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5.
Say 5.
Yeah.
First, Peter.
Catholic School.
Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile and hypocrisies, and envies, all, you have to speak as uniform babes desire the sincere note of the word, that you can grow thereby.
So we have pictures that the Lord inspiration to homecoming as unto a living stone. It is allowed and heated men, but chosen God and precious He also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scriptures. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone.
Light precious either believe it on Him shall not be confirmed. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious, but unto them which He disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.
And a storm stumbling in a rock of a fence, even to them which stumbled at the word, being disobedient, were unto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation of royal priesthood and holy nation of the Jewish people. That He should throw forth the praises of Him who had called you out of darkness into His marvelous life, which in time past were not people, but now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
00:05:12
I beseech you as strangers and programs, as stains and fleshly rust, which war against the soul, having your conversation honest among the temples, that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they mean by your good works which they shall behold. Glorify God in day of reputation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's faith, whether it be the king.
As you cream on the governor, and unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that we fell for, so is the will of God that would well do it. You may put the smiles to ignorance as fruit, losing your liberty for the cult of maliciousness, but as the servants of God honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king service.
Is subject to your masters all fears.
Not only feel good is that, but also to the soul. Well, this is thankward. If a man for conscience toward God and your greed sucking wrong or what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your calls, you shall take it patiently. But if when you do well in subject for it, you take a patiently. This is acceptable as well or even here on to when you call because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow these steps who did no sin, neither was God.
Thousand was not who, when he was reviled, reviled not again.
When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed him so to him the judges right through his own self bear our sins in his own body on the street, that we being dead to sins, should live on the right ******* by whose stripes you were healed, For ye were a sheep going straight, But are now returned under the shepherd, Bishop, Bishop, Bishop.
Lord has sent the Nicodemus of John three he must be born of order and of the spirit. There was the absolute intensity wasn't here of new birth and so at the end of the first chapter in verse 23 reminds us that we're born again, not a reluctable scene, but by of interruptible by the word of God, which liveth is divided forever. So as those that are sitting here now.
Today we have been born again our makers of divine nature and the fruit of that nature is the fruit of the spirit, Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. That is evidence from the Spirit of God and working upon a new daycare that we can produce them. But our chapter opens with work for the fleshly. Let's say that every one of us here as believers. It would be nice. There's a false teaching and always.
Holiness groups that the whole nature can be burnt out and eradicated. Well, that's only wishful thinking. Every one of us here knows.
That the old nature is still here resident and if we don't walk in the spirit that those things are the flesh can get in the heart and into the soul and and just cause all kinds of heartache and sorrow. And so we're the way aside malice. There's hard feelings to die on deceit, the hypocrisy, the new evil speakings. What a word to our conscience and here to start off with this verse.
OK, that's the old man is still there, unchanged and unchangeable. I was just born of the flesh is flesh. And the two we know that it never changes, but God has given us a new life, a life that he likes, and the things of God finds his joy in the things of God. But we still have that old man. And wherever his works are manifested, there's a hindrance to spiritual growth, a hindrance to the enjoyment of our portion in Christ. And I'm sure that's why the exhortation comes in here.
00:10:08
God wants his children to grow, doesn't he? And uh, if, uh, these, we are thinking of this in connection with the garden, some of the young people will know, and some of those older ones too, that you have a vegetable garden. And when I grow some things, but if you allow the weed to come up in that garden, then the vegetables are soaked out or good is choked out. And I think here we find that the expectation is to lay aside some of the weeds.
That are in this garden that God has given to us as we have already been noticed every the 1St chapter. We have light, we have salvation and God wants us now to grow, to grow. And so that is brought in here. I need one great desire to see the ceremony and not to go on with this, but it's just taking me through how interesting it is that it brings in two things here in connection with growth.
Not only, not just that I saved from judgment to come, but I'm saved with glory, and God wants to see proof in my life.
And the first thing that we get in this in this chapter following this, of course, is is there are two principal things and that is there is we are we are built up to offer up a spiritual sacraments. We can OfferUp to God first. The upper springs come first and then we find that we are royal priesthood to go through those who are without. There is another spring, but at least we that this these things are not set aside.
We're not in the state of soul to be able to worship, nor to bring out the truth of God, of the gospel going out to many, many others.
Mr. Garvey's translation has the mantle, milk of the word, that she may go there by. And I was thinking of how God wants us to lay hold of His truth intelligently. It speaks in Romans. One presents our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your intelligent service. That is, we ought to lay hold of the truth of God intelligently as believers.
So in the Old Testament, there were many things that they were asked to do that if you would ask the godly Israelite, why is that sacrifice done in such and such a way? He didn't know, but he was called to obedience and he did the things without understanding why. But God wants us to understand the things that He tests before us and so that our service becomes an intelligent service because we're in the family.
With our children, we ask them to do something and we explain to them why. And isn't it lovely that God wants us to carry on an intelligent service in this world? And His word gives us this kind of instruction. We need to know what our position is. We're children of God need to know that we're members of the body of Christ. We need to know that we're holy priests and royal priests. We need to know what God is doing and why we are called upon to this path. And I think it's very lovely that he brings us into communion with himself under explaining these things to us so that there's a loving service, but also an intelligent service.
All right, and in some parts I notice that those were desired. In the second very immet. The desire for the things of God is what is needed to lead to growth. If there is not an exercise of heart and soul about those things, we won't grow. We might be happy reading the word or listening to the administrative words, but there has to be that desire to absorb those things, to take them in. There has to be an appetite for those family things in order to produce real growth in our hearts and lives.
OK.
Kind of skipped over a little bit.
Negative aspects or like amounts to 14.
20.
Because my brother did not show them and understand them now, be it in malice. So I don't understand them. And what's the characteristics of children connecting with now? Well, we get real angry with each other for a moment.
00:15:07
Uh, a couple months later the plane happened together and, uh.
That's the way it should be. It's three years ago, uh, riled up because there's some statements that might be innocent by us or it's something you don't, you don't approve of. I would really think that angry like God.
Is true? Well, every belief are obtained and very angry to hear that, but yes.
Uh, we, uh, should be like, sure.
Interesting that you hear in this right here in this first person he covers.
They they will need you.
I was thinking just mentioning laying aside that's individual I as an individual, I'm lay that aside. I'm not I'm not to judge it somewhere else. I'm making possible on the but here is an individual matter. So lay inside all malice. I suppose you could say malice is even intent, isn't it? That's as you pointed out, the children can get angry with one another, but in a few hours they're all back together again. There's no evil intent there. But then.
Dial is begin to cook what I really am, you know got it. I I I I have AI have a something in my heart and I'm I'm trying to cover it up with something else. And then hypocrisy is pretending to be something that I'm not. So we get the whole picture in this one little verse. We get the picture, perhaps not all, but at least in part what we are on YouTube. What comes up even in the child of God.
Umm, hypocrisy. Pretending to be something I'm not. And then we come to that little word angry.
Uh, you know, I can be envious of you and you might not know it.
That has been a decade. It's been a sad thing among the people of God and envy, but this, if this is entertained, what comes out?
And all evil stories.
Becomes what is in this part of mind and I I believe I will see in this case of covering of of what what the heart.
What the natural heart of man is.
Uh, and also it is sometimes characteristic among like the Lord's people and with me also. And so I need to put this all aside because I am, I have now, I've been involved by the Spirit of God. I have, I have, I have eternal life, I have salvation. So it's an expectation for us, isn't it, to, to set these things aside. That would be.
Detrimental.
Do a path that I'm walking in and not helpful to anyone else and I think you get that further in the chat.
There are five things smoking up here. Malice style, hypocrisy, anymore evil speaking. The thought occurred to me that time when, uh, the member of Joshua and how that those 5 kings, they hit, they came all often to be done. They were to be brought out to the light and the night, put upon the sword as it were, and put it dead. And so would be 5 things. We've got to realize that they can be latent within our heart. A word of God, bring it into the light, see that they are the worst of the flesh and put the knight to them.
Deal with them. And then in connection with verse two, we, uh, are often reminded that Peter uses the milk a little bit differently than what the apostle Paul does. Uh, when Peter says desire to censor milk of the word, he's only talking about things in Christ, but he's talking about us all through our pathway, isn't it? We never, never should be, uh, tired of, uh, reading the word of God.
Medicating upon it. It was a joy to my heart last night. I hope the brothers don't be I'm I'm talking with two brothers, young man and I was already retired, so to speak when they came in and I peeked out of my eye to see what happened and they opened up Bible and they both read a chapter and then they prayed into God invent what a joy. You know that all dear ones that we might never never just say I don't understand. I'm reading Chronicles and all of those names very often.
00:20:14
There's a little nugget even in the Chronicles and just reading and reading and read the word of God and meditate upon it and thereby grow. And I might just point out with with Paul in first Corinthians 3 and in Hebrews chapter five, he said those believers with with milk and not meat, because there was something there which stumped their food. The Corinthians it was one thing worldliness and the nation a strike amongst them.
With the Hebrews, it was because they were tenaciously holding on to things that they had learned in Judaism and pull out a freedom with milk and the meat had to be held back until they made a complete break with Judaism and went on to the blessed truths of Christianity.
I think it's good to, uh, consider that in spiritual things.
It's not our natural ability that enables us to grow or to understand things is a function of our moral state. If you turn back to First Corinthians chapter 2.
In Louder Brother Bruce, First Corinthians, chapter 2.
Let me just read first eleven First Corinthians chapter 2. What men know the things of a man? Think the spirit of man which is in him. That is an inanimate thing. A wall or a rocket or even an animal can't enter into the things of a man. That's not the spirit of a man which knows what's inside of a man.
Then in the latter part of verse 11, even though the things of God know no man but the Spirit of God, now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God and so on. And so we see from this the truth that the importance of why verse one comes before verse two, that is in, uh, you think back to your school days. It wasn't the most godly boy or girl in the class who learned the most.
There was no relationship between.
A conduct or a moral state and how much somebody learned naturally of mathematics or French or physics or whatever. And sometimes it's just the opposite. And as we get older and go to work, it may be that, uh, it's not necessarily the most upright or godly person that advances in the business world or anywhere. Uh, there's no direct relationship in those things, but in spiritual things there is. Because even though we all have, uh, an English translation of the word of God on our last, umm, the brightest person in here cannot understand it.
Uh, unless the Spirit of God indwelt and, and opens up to him, uh, what is in the word of God. And that is an important thing to remember. If I want to learn and grow, if I want to taste and enjoy, if I don't want to just sit here cold and, and, uh, bored with spiritual things, my moral state has to be right before God. I have to lay aside these things as Brother John has put, I have to expose them, umm, before God and put the knife to them or I'm not going to have the appetite to desire.
The pure mental milk of the word. I'm not going to grow. I think that's something you forget. You say, well, I want to learn like that. Brother learns. And so we dig in and we start to study, study and read books. And that's a good thing to read good books I bought. If we're allowing things in our lives that our consciences are crying out against, we're not going to grow and take in the things that's gone because it's only the Spirit of God that give us to know these things. And he's called the Holy Spirit. And so without holiness, practically, we're not going to have the appetite to desire, nor will. And if we don't have the appetite, we're not going to be and grow up unto salvation.
Even in the Passover, they were told to, they were to put away leaven out of their houses. And so we know tells us in first Corinthians 511, his malice and wickedness isn't it? And if that isn't put away, we can't enjoy the Lord. They couldn't really enjoy the Passover as God intended if they didn't put away that lemon. Uh, not only that they didn't need it with the Passover lab, but there was put over their houses all together. And how important that is because it isn't always things that are said in the meeting.
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But it's things we say between ourselves, for our hearts often are laid there that we haven't really judged those things to hinder.
A little canvases that, uh, self judgment is the inseparable condition of a walk in communion with God.
It's a story cold of a of a young man who walked up to the platform after a servant of Christ had given an address. And the young man was just so enamored with his knowledge and grasp of the word of God. And he said, how can I?
Paraphrasing it, but he said, how can I learn the word like you do and know it like you do? And I'm told that his answer was by remembering 4 simple words. And he quoted from John chapter 6. The flesh prophet is nothing. And uh, I don't know who the young man was and when it took place and I don't know how he took that. But you know, a person could go away wondering what what was the connection between what he told me and what my question was. But there is a connection, isn't there? The black profit is nothing. And we made in the book of Proverbs is kind of sobering.
I think there are several passages that speak about.
He that hates us to be rich. Uh, and I can't quite put in place the last part of that verse, but, uh, I think the general thrust of those passages that he's, he that pays to be rich, brings a snare up on himself. And I believe that's true of spiritual things as well. We may haste to be rich and try to gobble up all kinds of knowledge, but there isn't, uh, a practical growth in our souls. It's going to come to none. What we turn this off?
Does that fit in with verse 3?
It's so big. You have tasted that the Lord is sweet or gracious or precious. Really. That's that's the core, isn't it? I see the preciousness is the Lord precious to my soul. That's really what he's saying here too. It's so deep. Sophie. Yes. Aces and the Lord.
MMM.
Those two and three go together too. Don't they end up sensitive? If I had tasted that the Lord is gracious, if if I had fallen in love with Christ, the one who loved me and gave himself for me, how can I neglect His word? If he loved me, Keep my commandments, You love me, keep my words. And so it's just incompatible, we might say, with having been redeemed by Christ.
I need the object right and fair before my soul to be negligent. Other words, no, the two things. If so, being that your peace that the Lord is gracious, then desire the word, His word, that he might be able to speak to us and show us what's wrong, that we must shut it, Bring before us that which is pleasing, and excite that we might plead to it for his praise and glory.
The word here comes in, doesn't it? Because God would exercise someone who might not be real. There's no desire for the things of God in the natural man. He doesn't enjoy those things at all. We have to be born into the family of God to have that new life with him is capable of entering into and enjoying the things of God. And so he brings this in. And so we can speak a lot about practical things, but if there's anyone here who hasn't yet.
Been born into the family of God. He has no power to put aside those evil things. He has no power to enjoy the things of God. He must be in the family. And so God has given us a new life. By that new life we have now discernment. We have power to judge that which is a hindrance. And we also have power to walk in this world to please God. And we want direction. Uh, shall I say God has given us the desire by new birth and he has given us his word to be direction for that new life that he has given us.
How do I know? As a Christian we need many dear Christians who really sincerely love the Lord. But how am I going to know what pleases him? It's His word that sets that path before me and the the flesh, even in the Christian, can resist the truth of God. So we need to constantly be in that spirit of self judgment, but we also need to be feeding upon the Word of God and asking like the newborn desire you think of falls when he was on the road to Damascus.
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He said blood will still have me to do, and that is the breathings of the new light. And we need to get up, we'll say each day and ask the Lord to for direction. So we have direction through His Word and we have direction through prayer. We have direction definitely, and things that please the Lord through His word. But in little things of life we need prayer, don't we? But we have tasted that the Lord is good, and it's often been said our failure comes from unbelief in that point.
If Adam and Eve had really believed that God had provided everything for their good and happiness, they wouldn't have reached up out for that which He or bad. They would have found their satisfaction and what He had provided. Why do you and I reach out for that which God has forbidden? Because we don't believe that what He has marked out in His Word, the path He has marked out for us, is truly the good path. It's the good and right way, as it says in Proverbs.
Having tasted that the Lord is gracious produced the desire in our hearts to draw nigh. Definitely it continues on a great fall. Thank you. Who's coming? OK, but there are so many objects in this world around the flat capable of attracting our hearts. We all know that. And so the question here is, how much have I enjoyed or laid hold of in my heart? All the preciousness of Christ or the sweetness of graciousness, if that's the case?
Then the other objects are going to lose an attraction to my soul, and no one has to tell me to keep away from them because I have a better object. I have one that is capable of absorbing all of my affection. And so that as we have tasted that the Lord is gracious, we'll have an desire to come to use the drawn knife and love the crime, and to enjoy chameleons and fellowship with Him.
I believe Peter himself had that experience in a very real way, and it's brought out in the sixth chapter of John when a number of the Lord's disciples turned back and walked no more with him. The Lord turns to them and says, will you also go away? And Peter responds, and I believe from the depths of his hire he doesn't say, where shall we go?
That might be the way people would answer a question like that.
But he says, To whom shall we go, Lord? To whom shall we go?
And if the heart turns away, uh, in any way from the Lord, uh, it's not because, uh, some other, uh, teaching has gotten a hold of us so much as we've lost sight of the person. And I believe that is, uh, why Peter puts it this way. To whom? Coming to, unto a living spell.
And when the Lord challenged it, will you also go away?
Respond to such a wonderful way. Whom shall we go now has the word to eternal life and you believe that are sure of the power thing. Uh, Christ, the son of the living God. What a wonderful confession he made, uh, in response to that. And I believe that's the secret of our hearts being taken up with that blessed one that we might uh.
Understand. But it's not a A. Christianity is not a doctrine.
Christianity is not a teaching, it's not a philosophy. It's identification with a person to whom coming.
That was one of the first things that Peter learned was that in the first chapter of John, when the Lord met Peter, it tells us that he said, uh, he said that my name shall be called C Pass, which is by interpretation of stone. Was wonderful that Peter learned that very quickly. And isn't it nice for believers to learn that, that we're billed as living stones into a spiritual house?
When Solomon's temple was built, the stones were cut out in the quarry and put in.
There was no sound or hammer in the building. They were just cut and to fill a certain place in the, uh, building Solomon's temple. And Peter learned that very soon. And then in the 16th chapter of Matthew, he learns what the foundation is, that Christ is the foundation. He's a solid rock on which this building is built and isn't sad that today many people, when they are saved, they immediately think of joining some.
00:35:26
Organization that man has set up that he calls a church.
But Peter learned very soon that every believer is a living stone, and now God is building a spiritual house, and we as believers are living stones in that. And I think it's very nice to see that Peter learned that very quickly. And I believe it's important in the life of the unbeliever that he sees that he saved by grace, but he sees what Christianity is, and he sees what his position is in this world as a living stone in this spiritual building.
Matthew chapter 21 might read a few verses in connection with the stone just to bring something out there, and Matthew 21 verse 42. Jesus saith unto them, Did you never read in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected? The same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, that Kingdom of God shall be taken from you.
And given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on the sun shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to power just that much. I think the we can think of the stone as Christ in connection with the the Jew, the Gentile, and the Church of God. And 1St here the Lord speaks about the stone which the builders, those religious leaders in Israel, rejected.
Just become the head of the corner. And so this is the Lord's doing. Marvelous in our eyes. This, this secret purpose and thought of God, umm, the thought of the church and Christ is the cornerstone which binds all together and he's a foundation stone upon which all rest. But then, uh, it was to Israel a stumbling stone because, uh, when he came, there were in the Old Testament scriptures, of course, that part of it was that.
Well, when Messiah comes, he will deliver us out of the ******* of those that have ruled over us. Jerusalem will be the metropolis. Uh, Israel will be restored. All of the blessings that have been promised to them of the land will be theirs. And they saw the glory side, but they didn't see the suffering. And so when the Lord Jesus came in humiliation, they stumbled over that stone, for he was here in humiliation. But as they say, now he's the head of the church.
Anything cheap cornerstone or a cornerstone, and then he's going to be a smiling stone to the Gentiles as we learn in Daniel that all these Gentile world powers, no matter how much armament they might have, how powerful they may be with their, uh, weaponry, the day is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come out of heaven as the smiting stone and grind all of these Gentile world powers.
Down to nothing, and his Kingdom shall become a great Kingdom over the whole earth. And so, uh, the Lord's second coming and uh, when our hearts rejoice too, to see that day when he will have his rightful sway, the man of God's purpose and counsel shall rule over all. So as I say, the stone then in Scripture connected with Israel stumbling over it, and now the cornerstone of the church and a smiling stone to the Gentiles in the coming day.
Who's trying to wean the heart of these, uh, Jewish believers heavenward? Wasn't he says in the first chapter, uh, that he's begotten to get onto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and the fate of not away reserved in heaven for you as a nation. They could look forward to the time when God would bless them because in that millennial day.
Jerusalem will be the center called the city of the great King. All nations will have to come up and worship there. But there was a change took place when the Lord Jesus was rejected as the cornerstone of the building, so to speak. And now God is building a spiritual building. Our home is not earthly, but heavenly. He's begotten us again. They were brought into the land of Canaan to be blessed there, but they rebelled and they forfeited the land.
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But however, God had made unconditional promises to Abraham, and He is going to bless the nation of Israel, and there is going to be a wonderful day for this earth when Christ has His rightful place. But it is important rather than that we realize that in this present, present dispensation, we're a heavenly people. We're not left here to improve the world. God is building a spiritual building. Every believer is a living stone in that building.
We are a holy priest to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices. We are wild priests to show forth the praises of him who's called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. And so our whole position in this world is different from those who belong to the nation of Israel. It is those who have a heavenly, a heavenly home and represent heaven here in this world. And no doubt that's why the chapter begins by showing immoral character that's suited to that.
Now that is, how could we as those who belong to have them, show those fruits of the of the flesh in our lives? We would seek to judge them so that we might be in the enjoyment and be a testimony to this world that we have messed up with. Alan, who is gracious, the one who is good, the one who had so great a cost, as chapter one tells us, redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
Well, what a position is ours. Let's never forget it. Rather, we're in this world to represent heaven. We're not here to improve the world. We leave that to a coming day when the Lord will set things right. But our place, our my remember a young man who was going on his way to remember the Lord and uh, he passed the bus stop and there was a neighbor waiting there. So he picked up the neighbor and the customers. They were going in that direction. And the neighbor said, to what church do you go to?
And he said, well, where I go, the church goes to the building.
So you and I are part of the Church of God with this building. Is this a convenient meeting place? The church is a spiritual building and we are living stones. We are members of the Head who is Christ. What a lovely position to enter into and enjoy in a world like this.
Is this the same thought that Paul brings out an infusion pill first? Uh.
There's 21.
He is still in 21 The.
Simply praying together, growing up to a holy temple in the Lord set the same thought as what he.
Not going to go.
Brother uh said to me after a meeting in which I could not speaking on this passage.
That sisters were not priests.
Maybe we could have a word on that. I uh.
Don't see that, Paul says. You who are men or a spiritual uh.
The holy priesthood, Does he, uh.
Just, uh, I have this little plot that uh.
As to the collective aspect of it in the public way.
That is an audible priesthood. That isn't the function of a sister. But I can tell you this, dear sisters, that your effect on the tone of the assembly is more than you can imagine.
I have come to a meeting.
Cold and hard.
And after 25 minutes or so the Lord works in by the Spirit of God using the hymns and scriptures and less it affected the word of God and warming the heart. The Lord puts him on my heart.
And they give it out. And after the meeting, the dear old sister will come up to me and say, oh, brother, I'm so glad you gave that him out. I was thinking about it for 20 minutes before you gave it out. Now what is that? That's pretty good, isn't it?
And God takes, the Spirit of God takes from the heart of that dear sister that happy and holy exercise of praise in her heart, and gives audible expression to it through Elaine.
00:45:13
Uh, a lame, uh, and, and failing man that perhaps, uh, needed a 25 minutes to get his heart warmed up in the meeting. I just point that out for the encouragement of the sisters. To me, that's a very precious thing. And that happened to be more than once, uh, uh, here this year. I just addressed that to you. Your priesthood may not be audible in the assembly, but it's very precious to God and important in the collective aspect in the sense that.
The Spirit of God really takes from the heart.
Of all and gives audible expression to it through, uh, the brother who, uh, takes an audible part. But, uh, it's not confined to the public activity, is it? Uh, the priesthood, our priesthood is not confined to the public meetings of the believers. And in fact, it's uh, uh, I believe the dear sister is standing, washing dishes or changing the baby and, and uh, pouring out her heart praise to the Lord.
Is exercising her priesthood.
I was wondering about Bruce's question mark, uh, before we close here, referring to Ephesians chapter 2. What was your, You have something on that brother?
No, I I don't think he got answered.
I was satisfied, but may I raise another question here? When does the offering up of failure factor 5 to take place that only meetings?
That was Hardy, and I believe it's not confined to me, is it not? I would like you to be characterized by phrase. She did not. And how many opportunities that are not needed live where the heart can just come and go out in a spirit of praise and Thanksgiving just to the Lord. Take praise unto him, and our hearts have precious peace to us, and that is us through rather than as as well assisted as as it was brought out.
And so that's beautiful. And this, this series of offering up spiritual, technical minds can be a continual service. It doesn't take your gathering together of the Saints to produce the Alzheimer's when you come together.
There are mentalities and that's death. I believe it becomes a very special occasion for that, but it must not be limited to occasions like those.
Well, it says that singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, the melody really before God, is not the thing itself as in the heart, because a brother or sister might be able to sing or might not be able to sing, but still can make melody in his or her heart. And that is what God hears. No heart, but of the spirit of thought makes melody to thee in a physical sense. We see it in the temple. Why, when the temple was dedicated in the time of Solomon?
There were 120 pre sounding trumpets and many other instruments there, so it was what could be heard. And it says they made one sound and praising and thanking the Lord. But Christianity is an entirely new thing. And that is God gave the awkward thing in Judaism, but the inward thing is Christianity. And so when this meeting closes it we sing a hymn. The Lord knows he looks down. The best singer might have the least melody in his heart, but what the Lord hears is the melody in the heart.
To the Lord. And so this is an encouragement, and certainly a sister can have part in that, in the melody that's in the heart. In fact, the brother who gives out to him may not be in as much communion as the sister who's singing it. So that's where the melody is, and that's what the Lord values. So that's what he really accepts.
Be a a very nice thing in our local gatherings. All of us were as intelligent as in spiritual things and spiritual truths and rose up to the enjoyment days conveyed in a lot of those Inns and the little block info and uh, at home on Saturdays. We've been going through the little book of other 80 and Roach late brother Adrian Roach put together and uh, it's just very touching to see that some of the hymns that are.
Some, you know, almost every gathering continuously were written by sisters, some of whom were only lived, uh, maybe 40 or 45 years on this earth. And you look up, uh, we look up the numbers and see them. And the truths conveyed in there, uh, indicate that these sisters must have not only known the truth, but enjoyed it. And it must have been common to their souls enjoying for them to sit down and use over those things like that. It's quite touching, really. So this is another aspect of our priesthood.
00:50:23
In the book of Malachi, it says the priest lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the law at his mouth, afraid of the messenger of the Lord of hosts. And so brothers and sisters have the privilege as uh, Albert, uh, late brother Albert Hale used to say, there's no such gift. There's no gift that taking in the truth. He used to say there's a gift connected with giving it out, but there's no gift connected with taking it in. And you look around at all of us in the meeting room at his point being that there was nothing to hinder us, uh, as far as the spiritual gift.
Being able to take it and enjoy the truth. It's one of our priestly privileges to to intelligently enter into the unsearchable riches of Christ and have them as the music of our hearts.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
00:55:10
I'm a stranger in the earth.
I'm not documented from me.
Verse 18.
Open down mine eyes.
But I may behold wonders thing probably by law.