Gold

Matthew's Gospel, please, chapter 2, if you have your Bible with you today. Matthew's Gospel, please, chapter 2, and we're going to read at verse number 11. I want to talk for a few minutes in this session about gold.

That's the message. Verse 11, when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

First Corinthians, please, chapter 3. First Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 11. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. That's assembly ground.

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Revelation, please, chapter 3. Revelation, chapter 3, verse 15, the words of the Lord Jesus to the Laodicean believers. I know thy works. Thou art neither cold nor hot.

I would there were cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and of need of nothing. And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white-raimented, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with thyself, that thou mayest see. 2 Timothy, chapter 2, for a brief reading. 2 Timothy, please, chapter 2. 2 Timothy 2. Here's Paul to the young man, verse 20.

But in a great house, now that's not Christendom, it's any great house, there are not only vessels of gold, did you get that? And of silver, but also of wood, and of earth, some to honor, and some to dishonor. If any man therefore purge himself from these, that refers to what has happened up the chapter, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, prepared unto every good work. One more, Revelation chapter 21.

Revelation 21, and I'll just read part of two verses. Verse 18, Revelation 21, this is what John saw, and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. See verse 21, look at the last sentence.

The street of the city was pure gold, as if it were transparent glass. You see the emphasis there in this passage on gold. Look at it again, the street of the city was pure gold.

Now the Lord will bless what our brethren have talked about and told us, and here we are. In a few minutes I want to put across to you something about this great gold, a very precious metal, in our generation today. It's exceedingly attractive to the human mind and heart.

I looked at the Financial Times yesterday in the airport there at Chicago, and I went down to look at the commodities, and gold on Thursday of this week was selling approximately 1,200 US dollars at Troy Ernst. Now I understand that varies, and gold is one of the precious metals of the 21st century. In our travels we have met dear people who live for one thing, and one thing only, is to get gold, physical gold, in gold bars and stack them up.

I know dear men, and they used to feel, they loved the feel of the gold bars. Well, I have never had a gold bar, and I'll tell you something, I never will. In the corporate world years ago, my boss was a very rich man.

He had a beautiful home in the Vancouver area, British Columbia, Canada. He got a tip-off about gold bars. I remember the day he told me, I have just sold my house, everything that I have, and I'm buying gold bars.

And he couldn't stand the stress of it, and in a few days he got a heart attack, and he was in eternity. Now that's what the world is after today, the world that we live in. Material wealth, they set their heart on it, and this dear man left it all.

I have come to this conference today to talk about Bible gold. It's another B. Twenty-six times mentioned in the New Testament, look them up till you see. I have just taken five, and I'll just summarize it for a few minutes.

The first passage in Matthew 2, wise men brought the gifts, and one of them was gold. We have written over that passage, bring gold, Bible gold. First Corinthians chapter 3, build gold.

The foundation is laid, Jesus Christ, assembly truth. Build gold, silver, precious stones, and so on, as we'll see in a minute. Bring gold, build gold, Revelation 3, buy gold.

It's a very, very interesting context. These are believers we're talking about. The Lord Jesus Christ gives them counsel, as we'll see in a minute.

See in 2 Timothy chapter 2, in a context of a very large assembly at Ephesus, where there were many dear people were in touch with heaven, but some went wrong in doctrine. They told that the resurrection has passed already. They overthrew the faith of some.

It's a hard context. Paul even mentions them by name. And in 1 Timothy chapter 1, it's the same thing.

And they were delivered unto Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme. In that context, Paul says to the young man, Timothy, Timothy, I want to teach you a wee thing about gold. And he uses the illustration of a great house, and all the different things about it.

See the bottom line there? Be gold. Be gold. That's metaphorical language, certainly.

See Revelation chapter 21? You mightn't agree with this, but I'm going to make at least an application. We have been taught, and we believe it to be right. I can hear the man that led me to the Lord years ago, taught us over 50 years ago.

Wherever it makes sense in the book of Revelation, make it physical, tangible, not metaphorical. Now, if it doesn't make sense, we look for another sense. So I'm suggesting to you that in the city which is heaven, there's a street of gold.

Now maybe you don't believe that that's literal. For our purposes this morning, I'm going to say it's literal. And when the day is done, and all the things that we've heard about will be behind us forever.

Dear brethren, we're going to walk on gold. And He'll lead us to fountains of living water, and we'll enjoy them forever. Here's the first one.

Bring gold. I'll just pick up on the point where the wise men arrived in the house. They never went to the stable.

They went to the house in Bethlehem. Did you get that? It's very likely the Lord was never born in a stable. There's nothing to tell us.

He was turned away from the Cataluma. They didn't want him before he was born. See, whenever these wise men arrived, the whole emphasis in the passage is on the child.

And Mary and Joseph watched them. The first thing they did, they bowed and they presented the gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I want to pick up on that and show you today that it illustrates for us some of the basic, simple, fundamental truths of the Christian faith.

We've been hearing about the person of Christ. It's all about Him. Dear brethren, the gold speaks of the place from whence it came, the glory land of heaven.

Listen to the hemorrhoider. And did the holy and the just, the sovereign of the skies, step down to wretchedness and dust, that guilty worms might rise. Out of the ivory palaces into the world of woe, for His great eternal love made my Savior go.

Did you thank Him today? Though I come in the volume of the book that is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God. Psalm 40. See the frankincense? It speaks of the pathway of His feet and the grace that filled His heart from Bethlehem Ephrata to the eastern slope of Olivet when He rose from the world as hands that made, passed through the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Four men in the Gospels, four of them wrote of the pathway of His feet. How beautiful. If these men that brought gold and frankincense and myrrh speaks of suffering, the word is the passion and the grief that He endured.

It would seem that the Spirit of God directed these wise men to select these gifts that are very definitely speaking of the person of Christ, past, present, and future, from that day that they arrived there. It brings us today to Calvary. Known only to Himself and God was all the grief that filled His heart.

On thy grief and sore amaze, Savior, I would fix my gaze. Dear brethren, if this wouldn't draw worship from our hearts, I've come to ask you today, what would? Bring gold. That's Bible gold.

Will draw worship from every heart. See 1 Corinthians 3, assembly contacts. If I have read it correctly, in its setting, it's teaching that's involved.

And He's telling these Corinthians, Paul, the foundation's already laid. It's Jesus Christ. And what He's telling them is, take heed where you build, and take heed how you build, and take heed what you build.

And so He says, Corinthians, if you're building gold, silver, and precious stones, something that nature will never produce, valuable, and small compass, non-combustible, will stand the test of time and eternity. Dear brethren, we need to be reminded in the 21st century, what are we building into God's assembly relative to teaching? We were saying at the table there last night, the very basic things that we enjoy and have taught and practiced for years are being assailed by beloved brethren who might have a better mind than I'll ever have. But the Bible stands unchanged.

Thank God. Here's the converse, or the opposite. Hey, wood, stubble.

Bulky, not valuable, takes up a lot of space, combustible, will burn up. Now let me expand it before I leave it, onto every activity in assembly life. Now we're widening the context.

Like you asked it today, dear brother, what are you building into the assembly in 2015? When sisters, for that matter, in their sphere, I have noticed over many miles that I have traveled even this year, there's a carelessness has set in that would break your very heart. I was in an assembly recently, just a few weeks ago. And we started at 930, to give you an example, a simple thing.

But less than 20% of the audience of the brethren and sisters were in the place at 930. The most of them came tripping in till 20 minutes after the time. Careless.

Didn't order their lives. Don't live a structured life. Anything will do.

You beloved brethren that know the Bible, let me ask you something. See, when it comes to the Bible reading night, do you read the passage before you come? I was in another assembly here not too long ago. And dear saints of God, don't get me wrong that I'm criticizing.

I'm trying to stir your heart today. I said to the correspondent, brother, where are we reading? In the meeting for the chapter tonight, I says, hang on a minute. I'll ask the wife.

He asks his wife, these are facts. She says, Stan, I haven't a clue. I said, were you there last week? Absolutely.

Didn't even remember. What are we building into God's assembly? Is it number one? Build gold. Here's the Laodicean company.

Now I paraphrase it. How are you getting along down there in Laodicea? You know what they said? They would say we're rich, we're increased with goods, and we have need of nothing. That's their assessment.

Here's the Lord's assessment. And knowest not that thou art blind, and miserable, and poor, and wretched, and naked. That's metaphorical language.

That's the divine assessor. Maybe that describes my spiritual condition. Maybe yours.

Now we have come to encourage you today. Does that mean that we dump these dear people and forget this assembly and write it off? The Lord didn't do that. I want to point out that it's a golden lampstand.

Brethren are teaching us that the Lord is outside the door. I doubt that. Maybe you agree with that.

Maybe you don't. But Revelation 3 and 20 tells me, behold, I stand at the door. That's the Lord Jesus, and knock.

If the assembly hear my voice, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and he with me. That's singular. That's not the assembly.

I take it the Lord is inside the assembly. It's a golden lampstand. I there's only six golden lampstands in Revelation 2 and 3. It must have a different Bible than we have.

I want to point out, the Lord didn't dump them. He counseled them. And he says, I want you to buy gold.

Try it in the fire. Absolutely pure. And take the clothing that I'm offering to cover your nakedness.

And anoint your eyes with eye salve. And lay at the sea at this point, that city was stained for this eye salve. Spiritually speaking, anoint your eyes to see past what we're doing today, and get the long-term view.

Are we getting on? They're very, very sobering passages. Buy gold. Will you buy the basic, simple principles of gathering to the Lord's name, as is outlined in the New Testament? Hasn't changed.

Thank God today for every assembly that's practicing what the Bible teaches. Here's a further thought. Maybe I should tell you this.

Did you get the drift? Bring gold. Worship. Build gold.

That's work. That's the difference between an ism and a New Testament assembly. It's all hard work.

I'm telling you. You're going to be effective. It's work.

Buy gold. Be wealthy spiritually. Be gold.

That's worth. What's 2 Timothy chapter 2? Timothy got the message. I take it in his history, he was a vessel of gold.

See, the whole point in the passage is, if it's gold, silver, wood, or stone, the whole point is that if they're clean, they are acceptable and useful to the Lord. And so he says, be a vessel under honor. Ready, meet, ready, available for the master's use.

Sanctified, set apart for the Lord Jesus. Oh, that God help us today, all of us, to search our own hearts, like they asked you. Are we being effective in the assembly? There's a tremendous spirit of anything we'll do.

It's like Malachi. But the Lord still lives. He's the one that gave us all for me and for you.

And the least we can do is to do our best in the assembly. Somebody says, well, I want to bring your thoughts to heaven before I sit down. I taketh John, have vision in four parts.

It's the unveiling, the apocalypse of the Lord Jesus in the Isle of Patmos. And in the closing part of it, he gets a view of the city. And I know there's all kinds of different ways of looking at it.

But in a very simple bottom line, it's heaven. He gets a look at heaven. Revelation chapter five, he's in the courtroom of heaven and he sees what's going to go on and all the rest of it.

Now he looks at the city. And it's been well said that before the book finishes, he gets a look at the city externally, internally, and eternally. You look at the verses and it will bear that out.

Now here's what I want to point out. At least an application. He sees the street of gold, transparent glass.

I'm not sure if we're going to walk on a street of gold, but it's one of those precious metals that conveys the thought that where the Lord Jesus Christ is, we will be. Behold gold. We're going to walk on gold in the land of faithless day when all of life is behind us.

And so I want to challenge the audience, some of you dear people we have never met before. And I want to ask you as I ask myself first, now are you living for bars of gold? Or for biblical gold? I understand we need to have employment and we need to have funds to live. I understand all of that.

But we need to throw out the challenge today. What world am I living for? Where is my emphasis? Where are my affections? Is it all for here or for up there? I'll illustrate it by the two men in the Old Testament that are believers both in heaven. Abraham and Lot.

2 Peter chapter 2 makes it clear. Lot's in heaven. Righteous man.

That's what it says. Now they were human the two of them. But I take it that Abraham was a lot richer than ever Lot was.

But he didn't set his heart on it. And he was a pilgrim and a stranger. And he lived in a tent in the land of Canaan for almost a hundred years.

See the other man? He pitched his tent towards Sodom. And he finished in disgrace. It has been well said.

All that he set his heart on as a believer, he got burned out of Sodom. He left and lost his possessions, his power with his family, his partner in the plain, his purity in the cave. And he ended in disgrace.

Remember what the ungodly said about Abraham? The mighty prince among us. God stir our hearts today. Maybe somebody in this audience has got bars of gold.

Well the Lord bless you in it. But these dear people that I'm talking about, they could feel it and they wanted to feel the bars of gold before they left for eternity. That's all they have.

Will you take these simple thoughts with you as I sit down? Bring gold. Worship. Build gold.

Work. Buy gold. Wealth.

Be gold. Worth. Behold gold.

Walk. The traveling days are done. The Lord stir every one of us to live for him.

Thank you very much.