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Reading and, uh, first Peter chapter one.
And I think we're two above verse 9, which is the end of a sentence that starts at verse 6. But I don't think we want to go back that far anyway. Umm, verse nine is about the salvation of your soul. So I'll start in verse ten, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently.
Who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ?
And the glory that should follow, unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they administer the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you.
With the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which thing is the angels desire to look into? Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober.
An oolt to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance, but as he which has called you is holy, So be holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.
If you call on the Father, who without respect of persons, judge us according to every man's work past the time of your sojourning here in fear. For as much as you know that you are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your Father's, but with the precious blood of Christ.
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As of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who barely was poor, ordained before the foundation of the world.
What was manifest in these last times for you?
Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God?
Seeing you have purified your souls, and obeying the truth through the Spirit unto one thing, love the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently being born again, not a corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
We're all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
Grass withereth, and the flowers thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Too, So here we have the Christian focus of the salvation of our souls, and then it goes on to develop that in the verses that follow, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should be, should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them, did signify.
When it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Rather, we don't realize how much we have to give thanks to God for what the Spirit of God brings to light for us. We understand those Old Testament scriptures. The Old Testament prophets were inspired by God to write what they did, but they often did not understand what they wrote.
And they stood back and they said, now what would that mean? For example, David wrote in Psalm 22, they pierced my hands and my feet.
When he wrote that, I don't know, but perhaps he said, what does that mean? My hands and my feet are not pierced, so it wasn't revealed to them. But now we understand what it all means. It comes together.
The Spirit of God has revealed it, but it's interesting that it brings it. It calls it in verse 11, the Spirit of Christ. It's the courses of the Holy Spirit, but it's the Spirit of Christ.
That was in them.
Interesting, some people have often asked in Hebrews Chapter 11 it talks about Moses that esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. Christ did not come yet. Why does it say it that way, the reproach of Christ? But those are things that are very interesting to meditate on. Brendan. So what characterizes Christianity is intelligence, isn't it? And that's why in Ephesians chapter one and verse 8.
He, it says he's abounded unto us in all wisdom. And I'll quote from Mr. Darby's translation and intelligence. And even in the Old Testament their service wasn't necessarily an intelligent service either. If you had stepped up to the altar and asked the priests and the Levites, why do you have to do certain things with certain sacrifices? Why when it's a bird, does the head have to be pinched off and the crop and the feathers set aside? Why when it's a bullet to certain things have to be filleted in a certain way, and so on.
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And some things are reserved for you and some for the for are, are not and so on. They would have said, we don't know, but we know the consequences if we don't carry this out to the letter. We remember Nadab and Abayu who offered strange fire. They didn't follow God's instructions and we saw what happened to them. They were slain. And so it wasn't really an intelligent service. And as you say, the things they wrote, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Was that David that wrote that I, I believe it was he must have wondered how can those two things go on on the same plane together? Well, we see in the light of what we have revealed in Christ that how how it can be, how it's fulfilled. And so they, they must have really, as Bob said, pondered those things that they wrote. I believe that they understood very clearly though that they were writing by inspiration. And though they didn't understand it, they were understood that this was what God had told them to wrote to write.
And in spite of being able to understand it, they wrote it according to as God had told them.
Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. But isn't it a wonderful thing? Brethren, think of the age in which you and I have been been brought into the Christian era where these things are revealed to us. I wanna just encourage us all to avail ourselves to of the writings of men that God has raised up to bring out and explain to us from Scripture these precious things.
We don't want to set aside the Word of God and the Spirit of God. It's the Word of God and the Spirit of God that teaches us through the Word and it's the Word that's living. But how many of us this weekend have availed ourselves of some of that good Christ exalting ministry that is be for sale on the shelves behind us? You know, God has raised up men to write things that are very helpful and he's given them intelligence and discernment in these things.
And you'll find that what you buy at the back of the room here is based on the word of God. Men that have used scripture, it's not just their own thoughts that they have written. It's not just self help ministry.
Of which there is much of that as well. And I'm not discrediting some of those things in their place, but you want to have a deeper appreciation of the things that we have been Speaking of and all that is ours in Christianity. Read the word, yes. Let the Spirit of God teach you, yes, but also avail yourself of that which God has allowed men to write that are real helps in edifying in that regard.
So I recently had comments on a book in April 13 where it says in verse seven, I read from the Sandy translation, remember your leaders who have spoken to you the word of God and consider the issue or the end of their conversation or their life, their conduct, imitate their faith. The emphasis is really those that have passed on and we're to remember what they said, what they wrote. We haven't recorded for our admonition.
And then in connection with the verse that we have before us, it's good to remember that the gospel was promised. And so in Romans 2 or Romans one and Romans 1 verses one and two, Paul says Paul the servant of Jesus Christ called being apostle separated onto the gospel of God, which he had promised before by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. And Mr. Davi has a note on that. The Holy Scriptures he says it should just say.
Uh, in holy writings, because it's broader even than the scriptures that we hold in our hand. And we're taking the Gentile as well. But in the Old Testament, we have the promise of the one that would come. We have the, the, the suffering Messiah, He's the Lord speaks to those at the end of Luke on the way to Emmaus and says in Luke 24, verse 20, uh, 26. So we're beginning in verse 25. Then he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart or senseless ones.
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And slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and entered into His glory, beginning at Moses, and all the prophets expounded unto them in all the scriptures of things concerning himself? So it's good to keep in mind that you know the gospel was promised, but when it comes to the church, then we find that it was a secret. It was not revealed. The only place we see it in the Old Testament is in picture, and that could never have been understood without the light of the New Testament.
So just one example of a verse that would speak of that is in the end of Romans where it says umm, in chapter 16, verse 25. Now to him that is of power to establish according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. So when it comes to the church, we don't have it prophesied in the Old Testament. We don't have that promise, but we do when it comes to the gospel. In fact, we could preach a gospel and never turn to the New Testament. That's what Paul had to do.
And the early writers, because they didn't have the New Testament at that point.
The cost too, didn't they? They turned to the book of Joel and seems like a strange application of scripture, but that is all that that, uh, they had. I would just say this is a safeguard now that we have the full revelation of what we have in the New Testament. We don't want to set aside the Old Testament now. And so we go back and those Old Testament figures, type shadows, foreshadows, pictures, those are all helps to, uh, help us to understand.
What we have in Christ and the doctrines and writings of the New Testament. And so they didn't understand it, as you say, they were just if, if we didn't have the light of the New Testament, they would be interesting stories and historical facts. But now we see it all revealed in the light of the New Testament, the story of Isaac and Rebecca. That would just be an interesting story if and, and God's dealings with, uh, with Abraham finding a, a, a wife for his son Isaac.
But we can go back and see it as a picture of Christ and the church.
You know, it's interesting in that regard that Isaac's the one of the patriarchs. You never read taking another wife. Isn't that interesting? Well, because he's such a beautiful picture of Christ in the church. That's just a little aside. But I'm just saying that we to go back and to see, take up those Old Testament types, the sacrifices, the stories of of Jacob and David and and so on and Joseph and to see them as figures of Christ, it's very beautiful and it helps to magnify and gives us a deeper appreciation.
Of what we have revealed in the new, so it says, we bring forth the old because of or in light of the new.
Christ, umm, uh, verse was read earlier in these meetings in second Samuel chapter UH-22 uh, sorry, chapter 23, second Samuel 23, the end of verse one, it says the sweet psalmist of Israel said the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of Jehovah spake by me and his word was in my tongue. We know explicitly from Scripture that the psalms of the, the, the spirit of expression of the spirit of God and so many of the psalms you begin reading where it's clearly says the Psalm of David and you begin reading and say, yes, I can see where David.
Uh, this occurred in David's life. Or why he might write these things, but a few verses down you say, well, no.
This goes far beyond any experience that David had, and we see the expression of the Spirit of Christ because it's Christ speaking now through the psalmist by the Spirit of God.
OK, indicted these scriptures.
The profits would have made mud of it. His brother used to say, how would you like to write a book on astronomy, which, uh, very few of us would be capable of doing. But, uh, we see that, uh, the early writers.
Were imbued. They were directed, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
To bring forth these, uh, precious truths.
Without understanding the true import of them the brother was mentioning.
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His address the Church of God.
Uh, really? Apprentices within a parenthesis, Uh.
The whole idea of Gentile domination is a parenthesis, really, and the trash is within that. Well, just that's an aside that shows that the Spirit of God has, uh, purposes in view here that were not understood by the, uh, authors themselves. And now we have the revelation, the unfolding.
Oh, you can.
Do you have an intelligent service as our brother Jim mentioned? Uh.
We know why we do these things. Why do we gather as we do? Is it some uh.
Use some, uh, intuition we have. No, there's definite scriptures as to the meaning of gathering uh.
Outside the camp, outside the whole Judaistic system, uh, to the name of the Lord, There's, there's meaning there, there's, there's a divine umm.
Divine.
Pattern given to us and we should know that forever, especially the young people, we should know why we are gathered as we, as we do and what, why we remember the Lord in this way with one loaf and sword. These things now have been revealed. So we have an intelligence service. Uh, as uh, mentioned, the Old Testament believer did not have the intelligence because he didn't have the Spirit of God abiding within him, uh, as we now have the Spirit of God.
As a divine person on the earth and as one who indwells the believer and reveals these things to us that were, uh, that were not known in the Old Testament. In fact, we as the Church of God are, are the first born ones where mentioned in Hebrews chapter 12, Church of the first born sometimes misunderstood. Uh, it's not referring to Christ there. Uh, it's the Church of the first born ones. We are those.
In that category and uh, we have that special place of nearness to the Lord as members of his body, as the Church of the first born one since the place of preeminence.
Above all, the Old Testament Saints.
Uh, and uh, these truths that have been mentioned are now, uh.
Comprehended by us and enjoyed by us. It's God's desire that we should gird up the loins of our minds. Don't let our minds wander wherever they want, but to gird them up and to be sober and to, uh, hope to the end to enjoy these revelations that, uh, I mean, they've known to us.
Is that the end of the path? With the exception of verse 9. So it's kind of helpful to see that it doesn't stand out immediately. Brother brought out that it's in contrast to the temporal salvation that Israel looked for, but they look for salvation out of all their trials and oppositions in an earthly sense. But you know, the salvation that's to be brought to us in these verses is gonna deliver us out of all trials as well.
But not here for this earth, but to, uh, a heavenly inheritance and portion. And so he speaks of salvation ready to be revealed in the last time in verse five. It's at the end of the path, verse 9. There's an aspect of it. We've already received the salvation of our souls. But then he goes back in the next verses and he takes it up and it's full sense and.
It's prophesied about.
And then we find in.
Verse 12, it's been preached unto us and it's going to be in verse 13 brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So again, it's the full salvation. Now he kind of we've got the salvation of our souls presently, but the full salvation spirit, soul and body.
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Has been prophesied, preached, and it's going to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ again. It's salvation now at the end of the path, not only of soul, but a body as well.
Regards to just take a moment and put salvation in its proper perspective and the way it is presented to us in the New Testament, lest there be any confusion. You know, again, as I think we alluded to earlier, God takes up things in a way that we can understand them, and God takes up things in the three tenses in which we operate in this world and with our physical bodies and limitations. That is the past, the present and the future.
And so in Romans 5 it tells us we are saved from wrath through him.
And it through the death of Christ that we have the salvation of our souls, because apart from the death of Christ giving his life and shedding his blood, there would be no salvation, no redemption for man. And so we look back to the cross and we're thankful for that mighty work. We look back to the time when there was a work of God in our souls. Some here look back over many years, maybe some just over a short time. But aren't we thankful that we have been saved from coming judgment?
Because the Lord Jesus died for us on Calvary's cross and shed his blood, then there's a a present salvation. And that you have in Romans as well, it says we're saved by his life. We're saved from judgment by his death. But because of his intercessory life for us now as our high priest to preserve us and our advocate to restore us when we fail, we are saved or preserved. It's really the thought of preservation, isn't it?
Where preserved in the path of faith for his glory by his intercessory life. That's a present salvation that is ongoing from moment to moment in our Christian pathway. And then as Steve has said, and this is particularly the way Peter takes it up and again you have it in Romans now. Is our salvation nearer than when we believe? You said I thought we had salvation. I thought we were saved and we are being saved. We've been saved from Roth through his death. We've been saved. We're being saved by his life. What's future?
Well, that's what Peter's taking up. That's the time when we will be delivered from this world. When the Lord Jesus comes, we get bodies of glory like unto his body of glory, and were delivered completely both from the presence and power of sin, and we have glorified bodies like himself. So I just say that I think it's helpful to keep things in its perspective and remember this, brethren, when you read about something.
In one place, it doesn't mean it always means that in every other place. And there's been a lot of confusion in that regard. So the word salvation doesn't always mean the same thing. There is another aspect in which it's taken up. It says he's the savior of all men. It's preserver I, I, I, I think in Mr. Dowry, but it's so he's the savior of all men. What does that mean? He give us the light, all life and breath and all things. Everybody in this world is preserved in their natural life.
Because there's one who gives life and breath to all things. And that's why Daniel said to Belshazzar, The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified. So it's important, isn't it, to keep things in their proper context.
I think it's Mr. Kelly that says salvation in many cases is not used in relation to the salvation of the soul. More often it is used in the, the other senses. And, uh, I mean, what Jim brought out is, uh, is important, saved by his life, uh, has been misunderstood by many, uh, teachers, uh, in past years.
It's not the life of Christ down here.
Saves us in any way. Uh, the Lord had, could go back to the glory at the end of his perfect pathway down here. He had every right and thrilled to return to the glory apart from death. And then we would all be lost forever. But, uh, and the righteousness of God is not the righteousness of Christ put to our account. So, uh, it's important to see that, uh.
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That reverse that that Jim referred to Romans 5 saved by his life.
Is his present intercession.
God's right hand as our high Priest.
Now the word was took high priestly function after his death, his resurrection intervention, then he took the, uh, the office, we might say, of high priest and advocate that is ongoing as long as we need it in our pathway down here until the war's coming.
Profits that prophesied of the Lord.
Diligently searched and it wasn't revealed to them. It was revealed that it was for us that they were writing those things. But it's interesting, at the end of verse 12, we find that there's another group of created beings that desire to look into these things.
And don't have the understanding that we do. It's the angels. I think it's fascinating to think about the angelic hosts in Ephesians chapter 3, it speaks about.
The mystery and it says in verse 10 to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places that would be.
The angelic host might be known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God, so that the angelic hosts learn by observing the church, they observe us. Why do their sisters have a head covering on? Says very clearly in First Timothy, First Corinthians Chapter 11 That it's because of the angels.
And when the sister covers her head, not only in assembly meetings, but when anytime they pray or prophecy, the angels are watching. So why do they do that? It's because they find the man uncovers his head and the woman covers her head. That is the way that they see that we respect God's authority, order of authority that.
Christ is the head of the man, that the man is the head of the woman. It's not a question of a of inferiority or superiority in creation, but it's a question of respecting authority where God has put it.
So they learn in US, brethren, the manifold wisdom of God. Remember Brother Eric Smith saying, what do the angels say when they watch us? When they see a careless, disobedient Christian? Remember the angels, if they sin once, it's automatic condemnation without any hope of salvation. And here they see believers.
Who profess salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus and.
We're careless in our walk. What do the angels say?
So in view of we are told to gird up the loins of our mind and he he's abounded to us in all intelligence. But brethren, we need to bring every thought into captivity under the obedience of Christ. And as Brother John has said, not to let our minds wander or to set our mind on things here in this world. Go to Colossians chapter one and I think you'll you'll see it very clearly.
I'm sorry, in Colossians chapter 3 and verse one.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Now notice this. Set your if you notice your margin and Mr. Darby's translation, set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. It's a question of what what we're setting our mind on the affections too. But that's really not the subject here, because he's Speaking of the fact that in Christianity now.
We have intelligence and we have an intelligent service to render to God in the full revelation of what we have in Christ and in the epistles, in the New, in the New Testament. And I just want to say a warning, and perhaps especially to parents, you know, in the education system in many places today, they propagate the thought and teach that it's good to empty our minds. You never have a precedent in Scripture that would teach, tell us that we should empty our minds.
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Because the minute we empty our minds, we, the enemy is right there to fill it with everything that is corrupt and bad. And if you and I don't suggest you do this, but if you look into Eastern religion and cult, that's what they do. That's really what Eastern meditation is all about. It's emptying your mind. And when you do that, as I say, something's going to come in to fill the vacuum and it's not going to be good. What are we to do? We're to set our mind on things above. Where is Christ now?
Not in this world, as we said earlier in these meetings, he's at the right hand of God. Where are our hopes and, and blessings and inheritance connected with this world? No, we're everywhere. We're a heavenly people. We're disconnected from this world through the work of the, of the Lord Jesus and the, the absolute sanctification that Peter has spoken of earlier in this, in this chapter, We're, we're a heavenly entity. We're a heavenly people.
Where are our thoughts supposed to be? Where are our minds supposed to be on earthly things? Now I realize we have practical responsibilities, brethren, and I realize you students, you have to get through your studies and you have to pass your exams and at work there's copious information today that needs to be read and absorbed and taken in to get through your job and and so on. But where are our minds really? What are is our focus? What is, where are our minds really set?
Are they set on the precious things of Christ and where he is now?
Or are we earthly minded Christians? Brethren, we can become earthly minded Christians, and when we do that, then our focus is not Christ. Our focus is what we can accumulate here, and our focus becomes inward as well. And that is not according to Scripture.
What we think about, isn't it, uh, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Sometimes we hear the common saying you are what you think about. But here it says gird up the loins of your mind. And I like to put it in this way. Control your thinking processes. Don't let your mind go helter skelter in any direction.
Think things that are positive and I like to go to Philippians because there it takes up the same thought in chapter 4 and verse 7.
Should speak uh, verse six. It talks about be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Let your request be known unto God and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Then verse 8 is a filter through which you can process your thoughts whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are.
Are honest whatsoever things are just whatever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely.
Whatever things are good, report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. So there's the filter through which you can pass your thoughts. When there are thoughts that are not in accord with that verse, don't let them through your mind. It will be a great help to you if you can do this.
There's another good First and 2nd Corinthians chapter 10.
And it speaks here about the weapons.
Of our welfare first floor 2nd Corinthians 10 and verse four it says for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every I think that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every.
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What to the obedience of Christ? So this is, I believe, controlling our thoughts. They are to be brought into captivity. Every thought to what the obedience of Christ.
Something going to follow so we've had an introduction in this chapter and then at verse 13 it says wherefore good off the lines of your minds. And so he now brings in conduct suited the Christian relationships into which we have been brought. So we have children in relation to father redeemed in relation to Christ brethren and uh, babes in the next chapter and so on. But if you look at examples of individuals in the Old Testament, the good it up their loins. Why did they do it so they could run unhindered. And so to go up the lines of our minds is to because serious.
We've got something ahead of us. Pay attention.
Sober is that too, isn't. It's not under the influence of something we've taken in. And you can be under the influence not only with alcohol, you can be under the influence by sports or by music or any other things, business. And so it's important, brethren, to think soberly as we ought to.
The filter that you spoke about in Philippians 4, when you read those things that are listed there, they're really attributes of Christ, aren't they? And I really believe this is the remedy. And I say that because when I was younger, I struggled with this. I had bad thoughts, My mind would wander. And then I try to fight with those thoughts to get rid of them. But that only makes matter matters worse. And so how do we gird up the loins of our minds? How do we turn from from those?
Thoughts that are defiling and and so on. It's really to turn our thoughts to Christ and to have our thoughts governed by the word of God. That's what Wally read to us. It's bringing every thought into captivity under the obedience of Christ. And that's why in type we have it with David in the 23rd Psalm, he said, thou anointest my head with oil. The head is, is the mind. It brings before us the thoughts and oil invariably in Scripture is a type of the Spirit of God.
And so you alluded to it by the Bob, but it says in Ephesians, be not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. And when we're filled with the Spirit, when the Spirit of God has control of our thought process, what's he going to do? He's going to occupy us with Christ and the truth as it is in Jesus. And that's really the remedy. And just in a practical way, what I found helpful in my own soul is when those thoughts come to me or my mind wanders, those thoughts that are not good or my mind wanders.
Go back to a verse of Scripture, think, quote the word of God in your soul. And something else that's been helpful to me is what it says in both Ephesians and Colossians. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Not interested. Speaking to yourself. You know, sometimes in the night I wake up and things go through my mind that ought not to go through my mind. I'm thankful that I'm in my youth had the.
Direct the Lord encouraged me to memorize good scriptural hymns and to go over a verse of of a good Christ exalting him is going to gird up the loins of your mind. It's going to bring those thoughts into captivity under the obedience of Christ. It's having your head anointed with oil as as David said again, there was a special piece of armor for the for the head in Ephesians 6 is that which protects our mind and our thought process.
Made a statement when I was young and struggling at times with my thoughts because sometimes bad thoughts come at the most inconvenient times. And he said you can't keep the birds from flying over your head, you can keep them from making nests in your hair and I thought that was good. So they say those thoughts may come, but like has been said, try to replace them when they do come with something positive.
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Immediately don't let them lodge in your mind. That's where it becomes sin. If we entertain a wrong thought. The fact that they fly through our minds is not sin in itself, but it's what you do with it. So Lord, help us in girding up our the loins of our mind. And then what is following this so interesting? As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to your former loss and your ignorance, but as he which is called you is holy.
So be ye holy in all manner of conversation or manner of life, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy earlier in this.
And yesterday in the readings we read about sanctification of the Spirit in verse 2, which is something that is a position that we occupy. We are holy. That's our position in Christ.
And so now that that is our position, we need to walk practically in holiness of life. Sometimes I use the illustration of a bride who puts on a beautiful white dress and maybe she has to go outside to be transported to where she's getting married. And as she does, she walks down the street. There's some dirty cars.
Along the street. Do you think she's gonna be careful how she walks? I think she's gonna be very careful. Why is she so careful? It's because of that beautiful white dress she has on. And brethren, when we understand that God has in Christ put us in a place of complete sanctification, then we in a practical way should walk not to obtain.
Holiness. But because we are holy, we need to walk in holiness of life practically as well, and that's what we have in these verses.
And so a thought and reproduction, so an action and reap a habit. So a habit re reap a character. So a character reap a destiny. So what has been before us is certainly important to.
Going back to the bulk of Ephesians, the apostle speaks of having put off the old man with his, uh, he's turned back to that scripture, Ephesians chapter 4. It's something that is looked upon as having been done. I know sometimes taken as an expectation is that.
420, uh 4/22.
Uh, that you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is ground reporting to the deceitful lusts he removed in the spirit of your mind, but that is looked upon there as something that has already been done. It's not an exhortation. And uh, so we follow holiness.
Because not in order to obtain it.
But because we now have a holy life and nature that delights in the doing, the will of thought. And so, uh, holiness becomes God's house, separation from evil and delight in that which is good. So we mentioned water yesterday. Uh, I was pulling us into a, an entirely new position before God at new birth. That's the washing of water. They're at new birth.
Puts us in a new position, morally cleansed.
But there's also the washing of the water in the practical sense. Day by day we need the washing of the Word of God to cleanse our ways. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his ways by taking heed thereto, according to thy Word. So that's the other application of washing. That is a practical sanctification. We've had now a positional sanctification, or I suppose you could say absolute.
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Mentioned several times.
But now there's a practical scientification, uh.
Recession 5 to pray God. Maybe we should just turn to that first. Uh, Thessalonians chapter 5 is well known verse umm.
7520 First Thessalonians 523 I'm the very God of peace. Sanctify you only.
This is the practical aspect of sanctification here.
This is.
Uh, ongoing and I pray God, your whole spirit notice spirit comes first because what we think about and pursue after is an object controls our lives. Spirit comes first and soul and body preserve blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sir, I am Holly is says is because it is written. This is a text that they would have been very familiar with. I think that there is sometimes a misconception that under grace that God overlooks things. That's what grace is all about, isn't it? It's about overlooking things. It's not what grace is about at all. In fact, under law we might say that God had to overlook things in a sense in anticipation of the cross.
Because man could not live up to it. He couldn't. But God's character has not changed between the Old Testament and the New. He is still a holy God. And so in Leviticus 19, uh, when he says in verse two, you shall be holy for I the Lord your God, I'm holy.
That this is true today as it was then under law in the 18th chapter. Uh, he begins there by saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God.
After the doings of the land of Egypt, where ye dwelt, shall ye not? Do you know that is as true today as it was for the Israelites in that day? We're not to do like those around us in the land of Egypt. So as I said, I never suppose that under grace that God is less holy. Far from it, in fact.
If you look at the Seminole so-called Seminole amount Matthew 567.
Uh, a lot of times, well, in Christendom, the 5th chapter has often been taken as a spiritualization of the law. It's not, it's the characteristics of the Kingdom of heaven given in contrast to the law. And what the Lord presents there goes far beyond what we have in the law. Under the law, divorce was committed. But when we come to what we read there in the 5th chapter of Matthew, God tells us otherwise that.
It should not characterize our lives. It's inconsistent with what God had planned from the beginning. So.
Again, just to repeat myself whenever supposed to under grace that God.
Lessens his standard. In fact he can now uphold His standard is he never could before. Law was a principle that God established in dealing with Israel. Grace is an entirely different principle upon which God now deals with man. You cannot ever mix the two. There are two different principles in which God deals with man under law.
There was a demand made of man. He got asked him to produce fruit in grace. The exact opposite is true. God gives us everything that we need now, not just for our salvation, but for the earthly pathway in which we walk. He gives us, He eclipses us with everything that we need to meet that standard of holiness.
The, uh, feasts of Jehovah, the first two feasts were the feast of Passover and then from that first day or the 14th day of that first month, it was for seven days. They were to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So they were connected together. And I like to think, brethren, that we have these two feasts represented here in verse, uh.
18.
19 and 20 we have the Passover and the verses just previous to that in verse 1516 and 17 we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Why do we live holy? What's why do we? It's because that we know that we were not redeemed with silver and gold, corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
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We think of the tremendous cost that was paid to redeem us from evil. O brethren, it should take away any desire to go in a direction that would be defiling. It's not because somebody is standing over us and controlling the way we're acting. It's because we realize the awfulness of the cost of our redemption. Just think of it. The Creator of the universe.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God hanging dead on that cross, the soldier piercing his side and out blowing blood and water. That's the cost of our redemption. And we look at that and reflect on it. That was for us that he paid that awful price. How can I go out those doors and give myself to send? It just doesn't fit into the picture. And so those two things go together. The feast of the Passover.
And the Feast of Unleavened Bread, I just like to point out in First Corinthians chapter 5 we have the same two feasts mentioned.
First Corinthians chapter 5 it says.
Verse seven. Purge out, therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump. For as ye are unleavened, or even Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, that's the Feast of unleavened bread, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. So those two things go together. Why do we leave? Lead lives?
Of holiness. It's because of the awfulness of the price that was paid to redeem us from all iniquity.
They were to eat at the Passover once a year to remind them of what God had done in redeeming them from Egypt by the blood of the Passover lamb. Tomorrow we're going to sit down if we're left here in this world and we have a memorial to a remembrance. And before Israel was could partake of the Passover, their memorial, they were to keep Levin a type of sin, invariably a type of sin in Scripture out of their homes for seven days.
Brethren, does that speak to your soul and mind? Have we kept leaven out of our homes for the during the week in anticipation of sitting down to feast at the Lord's table to keep our memorial seven days out of their home? They were to keep that which was a type of sin. And I believe it's a real exercise for you and for me. I want to just say this too, that I think it was Brother John earlier quoted that verse from the 93rd Psalm. Holiness becometh thy house, O Lord, forever.
And when you carry that over to the New Testament, you find that Paul said to Timothy in First Timothy how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God. That is more, brethren, than just behavior. When we come to meeting. Now, when we come into the presence of the Lord on Lord's Day or for any other assembly meeting, I believe we need to have a sense of whose presence we are coming into. And there's a conduct in keeping with that. But that is more there than just conduct.
So when we come to meeting, why do I say that? Because Hebrews 3 tells us whose house we are. We are the House of God. Whether we're gathered together in a setting like this, whether you're at school, whether you're in your home, whether you're at work, whether you're at the mall, wherever you are, remember you're you're the House of God. We are the House of God. And there is a conduct, a practical holiness that is in keeping with remembering at all times.
Wherever we are 24/7 as the expression goes, that we are the House of God, and holiness becometh thy house, O Lord, forever.
I think it's important that along this line, brethren, that, uh, we are, uh, referring to now, uh, in our verse. If you call on the Father who without respective persons judge you according to every man's work past the time of your soul journey here in fear. That's very important to know the context here and the reference. It's not referring to the judgment sea of Christ.
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And it's not referring to eternal judgment, of course, that is fast for the believer forever through the finished work of Calvary, but here.
Which is really the subject of the first Epistle of Peter, the government of God in the House of God, and.
As Jim has just, uh, referred to it, we are always in the House of golf and.
Umm, there is a behavior that is becoming to being, uh, children of God in the family and the Father's eye is upon us now. When I was younger, uh.
As some of our older brethren will remember.
Brother HEA Hole, whose ministry I remember very well in Ottawa times without number, you would say to us, we get off with nothing, brethren, we get off with nothing. That was drilled into us from the time I was 15 years of age and I never forgot. It was not that we are afraid of God's judgment falling upon us.
But knowing our weakness, knowing that we have that old nature within us.
Conscious of its, uh, presence there until the Lord's coming. Uh, his presence there doesn't, uh, need to hinder communion unless we let us act. But, uh, I was thinking of that verse in First Corinthians 11, uh, in connection with, uh, the subject we are on 31 If we would judge ourselves, we should not.
Be judged, what does that mean? If I come to the Lord's table was sent upon my conscience, not only do I defile myself, but I defile everyone else in the assembly and I come under the government of God. That is being mentioned here in verse 17. In other words, I partake of the Lord's Supper and I'm going on with something in my life that caused the Lord.
The suffering that I profess to remember.
In, in the breaking of bread and breaking of the cup. How serious that would be. Anyone could see that. So we are to judge ourselves unsparingly, not our brethren. We have lots to judge within ourselves before we come to the Lord's table so that we are in a state of soul where we don't, uh, incur the, uh, governmental dealings of God.
In our lives because they're very real whatsoever a man saw that shall he also read applies to saved and unsaved.
There too, our time is almost gone on redemption and what we have in connection with the blood of Christ. Bob has already alluded to it. We sometimes limit the thought of redemption, don't we? I've heard people say redemption is to buy back, and that's true, but it's not the whole truth. We have two things in Scripture, purchase and redemption Purchases to buy to, but to redeem is to buy back, to set free.
And so you and I now have been not only purchased, but that we have not only been bought with the blood of Christ. You get that in Corinth, Corinthians. We've been bought with a great price and so on. But it's more than that, isn't it, brethren, We've been set free. We have been brought into a place where we are delivered from the ******* of sin. The ******* of the old man were brought into a brand new position. But what I wanna notice here too, is when it says the precious blood of Christ.
That is not our estimation of it. First of all, I'm thankful that my redemption does not depend on something that changes in value like silver and gold. You know, when the markets closed on Friday, silver and gold had a certain value, but when they open on Monday and next Friday when they close again, they may have a very different value. Those commodities change in value, money changes in in value and the Canadian dollar against the US dollar and the pound and the and the euro and so.
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And so on. I'm thankful that first of all, my redemption doesn't depend on something that changes in value. But I'm also thankful that it doesn't depend on my value or appreciation of the blood of Christ, because again, that may be very scanty at best. And my appreciation of the person and work of Christ may, may change. But I am thankful that my redemption this afternoon.
Is based on God's value of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that in that tremendous to get a hold of and God says today that the blood of Jesus, the work of Christ is as precious to his heart as valuable to the heart of God today as when it took place. I just want to point something out because we often go to verse seven of the next chapter. Just notice it unto you, therefore, which believe he's precious.
Now brother, I trust He's precious to every heart here, but there's two things that are given to us before this verse and they are God's perspective on the thing. The 1St is what we've just mentioned, God's value of the work, and he says that work, the press, the blood of Christ is precious to him. And then twice in chapter 2, in verse four, he says at the end of the verse, chosen of God and precious.
That's Christ. And then in verse six, verse, the middle of the verse, I lay inside in a cornerstone elect precious. This is the person, because it's the person that gives value to the work. And God gives us first of all, his estimation of the work and the person who accomplished that work. And then he says, not till then does he say unto you, therefore which is it? Believe He's precious. Why? Because I believe that the preciousness of the person and work of Christ.
Depends on our appreciation of what the working person of Christ is to the heart of God. I'm going to repeat that because I believe it's vital to get a hold of in our souls our appreciation of the person and work of Christ. How precious He is to you and to me depends not on our value or estimation of it, but to get a hold in our souls of the preciousness and the value.
Of the work and the person to the heart of God. And then that will deepen our appreciation and make him more precious to our souls as well.
So there's the work of God for us, and then there's the work of God in US. And that's what we have towards the end of this chapter and what you were speaking about, Jim, the precious blood, that's the work of God for us that he has done. It's accomplished fact. But now at the end of the chapter, it's the work of God in US.
And accept there be that part too. There would be no appreciation of the work of God for us. And so it's the being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever. For all flesh is as grass, all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away the Word of the Lord.
Endureth forever.
Thank God for that. Brethren. How long is a flower in its beauty? It doesn't last that long. And you see young sisters in their natural beauty, How long is that going to last? Give another 50 years. How will that natural beauty appear now? So it doesn't last, but there is something that is lasting.
Forever, and that's what God has worked in us who believe we have been born again.
Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God lives and abides forever. It never ever gets old, thank God.
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We have a love of the brethren too, don't we? 22 I believe if we reflect on the work of Christ and his love pulled out through redemption and the fact that He shed his precious blood, deliver us from sin and Satan, we think of the value that He places on you and me because He loves us.
And if we enjoy that love in our souls, I believe we're going to love one another because we see each other through the eyes of Christ. And you are one for which he died. You are one who evaluate enough to redeem with his own precious blood. So if he places that value.
Upon you, I ought to value you as well.
And so it tells us here that we ought to love one another with a pure heart.
And fervently, I think I heard one time that fervently means with a white hot heat.
And I enjoyed the thought.
337.
337.
The call did well.
All the way.
Home.
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We also sing the fourth verse of 231, just verse 4 of 231.