335: Dennis Gillett – Get to Grips with God’s Word

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Welcome to good Chris Selfian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
I’m Chris.

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I’m Jason.
And I’m Brian, thank you for

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joining us this week.
On this podcast, we select one

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talk a week to help us get the
Bible in our Daily News feed.

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Each week we post a talk that we
previewed from suggestions sent

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in by listeners from.
Around the world.

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Then we record a short intro
beforehand as a personalized

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recommendation to you on why we
are sharing the talk.

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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

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Hello, this is Brother Chris
Howard with a special talk to

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share with you coming from the
annals of the tapes that I have

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been working on digitizing.
This is a class that was given

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by Brother Dennis Galette in
1979 at the Birmingham Ecclesia

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in England and the title of this
class is Get to Grips with God’s

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Word.
Now because of the nature of the

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recording, the beginning of this
is a little abrupt.

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He’s kind of mid comment on a
slightly different subject that

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seems to have potentially been
part of his introduction.

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I’ve tried to edit it as best as
I can so that it sort of starts

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when he’s introducing the topic.
But if you hear him referencing

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a related topic to what he is
talking about but don’t

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understand the full context,
that’s why.

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But that’s only a case in the
first couple minutes.

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And then I think he makes a call
to it right at the very end of

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his class.
But what brother Dennis is doing

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this I think is is really
powerful, is taking a look at

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just a handful of scriptures to
remind us of what it is that is

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so important in Our Calling and
what we are responsible to when

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it calls to.
Looking at what God has called

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us to and what is in God’s Word.
Brother Dennis, as we’ve had him

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on a couple times on the podcast
when we’ve played talks of his,

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is very well spoken and also
very studious in his Bible

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study.
But I especially appreciated how

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passionate he gets in the
second-half of the classes.

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He’s talking about the
importance of what it is that

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he’s looking at and how
important it is for us to make

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sure that we keep to God’s Word
and live what it is that we

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read, that we’re not academic,
but we’re also not just going

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through the motions without
having the principles of God’s

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Word underpinning everything
that we do.

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I’ll also use this as an
opportunity to again call out to

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if any of you are out there that
have or know of tapes that are

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sitting out there and haven’t
been digitized and.

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Made available to people.
Feel free to reach out to us.

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I am more than happy to take
them and find a way to get them

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digitized.
We’re working through tons of

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tapes at this point and there’s
a huge backlog that we’re

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working through.
And I’ve also uploaded that we

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haven’t even been able to get
to, to share on the podcast.

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But if you are, if they’re out
there, especially if you know,

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if they haven’t been digitized
anywhere else, I don’t want any

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of these lost gems like this one
from Brother Dennis to be lost

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to the annals of history.
So please feel free to send

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those in.
And so with that, I hope that

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this talk encourages you and
energizes you for the coming

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week.
I will now turn it over to our

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brother Dennis Gillette from a
class he gave at the Birmingham

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Ecclesia in 1979 titled Get to
Grips with God’s Word.

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The right of government over all
His creation and that there is

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in Him a moral force with which
all things ultimately will have

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to be reconciled and to be
responsible, means that we are

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capable of rational conduct and
consequently are morally

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accountable for our actions.
And we are in a position,

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therefore, where we are liable
to be called to account for our

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life.
The Bible says that those who

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are responsible are answerable
to God.

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Now, I am not concerned tonight
with the man who lives in the

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backwoods of Australia or New
Guinea.

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That is a case of diminished
responsibility.

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It’s a very interesting thing,
but it isn’t my subject tonight.

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I’m concerned tonight with some
of the people of Birmingham who

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have heard the sound of the
gospel.

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The question is posed, what do
you propose to do about it?

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I am concerned therefore with
you who sit tonight listening to

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me, people who have the word of
God in their lap and therefore

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are in some sense responsible to
God because the Word of God is

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available to all alike.
And if we have spurned it, then

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it is our misfortune and it is
our fault.

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And being our fault, we cannot
escape responsibility.

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That’s why we come to you saying
getting to grips with God’s

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Word.
And therefore as a first step

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tonight I want to straight away
get to grips with God’s Word and

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I’m going to ask you to listen
to or if you like to turn up,

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you may of course, 7 passages of
Scripture from different parts

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of the Bible.
Each passage is dissimilar but

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alike in one respect.
There is a common factor running

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through them.
They have all to do with what

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the Bible demands of you.
They have all to do with man’s

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responsibility toward God.
I’m particularly anxious that

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you should notice the words
carefully, because every word in

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the Bible is important.
Notice the words, I beseech you

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very carefully because those
words will throw light on this

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question.
So the first passage is from the

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Old Testament.
It is in the 5th chapter of the

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of the prophecy of Daniel.
Very briefly, if I may sketch in

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the context, Belshazzar, king of
Babylon, was a wicked king,

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wicked in many respects, and
eventually the judgement of God

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was given to Daniel to be
delivered to King Belshazzar,

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God’s judgement on his
wickedness.

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Now Daniel could have charged
the king with all kinds of

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wickedness.
He could have charged him with

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bad government, with sacred,
with immorality, with vice, and

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so on.
But when the prophet went to

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deliver the judgement of God to
Belshazzar, he didn’t speak of

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any of these things.
Let’s notice what he did say in

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the 23rd verse of Daniel 5.
The God in whose hand thy breath

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is, and whose are all thy ways,
hast thou not glorified?

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I bring you to the 12th chapter
of the Acts of the Apostles, to

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another king, King Herod, the
puppet king of his lair.

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Well now Herod was a proud man,
and on a certain day he arrayed

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himself in his royal apparel and
made a great oration to the

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people, and he was exalted.
And the people hearing the

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oration of Herod quoted in the
12th chapter of Acts verse 23.

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And the people shouted, it is
the voice of a God and not of a

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man.
And immediately an Angel of the

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Lord smote him, because he gave
not God the glory.

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And he was eaten of worms, and
gave up the spirit.

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The 3rd chapter of the Roman
letter of Paul in chapter 3 of

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In chapter 3 of the letter to
the Romans, the apostle Paul is

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referring partly to the
universal failure of every man

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in the sight of God.
The whole world is declared to

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be guilty before God.
All I ask you to do is to notice

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the exact words which the
apostle used to describe that

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universal failure.
Verse 23 of Romans 3 For all

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have sinned and come short of
the glory of God.

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Turn over one page please to
Romans 4.

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In Romans 4, the apostle in this
particular passage I’m going to

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refer to is concerned with the
success of Abraham.

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Abraham, who received certain
promises from God when at the

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time they were given, seemed
humanly speaking, to be

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impossible of fulfillment.
One in particular was that he

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should bigot a son when he was
100 years of age, and his wife

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Sarah should give birth to a son
when she was 99, consequently

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well past the age for child
begetting and bearing.

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Nevertheless, God promised that
this would take place.

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Observe how Paul describes it
Romans 4 verse 20.

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Abraham staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief,

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but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God, and being fully

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persuaded that what God had
promised, he was able also to

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perform the 2nd chapter of the
Philippian letter.

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In the 2nd chapter of
Philippians, the apostle Paul is

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describing in this passage the
great work which has been

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accomplished by Jesus Christ,
his obedience to God and His

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final victory in the cross and
His final exaltation in heaven.

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Observe the words that the
majestic words that the apostle

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uses to describe it.
He became.

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This is verse 8 of Philippians
2.

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He became obedient unto death.
Yeah, the death of the cross.

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Wherefore God hath highly
exalted him, and given him a

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name which is above every name.
But at the name of Jesus every

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knee could bow, and every tongue
could.

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You have confessed that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of

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God the Father.
The 43rd chapter of Isaiah.

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Verses 6:00 and 7:00 I will say,
to the north give up, and to the

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South keep not back.
Bring my sons from far and my

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daughters from the ends of the
earth, even everyone that is

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called by my name.
For I have created him for my

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glory.
Yeah, I have formed him.

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I have made him finally the 14th
chapter of the Apocalypse, the

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Book of Revelation, chapter 14.
In this particular passage that

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is given to us, the Gospel which
is to be taken finally to the

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world before the day of
judgement, before the day of

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enforced humiliation, the last
chance that God gives to men,

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the last call to judgement, the
last call to repentance.

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Observe the words which are yet
to be proclaimed, because this

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is prophetic.
Verse 7.

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Fear God and give glory to Him
for the hour of His judgement is

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come. 7 passages of scripture,
each dissimilar but each alike,

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having one common thought
running through them, occurring

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in each.
I wonder if you noticed what it

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was?
The words were there in every

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passage, whether in success or
whether in failure.

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Men are responsible to God, and
that responsibility as expressed

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in the words giving glory to
God.

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Man was made to give glory to
God.

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That is what the Word of God
demands of you, that you shall

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glorify your Creator.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are

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not made to pursue pleasure or
to accumulate wealth or to

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acquire knowledge.
You were made to give glory to

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God.
The words of Isaiah seldom

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expanded.
Clearly and unmistakably I have

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created him for my glory.
Now may I just pause to say, I

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know there are Bible students in
this house tonight who are just

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waiting to tell me that those
words I’ve quoted from the 7th

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chapter of the of the seventh
verse of the 43rd chapter of

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Isaiah were spoken of the people
of Israel.

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I know it.
But may I say to you that though

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they were spoken originally of
the people of Israel in their

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noblest meaning, they are
intended at last to apply to

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every man who will come to God
through Jesus Christ that God

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was showing in one nation what
He intended to do for all

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nations.
At last Israel were

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representative, and it is the
Apostle Peter who in the New

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Testament takes the very words
which are so, which describes so

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powerfully the exclusive
relationship which Israel had

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with God, and applies them to
any man, be he Jew or Gentile,

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who will come to God through
Jesus Christ, says he to those

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who are Gentiles.
Ye are an holy nation, a royal

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priesthood, a peculiar people
for God’s own possession.

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Yes, Isaiah said it plainly.
What does God demand of you that

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you shall give him glory?
Well, now, very properly,

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somebody will say that’s a
sentence, but it’s a strange

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sentence.
What does it mean?

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Giving glory to God?
So let us come to the 13th

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chapter of Luke.
I’m going to read to you verses

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6 to 9 of the man who had a fig
tree in his vineyard and Jesus

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faked this parable.
A certain man had a fig tree

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planted in his vineyard, and he
came and sought fruit thereon,

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and found none.
Then said he unto the dresser of

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his vineyard, Behold these three
years I come seeking fruit on

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this fig tree, and find none.
Cut it down.

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Why come bereth it the ground?
And he answering, said unto him,

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Lord, let it alone this year
also, till I shall dig about it

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and dung it.
And if it bear fruit, well, and

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if not, then after that thou
shalt cut it down.

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00:16:33,720 –> 00:16:37,720
The interesting thing about this
parable, though it’s short, is

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00:16:37,720 –> 00:16:41,320
that it tells us about the
rights of God and telling us

219
00:16:41,320 –> 00:16:45,560
about the rights of God, and
resultantly it tells us about

220
00:16:45,560 –> 00:16:49,680
the responsibilities of men.
The parable, of course, is

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00:16:49,680 –> 00:16:52,040
Eastern in its setting, but it
would do it.

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00:16:52,040 –> 00:16:56,240
No violence, I think, to change
the word vineyard to garden and

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00:16:56,240 –> 00:16:58,320
the word vine dresser to
gardener.

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And the owner of the garden
speaks as though he had the

225
00:17:01,560 –> 00:17:04,280
right to expect fruit from the
tree.

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00:17:04,680 –> 00:17:08,640
Of course, it was his tree, and
after all, he had planted it in

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00:17:08,640 –> 00:17:11,200
his garden.
It was using his resources.

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00:17:11,480 –> 00:17:13,720
It was enjoying the care of his
gardener.

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00:17:13,720 –> 00:17:17,520
The tree was not there purely
for ornamentation, nor was it

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00:17:17,520 –> 00:17:20,240
there only to provide shade on a
hot day.

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00:17:20,680 –> 00:17:24,839
It was there, after all, to
produce fruit, and if it did not

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00:17:24,839 –> 00:17:28,319
do that, then it had failed in
its purpose, and in the words of

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00:17:28,319 –> 00:17:31,240
the owner of the garden, it
cumbered the ground.

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00:17:32,360 –> 00:17:36,560
I dare say most of us would
agree really, that the owner was

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00:17:36,560 –> 00:17:40,240
right after all, that an
unchangeably barren tree is

236
00:17:40,480 –> 00:17:43,280
better removed.
I suppose those of you who are

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00:17:43,280 –> 00:17:46,320
gardeners or have gardeners, if
you had such a tree, would

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00:17:46,560 –> 00:17:50,920
certainly think it right to
remove a tree and replace it by

239
00:17:50,920 –> 00:17:53,440
a fruitful one.
It’s sensible.

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00:17:54,360 –> 00:17:58,840
But though he was patient, that
owner, and though he waited to

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00:17:58,840 –> 00:18:02,200
give the tree every opportunity
to be fruitful, and though the

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00:18:02,200 –> 00:18:06,760
gardener himself was an
intercessor, I want you to

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00:18:06,760 –> 00:18:09,920
notice that in the end there was
no disagreement between the

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00:18:09,920 –> 00:18:14,280
gardener owner and the gardener
himself about the fate of the

245
00:18:14,280 –> 00:18:18,040
tree.
If it bear fruit, well, but if

246
00:18:18,040 –> 00:18:22,720
not, then it must be removed.
Well, of course the figures in

247
00:18:22,720 –> 00:18:25,360
the parable can be identified
easily.

248
00:18:25,360 –> 00:18:28,280
It’s simplicity is the thing
that makes it magnificent.

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00:18:28,640 –> 00:18:32,640
God is the owner, the gardener
is an intercessor.

250
00:18:33,000 –> 00:18:36,040
The supreme intercessor is Jesus
Christ.

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00:18:36,560 –> 00:18:41,080
And that tree represents men.
It represents any man who is

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00:18:41,080 –> 00:18:44,400
responsible to God.
And as I say, the thing that

253
00:18:44,400 –> 00:18:47,280
makes the parable so interesting
is it’s simplicity.

254
00:18:47,880 –> 00:18:51,480
For instance, if you were to ask
your child what he expects to

255
00:18:51,480 –> 00:18:54,640
get from an apple tree or what
he expects to get from a fig

256
00:18:54,640 –> 00:18:58,200
tree, and you’ll know at once
what he will say.

257
00:18:58,960 –> 00:19:02,160
Now, if you can keep that kind
of simplicity in your minds and

258
00:19:02,160 –> 00:19:06,760
then ask yourself this question,
what does God expect from a man?

259
00:19:07,880 –> 00:19:12,840
What does God demand of you?
What does God expect of a man or

260
00:19:12,840 –> 00:19:16,280
a woman?
Apples from apple trees, figs

261
00:19:16,280 –> 00:19:19,400
from fig trees.
What does God expect from man?

262
00:19:21,520 –> 00:19:25,080
Well, his simplicity will tell
us the way from man.

263
00:19:25,560 –> 00:19:31,120
God expects manhood, but very
properly, somebody’s going to

264
00:19:31,120 –> 00:19:32,800
say to me, well, that’s only a
word.

265
00:19:32,800 –> 00:19:36,000
What does manhood mean?
What’s manhood?

266
00:19:38,200 –> 00:19:42,320
Well, now, the proper answer in
my judgement is that manhood is

267
00:19:42,320 –> 00:19:45,480
when a man does that which God
intended him to do.

268
00:19:45,480 –> 00:19:53,320
No, I take that back.
Manhood is when a man is what

269
00:19:53,320 –> 00:19:59,440
God intended him to be.
You see, ladies and gentlemen,

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00:20:00,440 –> 00:20:06,760
accompanying every created
thing, there is a law.

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00:20:07,240 –> 00:20:14,760
God made law, a law to which
that thing ought to conform, and

272
00:20:14,760 –> 00:20:18,400
when that thing conforms to the
law which God has placed in it

273
00:20:18,400 –> 00:20:23,720
and upon it, it does that which
for it is divinely natural, and

274
00:20:23,720 –> 00:20:27,400
doing that which is divinely
natural, it gives glory to God.

275
00:20:32,280 –> 00:20:36,440
May I tell you without fear of
contradiction, that upon every

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00:20:36,440 –> 00:20:43,280
Tulip there is the law of the
Tulip God made.

277
00:20:47,320 –> 00:20:51,040
And when the Tulip answers the
law which God has placed in it

278
00:20:51,040 –> 00:20:54,720
and upon it, that is to say,
when it blossoms forth in all

279
00:20:54,720 –> 00:21:02,200
its beauty, it consequently
gives glory to the one who made

280
00:21:02,200 –> 00:21:06,560
it.
Upon every eagle there is the

281
00:21:06,560 –> 00:21:09,920
law of the eagle.
And when the eagle answers that

282
00:21:09,920 –> 00:21:13,320
Lord, and on its great eagle
wings soars into the heavens and

283
00:21:13,320 –> 00:21:17,200
hovers over its young, it does
that which for it is divinely

284
00:21:17,200 –> 00:21:21,880
natural, God intended and doing
that gives glory to its Creator.

285
00:21:22,960 –> 00:21:26,360
And this is how the Bible speaks
about the created things,

286
00:21:26,680 –> 00:21:28,800
getting to grips with the Word
of God.

287
00:21:28,800 –> 00:21:33,040
Indeed, this is how the Bible
speaks about the created things.

288
00:21:33,360 –> 00:21:37,680
The heavens declare the glory of
God, and the firmament showeth

289
00:21:37,680 –> 00:21:42,560
forth His handiwork.
Psalm 19, or in Psalm 148,

290
00:21:42,720 –> 00:21:46,720
praise the Lord from the earth.
Mark who the psalmist is talking

291
00:21:46,720 –> 00:21:50,680
about, please praise the Lord
from the earth, ye Dragons and

292
00:21:50,680 –> 00:21:54,440
all ye deeps, fire, hail, snow,
ice, and stormy winds,

293
00:21:54,440 –> 00:21:58,560
fulfilling his word, mountains
and all hills, fruitful trees

294
00:21:58,560 –> 00:22:03,120
and all Cedars, beasts and all
cattle, creeping things and

295
00:22:03,120 –> 00:22:06,560
flying fowl.
Let them praise the name of the

296
00:22:06,560 –> 00:22:09,600
Lord and give glory to Him
within heaven and earth.

297
00:22:12,240 –> 00:22:15,880
And we crystal Alphaeans,
sometimes we sing about it, we

298
00:22:15,880 –> 00:22:19,040
sing about this principle.
We have a hymn which goes like

299
00:22:19,040 –> 00:22:22,040
this.
Wherever we look, thy glory

300
00:22:22,040 –> 00:22:25,680
shines.
And all things fair and bright

301
00:22:26,480 –> 00:22:31,080
are thine.
Wherever we look, thy glory

302
00:22:31,080 –> 00:22:34,960
shines.
And when the created things

303
00:22:35,000 –> 00:22:38,600
answer their own law, which God
has placed upon them and in

304
00:22:38,600 –> 00:22:43,360
them, they give glory to Him.
And may I say, when they fail to

305
00:22:43,360 –> 00:22:47,680
do that, when they fail to do
that, as did that barren tree,

306
00:22:47,880 –> 00:22:51,120
they do not give glory to Him.
They have failed in their high

307
00:22:51,120 –> 00:22:55,200
calling, and consequently they
are barren, and they must be

308
00:22:55,200 –> 00:22:59,080
rejected.
Now this principle, which is

309
00:22:59,080 –> 00:23:01,920
true of the creation, is true
also of man.

310
00:23:03,040 –> 00:23:07,400
As in the Tulip and as in the
Eagle there are certain forces

311
00:23:07,600 –> 00:23:11,960
divinely implanted which enable
them to fulfil the law of the

312
00:23:11,960 –> 00:23:14,600
Tulip, or the law of the Eagle,
as the case may be.

313
00:23:14,760 –> 00:23:18,840
So in man there are certain
forces, certain divinely

314
00:23:18,840 –> 00:23:22,600
implanted forces, which enable
him to fulfil the law of

315
00:23:22,600 –> 00:23:27,800
manhood.
There are, and in order to

316
00:23:27,800 –> 00:23:30,480
understand it, we shall need
just to pause for a moment to

317
00:23:30,480 –> 00:23:36,160
think about the nature of men,
the nature of you.

318
00:23:40,200 –> 00:23:44,360
There are some people who would
probably tell you in good faith

319
00:23:44,360 –> 00:23:49,560
that man is a beast and no more
than a beast.

320
00:23:50,760 –> 00:23:53,560
Well, now, I must say that I
shan’t be telling you that

321
00:23:53,560 –> 00:23:57,000
tonight, because I do not
believe it is true.

322
00:23:58,880 –> 00:24:04,360
I know that sometimes men behave
like beasts, and indeed, if they

323
00:24:04,360 –> 00:24:07,200
are only beasts, then behaving
like beasts, they are doing that

324
00:24:07,200 –> 00:24:10,400
which of them is right?
And so their very beastliness

325
00:24:10,640 –> 00:24:13,920
would seem to give glory to God.
Now you can see yourself that

326
00:24:14,080 –> 00:24:17,120
when the argument is carried to
its logical conclusion, it is

327
00:24:17,120 –> 00:24:21,560
manifestly false.
I know that in the book of

328
00:24:21,560 –> 00:24:25,120
Ecclesiastes you can read that
men hath no pre eminence over

329
00:24:25,120 –> 00:24:29,080
beasts, but we must be careful
how we read it, because the

330
00:24:29,080 –> 00:24:32,720
context is that men are mortal
like beasts are mortal.

331
00:24:32,720 –> 00:24:35,040
As one dieth, so dieth the
other.

332
00:24:35,200 –> 00:24:37,520
In that respect men are like
beasts.

333
00:24:37,520 –> 00:24:41,320
Indeed.
They are subject to the same

334
00:24:41,320 –> 00:24:44,960
laws of life and death.
That is to say, they need air

335
00:24:44,960 –> 00:24:48,080
and light and food and water to
keep them alive.

336
00:24:48,080 –> 00:24:53,800
Deprived of that, they die in
that respect on that particular

337
00:24:53,800 –> 00:24:56,280
plane of argument.
Indeed, they are like beasts,

338
00:24:56,280 –> 00:24:58,000
but they are not beasts all
together.

339
00:25:00,280 –> 00:25:04,480
And you can sense it yourself,
because when a man behaves like

340
00:25:04,480 –> 00:25:08,520
a beast without willing it, you
are conscious of his

341
00:25:08,520 –> 00:25:12,040
degradation.
And degradation is when the

342
00:25:12,040 –> 00:25:15,800
highest things are used for the
very lowest purposes, or rather

343
00:25:15,800 –> 00:25:18,320
when the highest things are used
for a purpose lower than that

344
00:25:18,320 –> 00:25:20,800
which were intended, which are
intended.

345
00:25:22,560 –> 00:25:26,400
And I say to you that when a man
behaves like a beast, you are

346
00:25:26,400 –> 00:25:31,720
aware of his degradation.
If I might just illustrate, if

347
00:25:31,720 –> 00:25:34,680
you see a pig wallowing in the
mire, you are not aware that the

348
00:25:34,680 –> 00:25:38,480
pig is degraded.
Did you are aware that the pig

349
00:25:38,480 –> 00:25:41,920
is doing what is right for pigs?
After all, that’s how pigs are.

350
00:25:43,360 –> 00:25:46,440
It may be, of course, that they
wallow in more mire than they

351
00:25:46,440 –> 00:25:49,360
need, but that is because very
often they have bad masters.

352
00:25:53,880 –> 00:25:58,880
Or if you see a horse at Plough,
I don’t suppose you see many

353
00:25:58,880 –> 00:26:04,480
horses at Plough in Derrid End,
but sometimes in the field of

354
00:26:04,480 –> 00:26:07,560
North Oxford, fields of North
Oxfordshire, you may see a horse

355
00:26:07,560 –> 00:26:12,520
at plough.
And it’s a wonderful sight, the

356
00:26:12,520 –> 00:26:18,440
horse pulling open the good rich
loam of Oxfordshire.

357
00:26:20,120 –> 00:26:25,720
His muscles are rippling under
his silken skin, doing that

358
00:26:25,720 –> 00:26:29,520
which for him is divinely
natural.

359
00:26:30,520 –> 00:26:34,280
And you are aware that in some
sense he gives glory to his

360
00:26:34,280 –> 00:26:38,840
Creator.
But let a man be chained to a

361
00:26:38,840 –> 00:26:43,600
plough and you are aware that he
is at once degraded.

362
00:26:44,400 –> 00:26:46,440
He was not meant to work like a
horse.

363
00:26:46,440 –> 00:26:50,160
Some people thought he was at
one time, but they were wrong.

364
00:26:51,280 –> 00:26:54,880
He is nobler than that.
He is finer than that.

365
00:26:55,440 –> 00:26:59,360
He has more dignity.
He was not made to be like a

366
00:26:59,360 –> 00:27:01,480
horse.
He is not a beast.

367
00:27:02,320 –> 00:27:06,440
And you are aware immediately
that he is degraded.

368
00:27:06,960 –> 00:27:14,880
Seeing him chained to a plow,
getting to grips with the Word

369
00:27:14,880 –> 00:27:20,440
of God will tell us that this
The Bible says that man was made

370
00:27:20,440 –> 00:27:25,400
in the image of God, and it is
this very thing that

371
00:27:25,400 –> 00:27:28,840
distinguishes him from the rest
of creation, and in this very

372
00:27:28,840 –> 00:27:33,360
thing lies his dignity.
In some respects man is kin with

373
00:27:33,360 –> 00:27:37,400
God because he is able to think
and able to reason and to decide

374
00:27:37,400 –> 00:27:41,760
and to respond.
Man is the one link between the

375
00:27:41,840 –> 00:27:44,200
material world and the spiritual
world.

376
00:27:44,720 –> 00:27:48,480
He is as it were at the place
where the two worlds meet.

377
00:27:49,560 –> 00:27:53,480
He is the place, as it were,
where all the lower forms of

378
00:27:53,480 –> 00:27:57,360
life and all the highest forms
of life touch one another and a

379
00:27:57,360 –> 00:27:59,520
scene in him and can be
manifested him.

380
00:27:59,720 –> 00:28:03,160
I confess man can be beastly.
Indeed he can be beastly.

381
00:28:05,800 –> 00:28:10,880
Thank God he, he can be saintly,
the same man.

382
00:28:13,280 –> 00:28:17,560
And these forces which are in
man, and which are in no other

383
00:28:17,560 –> 00:28:23,920
created thing, make him kin with
the divine, make him make the

384
00:28:23,920 –> 00:28:28,480
possibility or provide the
possibility of him being at last

385
00:28:28,480 –> 00:28:31,760
like God.
And these things were given to

386
00:28:31,760 –> 00:28:36,240
him to answer the law of
manhood, these marvellous

387
00:28:36,240 –> 00:28:41,200
powers, so that he could be what
God intended him to be.

388
00:28:41,760 –> 00:28:52,240
When the Creator said, let us
make man in our image and after

389
00:28:52,240 –> 00:28:57,880
our likeness.
So then man is given the power

390
00:28:57,880 –> 00:29:01,400
of reason so that he can
understand God.

391
00:29:02,320 –> 00:29:06,240
He is given the power of free
will so that he can respond to

392
00:29:06,240 –> 00:29:09,120
God.
He is given the power of trust

393
00:29:09,280 –> 00:29:11,800
so that he can have faith in
God.

394
00:29:12,080 –> 00:29:15,480
He is given the power of love so
that he can love God.

395
00:29:16,680 –> 00:29:20,600
And when a man does that, he
answers the Lord of manhood and

396
00:29:20,600 –> 00:29:23,720
does that which for him is
divinely intended.

397
00:29:24,080 –> 00:29:31,280
And doing that he becomes God.
Like there is beginning to grow

398
00:29:31,320 –> 00:29:37,400
in him that thing which the
Bible calls godliness, God

399
00:29:37,400 –> 00:29:42,640
likeness, That is what the Bible
demands of you.

400
00:29:45,840 –> 00:29:52,120
But when man misuses those
forces, and flings them away on

401
00:29:52,120 –> 00:29:56,400
something less than the high
purpose to which they were for

402
00:29:56,400 –> 00:30:01,120
which they were intended to be
used, that man is degraded.

403
00:30:02,160 –> 00:30:06,480
The powers given of God, and
divinely implanted in the nature

404
00:30:06,480 –> 00:30:09,320
of men, and which make him
different from every other

405
00:30:09,320 –> 00:30:12,520
created thing, are consequently
prostituted.

406
00:30:14,000 –> 00:30:17,080
Now I know very well that
prostitution isn’t a very nice

407
00:30:17,080 –> 00:30:20,400
word on a Sunday night in
Birmingham, but it’s the right

408
00:30:20,400 –> 00:30:24,920
word, because prostitution is
when the highest powers of men

409
00:30:25,200 –> 00:30:27,280
are used for the bilest
purposes.

410
00:30:27,800 –> 00:30:33,080
So then a man in that situation,
using his high powers for such

411
00:30:33,480 –> 00:30:37,400
weaken, ignoble purposes, is
degraded.

412
00:30:38,720 –> 00:30:41,040
And so the truth can be stated
very simply.

413
00:30:43,880 –> 00:30:50,600
When a man does that which is
ungodly, he is degraded because

414
00:30:50,600 –> 00:30:54,000
he is a called genetically.
He is called to the high

415
00:30:54,000 –> 00:30:56,680
heritage of being like God in
character.

416
00:30:56,840 –> 00:30:59,840
He is called to God likeness,
and when he sins against the

417
00:30:59,840 –> 00:31:04,040
will of God, he is defaced.
He is defiled, he is polluted

418
00:31:04,160 –> 00:31:06,880
and he is degraded.
He is disgrace.

419
00:31:08,120 –> 00:31:11,040
He corrupts the standard by
which he was to be elevated to

420
00:31:11,040 –> 00:31:14,880
the high honour of serving his
Creator in obedience, and

421
00:31:14,880 –> 00:31:17,080
consequently giving glory to His
God.

422
00:31:25,320 –> 00:31:30,640
And in this particular
connection there is one thing I

423
00:31:30,640 –> 00:31:34,880
must say to you.
I know you won’t love me one bit

424
00:31:34,880 –> 00:31:39,600
for saying it, but if I said it,
not, if I went back to Oxford

425
00:31:39,600 –> 00:31:43,520
and failed to say it, I should
be false to this ministry of

426
00:31:43,520 –> 00:31:46,680
preaching.
And the thing which has to be

427
00:31:46,680 –> 00:31:56,920
said is this, In order to have
failed in man’s responsibility

428
00:31:56,920 –> 00:32:02,440
to God, and in order to have
become degraded, it is not

429
00:32:02,440 –> 00:32:05,400
necessary that we should have
given ourselves over to the

430
00:32:05,400 –> 00:32:07,680
lowest and the meanest
practices.

431
00:32:08,680 –> 00:32:13,000
We may be people of unblemished
reputation, and yet we may have

432
00:32:13,000 –> 00:32:15,440
failed in the truest meaning of
the word.

433
00:32:16,520 –> 00:32:21,000
We may turn away from everything
which is gross and vulgar, and

434
00:32:21,000 –> 00:32:24,080
all our indulgences, if we have
any, may be marked with

435
00:32:25,000 –> 00:32:28,680
refinement and taste.
We may do all the things which

436
00:32:28,680 –> 00:32:31,280
are taken to be the symbols of
respectability.

437
00:32:31,400 –> 00:32:33,520
I won’t enumerate them, so I
shan’t offend you.

438
00:32:34,520 –> 00:32:38,000
And their homes may be filled
with comfort and elegance, and

439
00:32:38,000 –> 00:32:40,480
there may be nothing in their
lives to offend the most

440
00:32:40,480 –> 00:32:44,640
fastidious opinion.
And yet I say to you that we may

441
00:32:44,640 –> 00:32:47,520
have utterly failed in our
responsibility to God

442
00:32:47,520 –> 00:32:50,520
nevertheless, and consequently
have become degraded.

443
00:32:50,920 –> 00:32:55,920
If, ladies and gentlemen, if
that Spirit in US which was

444
00:32:55,920 –> 00:33:00,160
intended to find its real and
only satisfaction in doing God’s

445
00:33:00,160 –> 00:33:07,560
will, is satisfied without doing
it, and if the gifts which were

446
00:33:07,560 –> 00:33:11,280
given to us in order to serve
God and obey Him instead are

447
00:33:11,280 –> 00:33:16,400
being frittered away upon things
which are trivial and and and of

448
00:33:16,400 –> 00:33:25,760
no consequence, ultimately
wasted, misused, used on things

449
00:33:25,760 –> 00:33:32,840
which are in opposition to His
purpose, then we have failed.

450
00:33:36,720 –> 00:33:40,960
We have not answered the demand
which God is making upon us.

451
00:33:41,760 –> 00:33:46,960
The writer of the book of
Ecclesiastes at the end of his

452
00:33:46,960 –> 00:33:50,320
writing, sums up man’s
responsibility.

453
00:33:50,640 –> 00:33:54,560
He sums up what the Bible
demands of you in these words.

454
00:33:55,840 –> 00:34:03,360
Clear God, and keep His
commandments, for this is the

455
00:34:03,360 –> 00:34:10,040
whole duty of man.
And as one of my brethren

456
00:34:10,040 –> 00:34:15,080
pointed out to me yesterday,
that word duty is in italics.

457
00:34:15,719 –> 00:34:18,679
It’s been put in by the
translators to make what seemed

458
00:34:18,679 –> 00:34:21,960
to them to be the sense of it.
And whilst I don’t quarrel one

459
00:34:21,960 –> 00:34:26,120
bit with the fact that is the
whole duty of man, what the

460
00:34:26,120 –> 00:34:29,480
writer actually wrote was fear
God and keep his commandments,

461
00:34:29,480 –> 00:34:34,400
for this is the whole man.
This is man as God intended him

462
00:34:34,400 –> 00:34:36,000
to be.
This is manhood.

463
00:34:36,400 –> 00:34:39,159
This is manhood.
Fear God and keep his

464
00:34:39,159 –> 00:34:41,360
commandments.
This is the wholeness of man.

465
00:34:41,480 –> 00:34:44,600
This is man fully extended.
This is man developed.

466
00:34:44,760 –> 00:34:51,800
This is man as God intended him
to be, force and heart and mind

467
00:34:51,800 –> 00:34:54,639
and will in glad submission to
the great God.

468
00:34:54,800 –> 00:34:59,600
You see by that divinely natural
principle whereby things which

469
00:34:59,600 –> 00:35:03,440
have a common interest take on a
common identity, so a man

470
00:35:03,440 –> 00:35:08,400
becomes like God, God like in
character as God intended him to

471
00:35:08,400 –> 00:35:12,920
be.
Let us make man in our image and

472
00:35:12,920 –> 00:35:18,480
after their likeness.
So finally, may I say this to

473
00:35:18,480 –> 00:35:20,680
you?
I’ve said that the

474
00:35:20,680 –> 00:35:23,320
responsibility of man is to
produce manhood.

475
00:35:23,640 –> 00:35:26,320
And if we face this issue
squarely, and if we come to

476
00:35:26,320 –> 00:35:30,840
grips with God’s Word, we shall
have to ask ourselves whether we

477
00:35:30,840 –> 00:35:34,320
are fruitful in this particular
calling, or whether we are

478
00:35:34,320 –> 00:35:36,600
barren.
And if we lay the measurement of

479
00:35:36,600 –> 00:35:41,000
other men’s characters upon our
own, we shall come to a false

480
00:35:41,000 –> 00:35:44,320
judgement.
We can always find somebody else

481
00:35:44,320 –> 00:35:47,320
who is worse than we are, and we
shall be content.

482
00:35:47,640 –> 00:35:51,240
Now, if we are really in
earnest, if we mean business,

483
00:35:51,840 –> 00:35:54,600
and if we are really seeking the
answer to this question, what

484
00:35:54,600 –> 00:35:58,920
does the Bible demand of you?
Then may I say to you that

485
00:35:58,920 –> 00:36:07,480
manhood has been once perfectly
revealed, and only once manhood

486
00:36:07,480 –> 00:36:12,240
was once perfectly revealed in
the Man of Nazareth.

487
00:36:12,880 –> 00:36:18,600
The man of the seamless robe.
The man who was born at

488
00:36:18,600 –> 00:36:24,000
Bethlehem and played on the
doorstep at Nazareth, and lay in

489
00:36:24,000 –> 00:36:28,480
his mother’s arms in the Hill
Country of Judea, and came at

490
00:36:28,480 –> 00:36:33,600
last to stand in the midst of
his own people, and said, I am

491
00:36:33,600 –> 00:36:37,640
the way, the truth, and the
life.

492
00:36:39,720 –> 00:36:48,160
He was man in all his glory.
He was the realized idea of what

493
00:36:48,160 –> 00:36:53,000
God meant when he said, let us
make man in our image.

494
00:36:53,600 –> 00:36:59,200
This man whose image is
imprinted now upon the parchment

495
00:36:59,200 –> 00:37:04,560
of the New Testament, is the
effulgence of God’s glory, the

496
00:37:04,560 –> 00:37:09,360
express image of His person.
And when we look at the Man of

497
00:37:09,360 –> 00:37:16,120
Nazareth, we are looking at the
archetypal man, and we shall not

498
00:37:16,120 –> 00:37:19,840
be able to find the key to our
life, nor to our responsibility

499
00:37:20,480 –> 00:37:25,920
in any other man than in He.
He was a man wholly submitted to

500
00:37:25,920 –> 00:37:30,560
the will of God, and absolutely
at the service of his brother

501
00:37:30,560 –> 00:37:33,280
men.
A man who, being in the presence

502
00:37:33,280 –> 00:37:36,400
of the material world,
constantly looked through the

503
00:37:36,400 –> 00:37:45,080
material world to the spiritual.
A man who looked at the flowers

504
00:37:45,080 –> 00:37:48,320
and said, Your heavenly Father
clotheth them.

505
00:37:49,440 –> 00:37:57,520
A man who heard the birds
singing and said, Your Father

506
00:37:57,520 –> 00:38:03,640
cares for them.
A man who looked at children and

507
00:38:03,640 –> 00:38:07,480
said, you’re they do ever,
they’re angels, do ever behold

508
00:38:07,480 –> 00:38:09,520
the face of my Father which is
in heaven.

509
00:38:12,120 –> 00:38:15,160
A man who handled a common loaf
and said there is bread to be

510
00:38:15,160 –> 00:38:18,160
eaten which men may eat and not
taste of death forever.

511
00:38:20,000 –> 00:38:22,640
A man who saw the shepherd on
the hillside and said The

512
00:38:22,640 –> 00:38:26,520
shepherd work of God will go on
until all the broken ones are

513
00:38:26,520 –> 00:38:31,640
brought home.
Man who saw the vine growing in

514
00:38:31,640 –> 00:38:35,120
the field and said it was but a
replica of the true vine which

515
00:38:35,120 –> 00:38:39,360
giveth life to the world.
Yes, look at the material

516
00:38:39,360 –> 00:38:41,960
things, Store in them the glory
of God.

517
00:38:41,960 –> 00:38:44,480
Thank God for them.
Look through them to the

518
00:38:44,480 –> 00:38:48,040
spiritual.
Such a man was he, a man, you

519
00:38:48,040 –> 00:38:50,640
see, who laid the measurement of
heaven upon earthly things, and

520
00:38:50,640 –> 00:38:53,360
consequently gave us a new
vision of goodness.

521
00:38:54,080 –> 00:38:57,320
A man who spoke the great law
from the final government of

522
00:38:57,320 –> 00:38:59,640
men, and hear it as it fell from
his lips.

523
00:38:59,880 –> 00:39:04,000
What does God demand of you?
Ye shall love thee, Lord thy

524
00:39:04,000 –> 00:39:07,840
God, with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all

525
00:39:07,840 –> 00:39:11,480
thy mind, and with all thy
strength, and thou shalt love

526
00:39:11,480 –> 00:39:15,200
thy neighbour as thyself.
All the forces of our nature

527
00:39:15,400 –> 00:39:18,600
bent towards God’s purpose.
All the talents of our life

528
00:39:18,720 –> 00:39:23,240
submitted to His will.
These things the only true man

529
00:39:23,240 –> 00:39:26,520
did, and we have seen in Him,
therefore, true manhood.

530
00:39:27,080 –> 00:39:29,720
And the question therefore, as
you put this measurement upon

531
00:39:29,720 –> 00:39:33,280
your own life, the question
which is before you tonight is,

532
00:39:33,560 –> 00:39:36,360
have we been like this?
God help us, have we?

533
00:39:37,440 –> 00:39:40,080
His life was truth governed and
love mastered.

534
00:39:40,240 –> 00:39:44,240
How was your life yesterday?
Was it a day of giving glory to

535
00:39:44,240 –> 00:39:46,040
God?
Were your forces and your

536
00:39:46,040 –> 00:39:52,440
talents used for His high
purpose, and I say it to you

537
00:39:52,440 –> 00:39:56,720
with the deepest respect, or was
it a day of degradation when

538
00:39:56,720 –> 00:39:59,760
your high forces and talents
were wasted on things of no

539
00:39:59,760 –> 00:40:05,040
consequence, on trivialities, on
low things and mean things?

540
00:40:06,840 –> 00:40:09,200
I put it to you that if we
measure ourselves by the true

541
00:40:09,200 –> 00:40:12,360
standard of manhood, then when
the proprietor of the garden

542
00:40:12,360 –> 00:40:15,680
comes into his vineyard seeking
fruit, what will the harvest be

543
00:40:15,680 –> 00:40:20,120
like?
Please don’t misunderstand me.

544
00:40:20,120 –> 00:40:22,360
I’m not pretending to stand in
judgement upon this

545
00:40:22,360 –> 00:40:25,440
congregation.
I’ve no business to be doing

546
00:40:25,440 –> 00:40:28,040
that.
I’m only anxious to oppressive.

547
00:40:28,080 –> 00:40:30,720
Impress upon you the solemnity
of this little parable.

548
00:40:31,480 –> 00:40:34,280
God has a right in the ultimate
to reject the thing which is

549
00:40:34,280 –> 00:40:36,560
unchangeably barren.
That’s its teaching.

550
00:40:37,240 –> 00:40:39,960
And God will, because of His
very nature, have to reject the

551
00:40:39,960 –> 00:40:44,600
man who, being responsible, has
culpably neglected his

552
00:40:44,600 –> 00:40:48,160
responsibility.
Now, as I said before, I’m not

553
00:40:48,160 –> 00:40:50,480
concerned tonight with
diminished responsibility.

554
00:40:50,480 –> 00:40:54,160
A very interesting subject.
Not my subject tonight, though.

555
00:40:55,120 –> 00:41:00,880
My subject tonight is the
responsibility of the men and

556
00:41:00,880 –> 00:41:04,360
women who have sat listening to
me and to this gospel.

557
00:41:05,760 –> 00:41:08,840
So may I in this last minute,
direct your attention to one

558
00:41:08,840 –> 00:41:12,800
other thing in the parable, the
intercessor.

559
00:41:13,960 –> 00:41:18,280
Think upon him, and I’m thinking
upon him.

560
00:41:18,280 –> 00:41:21,360
Let us not think that the
purpose of Jesus Christ is to

561
00:41:21,360 –> 00:41:25,440
persuade God to let off the man
who insists on being a failure.

562
00:41:26,320 –> 00:41:28,000
Look at it carefully, that
parable.

563
00:41:28,000 –> 00:41:30,320
Think of it.
What was the underlying purpose

564
00:41:30,320 –> 00:41:32,880
of the proprietor?
Well, the underlying purpose of

565
00:41:32,880 –> 00:41:36,200
the proprietor was fruit.
And what was the foremost

566
00:41:36,200 –> 00:41:39,480
purpose of the vine dresser?
Well, the foremost purpose of

567
00:41:39,480 –> 00:41:43,600
the vine dresser was fruit also.
So let us say reverently, there

568
00:41:43,600 –> 00:41:47,520
is no quarrel between God and
Jesus Christ about man’s

569
00:41:47,520 –> 00:41:50,240
responsibility.
There is no disagreement between

570
00:41:50,240 –> 00:41:53,920
God and Jesus Christ about what
God demands of you.

571
00:41:54,080 –> 00:41:57,200
Christ did not come into the
world to let off the man who is

572
00:41:57,200 –> 00:42:00,120
set hard against God and will
not change his Baroness.

573
00:42:00,280 –> 00:42:03,320
But Christ did come into the
world to produce in that barren

574
00:42:03,320 –> 00:42:05,360
man the fruit that God is
seeking.

575
00:42:05,480 –> 00:42:08,920
And the purpose of the Savior is
to make men who are willing to

576
00:42:08,920 –> 00:42:11,920
submit to Him to be what God
intended they should be God

577
00:42:11,920 –> 00:42:15,520
like.
So the judgement now you see,

578
00:42:16,120 –> 00:42:19,720
did you notice it?
The judgement now is postponed

579
00:42:20,000 –> 00:42:23,240
so that all those who have not
yet introduced themselves to all

580
00:42:23,240 –> 00:42:26,720
those forces of the Son of God
which can remake them, they do

581
00:42:26,720 –> 00:42:31,320
so whilst there is opportunity.
This is the hour of the vine

582
00:42:31,320 –> 00:42:33,680
dresser.
That’s this hour.

583
00:42:34,160 –> 00:42:38,760
Leave it alone, he said.
He is interceding for us, for

584
00:42:38,760 –> 00:42:42,120
those of us who are
procrastinating, for those of us

585
00:42:42,280 –> 00:42:46,120
who are putting it off, for
those of us who are hesitating.

586
00:42:46,200 –> 00:42:49,240
He is pleading for us.
He is saying, Leave it alone

587
00:42:49,240 –> 00:42:53,080
this year also, and I will
cultivate it.

588
00:42:56,280 –> 00:43:00,920
The hour of the vine dresser.
And by the strange dignity which

589
00:43:00,920 –> 00:43:07,080
God has endowed men with, the
process needs your consent.

590
00:43:09,240 –> 00:43:12,160
It means that we shall have to
repudiate the life which lives

591
00:43:12,160 –> 00:43:15,240
for self indulgence.
It means that we shall have to

592
00:43:15,240 –> 00:43:20,560
come humbly and recognize our
degradation for what it is and

593
00:43:20,560 –> 00:43:23,560
turn from it.
And we shall have to come humbly

594
00:43:23,560 –> 00:43:27,760
to God’s Word, confessing our
need, seeking to know His will,

595
00:43:27,760 –> 00:43:31,440
and being willing to bend our
lives to His commandments.

596
00:43:32,200 –> 00:43:35,600
And nothing short of this will
enable us to meet the demand

597
00:43:35,600 –> 00:43:40,320
which God’s Word makes upon us.
And this is the last solemn

598
00:43:40,320 –> 00:43:44,920
Word, ladies and gentlemen, and
I, I beseech you to to believe

599
00:43:44,920 –> 00:43:48,400
it.
There is in this situation no

600
00:43:48,400 –> 00:43:53,760
middle course, Not for you at
least, no middle course.

601
00:43:54,280 –> 00:43:56,560
You know what you are called to
and for what?

602
00:43:56,800 –> 00:44:01,120
For the reasons, the reasons why
you have been created, you’ve

603
00:44:01,120 –> 00:44:06,240
been invested with wonderful
powers divinely implanted for

604
00:44:06,240 –> 00:44:07,800
you.
There is no middle course.

605
00:44:08,000 –> 00:44:11,400
Either you will submit
yourselves to those forces which

606
00:44:11,400 –> 00:44:15,400
will produce in you the fruit
which glorifies God, or you will

607
00:44:15,400 –> 00:44:17,760
not.
And if you, if you will not,

608
00:44:17,760 –> 00:44:21,320
then you will become barren.
The Word of God demands that we

609
00:44:21,320 –> 00:44:24,320
shall humbly seek to know God
through His Word, the

610
00:44:24,320 –> 00:44:28,400
documentation of His mind, the
expression of His will, that we

611
00:44:28,400 –> 00:44:30,640
shall seek to know Him as He is
revealed there.

612
00:44:30,800 –> 00:44:33,400
That we should believe what He
has revealed, believing it with

613
00:44:33,400 –> 00:44:36,680
reverent fear.
Not choosing this and rejecting

614
00:44:36,680 –> 00:44:40,200
that, but submitting ourselves
to the mind of God and seeking

615
00:44:40,200 –> 00:44:42,160
to make it the master Passion of
our life.

616
00:44:42,720 –> 00:44:46,840
That consequently we shall
cultivate the faith that trusts

617
00:44:46,840 –> 00:44:50,520
in God altogether, and we should
be baptized into the saving name

618
00:44:50,520 –> 00:44:54,160
of His Son, our Lord, the
Saviour and the Redeemer of

619
00:44:54,160 –> 00:44:57,760
those who will come to God.
That we shall make Incarnate in

620
00:44:57,760 –> 00:45:01,080
our lives the will of God, by
obeying His commandments, and

621
00:45:01,080 –> 00:45:04,480
allowing him to work within us,
willing and doing of His good

622
00:45:04,480 –> 00:45:07,080
pleasure.
That we shall look expectantly

623
00:45:07,080 –> 00:45:10,120
for the coming again to the
earth of His summon flaming

624
00:45:10,120 –> 00:45:13,760
Advent glory, to establish here
upon the earth the Kingdom of

625
00:45:13,760 –> 00:45:18,040
God, to bring life and joy and
peace, where at the moment

626
00:45:18,040 –> 00:45:20,840
sorrow and sighing and sin
abound.

627
00:45:21,680 –> 00:45:24,160
This is what the Word of God
demands of you.

628
00:45:25,120 –> 00:45:27,800
I put it to you, there is no
middle course.

629
00:45:28,320 –> 00:45:31,280
Either you will believe the
gospel of grace, and believing

630
00:45:31,280 –> 00:45:38,160
it, you will live, or you will
not.

631
00:45:44,960 –> 00:45:51,520
So there is no neutrality, there
never is for those who are

632
00:45:51,520 –> 00:45:55,440
responsible.
So it’s my hope and the hope of

633
00:45:55,440 –> 00:45:58,360
my brethren and sisters that
there’s anybody in this house

634
00:45:58,360 –> 00:46:02,440
tonight who has not yet taken
that fateful but magnificent

635
00:46:02,440 –> 00:46:05,440
decision in favour of the King
and the Lord.

636
00:46:06,160 –> 00:46:10,280
Then they will do so ere long,
without delay, whilst there is

637
00:46:10,280 –> 00:46:14,760
still opportunity, whilst the
hour of the vine dresser lasts,

638
00:46:15,240 –> 00:46:23,000
whilst he is saying still leave
it alone this year, God knows

639
00:46:23,000 –> 00:46:24,920
whether he’ll leave it alone
next year.

640
00:46:26,520 –> 00:46:30,360
Let us therefore not fall victim
to the peril of procrastination,

641
00:46:30,960 –> 00:46:34,240
but let us yield ourselves now,
this night, if need be, this

642
00:46:34,240 –> 00:46:41,240
very night, to His Word and His
will, and let us crown Him a

643
00:46:41,240 –> 00:46:49,320
lawful King and Lord of all.
This is what God’s Word demands

644
00:46:50,520 –> 00:47:07,210
of you.
Thank you for listening to the

645
00:47:07,210 –> 00:47:08,810
good Chris Adelphian Talks
podcast.

646
00:47:09,610 –> 00:47:12,050
We hope this talk helped you in
your walk and brightened your

647
00:47:12,050 –> 00:47:14,450
day.
If you would like to hear more,

648
00:47:14,450 –> 00:47:16,210
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649
00:47:16,570 –> 00:47:19,810
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650
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