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Boswell, James KWhat Is A Christian 16 ~ Christian Is A Temple

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Open your Bible tonight, will you? Isaiah and the twenty-sixth chapter. Isaiah chapter twenty-six. We're still going on with this theme. What is or who is a Christian? We got down this far this morning as a Christian and as a temple. We saw the Christian, the temple, that his tongue and then the eye. We thought of getting the missionary vision this morning by turning our eyes upon the Lord Jesus himself. And when he fills our vision, when he occupies our heart's affection, then there is a desert moving out toward himself. He gives us a vision of himself and he says, Look on the field, they are already white and or hard. It's a grand thing to be a real worshipper. A holy priest functioning in worship, then that leads us out, my friend, into service as a royal priest. No sooner had our adorable Lord Jesus spoken to the woman that sang as well about worship. This worship the Father must worship him in spirit and in truth, for the Father's to get such to worship him. And he turned around and said to his disciples, Look on the field. They are already white on the heart. So tonight I thought we'll have that wonderful vision. I left you with a verse this morning, Matthew twenty-eight, nineteen and twenty, asking you just to spend ten minutes on your knees with that one verse. And asking for a show of hands, asking you who did so. My friend, you cannot spend ten minutes on your knees with an open mind and an open heart with these two verses. without hearing the Lord speak in your innermost being, saying, Go and lo, I am with you all the way. Nevertheless, till before your heart, remember the word from Lamentation, chapter three, and verse number fifty-one, what thine eyes seeeth, affecteth thine heart. And as our eyes have seen our adorable Lord Jesus, then I am quite convinced your heart, or my heart, has been strangely moved. Now with that, before you come down now to Isaiah twenty-six, and reading in verse number three, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusted in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever. For the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. The words are, Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee. Now go with me, will you, across to Timothy. The second letter in chapter one. Second letter of Timothy in chapter one. And verse number seven. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is still on thee. You know, here's the reason. Because he trusts us in thee. Now, the Lord has not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Remember one John four, verse eighteen says, Perfect love cast us all fear. As though we are singing in that lovely hymn, no love to thee, oh Christ, no love to thee. And when his love is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit, and we know something of the love life we've been talking of during these past days, then my friend, this removes all fear. all worrying, all anxiety, all fretting, and fuming, and care. My friend, these are dealt with by perfect love. The psychologist, the psychiatrist, and the medical doctor, please come to the conclusion that what men and women and young people are longing for above everything else, the only thing that can satisfy the deepest longing of the heart is love. No mere sloppy sentimentality, no mere human affection, no mere sexual completion. No, no, that love, and that love is personified in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's come to recognize the only answer to the question, the only solution to the problem is love, real love, true love. Let me ask you lovingly tonight with all my heart, what do I know of this love? Christ ruling, reigning Lord Supreme. Notice what it says. They have perfect peace, whose mind is still on me, because we trust in the Lord. Now this leads me, my friend, to this verse again. Perfect love cast us all here. There's only one perfection in love that is in the Lord Jesus. We receive them by faith into our heart. I trust all of us have been wise in the salvation. I trust all in the very fine congregation that I have done that. You receive the Lord Jesus into your heart. Ignore I urge you. I plead with you to do so. A scientist. the lot he sent for me not long ago through his father, through his wife. This dear man was in a great turmoil, very intellectual man, very clever man. And I went to see him. I had never met him before. I knew his wife and family were attending the chapel very faithfully. And I met him in his study. And that dear man began to unburden his heart. He opened up. And I sat there as a wise counsellor will in silence. And I allowed him to talk and talk and talk until at last. I looked straight at him and said, Sir, you may not like what I am going to say to you. But there's somebody in your life you hate. I thought he's going to hit me. He jammed his feet. His face flushed. He said, yes, I hate my mother. I hate my mother for the way she treated my father and he's in his grave today. Now I know I'm the only child. I know I'm the heir to millions upon millions of dollars. But I hate my mother. And I looked straight at him and said, Sir, you're on the right road for cancer. The psychologist, the psychiatrist, the medical world have found that a guilt complex will bring cancer on quicker than anything else. And if tonight there's someone here and you've got a skeleton in the cupboard, you've got something, my friend, on the shelf, or maybe an inward grudge, Maybe a secret hatred and it's eating you out. Oh, yes, it's there. And my friend, you're trying to cover it up. But it's going to come out one day. It's going to come out. That man broke down and sobbed like a child. And I said, friend, let you go to your mother. Who's not a Christian? And you profess to be a Christian. But I doubt your salvation. How can you love your brother? How can you say you love God while you hate your brother, father, and your mother? It doesn't work. No one will tell me they're in love with the Lord Jesus, and this perfect love should have brought in their heart by the Holy Spirit if you're out of touch with your fellow believer. If you're out of touch, my friend, with someone who's in the same wonderful family, the family of the regimes, that someone, my friend, you hate. Probably never use that word, hate. So remember, you're guilty of murder. You may not use a dagger. You may not use a shotgun. You may not use poison. So, my friend, if you're here tonight with that hatred in your heart toward a fellow believer or anyone, they deny you're guilty of murder. Now God makes that perfectly clear in his word. Does that sound strong? Does that sound harsh? I say with all the love of my heart, I want the very best of your life. I long an impression to be made within your breath during these days that's going to have eternal value. I'm not here to sugarcoat the ministry. I'm here to water down the ministry God's given. And I thank God for the congregation who comes night after night, morning by morning by the desire to know what God's will is for the lives. And I thank God for those who are responding to that desire, and God reveals it to them. What does the Bible say? Those whose minds are stayed upon him may have a perfect deed. Because he trusts. And the trust means they commit their whole life, their whole being to Him. Now that's what it means to be a Christian. It means, my friend, a mind at perfect peace. Because our mind rested on Him, there comes the inner serenity, the inner tranquility. Our hearts are occupied with our adorable Lord Jesus. He's filling our visions. The wonder of it all. Now remember the word of God said, In fact, the verse just before verse seven and second, Timothy one says, Tear up. Tear up the gift of the Zimni. Another verse says in Timothy, and also in Peter, Tear up your pure mind by way of remembering. The word of God says, Keep thy mind pure. It takes me back to where I started. As a man thinketh in his heart, so... is he. You know what you think you are, but what you think you are. You are the very kind of person, my friend. You are in the dark when you're alone with your thoughts. That's the kind of person you are. The word of God is so clear about this. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. And so the injunction tonight is. Pear up your pure mind by way of remembering. Again, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the ages of life. No wonder Paul said, let this mind be in you, which is often Christ Jesus. Old friend, the mind of the Christian is so vital. Thank God for none is not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Let me ask you lovingly, do you ever thank God for a sound mind? You thank God you got all your reasoning, your faculties. Oh, praying for the thankful people who should be. In my ministry, I find so many minds deranged. Yet God's great desire for your mind and my mind is a sound mind, a perfect love casting it all here. This brings a power, a strength, an energy in your innermost being that has eternal value in the life of Christ who has become convincing and vital and noble and pure and all for God's glory. Now I can't live that life, neither can you. But I got a wonderful message for you. He by his Spirit has come into your life and might that he might live that life through it. And that's why we must yield to the inquiring Spirit. Romans chapter twelve. Romans chapter twelve please. And verses one and two. This subject of the mind is a very vast subject. Time won't allow me to develop tonight, but I'd like to take your concordance if you haven't got one, you'll get one in the bookstore. Especially if you've got a young, which I still prefer to strong. Say, crudence is for the crude. Young is for the young men. Strong is for the strong men. I'm still a young man, and I like young. Not everybody said in verse one. You train the theme of the mind through. What a wonderful subject. The scientists, they tell us, oh, we have very small cracks of our mind that are used at all. You don't have a well-balanced mind. Say concerning hydrogen, his mind was like a well-stocked larder. Shell for this, the shell for the next thing. Well-ordered and well-stocked. It's good to have a well-stocked mind, a well-balanced mind. Now we're going to see if we're going to get this. See what it says, verse number one. Notice again the language, I beseech you therefore, and notice the subject. Brethren, notice and notice by the mercies of God, having given us the assurance of salvation and pardoned. the assertion of peace, the assurance of power. Then he says, by the mercies of God, the method, he presents the area, your body, the quality, a living sacrifice, the character of holding the object acceptable unto God. The sanity, for this is your reasonable service, your logical, your intelligence, your spiritual worship, that you present your body, our living sacrifice, holding unto God. Now verse number two, and be not conformed to this will. You have the request in verse number one, You have the reason in verse number one. You have got the result in verse number two. And be not conformed as well, but be transformed, transfigured, changed. Notice now, by the renewing of your mind, that you may approve things that are good and perfect. and acceptable the will of God. May I pause here, dear children of God tonight, as we have come to this place in our conference, where the cry of being from heart redeemed to present our body of living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, because we are redeemed by his precious blood, claimed by the efficacy of that blood, and saved by his master's grace, and brought nigh to himself. And as he is before the Father, so are we to nigh down here and far to the palms. And because of this wonderful blessing and those wonderful nurses into which we have been brought, now he says, come and present your body a living sacrifice. Now having done so, and I know some of you did that very thing last night while some of you fought it. Others did it. Now that was a crisis. which leads to a continuous. Verse one is a crisis. Verse two is a continuous. Verse one is a net. Verse two is a netitude. With all your reasoning faculties in verse number one, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, you yield yourself undeservedly, unconditionally to the Lord. The Spirit through it and soul and body. Your time, your talent, your treasure. Completely handed over. And from your very heart you cry with all sincerity. Take my love, O Lord, I pour. At thy feet this treasure store. Take myself and I will be. Ever owe me. O for thee. Now that was a definite crisis. That was a definite act. And notice the word in verse number two. And I found young people in young people's conventions. And others, my friend, and various conventions for the deepening of spiritual life. I've seen my friend, those dear ones, being treated with. They come forward and open in confession. Others surrender to the authority of the Lord Jesus. And as of some days, it hasn't fit. As of some days, it hasn't seemed to work for them. You know why? They've never been taught the truth of verse number two. What is that verse about the renewing of your mind? And this happened in my life years ago. Notice Trajan. This is Baldwin and I were on a plane for five years. When we got this particular plane, there was no assembly. One of our colleagues, a colleague, had been there for a crusade. Some sixty-five people were bent, salvation. When we got there we only found about five. With that nucleus Sunday between Christmas and the New Year, the Lord allowed us to show them from God's word and by object lesson the beauty and the value of the Lord's table. The Lord's table. And from within we began to teach them what literally meant. Oh yes, they broke bread. They were born again. They belonged to the family. It was their prerogative. It was their birthright. It was their joy to be there. The time after time went on. Others began to be saved. They came in attracted by the ministry of Christ from various denominations. The following Easter were baptized, twenty-one. The assembly began to grow and develop and mature. Then I began going what probably once a month. I said with all sincerity and all love. During those years, it was hard going. My own assembly has only set me five pounds all the time I've been in the Lord's work, which is about fifteen dollars. I've got no assembly, no committee, no organization behind me. We're utterly depending upon the law to meet every need. I know somebody is sending me so much every month. We travel all over the world. Very often the oil and the crude may run very slowly, but it never stops to run. Sometimes the meal in the battle may be very low, but the meal is still there. If I hadn't got the Wi-Fi, God, I wouldn't have been here tonight. Many times, my friend, were just hand to mouth. Thank God it was the Lord's hand. The shovel, sometimes we shoveled out to other people. Many men one day, I thought poorer than myself, given the last six months I had, the last dime. Her Magnus said to me, Mr. and Mrs. John Welch are coming. He needs some money to get bread. I said, I'm sorry, I gave my last six months away. He began to cry. But God met that need. God met that need. Now may I pause here? That went on for five years. We have three children then, a little boy, Peter, and the two Jewish children from Germany I referred to the other night. And the house was always open for the Lord's people, and they came from all around. And somehow the Lord had got always thrown at the table. And Jewish boy, my friend, we referred to as Jewish saints, one winter day, with no coal for the fireplace. And the family were down on each train, and we asked God, who is God, undertake When he's cold, on the tape box, while we're still in our knees, we were in a semi-detached house, a garage in between. Not for our car. We hadn't got a car. We got bikes. Garage door open. We heard a huddling through the garage. What was it? A wheelbarrow. Some dear saints that God were underneath praying. While they were praying, God laid us upon their heart to bring down a battle full of coal. Robert, the Jewish boy turned around and said, Auntie, how did Mr. Roger bring that battle of coal? Nobody's been out of the house and uncles just prayed for that coal. God must have heard uncles. And that is salvation. But this went on. Tonight at home from some of these weekends, I have gone off in ministering the word, traveling miles and miles because of no other assembly in the area. Angus has said to me, Every brother in the assembly took part this morning. Wonderful, I say. That's wonderful. Praise the Lord. Go ahead again. Same thing would happen. I came home. Everybody in the cemetery took part this morning while you were away. Then began to dawn on me. So what are you getting at? Says when you're at home, only one or two take part. But when you go away, everybody takes part. I see. It's time for me to move on now. Is that what you're getting at? Yes. And after five years, we were there. Then I'm getting a point. Before the five years were up, And waiting there only, they invited us for two weeks. Instead, we're coming for six months. We stayed there for five years. We don't always do that, by the way, but we felt constrained by the Spirit of God to do it. But it just came into the assembly. Souls of not being saved. God, too, were not going on and developing and maturing in victories. We had longed to see him going on. And we knew there was something wrong. Unlike most evangelists, and teaching brethren, I began crashing the congregation. No, by the way, I'm sorry, or am I sorry? But some of you here have been thinking I've been using the scraper. Now, have you thought that if it's all in love? I thought I was playing your vision with Christ, and when you're in love with Christ, my friend, you'll do anything for him, isn't that true? You'll do anything for him. For you're in love with him. It won't happen. One morning I used to say to those people, Go home, get things put right with God, then come back and I'll be a muggy power. Then we'll see the floodgate open and great blessing coming again. One Monday morning alone in my room, the Spirit of God began working in my own life. They put his finger upon my own life. You know something? He put his finger upon all the blockage right there. I say it humbly. I say it frankly. All sincerity. That it may be a blessing to all of us. And all I could get from the Lord with these words. I will show you the path of life. I will show you the path of life. Lord, show me. Show me. And you know, he says, the boy said to me, look at verse ten. I'm going to tell you now to stand sixteen. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor suffer thine holy one to see corruption. I will show thee the path of life. Said, Lord, show me. Oh, dear Lord, show me. And I realized then there was something in my life that had to die. Something had gone to go the cross. And notice now, I taught this all over the British Isles. I knew Galatians through a training. I knew Romans six. I knew Colossians chapter three. Oh, my friend, I knew all the difference between Jacob and Israel. And I taught it. And we've seen those things established here and there. And we've seen my friends talking the results of salvation for yourselves. But then that day the Lord showed me that I'm going to have to go to the cross. And I thought that very morning the Lord had got everything off me and completely all of me until that very morning. You know what that's coming on? It was vain glory. Vain glory. I wanted souls to be saved. I wanted God's going to be going on with the Lord Jesus. I wanted to see a mighty ruler. Why? That Jim Boswell might get the pat on the back. That Jim Boswell might be a sort of wonderful preacher. and the Lord taught to bless him. Friend, he will not share his glory with another. He must have all the glory. Amen? He must have all the praise. He must have it all. Next morning, a boy said, you've given your wife, you've given your child, you've given your time, your talent, your treasure. that Jim Boz will I walk you. And I said he got every part of me until that morning. And here, still courting down my face, I prayed. The prayer I so often used here during these fast days, when the desire in my heart, me find a knick-o in heart here. O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to thee. For thine thine atonement, says, Give thine self for me. I own no other master. My heart shall be thy throne. My life I give. Henceforth live. O Christ, for thee alone. And Lord, if it please thee, don't show me one token of result until I reach the glory. Now then it was a crisis, and there's never a morning before I leave my room. Very often, between four and five in the morning, still lying in my bed, I look up and say, Lord, I am still thine. Or it may be I quote the whole, call this once more the prayer from my heart. When temptation crosses the pathway, as so often it does in this particular ministry, quietly just look up and say, Lord, I am still thine, look after your properties and danger. The crisis alone I yield. But there must be the moment by moment, day by the renewing of the mind. I am alone in my own. Lord, you are the life of my life. And it says here, great peace have they, whose mind is stayed on the Lord. Their perfect peace. In the mind you have perfect, perfect peace. Because our minds are stayed on him. Can you let me ask you, very lovingly, has you got that perfect peace in your heart tonight? Or is there that inward turmoil, that inward loathing, that inward longing? Tonight you may know, peace. That peace isn't a person. That person is Jesus. What happened in that little assembly? The flood gates were opened and the Spirit began to flow. On Wednesday night I confessed the whole thing to the assembly and told them to forgive me, past and due for misjudging them. Night friend, I want us to do business with Jesus Christ. You've had a wonderful time of ministry during these past weeks and months. The Lord has been touching your heart and filling your vision with himself. And you're thrilled to know what you are in Christ. What you've been brought into as a child of God is wonderful. But now he wants to live that life through us day by day in the energy of a non-greed Holy Spirit. Are we willing for this? Really? Bow me from your very heart. Pray and pray with all sincerity. Rain over me, Lord Jesus. Rain over all within. Make me a loyal subject to thee in everything. A mind at perfect peace with God. Tim number. Three hundred and thirty-six. I meant to finish that subject tonight. We need to go on tomorrow morning the same thing. We'll go down tomorrow morning to letter P. Be much in prayer while you're regarding these beatings. We can be of any help to anyone of any... We want you just to wait behind. Talk to us about it. You're not saved. We want to get the matter settled tonight. You're a child of God living a defeated life. No need for that. You can know victory. Remember, too, Corinthians chapter two, fourteen says, Thanks be unto God you always. Give us a victory to our Lord Jesus Christ. But remember, moment by moment, I am catching His love. Moment by moment, I have life from above. Moment by moment, the glory shall shine. Moment by moment, O Lord, I am mine. I was going to give up tonight, three hundred and sixty-two. Take my life and let it be. And of course, dear Andy, he just got that hymn. Away he goes. You rejoice. Isn't it wonderful what God is doing? Now, come on, verse number one of no little words. It's a beautiful hymn. There's something majestic about this. Isn't it? Let's sing it thoughtfully in prayer. Let's all together. O patient, godless one, our hearty meekness prays, To bear thy yoke, and learn of thee, That which make rest of thee. Savio, thou art king of the mind and heart to heal. Thy light to tempt the angels, oh, thy love each tear dispel. You believe that, say amen. Somebody didn't hear what I said. Do you believe that in verse number two? Say amen. That's much better. The Lord mentioned on the last verse, and notice what it said. Oh, big power in this game, the Holy Lord of me, that with thy beauty occupies We elsewhere now may see. O blessed Savior, thou hast offered perfect rest, so give it now to me. Help us, O God, to understand fully the value of thy holy word tonight. So we may know that perfect peace given to those whose mind is tased. and focused, and settled, and fixed in our adorable Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, may the Spirit himself give us that wonderful revelation of our adorable Lord Jesus, that he may become absolutely everything to us, the very life of our life, the love of our love. We ask thy blessing upon each one in this congregation, and we thank for each one of God here tonight. We thank you for this very fine crowd. But O God, we ask thy blessings upon any who may be here without the Saviour. O God, we covet them for thyself. They too may turn their eyes upon Jesus, and be melted by that lute, so full of compassion and understanding. And they may cry from their heart, Lord I yield, I yield. I know long but old. We ask that in the name of the Lord Jesus, and for thy glory, to whom thy glory both now and for evermore. Amen.