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.
General Meetings Wheaton, August 1968. Reading Meeting Tuesday.
1:00 and 5:00.
And beside this giving all diligence.
Add to your faith virtue.
Virtue. Knowledge.
Knowledge Number and a different Patience and a Patience Godliness and a Godliness Brotherly Kindness and a Brotherly Kindness Charity.
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you, that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But either lack of these things, that blind, and cannot see a far off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his own sins. Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election, sure. Or if you do these things, you shall never fall for so an entrance will be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them.
And be established in the present truth.
Yeah, I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me.
Moreover, I will endeavor that you may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance.
00:05:02
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, for he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mountain.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy, for under you do well that you take heed.
As under a light the Shiner than a dark place until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your heart, knowing this verse that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not an old time by the will of man, but holy men of God's faith as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
New translation on its fifth verse is, I think twice interesting. It says but for this very reason also.
Choosing their width. All diligence in your face have also virtue.
For this very reason also you may be there with all diligence.
And it seems to me that the Scripture having opened up to us how richly we are, blessed we have received light. Precious faith, grace and peace is multiplied to us. We have all things that pertain unto life and godliness. We've been called by glory and virtue. We have these great and precious promises. Therefore we're entitled to relax.
Oh my God.
But for this very reason also using their with all diligence in your faith hath also verses, because of the wonderful provision that God has made, There ought to be on our part a diligence that they're not, and walking as those who have been blessed in this manner on our way over.
My power.
Thinking of these various steps that we have here, it's like an ascending ladder. The last one is love, isn't it? And then the Lord told his disciples.
In the 13th of of John we had them all together like like a heavenly family, you know down here. And he tells them by this shall all men know that you're my disciples, and that you have loved one to another.
So we have here as that we're on ascending scale bringing us to this point and that's what really brings us into the abundant entrance. Now this is very similar to what we have in the Psalms, the Psalms of degrees beginning with 120th song.
There are, I believe, 15 of them, but the 14th one how good it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. And the last one is praise.
Now it's like a stairway. If you'll count the stairways, you'll find most of them are 15 steps from one floor to another.
And it's though the soul were transported from the lower level to the higher level.
In this, in his experience, and that's the work that God is going to do with Israel. After He brings them back into their land, then He's going to work in their hearts, and my people shall be willing in the day of my power. But, brethren, that's just exactly what we have here in this chapter. For ourselves is desiring that we might grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But He also desires that we might have an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior.
And so in order to do so, it isn't a question of how much we spend in effort necessarily in trying to serve him. But it's this diligence that would rise to Our Calling and the enjoyment of it and the practical side of it, not simply knowing a lot of things, but walking in the good of them, as we have here step by step.
00:10:02
On his second Psalm you're quoting from how good it is present is for brothers to dwell together in unity.
120 Thirty 433rd It's important to observe the preceding song.
Because.
This ecumenical idea of.
Brethren, regardless of of church truth going on together and forgetting all about differences.
And throwing overboard any anything that has to the divisions that have come in among the people of God and just all come together and have a good time and be together.
So we might just notice the preceding sounds. I believe that's important. 133rd Psalm. That would be the 132nd song, wouldn't it?
In that 132nd song.
We get the importance of the Ark.
Lord, remember David and all his afflictions, how he swear unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob, surely I will not come into.
The Tabernacle of my house or go up to my bed. I will not give sleep to mine eyes or slumber to mine eyelids until I find the place for the Lord and habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Though we heard of it in Africa, we found it in the fields of the woods. We will go into His Tabernacle. We will worship at His footstool. Now notice this eight first.
Arise, O Lord, unto thy rest.
Thou and the Ark of thy strength, for that is the archetypal Christ. Beautiful type, isn't it? The Ark was made of a Casey Woods, Speaking of the Lord as a real man who grew up in this scene overlaid with pure gold, telling that he was divine as well as man.
And Christ only is the Center for his people.
For the Lord says, where two or three are gathered together under my name, there am I in the midst of them, unless we have God's divine center.
As the place to which we gather any thought of unity is contrary to the mind of God, now that being established as to a God's center, Christ himself.
By then we have how blessed it is for how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Well, I didn't want to turn the the meeting away from our subject, but since that was mentioned, I believe it's important.
132nd Psalm is very interesting.
I believe that perhaps Solomon wrote it and he's quoting his own father's father's thoughts.
In the in the first verses. Now look at second Chronicles chapter 6 and the last two verses of 2nd Chronicle 6.
Now, by the way, we're reading here as the Solomons prayer on the occasion of the dedication of the temple in the appointed place that God had in mind from back in Deuteronomy chapter 12.
To place his name there, that was in Jerusalem and in the Temple.
The place of approach, the center of God's people for worship. So in these last two verses, Second Chronicles 6 Now therefore arise, oh Lord God, into thy resting place.
Thou and the ark of thy strength, Let thy priest, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy Saints rejoice.
00:15:03
In goodness, not only the place but the heart to rejoice.
Oh Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed. Remember the mercies of David, thy servant now Solomon speaking now the 132nd Psalm. The reason I'm adding to what we've had is this.
We have a state of soul here in this 132nd sound. That is necessary if the soul is really wanting to know the place that God would have us, where he'd have us gathered, and to make that a primary importance.
Now notice that to make it a primary importance, that's the point of a Psalm 132. Now watch.
Lord, remember David and all his afflictions, how he swear unto the Lord and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob. Surely I will not come into the Tabernacle of my house, nor go up to my bed, and take it easy. I will not give sleep to mine eyes. I'm not going to let anything hinder me, or come before this or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord.
Give the Lord the first place in your heart. Want nothing less than that, and he will make it clear as to his mind of being gathered to his name.
Well now, Brother Brown, you didn't finish because in the done in 34th sum you have the Sanctuary. Go ahead.
That's what that's what this brings us to, is it not? Yeah. The very center that you're Speaking of is in the last of these songs of degrees. And so that's, that takes us to our subject in our chapter in Peter that the spirit of God would bring us.
In our souls to this point.
And you know faith and hopes will cease, but love abides alone.
And this is what the the the real evidence seen and the believer, if there is that affection, even though there's rebuke, even though there's trouble, defection flows on. Still, it's the real indication of the fruit of grace in the soul, is it not?
The translation brother or endless hair with your faith rather than add to your faith.
Peter has brought out the first verse.
That, like crisis faith, that is, we're saved by by grace, through faith that not of yourselves, That is the entrusted in Christ alone as our Savior. We have accepted His death as a remedy for our sins. But there's much more of us needed as we go on through this dark, entangled scene.
As it were, the faith that saves is just the first step in our Christian life send the whole journey lies before us. So we need all these things that are mentioned here, and the first is virtue that we spoke of before.
The the In the third verse we get through the knowledge of him that has called us by glory and virtue.
That same word appears again in this in this fifth verse, your face.
Virtually was described as moral or spiritual courage.
So that is the most important subject to begin with, because having the truth and not having the desire of heart, the purpose of heart.
To walk in the truth only leads to.
Dangerous state just having the head stored with knowledge. So you see that virtue precedes knowledge.
There is.
Wonderful divine Foundation.
Provided here in these first verses leading up to what we're starting with this this morning. Now the first has just been mentioned.
00:20:06
Divine Faith or Precious Faith.
This has been given to us in the full revelation of the Christian faith, the faith of God's elect, but to us as individual believers.
We have been given the ability of faith to.
Adopted to believe it, to enjoy it. And it is not merely an introductory thing like in the gospel. It is a thing that goes on continually. The faith of God's elect enjoyed. And that's the precious faith we have as one of the things that the foundation of universes. I'll mention another one here in verse 3. And that is divine power, divine faith, Divine power.
By the Holy Spirit and then right next to it.
Has been given to us as a divinely given to us all things that pertain into life and godliness. What a foundation have these this provision, the provision for us, so that we lack nothing in the provision. Now the next one is in verse 4.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great greatest, it should be the greatest and precious promises.
The heaven is eternal, that go along with the faith that you and I and Christianity have that's divine, the divine word now in the end of the verse and that he made the.
Partakers, or become partakers of the divine nature. Now this too is, I believe virtually as you and I now know it, eternal life to enjoy. It is not merely the evangelist point of view, not merely this.
That they might, or whom to know is life eternal. You know, we get on their knees. We pray for the gods.
And over and over again we hear that lovely expression. Whom to know is life eternal? It is not merely that first introductory acquaintanceship with the Savior eternal life. That is just the beginning of it.
But eternal life is that divine life enjoyed as we go along. It is continuous. It is the expression of the life of God. In our new life we have eternal life. So it takes the divine nature. What a good foundation for what's coming now.
Now in verse 5 and beside this.
No, but for this very reason also using their width as our brothers read it correctly using therewith diligence now.
That's the purpose of the Peter. He was about to depart. He wanted to stir them up to living, exercise and diligence in the things of Christ. Now what? We're going to get in the seven fruits, if you please, that make us fruitful.
Are things not merely that? You take #1 and then you add #2 to #1, then you add #3 to #2, and so on. It's not merely that like it is in the authorized version.
It is not so much a matter of adding and you first learn this lesson in this class and then you go on. You learn another lesson, that class. It is not that thought at all. If you and I or the sisters know more about this, we're going to make up a fruit cake. You'd have the recipe before you. You'd watch it carefully. You wouldn't want to leave out the soda or the salt or the whatever it is you know.
And if you have all the ingredients there, you make up a real good fruitcake. Now here God is bringing before us the virtues of Christ, the virtues of Christ. And if these things be in US, lacking none of them, it makes us very fruitful rather than idle, and the word like blind, and forget that there would once purge their old sins.
00:25:06
Be helpful to repeat what was said yesterday about virtue using the illustration of Moses. Now Moses knew from the Scriptures of at least what God had revealed to Abraham that Canaan was the land that God promised to him and to his seed forever, knowing the promise of God to Abraham.
Now Moses had the knowledge, wonderful knowledge of God's plan and purpose, lesson to Israel, his people. He knew that he was one of that people. But here he was in the court of Pharaoh. He was the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter. Well, he had that knowledge, but it took more than that knowledge to take him out of Egypt. And that's.
Where virtue comes in, that moral Curry, well, it's.
Really required courage to.
Face peril, and all his hatred and enmity awards God's people, and to meet all the opposition, and you get the description of that virtue in the 11Th of First Corinthians. By faith. Moses, when he came to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the quasars of sin for a season.
Virtue. And so, as we sit in these meetings and here's the precious truths, minister to our souls on what it means to be a Christian and to have a heavenly hope that we're not of this world. We'll go back to our homes with a lot of knowledge. But unless there is virtue to go with that knowledge, it will not.
Have.
Real power in our lives.
For if we are careless, we are worldly minded. We just had earthly things before us. We could soon settle down. But if there is that virtue, why we will want to act and live and walk as heavenly citizens with the glory before us and not just have our desire centered in in getting on, in this scene, building up something in this world.
So the 1St and all important subject brought before us is virtue and then knowledge.
And as well to have the knowledge that we get from God's word. I believe knowledge is the mind of God as revealed in His word. That right, Brother London?
And moral, spiritual courage, as you have mentioned. By faith he forsook Egypt and said a man of God is the man who burns the bridges behind him. We can't go back.
And there's too much with ourselves oftentimes of sort of holding on to some things. It'd be better if we burned the bridges. And now as to this, the character of this chapter, I agree with our brother Brown as to his remarks of the adding. On the other hand, may we just say this, that there is such a thing as progress here as well. There is such a thing as arriving at this point of the 11Th verse.
It but it's it's because that all of these things are true of the soul and we don't learn the mall in a moment. It's as we feed on Christ that these things become true in our lives.
In a practical way. So we can't expect, for instance, to to have.
Patience until.
There is temperance.
So there is such a thing as progress in the soul here.
As well as what has been said, there's growth.
Average the self denial.
Self-control forces I keep my body in.
00:30:03
I was thinking after your remarks for the Berry, the last couple of verses of Genesis 13, just for a moment, as to the practical side of the thing that you were emphasizing. I'm always glad to have some rather helpful bring out the importance of making these things good to our soul and not merely hearing them and doing when you're not the other.
Verse.
14 The Lord said in Abraham, after the plot was separated from him.
Said. Lift up now, thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward and southward, and eastward and westward. Take a good a look at this good land flowing, and milk and honey, that I have made promises to you.
Now for all the land which thou says to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. Now verse 17.
Arise and walk through the land.
Arise and walk through the land. For you and me it is Christ in the glory and all the precious truths associated with Christ our head in the glory.
Our treasure, if you please in the glory, arise and walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee. Then, Abraham removed, may we do likewise.
My mind just now goes to Psalm 37. It may be verse 5. Mr. Darby's translation. I love it.
Confide in Jehovah.
Do good dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness all around us. Within us we see everything and anything but that faithfulness, but in Christ we see it all together. Feed on faithfulness. That's a good verse for us in these last days.
To feed on Faithless, Well, here he removes his tent. Ah, he was dwelling in a tent, are we? And came and dwelt in the plane of memory. I think it means fatness.
Good for our soul, which is in Hebron Speaking of communion. By the way, Literally the word Hebron means passage. That's what it means is passage. Simonius and Jessenius, the Old Hebrew to give it. Hebrew men, scholars that give us the exact meanings, as near as you can get it, of these Old Testament words or names. Hebrew means passage to my soul and your soul. I believe when we think of that passage the Lord has made.
From our distance and depth that we were in, and how He's made a passage by his death and his resurrection, and on to the glory. Why we have in Hebron that communion because of that wonderful passage. And he built there an altar unto the Lord. Our precious is that.
As to this virtue.
I am gotten the idea. I think it's through.
Mr. Kelly, that it is related to God's virtues.
In the Proverbs, it speaks about the rareness of a virtuous woman, a woman of worth. But a woman of worth is one who has the qualities of godliness in her life. And oh, how that speaks and how we need it and how it encourages us nowadays.
That temperance is followed by a patient. I think the translation you were reading, it's endurance, isn't it?
The same as you get in Hebrews 12.
Run with Endurance. The race that was set before you looking off onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. And I believe that Brother Lundin's remark is important to calling attention to temperance before you get endurance. So often we see Saints go on very well.
Till some trial comes into their life, maybe some trouble in the assembly and then the the they get will fuller, stubborn and they they leave the past.
00:35:15
Go off and leave the maybe the table of the Lord. Seen many sad evidence of that, so if if this.
Temperance.
Really. Asked. What did you the word you used, Brother Brown?
Self-control? Really. Judging ourselves for everything that would savor our own will? Having our own way? How dangerous and subtle that thing is, how often it's necessary to yield That your yielding must be known unto all men, and often in assembly affairs where we see such a lack of evidence of being willing to yield our will to our brethren.
We think we're right. Maybe, perhaps have been. It might be where there isn't any evil in view that we should yield, even though we believe that what we suggest or what we stand for is right. Far better to yield our wills and not always insist on having our own way. So that conference then leads to endurance. That's going on and on and on, isn't it?
Not surrendering, giving up, or turning aside.
Self-control in connection with what we might speak of as the evil side of things in this life. But it's self-control in connection with our habits. Because all day long we're making decisions, perhaps unconsciously times, but we're making decisions now. We have the opportunity of of taking up with the things we find in hand to occupy us in our spare time.
But if we're going to go grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, we'll have to set aside a certain time for the reading of God's word and prayer we were speaking yesterday of the fact of.
Of the power.
To carry out what has been committed to us now, in the 9th chapter of Luke, the Lord gave the disciples the power and authority to cast out demons.
In the first 2 verses, but when they came down from the mount of Transfiguration and all the glory about it, they still couldn't cast out the demon.
And the question arose later.
Why could we not cast him out? This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting. Well, now what is prayer and fasting? And they always go together, it seems in scripture mostly.
Well, prayer would be bringing our souls into the presence of God and in the consciousness of what his will might be.
And asking that we might have the grace to carry it out. But fasting is denying ourselves those things which in themselves may be good but are not expedient if we want to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Now, there are many things that are good in themselves, but they cannot be considered.
The good material to use when it comes to faith.
In themselves they may be all right, the many inventions of this world that.
May be put to practical use, but when it comes to the believer using them for his his pleasure and that sort of thing, he's only resorting to the flash. And the flash profiteth nothing. But godliness is profitable, is it? To all things. Godliness is profitable for all things.
So we have to exercise self-control and in connection with our spare time and our habits. I was speaking to some young people once. I was telling them that the scripture says are there not 12 hours in the day, but we divide our day up more in eight hour periods and we have 8 hours to sleep and eight hours to go to school or to work.
But now what do we do with the other eight hours?
00:40:02
It's a it's quite an exercise, is it not, To realize how much of our time is actually squandered if we're not careful each day?
Spirit of God seems to go on the place. Very, very great. Emphasis too on these things that have been brought before us. Not that I'm running ahead, I hope, of what's being spoken of, but in order that we may take it to heart as these things are outlined 1 by 1, perhaps we could just look at what the Spirit of God says concerning their importance in the verses that follows the eighth verse for if these things.
Be in you, and abound they make you, that he shall neither be barren nor untruthful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh The thing is blinds that can't see a far off, and have forgotten that he was first from his old sins.
Verse 10 For any do these things, he shall never fall. Verse 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to but you always in remembrance of these things, so he know that. Verse 15 Moreover, I will endeavor that he may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance, well, the beloved Apostle, as they cease long ago.
But his desire was that after his deceased these things might still be kept in remembrance. And what a privilege it is, and what a responsibility it is, the Sorting to be gathered together and have these things that were entrusted by the Spirit of God to the apostle, to put before the Saints of his day, with the blessed result of walking in them the solemn warning of being forgetful of them. Oh, how we should take heed to these things that are being dropped before us.
These very things that we are hearing this morning are of such vital importance in the life of every one of us.
That will be needed.
How can you look so far to say that?
It made me think of a patient I saw in my office not very long ago, a young woman who had been saved recently.
And she was desperate because she couldn't give up the habit of smoking. She said that she found that she could not give out a tract to someone who knew that she smoked. Isn't this something that we have to think about? I'm thinking about the young people now, we read in one of the officials. All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any of them. This young woman wept in my office, and she considered the consequences of this habit to which she had fallen.
She was not saved when she started smoking. I'm thinking now, particularly some young people who are tempted to try it out, to test it, just to see if they can do it like others do. And thinking then of this poor young woman in my office who really wept when she found out she couldn't quit because she had started. She was under the power of it. There's nothing in the scripture that says it's unlawful for a young person to smoke or to drink. But isn't this one of those things, one of those weights that we should lay aside?
And also something under which under whose power we can be.
So we can't get out and it ruins our testimony. This woman I trust through through grace will be able to give this up, but he's finding it hard. I would earnestly commend it to young people who who might be tempted to try it out just because it isn't unscriptural, Don't try it out. And I say this because I know there are many young people amongst us who have started it and are having a very hard time quitting already. I had one young woman say to me, well.
She thought she'd do it.
Until she was 35, and then she had quit because she knew it might cause some serious disease. I said to my time here at 35, it'll be too late. I found some who find it too late by the time they're 20 or 25. And again I say it isn't found in scripture. But I believe it is one of those weights that we should lay aside. It's one of those things under whose power we should never be brought in the 1St place. Childhood and youth are families. What does that mean?
It doesn't mean that that childhood and youth need to be completely.
00:45:04
Lost, but it means that that's what it is, unless the spirit of God comes in and take control. Now there was a case that our brother, Oscar Myers called our attention to that he visited in the hospital.
A woman who was lying in a bed, sick but in a straitjacket.
And he tried to give her the gospel, and she said, don't give me the gospel, it's too late, she said, You spend your time on these others, She said, I have the habit of drink and I cannot, I absolutely cannot get rid of it. It's impossible. And she said I'm lost. I know it.
And she said you might just as well spend your time on others. She said, I started this when I was young, and she said I thought it would be like a lark just to do it as I pleased. But she said now I'm in the chains of it and I can never get out of it. And he tried to show her that the gospel of Christ was sufficient to meet her needs, but is of no avail. Now these things are very serious as our brother.
Doctors has been Speaking of them these habits.
And we've already spoken in these meetings of these two things, as we have in Luke 14, habits and associations. These things are serious. And this is in connection with the subject of temperance that we have in this chapter. To me, it's most important, and it's most important for young people, but very important for old people as well. Habits, associations. They'll ruin us.
Ask a question here when we find one in such a major and this one as we want for exercise.
And they've been brought to our attention. Should not we, who are older, feel for them, seek to restore them, seek to draw them from it? I think we have a responsibility here as those who are older, as we find in the end of James, where there's those that are sick and they are sick and we're to go pray with them. I asked this question. Is it right that I should feel for them and seek to draw them back?
As an older brother.
We should always have the care of our brethren before us, whether young or old.
As in Christ, and we neglect them and turn them aside. The sad condition of my own soul. I was wondering if we could connect what we have.
Before us, in First Peter, Chapter 2, you have the other side. We're going over some very practical truths, but there's something else that goes along with it. First Peter, Chapter 2.
The first verse.
There is something to lay aside. Wherefore, laying aside all malice and all guile, hypocrisies, envies, all evil speakings. Notice the second verse. As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby, There must be purpose of heart, there must be a desire on our part.
To go on in that path of faith, to pleasing of the one who pleased not himself, and the one who was brought before us as an example, the supreme example, in the end of this of this chapter, second chapter.
We have to lay aside these things.
Or endeavor to lay them aside, or having laid them aside and then pressing on. But there should be that purpose of heart, that desire of our souls, And it's really that which becomes the child of God, to be found walking careless and indifferent, going on with these habits that we went on with in our unconverted days.
And that becomes us as children of God, to lay those things aside and to be found in truth, followers of Jesus Christ.
Verse 11.
Of the second chapter, Yes, Dearly Beloved, verse 11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstained from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
00:50:02
The question has two distinct natures.
And the allowance of 1 disallows the other. Now which are you going to allow?
Our exercises should be continuous in this, rather than to grow careless. I noticed in the other translation here in verse 8. For if these things be in you and the bound they make you, that ye shall neither be nor notice this idle nor unfruitful. Instead of barren neuron, crucial, barren and unfruitful mean almost the same thing.
But to me I know careless, indolent in the things the Lord Peter wants to stir them up, to be diligent and grow in these precious things so as they'll be fruitful.
The next point we have is godliness, or God likeness. Now this cannot be brought about by simply thinking about what we should leave out of our lives. There must be an object for this, and so we think of the child and its parent. What a solemn thing it is to bring up children because the children follow their parents.
And so it is in this verse.
The children of God.
It's the likeness. We have that nature, but in practice down here there isn't the evidence often of that nature seen in us, but the only way that this can be brought about.
Is to be occupied with a pure object.
The Lord could say to Philip when he said, show us the Father.
Have I been so long time with you? And hast thou not known me, Philip?
Now we've been talking a little bit about being occupied with Christ. The point is, what? What does it mean to be occupied with Christ?
Well, how about reading the Gospels? How about?
Having our hearts warmed in the Gospels, if you'll notice in the 9th of Luke as well as elsewhere when the Lord is seeking to.
Bring his disciples into communion.
He occupies them with the fact of His death and resurrection. Now that's what warms our hearts. We find those on the Mount of Transfiguration totally engrossed in this one subject.
His sufferings that he was about to accomplish. Now this gives us a little hint as to what will be occupied within heaven. This is what warms our hearts and this is what gives us.
An object for our hearts, the one who loved us and the Son of God. As Paul says in Galatians who loved me, he gave himself for me. And so we cannot correct our ways unless we have a pure object and the Lord is working himself today.
Occupying us with himself so that this might be true, that there may be holiness in our lives, that there may be the absence of these things that belong to the flesh, but it's only brought about, and this is the next point, godliness.
God, like this. I believe it could be translated, couldn't it?
This is really brotherly love, I think in both the last.
Things that are mentioned.
In those verses it says And the Godliness brotherly love and the brotherly love love, this love in each place.
I'd like to hear you. What you said to say about that is the difference between brotherly love and love.
Well, there is a difference, as they're not. Is there not a reason for this?
That when we think of love, we think of that which is God's own character and that which he gives to his children, and so that we know we've passed from death unto life because we love the president. That's an indelible mark that can never be erased. But when you think of brotherly love, you think of that which has come about through something that a brother perhaps has done for you.
00:55:05
It might be he's shown great kindness to you and you're attracted to that brother. Perhaps he's been able to help you in a financial way. Perhaps he's helped you spiritually. And so you're attracted to that brother in a special way. And and this should be exercised as we have in Hebrews. Let brotherly love continue. This is what's developed among the Saints of God, even in these meetings.
Together, as we're together, we learn that affection practically for one another. But there's a deep, deep love that is true in every believer because we're we're the children of God. It can't be changed. It's the very nature that we have.
Love because it's God has given it to his children.
The danger of divine love, Love for one another in that way.
Generating into just a social thing, just people that we like, if we can.
Enjoy because of where we have like ideas and thoughts and we can soon just find ourselves going on with those that we like.
Just in our social life, so that's fine. I believe in a special way.
We get what follows. That is divine love.
Partality doesn't make another place uncanny. The two the word unclean that is used in connection with both of those words.
Pardon me just briefly to touch upon that which I I don't know anything about Greek accepting what our best teachers tell us, but in these two terms, this brotherly love is the word Philadelphia.
Found in Revelation chapter 3.
And.
Brotherly love that the root word is Fileeo.
Filial.
We are not Philippians. For instance, means lover of horses. See Philip means lover of horses. Now when it comes to the other word for divine love, the word is agape.
And divine love.
Emanates from what God is in himself.
Irrespective of the virtue of the object.
God so loved the world that he gave and so on. That is divine love without any merit in the object. There was no merit in you and me, so I props. That's about enough to say that.
Brotherly love.
As our brother as well said, may be founded upon some special reasons that we see in another.
Now it may commence with the most Excellent.
Foundation for for loving another. There should be much foundation for loving one another. That's true, practically. But there is danger, as we say, going overboard and making an idol of of one we might love, there is that danger. But in divine love there is no such thing as failure.
You'll find no scripture which it used in connection with failure, but we are told that it be unfeigned, that it be real, unmixed.
I can turn to these scriptures on unfeainted love for brother-in-law or unfeainted love as the divine love. But there's no failure in divine love. But in brotherly love we got to be on our guard. We have to have the discretion. Discretion has to do with what would be wise and and profitable and safe for myself also for the other one, discretion.
Works both ways for myself and the other person.
As to what may be good for them too.
That little safe car put in there that the display of that love might be such it would be suited to absorb harm. Could I repeat a definition that I know I have mentioned before, that our brother Jr. Gill gave us connection with divine love. This was at a Hamilton conference quite a number of years ago and we were Speaking of this same matter, Divine Love. Our brother killed that violently through the whole discussion.
01:00:28
See him thinking. And when we had done about reached the end, and I think had flattered ourselves a little bit that we did a good job of loving one another, he suddenly leans forward. And he said, brethren, the measure of divine love operative within the soul can be judged by the affection you bear towards the most ugly and cantankerous brother within the sphere of your acquaintance.
I'll never forget it. It was quite a silence that followed his definition. But, you know, I believe that's a very, very, very searching thing for us to think about. When you read the Epistle to the Philippians, you read Paul saying over and over again how he longed after you all.
He didn't have any favorites, that he loved the others that he just Simply put up with. And I quite expect a Philippian Taylor was sitting there and listened to that official read for the first time. What a thrill must have done through the soul of that man, the Philippian Taylor. Has he heard this message from Paul?
God is my record. How greatly I long after you all. Oh brethren, Divine love is that which I believe would cause us to love all the people of God, no matter how they may treat us or what they may think of us. Surely this is the matter of God love to us.
Now here's a verse that you quoted part of First Peter 122, seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth.
Through the spirit.
Unto unfeigned love of the Brethren. Now that's Philadelphia, or brotherly love.
See that you love one another. Now this is the other word. This is divine love. See that you love one another with a pure heart, fervently, fervently. Now that would be to avoid.
Partiality and as you say, love all.
God is for us. Does that mean just me and my friends, Christians that I like and to go along with all the redeemed are precious in his sights, and God is for all, and he would have us to be for all if there be any little bit of a bitter root in my heart toward any on earth.
That ought to be judged to make me really happy and profitable to my brother. We should allow no bitterness in our hearts toward any, and I'm sure you'll agree with this in the little gatherings.
If, if there could only be they not wanting anything of my own will. If that was true of all, everything would be solved. If there was no playing around with some bitterness towards another, that was altogether absence and all in that little meeting.
Why? There would be no difficulty. The Lord's restoration would be right there.
Brother Highland, you had a.
Not looking at one another behind of Christ.
Divine love. Amen.
You better repeat it so you're right there by the microphone.
What your remark was that?
If we saw our brethren through the eyes of Christ, there would be no difficulty, something to that effect. That would be divine love, Divine love, our brother. Mr. Smith. At the Toronto meeting, I believe in April, he mentioned some brothers similar to what our brother.
Killed your attention. Well, this brother spoke to Mr. Smith and he said I can't.
01:05:04
Love this problem? Well, now, he says. You look at him through the eyes of Christ.
And see what a change it'll make. And the next day he saw this brother all he said. I saw this brother, what a lovely brother he is.
There won't be any lovely cells in heaven.
Because this love that we speak of is divine, love will be throughout.
And will characterize heaven, but not only that.
We sometimes think that there will be so many there that one will be lost and not appreciated. But remember the Whitestone of Revelation, and there will always be that personal.
Enjoyment of the Lord Jesus.
In heaven and that there will always be that sense that.
The liberty of being in His presence alone, because there are things, you know, in our lives that.
Remain untold down here.
Experiences.
Trials, perhaps, for the name of Christ and going through experiences that words can never express.
But.
If there is such a thing as our gaining our capacity here for the enjoyment of Christ, we have it.
In this that in these experiences that we go through down here, I believe they draw us to the Lord personally.
Now in these meetings we have had general ministry and we have learned no doubt some truth. But the purpose of the Spirit of God is to draw us to the Lord Himself personally.
And.
It's through these trials and testings of life that he does draw us to himself. And as we said again, there won't be any loneliness in heaven.
There is one matter that Cotton calls one exercise when you see one who is going on in a wrong course, and if you went up and showed him love or put your arms around him.
You would be only encouraging him to go on in that wrong course. If it affected yourself in any way, well, then you need to be careful and judge any bitterness. But sometimes it doesn't. Showing brotherly love to to manifest affection to that one. Just like Joseph, he couldn't show love to his brother until they had thoroughly judged.
The wickedness that led them to selling into Egypt. But as soon as it was judged by then, he put his arms around them, and then he could be perfectly happy. So when there are those that are going on in the wrong course and never does this while we should love them deeply and pray for them, and have no bitterness toward them because of their ways, but yet we can't show that love until they're right with the Lord.
Was the main brother American to be blind here?
Cannot see a far off and have forgotten that he was perched from his old sins.
Well, it's a spiritual blindness, isn't it? And and I see a fire office like a man that's nearsighted. He can't look very far ahead. Not a very safe man on the highway because you can't see objects that.
Really a hazard to his driving. I know one brother that lost his license because he wasn't nearsighted. He couldn't see things very far ahead. So let's the state of soul at one gets into that. Neglects the things that we are considering.
It's a solemn condition to be in, isn't it?
It's a. It's a condition that a believer can get into. This is not Speaking of an unbeliever because it's a warning in contrast to the fact that.
What's before us here is is having an abundant entrance. This is just the opposite. He's lost the sense of his salvation, even possibly in his soul.
That he was purged from his old sins. I think this moment of a brother that was saved years ago that I knew.
01:10:04
Oh, he came out heart and soul, for Christ gave up all his bad habits. He quit smoking and drinking and all that kind of thing, and was a real testimony for the Lord. And he got carried away with.
Time of the election he won the nephew of his elected, and he defiled his soul.
And he began to drift. I was sad to see him one day.
Smoking a cigarette again and right back he'd forgotten that he was purged from his old sin. You think that has the meaning there, That it's our old habits. And when we get careless and neglectful and we're not going on with the things that are mentioned here, then we go back to this automatically, as it were, for our old ways, things we had given up and justice, harmful and dishonouring to the Lord.
We'll go right back to it so it shows the only means of preserving us in this corrupt and evil word is to walk with one truth. Otherwise there's no power within us to keep us. We might resort to almost any contemptible thing if we're not kept for the power of God.
In the case of Samson, Judges 16 verse 20.
She said the Philistines be upon me, Samson, and he awoke out of his sleep, and said I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he whisked not that the Lord was departed from him.
His Nazarite ship long hair had been cut. He had given away the secret.
But the Philistines took him and put out his eyes.
His lustful eyes.
And brought him down to Gaza, and they bound him with feathers of brass. And he did grind in the prison house, a terrible state of soul that one might be brought to by their own folly.
I think the labor account blocked the Old Testament. Once of us we might be spiritually far sighted of the other very short side and perhaps tall and demons in the news. Demons had this affliction. It interested me when I saw the impression can't see a far off. I looked up in the garden and said George, I didn't. So I went a step further, looked it up in the Greek and it says myopic. The same word that we used to this day. I don't know any more Greek than.
Anyone but it was of interest to me to see that that very word which we used to this day in connection with the affliction of short side events, is used here. And may the Lord spare us from this wretched satisfaction. I think of that poor woman who was bowed over, and her whole life she had looked at this earth and nowhere else, And the Lord touched her, and she was straightened up so that she could see a right. Oh, may the Lord in the meeting lift up our eyes, beloved, to see that which is a far off.
May we be spared from this dreadful affliction, which I know we've all felt, spiritual shortsightedness which can see no more than what this poor world has to offer.
Same #5 on the back of the boat.