorrow, but go work today. And I believe that as we think of the brevity of time, the nearness of the Lord's return, perhaps every one of us can hear that little message to ourselves. Go work today in my vineyard today there is something. Little song that's sung sometimes by the young people lead me to some soul today. Teach me, Lord, just what to say. We don't know what to say very often. But you know, I have found, I'm sure you've found that when you've asked the Lord to lead you to some open door, some opportunity that he leads you, He gives you an opportunity. And there's a real joy in that too. I've heard it said that next to the joy. Of your own conversion is the joy of leading someone else to the Savior. And so there is a joy. And the first one, he said no. But afterward he repented and went well many times. I guess in the past, although we haven't said it in so many words, in our hearts, I'm afraid we have said no. I have other things to do. I'm just too busy. And we have said no. But perhaps today.
It says about this boy. He afterwards repented. So we're not calling for pledges, we're not asking to hold up hands or anything like that. No use in that boy saying I go, Sir, and not going says in the 27th Psalm, when my hearts, when thou said seek ye my face, my heart said thy face, Lord will I seek What God's looking for is the answer of our hearts, not just what we say with our lips. So here we have perhaps a call to begin. A little service. That we can do for him and daily to hear him saying, son, go work today in my vineyard, He gives us these grand opportunities that we can use for him. Well then just last of all, before we close, would you turn to 2nd Corinthians 5? Verse 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that he died for all. That they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Well, here we have that little word henceforth we've been talking about began, but this verse brings before us henceforth, and it tells us that what it is, what it is that constrains us. Brethren, it's not a sense of duty. It's not because we're under law, because we're under grace. But what is it that really constrains us? Well, it's his love. And I'm quite sure that if you and I are feeding upon Christ as we. Had in the beginning for really enjoying him. The fatted calf was provided for the enjoyment of that returning boy. And if we begin with the enjoyment of the Lord in our own souls, I'm sure there'll be more worship. There'll be more desire to help out among the people of God in all their needs and in all their discouragements. And I believe there will also be a desire to be used of him, the telling forth of the gospel, because I like to think. Gospel is kind of an overflow. Our hearts just are so full that they overflow and they overflow reaches out to sinners around us. Well, I don't know how long we have, brethren. It might be only a few minutes, it might be an hour, it might be days. I don't know how long the Lord is going to leave us here. But the apostle says we were once dead. Just like the prodigal. He was dead and is alive again. We were once dead, but now we have life. And. It says that we should, that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves. So as we begin this year, 1986, we have henceforth we have a little time maybe left to us. And oh, how precious the privilege given to us to serve, so worthy a master to serve one who gave himself for us, who did everything that love could do. That our hearts might be one, well may that stir our hearts too, that the love of Christ will constrain us, draw us like a magnet after him, not to live unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us and rose again.