Wake Up Church - A. B. Simpson

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee." Isaiah 26:3 "One of the greatest enemies to faith is indolence. it is much easier to lie and suffer than to rise and overcome. It is much easier to go to sleep on a snowbank and never wake again than to rouse one's self and shake off the lethargy and overcome the stupor. Faith is an energetic art. Prayer is intense labor. The effectual working prayer of the righteous man availeth much. Satan tries to put us to sleep as he did the disciples in the garden. Let us not sleep as do others, but let us awake and be sober, continuing in prayer and watching thereunto with all perseverance (Ephesians 6:18), stirring up ourselves to take hold of God's strength, not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promise (Hebrews 6:12). It is the wind that carries the sailing ship across the waves, but the wind is powerless unless the hand of the boatman is held firmly upon the rudder and the rudder set hard against the wind.  In like manner we hold the rudder; God fills the sails. It is not the rudder that carries the ship, but it is the rudder turned against the wind that carries the ship. So God keeps us in perfect peace while we are stayed upon Him" (Isaiah 26:3). A. B. Simpson

Men's petty kingdoms by Arthur Katz (transcription)

You can listen to the audio message  here:http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=12157&commentView=itemComments Men's petty kingdoms by Arthur Katz Well, I want to take you this morning to a river, as I took you the other day to a mountain. It's that famous Jordan ,which is ever and always the profound place of choice and of crossing. And before I read from it, I just want to read that paean of praise to the church that is given us in the book of Hebrews. Don't turn - just listen to the amplified rendering. "But rather," it begins, "you've not been called to the old time religion and to the revival of the things that titillate your soul, because they're couched in the things that are familiar, and the sentiment of old. And you're not called to the worldly wisdom of men in their diagnostic helps for your church growth, but rather ,you have approached unto mount Zion even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gatherings. and to the church. The assembly of the Firstborn who are registered as citizens in heaven,"  That's far more than christian respectability.  "and to the Judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect." This is evidently then something more than than Sunday church. Its evidently a suggestion of a far more intensive quality of a relationship, where the spirits of just men can be made perfect, that they might be citizens in heaven. "And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,. So see to it that you do not reject Him, or refuse to listen, and to heed Him who is speaking to you now."  My prayer this morning. especially, and in these days in general has been this: that I might be to Him as a mouth for you. " "For if they, the Israelites, did not escape when they refused to listen, and heed Him who warned them and divinely instructed them here on earth, revealing with heavenly warnings His will - how much less shall we escape if we reject ,and turn our backs on Him who cautions and admonishes us from heaven? Then at Sinai His voice shook the earth - but now He has given a promise 'yet once more will I shake and make tremble not only the earth, but also the heavens'. Now this expression yet once more indicates the final removal and transformation of all that can be shaken. That is - of that which has been created: in order that that which cannot be shaken may remain, and continue." May I prophecy? That if you have not experienced yet a shaking individually and in your churches and throughout your movements, that you shall. And that these speakings have been the beginnings of shakings for God will not allow to remain that which which cannot remain: all that is earthly, all that has its origin in human initiative, and in sentiment, and in tradition - however hallowed and however dear, is going to be crumbled and be brought into the dust. Mark those words. We re going to see movements collapse, stagger, sway and fall .Were going to see the most lustrous charismatic churches and great multimillion-dollar plants be terrible stigmas, Empty houses unable to pay their mortgages, and to save themselves from their financial indebtedness , who were carried off by the fever of the hour in great building promotions. We're going to se some of the glossiest, and snazziest of present day ministries turn to dust. There's only one thing that will survive the shaking. It's a kingdom that is firm and stable that cannot be shaken. "So offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe. For our God is indeed a consuming fire." With that admonition will you turn with me to the first chapter of the gospel of John? I cant think of a heavier imperative for the church of Jesus Christ in the earth today than the incarnation of God in them: the mystery of God which is His deity, his heavenly glory revealed through flesh. That' s much more than being correct, scripturally sound,…. and respectable. . Its a glory, the phenomenon is a glory, "and no man has seen God at any time. But the only unique begotten Son was who was in the bosom of the father ,,,He has revealed him."  God will not do anything outside his Son. I want to tell you that. If His Son is not in your movement and your movement is not in His son, you shall be outside the holy end time purposes of God. You may make a sound - you may have your activity and your programs: but it counts for nothing that is eternal. Only the Son which is in the bosom of the father - not in tradition , not in respectability, not in human wisdom and devices, in programs, and in methodologies, but in the bosom of the Father in the heavenly places. He shall reveal Him. My Jewish life was confronted and stopped short when I beheld in a simple gentile girl, whom i should have disdained, and utterly cast aside as not worthy of my attention, "the light to lighten the gentiles and the glory of the people Israel". In her simplicity and in her transparency. God was in her face. "And the word", it says in the 14th verse "became flesh, human and incarnate, and tabernacled - fixed His tent and lived awhile among us and we actually saw His glory, His honor, His majesty - such glory as an only begotten Son receives from his Father, full of grace and truth" My only regret is that I have not been able to speak to you on truth.  It's full, or its not the Son.  Its full of truth and grace - or its not the Son who is in the bosom of the Father.  if you are making polite references that soothes and smooths the situation over, but is not true, it is no longer full of grace and truth. It is no longer the Son in the bosom of the Father, and is no longer the revelation of the Word made Flesh - which alone can save men out of death. You can have all your evangelistic programs, but you need to be full of grace and truth. "John testified about Him and cried out, 'this is he of whom I said, He that comes after me, has priority over me, for He was before me, and He takes rank above me, and He existed before I did.'" How we need to parrot that cry! Do you realize that there is One who has priority over you and who takes rank over you? I'll tell you that if I would just summarize the whole issue at the end of the age its this, it's the the petty kingdoms of men verses THE kingdom of God.  It is the Kingdom of heaven.  It has priority over you and it takes rank over you. Have you seen that and have you acknowledged that?

1 Peter 4:7-11

 ⁷But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

 ⁸And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

 ⁹Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

 ¹⁰As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

 ¹¹If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

The Faith of the Overcomer

The Faith of the Overcomer

by T. Austin-Sparks

First published in "A Witness and A Testimony" magazines, 1940.

Chapter 1 - Faith in Christ in Relation to Divine Purpose 

Chapter 2 - Further Features of the Sevenfold Fruit of Faith 

Chapter 3 - The Call to Stand Fast 

The problem of living in this world

(J. R. Miller, "Things to Live For" 1896)

The problem of living in this world, is to pass through life's vicissitudes without being harmed by them--growing into more and more radiant and beautiful Christly life, whatever our circumstances and experiences may be.

It is in this phase of our living, that we need Christ most of all. We cannot escape meetingtemptation; but we are so to meet it as not to be hurt by it, coming from it rather with new strength and new radiancy of soul.

We cannot find a path in which no sorrow shall come into our life--but we are to pass through sorrow without having our life marred by it.

None but Christ can keep us thus unhurt--amid the manifold perils through which we must move continually. It is only by committing our life into the hands of Christ, that there ever can be absolute safety in this world so full of evil, or that our life ever can reach its holiest possibilities.
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We have published James Smith's two page article, "Christ All in All!" Must reading.

The Lord's gentle usher!

 AUDIO Devotional

The Lord's gentle usher!
Thomas Brooks, very uplifting gem on 'death'.
Play Audio! Download Audio

ETERNITY

How we should eye ETERNITY, that it may have its due influence upon us in all we do Thomas Doolittle, 1630-1707 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18  Eternal! What a sound does this word "eternal" make in my ears! what workings does it cause within my heart! what casting about of thoughts! What word is next to be added to it? Is it, "eternal world!" Where? for this is temporal. O! that eternal world is now by us unseen, and as to us is yet to come. But yet my trembling heart is still solicitous to what other word this word "eternal" might be prefixed as to myself, or those that hear me this day, when they and I, who, through the long-sufferance of God are yet in this present and temporal, shall be in that eternal world. Shall it be "eternal damnation" in that eternal world? How? after so many knockings of Christ, strivings of the Spirit, tenders of mercy, wooings of grace, calls of ministers, warnings of conscience, admonitions of men, waitings of patience—all which put us into a fair probability of escaping eternal damnation. O dreadful words! Can more terror be contained, can more misery be comprehended, in any two words, than in "eternal damnation?" But we in time are praying, hearing, repenting, believing, conflicting with devils, mortifying sin, weaning our hearts from this world—that, when we shall go out of time, we might find "life" or "salvation" added to "eternal." Eternal salvation! these are words as comfortable as the other were terrible, as sweet as they were bitter. What, then? This word "eternal" is the horror of devils, the amazement of damned souls, which causes desperation in all that hellish crew; for it wounds like a dart, continually sticking in them, that they most certainly know that they are damned to all eternity. Eternal! it is the joy of angels, the delight of saints, that while they are made happy in the beatific vision, are filled with perfect love and joy, they sit and sing, "All this will he eternal." Eternal! this word—it is a loud alarm to all that be in time; a serious caution to make this our grand concern—that when we must go out of time, our "eternal" souls might not be doomed down to "eternal" damnation, but might obtain salvation that shall be "eternal;" of which we have hope and expectation, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Not only the experience of present spiritual good in the inward—by the pressing afflictions on the outward man, in weakening of sin, in purging away our dross, in weaning us from the world, in humbling us for our miscarriages, in reducing us from wandering, in emptying us of self-conceit, in trying our faith, in exercising our patience, in confirming our hope, in awakening of conscience, in bringing us to examine our ways, in renewing our repentance, in proving our love, in quickening us to prayer—but also the clear and certain prospect of glory after affliction, of a "weight of glory" after "light affliction," of eternal glory after short affliction, of a weight of glory "far more exceeding" all our present sorrows, burdens, calamities, than tongue can express, or pen describe, or the mind of man conceive; being more than "eye has seen, or ear has heard, or have entered into the heart of man," (1 Cor. 2:9,)—must needs be an alleviation of our sorrows, a lightening of our burdens, comfort in our grief, joy in our groans, strength in our weakness. Though "we are troubled on every side, yet are we not distressed ; though perplexed, yet not in despair ;" (2 Cor. 4:8;) though under afflictions both felt and seen, yet "we faint not," while we keep our eye fixed upon the glorious things in the other world that are unseen and eternal too. The reason moving believers to keep a steadfast eye upon things unseen, and to look off from things seen—is the eternal duration of the one, and the short continuance of the other: "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen—because the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." The good things in this world which are seen—as riches, pleasures, honors—are things of time, and only for time; therefore we are not much concerned whether we win or lose them: and the bad things in this life which are seen—as poverty, imprisonment, persecution—are at longest but for a short space; and therefore we are not much concerned whether we endure them, or are freed from them. But that which adds weight to the things in the other world now not seen by the men of this world, and draws our eyes toward them, and keeps them fixed thereon—is the eternity of them. Take, then, a summary account of all that wicked, worldly men have—all is "but for a while." See what the richest among them have: their grandeur endures "but a short time;" and then is past and gone, and has no more existence. See what the merriest among them have—pleasures, mirth, carnal delights and joy: and this is "but for a season;" their merry bouts will be quickly over, and then follows weeping and wailing forever! What the best among them have: even their hope but for a short time; at longest, until death shall close their eyes, and then they shall lie down in everlasting despair! So that all their comings-in—whether profits from the world, or pleasures from their sin, or supposed happiness from their supposed graces—have their goings-out; that, upon all they have, you may write, "All is temporal!" They had riches—but they are gone. They had honors and pleasures—but they are gone. They had many good things in time—but, at the end of time, all have an end; and then, when their endless misery comes, this will be their doleful tune, "All our good is past and gone!" The object, then, of believers' looking is the unseen, the eternal God, as their happiness objectively considered, which is so eternal as to be without beginning and end; and the enjoyment of this unseen, eternal God in the invisible heavens—which fruition, being their happiness formally considered, has a beginning, but no ending.