John Thiel mp3 The Gathering of the Jewels Conference
Scripture Reading – Exodus 19:5 Now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine.
This is indeed a special time and something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time on the subject of the hour. The gathering of God’s jewels. This is our program, our holy convocation. The theme of our holy convocation – ‘The Gathering of the Jewels’ that we are coming close to the heart of God. We are coming to a place of quiet rest. May God help us to appreciate this sacred time now and enter into that place of quiet rest with Him. A place of comfort, sweet a place of full release and the subject of this moment is God’s treasure.
Our Scripture reading is clearly conveyed in Exodus 19:5 where God is speaking that those people that obey His voice, that keep His covenant are a peculiar treasure unto Him. A peculiar treasure unto the Lord. This is what we want to meditate about as an introduction to the whole subject of ‘The Gathering of God’s Jewels.’
Psalm 135:4 The lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
These two scriptures form their groundswell or the genetics if we if we would have it for the theme of the whole conference. As you take these words from the Lord, this is God speaking to us in this Scripture. God is saying that Israel, we who are modern Israel and not only as a whole as a body, but each one of us individually, children you too and this is our theme song of our camp, isn’t it? Little children are His jewels as well as everybody else but what makes us His jewels?
Exodus 19:5 – if we obey Him, if we keep His covenant, then we are His peculiar treasure.
As I meditated on this subject, my mind was deeply exercised on the fact that God regards human beings, you and me, if we will have it as His treasure, we are His treasure in a marriage. Just to help us understand every one of us has been married at one stage. We remember how precious the one that we took as our wife or our husband was to us. We called them our treasure didn’t we? Precious. Why? Because they were the very most important person in our life. We enjoyed them, we had fellowship with them. We had everything in in a loving precious relationship.
You’ve heard, maybe children you’ve heard your mother calling you her treasure? Maybe because there is something special about the people that we regard as our treasure and all the way through this conference, we are considering this special ingredient in God and in each other something special, something that shines, something that’s beautiful and as we go through this conference, as I mentioned, it’s the theme of the conference, the gathering of these jewels. God regards certain people as His jewels and He wants to gather them together. All the way through as we go, we will notice there, that not only are we to be the treasure, but also how we are being gathered. The experience of being gathered is part of this conference.
Malachi; the actual terminology of the gathering of His jewels.
Malachi 3:17 And they shall be mine…
Who will be Gods?
Malachi 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Every word, every thought, in these words are so important for us to appreciate that God says, you are mine in the day when I make up my jewels.
Zechariah 9:16 And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
Have you seen a crown of a of a monarch? What’s inside? What’s all part that crown? Precious stones, precious gems. God regards His children like those precious gems in a crown. This is beautifully reiterated in Isaiah. Mark as we are reading here because it is so essential that we are diligent in reading God’s word because God’s word is the expression of His thoughts to us and the beautiful appreciations that these words are to arouse inside of us.
We are reading in in the Bible God’s thoughts, the thoughts of the majesty of the universe. It is so important that we really let it really come to our appreciation what God is saying.
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
To have a crown, a royal diadem, is something that a king really appreciates. He is the king, He has a crown and who are they? We are studying the metaphors or the metaphorical application of God’s people as a crown, as a gem, as a jewel, as a pearl. This is what we are letting God communicate with us and so as we proceed through the scriptures and through the Spirit of Prophecy statements, let us be diligent to appreciate and take it in as to what God is saying. This terminology, a crown, a diadem in His hand.
What we’re reading so far in our introduction is the announcements of who God’s people are.
We have read an account of a noble prince who carried the picture of his father always near his heart and on important occasions when there was danger of forgetting him, he would take out the likeness and view it and say, “Let me do nothing unbecoming so excellent a father.” As Christians, God has claims upon us that we should never, never lose sight of for a moment; OHC 22.4
Did you catch that? What we are studying here at this conference, is something that we should never, it is so important, that we should never let it be lost sight of for a moment.
…and as we are His children by adoption, how careful should we be that we retain His image and do nothing that will belittle or degrade our holy calling, for we rank among the royal family. God has made us as vessels unto honor, prepared unto every good work. “This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.” Isaiah 43:21. God’s people are called a crown, a diadem. Satan would eagerly seize the Lord’s treasure, but God has secured it so that Satan cannot obtain it. “Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.” Isaiah 62:3. We are secure, perfectly secure from the enemy’s subtlety while we have unwavering trust in God.” 31 OHC 22.4
We need to hang upon every word that we are reading here as our own individually and then corporately together as a people. As we have read these things that as announcements, to say this is what God regards us as His royal diadem, His jewels that He wants to gather into this royal diadem, it puzzles us that human beings and I’m sure that there are people that have gone – ‘maybe. I don’t know if you have ever gone through that thought; how can God regard me as a jewel? Have you ever had that doubt? Me a sinner, a jewel, how can that be? Follow very carefully so that no matter what you feel about yourself, even if you feel that you’ve sinned and you’ve really marred the picture of God’s ideal in yourself that as a sinner who is repentant and I’m going to take this right through, this as a sinner who feels his unworthiness. A sinner who is repentant before God. God regards him as a jewel.
Follow carefully. The question is, who me? What am I? What is man? We want to know that this belongs to me individually and us as a company:
Psalm 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Simple little question which is posed because who? Sinners like me. What is man? We can read verse 3 for context.
Psalm 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him?
Can you see what’s packed in this scripture? God came in Jesus Christ to visit us. What is man that that God would regard him as His jewels? Job is a good example of somebody who was going through the dregs of human depravity as was being heaped upon him through his boils, through his ugly experience. Look how he speaks. Job could hardly comprehend that God would regard him as a jewel. Notice his comprehension of himself:
Job 7:13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; 14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions: 15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. 16 I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity. 17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? 18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?
We’ve been through that experience.
What is man that you should magnify that? You should regard him as a jewel, a royal diadem. What is man that thou should set thine heart upon him. God why would you set your heart upon me? Let it sink in.
Job 7:19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle.
What’s he saying? Have you ever said that? Leave me alone God, why would you regard me so special? I don’t believe it. I doubt it. That’s what he is saying in different words. Have you ever said it? Have you ever felt that way? Why should you consider me? I have sinned.
Job 7:20 I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?
What does the margin say? Or observer of men.
Job 7:21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.
That’s how I felt. What is man? What am I that you would regard me? He puts himself down. Haven’t you done that? I’ve heard certain of you do that. He was putting himself down and yet God is saying, you are my jewel. What you are saying about yourself means that you are my jewel. The person who feels so depraved and talks to God like that is His jewel because he’s conscious of his unworthy state instead of being careless about his state. The question is, what is there in me a sinner? What is there in us as human beings that makes God pay attention to us? It is because of what is man’s potential. Originally there is something. If you see a jewel, there is something beautiful in the jewel. What is the human race? That is why God regards him so earnestly, why God has spent so much time and effort and self-sacrifice for us as human beings.
Why?
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them
Who are we as human beings? We are the image of God. We’ve been created in the image of God originally.
How Far This Goes
We, this human race on this planet is superior to any other creation.
All heaven took a deep and joyful interest in the creation of the world and of man. Human beings were a new and distinct order. SD 7.2
What were human beings? A new and distinct order. Nobody else was created like man.
They were made “in the image of God,” and it was the Creator’s design that they should populate the earth. They were to live in close communion with heaven, receiving power from the Source of all power. Upheld by God, they were to live sinless lives. 1 SD 7.2
A completely distinct separate order of creation of intelligent creation. Can you think about these children and as you think about this, it captivates you, it makes you go; oh who me? God made us in His image. No other creation in the universe was equal to that distinct.
God created man a superior being; he alone is formed in the image of God, and is capable of partaking of the divine nature, of cooperating with his Creator and executing His plans.3 SD 7.4
Did you catch that? The human race alone was created by God in His own image and is capable of partaking of the divine nature which none of the others had because God created man for one purpose. To deal with sin for the rest of eternity and to deal with that He was going to connect himself in Jesus Christ to us and therefore by redeeming us from sin, we would be right there as part of the Godhead. Many people can’t stand me saying that but that’s the way God created us because He knew what was going to happen and He knew that we would one day become part of Himself.
That’s why the answer to the question; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
The life of Christ is to be revealed in humanity. Man was the crowning act of the creation of God, made in the image of God, and designed to be a counterpart of God; but Satan has labored to obliterate the image of God in man, and to imprint upon him his own image. LHU 48.2
A counterpart of God. Are you getting the answer? What is man that thou art mindful of him?
Man is very dear to God, because he was formed in His own image. This fact should impress us… LHU 48.2
Are we picking up the enormity of the subject that we are pursuing here so God is considering us so specially? Because He created us in His own image in the first place but as we just read, Satan has managed to be marred by sin yet although we have been marred by sin read Christ Object Lessons page 96. Every time you discover how wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked you really are listen to this:
None are so vile, none have fallen so low, as to be beyond the working of this power. In all who will submit themselves to the Holy Spirit a new principle of life is to be implanted; the lost image of God is to be restored in humanity. COL 96.1
You know it’s so easy just to read this isn’t it. But I want us to actually at this camp realise this is to be real in our lives and everything that is following this opening meditation is to be carefully and diligently considered. That the lost image of God is to be restored in humanity that nobody is so vile or has so fallen so low that he is beyond the working of God to restore His image in us again. So even though you feel unworthy, be encouraged no matter how unworthy you are, give yourself over to those words if you will obey me and accept my covenant. You will be my precious treasure.
Here is the motive generated from God to do what we should be doing because I am in the image of God and He wants to restore me. I haven’t fallen so low that He can’t. Even when we see human beings in the rough, sometimes you see each other in the rough. No matter how rough we see about each other, follow carefully in the next quote:
The company of believers may be few in number, but they have been taken by the cleaver of truth as rough stones from the quarry of the world … to be fitted up by test and trial for a place in God’s heavenly temple, and they are very precious in the sight of the Lord…. Even in the rough they are precious in the sight of God. The ax and the hammer and the chisel of trial and test are in the hands of One who is skillful, and are used not to destroy, not to bring to nothingness, but to work out the perfections of every soul…. OHC 167.4
The cleaver is one of those things that cuts apart the bone from the flesh, the flesh from the bone. It’s a cleaver. In the butcher they’ve got these square knives, that’s a cleaver.
You feel you’re pretty rough, really unworthy. Even in the rough He sees something precious in there just like a person who’s got a trained eye as he goes out fossicking among the rocks, He says ah, even though this is a rough looking rock, he knows there’s a precious gem inside. Even in the rough they are precious in the sight of God.
This is a powerful introduction to the whole subject that we are pursuing. Perfect introduction. The Lord looks upon us and He is gathering His jewels. He’s making His jewels. He’s creating them. We’re going right through the detail of that first. He’s creating them by breaking off the rough bits and chiselling, grinding and bringing forth the cluster of the gem inside. Then He gathers them all and He has been doing that with each individual. Notice all of God’s people corruptions. All their corruptions are there in front of Him, but He regards everything in front of Him as His jewels and His treasure.
I often pondered about this, and it makes it so abundantly clear here that in the records of God, His treasures which we are recorded, all our rough behaviour, all our sinfulness as well, remember He’s speaking here to Israel who are His treasure and He knows their their wrongs, their sins, their imperfections. He knows them and all they’re up there among His treasure.
Deuteronomy 32:32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: 33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. 34 Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?
There it is; sealed among my treasures. All the corruptions of the roughness that is surrounding the gem inside ,it’s all there and it’s recorded among His treasures because in heaven He’s got his treasures, his angels and so on. Of those special creatures that He created, to picture everything that’s happening here on earth, to video stream it, it’s all there. Where this language of it’s all among his treasures is expressed by the Spirit of Prophecy.
These and similar passages revealed to Josiah God’s love for His people and His abhorrence of sin. PK 396.2
His abhorrence’s and she quotes the scripture that I just read in Deuteronomy. It’s all there among my treasures. My treasures, His love for the sinner yet His abhorrence for sin. You’re among his treasure. You are still His treasure because His image is there hidden underneath the rough. It is only those who persist in rebellion and resist His love for them that He turns against. Those who are repentant, contrite and broken-hearted, are His treasure. They see themselves like Job sees himself. They see themselves as a hopeless case. What is man that you even consider me. Oh yes, I’ve been made in your image and I’m all sinful.
Satan has marred my experience with you, you still regard me as your treasure. Wow, doesn’t that bring you to your knees? Doesn’t that cause you to feel sorry for your sins? Here is the motive generated that God is changing me if I will let Him. Those who are repentant, who are contrite and broken-hearted, how does He regard them? Where are they? if you are not a sinner you wouldn’t be brokenhearted would you? You wouldn’t be full of contrition would you? It’s because I’m a sinner that I’m contrite and notice what He says:
Psalms 57:14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. 15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls [which] I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
God is not unconscious of our sinfulness. He is not angry or smiting us. He does all the different things that need to be done.
Psalm 57:18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. 19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to [him that is] far off, and to [him that is] near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
Who is He going to heal? You and me who are sinners. Oh yes, I’m going to have to go through the painful experience of feeling His wrath. The painful experience of my mistakes. I’m going to feel it badly. But does that make me any less a jewel? No, because I am contrite and broken in heart. Therefore the Lord regards me as His jewel. He lives in a high and holy place with people like that. He looks to the people who are broken-hearted, who are reading His Word and discovering through his word who they really are
Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Who will He look to? Do you tremble at God’s Word? What causes you to tremble at God’s word? Because as you read God’s Word, how do you feel? Do you get rebuked frequently? Does God make you feel so small because He tells you how wrong you are? You might feel that small but He’s declaring, I’m going to heal you. You’re my precious gem. I’m going to gather you. This has to be taken into consideration. If we don’t take this into consideration, we lose ourselves. The poor and contrite spirit that trembleth at my Word, to him will I look. That’s the special jewel
This is God speaking. I’m not saying it myself but as I know the experience of the study of God’s Word that is relevant for me, I wish that every one of us could pick up what I’m picking up inside of myself. Are you picking it up? This is going to subdue each one of us into holiness.
Psalms 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Notice now that who are the righteous? It’s not the people that are perfect; it’s the people that are contrite.
Psalm 34:16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
These are the people He’s looking to. If you were not a person who had sinned badly, would you be contrite? It’s common sense. As you read, the righteous are people who cry to the Lord because of their sins. They are His gems.
Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
The Lord redeemeth, what does that mean? You’ve got to be brought back from sin. The wicked are people who are not repentant. The wicked are people who don’t let the Lord speak to them in regard to their condition but the righteous are those who are shown by him of their sinfulness. Can you see what the scripture is saying? His people, His treasure, are the humble contrite ones and they are there with Him in heavenly places. He sits in a high and holy place with Him also that is of a humble contrite spirit.
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
The aftermath of all that is what we are suffering under
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
Here is the picture of Christ and we want to look at the pearl of great price which is Jesus. We are quickened together with Christ.
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Who are the righteous that are going to be sitting with Him in heavenly places? Those who are being gathered, those who are being purified, those who have been picked up in the rough and He is breaking apart. He is breaking apart all the rough bits and they sit together with Jesus in heavenly places. What is it that makes them so precious? What did we read in verse 6? Why are they precious, because they are sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus, what does that mean? Jesus took you and I, a sinner into Himself as our High Priest in heaven.
Right now, He is pleading our cases. He still feels the sins that He carried to heaven with Him. Remember the High Priest took the sins and sprinkled them. That’s what’s happening. We’ve got to actually drink this in. So precious is Jesus, so precious is Jesus to the Father. He is the only begotten, the treasured Son. The only begotten. This is why even though He is God, He is called the only begotten Son because an only begotten Son, is the treasure of the Father that was Jesus. How precious is Jesus to the Father; His treasured Son and our attachment to Him in the Atonement makes us as precious as His Son. Jesus came and attached Himself to us. He made Himself of no reputation.
Philippians 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Here is the combined treasure. The Father treasures His son and we are in His son lifted up to heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
It’s so important that you read the Scripture and take it in. Don’t just hear me, this is speaking to you. As you read the Bible, every Word is loaded. It’s pregnant with the precious reality of God and if we keep on hanging our head and can’t be lifted above our darkness, we are not believing what we are reading. Ponder, embrace and own what I’m reading now and what we’ve read before.
John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Why does the Father love Him? Why is Jesus so precious to Him? Because He laid down His life and all that is involved in that Atonement in Christ Jesus. Why does Jesus say – ‘therefore does my Father love me?’
Jesus said, “Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.” John 10:17. That is, “My Father has so loved you that He even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your Substitute and Surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father; for by My sacrifice, God can be just, and yet the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.” SC 14.1
That’s why my Father loves me.
None but the Son of God could accomplish our redemption; for only He who was in the bosom of the Father could declare Him. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it manifest. Nothing less than the infinite sacrifice made by Christ in behalf of fallen man could express the Father’s love to lost humanity. SC 14.2
“God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son. SC 14.3
What a meditation, what a precious thing to take on. Ponder it, embrace it and make it your own make it your own. This is what will save us so we at this holy convocation are to receive the understanding of the words that are interlocked with the introductory message of Malachi.
Malachi 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him
I will make up my jewels. What is involved with this? What is all part of this? This is the detail we’re going into.
Malachi 3: 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
We are living in the days. Those who are sinful people take hold of the beautiful message that I’ve just shared and here brought together. We are gathered together by His Word and by His Holy Spirit and as they are gathered together, they will be discerned. Are you prepared to receive the blessing of this camp? We’ve just begun to understand what it means to be the jewels that God is making up and gathering. We are going into every study and if we are very diligent and very earnest in this matter, we will be prepared to receive the outpouring of the latter rain and to identify our experience with those that are being made up as His jewels. We see it spelled out for us. I marvel at God’s Word. This is not just a man’s idea, this is portrayed in the reading of His Word.
May God help us to let nothing interfere with our concentration of these important messages at this time. Meat in due season.
May God help us amen.
