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And it's.
24 in the appendix.
Nothing.
Much.
Crap till I hear my cry.
Of living heart.
Lands out there. Christ, I'll be well, soul.
All our way.
Yes, may not be.
Always.
Close.
All that I grow.
First chapter, second John.
Second Peter.
Begin with verse 10.
I think so.
Wherefore, the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election, sure. Or if you do these things, you shall never fall.
Pursue an entrance shall 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 all within remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established in the present truth. Yeah, I think it meet as long as I'm 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 ye may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance. 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 mouth. We have also a more sure word of prophecy, where until you do well that you take heed is under a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake that they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
00:05:15
Something to return Too much brethren, but since he speaks of these things in verse 10.
In evident reference to those that we meditated on the other day.
In verses 5-6 and seven, I just like to mention a few that have been an exercise to my own soul, were exhorted that they should be in US and abound.
Just like to comment on.
Two or three of them.
One is the word patience, the importance of that we had something of that yesterday.
In Ephesians chapter 4 and the word long-suffering, I would think that that is something of the same thing as patience and how we need that in our relationships one with another if we are to go on together.
As members of Christ's body.
It is true that there are differences sometimes amongst us.
And I am reminded of that verse in Philippians chapter 3.
Where Paul says.
I'll have to read it.
Philippians 3 and verse.
15 Let us therefore as many as be perfect. The word is really full grown or mature. Be thus minded, and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. In other words, there are times when there are in our relationships one with another.
Otherwise we are otherwise minded one with another. What is it?
That we need to do in that case, it is a question of waiting with patients on one another.
That we might grow full growth isn't attained instantly.
And we need to wait on one another if there is a difference that there might be growth.
And in time, God can reveal even this unto you. It is not a question of agreeing to disagree.
That is not a right principle, but it is a question of having patience.
Waiting on one another until we are brought to like mindedness in the things of God. This doesn't come instantly. We have to admit that there are differences many times, so how important that matter of patience.
That it be in US and abound. And I just like to comment as well on those two last things that are mentioned. Brotherly love. And the last one is charity or love. Sure we're aware of the fact that brotherly love is Philadelphia. It is really an exchange of love. I love. I value my brother and it is he values me.
That is normal. That should be normal amongst God's people.
Hebrews 13 says Let brotherly love continue. It is what should be normal, that flow of love, and we need to cultivate it, brethren. But sometimes that love is not there, in which case divine love always is there. Brethren, if you and I are born into God's family and have therefore God's nature.
That nature is love. God is love.
And you and I have the capacity to love in that sense of the word.
That love is agape love. It is love that loves when there's nothing lovable.
Sometimes I have heard the comment there is no love in this gathering.
The person that complaints is the first guilty in the matter because the character of that love is loving when there's nothing lovable. So if there's no love there, you start loving. You cannot lay the finger anywhere else but on your own breast. In that case, oh, how important these things are, I have noticed in John's Gospel and his epistles.
00:10:20
Seven times we are definitely commanded, brethren, not told. Do it if you can. We are commanded to love one another with that love, Brethren, we need to abound in this.
For some of the young people's sake.
We quite often say, well, that brother, he's going, not going on with the Lord's way of doing things with the proper truths of the Lord. But we don't love.
The acts of that brother. But we still love that brother. We should love everyone that belongs to the Lord Jesus. But many we can't go along with. We can't go along with their acts because.
They don't uphold to this precious word of God.
Knowledge. I believe temperance in knowledge is such an important thing, especially for any who the Lord has raised up to teach the Word. And in our context with those who are babes in Christ, we tend to overwhelm them sometimes, and I certainly have to admit that I have to be on guard there. You know, you meet somebody, you meet a Christian that is a babe in Christ.
And you want to give them as much as you can, but you might overdo it. And I think this is where temperance comes in or self-control. And I think the Apostle Paul uses wisdom and has used wisdom in knowing and being close to the Lord so as to know just what to give a person and not to over feed them, to overstuff them that they can't digest it and realizing that it's really.
Is the law that has to make these things good in their souls. But you know what? It's really a painful thing. Beloved, I don't think it is the most difficult thing to.
Bear with the ignorance of a baby in Christ who has a sincere desire to learn and to grow. But when you see the reverse of those who have embraced truth and then give up truth, that's a very painful thing and it's very difficult to bear with.
And that's why this passage that Brother Bob referred to in Philippians follows with this statement.
Where to we have attained we should walk in these things, not give up. That's the principle of apostasy, of giving up beloved and.
The enemy would try to lead souls to give up, and what a painful thing that is to observe.
That people at one time seem to have really embraced the truth of God in certain areas.
And then give it up. It's a very painful thing but still we need to exercise self-control and better word for temperance is self-control.
In the way we communicate the truth that the Lord in His grace has given us to understand.
Even those brothers we should love. Even those brothers we should love.
That's the word as to patients, just to add to what has been said, that I believe that God is using patience, especially in preserving His people, but not only in preserving them, giving them character. And how many times we have been spent with the fact of how patient our brethren have been with us in our waywardness and making remarks that are out of character and it just breaks us down.
And so when James he seems to finalize the thing, when he says be patient unto the coming of the Lord, well, it is a good that that be brought out with love behind it. We can be patient and kind of sign about it, kind of impatient, wish things would get hurried up, the love behind it, that's a valuable character to exercise patience.
00:15:01
Bob is the is the last thing we have in this list, isn't it?
Seems to be something that should be infiltrated in this whole list of things that we add to our faith. I'll never forget a few years ago in Wyoming and visiting in a small town. In regards to what you brothers have said, especially Heinz, we were talking about some of the basics of Christianity and I could see well these folks have not been saved very long and I know some things that would probably help them. And the tendency is right away to come out and try to straighten your brethren out.
Well, Gary and Julie listened for a long time and we talked about things and I don't like the idea myself of forcing the truth on anybody because I don't like it forced on me.
But I'll never forget what this sister said at the end of our conversation. And she didn't say it exactly to me, but I got to him, she said. Tom said. I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care.
And I hope I never forget those words. And I believe that's the bottom line of this portion we're talking about. I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care. Another saying has come before me. Recently I heard from my brother and I think it reflects on this portion of scripture and what's been said. In the essentials we need unity. In the non essentials we need liberty, and in all things we need charity.
If there's any doubt in the mind of any as the difference in brother, the love and love, it is simply this.
Brotherly love has my brother in view, and love has God in view.
Love according to God, allows me to love my brother.
Without respect to His behavior, when we were lost and undone and enmity and enmity with God, He loved us. And so when we love according to the last word of this list, we love according to God, without respect to the behavior of those blessing we seek.
And that my, as Mr. Darby says, bring in all God's claim.