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General Meetings, Toledo, November 1976. Second reading meeting.
Born in prison, the Red Sea's judgment project passed in him who bought us with his father #34.
Everybody.
The ninth verse of me to talk to Yeah, I I would suggest those for those who were not here yesterday to read from the 20th to get the connection, although we have gotten down to off the 29th.
1St Corinthians 15 reading from verse 20.
But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that's left.
Were sensed by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as an Adam all died, Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits afterward, they that are Christ at his coming.
Then come at the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power, for he must reign. Julius put all enemies under his feet.
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The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
For he has put all things under his feet, but when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, which did put all things under him.
And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all the things under him, that God may be All in all.
Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead? And if the dead rise not at all?
Why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. I die daily.
If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage does it mean if the dead rise not let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die?
Be not deceived evil communications, corrupt good manner.
Awake your righteousness, and sin not for some, but not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
Some man will say, how are the dead raised up and with what body do they come?
Full that which thou sowest had not quicken accepted died, and that which I'll show us, thou sowest not that body that shall be but bear grain, it may chance of wheat, or some other grain.
But God giver that Abazi at his as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
All questions, not the same flesh, but there's one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial is 1 and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon, another glory of the star.
For one star differs from another star in glory.
So also the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption. It is raised in incorruption.
It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body. It has raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written. The first man, Adam, was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
How be it that was not first, which is spiritual, but that was a natural, and afterward that was just spiritual.
The first manners of the earth earthy the 2nd man is a Lord from heaven.
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy, and as is the heavenly, such as they also that are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
Neither death corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment the trickling of an eye, the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall it put on incorruption, and this mortal shall I put on immortality?
Then shall be brought to pass a saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory.
Oh death, where is I Sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
The string of death is sin. The strength of sin is a law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
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I think that nothing was specially said.
About the 28th verse. And there's some very precious and important truths in that. First, it's one, I believe, of the three places where you get the eternal seed. You get it here in this 28th verse of our chapter. You get it in the third chapter.
Of second cater where he fixed about the.
Elements being dissolved and then about the how the the new sea. And then we get this. In the 1St 8 verses of the 21St chapter of Revelation where it begins I saw a new heaven and a new earth where it dwelleth righteousness.
So we're more or less limited to these three passages.
Where we get the eternal scene.
But I've often thought that this 28th verse, if anything, carries us farther than the other places where we get the mention of the fact that there's to be a new heaven and a new earth. But here we get the inner thought.
It says that when all things shall be subdued unto him.
Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be All in all.
See, during the Millennium the Lord is reigning.
But when the eternal scene begins, there's nothing to reign over. Everything is subdued and subject then, and the marvelous thing is that the Son himself becomes subject to him that put all things under him.
Now we know, brethren, that the only light that where there's true happiness, true happiness.
Even as God's children is a life of subjection to the word of God, all our failures can be traced to disobedience. That's where sin came in, through disobedience. And the more we're subject to God's word, the more peace we'll have and the more we'll enjoy communion. In fact, that is the secret of communion.
This objection to the Word of God and enjoyment of the person of Christ.
Look, here's the most remarkable, precious thing that in that eternal scene where will be fully subject when the Lord comes, we enter into a scene where we're perfectly subject to the will of God, which we haven't been or failed in down here.
Then we will be subject. But brethren, think of the Blessed Lord himself.
Identifying himself in that perfect state of happiness and rest and peace through all eternity. We don't need to go any farther than that to think of that one who has won our hearts so precious to us even now by grace, becoming one in that sense of subjection, so that as man he enters into that.
Eternal rest and joy.
When we're with him through that eternity that's before us, well, that's as far as the spirit of God can carry us, and it just leaves us to stand, as it were, in amazement and praise and worship. Did we connect that thought, Brother Barry with the 21St of Exodus?
Reading from the 21St verse of the.
Ronnie, The first verse of the 21St chapter of Exodus. Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy in Hebrew servant 6 years he shall serve, and in the 7th year he shall go out free for nothing.
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If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself.
If he were married, then his wife should go out with him.
If his master have given him a wife, and she hath borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself.
And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master.
My wife and my children, I will not go out free.
Then his master shall bring in unto the judges, He shall also bring him to the door.
Or under the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awe, and he shall serve him forever.
I believe we have connected here.
The thought of the Lord Jesus taking that place in perfection as man forever.
And the place of man is is to to serve.
To be subject, and the Lord Jesus willingly takes that place because he loves his master.
That is, it was God's counsels that this be so.
He was fulfilling the Council's, as we noticed yesterday, in which God himself was to be glorified and when the Lord Jesus speaks of His glories in the first chapter of John.
Where Nathaniel speaks of those glories as the Son of God and the Son of David.
He says. Greater things than these shall ye see.
And then he speaks of his glory as the Son of Man.
And he will remain a man forever.
But what we have here, I believe, connected in these two passages, is that.
He associates.
His children or his bride with himself in this place forever?
And although I'm sure that those 3 passages our brothers called her attention to.
As to the eternal state.
Our in a way, the only ones that give us the full picture. There seems to be a hint in the last verse of Ephesians 3.
In connection with the glory and I thought it might be nice to notice it.
Because I believe it is the eternal state although.
It.
Very brief.
It says the 21St verse of Ephesians 4.
Unto him.
I suppose that refers to.
The expression God just before that unto him be glory in the church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. So it seems to me we have a little hint here of the eternal state, do we not of that which will?
Will continue for all eternity.
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus.
Throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. The churches associated with the Lord Jesus in that eternal glory in which God himself is glorified throughout those eternal ages.
Should we also connect with this what we have in Luke 12 verse 37?
Blessed are those servants from the Lord, when the cometh shall find watching.
Verily, I send to you that he shall gird himself and make him to sit down and meet, and will come forth and serve them. I wondered if that would include the eternal scene as well, where the Lord is leading the praises of his people.
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There are many features in the Millennium that will be also true in the eternal state, because the Millennium is the introduction to the eternal state. So when the Lord gives the shout and calls us home.
Many of the things that we will enter into and enjoy will be eternal in their character, but it is not until the end of the Millennium, and all has been settled according to the mind and purposes of God. The last enemy being destroyed is death. It is not until then that we have the full blessedness of the scene, but we ourselves enter at the rapture into much that is of an eternal character.
And saw some of the scriptures that speak of what we shall enjoy even during the millennial age.
Are of that character, and I have no doubt that during the Millennium the Lord will take that place of ministering to our happiness. But that goes on, as it was mentioned in the 21St of Exodus. It goes on forever. However, the passages referred to that speak exclusively of the eternal state of that which will be characteristic of that state our most marvelous, and they surely lead out our hearts to adoration and praise.
That such a thing will exist that God's beloved Son as a man.
Will have the company of those whom he has redeemed to himself to enjoy that in the place that he has taken in company with him forever, surely? It does fill our hearts with praise, doesn't it?
If you're going to get the outline of this chapter.
It's well to see that the verse where we started reading yesterday, the 20th verse of the chapter, is the beginning of a parenthesis, and that parenthesis ends with the 28th verse at the end of the 28th 1St, and that explains why.
We have in the 29th verse. You'll notice he has been taking up.
In connection with.
The statement that without the resurrections that we would still be in our sins and Paul he says we would be false witness for Christ and he also says.
If there be no resurrection.
That is Christ not raised. That's the 14th verse. And if Christ be not raised, then is our preaching veins. And your faith is also vain. Yeah, we have been found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he raised, not up.
If it be that he had the dead rise now, and if the dead rise not then.
There is not Christ raised, and if Christ be not raised.
Faith is vain, and you're giving your sins, then they also, which are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, where all men most miserable, well, you might wonder why he's fixing that way. We're all men most miserable. Why had Paul and those associated with him suffered such terrible persecution if after all there was no resurrection?
There'd be no gain hereafter. Well, you see this. He digresses from his subject in the 21St and proves the truth of Christ's resurrection. And He goes on with that until He carries us into the eternal scene. And then in the 29th verse he returns to his subject at the end of the 21St verse.
Or the 19th verse about our being of all men most miserable, and you connect that then with the 29th verse of our chapter.
Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not?
At all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? You see what the apostle is speaking about.
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Is their persecutions and sufferings, and they as his servants, being of all men, most miserable. And that brings in this thought of the.
Being baptized for the dead.
It simply is more or less of a military figure. That is, the soldiers in the front line in battle will say are shot down and those in the next.
For all they step forward and fill the place of those that have fallen. In other words, they're baptized for the dead. That is, we don't want to get the thoughts of Christian baptism in this. First of all, they're simply taking the place of those who have been in the forefront of the battle. And the apostles were those who had been in the forefront. And we can see it in our day, too. They have been.
Laborers who have served Christ.
And they are gone. And now the testimony continues.
And younger men that are growing up and sitting under the ministry, should the Lord tarry a while longer, will be called upon to fill the place of those that the Lord has taken home to be with himself. So there is really in this being baptized for the dead.
A very practical word for all our young brothers.
For someday you will find yourself if a few years goes on and the Lord hasn't come with a shout.
In the place of responsibility in connection with the testimony of being gathered to the Lords name alone, and in connection with the gospel testimony too, so that that's the simple meaning of being baptized for the dead, just leave out Christian baptism. I entirely out of the verse. It doesn't have anything to do with that, but it does have to do with those who are.
Going on filling the place of those who have.
Fought the faithful fight and have gone on and are no longer here.
That's why it speaks of standing in jeopardy, isn't it? Every hour.
And I suppose that.
In these 30.
In 31St and 32nd verses.
Paul is Speaking of his.
His encounter with the idolaters at Ephesus.
Who withstood the apostles. They tried to give out the truth. I suppose that's the thought of the beast mentioned. It was the idolaters who worshipped the great goddess Diana in the 19th chapter of Acts that Paul refers to as it not and.
They they withstood the testimony. It was a it was a definite act of it was a great work going on there. It was at the time when.
In a certain city they they took all of their books and burnt them, and the Spirit of God was working. And so the enemy began to work, and this subject of idolatry and worshipping.
The goddess of Diana came up and there was a tumult about it and the town clerk had to settle it. But I suppose that's what Paul is referring to when he he speaks of if after the manner of men. I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, he says, why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
Our protest by your rejoicing.
I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. I die daily. Now may I connect that with a verse in Second Corinthians?
And the 4th chapter.
And the 11Th verse.
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For we which live are always delivered unto death, for Jesus sake that the life also of Jesus.
Might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you now the 13th verse is what I have in mind, we having the same spirit.
Now that's a quotation from the Old Testament in connection with those who suffered for the testimony.
For we having the same spirit of faith, according as is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken.
We also believe and therefore speak.
Paul is is seeking to maintain a testimony under persecution. He stands in jeopardy every hour and not only is the believer seen in the position of death.
That's the way God sees the believer. As to his position down here in this world, ye are dead in Colossians.
But in Romans, the believer.
Is to reckon himself dead.
But Paul also speaks in this Second Corinthians of how he was delivered unto death for Jesus sake. And that's a further point, is it not? And Paul has given himself over entirely to the testimony. Whatever may happen. It might mean death, it might mean imprisonment, whatever it is.
It's it's a question of the testimony so precious to his heart.
That why he brings the resurrection in there too. In that verse you refer to. That's carried out a little later in the chapter.
Philippians he speaks about.
He says.
In Philippians chapter 3 and the.
10th verse.
That I may know him of the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. And he says in the first chapter to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
A man of the world naturally wants to make everything he can out of this life, because this is all he has.
Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. The whole Christian attitude is different.
That is, death to him is only that which takes him into the presence of the Lord.
His purpose in being here is not the question of how long he can live, but rather that he should glorify Christ in his life, and in that sense he dies daily. If devotedness to Christ brings in death, it says in Hebrews 12.
You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. The Lord Jesus would rather die than disobey. His purpose in life was to glorify His Father, and so with us. Unless we have that thought in our mind, we'll be unfaithful. We'll put lice before obedience and devotedness to Christ. But if we have the true perspective, our whole life is associated with what is beyond.
As it says, we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And so I believe we could say that it has also a double application. And that is when it speaks about reckoning ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, or bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. And we see ourselves as dead and risen with Christ, and seek to live in the power of that new life. Living in that way may involve something more than just.
Reckoning ourselves dead, it may involve actual death. It did with the Apostle Paul. He was martyred for Christ, and so he's encouraging them here to have the right prospect of in life. It isn't to live. And unless we have this right perspective, we'll be stepping aside from the path of obedience in order to get what we might say the best we can out of life. And this is what he is showing, if we're living on the principle.
Let us eat and drink and living for this world. We are living on the principle as though this life was the important thing. But if we have learned the truth of what is set before us in this chapter, and then we see that it's what is beyond is the important thing. We recognize that even in baptism, and that is going into death and coming up. And so here it's so important, I believe that we should see this.
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And unless we do that, our practice gets down to the level of the world. Who has the wrong outlook? This life is everything to them. The light to come is everything to the one who has learned what we have presented in this chapter.
Before you'd say too that speaking about the Light to Come is connected, as he insists on here with the resurrection, if all were to have in glory.
Is our disembodied souls. It's such a forethought. It has no great future that it could present to us. That is just giving up everything and that is much the state that Christendom is in. Remember my parents attending a funeral of a little girl in our neighborhood? And he is telling about what the preacher said. He likened the spirit of this little girl.
Like a little bird on the tree of life singing its little song. Well, when you begin to make things so fancy as that, why there's nothing real and you're not, It's not at all surprising that those who have nothing else soon go into modernism and soon into infidelity, because they have nothing, no real foundation to rest upon. But when you bring in the resurrection?
That, as you have said, Brother Hale, that the real purpose of life lies beyond it, is in connection with the resurrection of the body. That is where to have glorified bodies like our Blessed Lord, and to exclude that where you have just taken everything from us. And so we just better go on as he said, the spirit of the world.
As it says, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die if all we have is just a sort of a.
Imaginary idea of a spirit beyond, well, you really haven't anything, but when you bring in the actual resurrection that these very bodies.
In which we are sitting here tonight and listening and reading the word together.
Are revealed bodies of glory like His glorious body. And in these very bodies we're to spend eternity with Christ. Or then we have a subject of such vast importance that we can in some measure enter into the the spirit of the Apostle who says we believe, and therefore have we spoken. I take that he's spoken regardless of the consequences. No matter how much suffering it might cause, he was going to.
Give out the testimony that have been given to him because of the glory of future that was before him.
That verse in second Timothy brother Barry.
Second Timothy one and.
12.
That's quoted so often the last part of it. I wonder if you had a thought on that.
First two Timothy 1:00 and 12:00.
I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against.
That day.
Well, I think it's right in line with what we're speaking about. He left it all in view of the coming day when all that has been.
Laid aside and given up to serve, the Lord will have its reward in that day to come. You see, the last verse of our chapter is so comes in in such a powerful way.
He says, Therefore, my beloved brethren, the steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, that's his conclusion to the subject.
That.
Christ is risen, and that we're to have glorified bodies like him and be in a scene of glory for all eternity with with himself.
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So now, instead of giving up and justice drifting along with this poor world, trying to get everything it can out of the present scene, Why, he can say that your labor is not in vain in the Lord that's looking into that coming scene when we're in our bodies of glory and will be rewarded in those very bodies in which we have sought to live for him here below.
I have wondered, brethren, if we if we look at Mark chapter 8 for a moment, I have thought of this part of the mark in connection with the 1St Corinthians 15.
It tells us in mark chapter 8 and verse.
Verse 23 The Lord Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw us. And he looked up and said, I see men as trees walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up, and he was restored and saw every man clearly.
We then find when we go on to the 27th verse, Jesus asks them his disciples, whom do men say that I am? And after they have given us very given various answers in the 31St verse he says he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed and after three days rise again.
And he spake that saying openly, Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. And the Lord has to say to Peter, gets he behind me, Satan? For thou savor is not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. Then we find the Lord Jesus saying, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, But whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, and the gospel shall save it.
It has seemed to one's own soul that we have what we might call in miniatures, what we've had before us here in One Corinthians. Our brother Johnson drew our attention yesterday to the fact that in Corinth there was a great deal of making much of men. Well, I believe that's what we have pictured in the fact of them saying, the blind man saying that he saw men as trees walking, that is, he saw a man looming very large in his eyes.
And he needed that second touch, that in clarification of his view by the Lord Jesus, so that he then saw all men clearly. Then we find that the Lord Jesus introduces the thought of rejection and resurrection. But Peter finds that this is not palatable, and the Lord Jesus has to rebuke him by saying, Thou savor is not the things which be of God.
But the things which be of men and brethren, is that not the very thing that happens when we lose sight of the fact that we are identified with a rejected and risen Savior, we find our hearts are taken up with the things that be of men. We can in in a sense, say, like they do here in First Corinthians 15, eat and drink for tomorrow we die. That is, our hearts are taken up with things here. But then we find, as our brother Barry brought before us, that there is that being baptized for the dead.
And so the Lord Jesus speaks of those who take up their cross, Take up the cross, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. And so we find there are those who have gone on, and we find those who are stepping forward and taking up the cross and filling up the ranks and seeking to go on for the Lord. And then we find, as we've had brought before us this morning, in a most remarkable way, this sense of losing.
Our life, it actually says, whosoever will save his life.
Shall lose it. But whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it. And there is such a thing, brethren, it seems to me as a Christian having a saved soul but a lost life. That is, that he finds his heart taken up with things here. He saves his life for himself. But God says the result is he loses it, He loses it. It's it's lost in eternity.
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Not his soul, but what could have been For Christ is lost. But the one who loses his life, whether it's an actual death or whether it's in the sense of dying daily, the life surrendered to Christ. The truth of God brought out here is that he doesn't lose his life at all. Really. He loses it as far as this world is concerned. But in the records of eternity, the life is safe.
Yes, I believe that's very important what you said, Brother John, because I think we need that word. I die daily because it's a constant exercise and sometimes we're liable to say, well, I was faithful as long as I could be, but the pressure got too great. Well with the Apostle Paul, he would rather die than do anything that dishonored his Lord and saw as he stood on trial. The important thing to him was not whether he received his life.
The only thing he thought of Well, if the Lord wants me to live, it's to be useful to the people of God.
As he says in the first chapter, he said, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
But otherwise there was number, purpose at all. He would rather that the Lord would take him home. And if we give up under certain pressure and give up the path of devotedness to Christ, and then and what is it for? Just what you said to gain this life, and it's all going to be lost in eternity. Far better to suffer and possibly even die in the path of devotedness. And that is what I believe our brother had in mind in Second Timothy one and verse 12.
Often that verse is taken as applying to salvation now, that is, that we have committed the future of our souls to the Lord and we know that we're saved. But the verse involves much more than that. It's a daily, constant thing. Do we live our lives in such a way that we can just commit it all to the Lord and say, well, it's not how it appears in this life, it's how it's going to appear when it's all manifested in His presence.
Where only what is of Christ will abide and be for his glory in that day.
When we look ahead to the time when the beast will have sway, and those who are alive in that day and want to be faithful to their Lord refuse the mark of the beast and have to pay such a price for their faithfulness, we admire their faithfulness and we recognize what a tragic thing it would be for the for any to, under pressure, accept that mark. But in a sense, we are faced with the same challenge today daily, aren't we?
Not as severely as will be the case in the coming day, but I believe that some of us realize that the dear young people who are growing up are being faced with very, very severe and real pressures. Not only the young people, all of us, but it is good for them to remember what we've just had brought before us in the scriptures.
There's another word for all.
Because the young people.
But it includes all where he says evil communications, corrupt good manners. That is, if we associate ourselves with those that have no heart for Christ or not his, and are just living for time, have no desire for what lies beyond this life.
And we be holding her false doctrines like those in current that were denying the resurrection.
Why it says a corrupting influence about it and that is comes in here as a word of warning as to those that we're have as our companions are those that we are associated with. For if we make companions of those who have no heart for Christ, you might even be professors, but they don't want to please the Lord. And even though maybe that have a certain amount of gospel truth but don't.
Want to accept the truth of being gathered to the Lord's name.
We have to be on our guards and watchful, for we can soon be LED astray. For the enemy is very cunning and very shrewd about getting us deceived and going the wrong direction. So there is a very serious word of evil communications, corrupted manners, and I know that in your business you have to be associated with.
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Unbelievers. In fact, Paul tells us that if we only associated with Christians, we'd have to go out of this world. You buy in the store, maybe a store run by an ungodly man. You do business there. Maybe you work for some company and the boss is an unbeliever. Well, you have to be subject to those that are over you, and you're only a servant there.
The word you find yourselves when your days labor is over. Remember about the disciples. They were held by the Sanhedrin and were tried before those ungodly men they forced to do that.
But where did they go when they were released? It tells us that they went to their own company. Beloved, what a word that is for us when we're free. Do we go to our own company? Remember dear brother Potters, someone saying to him one time about going to a general meeting? He always insisted on calling it the general meeting. You know, he said have you any scripture for not going? Instead of saying, have you a scripture for going, have you any scripture for not going?
Well, it's a happy thing. But remember that even at a meeting like this, we can be just here to get the the benefits of the kindness and hospitality of those here without being really exercised about such ministry as we heard yesterday. And I was very glad for what the brother said and I think it's a word that should exercise many.
About having in your home what only leads to corruption and violence. He doesn't mention anything, but he just put that as a word of warning.
To us all, have you in your home, that which will teach your children corruption and violence.
The day of Laodicea, the principles of it are already among us and.
What I was thinking especially was the ISAB that's needed.
As well as the garments mentioned, we may not.
We may still have a sense of the gold.
That is tried in the fire. We may have that sense of security.
In the salvation that's been provided for us, but there should be an exercise with us.
As to the garments that correspond to it, as we have in the in Laodicea, Laodicea was rich and increased in goods, and there is a sometimes a tendency, especially when we come together with so many.
A sense of as though we were something or that we had something, when we have to realize that we're in the very last days of the Church's history and what we have.
Is something like the picture we see with Peter as he's about to sink on the water.
The Lord lifts, raises his arm out, and he puts it around Peter.
So he won't sing. Now that's where we are, brethren. We're in that position where the Lord is holding us up and there's a danger with us.
Of saying well, we have the truth and sitting back, but we must remember there's the daily exercise as to the truth, the practice of it, or there will be losing a sense of discernment that we need.
In every step that we take through this world, I know in Laodicea the full sense of it is really an unbeliever. But the principles of Laodicea can come in and take hold of a believer, that is that he loses a sense of his direction. He loses a sense in his walk of what is pleasing to God. He takes on the character of the religious world, especially around which is the great danger for us in these last days.
And I believe that that's why partly the apostle was given to write the epistle to Colossians, because in the last days the principles of Corinth.
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Are seen, that is those who had the position, those who had intelligence in natural things, and they used it in connection with divine things and their reasoning.
And these are the things we have to be careful of. We have to have that discernment that we get through communion to keep us. You know, the young man in book of Proverbs who was carefully guarded by his parents and instructed.
Fell Why? Because he didn't have wisdom, and it's through wisdom that we get that discernment.
Now wisdom comes through.
Through dependence, being on our knees before God.
And so if we have that, if we have that one thing, one may have all the instruction that we get in our home by our parents, we may have all that, and yet we may fall, because there has to be a personal, daily communion with the Lord, regardless of all the instruction, intelligence, and divine things that we may have. Otherwise we will not be kept.
Rather in connection with this verse where it speaks about evil communications corrupt good manners.
The same to my own soul, that perhaps we also have the thought in this verse of how bad teaching can affect our walk through this world.
For instance, we have those who would teach us that the Lord's coming for us is not until after the tribulation is over. Now, what effect does this have upon us? It's an evil communication, and it affects our walk.
So that we find ourselves, if we accept that teaching false evil as it is, that we settle down in this world. We have those who would teach us another evil communication, That our purpose here is to improve the world, and the result is that good matters. That is a walk consistent with what God would have us to be in. This world is corrupted, and we find ourselves going into the world to try to improve a scene that we're not part of at all.
We have those who would teach us or seek to teach us that it doesn't matter where you meet together. It doesn't matter what company you're gathered with. Everyone, after all, can't be sure, and so you're free to go where you choose Again. It's an evil communication and it corrupts the walk before God. It leaves that man Abram, man, free to do what is right in his own eyes, and he leads himself and others with him.
Into false paths. And so it seems here that also we have the thought of the denial of the resurrection, an evil communication, and it corrupted good manners, because the effect of it is to make the heart say eat and drink for the more we die. Then in the next verse he says awake to righteousness and sin not because all this leads to sin. And then he shames them. For some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
Oh, there are many that we would find all around us and.
That happens, the instruction that we are given, who are not taught in the assembly meetings, the truth of God's Word. And to think that we who are instructed will turn away from the teaching of the Word, pick up with the ways of this godless scene, and going into what is not the truth as we are.
Taught so clearly here.
And adopt the doctrines that are popular in the world is to our shame to think, brethren, that we are listening to the pure, undiluted troes of God's word. I mentioned yesterday Brother Armand's statement that the only.
Thing that can hold the truth is the truth.
And it's a remarkable thing, and I believe it's possibly true.
There to be gathered to the Lord's name on the ground of the one body, is the only place in this world where the whole truth of the word of God can be put into practice. Is that right?
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I'm sure yes. That's why Paul said that when we're in the path of the truth, we are ready unto every good work.
There are many good works can be done by those who are not fully in the path of obedience, but they can't do every good work unless they're in the full path of obedience to the word of God.
I was telling about that man that taught that partial rapture well. It was only a short time after he taught that in the Chicago meeting before he was put away for false doctrine. So it shows that the sheep are protected in the place where the Lord is in the midst and where the Spirit of God dwells.
And we have that protection that you not find elsewhere. I don't think that anyone could come among us and deny the eternal sonship of Christ without He'd be checked up and he would be brought to task for his false doctrine. We're in a place where the sheep are cared for and where false doctrines are judged.
I heard that statement quite a good many times as a young fellow and never really understood it. Only the truth can keep the truth and I really didn't know what it meant at all. But.
I appreciate it. I believe it's true, and I believe it should be greatly valued. I hope it doesn't give a sense of spiritual pride in any way whatsoever.
But suppose that a company of real believers who appreciated the truth of Scripture.
Were to band together and call themselves the fundamentalist believers of Toledo and the appointed so and so as their pastor, and they were absolutely determined that they were never going to give up any of the fundamental truths of Scripture. They were going to be true to the word of God. It wouldn't be possible because they have actually abandoned the basic principle of truth in order to get together and call themselves by such a name and appoint so and so as their pastor.
It wouldn't be very long until those things that they valued were compromised and given up. But I I believe I can say, and I hope with just a sense of real Thanksgiving to the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, that in visiting in areas where you would.
Perhaps expect something to have crept in. Excuse a personal reference, but I remember the first time I went to the West Indies.
They counted back over a period of 50 years and they had had five visitors in 50 years.
And I sat down among them, and they had this precious book, and they sat down there to enjoy the wonders of its message, to remember the Lord Jesus. And I sat down there in amazement.
As I saw the precious privilege of remembering the Lord Jesus.
Carried out in a way that really stirred my heart. And as I saw the way in which the spirit of God had preserved the truth among them in such weakness, it really thrilled my soul. I'm going to give you an example.
Because on one occasion one of those dear and faithful brothers and I together were on a little island, the island of Bequeath, and no sooner had we set foot on the islands.
That I spotted another white man, the only other white man on the island. And he spotted me and came over and he said my name is Dirksen from Saskatchewan. What are you here for? And I said, well, to preach the gospel. Oh fine, I know the Lord is my savior. And he said I'm holding a service with my congregation down the down the way this evening. Come along and you can do the preaching.
Well, here we are, the only two white men on the island, and I knew what the thoughts of those around us would be.
And I hesitated, asking the Lord for wisdom to answer him faithfully, but not too severely. And my beloved brother, who was standing by me, saw my hesitation. And he turned and whispered, Don't forget the disobedient prophet, brother.
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Now, I really appreciated that. I I think, brethren, that's what is meant by the statement you heard this morning. Only the truth can keep the truth. That brother was gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That brother had never sat under the sound of ministry, such as we've heard right here.
But he was gathered the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I believe by the grace of God, though it wouldn't cause us, I trust, ever to relax or to feel it all will always be where we need to be on guard. But I believe that's a precious principle, that to be gathered around the person and under the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ is a very, very wonderful privilege that the doctrine which is according to godliness made by the grace of God, be maintained.
It's very important that we realize that the truth takes the truth to keep the truth. But in view of what's been said, wouldn't it be wise to have some comment on the expression? Does the truth keep us?
All the knowledge of the truth will never keep us. It tells us in Corinthians knowledge poppeth up, but love edifieth. But if we walk in the truth, why that is the safe path. It tells us in the Psalms. By the word of thy lips have I kept me from the paths of the Destroyer. So walking in the truth we are preserved, But the knowledge of it can lead to pride, and we need to indeed be humble as gathered to the Lord's name.
That we might be preserved independence and then humility about it is so important that we walk in the truth that has been made known to us.
Could you turn to the book of Proverbs just for a moment? I know where it's a little bit, perhaps digression, but I think it's profitable at this point. The Proverbs 2.
My son, if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandments with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding, yeah, If thou cryest after knowledge, and lifteth up thy voice for understanding that word, knowledge, I think, could be rendered discernment.
If thou seekest her as silver.
And searcheth for her As for his treasure. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom, Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding he layeth up, sound wisdom for the righteous He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his Saints.
Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and equity.
Yay, every good path now verse 10 and on, is what I want to call attention to when wisdom entereth into thine heart. And remember we can't get wisdom except on our knees when wisdom entered thine into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul. Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.
To deliver thee from the way of the evil man. Verse 16. To deliver thee from the strange woman that is violence and corruption.
The soul will be delivered from and all that goes with it.
If he follows the path set forth in this chapter.
It's been said that in the epistles we have that heavenly.
A line of truth for our souls, but in the Proverbs we have principles as to how to walk down here in connection with it.
In answer to our brothers questions, Love for Christ will keep us.
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But just having the knowledge of the word as Brother Hale said, you can't trust that I remember a brother that had all the writings of brethren in his library and then went wrong as to the person of Christ and denied the eternal sonship of Christ. It shows that with all the knowledge that he had in all the books he had found and correct.
Yes, when his mind began to work. You want to stray?
So we can't trust to knowledge. It must be devotion and love for the person of Christ.
I think in the verses that follow here we have the reasoning mind He's brought before us the importance of living for the Lord, and that if we are involved in those things that are false, that turn away the eye from him, how we can become like the world. But as soon as these things are pointed out to us, isn't there a danger for the mind to reason? So he says here, but some man will say, how are the dead raised and with what body do they come?
Isn't it so when the truth of God is brought before us, if our minds are not in submission, we begin to reason? How could this be? But it's so important that we bow our minds to as well as our walking ways to, the light and revelation that God has given. It tells us that Paul felt grieved over those in in Corinth, lest their minds would be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
And when we come to God's precious word, it's so important that we bow our minds.
Revelation that God has given. And even when we cannot understand and there are many things beyond our minds to take in that we form the habit of always approaching the word of God with a mind that is bowed to the revelation that he has given. But when we start to reason about the things of God and reason contrary to the Scripture, or leaving out the revelation, or because it's beyond our minds, we're sure to get into trouble.
Do we see that Brother Gordon in Luke chapter 10?
In Luke chapter 10 and verse 21.
It says In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank the old Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto bathes. Even so Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And then when you go down to the.
25th verse A certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law?
Style and the answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right this do, and thou shalt live. But he willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Here is one, that the babe is the one to whom it's revealed, and it's the lawyer.
Says I know what the Word of God says, but I want to find some way around what it says to justify myself. Is that right?
Now that's a natural heart, someone said one time we're speaking to the children and we asked what an excuse is. The answer was it's what you say when you don't want to do something. Well, how true it is When we don't want to do something, then we start to reason. We start to find excuses why we shouldn't. But when there's that simple faith of the child.
Now that willing obedience, how it glorifies Christ. And as our brother Barry remarked, if we really are conscious of his love, enjoying his love, and then the soul desires that submission of love. If we know we have someone who is perfect in wisdom and perfect in love, how could we doubt that he would ask us to do anything that wasn't really for our own good?
That he may prove.
What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? That's what Satan tried to question in the mind of Eve from the very beginning.
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Is that the reason we have the expression Thou fool that the this would apply to an old nature that would reason? Is that the thought?
And so that.
He does explain, however, that which.
And the occasion calls for it here that which thou sowest does not quicken.
Except it die, and the eternity of everyone who will be blessed.
Depends upon that corn of wheat that fell into the ground and died.
Because if Christ hadn't died.
If he had remained a man, if he hadn't said, I love my master, my wife and my children, I will not go out free. If he hadn't died, there'd be nothing left of the human race.
Not a thing left and because that one.
Grain of wheat.
Corn of wheat I believe it reads now. One corn of wheat fell into the ground and died.
It did not abide alone and so that we're going to be brought into blessing because of that one.
Corn of wheat that died, so he speaks of this. Now resuming the subject of resurrection that we started with, he speaks here of of that was thou sowest? Thou sowest not that body that shall be but bear grain, or a bear grain.
One grain it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain, but God giveth it a body, as it hath pleased him.
And to every seed his own body, God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him.
Marvelous thought, isn't it? I know there's a number of farmers here, and I was a farmer once myself, that you have found that when you sold wheat that those grains that come up completely disappear in that plant there, that stock of cleat that comes up through the ground. But if that grain is not fertile, it will rot away and you might find a rotten.
Piece of the seed that didn't germinate.
But if the savior is normal, it will disappear in the plant that comes up. So one might say pointing to a bin, a fleet, there's something that's alive. Oh, see, I don't see anything alive about that. But after it's put in the drill and planted in the ground or then here's a field waving with leaks, there's, there's light shows. That's what we said is true.
So that what is planted comes up, but in a more wonderful condition and state than in which it was planted.
Hello. God calls upon us to submit our minds to His revelation, as it says in Second Corinthians, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Isn't it gracious that He does explain to us a great many things so that we can understand them? There are things that are beyond our minds, but all of it's possible for Him to make known to us and His purposes and councils.
He goes into great detail and explains to us, for he has treated us as those to whom he has given intelligence.
It tells us in Romans chapter 12 That you presents your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable or intelligent service. And what is so beautiful about Christianity is that God has revealed things to us.
So that we can intelligently lay hold of them and enjoy them by the Spirit. But He brings us to some things to show us that He is beyond our minds the mystery of the person of Christ, many other things that are.
This and says now I have revealed it to you as far as your mind can take it in, you must believe about the rest. But I think it's lovely that he does reveal a great deal to us and in very simple language so that we would understand just what he is doing.
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Elephant. The main thought here is that proceed produces a more wonderful body than the seed that went into the ground so far. He isn't carrying too far the illustration, yet he's giving the thought that in the resurrection condition will be in a far more wonderful condition than we are down here in these bodies of humiliation.
Those will be bodies of glory like unto his glorious body. I remember one time walking along Bloor St. in Toronto.
And I saw a live daffodil pinned to the bulletin board outside a church, and beside it was the verse. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead? I really enjoyed that. A living daffodil pin to the bulletin board and that wonderful verse beside it. We have become so accustomed to this kind of thing that we fail to see the wonder of God's miraculous handiwork in it.
That withered up daffodil bug put down there in the ground and the ground freezes hard as a rock. The next spring up comes the green leaf and then the beautiful daffodil. And I thought it was a happy reminder of what we have as farther off news to say. And you can think of it when you go downstairs to eat your lunch. Everything that you eat that nourishes your body was once a living thing and had to die to sustain your life.
There's only one thing that will be on the table downstairs that was not at one time a living thing, and it doesn't nourish your body and that salt. But everything you and I eat that nourishes our body was at one time a living thing, and it had to die to nourish our body that we might see demonstrated before us continually that life is through death. Certainly it's beyond our reasoning power, but it's demonstrated around us continually.
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Oh my Lord.
All lonely.