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OK.
Right up right.
Oh my God, straight one place can be.
Umm.
And for ourselves.
The handsome die.
Without the joy's brain of his, life is going to be a life as I thought.
With no idea.
They are alive right outside.
And you're all.
Where you are.
The blood and my heart.
Shelly Price, our God and Father do rejoice and.
We know that thou hast raised thy beloved son now from among all the rest of the dead.
Glorified him and assigned to him a seat.
Thy right hand and glory.
We rejoice, Lord Jesus, Thou hast been crowned with glory and honor, and though we see not yet all things put under Thee by faith, we behold Thee there. And it brings joy and satisfaction to our renewed hearts to know that Thou hast been rewarded with glory. And we look forward to that time when Thou shalt come again into this world where thou was cast out and hated without a cause to see Thee owned in this very place.
And to see thee, Lord Jesus.
Coming and being displayed in this world is the one that, though the builders rejected, the Thou art indeed in the Council of God, the very chief cornerstone.
We thank Thee to our God and Father, that we know that we have an eternal connection.
With that man in the glory.
We thank Thee that we can sit here now in peace to know that glory awaits us and that we have the promise of Thy grace. In the meantime, we confess that.
00:05:05
We sometimes sing while bowered away. Lord, we stumble and stray. Oh, hasten the day of my coming. Again we look to Thee for fresh grace. And as we have this opportunity this afternoon to open Thy word one more time, Ray, that will direct us into that which would be for our encouragement, our blessing, our profit.
That we would receive Lord Jesus, a word from thyself. We commend to thee those that are already traveling for safety for them each one.
Pray for Mrs. Roshan.
Who had to leave early this morning and not feeling well And commit her to thee.
Now again, our God and Father, we just look to these thy children that Thou provide food in season for us. We ask it our Father, and the worthy and precious name of our God and our Savior of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
A Workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, but shun profane and vain babbling, that they will increase unto more ungodliness.
And their word will eat as stuff, a canker of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have heard saying that the resurrection is passed already, and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God's standard. Sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His, and let everyone that name it the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only method of gold and of silver.
But also of wood and a verse.
Some water, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor. Thank the blind, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lots, but follow righteousness to faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid.
Knowing that they do gender stripes.
And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to on unto all men have to teach patients in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves in per event, if God per adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. And the thing they recover themselves are the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
I have a question.
It's uh, the veteran will be happy just to give some thoughts on.
If we deny him, we also will deny us in verse 12. You know, this verse has been a difficulty to some and, uh, I'd like to perhaps if some had a thought on that.
Help us with that verse.
We know that Peter denies the Lord.
But uh, I've heard it said that connection with this verse it brings before us.
A subtle purpose of art or a course that is pursued.
I may be wrong and uh.
Excellent looking at this way, but we know that.
Uh, Peter did deny the Lord, but the Lord through his grace later to commend that one to shepherd the sheep.
So I think that we have to view this as.
Of course that's pursued.
Brother Michelle, would it be right to say that?
A true Christian could never deny the Lord in his heart. Peter denied him with his lips and he never denied him with his heart. I wondered if in this second Thistle to the Timothy, Timothy, but uh, we have like the church looked at as a great house that includes professionals and I was wondering if when it says if we deny him, he go off and deny on that looking at someone who takes the plane of being a believer.
00:10:07
But really doesn't matter. Christ in his heart, yes.
The thought came to mind that you were speaking too as I would just say I think he was going to spew it out of his mouth and that was lifeless profession really away from me. I never knew you so I would understand. That's good.
There is a verse in Matthew chapter 10 that somewhat relates to that.
There's uh, 32 it says, who's still ever there? For shall confess me before men, and will I confess also before my Father, which is in heaven? But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, which is in heaven?
And it may be so I don't have a special thought about it. I have often wanted to get more clear on this part myself, but I think it's here to exercise this, brethren. And uh, so we need to take it just like we read in the previous phrase, if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. How much suffering do we do for the Lord in the United States of America?
I'm afraid I'm gonna have to say I don't do very much, brethren.
And am I gonna miss out on raining?
It's there to exercise this, brethren, and let's be exercised about it. And I agree with what you say, that Peter in his heart really never denied the Lord. But it was a real fall for Peter, wasn't it?
And I think he learned some valuable lessons by it.
I'd like to stay here in this chapter 2. It's quite interesting. Throughout both epistles of Timothy, you get warning about those that occupy people with words and strife. And it says here in verse 14 of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no prophet.
But to the subverting of the hearers, verse 16 says, But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase into more ungodliness. Through both epistles you have warnings about words that lead to no profit, genealogies getting into questions that don't profit. We need in these last days to learn how to avoid those questions. Sometimes we're not real direct about it.
But I remember in Bolivia one time, a broth, a young brother who posed a question in the conference and another older brother just simply said, I don't think that's a profitable question. So we'll just go on with the Bible study. And, uh, down there, they don't take offense at it. Like we might do it up here, but I thought that was quite interesting. But we need to be occupied with things that positively edify brethren.
So if you're going to ask a question, and I encourage you younger brothers, sometimes that question can be very profitable. And if you have a question in your mind about something, there's a good chance that quite a few others perhaps present have that same question. So I encourage questions. I think they're helpful, but let's be careful to pose questions that are for profit.
And, uh, James has said growing the year to God and he will draw near to you. And, uh, I often take encouragement from little things that I see in my job or in my work. And, uh, if I'm using a torch at work and you bring that flame and that heat close to the metal, the metal flows and take the heat off. If the wind, you throw it away, it cools off. Things like us, if you take a piece of charcoal and you or a piece of wood and you move it close.
To the glowing embers, it also glows. And, uh, the Lord doesn't change what we do, you know, and we cool off and we move away. So I would, I would say that, uh, another way of looking at this versus the, you know, if we deny him our attention, if we deny him our affection, he doesn't lose affection for us, but we lose the benefit of, of the heat and the hormone flow again by being closer.
00:15:23
Call.
This is rightly dividing the word of truth, the end of verse 15, to put that in opposition with using the word of God deceitfully because we're not using the word of God, we're being taught by it and then the measure that we understand it.
Directly dividing a word of truth by exposing justly the truth of God from His Word.
That's a Workman, isn't it? That's another one of the figures you were mentioning, Stan, and I think it is an important one.
Study to show thyself approved unto God. Not approved unto the brethren, but approved unto God. Live before God, don't live before the brethren. You may give momentary approval from the brethren, but there's a good chance they might a little later on disapprove of you too. So if you live for the approval of brethren, you're gonna be disappointed.
Live for the approval of God.
But a Workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. That's that's a really important.
Thing that we need to be exercised about. Just like to read a verse in connection with this in First Corinthians chapter 10.
And verse.
32.
Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God.
The Jews or God's chosen people? Chosen earthly people?
Are distinguished in the Bible from the Gentiles.
The Gentiles were the rest of the nations.
The Church of God is composed of those who have been saved both from the Jews and from the Gentiles, but it is a completely different entity. It is a heavenly people. The Jews or Israel was an earthly people with an earthly calling. And when we read the Scriptures, we need to distinguish who God is talking about.
All scripture is written for our prophet. You read that verse yesterday.
In First Corinthians or not, it was Romans, right? There's a.
Another one in First Corinthians 10 that says about the same thing. But uh, in when we read the scriptures, we should ask to whom is God speaking here? All scripture was written for us, but all scripture was not written to us.
God told the children of Israel to go into the promised land and to put to death all the enemies, their enemies.
Are we gonna take that and apply it literally? No. We rightly divide the word of truth. So that was for an earthly people at that time. So we, when we read the word of God, we need to know how to rightly divide it. There's a lot of confusion because.
That is not done.
Scriptures that apply directly to Israel are taken and applied to the Church.
Just for some practical examples, the question of tithing. It was a command of God to his earthly people. Israel 10% for God. But when you get to the New Testament, do you find that principle applied in the church? Never. Why not?
Because in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus has purchased us and everything that we have, it all belongs to Him. So if I would say 10% for God and 90% for me, I'm robbing God of 90%. It's all his and I'm just.
00:20:03
A administrator of what he has put into my hands. So we need to.
Rightly divided tide does not apply. Now does that mean I can just give a little bit brother, We should be exercise that what we do under grace is not less than what was under law, but it's not a rule. Now everything is his.
The father has many children. He's responsible to provide for those children. That's what God has commanded.
And if he doesn't come provide for them, he's worse than an infidel is denied the faith. So if he uses all his money doing that, he's going to give a count, and that's what the Lord told him to do. So we need to be exercised, brethren, to rightly divide the word of truth.
Another question that sometimes comes up, and I'd like to mention it just for young people because.
It is, uh, something that is important to understand. Why don't we use musical instruments in our meetings?
Why don't we have an organ?
Why don't we have?
Uh, guitars to lead us in our worship of the Lord.
If you go into the Old Testament, it says to praise the Lord with every instrument of music, but who is it talking about there? It's talking about Israel, and it was proper at that time to use musical instruments. But when you come to the New Testament, you find that our worship is in spirit and in truth.
The character of Christian worship.
Is what comes from the heart. The instruments to be used are two that I find in the New Testament. One is the heart, the other is the lips. There's something wrong with musical instruments. It's not that there's something wrong with it, brethren, it's just not the character of Christian worship. I don't have any problem with using those instruments in other circles, but when it comes to the.
Worship of God, it's worship in spirit and in truth, and we need to rightly divide the word of truth. What is pleasing to God here is that which comes from the heart, in spirit and in truth. Musical instrument are not spiritual brethren. They do. They are for the enjoyment of our souls. But when we come together, we don't come to please ourselves.
We come to please Izzier, and that's why that we do not use musical instruments. It's part of rightly dividing the word of truth.
It runs very deep as well. It can overthrow faith because at the root of it, as you say, there's not an understanding of what Israel is and what the Church of God is. And what's happened in the Church of God, gone through many years until God graciously gave relief in the recovery of the truth, was that what the church thought as they were the spiritual extension of Israel?
And that Israel had no future blessing under the Messiah in the Millennium. And they appropriated all of Israel's blessings to the church. And they left them with all the curses, you know, in the Crusades that led the Christian Crusaders, when they got to the land of Palestine, out slaying Jews.
Why? They're just left with the curses. No future blessing for them. They're just the murderers of Christ. Let's annihilate them. And so those doctrines lead to bad practice and they can even overthrow faith.
You pardon me? I'll be a little bold. I don't want to.
Well beyond what we should in this meeting. But there's a little account that I actually pasted in the front of my Bible. Because at a time when I wrestled with these things that so impressed me as to the importance of rightly dividing the word of truth, rightly seeing dispensational truth and its effects on the very fundamental doctrines of Christianity, that I just put it there to remind myself of it.
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If I could be permitted just to read that little account comes from.
Many years ago, when the truth was just being recovered and there were men who were evangelizing Jews in Egypt.
And they found because of their doctrines of denying the future promises to Israel that the Jews would not receive them.
You deny our future blessing. Why should we listen to what you have to say?
And this little account?
The fact happened in London after a sermon in a church in the Strand. Amongst the hearers were two Jews. A discussion took place in the vestry between them and the preacher on the subject of a Psalm which contained a prophecy referring to the restoration of the Jewish people. The pastor maintained that it could not be understood in the sense of a national restoration. The Jew who spoke answered him.
How then can you be surprised that we should deny what you call the Incarnation? What, said the clergyman, taking a Bible? Is it not written? And behold, thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the House of Jacob Forever, and of his Kingdom there shall be no end.
The Israelites then asked the minister to take up with him again the different parts of this passage, which he did accordingly, And after having read the two or three first sentences, the Jews were convinced that they were to be interpreted literally. But when they came to these words. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the House of Jacob, etcetera.
The pastor said this signifies that he shall reign in the hearts of his people.
If it is thus, replied the Jew, if it is not in Jerusalem, where David had his throne, where he reigned, then I deny that Mary had a son. I affirm for my part, that what is said on this subject signifies nothing else. Say that the Messiah was to be pure from his birth, and that this is the true meaning of these words. A virgin having a son. You see, I only follow your motive. Interpreting the end of the passage, I apply it to the beginning.
And by this means I deny the incarnation. But, replied the minister, we admit.
The literal interpretation of this part of the passage, because the event has proved that it was to be understood thus. I shall never forget with what an air of disdain and contempt. The Jew then said, Oh, you believe this because it has happened. As for us, we believe what is written, because God has said it. We ought therefore to take heed in what manner we interpret prophecies, for you see.
If we deny the privileges promised to the Jewish nation, we shake thereby even the foundation of our faith.
It's a big movement, and Christendom today is to deny.
That and then you do not distinguish between Israel and the church. And that's why today it is very popular for Christians to get involved in political circles.
Brethren, that is not our place, it is the Church losing the sense of their heavenly calling. We need to rightly divide the word of truth. It says very clearly that we are ambassadors for Christ and ambassador does not get involved in the politics of the country he is re he is living in.
He is there to represent the country He comes from. Yes, I am a natural citizen of the United States and I submit to the laws, but my real calling is a heavenly calling, and I am to represent the Lord Jesus Christ here. When did He ever take up the sword? When did He ever take up political movements? Never.
And so, brethren, let's rightly divide the word of truth. It's something that we really need to be exercised about.
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The 212 him in our little clock expresses that truth, does it not?
Just wanna read.
Part of the verses there it's a fall from above, and heavenly men by birth, who once were, were but the citizens of earth. As pilgrims here we seek a heavenly home, our portion in the ages to come.
I think in the towards the latter part of Matthew 13 there's another.
Uh, expression by the Lord Himself about this.
Process of holding the truth.
In the right Places. Matthew 13.
Inverse, uh, I'll start at the end of verse 51.
Jesus saith unto them, Have you understood all these things? They say unto him, Yeah, Lord.
Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man, that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
That last expression, things new and old was the name, I think of a periodical that CHM, uh, Mr. McIntosh published, uh, back in the 19th century, Things new and old. And it's not just that you have a, a bunch of things, even precious things all mixed in together. You have old things, you have new things. We have the privilege in our, in our privilege, uh, position.
To be in the understanding of both the new things that, for example, Stephen referred to in the open meeting today, the mystery which hath been hidden God, but is now revealed by his holy apostles and prophets, by the Spirit, those are new things. Those are things which were unknown, not revealed by God to Saints of old. But then there's old things we can read in the book of Galatians or in Romans or other places in the New Testament, that which is common to men and women of faith all down through the ages.
We have Hebrews 11, which is an example of things like that. And so it's our wisdom, it's our virtue, no matter how much we've been able to take in according to our spiritual, uh, development or age. But the things we have, we should have them in the right place. If you have a household and you have the chainsaw in the kitchen and the silverware out in the garage and you have, you know, stuff that you use in the lawn up in the upstairs.
Linen closet, your house is in chaos.
And so most of people, my generation, our, our parents were a very orderly bunch of people. If I wanted to use some of my dad's tools, I could go into these workshop and he had the tools painted on the wall, you know, so when you took it down, you knew where it went back. And he had this kind of tool here and that kind of tool there. It made it pretty simple. Didn't have a lot of tools. And he used to get rightly irritated with me if I didn't put him back. And so if you have a bunch of whole mishmash of all kinds of tools and sockets and wrenches all mixed up.
You know, you're not going to be a very effective Workman, which is really the subject here. So, you know, sometimes I think we do well not to be so occupied with how much we know, but to be sure that what we take in, we take it in rightly that our hearts are right, that what we receive is the truth and that we put it as a, as it says in Proverbs, all the by wisdom is in house building. I think it says by understanding are the chambers filled with all manner of precious treasures.
So we wanna have things in the right place and be able to to hold and to access, so to speak, these precious old things that we enjoy. I read in the Old Testament about the promises that God's earthly people. I rejoice at that. It'll be a wonderful thing to see the Lord as Joseph revealed himself to his brethren. The Lord is gonna reveal himself in that manner to his father, and it's gonna be so touching. We don't wanna.
Throw that out and assume that Steven has just read to us that that has been subsumed somehow in Christianity. It's a separate thing. And of course the precious things that we have, especially in Paul's epistles and also in John, are specific and unique to us. So we're to be like these, the householder that has his treasure things new and old.
00:35:07
Doctrine is important, isn't it?
Correct teaching. And that's what we get in these words that follow here.
Uh, it talks about two men, Hymenaeus and Phylidus, concerning the truth of air saying that the resurrection is passed already and overthrow the faith of some bad teaching. There's a lot of bad teaching that goes on and it's important to have correct teaching and that's why I believe that.
House of God is the pillar and ground of the truth according to God's thoughts. It's where the truth is upheld and maintained. I can make mistake in ministering the Word here.
But there's other people here with their Bibles open on their laps. They're listening. I hope you're measuring it by the word of God, the measuring stick. If I make a mistake, I hope somebody is going to say, brother, let's look at this verse and make it clear what the true meaning is. We can all be mistaken. That's why it says let the prophet speak two or three and let the others judge.
You don't sit there sleeping.
You sit there listening.
And measuring what's said, that's what it means to judge. Measure it by the word of God.
And so there is a lot of bad teaching that's going on and sometimes it doesn't get challenged. We need to be clear on teaching.
The IT says in Acts 2 and verse 42 They continued steadfastly in the apostles.
Doctrine and fellowship. Our fellowship is based on the apostles doctrine. That's the groundwork of our fellowship. If you don't have correct teaching, your fellowship is going to go down as well. We need to be careful to have correct teaching. Lord help us in this, brethren.
It was a consequence of this, uh, bad doctrine. And we have that in the first chapter. In our chapter we have the heads that are wrong or turn. And in the first chapter, in verse 15, we have feet that are turned. But it was in consequence, I believe, of what we have in the second chapter. We read in the, uh, fifteenth verse of the first chapter. Because this thou knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
And then the two individuals that we just read about in our second chapter are names.
So that wrong doctrine caused some to turn aside.
And when scripture speaks of wrong doctrine, I believe it speaks in a very serious way.
Uh, in Leviticus chapter 13 in connection with the vapor when leprosy was in the head, it says that they should pronounce that one utterly.
On screen, I don't believe that yours is so. It's worse in connection with leprosy, another on another place of the body, but where the head is involved and where human reasoning comes in. Scripture pronounces this utterly on Queen.
These ones mentioned in verse 17, Timeneus and Pallidus.
We read of Himeneus in the first epistle.
And then and another one called Alexander. First Timothy, Chapter one.
We could read from verse 18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before only, that thou by them might have swore a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning fate, has made shipwreck, or have made shipwreck concerning their faith. Of whom is MNAS and Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn.
Not the glass screen.
But it doesn't seem that they learn not to blasphemy. We read of Himeneus in the second chapter. Here he was going on spreading wrong teaching and error and something that the Saint needed to be kept from. And Alexander you read up in the 4th chapter.
00:40:13
Alexander verse 14. I believe it might be the same. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his work.
Of whom be thou? Where also for ye hath greatly withstood our words. So there was opposition to the sound teaching of the Word of God to the apostle Paul. And there was other teaching being introduced, and the Lord has mentioned these ones by name. What a serious thing to have our name mentioned in such a connection. So I started with not having a good conscience, being faithful.
In the little things, if we have a tender conscience. You were speaking yesterday, Bob, in Spanish, I believe. A little thing that's there, a little little lie, a little something that bothers your conscience, the Spirit of God brings before you. What are you gonna do with that? We'll confess it to the Lord and be restored to fellowship. But if you don't respond to that, you're just gonna accumulate more and more and more to a point where you're gonna have a shared conscience. I can put a ton of bricks on your hand. You're not gonna feel it.
You could feel a feather the first time just going by or a family landing on your hand, you'll feel it. But if you're insensitive to these signals from the Spirit of God, greater things are gonna come in and they're gonna go by. And here's this one. Him and auntie was in connection with the apostle and made shipwreck concerning the faith and he had become an instrument of the enemy just didn't go go away. You didn't hear about him anymore. He was saying things that were wrong and turning the fate of others away.
I'll wicked.
There's some verses to connect with.
This in First Corinthians 15, where the doctrine of the resurrection came up as well.
1St Corinthians 15 and verse 33.
Be not deceived. Evil communications, corrupt good manners. So bad doctrine has its effect on our conduct. And what was the bad doctrine? It was in connection with the denial of the resurrection. And so he goes on, and he says, awake to righteousness and sin not.
Why would he say that? Well, the end of verse 32 Says if the dead rise, not let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. That bad doctrine led to wicked practice. And you know, I think we come all the way perhaps to the end of Corinthians and we find one of the roots of the difficulty of the moral evil at Corinth, the doctrine of the resurrection overthrown. Doesn't matter what we do then, and it led to immorality.
And wickedness at Corinth. And so in our chapter.
He says with Hymenaeus and Philetus just in verse 16, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Those bad doctrines are going to increase into more ungodliness. There's a bad practice that goes with that bad doctrine and you know it says they are saying that the resurrection is passed already. How is that? How could they say that? How did they get away with saying that? Have anyone believe it?
I think it's the same way many have gotten away with taking the spiritual, the, uh, literal blessings that are Israels and that belong to them and have spiritualized them and given them to the church and denied them to Israel. They took the literal truth of the resurrection. They didn't say there's no resurrection. They just said, oh, it's passed. They spiritualized it away somehow. Oh, you know, well, we're raised from the dead then.
We have life in Christ and you know, that's all past now. And somehow they, in a careful way, they just talked away the truth of the literal resurrection. And I believe that really they are an example of those who do not rightly divide the word of truth, take the literal interpretation of the word of God and spiritualize it away into something else and thereby deny the truth of God. And it leads to bad practice, increased ungodliness.
What a blessing it is to come to verse 19. The first clause there nevertheless.
The foundation of God's standard shirt. Oh brethren, that's a bulwark to our faith.
The foundation of God, that what which was laid by the apostles and prophets is called in Ephesians 2, the end of the chapter, the foundation of the apostles and prophets. They laid it out here in the New Testament Scriptures for us, and that's never going to be corrupted. It's here sometimes. Think of it in the Old Testament when ruin came into Israel.
00:45:27
And the temple was destroyed. Even the foundations were broken up. And when they came back, they had to relay the foundations. It was a thing that caused great joy when those foundations were laid. But in New Testament times, brethren, there has been a lot of ruin. But there's this difference. The foundation can never be corrupted. The foundation of God standeth sure. And that should be a real bulwark to our faith.
Sometimes I think we have to dig down through the rubble of our own thinking.
But you'll find that the foundation is there and it's sure it can never be moved. And so we can get back to what is foundational. Very important to understand where we stand in Scripture, especially as relates to the Church of God. We need to understand the apostles doctrine, Brethren, that is important to you young people to get to understand the form of the Church of God.
Go back to the Old Testament and we get beautiful pictures of things in the news, but understand the foundation that is very important. It stands sure having this seal and there's two parts to the seal. The Lord knoweth them that are his. That's the first part. So as we come to what is called in verse 20, a great house.
We know that this foundation has this seal on it. The Lord. First of all, the Lord knows them that are his. And as we come to this great house, there are times when we cannot distinguish and say this one is the Lord, this one isn't. No, we have to leave that in the Lord's hands. The Lord knows.
But there is the other side of the seal, which says, And this is our responsibility, let everyone that nameth the name of Christ. The translation says, the name of the Lord depart from iniquity if you name that name.
You are responsible, whether true or not true. You are responsible to not connect that name with iniquity in whatever form it takes. Moral, doctrinal, ecclesiastical. Don't connect.
That name with iniquity.
So there's those two sides to the seal that we have in verse 20 read.
Verse 19 I'm sorry, connection with that thought of iniquity brother. I was wondering if uh.
In Matthew Chapter 7.
Matthew Chapter 7, verse 21.
And everyone that said unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.
This is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the will of the Father. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me, ye that were iniquity. I just I'm not. I'm asking this as a question, but would would the Lord be telling us here that association with such activity?
That was done here in his name, but wasn't commanded by him. Is actually being a work of iniquity.
I work in big inequity. He he charges them he that work in equity.
Is he telling us that what they were doing was actually iniquity, though He would answer that by passing out the devil or whatever, that the workers themselves were working in equity because they weren't safe.
That's what we have in this chapter. Now in these verses, uh, let's get on to it rather, because it's important instruction.
In the First Timothy we had read to us in the last meeting that the Church of the living God is the House of God.
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That's God's thoughts about it in First Timothy 3, the way it should be. But here it's not the House of God. It's a great house. It's overextended the foundation. There's a lot that names the name of the Lord that does not have any foundation under it.
The Mormon religion speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ. It's in the great house. But if you know anything about that religion, it is not on the foundation at all.
They're not on that foundation.
So it's a serious thing. And so you have here in this great house vessels of gold and silver, vessels of wood and of earth, all kinds of vessels. We are vessels. Every one of us is a vessel.
And then it adds verse 20 at the end, some to honor and some to dishonor.
Which are the ones to honor? Which are the ones to dishonor?
Naturally speaking, you say, well, it must be the gold and silver to honor.
And the wood on earth are to dishonor.
But we need to let Scripture dictate that question. And verse 21 tells us what is a vessel to honor. If Amen therefore purged himself from these, notice it's individual. You are responsible for your vessel. I am responsible for my vessel. We're living in a great house.
This is christen them what we say christen them. Brethren, it's important to understand it's where the name of the name, the name of the Lord is professed, whether it's real or not real.
But if a man therefore purged himself from these.
He shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meet for the masters use.
And prepared unto every good work.
Need to purge ourselves from those things that are connected with iniquity, whether they are vessels or whether they are bad doctrines. They need to be. We need to be purged from them so that when the Lord comes into this house, he's still operating in this great house. The Lord is still saving souls and he comes in and he wants to use a vessel and blessing.
Am I gonna be ready?
Uh, vessel ready for his use?
These are things that we need to be exercised about, and I think when it says here a vessel unto honor sanctified and meet for the masters use prepared unto every good work.
Brethren, we can be encouraged, even though I cannot go into many sectors.
Of religious Christendom, because my conscience will not allow it. Still, if I will simply obey this scripture, purge myself from iniquity, I can be a vessel prepared unto every good work.
You need a wider sphere than that. I don't think you do, and I think if you do that you can be used by the Lord in a mighty way.
Rather remarkable, brother Bob, that you've been bringing up here. This is a great house. The language that he uses in connection with it, uh, in the 16th version and in the 21St, I'm sorry, the 19th verse departs. In the 21St verse, purge. In the 22nd verse, flee, and the 23rd verse, avoid. Very important words, aren't they in connection with the great house? Because there you have that.
Mixture that God hates. He wants his people to be separate, doesn't he? From that which is.
Contrary to his name. So he uses these words in connection with the Great House.
An answer to Brother Michelle's question just quickly Iniquity here is connected with the mystery of iniquity and it's man's will thrust into the things of God in the house.
Uh.
OK.
And I promise.
You all.
Whatever. You can't build anything in the world.
Remember ourselves, our loving God and our Father. We think of the mind about them that we sometimes sing walking and waiting. May we be as those that wait their Lord to see. We're reminded to in thy word to occupy the loudest time. So we would just think of that which has been for us this afternoon and throughout the past two days. We just pray that we.
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May meditate upon what we have heard and may we uh.
Consider all of what thou hast done for us, and by law, we just thank Thee for having Thy word open to us. And we thank you for the privilege of being able us to come together, uh, without fear of persecution. And, uh, we know not how much longer that you know, allow us to meet in this way.
But we just thank you for these occasions.
And again, we would just thank you for my wondrous while giving thanks, Lord Jesus, and I'm alone worthy of precious name, Amen.