Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Service and it was mentioned by our brother in his address this afternoon.
And we do not want the young people to think we are belittling service. By no means it has its place, but it has second place in God's order.
I like if you'll have me for relating this sad experience where I failed in that very thing. When I first arrived in China, I had a real seal for preaching the gospel, but satisfactor seal without knowledge.
00:05:16
I had an invitation by a dear Christian to preach to hundreds of American sailors.
I thought, what an opportunity and I accepted the invitation. But it was on the Lords day morning and I had to stay away from the Lords table to do it. Was I right? Indeed not. Anyway, I accepted the invitation and I happened to write home to England to a dear brother, Mr. Lamington. Perhaps some of you have heard of him.
He's now with the Lord. He and I used to have country walks together.
A dear Godly man. And I mentioned this to him, and he wrote a very loving letter back to me showing me the wrong of this. I really hadn't noticed it before, but he showed me from the scriptures that I was wrong. I put service before worship and so I had to get off my knees and have it out with my blessed Lord.
And confess my wrongs when I put service before worship. And that was a lesson that I learned in a very sad way. So dear young people, I can speak from sad experience that I failed in that very thing and I trust you will not do the same.
Worship has its place and its first place. As our brother reminded us the father's seeketh such to worship him, he's seeking worshippers and.
If you and I are conscious that we're in the Lord's presence and what He's done for us, I'm sure that would produce worship from our poor hearts. But never dear young people fail as I did. But I had it after the Lord and confessed us. And I know I've been forgiven, and I've never done it since. And through the grace of God, I'll never do it again.
There's some very important things on the 5th parts that we're not.
Brought before us start the 5th, 1St.
First Peter chapter 2 and verse 5.
He also.
Has lively stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Server also is contained in the scripture. Behold our land Zion a chief cornerstone elect precious and he's a believers on him shall not be confounded.
Under you therefore, which believe he is precious, but under them which be disobedient, the stone which are builders are disallowed. The same has made the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient, where unto also they were appointed.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and holy nation, the peculiar people.
That you should show forth the praises of Him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time passed, were not of people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstained from fleshly lust, which war against the soul, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that were, as they speak against you as evildoer.
They may buy your good works, for they shall, behold, glorify God in the day of Visitation.
Submit yourself to every ordinance of man, for the Lord sake, whether it be to the King of Supreme or other governors, is unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them to do well.
For so is the will of God, that with well doing he may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free, and not using your liberty for the cloak of deliciousness, but as a servant of God.
Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God, Honor the king.
00:10:05
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the flowers. For this is thank worthy if a man brought conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when you be puppeted for your fault, you shall take it patiently, but if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God, for even here unto where you call.
Because Christ also suffered for us.
Leaving us an example that you should follow his depths, who did no sin, neither was Giles found in his mouth. Who what is reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him, the judges, righteously.
For his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live under righteousness, by whose stripes he were healed, where ye were his sheep going astray, but are now returned under the shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Nothing was said about being.
Holy priesthood.
Now that takes in every believer.
Both sisters as well as brothers were made on the God, a Kingdom of priests. As a best translation of Kingdom of Priests and the Old Testament dispensation, the priesthood was confined to the family of Aaron. Just a few had a spateful privilege.
To go into the Tabernacle where Jehovah's dwelt.
Now we have the privilege, and that takes in all God's children, of going into the very immediate presence of the Blessed Lord. In the Old Testament dispensation there was a veil where God dwelt, behind which God dwelt in thick darkness.
Now the veil has been rant.
And we can go boldly into the holiest of all, and we go there.
As holy priests. And then we have.
The privilege of offering sacrifices.
Now only the priests were permitted to carry out the offering of the sacrifices. How thankful you and I can be beloved. And we live in such a different dispensation where we're not offering lambs and goats and books.
But we offer spiritual sacrifices.
So that.
And in a special way, on Thursday morning, we render thanks to the Blessed Lord for what He has so fully accomplished in His love in saving us. And let's remember that.
That offering of spiritual sacrifice is not confined to the brothers, nor to the brother that rises and offers praise.
Or breaks the bread on Thursday morning?
The one who offers praise on Lord's Day Morning and who breaks the bread.
Is only the mouthpiece of the whole assembly, and where there is the guidance of the Spirit of God.
Whether the Lord who directs by the Spirit?
Lays it on the heart of the brother who offers praise, who gives out the IMS and.
Who may be led to break the bread.
So that he has just simply voicing the praises. Ex.
Expressing the praises of all who are present there. Perhaps a dear sister is more in communion with the mind of the Lord and more truly a worshipper than the brothers who take part. And I'm sure it often happens that they definitely have a hymn on their hearts, but it isn't their place to give up to him. But it isn't very long before some brother gives it out.
00:15:22
Because they're both under the.
Control of the Spirit of God.
We have another very sad side of that, Brother Barry. Do we not in the first chapter, First Samuel?
This is the other side of it, which is a very solemn side.
First chapter of first book of Samuel and verse 3.
And this man Elkanah went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh, and the two sons of Eli halfline Finihash, the priests.
Of the Lord were there now they were priests of the Lord. This was their office. Yet in their practice they were described in the 12 first as sons of Belial. What a very sad picture. This is verse 12 of the second chapter.
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial. They knew not the Lord.
For the very, very solemn thing. But as you say, you and I as believers have that precious privilege of coming into His presence to worship.
Without fear, without a consciousness of our sins, they've all been dealt with and forgiven. We are at liberty to come into the holiest, to offer praise and Thanksgiving that blessed one. But here's a very solemn occasion where they took the place of being priests.
But there were sons of Belial. They knew, not the Lord. What does Belial mean?
What does Belial mean?
Means worthlessness.
Sons of worthlessness is what it means.
In the 13th chapter.
Call it and I think there's a pop there that we should consider in the 13th chapter of Hebrews.
The 51St By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of your lips, giving thanks to his name. So we don't want to confine the worship just to Lord the morning at the breaking of bread.
And this Scripture would clearly teach that him. Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. So every day should be a praise day. We should be praising the Lord continually, all through the journey as we go on our way. But there is a special privilege coming together and the Lord's presence.
On Lord's day, mourning to remember him in his death. There's something exceptionally precious and wonderful about that occasion. It's very solemn. It's also very precious to think of being in a place where the Lord Himself has said, Where am I? In the midst of them? And I think, beloved, we should remember this.
That in coming together as worshippers on this occasion.
Instead of being just thinking of being led by the Spirit of God, we should be rather occupied.
With the guidance.
Of the one who is himself the head of the body. And that's what is meant the end Colossians 2 or the Colossians had failed to hold the head.
00:20:01
So there can be a state where it meeting could fall into fanaticism. There are some groups that just depend on the spirit that say the spirit moves them.
Well, if we get occupied with that side of things, I think we're missing the mind of the Lord. We should be there, occupied with the Blessed Lord Himself. And if we are occupied with Him, He guides by the Spirit. So he directs to the hymn the Thanksgiving. The worship is directed by the Lord and through the Blessed Holy Spirit.
I learned a lesson from Brother Potter. I may have mentioned this before, but a lesson I never forgot.
I attended a prayer meeting before Lord's Day and more of Minnesota years ago.
And at the prayer meeting I asked the Lord that we might be in an attitude of worship. On the following day, Brother Potter came to me, and in his severe way he said, Armstead, when are you going to stop asking that the Lord that we might be in an attitude of worship? I said, Brother Potter, what should I ask for? He says, pray that you may be occupied with Christ.
And then you will be in an attitude of worship, part of an important word that is occupation with Christ. We're enjoying Christ, but then He fills the heart with himself, and then he directs by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in every believer.
So that the the worship is by the Spirit yet directed.
By the head in glory.
Verse in Hebrews offering the sacrifice of praise to God continually reminded me of a verse in the 9th chapter First Chronicles.
And verse 33.
And these are the singers.
Chief of the Fathers of the Levites.
For remaining in the chambers were free, for they were employed in that work.
Dying Light, chief of the singers employed in that work day and night.
So that precious ministry wants to praise his name day and night.
And we have the same privilege too, Whosoever offer a praise, glory by me, the Lord says. And as you remark, rather, it's not confined to Lord, say, morning. It seems to me that.
Not afraid, chosen of God.
Could be connected with this line of things that we're Speaking of.
Thinking of the Lord Jesus Christ as the chosen of God, the delight of the Father's heart.
We sing under him that.
God is satisfied with Jesus. We are satisfied as well.
Well as having our delight in the Lord Jesus white God has looking upon him as a chosen of God.
This is what fills our hearts with praise and worship. It's like the woman at the well.
She went and told the people in the city about the Lord Jesus. Is not this the Christ?
She found in him the Messiah, the one upon whom all the delight of God was, and her heart was filled filled with Christ, and her heart was filled with praise. He became a worshiper.
Brother Perry, what you were speaking about the Lord guiding by the Spirit that what is referred to in Psalm 22 and then quoted in Hebrews 2, in the midst of the congregation will like raise the.
We you were Speaking of calling our attention to that verse part of the verse a holy priesthood.
I was thinking in the references to Hebrews of that verse in the 12Th of Hebrews without holiness.
00:25:04
And no man shall see the Lord.
Brother Gliding was bringing before us the priests who were.
Sons of Belial. And there was the practice in those days, just like there is today in the profession of Christianity.
Of those who are not real at all.
But as I understand holiness, it's the it's the nature expressing itself.
A holy nature expressing itself.
Now if one doesn't have that nature.
And of course they can't express themselves in that way. Now another thought in connection with that.
That, and you're referring to Mr. Potter and being occupied with Christ.
Can you think of anything that will produce holiness other than that?
Its only occupation with Christ that produces holiness.
We have to have an object that's holy, there is no other than that. And so whether it be his, the meat offering, his walk down here.
Or whether it be the bird offering.
Or the OR the sin offering.
It doesn't make any difference. In either case. It should have an effect upon us, and that isn't just at the moment we come together.
Brother told me An old brother told me that his large day mourning began Saturday noon.
He said he couldn't, he couldn't get occupied that very quickly and leaving, dropping things the last minute as he went to the meeting, He said it must begin with him at Saturday noon. Those days, of course, work stopped at Saturday noon. That's what he meant. I believe that the children of Israel.
Were to bring their baskets of first fruits.
And they were not to appear before the Lord empty God. They were to bring the baskets they would have to start filling at the beginning of the week, wouldn't they?
In regard to our other question about Psalm 22 and Hebrews 2, I wonder if this thought is correct. I have enjoyed it as the actual song of praise of the Lord Jesus Christ himself to Jehovah.
Because of the wonder of being surrounded by his own, is that correct? In the midst of the congregational I. Who is that? It is not the Lord Jesus. Will I sing praise unto thee to me, if that thought is correct. It's exceedingly beautiful. At the heart of the Lord Jesus is so filled with joy that the wonder of having his redeemed one's round about him and His praise ascends because of that joy that he had. Is that correct? Yes, He left right in our chapter.
Like the spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, but it's by Jesus Christ showing that he is the leader of the praises of his people.
Was speaking about getting him tonight brings to mind that well known verse not always understood in Nehemiah 810. The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Now that does not refer to our enjoyment of him, but his enjoyment of those that are gathered close to himself. For in Nehemiah ate there was a little remnant, and in verse one they were back to the appointed place, that was Jerusalem, and by the Watergate suggesting the word.
And so they were there as one, and as the word was read before them.
Oh, they were reminded of how far they had drifted and departed from the mind of the Lord. And they felt trouble. They were broken down about it. They even wept. They mourned in Nehemiah Ate, but the Prophet was pleased to tell such.
00:30:03
That they might should not mourn now, but that the joy that the Lord gets in his heart, his delight in you, as thus gathered around himself. Now that's a precious truth. In these remnant days I know his mind, and can be cheered and encouraged, even if there's only a two or three gathered to his precious name, to know that he gets joy over the obedience of just that little remnant.
That's marvelous. Now I would like to go back to what our brother?
Hey Ho brought before us at the close of this morning's reading.
Second Chronicles 29.
In Second Chronicles 29.
The king, good king Hezekiah.
Says in the end of verse 7.
That they have not burned incense that speaks of worship, nor offered burnt offerings, that speaks of all That Christ is in the full infinite knowledge of God, the burnt offering, All that Christ is and has done in offering himself up to.
In the holy place.
Unto the God of Israel, unto God.
The incense, the burnt offerings unto God, God's portion, God's delight, now in verse 11 read this morning.
My.
Sons, be not now negligent, for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him to serve him, and that he should minister unto him and burn incense. That's worship well in the burnt offering commenced The song of the Lord commenced in verse 26.
Turn to Psalm 65 for another verse just like it.
Psalm 65 four.
Blessed is the man whom thou chooses and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy corpse. Now this is the highest privilege being gathered to himself.
To minister unto him is more important than to be ministered unto ourselves.
To satisfy his heart. Now another verse in Jeremiah 30.
30 Jeremiah 30 verse 21.
And halfway down the verse.
Jeremiah 30 And verse 21. I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me. For who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me?
Well, he goes on to say, and ye shall be my people. Now in Ezekiel, we'll end with this little portion.
Ezekiel 44 and a few verses. Here I like to think of Mary and Martha.
Mary, the one that had chosen the good part.
He had. She had Christ before her. Martha was busy serving cumbered with her serving. So here we have Martha first in Ezekiel 44.
In verse 10 we see it's the Levite and the Levite is the one to serve. So he says in verse 11.
Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house. Now this isn't ministering to the Lord, is it ministering to the house? They shall slay the burnt offering, they shall slay it and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. Now there is this service, and also in verse 13.
00:35:27
And they shall not come near unto me to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things in the most holy place, but they shall bear their.
Shame and notice and their abominations which they have committed.
All that hurt. The Lord have to have this written to them.
But it was a day of.
Setting things right according to God's mind, So he gives them a distant place, the service in this place, something like Martha's.
Well, in verse 14 they were to be. I'll make them keepers for all the service. Now we get to the merry portion in verse 15.
But the priests? The Levites, The sons of Zadok.
That kept the charge of my sanctuary. When the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the Fat and the Blood, saith the Lord God. They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table to minister unto me.
And they shall eat my charge, and it shall come to pass.
That when they enter in at the gates of the Inner Court, they shall be closed with linen garments. Now this is practical righteousness, and no wool shall come upon them whilst they minister in the gates of the Inner Court, and within they shall have linen bonnets upon their heads.
And shall have linen breeches upon their loins. They shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat. Well, we'll end with this. Now with this thought that natural energy.
Is not acceptable that that causes sweat, but God would have our hearts draw night to him.
To minister unto him, and that is a place of communion and worship.
Rather than concerning three families of Levites, the Gershonites and the Mirrorites and the Coethites, well, we are dealing here in Peter with the question of Gus the stranger Here Will the Gershons had the Gershonites had cots.
To carry the heavy things of the Tabernacle, and so did the mirror ice. I suppose that mirror ice really means bitterness. Gershon, stranger here. But when it comes to the core sites, it's theirs to bear on their shoulders. What things no longer cops there, They have to bear the holy things, the things that spake of the glory of his presence.
Well, there's a truth there between service and worship.
Take for instance a little illustration that came to my mind in Bolivia.
The missionary came to tell you is a laboring brother brother there and said 10 years you're our gifted brother, why not come over with us?
We are thousands in the States and Canada, and you're just a few here two or three. So Talius thought a while and he said now brother, he said, I believe the man was a saved man. He said, can you have any more of the Lord Jesus with your thousands than we have with the two and the three. And he quoted that verse, which we do not. We need not to forget brethren, where?
00:40:09
Two or three are gathered together.
Not merely to my name, but unto my name, there am I in the midst of them. Presently sometimes forgetful of them the holy things that the coercites bore on their shoulders speak spake of Christ.
His glory, his authority, his his all there. And so it was there. The core fights to bear on their shoulders were holy things.
Sometimes we forget that, but I think that was a good answer of the Italias. Can you have any more of the Lord Jesus?
With your thousands than we have with the twos and the threes in our midst. I always remember that.
We only haven't mentioned three times. First one is in Genesis, the sweater light face shalt thou eat, prayed, and so on. Sophomores quote and said the sweat of thy brow, the sweat of thy face. It doesn't take much to make it sweat of the brow, but the sweat of the face takes more energy still.
That's the first occasion and the one our brother just read in the 44th chapter of Ezekiel. The priests were not to be dressed in things that cause sweat and.
In in the Luke's Gospel it speaks of the Blessed Lord who sweat as it were, great drops of blood falling down the ground. Now sweat was brought in through sin. The Blessed Lord takes a sinners place and removes the sweat so to speak, and it's never mentioned again. So we do not have to labor to get into heaven. We accept that what Price has done on the cross himself, he's done the labouring.
He sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, and now we can cut into heaven on the ground of what he has done, not by our own efforts of sweeping and laboring.
Restlessness, wouldn't it, Brother? And Sweatwood Sword.
Speak of restlessness, and it was prohibited by the high priest, whoever sweat in God's presence, and thus he had covered on his flesh that linen the linen why that he sweat not, but how touching, brother, Bear, brother, the thought of the Lord Jesus threatening, as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.
How very solemn that is. Isn't it picking up of the temple or the house? Here, I believe it's recorded. I don't know the passage, but I believe it's recorded that in the temple there were little chambers around about.
And these chambers were not only for the priests to dwell in, but there were certain chambers in which they were to change their clothes before they went into the Most Holy Place.
Now one thought comes to mind and it's nice for us, you know, to anticipate the moment we'll be in the glory, because we might be this afternoon.
It's just that near could be.
And I think of that verse in John.
14 In my Father's house are many mansions that were not so I would have told you. It's lovely to think of our dwelling in the Father's house, but the practical side for us now as we have here, because I believe Peter gives us the government of God, doesn't he? And we have that for our consciences here.
And not only were the priests to dwell in this holy place, that was the place.
Where they were to dwell. And so we're to dwell in the holy place continually.
But also.
The changing of clothes would be suggest to us the putting on of the character that belongs to that holy place now the only way that we will lay hold of that.
In practice is to dwell in that holy place.
To put on the character that belongs to it, we had the holy priesthood mentioned.
A little while ago. Well, the practical application of this then comes from dwelling in the Holy Place. Now we know that David on occasion when he went into the sanctuary, he began to understand God's mind. But here we have the character, do we not? That becomes that holy place. And that's what clothes would suggest, I believe, taking on the character that belongs.
00:45:16
To the presence of God. Well, this should really exercise us in our ways as the Saints of God, because you know, we profess a lot, we profess to be gathered to the Lords name, we profess to be those that the Lord has entrusted the truth to us. Well, there should be a certain character manifested then, and it should be true, the young as well as the old.
Now I know that we learn as we go, but if we have really taken off this profession of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, there should be a certain character to go with it in our ways. And we will take this on, will we not, in the measure in which we dwell in that holy place?
Was that great aunt, brother must be in self judgment before we come into the Lord's presence to remember him and his death. The man judge himself, he shall not be condemned. You have that in the 11Th chapter of first Corinthians and notice there in that chapter first Corinthians 11.
For the Apostle have said as often as he eat this bread and drink this cup he to show the Lord's death till he comes.
And he says, Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Of course, they're in Corinth. They were making gluttons of themselves and even getting drunk.
When they were there together to take of the Lord's Supper.
Was a very serious thing. So he says, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, it's a very solemn thing. And while we perhaps are not seeing the same disorder as it was there in Corinth, it surely is a word, a warning, a word of caution for us.
Not to come to the Lords table with in a careless way.
Where things that we have allowed during the week unjudged.
I remember dear brother killed killing about one time that he felt so condemned because of his careless ways during the week that he thought that perhaps he shouldn't remember the Lord that morning. But he said he had a talk with a godly sister and she called his attention to this.
But let a man. It's the 28th verse of this 11Th of First Corinthians, but let a man examine himself.
And stay away.
No, that isn't a word at all.
That a man examined himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. That is, we should examine ourselves when we look into our ways. He didn't examine ourselves to see if we're saved or not, but looking into our ways that have been unbecoming, have led to a broken communion, have dishonored the Lord in any way.
We're to look into those ways and that leads to self judgment and then when self judgment has taken place, instead of staying away, which would only perpetuate what is harmful to the believer, where to eat of that bread, where to come. There is something like we get in connection with the Passover.
They were to eat it with bitter herbs.
Well, those bitter herbs speak of self judgment, and the very remembrance that the very presence of the Lord and what is there set before us the remembrance of his death, that the very things that we have indulged in and found pleasure in, is what cost him that agony, that awful suffering.
00:50:09
That forsaking of God, if we got into the Lord, friends realizing what it cost him to put of that sin out of the sight of God, it would surely be a real restoration of soul with us, and you'll notice then in another thing.
It says.
For if we would the 31St verse. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. See, it isn't just judging the failure, saying well, I feel sadly and maybe even confessing it to another, but it's judging self What state of soul was I in?
That led to such a failure is that, and that goes deeper than just judging the failure itself.
And how lovely the apostle makes that. For if we for when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
They'll never if true believers, though we fail sadly, come under the awful judgment and condemnation of the Law Center.
But for that very reason the Lord has to deal with us, and there's no Son whom the Father chastens not. He has to deal with us about our ways so that in that coming day when judgment is meted out to the center where there's no mercy, we'll never come under that at all. God has already dealt with us. First He dealt with that sin at the cross, and then, in connection with our practical walking ways, He has exercised.
And let us to judge that thing so that we could go on in communion with himself.
We are thankful.
Thank you. Thank you brother Barry for this. I just had a little while ago 2 letters from Bolivia, or rather one from Bolivia, another from the Dominican Republic as regards this matter.
And.
They were wondering if on the, for instance, getting upset with their wives, should they take partake of the supper because they've had a quarrel with their wives and so we've been trying to answer them and tell them to exactly what we've been having raped by our brother. So let a man examine himself and so let him meet. Will that satisfy them until this last?
Caution that you read brother of Chapter 11.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
And it was a pleasure to tell them that.
He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life, that the Lord Jesus had definitely and eternally dealt with the question of our sins.
As regard with sin, as regards rather our its root and its principle, but our sins.
He bore in his own body on the tree, that we being deed in dead unto sin.
Live unto righteousness by whose stripes we've been healed. Sometimes we misquote that being indeed dead unto sin.
Should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we've been healed. Well, we were happy rather than to put them at peace about that. And instead of having a quarrel with their wife or something like that, they would get on their knees and arrange it beforehand.
And that's something that's to be practiced by some of we white folk too, you know, concerning this matter solely, the man judged himself, and so let him eat, Lord, which was a great joy to those dear souls to have that straightened. You know, don't you think, Brother Smith, that one lesson that you learn is not to wait until you come to the table on Lord's day morning, Right.
00:55:01
That whole thing settled and just and seek the right with the Lord and in communion with him. When we come together. It's a great secret, brother, brother Barry and we all.
See the wisdom of this to keep short accounts, brother. Never let anything go by.
Here's one one thing the brother said to me. It takes courage to ask forgiveness of my wife. Well, I said it needed that. But get on your knees and say that you have sinned against her and she'll soon confess that she's also done that you'll.
Embrace each other and get on your knees and it'll be over and you'll be happy to go to the Lord's table. Well these are practical things beloved that we need to heed, take heed to isn't that so? We've had a similar base in the West End. This where the meeting there 1 Lords day morning and a stranger was sitting behind. So I asked the brother of the media I said who's the stranger who? He said his name is Mr. Morgan.
I'm going to receive him at the Lord's table next Lord's Day, I said, Well, I'd like to be introduced to it. So he did. And we sent the back of the room and I said, understand you're going to be received at the Lord's table here next Lord's Day, He said, Yes, I am, I said. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions? He said. No, I said, with whom have you been associated before you came here? He said, Well, to tell you the truth, he said, I am in the open meeting, but I had roused there.
And around with my wife and I had a rail with the brethren, and I cannot get along with them. And I think I can get along with this, brother. So I'm coming here. I said, well, my dear friend, this is not a city of refuge for those who cannot come out of their wives or their brethren. I said, your first responsibility.
Is to self judgment and against reconciled your wife and your brethren. Then if you exercise about your plate before the Lord, then come and discuss it with this brother here. He said, Well, if they don't receive me here, I shall still come, because I love the Lord. And he walked out and never seen him from that day to this. But that dear brother was so deceived, I sent you a Martha. Did you ask that man any questions? Did you go into his history? He said, No, I didn't. I said. Well, you should have done, brother.
I say, show me. Say he's heading around with his wife, which is the common thing there, I guess, and with his brethren, but he thinks he can get along with you, I said. Now suppose he cannot get along with you. What's going to happen? That's maybe he might put you outside and he'd be the only one here.
Always thought I couldn't receive him on those terms. I said no, you cannot and must not.
Man not right with God is not right. Please wife or his brethren. He's not concerned about his place. You want to avoid further conflict with his wife and his brother. So he thought he escaped and going to this little corner and we find that.
The six verse of our chapter.
Peter is quoting from Isaiah.
And it's rather remarkable. Isaiah 28, the portion that he's quoting from is at the time that.
Those who have put their refuge in the Western powers find that.
They have no security now because the Assyrian is coming down and sweeping away their refuge of lies and so on that critical moment.
At the very height of Jacob's trouble.
Why the message goes out, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered and.
Wherefore it is also contained in the Scripture, that is the Scripture from Isaiah Take it. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Now Peter applies this.
To the believer today, the Jewish at that time, of course, but I believe it's for all of us and we have a.
On them applied now to the believer, the Christian position.
01:00:00
He that leaveth on him shall not be confounded.
Now in the eighth verse of the first chapter, Peter says, whom having not seen ye love, in whom, though now you see him not yet believing, he rejoice with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. There we have believing again now in the seventh verse of our chapter.
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallow, the same is made the head of the corner. I believe we have something here that's too full, a real encouragement for faith, and a sound warning to those who are unsafe because the time of the quotation that is taking it from the Old Testament.
There were going to be a group of a little remnants that would be spared because they called in the name of the Lord. They believed the testimony. But it's the same thing today. It's faith. It's believing, It's putting the trust in the Lord.
And then he becomes precious. That's what Peter's using here, I believe. That Old Testament illustration to show that it's a matter of simple things.
It might be the last moment for some, as it was there. That is the prophetic angle of it, but still it's a question of believing.
Nice to notice here.
To get in the sixth verse.
Behold, I lay in Zion the chief cornerstone elect precious.
All that is how precious Christ is to God Himself. But then in the next verse until you therefore, which believe He is precious. So first we get that he is precious to God the Father. Then you find that He is precious to us.
What is precious to God the Father?
Surely should be precious to our hearts, something like the wildest, the Lord said on the Mount of Transfiguration, or rather God the Father sent to the three. He says, This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found all my delight. Then he says, Hear ye him, that is the one who has fully satisfied my heart's desire.
Is surely sufficient to satisfy the desires of your hearts.
So we want to get God's thoughts first about Christ and then He is so precious to God the Father.
Sorry, he can be unspeakably precious, you and me, since he has redeemed us by His wonderful love and grace and brought us to himself.
I was thinking in the book of Leviticus where we have all the offering.
Given to the Aaron and his children in Demeter offering, in which they were to pour oil and frankincense to be offered to the Lord, than the rest, it was going to be the food of Aaron and his children.
So therefore, I believe that there we have a very, very precious tooth in connection with the Lord Jesus, that we are to enjoy the person that he enjoys, the Lord Jesus himself. And at the last verse of that chapter we find that in the sacrifice all the frankincense there all was going to be offered to Jehovah. But you know, I was thinking, brethren, that you cannot be near the frankincense and not get some of that smell on yourself for that three fragments and yourself isn't it so present?
And so our precious that is, to be closer to the person of the Lord Jesus. You read that verse there in the middle of chapter 2, and the last verse is saying that all the frankincense there all was to be offered to Jehovah. But again I say, but I will pray that you can be closer to the frankincense and not get some of that frankincense yourself. So you say then the frank incense is what we see in the life of the blessed Lord Jesus.
Which was only for the Father's glory. It's probably there, the oil and the frank incense. The oil tells us. For the oil is the type of the Holy Spirit that everything in the Lord's life was accomplished by the guidance and the power of the Spirit of God, but everything also in his life was.
01:05:29
For the glory.
And for the delight of the heart of God himself.
So that frank incense was always offered entirely to Jehovah himself. But I like that thought of yours that you couldn't have to do with a frank incense without some of that fragrance being upon yourself.
A simple illustration. One day I was going along the slum areas of London, England on a double Decker. You know what they are, brother.
Gladding. And we were passing it through a very poor section of the city. And I remarked, I said, what a wonderful fragrance is to be noticed here in this slum area. Well, he said, it's not to be surprised dear brother, because this is the chief scent factory of England and there are 500 girls coming out at 5:00 after their days work. They were bearing with them the fragrance.
Of the.
The scent that sent, you know, Well, I've often thought of it made sense to Brother Mary.
We it's precious to think of that that like the thistles head to the thorn. I see thou out arose. No, he says. But I've lived a long time with the Rose.
So that's what it is, brethren.
I understand this way fashion it should be the preciousness. Is that the correct translation of it?
He is the preciousness that precious age. That's what he used to the heart of God, and a little measure that we are able to take it in. He is to us, isn't he, brethren?
But we're not surprised that the very one who is so precious to our hearts.
Has disallowed.
By those who are disobedient who reject him. So we're living in a scoffing.
World that despises and denies and uses the Lord's name and hoes and curses. That's the kind of a world where passing through.
In the second chapter of Matthew, Speaking of frankincense, we find that the wise men offered these three gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to the Lord Jesus.
This little infant, they were gifts offered to him. But in the second chapter of Philippians we find those three things are characterized by him.
Maybe just read them?
The second chapter Philippians.
Surely we have these three things mentioned.
Verse six, second chapter Philippians.
Still being in the form of God.
Northern robbery to be equal God. Here we have the goal, dear beats will be in the form of God, thought it must robbery to be equal with God, but may himself have no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. Surely this speaks of the frankincense.
And then first thing it says, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. There's the myth. The myrrh has a bitter taste, and surely it speaks of the death of Christ and all that he endured there on the cross under the hand of a holy God. So those three things gifts to him at his birth, but they characterize him during his life.
He was the true gold and the frankincense, and the Mer, too.
01:10:02
One likes to mention in the second chapter of Matthew, where dear brother just quoted, that they got gift, gold, frankincense and myrrh. But there is another totally very precious if you turn with me, just the rude thought I got it for somebody else and I'll pass it on to you for all of this weight brothers, as in the second chapter of Matthew.
And verse 11 where the brother was courted.
And it says in the middle of the verse and fell down and worship him. And they open their treasure and they offer these gift and this fellowship say to us to the meeting in Brooklyn.
That for the first time our God and Father He opened all His treasure in the Person of his well Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, when he was revealed here below, that will obtain when God opened all His pleasure, and He broke before us the Person of Christ.
I believe the second collection brings that out doesn't.
I can commotion. It's a common thought in connection with the Franklin said that it hasn't really been determined what it is. It's something that's not catalyzed. It's insurable. Well, in that sense, when it speaks here of the Lord making himself with no reputation, taking upon him upon the servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Something about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as being God and man that is notable. And if anyone tries to analyze the person of Christ, he's going to get into trouble.
But there is the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's where they are, man thought, human thought, and only the spirit of God.
Can give us right thoughts about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But when the reasoning of mind begins to analyze the person of Christ, he's going to get into trouble. Understand that in the spices that and appointments and so on that certain ones were gathered from the desert.
And the others grown in the garden, if that means anything to us as we think of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and the meat offering, that there were certain things that came out in the life of the Lord Jesus here in the desert, that.
Would not be seen, perhaps, if he hadn't taken that path across the desert down here in in rejection and humbling himself.
And this pathway to this world and connection to is what our brother Anderson has said. I believe that in the compounding of this incense there was a solemn warning that they were to offer it to the Lord alone, and that if they ever did ever compounded this to smell thereto for their own enjoyment, they were to be cut off. Well, I believe that's a very serious warning. I believe that that which speaks of the person of Christ is that which we can well.
A bow to in adoration without attempting to dissect. And then on the other hand, I have wondered if there is this thought involved, that there is surely in worship that which is for the heart of God and not for human enjoyment. It seems to me that today we see all around us an attempt to to organize a form of worship so-called.
That is entirely really for human enjoyment, and God has nothing in it whatsoever. In fact, I believe it's a dangerous thing when men get together to try to devise a program of so-called worship which is really for the enjoyment of the natural man. As my father often used to say, any form of religious service that an unsaved man can enjoy is not of God. So I believe in the compounding of this incense.
Sweet and beautiful, Lord is. It's for God himself, though we are privileged to enjoy the sweetness of it as it's offered up to him.
Yes.
01:15:05
Just mentioned this.
It says they found them and worshipped him. Worshipped him. Well, doesn't say they worship Mary five times. In this chapter we have this expression, the young child and his mother, never the mother and the young child. And how the Catholics get around them I do not know. And so they worship him, not the mother. And five times it says the young child and his mother, not once the mother and the young child.
In all things he must have the preeminence.
Learn one thing from these verses that we are commenting on the 6th verse and the seventh verse and the eighth verse. Two, that we're living in the day and the time when the Lord is rejected by this world and are worshipped and praised as to a rejected Christ. That this world cast out crucified, but the one whom this world has rejected and.
And given the cross, and the grave is the one who is to be.
In the coming day, the headstone of the corner.
At the present time, a stone of stumbling and a rock of a fence.
But nevertheless that very stone that the builders rejected is made the head of the corner. So we must go on not expecting the Lord to be honored and respected by this guilty world. More and more, this world dishonours his name and is bringing all kinds of false doctrine as to his only being a man denying his virgin birth.
And all that.
And so we have to be loyal to him in a day of His rejection. Now in the day that is coming, the Lord is going to be exalted. Every knee is going to bow to him. And when He is set up in His Kingdom, then the whole world will be honoring Him. There will be no there will be no problem. Then to honor the Lord. The nations of the earth will come up.
To worship the Lord. But now what a privilege it is to be loyal to that rejected 1 during this time, and the subjects that are brought here before us, the things that pertain to this time of the Lord's rejection.
Sing that him worthy of homage and of praise.
One in 195, we stand.
Brandon.