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1.
Second Timothy chapter one and verse 10.
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death.
And have brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, where unto I am appointed a preacher.
And an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, for the which 'cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed.
And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus, that good thing which was committed unto thee. Keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US. This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia, be turned away from me, of whom are fidelis, and homogeneous. The Lord give mercy unto the House of Onosiferous, for he off refresh me, and was not ashamed of my chain.
But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me the Lord. Grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day.
And in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
Good. Not that.
Word abolish in verse 10 should it not?
Be better worded Annulled, in other words, made as it were, legally void because death is still at work, and indeed it will be destroyed as the last enemy in First Corinthians 15. But he will. He has annulled death and he has annulled him too. That has the power of death in Hebrews chapter 2. The Devil. So I believe that's an important thought. Is that not?
Death has actually now become the believer's servant. It was through the death on Calvary's cross that all blessing comes to us.
And also that when we do face physical death, why it just takes us out of a world full of suffering.
To be absent from the body and present with the Lord. And as we were marking this morning, if we know it's something that we know now because of the work that the Lord Jesus has done and the coming of the Holy Spirit of God to bring these things before us. And Paul was the instrument whom God used. That's why he says, I'm an appointed A preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles, and he speaks of it as my gospel also. It was something specially committed to him.
I think that's the importance of what we have in the Epistle to the Hebrews in the 12Th chapter.
It says, see, that you refuse not him that speaketh. For if they refuse not who heard him that spake on earth, how much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven? And brethren, it's the voice of a glorified Christ from heaven that brings before us true Christian position. I believe that's important because sometimes Bibles that have the words of the Lord Jesus Christ spoken here on earth.
In red give us the feeling that the others are not the words of the Lord Jesus. But Paul received his ministry directly from Christ in glory, and what he gave to us is the Lorde own voice speaking from heaven and making these things known through his servant, the Apostle. And it's important that we accept these things given out through the mouth of the apostle and through what God has written down for us in His word.
As the truth of God, especially for this very period in which we live.
What we might call the church, period.
And really, when the Lord Jesus Christ offered the Holy Spirit?
Spoke of his coming after his going on high. He said he will guide you into all truth. That beloved is specifically a reference to these epistles where God unfolds Christianity in his heavenly character. Some have been LED astray by supposing First Timothy 63 excludes some of these words.
From being the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, notice verse three of the preceding chapter. For what we're considering, if any man teach otherwise, and consent not to hold some words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness and so forth. But the Lord of the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, if any man think himself to be spiritual, let him acknowledge that these things I write unto you, are the commandments of God.
00:05:23
So these epistles that we read are just as much the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Spoken by the Spirit of God down here, as they would have been had He been here and spoke on himself.
This tenth verse.
Very basic to get a hold of, to understand it. He has an old death and brought to light two things. Life, Life for the soul. And it should read incorruptibility. Incorruptibility for the body that brings in the thought of resurrection. Life for the soul was not an issue. It's not that it wasn't in the Old Testament, there are passages that speak of it.
But it wasn't necessary to be born again. In order to be a part of the people of God. All one needed to.
To be was to be born in the nation of Israel, needed to be an Israelite. And if he was an Israelite, he was a part of the people of God whether he was born again or not. The Lord taught to Nicodemus, the leader of the Jews, you must be born again. And the ye is plural. It doesn't mean you Nicodemus, but you Jews need a new birth and so it applies to the whole nation. But that's that's been brought to light now in the in the fullest sense of the word.
By the Gospel. And of course it was introduced words which began to be spoken by the Lord Jesus.
And have been.
Repeatedly spoken through the apostles. So here we have the apostle Paul. We tend to think that. We tend to think in in other dispensations, that what is true of this dispensation was always true of the previous one. And that isn't the case. We're living in the day when life for the soul is a necessary thing in order to be.
A part of the people of God in reality, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Northern. So it's essential to be in true relationship with God, to have a new life. But that issue wasn't raised in the Old Testament. That's an issue that has been resolved. He came, He said I'm come, but they might have life and that they might have it abundantly so. The abundant life he gave. Now I'm not denying or saying that the Old Testament Saints didn't have life. They had light. But not, I don't believe Saul of Tarsus. Not Saul of Tarsus.
Saw the king Saul. I don't believe he had life. I believe he was just a man after the flesh. But he was the king of Israel. David, another king of Israel, had life. He was no doubt born again. But that wasn't an issue that was raised in the Old Testament. One could be in the very highest place in Israel. Saul was and just the carnal, just a fleshly man. He never experienced the new birth. I don't believe we'll meet him in heaven.
There are some that feel we might, but I really don't think so. But.
The point is, that issue wasn't raised then that's been brought to light by the gospel.
We can, however, see some clear evidences of faith, can we not? On the part of many. You know, they had life. Oh yes, and like David could say, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever. That was quite a statement of faith, even life forevermore, in the end of Psalm 133. So faith laid hold of that and turned it into a thing of reality. But the light of these things was not.
Revealed it was not, as it were, brought to light until the Gospel. That passage in John chapter one is astounding. It says in him was life and the life was the light of men, Mr. Darby says. You can interchange that in him was light and the light was the life of men. Astounding. It's all centered in a person, the source and the means.
And that really answers your question to this morning, brother, as to the personification of the gospel.
The personification of the gospel.
00:10:02
According to Romans One, he was the Son of God, the gospel of God concerning his Son. So the glad tidings are that God came down and revealed in the sun as an object of faith, life and immortality, life and incorruptibility. So here we have the glad tidings personified, because it's the sun revealed as that good news come from God. I think it's important, though, to see that in the Old Testament they ought to have known that new birth was necessary.
Because the Lord said to Nicodemus, art thou a master in Israel? And knoweth not these things? There was enough in the Old Testament that they ought to have known that man in his natural state was not acceptable. And all scriptures that spoke of the future blessing of Israel showed that the only blessing that could come was for them to receive a new life, take away the Stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh. But the interval between death and resurrection was not revealed in the Old Testament.
But if you don't see that, it's very difficult to understand that they had no nothing at all. And the expressions of these in the Old Testament was because it wasn't yet brought to light. And so as you read through the Psalms, you can see that very definitely that they thought far as they were concerned, while they looked for the Kingdom and knew that it was going to be brought in, that death was something they didn't fully understand. But now it's been brought to light.
And how blessed for us, brethren, to sit in the light of divine revelation.
And know these two things that were not revealed in the Old Testament. While as I say, I believe they knew that new birth or should have known that new birth was necessary, but this that they when a person died that he would be present with the Lord. What a wonderful revelation. Remember even Martha and Mary understood about the resurrection. I know that my brother shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day, but they didn't know that.
The very person who was there was the resurrection and the light. Well, how blessed is that we have been brought into the light of these things, to know them and enjoy them. What was the burden on the heart of the apostles? What he is passing on to Timothy is not only this brethren, but all that had been revealed to him as one who was the apostle of the Gentiles, 1 to whom the truth of the Church was revealed. That brethren in those times should not lose this precious deposit of truth that is given.
In Christianity. And the Jewish tendency even at that time was to go back to what was known and enjoyed before the cross, and not be in the good of what was now revealed in Christianity. And this is, I believe, what he is Speaking of himself specially appointed to do. And that's why he goes on in the 12 first, for which 'cause I suffer these things.
What did he suffer for? For bringing out the truth of the Church? The Jews, when he went to Jerusalem, would accept him as long as he dealt with the hopes of Israel, and many of them who truly believed would accept that those blessings could only come through the Lord Jesus Christ. But to see what was happening in this church period and the Jew and Gentile were made one in Christ, that the middle wall of partition was broken down in the place of relationship that we had and that our blessing was heavenly.
Those things caused him to suffer as he proclaimed them, but he said he wasn't ashamed.
And he committed his whole course. Brethren, we'll have never, never have any peace in our souls.
In standing for the truth if we if we're just concerned about what men think, Paul said. If I yet please man, I should not be the servant of Christ. But Paul said something like this. I know I misunderstood for standing for the truth that I do, but he said I'm just committing it all to the Lord. It'll all come out in that day when all these things that I've talked about and spoken about me about meet their final fulfillment in that coming day.
And all is manifested at the judgment seat of Christ.
Today is the 1St and act. I was trying to think of where it is, where Paul says that the Lord told him that he would take him out from among the nation of Israel and the Gentiles, but sent him to the Gentiles. I think that's a remarkable verse that the Lord takes this Apostle of the Gentiles and he makes clear.
00:15:09
That he is taking them out not only from among the Jews, but also from among the Gentiles. He is not identified with either of these two groups. He's taking him out and he is sending him now to the Gentiles. Why is that important? Because what we have in Christianity is not just an extension of Judaism and bringing the Gentiles into the blessings that were promised to the Jews.
You know the Lord has taken this minister of the Church.
The Apostle Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles out from amongst the Jews, out from among the Gentiles, and then sending them to the Gentiles in order to bringing them into the church into the same position where he really is outside of both.
The Jews and the Gentiles, I'd like to add.
To those remarks, this thought that.
It seems to me a real evidence of the wisdom of God.
To select a Jew, To bring the truth of the Church to the Gentiles.
Otherwise, man may have said, well this is just a thing that originated with the Gentiles.
And they're trying to work up something for themselves, but I've felt that it was the wisdom of God.
To select a Jew and one who was very well learned in the Jewish religion.
It was the wisdom of God to select a Jew like that to carry the blessed truth to the Gentiles.
So that none can say that the Gentiles work this all up for themselves and by themselves.
But God had a selected vessel who knew well the Jewish economy, and he used him to bring that blessed truth of Christ and the church to the Gentiles. I felt that was a real stroke of God's wisdom.
Just the way he went about it, you know, it seems evident wrong that the Spirit of God was maintaining that unity all the way through, because we know that Peter went down to Samaria. They could not receive the Spirit of God until there was that clear link, because they were in an independent and a false position.
And so we can see that the Spirit of God all the way through was maintaining that unity, even when there could have been a serious cleavage between the Jewish and Gentile believers. And yet we see how God allowed that question to go to Jerusalem and how they discussed the matter. And then an assembly action was taking taken that the Gentiles should not be under law. What grace that was so critical.
A question so important for all ages, in fact, we see how.
The Gentile believers rejoiced when the news was brought of this action, and so it's the spirit of God maintaining that unity. It's very good to see that in the book of Acts.
The verse that our brother referred to as Acts 2616.
In case you want to make a note of that, because it's a very significant.
Addition to the Christian position, ye are not of the world neither Jew nor Gentile. There is no difference, for all have sinned. And it's really better to think in terms of what our brother said sending to you to the nations, because God is now visiting the nations Jew and Gentile to take out a people for his name, so that he establishes in this world a third category.
Of Jews and Gentile, and the Church of God.
That scripture reference should be repeated because the mic doesn't always cut in right away.
Acts 2616 and 17.
Interesting also in his 12Th verse, where he says and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. And then he says in the 14th verse that good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost. I think that's very lovely Paul, in seeking to go on with that ministry which brought him so much suffering for he says the Apostle of Jesus Christ.
00:20:02
I mean, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, was because of this truth that he was cast into prison.
But he committed all this misunderstanding that he had with the Jewish people.
All to the Lord, he said, I just leave it. It'll all come out in that day. And then he says, Timothy, there is a deposit. There's something committed to you, and you have something that you are responsible now to go on with. So Paul committed, so to speak, all that he was seeking to do to the Lord. Very blessed for each one of us, brethren, do we seek to go on in the Lord's work and in whatever he has given us to do, no matter what it be that at the end of the day we could just.
Leave it all and commit it all into His hands, feeling that we have sought to act in obedience to His word and according to what He would have us to do, and then realizing that there is something committed to us, something that we are to keep. And he is reminding Timothy that you have something committed to you. Now, Timothy and I believe, rather than that has gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, we have something committed to us. Yeah, I believe it's an individual thing, but I believe it's also a collective thing that if we are going to be a testimony in this world.
To the truth of the Church and its heavenly calling, that there is something that we are responsible to keep, may the Lord give us that grace.
And give us also the grace to just go on in peace, knowing that no matter what is said or done.
We wait. We leave all until that manifestation, if it's done for Him in obedience to His word.
The approval may not be here, but it will come out in that day. Brother Gordon, could you give us a little word on Ezra 7? I've heard you speak of us before about the weighing out and the weighing in of the truth. Ezra. Chapter 738. Yeah.
Well, in this 8th of Ezra tells us here about them making this journey through the enemy's land.
You read the from the 21St verse on. And then it shows us that in the 26th verse of the 8th of Ezra I even weighed unto their hand 650 towns of silver, silver vessels, and hundreds talons.
And a golden 100 talent also 20 basins of gold have 1000 grams, and two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the Lord, the vessels are holy also, And the silver and the gold are a free will, offering unto the Lord God of your Father's. Watch ye and keep them until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests, and the Levites, and the chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem.
In the chambers of the House of the Lord, so when they arrived there.
We find in the 33rd verse it was all written down by not 33rd, and then in the 34th verse by number and by weight of everyone, and all the weight was written at that time. So they were given these vessels to carry up the House of God at Jerusalem, and when they got there, not only the number of the vessels, but also weight. And that always speaks to my heart because.
I might say, well, we're holding to the truth of the Church, the body of Christ, the rapture, the Lord's coming before the tribulation. But does it have its proper weight with me? That's a question that I could easily ask myself. I say these things. We profess these things as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. But do they have their weight with us? So that as we go through this world, we act as heavenly men, we act as those who recognize that there is one body?
Loving all the children of God, yet walking in that path as we see this little company just a small we can despise company.
Subject to attack from their enemies but carrying them to Jerusalem then when they got there instead of getting taking any.
Credit to themselves, they offer all these offerings and give thanks that the Lord has done it well. May the Lord give us this sense of a responsibility and of a privilege too. And remember, the day is coming when all will be manifested in His presence.
Were it formed?
00:25:00
Has been translated picture. I know that's how it is translated into German. And what probably could help us to understand what is the form of sound words. It's like an outline of truth.
And but the Apostle Paul is telling Timothy is Timothy.
Hold fast.
The form of sound words. So you cannot hold fast anything that you don't have. So the challenge is, and I like to throw that out to all of us, but especially to the young ones among us. Do you have a form of sound word? Have you made the truth your own? Have you bought the truth?
So that you clearly see God's purposes, God's thoughts, what God is doing at the present time by his Spirit, and hold fast to that. How important that is, You know, beloved, allow me to read stuff to you that I ran across in the writing of one of the early graduates.
And I wrote it down. I believe it's profitable.
He is commenting this writer on Acts chapter 20 if I remember correctly.
That thus was the body of Christ built up.
It is in this care that we see the most manifest contrast of modern times with the primitive. If the converts are guarded from turning aside, it is in general the most that is attempted.
Zeal habitually goes out for the conversion of sinners and those devoted to that work.
Are regarded as eminently faithful and enlightened if they do not yield to superstition on the one hand, or philosophy on the other.
Truth in the truth is rare.
And particularly unknown even among the teachers not to speak of the convert.
The consequences are deplorable. Teachers and taught in these circumstances, are ever liable to the many misleading influences around beloved. Those are sound words. Now, we do not in any way want to belittle the importance of gospel effort. As it has been pointed out, both truths are our responsibility. But this here speaks especially of that which was the burden of the writer that I've just.
Rat. And so that's the exercise. That we really know the truth, that we enter into it, that we do not only know it intellectually, that that truth controls our very being, our life, our purpose, and that we really walk in and find ways to walk in. And in that way we really prove that we possess the truth.
That's where the outline comes in, and it's very important. I believe, as the scripture mentions, hold fast to form.
For the outline of sound words, if I don't know that I'm a citizen of Canada, I don't know how to act when I cross the border or how I act in my position.
But once I know my possession, then that is a great help to understand what my responsibilities are. If I don't know that I'm a member of the body of Christ, and I don't know what the body of Christ is, then I'll be seeking out to join something that man has set up. But that's why these things are so basic, brethren, that if we understand our position, it has been said that all the exhortations of Christianity are based on what we possess.
So God first acquaints us with what he has done for us, blotted out our whole record of sin so that we're clear as our brother brought before us last night, there were holy and without blame before him in love that he's brought us into the family of God as children.
That he's brought us in as members of the Body of Christ. That our citizenship is in heaven.
Well, once we're established in this outline and see what Christianity really is.
In contrast with the position that they occupied in the Old Testament, then He set before us a whole line of conduct that is suited to the position that were brought into.
00:30:03
That's what they do, even in government, when a man is accepted or a woman is accepted.