1 Samuel

[0:00] As the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in the first book of Samuel and a sentence or two in the 30th verse of the second chapter.

[0:27] For them that honor me, I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

[0:40] Chapter 2, verse 30, the second half of it, and the first book of Samuel.

[0:57] This is a wonderful word to contemplate, wonderful in the simplicity of it.

[1:08] For it shows what is the concern of those who have the mercy, whether young or old, whatever their age may be, who were born again.

[1:24] This word shows to us what is their concern and how they desire to live. Then they honor me, I will honor.

[1:37] Every sinner born again in a right mind is concerned to honor God in whatever way it is laid down in the word of God that honor should be given unto him.

[1:49] And they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. And now, they that despise me, oh, they are the characters who just live as they were born and have no concern whatever to live otherwise.

[2:10] If you say to them, what think ye of Christ? There is but one answer. We will not have this man to reign over us.

[2:24] And now, I want, as the Lord should help me, to say something that will be helpful and profitable to you, dear young people, addressing you especially, as I ever desire to do on these monthly occasions.

[2:43] Them they honor me. I will honor. And now, this may be looked on as a sure standard for all sinners born again to live by.

[2:59] I have told you sometimes about Abraham Lincoln who was the President of the United States long ago when there was a civil war in that land at that time.

[3:18] And one of his friends said to him, Do you feel that God is on our side? And the answer Abraham Lincoln gave was very striking.

[3:32] I am not so much concerned to know if God is on our side. My great concern is to be sure that I am on the side of God.

[3:48] And now, that is something for you to think about. As you live your life, as you may come into testing times, you will do, in the world as it now is, as life opens up before you.

[4:06] And when varied events are happening round about you or come into your own lives, when there are difficulties to face, when you hardly know what to do in this matter or that as it arises in your everyday life, think of it from that viewpoint.

[4:32] What shall I do to be on the side of God in what I do? And if you look into the word of God, you will see what set the scriptures.

[4:46] And if you seek divine aid, you will find what David proved. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path.

[5:01] Then they honour me. I will honour. And this is very far reaching. It not only means those who have got names on church rolls and have made a profession of the name of Jesus, it means any of you dear young people who have it in your hearts to follow on to know the Lord, who may be asking the way to Zion with your faces dither ward.

[5:36] The word of God is wonderfully helpful to you if such a concern is found within. In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God.

[5:56] And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall possess your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And now, in approaching this subject, I want to look at it from several viewpoints.

[6:14] And, I will put this question, I saw on a billpost in station, two words.

[6:26] some while ago, quo vedest. And now that means, whither goest thou? And I thought if it had been put in English, it would have been quite a sermon to people passing by, but it was not in English.

[6:49] Quo vedest. Whither goest thou? And as I was looking through some papers, searching for something else, I lighted on a hymn that was written by good Samuel Medley some years ago.

[7:10] It is not in any hymn book that I know of, but strange to say, it is on this very question, quo vedest. Whither goest thou?

[7:22] And I will read it to you. Let me not trifle with thee, Lord, nor with this message from thy word, but stop, my soul, and answer now this question, Whither goest thou?

[7:41] Is it to death and to thy bar, to unseen worlds where spirits are? Is it to endless joy or woe, my soul?

[7:54] Then whither goest thou? And must I shortly bid farewell to this vain world in which I dwell? To the dark tomb, Lord, must I bow?

[8:07] My soul, then whither goest thou? Lord, let me realize the day when thou shalt call me hence away.

[8:19] And must I die and not know how, my soul? Then whither goest thou? Oh, that the aged and the young and all the worldly busy throng, may each one put this question now, my soul.

[8:39] Oh, whither goest thou? let thy dear saints who taste thy love know to their joy and comfort prove that they, through grace, believe and know they shall to heaven and glory go.

[9:01] Whither goest thou? See if you can answer the question, dear young people. it is an amazing consideration each of us are hastening on to an eternal destiny, either to heaven or hell.

[9:22] And this will be the standard at the judgment seat of Christ, them that honor me, I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

[9:40] And now, I want to speak about this honor. Honor is due to God as our creator. We are his creatures.

[9:55] And the word of God is very solemn. Every one of us should give an account unto God the life we have lived as a creature created by God as our creator.

[10:18] How you have used your body, what you have done in journey journeyed through life for the honor of God, or to set him at north and the word of his grace, to live after the flesh, the things of the flesh.

[10:45] Oh, very solemn it will be that the judgment seat of Christ to be there as a creature before the creator, to give an account of the deeds which you have done in the body, whether they be good or bad, the word of God tells us, then they honor me.

[11:10] And now that means, as creatures, do listen, for I do wish you, dear young people, well, God should be honored with our lips.

[11:27] But when you drop grumbling words, slang words, idle words, from your lips, God is not honored then with what you say.

[11:45] And the word of God tells us, the thought of foolishness is sin. For every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.

[11:58] And by him actions are weighed. God should be honored not only with our lips, but with our eyes.

[12:12] Though God seest me, Flable, one of the godly puritans, has a couplet, which is a good petition, oh may mine eyes kept closed be to what concerns me not to see.

[12:30] If you would like it from the selms, turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity. And you know, dear young people, I nearly said, dear old people too, and it might be as well for them to listen.

[12:46] when you go up and down the busy streets in the towns and the cities, your eyes are often captivated by what you see, what you see in the shop windows, and what you see elsewhere.

[13:04] And you find that sometimes things work within according to what your eyes look upon, and covetousness arises as you would like to have this or that which your eyes see.

[13:21] And yet you can well do without it, and maybe you will have to do without it, but in your heart you wish you could have it, and there you fall before God.

[13:37] God is to be honored too with our ears. And it is a great mercy sometimes if you are helped to keep ear gates shut. As you go about in the world at large, especially among the ungodly, and you may have to labor among the ungodly to earn the bread which perishes, and the Lord help you to keep ear gates shut.

[14:04] For you will hear much that will be like dope or bane, poison, for your never dying soul, and that which is not edifying to listen to, and can only make you to be of the earth earthy, if you should be a young sinner, born again, desiring to follow on to know the Lord.

[14:36] Then they honor me. and now God is to be honored with our hands. I have just quoted, by him actions are weighed, and our hands are given to us to earn the bread which perishes, and good it is to remember in doing that to honor God, who has given you the ability to labor to, for your own living, and pound you a sphere wherein you can do it.

[15:14] give unto God the glory that is due unto his holy name, the psalmist says. There is just another thought here, God is to be honored to with our feet, and that is our walk.

[15:35] There is a word in the Proverbs, he that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.

[15:49] And if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. And there is just another word here wherein God is to be honored.

[16:01] It is very difficult to do it. You cannot do it on your own initiative. You need the help of God to do it, but that help is to be had. He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.

[16:20] And now God is to be honored as our creator by you and I as his creatures by our lips, our eyes, our ears, our hands, our feet.

[16:36] And it all begins here. create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Make me to walk in thy command, which is a delightful road, nor let my head or heart or hand offend against my God.

[16:59] And I want to remind you of something I told you, I think it was quite a long time ago, but there are some things that are well worth repeating.

[17:14] And now I will read you a verse or two from Psalm 92. it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High, to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the sultry, upon the heart, with a solemn sound.

[17:48] And now regarding the subject, then they honor me, I will honor. There was a godly old man who was very homely in how he expressed what his feelings were, called upon to pray in a public prayer meeting long ago in one of our own causes, and in his prayer he spoke to God about the instrument of ten strings.

[18:17] And he had quite a good interpretation of what that psaltery was from his own viewpoint and he asked the Lord that he might be helped to use it to write and he thought of his two eyes, his two ears, his two hands, and his two feet, and then his tongue, and last of all his heart, and that made up ten.

[18:46] and he desired that the Lord would control all the ten in him as he journeyed on through life, and thus he would indeed be helped to offer unto God thanksgiving.

[19:03] You may think that over, and what is more, you can ask God to do it for you, and who can tell but what the Lord will be gracious unto you.

[19:17] For them that honor me, I will honor. And now the next thing I want to allude to is that God is to be honored in his word, and that is to own it to be what it is, holy Bible book divine, the word of God.

[19:41] And when you read it, to remember, God spake all these words, all scripture is given by inspiration of God.

[19:53] I was reading just a little while ago about a very godly king, you have gone through it in the history lessons at school, good Edward the sixth when he reigned over this realm of ours, and he was only a teenager, around about sixteen, but he was called the English Josiah, because he did indeed fear the Lord, and desired that which was right before God, and he had got this standard set up in his conscience, them that honor me, I will honor, and now he was in his library, one day, and he wanted a particular book on a high shelf, and one of his attendants took a big book down for the young king to stand on to reach the book he wanted, but he discerned that the large book put down for him to stand on was a Bible, book, and he picked it up, and put it back from where it came, and he said to the attendants, this is

[21:10] God's blessed book, it is not right that we should trample under our feet, that which he hath given us to treasure of in our heads and hearts, and now that is how he felt toward the word of God, and he could have said what the psalmist said, O how I love thy law, it is more unto me than thousands of gold and silver, and now here I just want to turn aside and give you dear young people a warning, them that honour me I will honour, and I have said that God is to be honoured in his word, and now I want to warn you dear young people, the Holy Bible that you and I have read from childhood days onward is what we call the authorised version, and as near as can be, that is a beautiful and blessed translation from the original by some of the most godly men gathered together to do it, the ever walked on

[22:23] England's soil, and it remains outstanding, for its blessedness, and the certainty of the translation, as much as it can be, and I want you dear young people to remember, that if you keep close to the authorised version of the Holy Bible, you will honour God, but if you should seek to use some other so-called translations, modern translations, translations, whereby people have set out to bring what they think, the word of God, to be up to date, and the language to fit in with the language of the present times, well, there is no comparison between the language of the present times, and the language that was used when the authorised version was translated, there is only a contrast, the language used in the authorised version is

[23:32] God honouring, but often in so-called modern translations of the word of God, you will find it is dishonouring to God, and the landmarks, landmarks of doctrine, are removed, and you read therein that which you cannot feel is indeed in accordance with the original, and now there is one translation called the New English Bible, and that is being circulated by tens of thousands of copies, but it does not honour God because they who have produced it, whatever they may be as scholars, they have not honoured God, and translated it according to the original, because much of it, especially in the New

[24:33] Testament, is to do with favouring Roman Catholicism, whereas the authorised version is a book which is entirely Protestant, and now to help you dear young people, I would just give you an instance or two, which I have gleaned, as to what the translation is in the New English Bible, and just let your consciences tell you how you would feel in reading it, when you think of what you read in the authorised version, where it is in accordance with the original language, and now it says here, in Matthew 25, where we have the parable of the talents, when the faithless steward presents his excuses for not using the money entrusted to him, the New

[25:36] English Bible makes the master remember, it represents the Lord, the master, it makes the master say, you lazy rascal, instead of, thou wicked and slothful servant, and now those words, thou wicked and slothful servant, are dignified language, but you can never, never begin to think, you must not think it either, that God would ever use such language, for remember, in that incident, and that parable of the talents, there is a picture of what the Lord himself will say, at the judgment day, to an unfaithful servant, can you, dare you think he will say, you lazy rascal, no, no, what he will say is, thou wicked and slothful servant, as he did say it, in the word of

[26:41] God, as it is recorded, in our authorized version of the Holy Bible, and now, here is another instance, you remember, when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, that he searched out his disciples, and they were fishing, and he said to them, cast the net, on the right side of the ship, what does it say, in the new English Bible, shoot the net to starboard, and now, the Lord Jesus never said that, and you grammar school lads, going into these things, deeper than I must do in the pulpit, you will know that the term starboard was never known, until centuries after, and then it was first known among the Vikings, because they used that phraseology as to the way by which they steered their vessels, and it gradually came into our language, the Greek text says, he cast the net on the right side of the ship, and now that is only two instances, but there are hundreds more, so that, do, do listen to what the pastor tells you, and remember this word, them that honor me,

[28:10] I will honor, and do you hold past to the Holy Bible as we have used it from childhood's days on, the authorized version, them that honor me, I will honor, and now, the word of God is to be honored in its authority, because its authority is far-reaching, it reaches into eternity, he that rejecteth me and my words hath one that judgeth him, the word that I have spoken, it should judge him at the last day, and then, God is to be honored in his word, by the doctrine set forth in it, being acknowledged as his, and that doctrine is, salvation is of the Lord,

[29:18] Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast, them that honor me, I will honor, and now God is to be honored in his day, whatever may be done in the House of Parliament, and much is being attempted there, to undermine the Sabbath day altogether, so that it will soon be a kind of continental Sunday, in this land of ours, if what many in the House of Parliament can bring to pass what they purpose to do, but people thought of God, are watching and praying that they will not be allowed to do what they have in their hearts to do, and remember, the Word of

[30:18] God will still say, remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, verily my Sabbath ye shall keep, ye shall reverence my sanctuary, and you dear young people, as you go out from home life, and maybe you'll be in spheres far off from where you live at home, do you seek to honour God and ever remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, and remember God is to be honoured in worshipping him, and do you seek to ask for the old paths, wherein is the good way, and walk therein, as grace is given, oh that the blessing of the Lord might be upon you, enabling you to do it, then they honour me,

[31:22] I will honour, and now I want to say a little about God being honoured, in not being ashamed of him before the world, you dear young people, wherever you labour to earn the bread which perishes, whether it be in an office, or wherever it is, there will always be opportunities for you to show whose you are, and whom you serve, if you are indeed desiring to follow on to know the Lord, and do remember this word as the standard set up, them that honour me, I will honour, and let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay, lest ye fall into condemnation.

[32:13] I was very interested, a few weeks ago, I have a brother minister, not so very far off from Union Chapel, but God has owned and blessed his ministry where he has been a pastor, and he has gathered together, in connection with his cause of truth, quite a good Sunday school, and many children, not at all of our faith and order, have been gathered in as scholars, and God has owned and blessed the labours of those who do labour in word and doctrine in that Sabbath school, and some of the children brought in from the world at large, God has begun his work in their hearts, and not very long ago, there was one lad baptised, desiring to follow the

[33:15] Lord Jesus, and now he, do listen, he was the son of a woman living an immoral life, and the man she was living with, was not the father of this young man who was baptised, but he had to live with his mother in that home life, and when the Lord dealt with him and he was called by grace, he was persecuted by the man who lived under his home roof, so that when he saw him reading the holy bible, he took it out of his hands and flung it down on the floor, and stamped on it, and in that atmosphere, that lad, a teenager, was led by God to go forth, and have his name inscribed on a church roll, that he might honour God, in that which his eyes had been opened to see, and the word of

[34:18] God says, ye are my witnesses, and that dear young lad desired to be a witness according to that measure of light that God had given him, and he was seeking to do this, then, they honour me, I will honour, and now I've told you that, just to illustrate this truth, but also, for every one of you, before you sleep tonight, to say thank you to God, that you are living in a home life, where you have the atmosphere of love, where you are surrounded by prayers of those who love you, and desire the blessing of God to be upon you, then they honour me, I will honour, honouring and I had another beautiful instance of honouring God and witnessing, in very unusual circumstances, in a letter that was sent to me, and I want to read you an extract from it, which will show you, it comes from the dear brother minister, whom I know in esteem, and he labours afar off, not in the land you and

[35:46] I are living in, and he says here, I knew a dear man of God, who was a miner in the north of England, although in the midst of ungodly companions, he found much communion with the Lord, deep down in the black coal mine, and whenever opportunity occurred, such as breaks for lunch, he would always be found reading his precious Bible, patiently enduring the rude mocking of his fellows, on one occasion, through certain circumstances, the miners found themselves with a spare half hour to idle away, and they decided to hold what they called a sing-song, they thereupon entertained each other with singing worldly songs, attended with much mirth and merry-making, suddenly, one of the number, looking across to a corner where the dear man of God was sitting reading his Bible, shouted out, come on, so-and-so, it is your turn now, come and give us a song, he looked up and quietly replied,

[36:57] I will do so, on one condition, that you allow me to finish my song if I begin, they agreed to this condition, and the godly man, who had a good voice, then stepped forward, and began to sing clearly, so that all could hear, ah, but for free and sovereign grace, I still had lived this strange from God, till hell had proved the destined place of my deserved but dread abode, but oh, amazed I see the hand that stopped me in my mad career, a miracle of grace I stand, the Lord has taught my heart to fear, to fear his name, to trust his grace, to learn his will, be my employ, till I shall see him face to face, himself my heaven, himself my joy.

[37:57] During the singing of that beautiful hymn, the solemn silence fell upon the assembly, and the sing-song broke up, and one by one the miners dispersed, and that dear man that sung it, he was a north countryman, one of our people, and he went to heaven last year, and now, that was the standard he stood by, them that honour me, I will honour, but the time is going, and I must come to another viewpoint of the subject, how God is to be honoured, not only as I have said regarding his word, his day, and his worship, and in his providence to acknowledge his goodness to us, and in witnessing before the world, God is to be honoured by believing him, when all is said and done, when you read the word of

[39:04] God, it is what God has got to say to you, and it should be a matter of unspeakable importance, I have already told you, God spake all these words, and what God has said, must be fulfilled, on this firm rock believer's bill, his words shall stand, his truth prevail, and not one jot a tittle fail, and God is to be honoured, as you seek his divine aid, in your felt need of it, much might be said, along that line of thought, then they honour me, I will honour, how does he honour these people, young or old, whoever they may be, whatever their age, who seek to honour him, he honours them, by granting them, his presence, there is a word in the

[40:10] Psalms, which will help you there, and it is a great word, because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him, I will set him on high, because he hath known my name, he shall call upon me, and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him, and honour him, with long life, will I satisfy him, and show him, my salvation, who can estimate, what that honour is, that God confers upon poor sinners, to whom he has given his grace, and who desire by that grace, to live their everyday life, and honour him, while they live, feeling this prayer, and this ambition, mine, living and dying, to be dying, then,

[41:16] God honours these people, by giving them answers to prayer, and now, some of you dear young people have had answers to prayer, when the answer came, how did you feel?

[41:34] Let your conscience tell you, it will tell you the truth, and when you would sought the Lord in this matter and that, when you did what the Selmist says, I showed before him my trouble, and then the Lord, in his infinite condescension, heard your cry, and appeared on your behalf, and you could say, the Lord hath given me the petition, which I asked of him, oh, how it humbled you, and God honoured you, in giving you answers to prayer, like that, that Christ is God, I can vouch, and for his people cares, since I have prayed to him as such, and he has heard my prayers, not only so, them that honour me, I will honour, and God says, regarding how we will honour them,

[42:38] I will make all my goodness to pass before thee, or he says in a beautiful word in Isaiah, I will lead the blind by a way that they know not, and in paths that they have not seen, I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight, these things will I do unto them, and not forsake them, and that is the honour that he will confer, and not only so, God grants them the honour of his protection, so that they that honour him, sometimes are helped to feel to their soul's joy, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore will not we fear, but then there is much honour that God confers on these dear people of his, young and old, as they journey through this life, and that which is to do with time, eh, but there is a day to come, when

[43:52] Jesus Christ will gather together all his people who have ever dwelt on the earth, and lived their lives to honour him, and he will appear with that vast host before his father's face, and say, behold I, and the children whom thou hast given me, what an honour that will be, to be found amongst them, when that day should dawn, and one hymn writer says, then will he own my worthless name, before his father's face, and in the new Jerusalem, appoint my soul a place, then they honour me, I will honour, honour, and now as I come to the Amen, I say just a word or two, about this other side, of this great truth, and they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed, and now that,

[45:03] I judge, is a very solemn statement, for the enemies of truth to think upon, the Saviour says, for whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his father's, and of the holy angels.

[45:27] I have told you sometimes about Voltaire, who was a wicked infidel, and fought against God and godliness all his life, but just as he was dying, he said, I wish I had never been born, and he said this, O Galilean, thou hast gained the victory, and he knew, that he was likely esteemed and lost.

[45:59] Now there was a godly Scotch minister, a very godly man, and when he died, the last words he said, as he died, were these, blessed be God, that ever I was born, for this, this which he could see, opening before his eyes, though glazing in death, yet his inner eyes, the eyes of his soul, could discern that which was beyond death's cold river, and he could see, the joy awaiting him, to mount up on high, and dwell forever with the Lord.

[46:48] Then they honour me, I will honour, and they that despise me, should be lightly esteemed. And now I would just close with something for you to remember.

[47:04] the words may be familiar to you. For you, dear young people, as you go on living your life, some will hate thee, some will love thee, some will flatter, some will slight, cease from man, and look above thee, trust in God, and do the right.

[47:27] Perish policy and cunning, perish all that fears the light, whether losing, whether winning, trust in God, and do the right.

[47:39] The blessing of the Lord be upon you. Amen.