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.
All thy mercy.
God I rising soul surveys.
Transported.
Without you, I lost.
Him, wonder, love and friends.
From whom those come to his Lord?
Do everything.
All my life.
I couldn't.
Glory bright.
And bringing you.
Through Holy.
Jesus.
A joyful song.
I reigns, by the way.
It is destroyed.
To a girl.
Onions or.
Another process for the minor reading.
I think it's a very tender hearted how the apostle speaks, very tender heartedly that he speaks to these dear ones. And I think the message to the heart would be valuable to us as we take up how he speaks to them in second chapter, First Thessalonians.
Yeah, that's definitely the subject there. I was thinking that.
It might be.
Orderly to go on with the 2nd chapter 2.
So First Thessalonians 2.
First Thessalonians chapter 2 For yourself rather know our interest in unto you, that it was not in vain, but even after that we had suffered before we were shamefully entreated. As you know, at Philippi we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much content. For our expectation was not of deceit, nor of our cleanness, nor in guile, but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel.
Even so we speak not as pleasing men, but God, which try at their hearts, for neither at any time used to be flattering words, as you know Norfolk of covetousness God has witnessed nor of men sought. We glory neither of you nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostle of Christ, But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse chairs with her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted other youth, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were dear under them.
But you remember, brother, in our labor and travail for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable under many of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God, year witnesses, and God also, how holy, and justly and unblamely, unblamely we behave ourselves among you that believe, as you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged everyone as a father doubt his children, that he would walk worthy of God, who have called you into unto his Kingdom.
00:05:30
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when you receive the Word of God, what she heard about you received it not as a word of men, but as it is in truth the Word of God, which effectively worketh also in you. God believe. For ye brethren, became followers of the churches of God, which are in Judea, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and that persecuted us.
And they please not God, and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved. So fill up their sin goals for the rafts come upon them to the uttermost. Believe, brother, be taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart. Endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desires. Wherefore we would have come unto you. Even I call once and again. But Satan hindered us. But what is our hope?
For yeast, for ye are glory and yours.
N.
Well, the apostle says here that his entrance, that is, is bringing up the gospel into the Thessalonians.
Is not in vain. It was not a failure that mission.
We look back on the historical aspect. You remember that?
He was shamefully and treated and Philip liked imprisoned and.
Suffered a persecution there from the.
Ungodly part of that city.
But it did not.
Dampen the.
Ardor of the apostle to go on with the gospel. He went down the highway to Thessalonica after greeting the brethren in Lydia's house. A little assembly.
Said the Gospel got into Philippi as a sacred concert.
There they were in the stocks, bleeding and.
And suffering there physically.
In the dungeon and they were praying and singing praises to the Lord, brought the house down and.
It was a marvelous work accomplished in Philippi through the grace of God and small assembly established. But now they went down.
The highway to Phillip to Thessalonica, and they were bowled in gauging. Even after that treatment they had received in Philippi, the fervency of the apostle was still very strong and manifest. Bold in our God, to speak unto you. The gospel of God with much contention. There was real opposition there in Thessaloniki.
In fact, the apostle had to leave that city prematurely. He usually spent quite a bit of time after the souls were saved to establish them, to teach them, and to lead them on in the truth. But this was not possible in Tesselmanica. He was really driven out, and he had a great love and concern for the.
Growth of this assembly.
As we mentioned yesterday, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica so that he would get a report of of the progress of the spiritual condition of the brethren. He feared that maybe Satan had come in and drawn them away. So you might say the tables are are turned, so to speak, in the second chapter. It is more the role model that is brought before us.
00:10:15
Chapter one, it's the Thessalonians who are the testimony, but chapter 2, if you can use the term, it's a vindication of the apostles ministry by his life, by his character, by his love and concern for these Saints as a role model for that.
There were two parts of his work, the five, He had a ministry given to him from the risen head in glory, and he speaks there in Romans 16 and 25. He says now to him that is of power to establish you 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 he speaks of my gospel, it's really what he presents to us in the Epistle to the Romans.
What God has done for the blessing of man and all of the blessings that we have, spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, what we have in Christ is given to us. It was given to Paul. And so that was a part of the gospel, what he calls my gospel. And then he has the revelation of the mystery which has to do with Christ and the church. And really we might be able to say that.
He was given these two works. One was to present what God has done for the blessing of man, what He called my gospel. And then the second part of what He did, what he was given as a minister of God, an apostle of God and the Lord Jesus, was to present what God has done for his own pleasure. And so God has formed and is forming His church now, and it is for His pleasure.
But here we speak. He speaks of what was wrought according to the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God.
And that is, that their souls were saved. And he preached the gospel of the kindness of God, what God had done, that they might be blessed. And here in Philippi, he says that he was shamefully entreated. And they knew about this. And they were partakers of those kinds of sufferings, weren't they? Because now they identified with the Lord Jesus and they sought to be active in the gospel of the grace of God. And it says in verse fourteen of our chapter that ye brethren, became followers of the churches of God.
Which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they of the Jews. So there was opposition, and his brother John had mentioned that the enemy was seeking to shut down this work of God. There was a bright light of testimony in Thessalonica, and the truth of the Gospel of the grace of God shone brightly.
And the enemy was seeking to extinguish it. And so one of the ways that he would seek to extinguish it was to bring in those teachers and false teachers and those that would oppose Paul even in the doctrine that he taught. That was mostly from the unbelieving Jews. Yeah, they they dogged the apostle continually and followed him even to Maria after they basically had driven him out of Thessalonians.
They weren't content, they followed and stirred up trouble in other assemblies. So at Judaizing principle, I don't believe these were true believers at all. But.
As was mentioned here.
The suffering came from the.
The Jewish the Jewish people, as we have in verses 14 and 15.
But I think that there's another point that we should notice here, that we have to be careful where we receive our teaching from.
That's especially important for young Congress. There's a great deal of.
Christian.
Based dialogue on.
00:15:05
The various.
Means and mediums that we have in the world today, whether it be Internet or whatever, but we have to be careful the source of the doctrine that we receive.
Because there's a great deal of error in the Christian testimony today.
You've heard of this?
Covenant theology or reformed theology which is a complete.
Confused interpretation of the scriptures bringing making no difference in dispensations of the of the Israelites and the church and these teachings are.
Spread and dispersed all around the Christian world today. So the apostle wanted them to be clear about who they were receiving the teaching from. And that applies to us today and to the young people who are here among us, to everyone that we be careful what we read, what we listen to and what we accept because.
There's a lot of error and evil teaching even among the professed Christendom.
Systems around this.
So you turn over to Acts chapter.
17 we I think we made reference to it, but just to.
Look at that again for a moment. 17 of acts.
We have heard of the Bereans.
Verse 11.
These were no more noble than those in Thessalonica, that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily. Whether those things were so, therefore many of them believed, and of honorable women, which were Greeks, and of men not a few.
Now this is commonly taken in the sense that Paul preached there in Berea, but they were not sure that he was giving the truth, so they went to the Scriptures to prove it. I don't think that's the thought in the passage. I think they accepted.
From Paul, the teaching that he gave as a minister approved of God and bringing the pure unadulterated truth before them. And then they cooperated it by looking at the scriptures just to confirm to them that what they had heard, they knew the source. From the apostles directed of God, they knew the source of where the ministry was coming from.
And they searched the Scriptures just to give a confirmation that what they had heard was really the truth of God. So it's so important, brethren, what we, what we're subjected to because doctrine forms our walk. Doctrine is important. There's some groups of Christians that say it's not important that we're all one and we should all be together and.
It really doesn't matter what we believe.
As long as we get along together and all preach the gospel, well, that's good. But doctrine is very important and it's going to form the walk of your, of the believer. If you don't have correct doctrine, you're not going to have correct walk. Evil communications, corrupt good manners. The apostle was very careful about this, to bring the pure doctrine not of deceit as we have in our chapter here. No impure or ulterior motive.
Motivated the apostle. He loved them, but he also wanted the presentation of the truth to be clear and accurate and correct according to the Scriptures.
Gospel chapter 8 and verse 18 don't even turn to which is part of the first take he therefore have he here the Lord speaking to his own take he how you hear there's so much out there there Brother John has said that is contrary to sound doctrine and we can be moved by a religious doctor with another verse six. We need to take heed how we hear you know, and they believe the massive gospel may be written.
00:20:19
Taking what he hear.
Yes, that's Mark's gospel chapter 4, verse 24. So it says, he said unto them, take heed what ye hear. That's very important. And then as you read in Luke 18, it says, take heed therefore how ye hear. So the Bereans, they took these things seriously and their hearts were right and it exercised their conscience. But then the apostle Paul speaks to Timothy and he says in first second Timothy chapter 3.
He says.
There in verse 14 continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And so that's the point, isn't it? In First Thessalonians chapter 2, as we're reading, he wanted them to understand that what he had told them was the truth, and that he hadn't had ulterior motives and he hadn't used base means of presenting the truth.
To them. And so he goes through some of these things. I think it's really from verse verses 3 through 6. And he presents many different things that he didn't do that others were doing in their labor and they were seeking some profit, some gain for themselves. So we need not only to take heed what we hear, we need to take heed of how we hear. And we also need to be sure.
That we listen to those that we have learned the truth from and have been assured of, and to know of whom we have learned them.
Well, the truth is never going to be popular. The truth of separation from the camp.
Or the systems of men around us is never going to be popular.
We have in Brazil a great response to the truth of gathering now. It's remarkable the number who have.
Professedly.
Separated from systems, but I feel that there's going to be a testing time. It has happened. It is happening in Brazil and will happen in every assembly. The test will come.
Why we are gathered where we are?
Why we continue with this company? Is it because of some other motive, whatever it might be, a friendship or?
Or some other reason?
But the test will come. Are we gathered to the name of Christ? Is he the object before us?
Not the brethren.
Not to friendships, not activities. You can find more activities in the systems of men.
But is it according to the scriptures?
Gathered according to Divine Principle and I believe this is what is happening, what happened here in Thessalonica, and the test would come for them and would comes for every one of us.
I think it's we're into an era where, especially among the younger ones, much younger than me, the Internet is an indispensable tool and it's consulted every day and every hour practically. And so the questions become, how do you sort out the good from the bad there? And there are tests that you can apply, and some of them are pretty simple.
I remember John Kaiser when I was reviewing books for B&P advising me.
To read this one carefully because.
In this man's writings often quote the stings in the tail, UN quote, which means that the like a scorpion, he stings with his tail. And at the end of the book you'll find that there's there may be error about the Lord's coming.
00:25:04
Things like that. And so kind of consult the last chapter first if you like and see what you've got and and so there's that to watch for and there's also the the person of Christ is being supreme is another one to keep an eye out for. And there's also the the.
A matter of.
Of.
As we know the timing of the rapture or the tribulations on, there's an awful lot of teaching about going through the tribulation in these times where we're now. And, and so you sort that out because we know that the next thing on the prophetic calendar is coming to work for this week.
Well, that's an awesome muddled in the stuff we find on the Internet.
And some of the fact some of the stuff is the sheer volume of it is can be depressing, but it can be somebody writing on something that would want to hit the pages and you read through all that, you'll end up confused and.
Probably better not even start.
There's reliable ministry as on the table over here, for instance, and and there's kind of proven I want to learn there's a good place to begin, but the other the other thing is that the the Lord Jesus by his spirit can be our guide will is willing to be our guide and if we give you a depend upon and he'll help us sort out that truth and all and he always you always want to test against the pure word of God, not just take it as somebody.
Somebody rambling thoughts, but go back to the word and check it out as you as you've done the same but searching the scriptures to see whether these things are so. And there are probably many other simple tests that you could make that maybe other brothers can add to, but those are a few that just help us sort out.
Good from that in the in the masses of stuff that's around.
You know I.
Throwing on the roof.
So.
I asked him and said who is the woman and right away.
Going and.
10 years old and I haven't seen her since I was 10 years old.
Who are you? And I said, I didn't know your little Billy. Yeah. So I posted a scripture to her and she said to her daughter trying to get me the give me the Bible. So. So anyway.
As I talked to her.
I thought she was saying.
Potentially.
She's running a walk the next time I was there and it was like.
Grant, Jefferies and.
Should have gone you're going to read this and I was trying not to encourage anything ignorant and.
I said, well, look, I I got too much to read now and I'm trying to keep up with what I'm reading and I'm slow readers and she says.
And then I say.
The signature of God is the word God and.
What's that man is doing? And.
Stuff like this. And so just because I wouldn't take that book from her.
00:30:01
Well, she disowned me right away and never ever called me back to give you something, but that didn't matter. The fact was that.
And nothing to do with this.
Books out there that are all in air and we have to start to love the.
The ministry that we have is just so wonderful.
Careful, because it's so easy to pick up bones up on them and.
Well, we read in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse seven. I think it was yesterday. I'll read it again. It says remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. So we need to consider the end of the lives as these dear ones. And so there were those that walked in the truth of God as it was recovered during the 1800s and those two in the 1900s and they we know by their walk.
That they were consistent in their walk. It was consistent with the truth that they taught, and it was blessed of God. And we ought to be satisfied with what He has provided the children of Israel. You know, we're not satisfied with the manna. They wanted something else. They wanted to beat it and bake it and all kinds of things. But oh, what a precious thing to have Christ and to have them ministered in purity. And so the apostle in this passage beginning there really at verse 3.
He says. You know, there are things that we could have done but we didn't do because they're not consistent.
With what a good Christian worker should do. And so he says our exhortation was not of deceit and there was no error in how what they were. He was presenting to the Saints there, nor uncleanness. He did not have impure desires nor in guile wasn't trying to twist things to present things in the light that he wanted to. He was presenting the truth of God. But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel. What a.
Privilege. He was entrusted with the gospel and he presented it in its purity, and it's necessary for us to do that. He says Even so, we speak not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. He wasn't trying to be popular and trying to present a popular gospel and trying to leave off the sharp edge of the sword. It didn't mean that he was obnoxious. That's not what it means. It means that he spoke the Word of God faithfully.
Truthfully, and he says here in verse seven, we were gentle among them. There is a right way of presenting the truth of God in the gospel and there is a wrong way. And so we know that he was very gentle. He didn't use flattery in verse five. And as you know, for a cloak of covetousness, it wasn't yet something out of them. God is witness, nor have men thought we glory neither of you nor yet of others.
When we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ. And so here he had a need. He was in Thessalonica and he had a need, but he didn't hold out his hand. He just worked, He labored, He laid himself out for those brethren and they heard the gospel of the grace of God didn't cost them a dime. And you know, it says it's one of the principles that we have in Scripture to give the gospel of God, as he says, without charge. Let's just turn to 3rd John.
It's mentioned in several different places and passages of scripture, even in the story of Naaman, how Naaman was given.
Fresh skin and so on he was.
Given new life as it were and that wasn't to be at a price so 3rd John and it says verse 7 because that for his name 's sake they went forth taking nothing.
Of the Gentiles. So none of us should ever be guilty of taking something from someone who we were trying to get give the gospel to, and that's why perhaps we might find it objectionable to.
I hesitate to say it, but I don't listen to Christian radio and I don't listen to or watch Christian television or anything like that. I used to, when I was younger, turn on the Christian radio and hear these ones asking for funds. And it struck me strange that it didn't matter whether you were saved or lost. You could send your funds in to present to help support the gospel. I'm not I'm not.
00:35:24
I'm certain about it, but I think that there would be those that were lost that thought, you know, we can, I can produce something. I can send some money in and get some money.
And send it into this guy and I'm going to be on my way to heaven. While God in his grace desired that the gospel would go out without pure, with purity, and without any covetousness. No money involved.
And it's free, the gospel of God, because Christ paid the price.
The price is so great it can never be purchased. And he wanted the Sinner, even in the day of grace, to recognize that. So what a privilege. Paul spoke, preached the gospel, the grace of God. It didn't cost the Thessalonians a dime.
And his character here.
Verse 7. Gentle among you, even as a nurse.
Cherish it, her own children. It should read. A nurse might.
Be a little different toward her own children than toward the children of others.
But this was completely contrary to the natural character of Paul. He was an insolent, overbearing man.
If ever there was a character that was strong and dead.
And unsympathetic toward anyone.
You know the life of the Apostle Paul before he was saved, he used every effort to staff out the name of Christ. He was mad against the Christians and.
The bitter of bitter opponent. Here he is now. The grace of God had worked so marvelously in his life. He was gentle, he was.
Compassionate he was longing for the blessing of these Thessalonians, burdened about their spiritual condition, laboring with his own hands sometimes say that Paul plied the canvas most of the day.
And preached half the night. I don't know how he could have done it. We know intro as he preached right into the night, perhaps most of the night. Probably in Philippi too. So what a what a marvelous role model, if we might use the term. He was in his life and ministry and sacrifice and devotedness.
For these Thessalonians, and for others too, that he labored among.
There is a the waiting on the ward in these things, the tendency with young believers to be anxious and we like to be able to know all the scripture almost overnight after we say sometimes, but.
Tells us that we learned why the bottom line precepts, a lot of precepts. We don't wear everything all at once. So we have a tendency to turn the ministry books, and there's nothing wrong with that. And maybe even other avenues to try to learn something of the scripture we're reading. We don't understand it and we're trying to learn, and that's good. But we can. We're using ministry books.
Oftentimes that can be error as we pick up something that's an error and then we develop it from there. First thing you know, we've got a bad doctor, so we should be waiting on the board. I think that the advice that the apostle Paul gave the elders an emphasis is to look at that tax money.
Acts 20 and verse 32.
Now, brother, I commend you to God through the word of grace, which is able to build you up and give you an imperative among all them which are sanctified.
God has given everything that we need to grow in order to know that the Corinthian states were built actually growing because they were carnal. So there's different things in their lives that hold us back from learning to word of God. So we should be exercising with those things, perhaps are holding ourselves back and learning. But then.
00:40:11
We have the Holy Spirit God has given to us is able to take things in Christ and make it known to us. And so we have everything that we need. We have a new nature that entire spiritual things that enjoys the word of God. So God has been given to us everything we need to learn and to grow.
Our own selves that hold them back most of the time but the turn to ministry that drops you're not familiar with.
Off the Internet and things like that, I think it's very dangerous and even translations that have a lot of paraphrasing in them and thoughts put in is very dangerous.
We have in First John chapter 5. The Spirit of God records there. I should say first John chapter 2 verse 20.
You have an unction from the Holy One and you know all things.
I have not written unto you, because you know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is out of the truth. Verse 27. But the anointing or the unction which ye have received of him, abideth in you, And you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing or unction teacheth you of all things, and his truth, and his no lie. And even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in him, or in communion.
And so it's not saying here that in verse 20 that you know all things, you read the scriptures and God is going to reveal everything to you. No, he says you have a an unction of the Spirit and when you hear the truth of God ministered, you know it's the truth.
If you walk in communion with the Lord and if you hear something that's aired, you're indwelled with the Spirit of God, you're anointed with the Spirit, and you detect that it's not quite right. And then you were able to search the scriptures and perhaps read some ministry, some teaching. I would just augment what you said, brother, in connection with the gifts that we just spoke about, about God gave gifts. And one of the gifts that he gave was those that were teachers. And if there's a good teacher.
And there are those that are false teachers, those that are good teachers, walking the truth of God. And they are consistent in their past, their course through this life. And at the end of their course, it's very clear that they walked in the truth and they taught the truth. So we have the function of the Spirit and the Spirit of God can reveal to us what is error, but we do need to walk in communion with Him.
It doesn't mean we don't need written ministry or not. I'm sure you're not.
Inferring that to Robert, we do need to avail ourselves of the gifts that the Lord has given to the church and has gathered to the Lord's name. I think we have the richest source and.
Amount of ministry that is available in Christendom, we don't need to go beyond it. We don't need skim milk if we have cream. And we have the richest unfolding of the mind of God doctrinally accurate in the writings that we have before us in our libraries, and we're not always availing ourselves of that.
That's the our brother Roy, I guess referred to that verse. It's very important in Ephesians 4 there.
The perfecting of the Saints, the work of the ministry.
The the should be no more children or vapes tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of man. So a person who never avails themselves of the.
The the written ministry that God has given through gifts to the church, you know the Lord has imparted gifts to men. This is the way that the church is edified and nourished and built up. It's through the gifts which an ascended Christ has given. If I say I'm not going to read any written ministry by brethren, I just have the Bible. Of course, that is the most important of all.
00:45:02
But we need to avail ourselves, like Ruth did. She couldn't draw the water from the deep well herself, but she could drink out of the vessel. The water that the young men had drawn, they had drawn from the deep well. She didn't do that herself, but she drank of the water that had been brought up and the little picture, I think, of availing ourselves of.
It's precious ministry available to us.
Yes, that's to be clear. God has raised up and given to the church teachers.
What does a teacher do? He teaches, and he sometimes uses written. He writes his teachings down, and he writes them down so that another generation might learn them or that they might be communicated to the existing generation. And so Paul was a teacher. He taught verbally, and we have even in this epistle he says.
In chapter 2 here in verse 13.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when he received the word of God, which he heard of us, you received it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believeth. So Paul was a teacher, but he was inspired of God to write and to teach the truth of God in connection with what God has done.
For your blessing in mind, for the blessing of mankind. And he also taught what God has done for his own pleasure. He taught of concerning the mystery of Christ in the church. That's what God has done for His own glory, for His own enjoyment, as it were. And so it's not all about us.
God has done some things that he might enjoy for thy pleasure. We are and were created.
And so when we come into the presence of the Lord, even on the Lord's Day morning and remember the Lord in his death, it's not all about us. Why God has presented to us something of Christ and the burnt offering character of the Lord Jesus and how he pleased his Father. He smelled a sweet smelling savour. And so both of those aspects Paul taught. So we ought to be thankful for it. And so here he goes through with these new converts.
And speaks to them of the flawlessness of his character in connection with how he presented the gospel of the grace of God and that they could trust his.
Delivery of it and those workers that were with him were witnesses and they worked, they labored in the same way. Is that not right?
I was thinking of the adverse first Timothy 4 along the line that we are speaking just to reference to verse six, because Timothy was a very.
Valued servant of the Lord and close companion of the Apostle Paul. I have no man like minded who will genuinely care for the people of God. He was the.
A bosom laborer and.
Friend and brother of the Apostle Paul. But you see in verse six, I think this is a beautiful verse to to comment on here briefly if I'll put the brethren in remembrance of these things.
What things? The things that Paul had talked to, Timothy. Thou shall be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast detained. So I believe that, Timothy.
Was diligent in learning the truth that Paul had presented to him. There was diligence there. There was real.
Devotedness to the Lord but energy put forth. I think that second Timothy chapter, while it's already already been referred to continue down the things which thou hast learned and hath been assured of not only learn the truth, but he walked in it. So Paul here commends him for learning the truth that had been presented to him and.
We just might mention.
More for the young people that enchristened them today you do not find Paul's doctrine ministered the press special truths that.
00:50:05
Are characteristic of Paul's doctrine.
The coming of the Lord which we have in this epistle, The Lord's table, the.
The body of Christ and our heavenly calling, these things are not.
Presented in Christendom today, in large measure, Paul's doctrine is ignored. But Timothy was very careful to learn the words of good doctrine. This was more than the Old Testament. No doubt Timothy did have a background in the Old Testament Scriptures. We're told that in the epistle that he was brought up under the sound of the word. That was the Old Testament Scriptures. But this is the the revelations that we have in Christianity now.
Which go much beyond the blessings of Israel. It's a completely new order of things in Christianity. Timothy had learned those things. He had availed himself. He didn't have the complete word of God as we have, but he had sat under the teaching of the apostle Paul and he imbibed it.
Just so lovely and the shepherd's voice is so gentle.
When we hear another voice.
Read it and and we should be afraid.
Verse four. And when he puts forward his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, and they know his voice. And the stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. And then in verse 27.
I can't hear my voice and I.
And we know his voice.
Exciting.
Failure, waste of time and that the Lord has been really dealing with these great people to.
Anybody else before we breathe and then it's just like.
Pills are sold for joy and just to meditate on the word and then when you read it later on maybe in in ministry something that showed you without the ministry it.
Multiplied by George.
And that's important, I think, Bill, that we don't allow written ministry to displace the Scriptures. That is the supreme object, but they can help us. Mr. Garvey never wrote written ministry to displace the Scriptures. He wanted it read with the Scriptures. I think that's important. In fact, he made the statement, if I my recollection was correct, that he wrote some of his ministry, that it would require the Saints to have knowledge of the scriptures to be able to understand what he had written.
So he was very wise in that way. Might be good to just point out in verse 10.
That Paul was very he had a very sterling character. There was nothing in how he presented himself and walked among the brethren that would be chargeable that he might mar his testimony. He says ye are witnesses and God also how holy, justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe and then he I'll just point out in Acts chapter 20. This is written by divine inspiration.
00:55:00
So it's not Paul patting himself on the back. God had an in view Paul that would the apostle as a model of how we should conduct ourselves in service for the Lord. And so in Acts chapter 20, he says in verse 18, he points out his consistency and how he served. It wasn't he was on fire for the Lord and he was doing things. He was honorable in all that he did and then he compromised a little bit just to make sure things went smoothly.
No, he says in verse 18 of Acts chapter 20. When they were come to him, he said unto them, You know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, and I've showed you or announced to you publicly, and have taught you publicly from house to house.
Testifying to both Jews and also the Greeks. And so he was very consistent in his delivery of the truth and his teaching of the truth. That's something that we ought to covet is an evenness and a steadiness. And he was not one that you could knock off center. And so he served the Lord faithfully. And that's really what he presents. Then in verse 11, he says he presents himself as a father there. You know how we were we exhorted.
Were encouraged and comforted and charged everyone of you as a father doth his children.
Now he was gentle with them, he says earlier in verse 7 as a nurse, but now he was a father. What's the difference?
A father is firm, a father is faithful. And brethren, we need those that are in the assembly that are firm and faithful in connection with the truth of God, Not to walk out of harmony with our brethren, but to be firm and consistent in connection with the truth of God, and not to yield on points of doctrine that would mar the testimony and mar the glory of Christ. And so there's wisdom given in the Word of God even for this.
I have a question concerning the use of written ministry. We know that the only true source of infallible doctrine is the word of God. And dearly brethren mind the deficit of Scripture and Baptist a bounty of written ministry, but they certainly weren't infallible and I'm wondering if.
The principle is laid out in First Corinthians 14 would apply to her use of written ministry. It says in verse 29 or First Corinthians 14.
Let the prophet speak two or three, and let the other judge. We're using written ministries. Is it important that we read more than one writer to ensure that we're getting a balance of thought and comparing it back to Scripture?
Well, it says in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. So maybe others could speak to this. But I do enjoy reading the scriptures on their own and then meditating individually on those. The passage that I have just read, just meditating on it for a little while and enjoying a little portions of it, and then reading something that might be like the synopsis. That is very reliable ministry and getting that 35,000 foot elevation.
So to speak, the broad overview of the passage, and then perhaps drilling down and getting something else that's a little more detail according to what I'm reading at the time. And so I might read a little bit of Hamilton Smith, might read about a little bit of some of the other writers. And so we ought to, in answer to your question, I believe there's safety, there's wisdom in reading from different writers the perspectives that they had.
And they were given of God. Those teachers were raised up of God, were a gift to the Church. And to despise their writings and to set them aside is not profitable. It will not profit us in our souls. And so we ought to value them and to read them, but to have a very high regard for the word of God. But what our brother said is, is important because.
Even amongst brethren some very serious doctrines have been promulgated in books.
And have led to even.
01:00:04
Significant divisions, so we cannot trust all the writings that are.
Available. And we have to, we have to be acquainted with who the writer is. I'm not going to mention names, but there's some brethren whose writings were widespread, who talked definitely fundamental, fundamentally evil doctrine still under the umbrella of brethren. So we have to be careful what our brother says is, is important.
You have to be careful who we read and knowing the background of this person, there's certain well mention the name that's already been brought before us, Mr. Darby. Certainly sound Mr. Kelly is very sound in their writings, but there's others that are not sound and so we need to be careful.
And know something of the background of this person, right, Robert?
Important too I think John in the 13th verse there how it's received since this possible So thank you God of ceasing because when he received the word of God, which he heard of us, he received it not as a word of men, but it isn't true. The word of God, which affectionately worked also a human belief. If the word is given out our Holy Spirit.
Which it was here, but the Apostle Paul with him, it was received in that way and so.
Words that they heard worked at an effect within them, produced what what needs to be produced within them. So we read ministry books.
We should be exercised by the Holy Spirit what we're reading.
Is this really the truth of God? Is this really the word of God? Is what the word of God says of us?
This one major of that if you look at James Bissell chapter 3.
We read Ministry for Wisdom in the scriptures to to give you know the clarity perhaps of what the thought might be. We don't understand it and will be James chapter 3.
And verse 17, it gives us there a very good description of what that wisdom is. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruit.
And those democracy, you know?
Guidelines, I believe.
Evaluating the initiative as they might read.
On the same subject, it's what everyone's been bringing out, but in the 5th chapter of the 21St verse, these are just practical exhortations that are given at the end of the chapter it says prove all things.
No matter what brother it comes from, if you're reading some type of ministry, prove all things and then it says hold fast that which is good.
So we prove it by reading other scriptures, don't we? Because no private, no scripture is of any private interpretation. So it will be corroborated by other passages of scripture. No scripture can be isolated and a doctrine built around that single passage of scripture. And so God has principles that he uses all throughout the word of God. And so here the apostle just longed for them to walk worthy.
Of God who has called you unto his Kingdom and glory. And so there were going to be those that sought to in the energy of the flesh and as agents of the enemy, agents of Satan to derail them and to derail them doctrinally as well as practically in their holy life. And so that those verses of Scripture that were just read to purity, you know, those that teach the truth of God.
And we're raised up as teachers and walked in a holy path. Why? You can just see how there's holiness in their walk. And it transfers into the writings that there was consistency.
And they produce what they produced, that there might be righteousness and holiness in the Saints. I just would say this as a little bit of a help. I trust that if you're not sure about a particular book or a particular writer.
01:05:09
Ask one of your older brethren that have a little experience and won't give you just the answer that you want to hear. You know, there was a brother, he's a well loved brother, a dear friend of mine. And he says when he was first saved, came back from Vietnam, got saved in Vietnam, he came into the assembly and he said that he said awful struggles with the flesh. And he said, you know, sometimes I wanted to do something or go someplace.
And he said, I knew if I went to such and such a brother, and I asked him about the possibility of going to such and such of an entertainment, I know exactly what answer he would give. So and then I would know this other older brother, if I went to see him, he'd give me a passage of Scripture very clearly condemned what I had in mind. And so he says there was a struggle going on as to whether I should go and see this brother or this brother. And he said oftentimes I went to see the wrong brother.
But then my conscience smoked me and I had to go and ask the other brother. And so I would just say this as a safeguard. Read the scriptures diligently and savor them and enjoy them. Read the teachings that we have that are those teachers that were raised up of God and ministered the truth. Read those those teachings and if you have questions as to the veracity of one writer or another, ask someone that has experience in the path of faith.
I would rather see you enjoy and develop, mature in the things of God by reading a little bit of ministry than not reading ministry because you're afraid to. And I wish as a young person that I had read more.
I it's something that I cannot reverse, cannot do, but I just feel the necessity in the very short time that we have left to read the scriptures more and more and to read a little bit of teaching to be just established in the truth.
Yes.
The apostle here our time is nearly up here the end of our chapter. He was looking on to that day when he would see these beloved Thessalonians Saints in all the glory of Christ, our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing. That's the soul winners crown and.
He would know that I'm in that coming day.
How could he they be his joy and crown of rejoicing if he couldn't identify them? So we're going to have bodies like Christ, glorified bodies. Not new bodies, but glorified bodies. The same body will be raised and transformed and glorified. The same body. So I'll recognize my brethren here in the glory and if we've been a help to anyone or if we've been a means of bringing them to Christ.
That will be our crown of rejoicing. I guess you might say the crown, the shepherd's crown is in first, First Peter. Maybe we can just read that First Peter Chapter 5. That's the shepherd's crown, Those that are faithful in ministering the truth.
When the chief shepherd, this is chapter 5, not as being Lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory which fadeth not awaits. That is before those who in any measure minister the word to the Lord's people, seek to build them up, shepherd them.
Pastoring and the Lord will not forget.
Any such labor of life.
Tough time our sinking.
01:10:00
Breaks.
The summer more and I saw.
The air, sweet Lord away.
Dark, dark have been.
The Midnight.
Birthday. Spring.
And glory, Glory.
Well, any man goes land.
Oh, Christ is.
The Fountain.
A deep, sweet while of love.
The.
Streams on Earth.
I tasted.
More deep outbreak of.
There's still an ocean.
Corner his mercy, thought. That's Christ.
And glory.
Glory.
With mercy and with judgment.
I.
Whereby?
And I will do some sorrow.
We're lost.
From hand, let God bless the heart of.
Went one where glory dwell.
Any man rose life.
Upon his.
Man, I.
Know no Save her step.