Wonderful Aspects of the Teaching of Jesus Christ — Gerhard Du Toit

The entrance of thy words give us light. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold altered or changed in any way. You are welcome to make copies in its entirety for friends and neighbors.

For additional cassettes and a catalog call 1 800 227 7902 or write to Charity gospel tape ministry. 59 South Croftdale Road, Leola, Pennsylvania 17540. Morning to Introduce to you all brother Gerard.

Brother Gerard I met him. He's about a year ago my two boys and I we went down to a prayer advance in Virginia a Year ago just to seek the Lord the three of us nice time for a father to get together with his sons and Brother Gerard was speaking there at the prayer advance and I noticed right away That a burden for God.

He had a burden for prayer. He had a burden for revival. And so I felt impressed even while I was there a year ago. Somehow sometime some way that God would make a way for him to come and share with us.

He's going to be sharing all week every evening during the leadership seminar. We're grateful that he can be here with us this morning and share with all of us. He's originally from South Africa. I Know that some probably thought a black man would be standing up here, but there are white men in South Africa if you study History and geography, you'll find out that the Dutch people Had colonized South Africa and I guess I believe his background is Dutch reformed.

That's a ways back in his experience but he lives in Canada now and I believe this is right brother Gerard. Are you the overseer of faith missions in Canada? The West Coast. And I'm not sure if I can explain all what faith missions is to you here but maybe he can some during the week while he is sharing with us, but he travels and prays and preaches.

And as I said already has a burden for the Lord and for prayer and revival. I thought what a Blessing it would be to all of the men To hear him share the burden of his heart Week day by day while we're being instructed all day long so We're going to hear from him this morning and then through the week each evening and I want to recommend him to you this morning.

He's a faithful brother he loves the Lord. And he walks with God, so I recommend him to you based on those credentials Brother Gerard, God bless you as you come. I just would like to say it's a wonderful privilege for me to be with you this week and I Need to tell you that I didn't really Come to preach as such.

I've really just come to seek God and if we do that then the preaching comes secondary because God comes first and It's wonderful to be here and to share with you as Denny mentioned brother Denny mentioned I was born and brought up in Africa and I Was saved at the end of my first year in a theological school in the city of Cape Town and my background is German and French and We were brought up in a God-fearing family although mother and father Didn't know the Lord Jesus personally, but our background was steeped into the Word of God In such a way that my mother was one of nine children on the farm eight daughters and one son and She used to tell me that in the evenings when they had family prayers that My grandfather would read the Bible through once a year two chapters in the morning and two chapters at night and then after they would read the scriptures and we would they would sing a psalm as we used to do and Then the whole family would go on their knees to pray.

And she used to tell me and said When we would go and I needs to pray one of the girls with daughters would slip out of the dining room into the kitchen, which was a better way to wash the dishes and finish the dishes and come back to my grandfather was still praying and That was the kind of background that we were brought up with so I went to Bible college study there and at the end of my first year It was the students with me in the same room that turned to me and said to me if you die tonight Where will you spend eternity?

And I discovered that night that I was never born of the Spirit of God and the Lord saved me and And There were three things that I had to go make restitution about and then I went back to our farm. We were brought up in a cattle ranch In Africa farmers about 10 ,000 acres close to the border of Motion Beach and I Couldn't preach to my mother and my father.

Because if I would say to them Now, you know if you are a believer You don't do this and you don't do that because my mother and father never did those things. My father had a higher standard of Christian living than I would say 90 of Christians in North America, so I just had to live and then about two weeks I came back for December which was our time for a vocation and I Came back from the town one day, which was about five miles away and my mother turned to me and she said there's a black African Pastor that wants to see you and I had a little cottage about 50 yards or so from our farmhouse.

And so when I walk into this cottage this Black man was sitting there and I Turned to him and I said we're going to talk about theology. He said no, he said we will be involved in neology and before I could say another word.

This black man literally fell in his face the floor of my cottage Began to seek the face of God in prayer and I watched him for an hour and a half as the Spirit of God came upon him and just Intercede and prevail Supplicate the presence of God and I sat there and absolute amazement.

Then understand it. So then he turned to me and he said to me There is a mountain here on your farm where we spent days and nights of prayer and fasting and there were five of them and I was the very first white person that was invited to pray with him and You know, you need to understand Africa because it's different.

It's a Friday night about nine o 'clock and I was in my little study studying the Word of God with a candle. And there was a knock at my window and when I opened the curtain I Couldn't see his face because he was his black Africa, but I saw the white teeth.

And he said to me in the African dialect. He said He said Muruti he said mudimu ukai and he said we are going to the mountain to pray. And I didn't. I didn't Understand what it means to spend a night in prayer.

I understand today. But as we were walking in the darkness of that night, I got hold of his arm and I said It was Malika. I said How are we going to spend the night in prayer and never forget this. He turned to me in the darkness of the night and he said to me He said white man.

You've got a problem. And he said your problem is you're in a hurry and God is not and he said you're gonna learn what it means to wait. The best times of prayer we ever had was between 12 and 3 or 4 o 'clock in the morning.

Now our bodies were tired and Emotionally, we were drained and We've said all the things that we think we could say to God and we had nothing more to say. And then the Spirit of God came and intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.

And then five o 'clock in the morning. I had to go back to the farmhouse. I mean, you know, what's the farm about? We had to milk the cows and all those kind of things and and The habit of my country is that The first one that wakes up in the morning goes into the kitchen of the farmhouse and make a pot of coffee.

We used to speak of a Buddha coffee and Pot of coffee and then you take a cup of coffee to everyone in the house in the family with a rusk that we used to speak of as the skate and I spend a night in prayer with these men.

A Broken Heart Through Prayer

Now if you spend a night in prayer, your heart is so tender and broken and You're so sensitive. I mean you so careful what you say and what you think. But you just come out of the presence of God. I came into our kitchen and made coffee and took it to mother and father and my father was a very very proud man.

And my father was a very determined man. My father used to say to me, son, it's not desire that controls destiny. It's determination. My father was a great one for discipline. I was an American citizen.

I would say dad lay down the stripes and I saw the stars. I remember that day as I sat in the morning I sat at the bedside and gave him their coffee and and I've never in my life saw father weeping. And I gave him his cup of coffee just spent the night in prayer.

And you know sometimes the presence of God is with you to a degree that you don't realize it. And I sat at the bedside with him and suddenly something happened. And my father had his cup like this in his hand and he began to shake like this and I didn't know what was really Taking place and then he moved to his left and he put the cup down and he folded his arms and the tears began to stream down his cheeks and I turned to him and I said, are are you okay?

I thought maybe he wasn't well. And he just said yes, but he wouldn't say another word. And he sat there like five for five minutes or so and then he got it out and he just turned to me and he said But why is it when you come back from that mountain that there is something with you that convicts me of my sin.

And I didn't realize it was the presence of God. So I just share it with you. Tell with me if you will to Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5 and let's read from verse number 1 and see in the multitude.

He went up into a mountain and when he was set his disciples came unto him and he opened his mouth and he taught him. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful for they shall attain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.

Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted are the prophets which were before you. We are the salt of the earth, but it is salt of lots its savor. Wherever shall it be salted.

It is then so good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under the foot of men. We are the light to the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hit. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel.

But but on a candlestick and it give us light and to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men. That they may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven. Father as we bow again this Sunday morning in the the presence of the one that has given unto us his life.

Lord is it such a? Encouragement for us to recognize that God is in the midst of these people. And father we have come this morning to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. We thank you that that you have said to us in your word that That you want us to humble ourselves and you said to us if my people Which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.

Then will I hear from heaven and I will forgive a sin and I will heal their land. And God we thank you this morning that the ministry of humbling ourselves. It's not just a discipline but but father we are so grateful that it can become a disposition and that it can be a lot become a lifestyle in our walks before thee and God we confess today that we've got absolutely nothing in ourselves to stand upon but we are here as thy people and father our hearts are broken because we long for God and our hearts are open for you these days to To come and give a reveal unto us our need to a degree that that we have never experienced and seen it before.

Father we ask this morning that at the outset of these days together that the Spirit of God will pour out upon us as a congregation such a such a spirit of prayer father that you will give us such as seeking after yourself that As we would come to the end of this week that that we would not be able to say that that we've heard some wonderful things of God's work as Wonderful as it is, but that we would be able to say That God has met with us in such a way that the work of God and the days to come is going to become part Of our life and so we ask this morning that at the outset of this week together father We do not know if God in his great love have chosen These days to pour out upon us thy spirit God in such a way that we would find ourselves in the midst of an organized disorder.

But we come to you this morning father and you said to us in your work That you will pour water upon him that is thirsty and that you will pour Floods upon dry ground and you have said to us that the mountains will flow down at the presence of God.

And so Lord we we lift our hearts to this morning because you are a prayer answering God. You are a God that loves you those who are of a broken heart and father. We pray that you will come to visit us this week father God.

We pray that not one single one of us from the oldest person within the fellowship To the youngest child will not be able to say that God has not spoken to my heart. And we want to open our hearts before you in such a way that when the wind of God's spirit will come.

We pray that you will give us a sensitivity Towards yourself Lord. We ask that you will cover us under your precious blood. Father I pray for my own heart this morning God. I pray that you will pour into my life This week the burden of God For what you are doing within the fellowship.

I thank you so much that observation affects intercession. We ask that something of the burden of God Will come to rest upon us these days in in such a way that you will help us to pray through Bless your word to us this morning.

We ask of you because we ask it in Jesus precious name. Amen. Now it's quite significant if you would study the gospel or rather the Gospels in the New Testament. That you will discover and quite often when I study these Gospels do I often ask myself?

Is there something? About those that were inspired by God in his spirit because the Bible is saying to us that holy men prophesy As they were moved by the Holy Spirit, but I consistently ask myself. Is there something about themselves?

That I can find within the gospel that they for instance wrote and Sometime ago. I was looking at the gospel of Matthew and I came across two possible little things about the life of Matthew the disciple of the Lord Jesus I came to the conclusion that Matthew must have been what we would consider an honest man.

Because when the Bible refers to him in the gospel of Mark and in the gospel of Luke Will you discover that that God refers to him as Levi? But when we read about Matthew and Matthew's gospel He made a little bit of a change and he said when he referred to himself.

He referred to himself as Matthew the publican and Matthew the tax collector. You see during the time in the ministry of the Lord Jesus was it not a very popular work for people to do. But I believe here was someone who was honest enough to say that's what I was.

Christ came into my life and he changed my life and as a result of that. I'm not a publican anymore. The other little thing that I discovered about his life was not only that he was an honest man. But but somehow it seems to me that he must have been in humble man because you remember when the Lord Jesus sent out his disciples and the different gospels in Mark's gospel and Also in the gospel of Luke the Bible is saying to us that that Jesus sent out Matthew and Thomas.

But when Matthew wrote about that same incident God allowing to made a little bit of a change and he said well what actually happened. He said Jesus sent out Thomas and then he puts his name Matthew in.

Now if you and I would look at the gospel of Matthew this morning Is there a sense in which you need to allow me to suggest to you that That it seems to me that the Lord Jesus in his ministry of Matthew's gospel Spent the majority of his time as far as Matthew's gospel is concerned within the region of Galilee because the Bible is saying to us a Matthew chapter 4 that after these things Jesus departed into Galilee and From what we could gather in Matthew's gospel.

That the Lord Jesus spent most of his time there because in chapter 19 verse number 1 The Bible is saying to us and Jesus departed out of Galilee. Now if it's true this morning that he spent so much of his time in Galilee and Matthew's gospel.

Then you and I need to ask ourselves today to what degree that the Lord Jesus ministered within the gospel in the gospel of Matthew I would like to suggest three aspects of the ministry of Christ there was that which the Lord Jesus taught in other words the teachings of the Savior and secondly, there was that which the Lord Jesus wrought in other words the miracles of the Savior and Thirdly, there was that which the Lord Jesus taught in other words reactions that came from the lips of the Son of God.

Chapter 5 to chapter 7 is speaking to us about the great teachings of Christ then chapter 8 onwards to chapter 10 as Revealing to us the miracles of the Savior and he did 10 of those and then from chapter 11 onwards to chapter 18.

Will you come across 10 reactions that came from the lips and the ministry of the Son of God? I'm concerned this morning in this time that we have in our morning service about what we would consider As the teachings of the Lord Jesus and my brother my sister.

Christian Character and Conduct in the Sermon on the Mount

I want you to understand the context because the Bible is saying to us that that before the Lord Jesus began to to get those wonderful miracles in public in Matthew's gospel and Before he reacted towards the lives of people as he preaches the Word of God.

Will you discover that the Lord Jesus first of all looked at his disciple? That is saying to me this morning that you and I need to realize in the Sunday morning service that that our lives are absolutely and Tremendously valuable for God and yet my brother my sister I need to say to you that that you and I as a believer need to realize that that we can't take people further Spiritually than that we are ourselves in our relationship with God and we can only impart to people That which we possess in the life of Christ within our work with a Savior.

You see the Bible is saying to us in Matthew chapter 5 that that when the wind Jesus saw the multitude He went up into a mountain and when he was sick He called these disciples unto him. It almost seems to me this morning that the Son of God As he was looking upon upon those multitude of people and realized that that in his humanity Was he limited because he took up the form of man that in his humanity as he looked at that he he saw these multitudes of people and he looked upon his disciples and and maybe said to himself the only way that I'm Going to reach these Multitudes of people is going to be through the lives of of my disciple.

Probably saying to us he called his disciples unto him. So the setting was important because it was a little mountain and in the days of the ministry of Christ that whenever the Sadducees or the Pharisees or the Lord Jesus for that matter at very something important to say to their followers they would try and find a kind of a hill and they would sit there and These disciples would come to them and they would be able to teach him.

The setting was important, but the speaker was important because the speaker was the Son of God. You see my friends. It was a it was a prophetic voice of authority. No man ever spoke like him. It was it was a dynamic voice of authority because people would say that that that what is it that such?

Gracious words were coming from the lips of this man and it was an historic voice of authority because the Son of God came on the scene and People were captivated by what Jesus said. If you and I study what we would call upon the Sermon in the mount.

It's an essential which you would begin to recognize that the Sermon in the mount is dealing with two wonderful the concepts. First of all, it's dealing with Christian character and the first 15 verses and in the rest of the Sermon in the mount.

It's explaining to us the concept of Christian conduct how Christian character revealed itself in our everyday living. It is speaking to us about the imputed righteousness of God and the first 15 verses and then it explains to us how the imputed righteousness of God as Becoming the imparted righteousness of God as it worked out in my relationship with God.

The Abundant Blessings of God

I wonder this morning in the time that that we have available in our morning service to to look at some of these wonderful aspects of the teachings of the Lord Jesus and and the very first thing that I would like To mention to you this morning as simply this that it seems to me that the Lord Jesus Gave us an introduction by referring to the abundant blessings of God.

You remember how the Bible is saying to us that that when he saw the multitudes and he he called these Disciples unto him and the Bible says he opened his mouth and what did he say to them? He said unto them blesser.

My brother my sister the little word blessed this morning. If you study it in the Hebrew of the Old Testament as you look upon it and the New Testament. You will discover that the little word blessed is speaking to us this morning About the wonders of the restoration of the work of God in our lives.

And the first aspect of this word blessed is referring to the possibility that I can know him as my personal Savior. I wonder with Sunday morning because I think it is possible That as you and I sit in this Sunday morning service that that maybe there is someone in our midst and if you are Absolutely honest of yourselves.

Is there a sense in which you need to say I can't say that I've been born of a spirit above I? Can't say that my sins has been forgiven. I can't say that the Lord Jesus has come into my life. I can't say that that there has been a time in my life that I Acknowledged that I was lost in the presence of God and and I can face my sins before God.

And I asked God to cleanse me from my sin and I asked God to become my Savior. I would like to suggest to you this morning that that word is for you. My friends I would like to say to you this morning that there is a time We know not when a place we know not where and it seals the destiny of me.

You see you may sit in the services Sunday morning, and and you may say to me brother Gerard. Well, I can come Sunday after Sunday, and and I can give my life to God whenever I want to do that my friends.

He doesn't work like that. You see the Bible is saying to us that that my spirit shall not always thrive of man and the same Sun that is softening the butter is the Sun that is hardening the clay. I Remember a friend of mine in his life in South Africa.

It was the principle of Institution and he retired a very godly man. And they had a physician that came to see them every now and again at their old age and this man was not a believer. And every time when he came to the house Mr.. Mr.. Velia spoke to him about God, and they spoke to him about his soul, and they say to me.

You know Jesus has died here in the cross and and every time when they get that this doctor Would just turn around and kind of turn his back upon that and say well I'm not really interested in that there was a day where he came to visit him.

They sat down with him and I gave him a little cup of tea and as they sat and talked about things. This is the village turned to me said doctor. I want to speak to you again about your relationship with God.

This man didn't really listen and at the end of that conversation. He laughed and he said mr. Villiers he said he said I'm going to go to hell one day. And he said he said you will maybe see me going to go to hell.

Four days later. They were sitting outside under the shade of a tree and on the afternoon and suddenly there was an accident. And as those two cars the vehicles crash into each other into each other she turned to her husband.

And she said we better run and see if we can help. And they ran down the street and as they were running down towards the accident as they came close to it. She turned to her husband and said daddy. This is the car of our doctor.

And as they came running to this car, he was still sitting behind the steering wheel. Half conscious half aware of what's going on and they were open to able to open the door of that car and as they opened The door he fell into their arms and he look in her eyes and he died.

You see four days earlier on he said to her this is mr. Villiers, I probably will go to hell and you will see me going to go to hell and my friends God take him at his word. And I wonder this Sunday morning if you would allow me to suggest to you.

Because maybe you sit here in the Sunday morning service. And you do not have a witness of God's spirit that your sins has been forgiven my friends. You have absolutely no assurance as you leave a service today that God may be in the future will ever speak to you again.

What does it mean? It's the blessings of God. But it says that way the blessings of God is stopping in our lives. No my friends. That's where it begins. You see the little word blessed is speaking to us about something far greater.

The little word blessed is speaking to us about not the only the incoming of God's spirit in my life as an individual. But the little word blessed is speaking to us about the infilling of God's spirit in my life.

And I wonder this Sunday morning my brother my sister is. It's something which allow me to ask you and how many of our lives is God's people. Can you sit here this morning and you say I know that there was a day in my life.

That I've asked him to come into my life, and he saved me from my sin. He gave me the joy of my salvation, and I know I belong to Jesus, but my brother my sister I wonder this Sunday morning if you would allow me to ask you has there been a day in your life as a believer.

Where God has brought you to the place where you have surrendered every aspect of your life to God. You say boss. What does that mean it simply means this? But there are so many of God's people this Sunday morning, and you know what they say.

They say I know that the Holy Spirit of God is resident in my life. I know he's there and yet I can't say that the Holy Spirit of God has become president of my relationship with God. That means this morning that God is saying to us in his word I will seek you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that we present your bodies us as a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable to God.

And I wonder if you would allow me to ask you if you realize this Sunday morning. That there must be a moment in every one of our lives that that I lay my wife on the altar for God. When I lay my husband on the altar for God when I lay my children in the altar for God when I say God I want you to the guy want to give you the right to be on the throne of my family.

I Remember when our little girl was born. She's just five years older a few months ago and I remember I was responsible for her in the early hours of the morning because my wife Janice is not a morning person and I Would stand at her cot one morning at five or so.

I love to get up in the early hours of the morning to meet of God. But I would send it about sometimes four or five o 'clock and and there was this little bundle of life and one morning I was I was complaining to God and said Lord I.

I really would like to meet you in the early hours of the morning, but but with this baby. It's bringing so much disruption into my times of God and I would never forget this. It was if God spoke to me as clear as a bell.

It was if God said to me. Do you see that little bundle of life? She's maybe alone for maybe 17 or 18 or 19 years if I if I would spare her to come and then I'm I'm gonna do something else if her Life and the way that you're going to live is next 17 or 18 years.

He's going to determine what she's going to do with her life. Now I wonder this morning my brother my sister if you would allow me to ask you. Has there been a time in your life? As a believer where you've made an absolute surrender to God.

Those of us who are fathers this Sunday morning my brethren. May I ask you has there been a time in your life where you've laid your wife and the altar for God? You see my background is German and to be German means to be responsible and.

To be German means not to cry. And to be German means to be strong and determined. And I remember when we were married tonight I was concerned about the spiritual development that was taking place in the life of my wife.

But I so dearly loved but there was some morning when God doubted me and said Gerard Are you trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit of God? And I had to surrender it to God. Maybe you sit here this morning as a mother and can I ask you as you lay those children in the altar for God?

How deeply we love him? How deeply we care for them how deeply we want the very best of God for them. But can I ask you this Sunday morning if God the Holy Spirit. And these days as we spend around this where and your your son or your daughter is going to come.

I say daddy. I I feel God is calling me to go up to Africa or somehow into some eastern black country. And I don't know if I will ever be able to come back. How are we going to respond to that? Oh, you say it's not a problem to me.

It can be a problem because we so deeply care for them. I was involved in a conference and there was a lady and her husband and four wonderful sons that was in the services and. And God met her for the Sunday morning in a wonderful way.

Tell her what happened. They prayed for those those sons. One after the other they came to God. And God in his great love saved him in his time and there was the youngest one and they prayed for him and and he was a little bit of a rebel, but they prayed and they prayed and.

And then suddenly God one day saved him and and when he got saved there was some things. It was converted that there was some things that That had to be straightened out in his life and the mother and the father and their zeal and their earnestness and their longing.

To see these things work out. They pile those things down upon him. And it came to such a pace and to such a degree that that it absolutely overwhelmed him and he backslid. One day they came back home and he was gone.

And he went and he began to live on the streets of one of the cities. He became a drug addict. He became a drunkard. And every now and again he would come back to that beautiful house that they were living in.

And he walked into that beautiful living room and and threw himself into one of those expensive Love seats that they had and the mother would say I would walk in there and I I would look at my son and and before I knew what I said, I would say why don't you change your life?

She said he would just look at me and just walk out of the place. One morning she sat in a service like this. The Holy Spirit of God put his finger upon her life and said Mary My problem is not of your son.

My problem is with you. And she said God is saying to me Lord. And God said you've never laid him in the altar and you've never taken your hands off. And that morning God met with her at the altar. And she gave that son over to God.

And God gave her a baptism of love and brokenness and honesty. And transparency. A few days later the front door of the house opened and he came in. And he was an absolute mess long filthy dirty hair dirty denim jeans.

He was on drugs and He was just an outcast and he plunged himself down in that chair. And and she said I walked into that room and as I looked at him, she said there was no condemnation. She said I went up to him and I took that dirty hair away and I put my two hands around his ear and I whispered to him and say Son mother just want to say I love you and I pray for you.