In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of four key elements in the life of a believer: praying, searching, meditation, and obedience. These elements provide knowledge and power to the believer. The speaker also highlights the need for care, hope, and instruction in the life of a child of God. The sermon references various Bible verses, including Proverbs 4:1-13, which emphasizes the importance of instruction and holding onto it as a source of life. The speaker concludes by urging the audience to remember and honor Jesus through communion and to eagerly await His return.

It's a joy seeing you this morning, and we trust the Lord will bless you and grant every encouragement for coming along. Remember, you're our best means of advertisement that you yourselves are being blessed by the ministry. Then you tell others of it and encourage them to come along with you morning by morning. I look back to two years ago, and we had wonderful blessing during those morning meetings. And we trust we're going to see even greater blessing during these particular days. I thought this morning of speaking on the child of God, then the heir of God. But I can't get away from that expression, child. And we're going to go back to it this morning. The Christian is a child of God. Those of you who are in for the very first time this morning, we're just so glad to see you. And we're talking these days on who is a Christian. We found a Christian is one who belongs to Christ, who witnesses for Christ, and who suffers with Christ. We also know that a Christian is a child of God. And we become children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3, verse number 26, with John 1, verse number 12. And we may emphasize the fact that a child of God is a real born-again Christian, a Bible Christian. I trust all of us know that joy today. If you are not yet a Christian, I trust the result of the meditation this morning, you'll see your need of the Lord Jesus, and place your complete confidence and trust in Him. May I say these meetings will be over each morning by 11 o'clock. So you'll be quite safe to come along. I just lasted for exactly the one hour. So now turn to John, chapter 5. John and the fifth chapter. I quoted part of this last night in the meditation, and it kept flashing into my mind during the early hours of this morning from about four o'clock. These words came flashing into my mind, and we must go back to them. Remember last night we noticed as I gave you a cross on the word child. First of all, the child needs care. A child needs care. Then a child needs a home. And I'm going to continue a little bit along this line. Many testified to a blessing as a result of the ministry during this weekend, and especially last night, when they came to recognize a child of God, and how the child needs care, and our responsibility of putting the young convert into the good of redemption. And then the child needs a home. Now keep that before you. Look at verse 24 of John, chapter 5. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Now please remember the Lord Jesus is the speaker. He that heareth my word and believeth on him that said me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. There are five beautiful words in that verse. The first word is heareth. Now remember Romans 10, verse 17 says, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. There are two factors in faith. A divine factor, the word of God. A human factor, the hearing with the ear. He that heareth my word. Now again, the next word is believeth. And notice the phrasal letters E-T-H. Not only having believed, but continuing to believe. Believeth is in the present tense. I want you to think of this for one moment. Believeth on him. I love that. You hear the word, you believe on him that said the word. Christ, the living word, said me. The next word is hath. Hath. Not you hope, you trust, or maybe that you have everlasting life. How did you get it? You heareth the word, you believe the record God gave concerning his son. You receive the son into your heart, for remember to believe on him is to receive him. John 1, verse 12. To as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become the sons of God, even to them the belief on his name. So to believe on him is to receive him. You have, in the present tense, everlasting life. Now the next word, shall not come into condemnation. There you got now the future tense. And then notice the latter part. It's passed from death into life. Now you got the past tense. Very simple. First of all, the present tense, we are the possessors of eternal life. Now I want to say something here, it may seem strange to you. Yet it's not strange. All men have everlasting life. All men, all children of Adam have everlasting life. We're going to live on either in eternal bliss or in eternal war. But only those who receive Christ are the possessors of eternal life. And eternal life is the capacity to know God. And this is life eternal to know he, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. What does it say, remember? In John 3 verse 15, he that believeth on him shall not perish but have eternal life. The revised verse of John 3, 16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have eternal life. Now isn't this precious? Notice then, in the present we have eternal life. The future, no condemnation. The past, from death unto life. Now notice verse number 25. And this is the verse. There that verily I see unto you, the hour is coming, and now is. Now underline the three words, and now is. When the dames shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father livened himself, so he giveth the Son to liven himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Now notice that title. Verse 25 is the Son of God. Verse number 27 is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming. Now notice coming here, three words are missing. Verse 25, and now is. But verse 28 just says, The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and they shall come forth. They have done good, and the resurrection of life. They have done evil, and the resurrection of judgment. Now chapter four, verse 23. The same book, John's Gospels, the fourth chapter, and the twenty-third verse. Again the Lord Jesus is the speaker. He says, The hour is coming, now know this, and now is. When the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. Verse 24, for God is the Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit, in contrast to the flesh, and in truth, in contrast to error. The wonder of it all. Now get the picture. One is saying, verse number 25, the hour is coming, and now is. Yet in verse 28 it just says, The hour is coming. I think you have the answer in the two titles given to the Lord Jesus. The title of Son of God has to do with grace. And this is the hour of grace. The hour is coming, and now is. And this is the day, the hour, may I say, the moment of grace. I once remembered the year of grace, the day of grace, the hour of grace, but you know the hourglass is getting, and the day is fastly ebbing on. And I think we're in the moment, the closing moment of the hour of grace. But it now is. It now is. And thank God for the present tense. The hour is coming, and now is. The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God. Now this means spiritual death. Those who are dead spiritually shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. You'll hear with a hearing of faith. Isn't that lovely? And hearing with a hearing of faith, it brings life. We go down to the next one now. It says, the title, the Son of Man. The hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice. It says no, no word at all about graves in verse twenty-five. Oh no. Verse twenty-eight, they are physically dead. They've died and their bodies are in the grave. Verse twenty-five is those who are spiritually dead. Remember it says in Ephesians chapter two, dead in trespasses and in sin. There we are all by nature. But we've heard the voice of the Son of God through the Word of God. Believe the record God gave concerning his Son, and received him by faith into our heart. And this morning we are the possessors of eternal spiritual life. And because we are the possessors of such life, we are the chilm of God. We have become partakers of the divine nature. We've got the very nature of God. We've got the very life of God. That nature of life and light are ours this morning. Because we receive Christ who is life personified. We receive light because Christ is life. And he has been coming into our life, my friends. All the transformations taking place. But we have judgment concerns for the believer. The judgment concerning sin is gone and gone forever. But now notice, because we are chilm of God, running parallel with the hour of grace is the hour of worship. Did you notice that in John four, verse twenty-three? The hour is coming, and now is, as a father seeketh such to worship him, who shall worship him in spirit and in truth. And because I'm a child of God, one of the first evidences, I've got a desire for worship. I've got a desire for worship. And I've got a desire to worship him, to adore him, to thank him, to praise him, and worship, my friends, is a result of our contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ. When our hearts are contemplating this one, and he fills our vision, our heart just bubbles up within us, and simply overflows, says the psalmist in Psalm forty-five, verse one. My heart indicting a good matter. I feel things I may touch in the King. My tongue's a pen of a ready writer. The ready writer is the Holy Spirit who takes the tongue of the one whose heart is engaged with Christ, to speak for his praise. And we say, thou art heir of the children of man. Grace is poured into thy lips. Why? He is thy Lord. Worship thou him. Oh, we bow before him this morning. We worship and we adore. Why? Because we're the children of God. We worship God. The father see is such to worship him, who shall worship him in spirit and in truth. You cannot worship God unless you've got the nature of God. You must have the life of God. You must be in the family of God before you can worship in spirit and in truth. The spirit, my friend, must indwell us. The spirit. And when do I receive the spirit? On believing. On believing. And it says in Galatians chapter four, on hearing the word of faith, the Holy Spirit entered. Isn't that lovely? And because it's now we worship in spirit, till the Holy Spirit fills us. Occupy the heart's affection with Christ. The result? Our hearts well up and simply overflow. And there's an uprising, a welling up of adoration, of worship to the father. All the delight. All the joy. Now, that's why the child not only needs care, the child needs a spiritual home. A spiritual home. And that's why we gather as those who are the children of God to remember the Lord Jesus in his all-appointed way. When he said, this Jew will remember me till I come again. The brain, a picture of his body broken, given. The wine, a picture of his blood outpoured. And he said, this Jew, a remembrance of me. Oh, what an honor. What a privilege. What a joy to remember him in his last loving request. I often think, it may be wishful thinking, but I would like it to happen, that when we're gathered together around the Lord Jesus on the Lord's morning, fulfilling his last loving request, to hear him say, rise up, my love, for remember it is only till he comes. It is only till he comes. All the joy is brought to his heart when we fulfill that loving request. Go to a psalm now, shall we? Go with me across to the word in Proverbs chapter four. I referred to this last night as I closed. We'll go to Luke now. The child needs instruction. And this is very, very important. The child, my friend, needs care. The child needs a home. Oh, I trust we've all got a spirit of trust. You know the joy of the one of a pure heart, call upon him to serve him. And we come in, my friend, as a holy priest in worship, in thanksgiving. And that is the privilege and joy of all. I believe in the priesthood of all believers because God teaches that we thank God on the day for our great unchanging height. He's made us kings and priests out of God. And what a privilege it is to worship him in this way. I trust you've got a spiritual home, a home where the unadulterated and undiluted word of God is taught in all its simplicity, in all its unbornished power. Where, my friend, lies the government and control by the word of God. This is the spiritual home. And if you're a child of God, you desire such a fellowship. You desire just spiritualhood. We're all one great big family. That's what I like about Father of the Palm. There's a oneness. There's a family atmosphere. Dear Mr. Wooley, this morning, he just as a family spoke to the brethren about some privilege. Just as I just unburdened his heart, just as a family, I called for rejoicing. Do you know the joy of this family? Are you in the family of God? If not, I trust you to end today. We're going to deal with this tonight. You're the aristocracy of heaven, the wonder of it all. And now look at verse number one. Proverbs chapter four says here, Hear ye children the instruction of a father, and attain to know the understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my word, keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding, forget it not. Ne'er be declined from the words of my mouth, forsake her not. And she shall preserve thee, lover, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding, exalt her, and she shall promote thee. She shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Hear, O my son, and receive my saying, and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom, I have led thee in the right path. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straightened. The Hebrew makes a beautiful change in this verse, you know what it says? When thou goest, step by step as thou goest, the way shall open before thee. Isn't that lovely? We got that up in our drawing room at home in the house. Step by step as thou goest, so shall the way open before thee. What a beautiful change, isn't it? May we know this joy. And when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go. Keep her, for she is thy life. So dear child of God, some of you are not just quite so young as you used to be physically. That means some of you may be quite young spiritually. And there is a need for instruction. And we've got to instruct. Thank God for spiritual fathers, for spiritual mothers, for spiritual teachers, who sought to instruct us in the ways which have inclined Jesus, the ways that are going to bring real light, and light, and liberty, and love, and real joy, and fruitfulness into our own lives. Keep that before you now, and go to 2nd Timothy, and chapter 3. 2nd Timothy, and the 3rd chapter, please. Now I want you to look with me at verse number 14. The 14th verse, Jephthah 3, 2nd Timothy. Now here's the old warrior, Paul, about to lay down his armor. He says to young Timothy, his son, in the faith, But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, counterful stature, counterful growth, truly furnished, and all good works. I want you to notice something here. Verse number 15, from a child. Verse 17, that the man of God. We have not to continue as children. We are born as children into the family of God, that we must develop and mature. How are we going to do it? Here is the instrument, and I want you to think of the instrument, the word of God. May I suggest three little a's to you, that you can get a grip of. In verse 15, you have the ability of the holy scripture, able to make thee wise unto salvation. Isn't it lovely? The holy scripture able to make us wise unto salvation. Verse number 16, another big word, the authenticity of the holy scripture. These are the authentic, authoritative words of God. And so here we have now the authenticity, what does it say? All scripture, and that means the first five books of the Bible. That means the book of Jonah. It means, my friends, the virgin birth. It means the sinless life of the Lord Jesus. It means his vicarious death and the shedding of his blood upon the cross. It means his victorious resurrection. Oh yes, it means the parables and the miracles. All I have mentioned are being denied by certain schools today. My friend, all scripture is a God-breed word. That's the word. It's given by inspiration of God, and it's profitable for instruction in righteousness. So first of all, you've got the ability of the holy scripture. Then you have the authenticity of the holy scripture. And the last one, verse 17, the aim. What is the aim of the holy scripture? What does it say? That the man of God may be perfect, come to full stature, come to full growth, full development, truly furnished unto all good works. Isn't this lovely? Now, the holy scripture is God's great gift to you and to me. We sometimes say, I have a wonderful treasure, the gift of God without measure. We will travel together, my Bible and I. Oh, do you appreciate the word of God? You tell me how long you spend with God's word. Friend, you can't tell me you'll love him if you do not read his word. Let us indicate, my friend, you'll love the Lord. You'll spend time in the holy scripture. If you love a person, you want to listen to that person. You want to be in the presence of that person. You just love to learn the ability. Now, if I appreciate God's word, one, John 5, 39, I'm going to search the holy scripture. Remember, it says in John 5, 39, Christ says, Search the scripture, for these are they that testify of me. And that's why we search the holy scripture, to find the Lord Jesus, and to gaze upon him, our hearts delight as we look upon him. And then 2 Timothy 2, 15. Study the scripture, study the scripture, that we may be approved unto God. Workman that he does not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Go back to that just for one moment. 2 Timothy 2, 15. Look at the word again. You have a feeble preparation in this one verse. You have a spiritual preparation, and this is why we should search and study the word of God. Before I touch this, may I suggest to you, the word search is a very interesting word. It's a word that means like a bloodhound. The bloodhound gets the scent of the prey, and like the bloodhound, as a bloodhound, it searches the prey down until it catches its prey. And that's the very word used here. Christ used the word search like the bloodhound. You've got something, my friend, you're searching for. And don't give up. Go all the way until you find, and with the Lord himself, all the delight of all this. But this word study is another word. It's a deeper word. It says right here now, search, study to show thyself, firstly, approved unto God. So there you've got a spiritual preparation. And when we search the scripture, it's not a case of just getting a mental knowledge, or getting, oh no, our first ambition must be with a desire. And we occupy with the Lord, who is a living word. I love conferences. I like being with the Lord's people. He does something to me. And I love ministering to God's people. It's a real joy. But may I say this? No, we go around the conference, he and conference there. We'll listen to the ministry coming from God's beloved people. Some really wonderful teachers of the word of God. Men will feel ability. And we'll, oh, isn't that wonderful? Isn't that wonderful? And you know, we'll get no further than our head, if it even gets there. If it even gets there. My friend, we must not only hear the word. We've got to hear it with a hearing of faith. What does that mean? We've got to receive the word. We've got, my friend, to appropriate the word of God. To make it our very own. And the word may get right down deep into our heart. And when that takes place, we shall study the word with a view of being approved unto God. There shall be the spiritual preparation. And secondly, a practical preparation. What does it say? A workman that needeth not to be ashamed. There you have the practical preparation now. You see, the word of God should affect my life. If it doesn't affect my life, then it's just like rain in the middle region. It won't do the earth much good. If the word only gets into my mind, how often? You'll listen to men preaching the word of God. Probably women too. But I'm talking about men. You'll listen to men preaching the word of God. They're so lucid. They're so clear. Oh, what a wonderful coplight. A beautifully constructed message. What a purpose in its delivery. And it leaves you as cold as ice. It never reaches your heart. It never warms you. There has been an intellectual grasp of the word of God that has not reached the heart. I pray God during these days, the word's going to reach your heart and my heart. And there's going to be a molding effect go on in our life. That we shall be firstly approved unto God in a practical way. A workman needing not to be ashamed. And then there's the biblical preparation. Next sentence now. Rightly dividing the word of truth. Rightly handling the word of truth. May God give us a heart warming toward the Lord himself. Just as it did in the image verse. Remember it says, did not our heart bundled in us as he opened to us the holy scripture. Oh, may we know the Lord himself opening the scripture to our heart. Oh, there shall be a heart warming. And we'll look up and say, oh, precious Lord Jesus. Come on abiding rule in my heart. Break every fetter. Thy faith let me see. Then thou shalt ever be precious to me. Oh, is he precious to you this morning? Go with me now. You got that, didn't you? To James chapter one. I'll just touch this because there's another verse I want to give you before I close. I'm sorry, I got to close right there. And that person in that letter instruction. We'll need to go on to letter L tonight. Verse number 21, shall we? James 1, 21. First of all, the gift. What am I going to do with God's gift of holy scripture? I'm going to search the scripture. I'm going to study the scripture. Now, I'm going to submit my whole life to the scripture. Verse 21. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. There's got to be the practical outworking of this. Receiving your own self. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightly forgeteth what manner of man he was. But whosoever looketh into a perfect law of liberty, the word of God, and continues therein, and Christ says, remember, in John's Gospel, chapter eight, and ye are my disciples indeed, if ye continue in my word. If ye continue in my word. Verse 25 again. And continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word. Notice verse 22, a doer of the word. Verse 25, a doer of the word. It's got to become practical in our lives day by day. Not only to hear it, but to do it and to practice it, my friends. This man shall be blessed in his days. Oh, may we all become that blessed man, that blessed woman. Now my last portion for you, first simile. First simile, please, and chapter four, and verse number 13. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exaltation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in me. Verse 15. Meditate. The same word as looking into, John, in James, chapter one. Looking into. The same word here is meditate upon these things. Give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself. Now notice the order here. First take heed to thyself, then unto the doctrine. The preparation of man is far more important than the doctrine. Oh, for a heart experience of Jesus Christ. Oh, for a heart realization of that lovely man. Ruling and winning in our hearts day by day. Take heed to thyself, and unto the doctrine. Continue in them, says the old warrior. For in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself, and then hear this. Go back with me for a moment to verse 15. Meditate upon these things. Notice now, apply thyself wholly to them. Bingo said, apply the holy scriptures wholly to thyself. When? When you've applied yourself wholly to the scripture. May I look at it this way, and you'll read with me? It says in verse number 15, Meditate upon thyself, apply thyself wholly to the scripture, then apply the scripture wholly to thyself. Is that clear? May I go to the floor? I talk very fast. Let me go to the floor. Apply thyself wholly to the scripture, then apply the holy scripture wholly to thyself. Did you get that? Four ways we can do it. One, by prayer, by searching, by meditation, and by obeying. The first three, beloved, gives knowledge. Prayer, searching, and meditation. But obeying gives power. With that, I'm going to close. The first three gives me knowledge. What are they? Praying, searching, meditation. But the fourth one, obedience, gives me power. May God give us that power as we continue our meditation during these days. Now, may I sum up. A child needs care, needs a home, and needs instruction. May God bless the instruction this morning, to your heart and to my heart. May we know something that's practical, that's faithful, that's not a lie. Now, let's sing together, shall we? Three hundred and seventy-nine. I thought I was getting done as far as discipline this morning, and I've chosen a hymn for it. And it meant we didn't get done as far as there, did we? Three seven nine, under his wings I'm safely abiding. Though the night deepens and tempests are wild, still I can trust him, I know he will keep me. He has redeemed me, and hallelujah, I am his child. Eh? Just the first verse of three hundred and seventy-nine. Still I can trust him, he has saved me. And comforter. God bless this assembled company we sent for each one here this morning. May each one be able to say of a truth, I'm glad I went in a very real way through the balance of this day. May the meditation of our heart and the words of our mouth be acceptable in thy sight.