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Lord hates that day, the cloudless ray, that prospect rain unfailing.
Where God shall shine, and light divine and glory never fading, the whole hymn 169.
Lord, we can see by.
All that's right. Unfairly.
Corinthians chapter one.
Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes our brother unto the Church of God which is at Corinth. To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God, which is given you by Jesus Christ.
That and everything you are enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge.
Even as a testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come behind a no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ?
God is faithful by whom you recall, unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Before it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the House of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
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Now this I say that everyone of you sayeth I am of Paul, and I have Apollo, and I have Cephas, and I have Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptize none of you but Christmas and Gaius. Last thing he should say that I have baptized in my own name, and I baptize also the household of Stephanie.
Besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross was to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved. It is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?
Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how the not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the world, and things which are despised. Hath God chosen? Yeah, and things which are not to bring to not things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence, but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us Wisdom.
And righteousness and sanctification and redemption that according as it is written, He that glorious, let him glory in the Lord.
Paul was 18 months at Corinth.
Spent a lot of time there establishing the assembly.
This is addressed to a church in a city.
Assembly of God? It's current.
Gives us truth for the local assembly.
Ephesians, in contrast with that, gives us truth. For the universal Church. Church is viewed its totality, but here the local assembly.
And every chapter.
Has something that needs correction.
Or.
Teaching regarding wrong doctrine or wrong thoughts or wrong practices.
It's a. It's an. It's an epistle that corrects the errors that existed in this local assembly, giving us instruction for.
All all the years that have passed, 2000 years how a local assembly should conduct itself.
It's the only epistle that in the address and verse 2.
He He addresses the Church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called Saints, with all that in every place should call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord affairs and ours. So it has the the broadest application throughout the world. It's not just limited to current and what he addresses to correct at Corinth.
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Applies everywhere.
He didn't teach one thing in one assembly and something else in another assembly, but this is the broadest. I mentioned that because there are passages in Corinthians like the woman's place and the head covering and and things that are interpreted to be, well, I was just a local situation that existed at Corinth and doesn't apply elsewhere. Wrong. It applies everywhere.
That local condition that existed at Corinth, the correction that he gives towards it and for it.
Applies everywhere and we get that.
I'll give an example. We get that in chapter 4.
He says.
In verse 17.
The end of the verse as I teach everywhere.
In every church.
Again in chapter. I think it's Chapter 7.
Verse 17 The end of the verse and so ordain I in all churches.
Chapter 11.
First, umm.
For 16.
But if any man seemed to be contentious, we have no such custom neither.
The churches of God, he's implying of course there that the churches of God all have the same custom and it wasn't the way the Corinthians were going on. They needed correction and I think in chapter 14.
Verse 33.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the Saints. So what he gives in Corinthians applies everywhere, doesn't it?
And that's so important to see that, and that not to accept any of the teachings as just applying in that particular locality only applies everywhere.
That expression is overlooked very often. It's in that second verse, and there is an attempt to make things local.
And when you first mentioned the difference between Ephesians and 1St Corinthians, I said, oh mine, we're we're going to not see that second verse. So I'm very glad you called attention to it. It's true that the church is seen in universal character and achievement, but even though it's in its local character in Corinthians, Paul says there isn't one rule for one town and one for another.
And yet today, people try to make it out that way. They talk about local customs, but you know, the reason they had the prohibition on women speaking is that there was a custom. There was a problem there. And 1St Corinthians in the Corinthian assembly of women chattering to one another and and whispering back and forth. And that's why it was brought in there. It's not cultural, is it? It's not.
These universal principles being laid down.
Even though the application is due the local assembly.
Of the apostle Paul was an apostle.
And because of that had greater authority.
Speak with more authority than anybody today.
But the principle still applies today that when there are problems in an assembly that is not contrary to Scripture, that somebody who is not from that assembly might not be used of God to try to exercise the consciences of brethren in that assembly.
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On whatever wrong practice or teaching might come up.
That brother who does so is led by the Lord is not interfering in local matters. He might well do his responsibility as a teacher of God to try to help, but he cannot in an administrative way take matters in hand. And we can be so thankful that the Apostle Paul.
Who could have gone to Corinth and?
Take up the matter since he had universal authority.
Not just like a local overseer. He could have done that, but then we wouldn't have the book that teaches us on these things and the conditions that existed there. And we can still benefit from that. We can see the wisdom of God in directing Paul to write rather than to go there. Personally, he was hesitant to go there.
Because of the problems. But he was still trying to help, and he did that in corresponding sending the letter S led by the Spirit. Now we might not and do not pretend that we speak with inspiration as Paul did, but we can still be led by the Spirit of God today and try to be of help in whatever we become.
Of hopefully when we try to help, we try to help in the Spirit and not come across as dictators or dictating things. Paul didn't do that, although he certainly could speak with much more authority than anybody today can.
Doesn't that bring out to a connection with verse two and the verses that have been read to us, the importance of the word of God?
You know, many of us recursively read the scriptures. We don't. We don't meditate upon them. We don't think about them. We don't consider what we're reading and.
It's always interesting to me to see that.
The word of God has never changed. It's just the same today as there was over 2000 years ago. God will never change His word, and there are many even in Christendom today who seek to turn the Word of God around in some way to make it fit into what they thought or have their own thoughts. But isn't it lovely to know that we can go back to the Word of God and find out that truth? That was over 1900 years ago. It's still here.
Just the same as it was with all the new so-called translations and all the mix ups that there are going on, we can go back to the word of God and get sound instructions and how precious this is for our souls. May we ever delve into the word of God and seek to be guided by the Lord in what we think or what we say concerning the word of God.
Some of us have run into a little bit of that in visiting foreign lands, and we have seen where cultures were rather radically different from what we have been accustomed to. And on the one hand, there is a danger, isn't there, of our reacting according to our Western, if we could use that expression, our western frame of mind. And I have I guess personally.
Occasionally, occasionally been accused of that.
And probably rightfully so. And it's important to see that the apostles and others did not try to change local culture or customs if they did not conflict with God's claims or with his words. And so we have found in traveling, and I think others here would bear us out on this, that there are many things that perhaps are done differently and we have no reason to change them.
And I may say that it seems, at least in part, that some of the antagonism to Christianity is tied to the fear that their countries may be Westernized. Well, we shouldn't be doing that. But on the other hand, when a dear brother once wrote to me and complained that something that had been ministered by someone.
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Ran contrary to their culture, I said. Just as our brethren have been explaining.
The Word of God judges every culture, including our own, doesn't it? And so we need the Word of God and how beautiful it is, how balanced it is. And as our brethren have been bringing out, God didn't write one word or one part of the world and one for another, but rather gives us principles that are good for all time, in every country, in every culture.
He found that in Africa.
The relationship.
Between husband and wife is not what it should be. From a scriptural point of view, a woman is almost like a slave and that manifests itself even among the Christians. Also, family life is not what we are used to, so these are things that we try to exercise their conscience about. Husbands love your wife and that they look.
More scripturally at.
A wife and at their children sit down with them and read the scriptures, pray with them. So these are things that, as you said, Bill, where the culture collides with scriptural principles and teaching and they need to learn that well. We also found that in some assemblies they were still practising things the way they were used to from the systems.
You know, arranging things for the breaking of bread, What scriptures to read? Well, we gave corrective ministry and they actually thanked us for giving corrective ministry. So I'm not distressed when one runs into something like that as long as they're willing to accept correction and accept scriptural teaching, you know. And it's not nice that Paul, even here where there was so much to be corrected, he says grace.
Be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. So whenever we come in contact with things that we know from a scriptural point of view, they're not correct, they need to be corrected. Keep this spirit in mind and hopefully will manifest that spirit so that we can be a help and not alienate people.
There are many things that are not regulated in Scripture. We're not under law and we're talking about what the scriptures sets down as the proper way of going on. But there are many things that differ from one assembly to another. I remember when I was with the the Continental Brethren, their seating arrangement was the the brothers sat up front facing each other.
And the sisters sat in the back looking at the brothers. And the sisters did not. The brothers did not look at the sisters, they looked at other brothers. Well, that's the continental style. They didn't do that in England. And we follow more of the English style where families sit together.
The scripture doesn't really doesn't really regulate that kind of thing.
The arrangement of the chairs, whether it's in a circle or a semi circle or.
Different ways. Those are not regulated in Scripture, and there are variations that you'll come across as you go from place to place. I made a mistake once when I moved down from Northern Illinois to southern Illinois. I said in the Bronx meeting once, Well, they don't do it that way up where I come from.
No, they don't do that. You don't don't ever do that. Don't make that mistake. I found that out real fast. Each assembly maybe do it a little bit differently. So there's a lot of liberty and flexibility.
Amongst us. But we're talking about does a woman, should a woman have her head covered? Should she speak?
In, in, in the Church, in the assembly meetings, and so on. The answer is no. Yes for the first one, no for the second one.
It it addresses those issues but not all the little nitty gritty details because.
I know it's something like.
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Something I always think of it going from one assembly to another, it's like driving your car and you're going up into up a big steep hill, so you you downshift in order to get up the hill. Then when you get on the top then you go to the eye gear and you just coast down. And it's sort of like that when you come from one assembly to another, you have to know what gear to shift into so that you can adjust to the the state of that assembly because they're all different.
I certainly like to sit as families and I like that, although we were used to that from Europe sitting apart. But in India, Africa, I think it's pretty well all over the world that the women sit by themselves and the men sit in another place. So when we go to India, I'm beginner sits with the sisters and I sit with the brothers. You just fit in, you know, You just don't try to force our ways upon them. My dad said when I immigrated, you're going to a different country. There are different customs.
And go along with the customs. Don't try to change.
A dear brother among us.
In his travels and he traveled extensively, these guys with the Lord now, but he said he went to a meeting.
And in the meeting he was at, they they always put the box.
Under the table.
He went to this meeting. This is just an example of what can happen under this meeting and the loaf and the Cup were there and the box was on the table.
And this brother, no one was around, so he went over quietly and he put the bikes under the table, what they did at home.
He said the other brother came in and looked around for the box and went right over and he said I'll put it back on the table.
And he said that was my lesson. He says I learned something. Never try to change the customs of a meeting you go to. They have me have little idiosyncrasies or little customs. It's not vital to the truth of God. Why should we change it? So he said he learned a great lesson from men.
One of the very important things for us to observe in our chapter is that it was addressed to the Assembly and corner.
But in our history, where we see the Assembly of God divided into thousands of sex, and in a city hundreds of various religious associations, it's difficult to conceive that the church in the word of Gods in the city.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of the Thessalonians, and when he sent Titus to Crete to ordain elders, it was my cities.
So we have the Church of God in the city. However, man has divided the seeds of which we have sown here in the wisdom of God, so that we will know in our day how to deal with the divisions. The word of God still teaches us that the church is in the city and the full church is there, and that really helps us to not get ourselves.
Out of touch with the principles of the word of God. To suppose that we're just another one of the sects in the city. We are as gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and expression of the assembly in that place, and every believer in that city has a place at the worst table there.
And the only reason they are not at the Lord's table is they choose to be elsewhere in a voluntary religious association, which is the parties that have been created by man's, as Paul said in the third chapter here, that they operated according to man. Somebody thought it was a good idea, and there's more opportunity in this and so forth. But the church is in the city. It's still one, and the truth is unchanged. And so the apostle writes to the church and the city.
I'd like to comment on the church in the city. We had some the assembly where I go Lawrenceville is in the country and some had been coming. And then they got a hold of the idea of the wrong teaching, that there's no such thing as the church in a country, it's only in a city and the the I'll just read in Galatians, he says.
With all the brethren which are with me under the churches of Galatia. Now Galatia was not a city, that was a province, and there were assemblies in that province, some in a in a city, some in the country. But anyway, the idea of this person was he stopped coming because you don't have any scriptural basis for meeting in the country.
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I mean, it's nonsense, but it's amazing how someone can get a hold of an idea and carry it to a ridiculous extent.
Well, that's a perfect example, brethren, of what the Scripture teaches us in this epistle that the letter killeth, the Spirit gives light, and when we turn to the word of God, it's very simple. If where two or three are gathered doesn't make any difference, where that is, there am I in the midst of it?
It doesn't say the Church of the Galatians. It says to churches. And there is no such a thing as the American church, the German church or going by a county.
There are churches or assemblies in counties or in states, but we must never associate the churches as the church in Galatia, you know. So that's a very important point.
But we must also be careful that in our minds we do not think only of those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in any particular place, as the Church the Church consists of every.
Saved person in any community. Now they might not give expression to their truth. They're not meeting on that ground.
And if there are only two or three in any place that meet on the ground of the one body, they and they only give expression to their truth, that's not presumptuous to know that and believe that. So there is the possibility that there might be only a few of those that really make up the church in any community that meet on that principle and give expression to it.
And I trust that we are faithful in that way, that we give expression to that truth, acknowledging Christ as head and meet on the ground of the one body, and will not refuse anybody who has a right to be at the Lord's table. You know, there is a danger that we sometimes might do that. Let's be careful then. We're really denying the very ground upon which we meet.
And that is the truth of the body of Christ.
In Acts 11 and verse.
22 we have.
The expression the ears of the church in Jerusalem.
Doesn't say the churches in Jerusalem, does it? The church in Jerusalem.
So.
I believe that in.
Happy to be corrected on this, but that any one particular city there is a church, not churches. They may meet in various places, but there's only one church in that city. Is that correct?
Is that still old brother? There were thousands that believed in Jerusalem. They couldn't possibly meet all in one building, but they were one church.
The Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo, and it may be the only place I know of among us where so that there are is in the capital.
There are four places where they meet, but they speak out of it as the Assembly of Santo Domingo.
And.
There are practical consequences to that.
Importantly that be respected, but I'm glad that the Lord has allowed that there are 4 congregations you might say.
Were places for more meeting places within that city.
And regularly once a month.
Brothers come together.
Out of all those four and speak of things that are of interest as a whole assembly there in Santo Domingo.
Not of course. Hindsight, I agree with that. Not saying they are the assembly in Santo Domingo, but.
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They're they're practical consequences to the fact that God respects the geographic location such as that, doesn't it?
The expression has been used at the church in the city is comprised of all those that were safe.
In that city.
The second chapter of Acts at the end of the chapter says and God added to the assembly such as were being saved.
Having heard the gospel of your salvation.
Having believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
This is what?
Characterizes the Save and those are the ones who are added to the assembly, believers of the gospel, sealed by the Spirit of God, joined to those who exist in that place by the Holy Spirit. And then it comes a matter of a practical expression of that assembly. And it says here in our chapter in verse nine, that we are called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ. And this is the fellowship of the assembly in that place.
Like that expression, giving, giving that that word, giving expression to the truth of God. Isn't that what we do on Lord's Day Morning?
With expression to the truth that there is one body.
There's not two bodies. There's only one and one when Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
They were either gathered to the Lord's name or they were in idolatry. There was none of these other divisions that were there. That's all came in now, has come in now through Chris and them. They've turned it around and each one rising up and assuming their position and get a following. And isn't that what has happened in the past few years with us? They leave us.
And they start another group.
Whatever they call it, I don't know, But it seems to me that if we leave the divine ground, which we know to be as we have it in the Word of God, that we're wandering around in Christendom somewhere, not knowing where to go.
That's a confusing thing. And Paul, when Paul wrote to these Corinthians.
He threw them to the person of Christ, like we have here in our chapter. I think this is a lovely verse. Verse four, No, verses three and four. Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Could you find any greater title than that? Nothing. Then he says, I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God.
Which has given you in Christ Jesus. Those are titles. Those are terms that.
Really. Give us.
The expression of truth that we have.
Are we really gathered to the Lord's name? Am I going on? Am I really gathered to the Lord's name? I believe I am.
Because I seek to give expression to the truth of that one body. There is only one body.
And on that loaf on the Lord's Day morning we see that one loaf that it gives expression there is one body.
So it's so, these are so, these are precious things and it's good for us to remember as we reflect and go back.
To the fact that when Corinthians, when Paul wrote to these Corinthians, there were no groups, no other divisions, no other assumptions anywhere. They were either gathered the doors name or they were in idolatry. And those are things to remember as we read the word of God.
And it is in partaking of that loaf that I give expression to the fact that I'm member of the body of Christ. That's the truth of First Corinthians 10. For we being many, are one bred, for we are all partakers of that one loaf. And so if I don't practically deny the truth that I'm a member is we've been speaking that expression, perhaps you'll allow a simple illustration in the town that I city that I live in, there's a an assembly plant, a Ford assembly plant.
And they take parts and they assemble them together, and they make a car out of them. And it's called the Ford Assembly plant. And as the verse was quoted from Acts, the Lord added to his church daily, such as should be saved. And you may drive along and see hubcaps in a ditch, if I may put it this way, And parts here and there. You say, are they parts of that car? Yes, they are. But they're not giving expression to that fact. Now we're not talking about living parts that have a will.
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But we as living members, the Church is composed of living members here on this earth, and so we give expression to that truth when we come together. And it was spoken of fellowship.
But fellowship is a known thing, and it's a real thing and it's a visible thing. And we come together and we give expression to that truth that there is one body.
Now Paul also, while he had to correct a lot of things.
He does not begin with that. He acknowledges what there was commendable, but there was among them. I think that's an important principle too. Maybe if we come across something in an assembly that is not the way it should be, we tend to get overly occupied with that which is not right. But we ought to be always.
Looking for that which we can acknowledge and acknowledge it. And Paul does that here. And of course these Corinthians, while they were not yet outwardly divided as we have it today in the church.
So many divided groups of Christians, even among brethren.
They were still together, but they were internal risks.
And I'm afraid that that is sometimes realized amongst those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ today.
And the danger is that these internal rift eventually lead to external ruptures. And so this is, I believe, something that should touch our hearts, our consciences, that we all say the same thing.
That there is not differences of thought and differences of teachings.
You know, I believe that there were these internal rifts among us long before.
It came to these most recent rifts that humbling, that humbled us so much. You know, they were there and we didn't have the spirituality to try to help in these situations. We cannot just blame those that departed. Have we been able to be a help to them?
If we had been in a better spiritual state, maybe we could have been used of God to help, just like Paul helped here in Corinth. So the danger always is to, Oh yeah, these people, they.
Had given up some things, and so unsupported was unavoidable that sooner or later they'll depart. Well, what have we done trying to deliver them and help them?
I think we have to humble ourselves that we have not been able to be used of God to rescue them.
The principle that we that helps us to understand what our true place is in the Church of God. It's really what we find in verse 2. The apostle writes unto the Church of God which is at Corinth and if you look at Revelation chapter 2, verse one.
We find there that the Lord Jesus himself addresses the Angel or the overseer in Ephesus, and each one of the churches unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus. Right these things say, is he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. So we find that the assembly or church is of God, it belongs to him. The assembly is the Lord's, and so the character of what goes on in the assembly.
Ought to characterize what is suitable for the very presence of the Lord Jesus himself.
And so Christ is not divided. And so we find that if there's good order, that which exalts Christ and puts man in the suitable place of a basement, and humility, and Christ is exalted, then we find that there's that which is suitable for the presence of God, holiness.
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There's an inference here too, to that coming day when all will be revealed in its proper order, and I'm just noticing these verses here.
Look at.
Verse.
Seven Well, verse 8.
7:00 So that you come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now there was much gift there. They had a lot of that, but they didn't have any love because they were suing one another. They were going to law with one another. There was really they were spoken of as corinthianizing so bad. It was then going on a little bit. God is verse nine. God is faithful. Isn't that a lovely verse?
God is faithful.
By whom you were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ponder that verse.
Meditate on it. That's a beautiful verse. God is faithful by whom you were called unto the IT says unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Then say. Then go to verse 10. Now I beseech you, beloved.
Brethren, by the same, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ achieve all speak the same thing.
Now he comes to the point they were not speaking the same thing. One said, I have a policy, I have a policy, I have Paul, and so on. There was that confusion going on there. And he said that to you all. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's very interesting that in this epistle Paul brings in that name the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the gathering center. It was he himself. And he says.
That there be no speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but that you'd be perfectly joined together in the same mind in the same judgment, because it speaks here about the fellowship of His Son, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and.
I just forget you for the verse. Oh yeah, verse 8 at the end of that verse that we shall also confirm you.
Who shall also confirm you unto the end that he may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. That day hasn't come yet, but God is going to display that. So however we've adhered to the whatever truth we have, if we if we stand by that truth, then it's going to be displayed.
There are two things here. He was thankful, as her brother Heinz was pointing out.
For their utterance, that is. For the fact that they gave out the truth and Mr. Darby made a statement. We can see farther than we can walk, and dear young people, don't let people criticize the assembly because they've got more truth than we walk in. Paul here is seeking to exercise the conscience of the assembly, that they would walk in the fullness of the truth that they had.
And the second thing that he draws attention to here is the gift. And we're to occupy till he comes. And that's why it's connected with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We'll have no opportunity to exercise that after the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we occupy till he comes. And it's in view of the day of manifestation when he's going to make everything plain. And so it's important that we neither despise truth nor we despise gift. And it's a wonderful thing. You want to get in a plane. You want the best pilot pilot there is. You want to go through security. You want the best security people there.
And so God's given gifts to the church, and we shouldn't despise them, but then he goes on. But the tendency at Corinth was not to judge what was said, but to judge persons. And so people said, well, brother, so and so he's an esteemed brother, and they follow individuals, but that's not what Paul is commending them here. For it was the utterance of the truth that they didn't come behind in this and that there was gift there. And we should despise neither of those. And we should not get following individuals and say, well, brother, so brother.
You'll excuse me for using your brother Heinz said that and brother Heinz is well taught. Therefore I'm going to follow what he says. That's not what Paul desired. I you're agreeing with me and and I'm glad because that's really that's really what the apostle Paul desired and when we get into a low state what we want is we want to follow somebody else and as their brothers been saying we see the results of it. I have sometimes said.
00:50:22
If what I present is the truth of God.
And you do not accept it. You don't reject me. You reject the truth of God. And if I say anything that is not in line with the truth of God, you have no obligation to bow to it. And but I'm glad, Neil, that you mentioned the day of manifestation, because I believe.
The day of our Lord Jesus Christ is not the rapture, is it? That's the day of manifesting.
When he will come back and we come back with him, and then it will be manifested what there was.
Of God in the life of every one of us. In verse 7. The the Word coming waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is literally the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in that day will be revealed.
And it will be revealed as God sees it, and we'll see it as He sees it. It'll be perfectly revealed. So he's he's looking on. It's not the rapture at all, it's the revelation when he comes back and everything is manifested and revealed according to his mind.
Chuck, I have a question.
That.
I I don't want to misquote anything, but I thought I remembered you're speaking in Woodbridge one time and challenging us.
Asking us what was the worst thing?
Worst situation that existed in the Corinthian assembly, and I guess most of us are mind immediately went to the fifth chapter. But I think you said it was this 10th and 11Th and 12Th verses. Did I misquote you now or not?
I don't remember that, but I agree with that 100%. The most serious error there was following Man, having set up I'm a Paul, I'm of Apollo's, I'm a Cephas.
Dividing the assembly into little pockets and then they are open to.
To not act in unity any longer with regards to the other evils that had come in. And so the enemy is trying to divide us. He's trying to get us into little circles. Will you see a little circle talking over here and another one over here and another one there. And birds of a feather flock together. You can always tell what a person is.
What they like and what they think and how they think by the company they keep and so it's yeah and and it's if the assembly, if the enemy can divide us.
Into little groups where we just only associate and fellowship with those that think the way we think.
That's not a good sign.
That's exactly what a sect is, beloved.
One of the works of the flesh delineated in Galatians 5 is School of Opinion, translated Heresy and the Authorized Version.
But we have here the highest authority that can be called upon any individual, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you speak the same thing and be of the same opinion.
One of the cliches.
That has ruined the testimony of Christianity is everyone is entitled to his own opinion.
That's horrible. We are enjoined by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to be of the same opinion.
And I can say without apology, beloved, if my opinion of the word of God differs from your opinion, one or both of us is mistaken.
It's as simple as that. The spirit of God is not going to lead one individual to an interpretation and another individual to an interpretation. And you can explain any heresy, any wrong teaching that you want to propound by simply saying, well, that's your opinion. There are scholars that differ.
So we need to adhere to what is said here to be of the same.
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Opinion. And that is what the Spirit of God is leading us to, and the Word of God.
God has sounded a warning, too, hasn't he? About that day.
Turning over to the third chapter.
Verse 13 I won't read all the verses, but verse 13 every man's work shall be made manifest for the day, the day.
Shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire. God is going to test everything that whatever your views are and what your thoughts are and what your exercise are going to be tested. Not you, but the, the, the work that you're putting into it. That's what we have in the third chapter. But notice what he said was very solemn verse, for the day shall declare it. What day is that what we have in the in the first chapter? The same same thing that display.
Everything will be in display before a holy God.
And then it says that they shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire.
And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. Not every man, but his work. So we know that that day is going to be a remarkable day, because they're going to declare all that we put into this thing. All our thoughts will be all brought out there. Our views, if they didn't accord with the word of God, will be wiped away. So it's beautiful to think of that.
And we needn't fear that day either, because God is going to wipe out all the error, all the failure. But we ourselves, those who belong to Him, are delivered because we're already in our in our glorified bodies when this takes place. We find that later in Revelation.
I like to add to what Brother Ewell said. I remember the story was told me that a young believer attended a Bible study.
And somebody would say, what do you think? What do you think? What do you think? Finally, one brother said. It's not a question of what we think. What does this scripture teach?
And.
When we read any book in the New Testament, we have to understand what the purpose of that book is, and we ourselves have to be careful about fanciful novel interpretations.
We run into that sometimes.
Be careful about that. Do not allow the mind to go wild when it comes to the word of God.
The Spirit of God had a purpose whenever he had communicated some truth, and we had to get first of all the hold of the teaching that was communicated. Now there might be some applications, but the applications will not.
Collide with the interpretation. There is really only one interpretation of scripture.
But there might be some applications, but be careful that the applications don't overthrow the interpretation.
Just on this question of interpretations because it's important. What our brother Ewell was saying is that cousin asked me once, he said, well what is your assembly teach about sister's place? And I said, well what does the word of God say? He said you're not answering my question. I said yes. I said I believe I'm in a place where brethren have a pure heart and they want to do what the word of God says. And if it was pointed out to them that they were wrong, they would want to do what the word of God says. He said, well our interpretation difference.
And I said I'm not sure it does. What scripture are you referring to?
Well, he closed the Bible and because he knew perfectly well what the Word of God taught. And it was a question, as our brother was pointing out schools of thought or heresy, I think literally in Greek means to choose.
And so people will say, your interpretation of Scripture is different than mine. Open up the book and see what it says. It's pretty plain. It's not usually the things that we don't understand about Scripture that causes problems. It's the things that we do where the will is at work. And so schools of thought are formed. But we need to be thankful that we're in a place, I believe, where those call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. And if something's pointed out, something was pointed out to these, this assembly at Corinth, Paul sought to correct them, as you said, with Satanese.
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And they had a pure heart and they set matters in order. And that is the mark of a pure heart. But if I say, well, I don't care what this book says, I'm going to do what I want, that then I formed a Harris here, a school of thought. It's very important.
For us to understand.
That the assembly does not teach anything.
The assembly is always taught.
The Colossians difficulty was they weren't holding the head and they weren't getting the instruction from the head.
Philosophy and vain deceit was creeping in.
So if an individual should ask me what does the your assembly teach, I say the assembly is taught by the word of God.
My brother read those verses to us this morning before this meeting began in the Book of Revelation, didn't he?
But the spirit teaches to the assemblies want to regress, but I would like to refer to what was said about there not being national churches or assemblies.
But that is exactly what Protestantism became after the Reformation.
And that's what is addressed in the Assembly of Sardis in chapter three of the Revelation.
The Lord Jesus Christ said, I know thy works, that they are not complete before God.
Had the Reformation not been interfered with by national governments getting involved in accepting the truth to get free of Rome?
Normally it would have addressed to an expression of the assembly, but as man has gotten into everything that God has instituted and ruined it.
Protestantism failed to accomplish an expression of the assembly, and therefore we have to come back to the word of God and gain from it the principles of what is an expression of assembly and that we do.
I suppose one of the important things to gain from this chapter is that there is a remedy, isn't there? I've enjoyed the fact that the apostle says.
That ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, our brother Little is just read from the third chapter, and there we find things that are going to have to be burned up. How do we reconcile those two?
Well, from God's side, there is power there to remedy all of the difficulties and questions that arose in Corinth. And so we never can assume that things have to be this way. That's what we hear, don't we? Well, you can't walk in the unity that is given to us in the New Testament. It's impossible we hear that, don't we? And I have heard it many times, both in North America.
Excuse me? In North America and foreign lands, it just won't work. I was talking to a girl not too long ago in Romania and somehow the question her her father came up. She said you and my father agreed. Impossible.
Well, maybe the problem was on my side, but it is possible, isn't it? Unhappily, there will be wood, hay, and stubble in my life that needs to be burned up, and I suppose there won't be anyone there, will there, that will have nothing but gold, silver, and precious stones. But the Apostle gives us this in order that we might realize that in an assembly that had perhaps the worst track record, you might say that's recorded in the word of God.
Maybe not the worst bad teaching, but more things wrong. There is a remedy for it, and God would give it to us. That remedy is right to us. Last night at the Spur meeting when it said that we should humble ourselves under the hand of God and submit ourselves one to another. That solves all difficulties if we just do it. I just want to make a comment in connection with the statement The church doesn't teach. That's right, but I want to read.
First Timothy 3:15.
If I carry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground, or Darby has it base, pillar, and base of the truth.
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We are responsible once we are taught.
To I mean the assembly once it is taught by the gifts the Lord is given.
To hold that truth. So the question should be not what does your church teach, but what does? What does your church responsible to maintain and uphold? That's the truth we don't. The church does not establish the rules.
The Church is not a legislative body. It's an administrative body and sometimes judicial. But God establishes the truth. It's right here in my hand. It's the word of God. Thy word is truth. The Lord is the truth. He is the truth. The Lord Jesus is the truth. Objectively, I see it lived out in that blessed man. And he's given us the Holy Spirit, who is the truth subjectively within us to make good to us. What's in this book which is the truth?
So.
The assembly doesn't teach, but once it is taught, it is to uphold and maintain the truth of the word of God, and it has no right to change that, no.
Right, to change it and so much that's error out there in Christendom is man has changed what God has said as though he has the authority to do that. Well, that's blasphemous, isn't it?
To content earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints. It doesn't say once delivered to the Brethren once delivered to the Saints. Yes, God has used brethren to recover much of the truth. We're thankful for that. But it wasn't new truth. It was truth.
And once delivered to the Saints, and that's where we have to turn to, to go back to that which is from the beginning, and it's all in this book. And ignoring the teaching of the Bible has led to all of these systems and men's ways of doing things. And don't think for a minute that we are not in danger of slipping into that kind of a thing. You know, we are made out of the same stuff, so we have to.
Continuously remind ourselves this is the book that has highest authority and asked the Lord for grace to help us to bow through it. Not just in big things, even in little things. You know when we start giving up teaching in little things.
What stops us from giving it up in more serious things? Doctrinal matters, moral issues and this kind of thing.
Let's sing #288 verse 2.
Preserve thy flock most graciously within thy sheltering fold, both of them, from every harm away, and in thy safeguard fold, till thou shalt fully have regained in US the fruit of grace, and we enjoy that never end, shall see thee face to face. Verse 2288.
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