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That's seven or 7070 in the back of the book.
We sing all the.
Pleasure.
And shortly we also shall. And here, what is the one in? It's a spiritual spirit of being delighted.
Lord Jesus, it will be wonderful to be there.
But in the meantime, we're thankful for the light of Thy precious Word, and for Thy Holy Spirit that dwells in us to help us to understand.
We pray that there might be on our part willing hearts to walk in obedience. We pray and give thanks, Father, as we start this meeting. In the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.
Would it be OK to read the whole of chapter 2 Then?
All right.
Second Timothy, chapter 2.
Thou therefore, my Son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, in the things that thou hast heard me among many witnesses, the same commit thou faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life.
That he may please him who hath chose him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that Laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
Consider what I say, and the Lord give the understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to the gospel, according to my gospel, wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer, even unto bonds, But the word of God is not bound.
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying, For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him.
If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, he also will deny us. If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself 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. Study to show thyself approved unto God, A Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness, and their word will he eat, as doth canker, of whom is hymenace, and philetus, who concerning the truth have erred.
Saying that the resurrection is passed already and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure. Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that nameeth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood, and of earth, and and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel into honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, 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 unto all men. Apartment to teach, patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves.
If God, her adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
I want to communicate briefly.
I didn't have opportunity this morning, but something in the end of chapter one.
Verses 15 to 17.
You read verses 1516 and 17.
I want to read a verse in Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 17.
Posito comuni version Elabora Elias.
Verses before speak of the deposit that we have from God.
Versus proverbs.
And versus 17 to 19. I love them that love me. Those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honor are with me. Yeah, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yet in fine gold my revenue then choice silver. Asical context.
In the context of those verses in.
First Timothy or Second Timothy, Chapter one.
Many abandoned the Apostolic instructions.
He esteem scarce and Roma and Rome. There was many jails or prisons and it speaks of omicipuro.
And he could find.
After looking very diligently for him.
Come on, come on. Persecution. Sometimes when we want to follow the truth, there's persecution. As a result, Pablo Carson Paul was in prison.
Jeremiah was in prison.
So I just want to talk about the Prophet.
In the time of the king Ahab.
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And the kings Joseph, Jehoshaphat a via Cuatro Ciento's prophetess, there was 400 prophets.
That went in a different direction.
And there one was one prophet, that one contrary.
That was Nikki I had.
A trabajo verdad and sometimes the young people are going to find that it's going to be worked to follow the truth.
It isn't easy when there's so much of Christendom that goes in another direction. There were 400 false prophets.
And he was only one.
And this.
Calls my attention to.
Horn of.
Metal.
His doctrine.
Cuerno And for the young people it is difficult at times because they see these things that are so attractive.
And sometimes when they're in the assembly, they see so much that is so weak.
Maybe that's not the case here, but in Quadrinto where we're from, it's the case.
And we want the young people to be encouraged.
Sometimes one brother is asleep.
Maybe not even singing the songs and it's difficult.
But the point I want to make is.
Not ashamed of the Apostle Paul.
And I want to encourage the young people not to be ashamed of being in the Assembly.
There are many other churches in.
Nana Vernon Pools is Ronnie Mccomber Uno. They have shame on me sometimes for meeting where I do.
Because there's nothing that great.
But it is worth seeking the Lord. Well, perhaps this is saying something a little too strongly, but.
If we don't get anything else out of this afternoon's meeting, let's make sure that we get a grasp of the first verse.
In the first chapter, we've been seeing how that the truth that Paul had so strenuously labored to teach was being given up. And all in Asia, he says, have forsaken me.
Turned away from me. What a position for Paul to be in.
And now he's exhorting Timothy to go on and to have an outline or the form of sound words to keep the good deposit that has been entrusted to him.
If I had been starting this second chapter, I probably would have said Thou therefore my Son, be strong in the truth, that is in Christ Jesus. But that's not the way the Spirit of God puts it. Be strong in the grace. And why is that?
Because when things start to come apart and when things are not what they should be, there is.
A tendency, and it's in my heart too, to say, well, we have to tighten things up. We have to, as we would say, whip the troops into shape, keep them in line and we can end up with a narrow, sectarian and sometimes a harsh attitude.
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And that will never go in the things of God. The whole spirit of that is wrong. Yes, we need to be faithful.
And Jude tells us we are earnestly to contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints. No question about it. And Paul would not advocate for one moment giving up any of the truth. We had that this morning. But how is it to be done with grace?
Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus. Grace will never compromise the truth of God.
True grace will always insist on the precious truth that God committed to us, but in the spirit that connects us with Christ himself, and in a spirit that brings that truth home to our souls in a way that we recognize. It's not, I repeat, it's not human energy that can keep it. It's only.
In an understanding of the grace of God.
And that's why at the end of his second epistle, Peter says.
Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How do we grow in grace? It means that we understand more and more.
All that the Lord has done for us and all that He has brought us into.
Suppose I meet with opposition to the truth. How do I react to it?
If I may be allowed to, I will quote my father-in-law once again, he said. There are two ways of maintaining the truth. One way is I'm right and you're wrong and I'm going to prove you're wrong if it's the last thing I ever do.
Do we get into that spirit? Sometimes it can come to that. The other way is this truth is so precious to me. Why? Because it connects me, as Brother Ben was bringing out this morning with Christ himself. And this truth means so much that I cannot bear to give even one small part of it up.
We will both.
In both cases maintain the truth of God, but the second case will have a much different effect.
On the here.
Is that right, brother Bob? Yes. And I say grace touches the heart and the heart is the mainspring of Christian life. And and if the heart isn't touched, you're not going to go on that long. So how important it is, I think how you mentioned Peter, how the Lord restored him so graciously.
His public restoration that we have record of is in John chapter 21 and the Lord Jesus and those.
Versus there you don't see he never said anything about Peters denial in front of the others disciples and the deadly had had a private session with Peter that it speaks of in Lukes gospel chapter 24 that there he only says.
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He touched the heart of that man.
And at the end, after he said it for three times, why Peter says, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Peter did love the Lord and I trust he learned, like we all need to learn, that you can't trust in your own love for the Lord, have to trust in the Lord's love for us. And so Peter was restored and he gave him the care.
Feed my lamb's, feed my sheep.
And so Peter at the end of his abyss first epistle says, feed the shutlock of God, which is among you, I think is so, so beautiful. So.
Peter learned that grace too, doesn't he? And so that is so important, the the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Be strong like you say, we tend to clamp down and try to be more rigid. It's not going to work.
We need wisdom how to be a help amongst our brethren?
We could spend the whole meeting on this subject.
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By.
Reviewing the verses that our brother Bruce read to us from the Song of Solomon, Draw me, We will Run after thee and the attractive power of Christ in grace.
There's nothing that can duplicate it.
When you're.
If you were to picture in your mind a £50,000.25 ton block of steel in the middle of this space, to hold that up in the air would take so much steel. You'd have to have all kinds of columns of pipe or big wide flange beams, and that wouldn't be enough because they buckled. And so then you got to start bracing them. Pretty soon you got tons and tons of steel. So I hold this up.
But you could take two little cables, inch and 3/8 of steel and you could hold it up that way because the way tension works, this is the way cranes work. And so the Lord works that way with you and me. He draws us, He pulls us. And I like what you say. Well, he fastens the rigging is attached to the heart and he draws us along. It's beautiful. But in the assembly when things get routine and and.
You know when when when the heart is not engaged anymore, you can bring during you could better drag in a lot of steel because you need to push things along or hold them up. You're going to take a ton of energy and it's Lord it's not going to be in that. But this drawing is is beautiful and John 21 The Lord drew them along drew Peter along may draw us along. I appreciate it Bruce reading that very much. We could have spent the whole meeting on that.
Just thinking of the 2nd 1St to this is the things that thou hast heard of me.
Among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men.
Word here is not successful.
It's not ambitious, it's faithful.
In Proverbs chapter 20, there's a premium placed upon faithful men.
Says a faithful man who can find they seem to be in the minority, but they were the ones to be singled out and we read in scripture of certain individuals that were faithful and God places a premium.
Upon faithfulness.
And then if we go on to the next verse, I don't want to go on too rapidly.
There's endurance connected with the Christian pathway.
In Hebrews Chapter 11 in that faith chapter, we see that Moses endured.
And then it brings before us the soldier.
Of Jesus Christ, the good soldier of Jesus Christ.
In Psalm 78 we read a very striking situation and a very sad situation. It speaks about the children of Ephraim. It says they were armed.
They were carrying boats.
But then it says they turned back in the day of battle. So may we not be like those children of Ephraim?
May be may we be like those that are spoken of here in verse 3.
Verse two we have 4 generations. I think it's good to see this is.
God's way of maintaining the truth. It's Paul taught Timothy amongst many witnesses. That to me is important.
And then he was to commit the same to faithful men like you say, Brother Bruce.
And they would in their turn be able to teach others also.
Faithful men. What is a faithful man?
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He doesn't say like you mentioned, Brother Bruce, he didn't say.
Look around for some good preachers and eloquent.
Men. No, he says. Faithful men. Faithful man is one who does the truth of God. You not only knows it, he walks in it. That's a faithful man, and that's important.
And I believe that's why some of these further exhortations are brought in, because walking in the truth is going to involve enduring hardness as Bruce is bringing out Bruce Christensen, The truth is not going to be popular. And.
Yes, it's wonderful for those that are willing to be faithful with it.
But it's not going to be popular. We're going to have to endure hardness. And that word hardness can mean many different things. It can involve the.
Constant exercise to hold and walk in the truth. It involves perhaps some of the difficulties of the way where you see other dear believers who are dear to your heart, not willing to walk in it. And as we'll see later on in this chapter, it eventually may come to separation, which is a very difficult thing. And then in verse 4.
No man that warth entangleth himself of the affairs of this life. That takes real exercise and real discernment before the Lord. Because we do have to manage our affairs in an orderly way. We have to work to earn a living. It's not right to maintain a slovenly lifestyle and not to manage our affairs properly. That's not honoring to the Lord. But.
Entanglement. That is the problem.
We need to be exercised. What can we let go in order that we might have more of Christ? I really enjoyed a remark made by a brother once and it came second hand to me.
But he said something like this. He said never. No more of anything than you know, of the things of God.
Never know more about anything than you know about the things of God.
Was it you that quoted that to me, Bruce? Or quite possibly?
OK, you, you enlarge on it a bit then, because I'm trespassing on your territory. No, no, no. It's, it was a brother Bill and I have talked about and brother Ralph Reed senior and who's still living back in Pennsylvania. And he was a very busy and incompetent business person, you know, and he, he had to really study and prepare to accomplish his day's work, you know, to advise people and.
And he would put his younger associates really through the Inquisim and Quism and Quizzum because they needed to, to know their potatoes, so to speak. And and then he would come into the meeting and tell us young, he would look at SEC. You should never know more about anything than you know about this book. And that was 40 plus years ago. And I know I've remembered that. I trust the other younger ones did too. But it's good advice, I think.
I was just on the phone the other day with brother Ralph Reeb and every time I call is a big encouragement to me.
But I can recall our gospel meeting that he held some years ago. As Brother Bruce was saying, he was a very competent individual and.
Much of his business had to do with executives and hospitals.
And on one occasion he was touring a big hospital. I don't know whether it was in Philadelphia where it was with the leading hospital administrator.
And.
A nurse came out of one of the patient's rooms and she was very agitated.
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And.
Hospital administrator could see this and he went over.
To work the presence of her brother Ralph and he said what's what is the problem? Can we be of any help to you.
And this nurse said, I promised this patient's wife that I would record his last words.
And she said I think I failed. I only got 2 words.
Hospital administrator said to her, what were those two words?
Absent present. Well, brother, Ralph said. I hope you don't mind if I try to give an explanation to this nurse. So.
He turned her to that. He had a New Testament with him, to that portion in Corinthians where one was absent from the body and present with the Lord. This nurse was so relieved. She said thank you.
Now I can convey that message to his wife.
She had the lady on the phone.
And the lady?
That nobody knew said thank the dear brother for that. And so the CEO of the hospital looked at Ralph Rabia is always impeccable in a suit.
And just shook his head. How did you know this lady? Anyway, we go on with Ralph's stories. But you know, I can really relate to this third and fourth verse. When I first read it, I was in the military and this really stood out for me.
To be a good soldier, as brother Bill Brockmire pointed out.
When you first some of us, when we first get saved, we have to unlearn a lot of things.
And I had to unlearn being a civilian. In boot camp. They teach you how not to be a civilian. So there was a lot of hardship that I had to endure going through boot camp. But to be a good soldier.
For the government.
There was a line that if you cross then you would dishonor the uniform. So there was a lot of things that we had to adhere to, to not get entangled with because we serve the commander in chief at that time. This is during the Vietnam War.
But you know, young people, we're in a warfare right now. It's not the same with guns and bombs. But make no mistake, we're definitely in a warfare and we're being bombarded from all angles and.
We have to be.
Unentangled, we have to cease.
How is it ceased to do evil and learn to be good? We have to learn how to depend on the grace of God, to grow in the grace of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and to be entangled with affairs of this world.
You really?
Are not going to be strong in the grace of God.
It's impossible that.
And we need to, you know now the Lord, like they did in boot camp to me, they, they tried to wean me from being a civilian and start thinking military. Well, the world is dealing with us to wean us from from the entanglements that will take us down. We've got to be prepared and ready for the world warfare that.
Surely come, if we're living honoree before the Lord, we will suffer and we will be tested. And believe me, the enemy knows just where to go into just where to attack. So we really need to be strong in the grace of God. That's that's where we first got to start. But let's, let's not get entangled with well, the politics and we're heavenly citizens now and all this is all going to be burned, burned up. All this is going to go away.
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And we're ambassadors now for Christ. Let's display Christ. Let's not get entangled with these and be overcome and and oh, what's happening to this God run. You know, let's not get 10. They're caught up with all this because it won't do our our standing as a good soldiers to fight a good fight.
Thank you for sharing that story you guys about Brother Reeves.
Bruce, that's one of the mentors you're you like talking about. That's what this is talking about. Scripture here, mentoring.
That's a good mentor and a good example.
Verse three in the Darby translation says Take thy share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. We tend as Americans to try to avoid suffering.
I think we need to rethink that. I remember hearing a story of some persecuted Christians over in China who said.
To somebody, when you go back to America, tell our brothers and sisters there that they don't pray that the persecution cease. That's what's making us grow so much. And so we tend to shy away from suffering.
Don't do that. And another thing in verse 4 is.
Pleasing him who has enlisted him as a soldier.
Brethren, we're not here to please ourselves. That's ingrained in the American Dream. Do what you like. You owe it to yourself.
Or what Burger King says. Have it your way. That is not Christianity.
Even Christ pleased not himself. The Lord. Help us, Lord, in that room.
But you can seek after something is a high calling. Her brother was mentioning the military. I remember the advertisements that used to be for the Army as they were seeking a few good men, now a few good women too. And people who went after that who becomes a SEAL team member. People who want to see if they can meet the standards, if they can survive the difficulties, they could go through something every SEAL.
Goes through something they call hell week and most don't survive. Why would anybody seek that?
Now, in natural things, there's a glory to it, right?
Well, don't we have a glory before us to seek to go and be at the highest level, to serve the one that died for us to be one? Want to be about your Father's business and be there, be in the game.
Be in the battle, there's a glory to that, and those who stand at the judgment seat of Christ one day who've entered the battle, who've been willing to do that, they will have endured difficulties, but they haven't focused on the difficulties. I don't want to go and hurt myself or suffer needlessly, but if I am pursuing my Father's business and it comes.
Then I should be willing to go.
And be willing to bear up under that I tell you this.
There's a big difference about enduring something I might have to go through if it concerns my wife whom I love, or a brother or sister whom I love. Who will you get up in the middle of the night and drive across hours to go meet? Unless it be somebody you love that's in trouble. If there's somebody you would do that for, who CARES about the trouble of it? Who CARES about the hurt of it?
Well, that's what this is talking about. It's what you're talking about. Be willing to do that because you love him and he's asked you to go someplace and it may involve a brother or sister in Christ that you love deeply. Well, that's nothing to get up and go and help, even if it's a lot of trouble to do so if you love them. You mentioned being drawn on Bruce afterwards. Brother John Leben likes to quote all the time.
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About being constrained by the love of Christ. It draws you. It pulls you.
While you can endure a lot if that's what's drawing you and encouraging you along.
Rate the exercise as you mentioned.
Quite often this meeting and the prior meeting and brother Bob mentioned about the brother is being exercised before going to meeting so can somebody.
Define that to be exercised at #1 #2. Is that something just the brothers?
Can do or or should do or is that something that sisters can also develop that and?
Young people, for that matter.
There is no growth without exercise, is there? Physically, you want to grow properly, there's exercise. And it's the same in spiritual matters. And I say, brethren, exercise takes two things. It takes time and it takes energy. And if you want to grow, that's what it's going to take.
About the meetings that we had lately, we, we, we've spoken extensively about encouragement not just in the reading meetings, but in open meeting as well and the, the idea of encouraging that young people have been brought up repeatedly and I think that we need to.
Take a look at these two verses at the beginning of this chapter. It has already been brought out that there's four generations here, but what's significant about these four generations is that none of them are related that we can see.
And.
We often.
We often point out in these two chapters that Paul spoke of Timothy as a son.
But they weren't related. How is that possible that he could do that? And I think it goes back to Paul's part. Paul had a heart of a father. He was not his father, but he had a heart of a father's. And it's been brought out that as we pass these things from one generation to the next generation.
It's personal.
It's going from one man to another man.
But it has to be done with love and.
That is only possible if it's done with a father's heart. The father will sacrifice. The father will expand as much as it takes to establish the next generation.
And he would do it with love.
The teacher won't do that.
The teacher will teach and teach and teach.
But it's the Father of Allah, and what we have here is we have on display to us the Father's heart, teaching one generation to the next.
Like to think too, rather, that we have in Scripture discipleship. And I look back in my own life at some of the brothers I accompanied on trips, sometimes to Latin America, sometimes to other places. And I learned not only by what they said, but by what they did. And I think that's the thought of the discipleship.
Those disciples, those 12 disciples accompanied the Lord. They learned not by what he said only, but by what he did. And I must say, some of the lessons I learned from those older brothers are engraved in my heart. I treasure that because I saw it was something they live by. And that's discipleship. And I think that's important thing. And I think we could say that Timothy was a disciple.
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Of the apostle Paul, our brother was asking questions about exercise and if I understood it correctly, he was saying how it was mentioned that men should be exercised, but what about others? What about women or children or young people? Yeah, it makes a difference in a meeting.
11 Lord's Day after the breaking of bread in our meeting, we have these times, there's a wonderful spirit in Cedar Rapids that has come about through all the different, different difficult years and so forth. And we call it the meeting after the meeting. There's this time after the breaking of bread, it seems like nobody wants to go anywhere. They just sit there. We talk. 1 Lord's Day I ask because I notice certain things I noticed.
Just Lynn over there looking at him and this one and this sister over here looking at pages in her Bible in between when somebody was partaking. So I started asking them, what were you looking at?
And there was a whole other meeting going on or along with what was verbally being done. And it was the women there as their thoughts were occurring and and something that was said or something that was prayed.
Occurred to them and they looked at it and they prayed about it, Not out loud, but I really enjoyed that. And then in the prayer meeting, similar kind of thing, I got to visit W Richland last year and they were like just a small group out and there were some young people there, young children, and I asked them if they took part in the prayer meeting as they sat there.
And I said to them.
People. Some people know the story about how.
We had a dog die in the middle of the same December 24th, 2004 in West Palm Beach and how when all of those children and young people in the scene prayed, God brought our dog back to life after it was dead.
And I told that story to them. I said, you know how much I value children's prayers? A whole lot. And I said, when you're in a prayer meeting and your brothers are praying, are you praying along? I don't care how young you are. I don't care if you got a coloring book. You're coloring most of the time. But do you does sometimes things you think about maybe somebody in a friend in your family is sick or hurting or maybe somebody at school's going through something, you know?
That while they're praying, you can add your prayers and your amens to that. Do you know that God hears that and sees that yeah, it makes a difference. And when children and and the women that are in an assembly meeting, even though they're not taking a verbal part and they are taking a part, the tenor of that meeting will have a whole different thing. And if they were not. And I think that anybody who's been.
Amongst the gathered Saints for very long can tell you that that's the truth.
Does that answer any of the question?
Get a definition brother Bob mentioned about. It takes time and energy.
But what does it mean to do that? So a definition of what it is to exercise.
How about a sister who reads the portion in the reading meeting before she comes, and she's enjoying it even before she gets to the meeting. And her prayers, along with her brethren add something to that meeting, even though she doesn't say a word.
I often find that the sisters are more alert than the brothers in places where I visit. And even though they don't say a thing, their attitude has a definite effect on the whole meeting. And so I just want to encourage the sisters, You are part of the meeting just as much as the brothers. Your attitude is extremely important. Sometimes you might say, well, we can't say anything.
So it doesn't really matter if I pay attention or not. It does really matter.
00:50:00
I want to say something.
There was a sister in Christ.
Who began to talk to me about the truth of the word of God?
I mean metal Postamento Asynchronous Anosa Aronaki and who invited me for the first time to a meeting like this?
The name.
He said. What's your name?
Erin de Lamour.
And he said we've learned more from love than we do by the words.
America.
Sister Beverly, we made this trip to South America.
I never saw her in a pulpit speaking publicly.
She taught me a lot with her loves.
To think of two individuals that are mentioned very prominently in the New Testament equivalent, Priscilla.
Few instances his name.
Is mentioned first, but there are several places where her name is mentioned and it's in the proper order. But God valued the service of both, and both were in their proper spheres.
There's five. Go ahead, Bill. We just add a word to that in terms of the word exercise. For myself, I sometimes prefer the word conviction, but we know it exercises in a physical way. It's out which tests us that which strains us at times in order that there is growth and we remain in good health. And it says in First Thessalonians 2 about the word of God that effectually works in you that believe Hebrews 5 speaks about those whose senses are exercised.
And I believe the point of it is it takes the word of God from the level of theory and it implements it into practice. And there's exercise connected with it has to do with our state. It has to do with our walk on our ways is so that we know more than just being on paper, but that it's implemented into our life. And these things are often not, not pleasant for us to to to work through. If I get it. Just a couple other things that what Aaron brought up. You know, first Corinthians 4 Paul says, though, you have 10,000 instructors in Christ.
Yet not many fathers and we need 10,000 instructors in Christ, those that would teach the word of God clearly. So we understand that we separate truth from Aaron, probably rightly divide the word of truth. But you know, a father will do things for a son that a teacher won't. Whether it's an act of sacrifice and also willing to get in his son's face if need be. A father will do that for the good and well-being of his son. Just had a couple other things here you mentioned about the the service.
And you know, in Mark's Gospel, there is no genealogy mentioned of the Lord, is there? There's a genealogy in Matthew, a genealogy and Luke from Joseph and Mary respectively, but none in Mark. Why? Because in Mark, the Lord Jesus has set forth as that perfect servant. And it's irrelevant who your father or your grandfather is as it relates to the service of God. God calls us each individually, and while we can thank God if we have a godly heritage like Timothy had with his mother and grandmother, that's not what constitutes the call of God.
And so in the path of service, how intensely practical it is. It's so individual.
One more thought and this Harkins back to over 40 years ago, but I want to we want to get this in when we're in second Timothy 2 before the meeting is over over 40 years ago as in the Tacoma was a fellowship day and her brother Leonard Peril patrol spoke from this chapter and he brought out seven points that I've enjoyed ever since 7 figures of the individual Christian in this chapter. We've had the first one in verse one my son and say that was Timothy. That's not us. No, it is us, those of us that have come under the good and benefit of blessing of Paul's teaching. In that sense we've come into the sphere of being Paul's son influenced by him.
We've had the soldier mentioned here we come down to verse five and we'll have the athlete. In verse six we have the husbandman or the gardener. That's the 4th. Go down to verse 15. We have the workmen of the student. It's #5 drop down to verse 20. We have the vessels mentioned, another figure of the individual believer. And then in verse 24 we have the servant of the Lord. And so just as in our readings, we've had reference to the body of Christ and the House of God.
00:55:21
Is symbols of the assembly and different characteristics and different responsibilities connected with it. So we have these seven points mentioned in this chapter that everyone of us believers needs to be quote UN quote exercised about that we implement the instructions thereby.
Excuse me, Bob.
No problem brother, just was going to say that verse 5, like you say, is the athlete and he's not crowned except he strive lawfully. You cannot win the prize unless you go by the rules of the game and you cannot ignore the principles of God word, God's word and when in the end you have to take them into count and that's an important lesson.
The next one is the husbandman, and the Darby reads it clear, as it should be. It's not that he must be the first partaker, it's that he must labor first.
Just read it here in the Derby. It says the husbandman must labor before partaking of the fruit. Sometimes we don't see the results.
Immediately of living by the word of God, let's remember the husbandmen or the farmer, the gardener, whatever you want. You have to work before there's a harvest. And you don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results. And that's important too. These are things that we know in natural life and they are to be implemented. So he says, consider what I say. He's teaching lessons here.
And the Lord give the understanding in all things. And then somebody has already mentioned verse 8.
I think this is so important to brethren, remember and in the Garvey translation is remember Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from the dead according to my gospel. And it was I think you Bill, that mentioned before that the Lord Jesus at the end of his life, his life appeared to be a complete failure. How many disciples? He had 12 disciples. Is that all after all that labor?
Yes, just that much. But one of them was a a fake and then another one who professed that he loved him and was willing to die for him, denied him three times and all the rest take off.
And there he is condemned to the death of the cross. It looked like one mighty failure. And now here's the apostle Paul at the end of his life. What do you got to show for Paul? Not much either looked like complete failure as well. But this is what really so challenging and wonderful, brother, remember Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from the dead according to my gospel.
Brethren, God's answer is not in this life. God's answer isn't that coming day. Let's labor for that day, not for anything down here.
Yes, there.
Paul is not asking Timothy to remember the fact of the resurrection. He says remember the one who rose from the dead and all the results of the work of the Lord Jesus came in resurrection, didn't they?
And the reward for faithfulness likewise will usually have to wait for resurrections.
That's hard to do sometimes.
And that perhaps is a bit of an answer to verse six. I happen to grow up on a fruit farm, and I remember well planting small trees, little tiny trees, little little things that high.
Did we get fruit the first year from them? No. The second year? No. The third year.
Maybe, but not usually. Quite often you had to wait 4-5 years before you saw any fruit, and it was very exciting to get one little bunch of cherries on a small tree or something like that.
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This is going to produce fruit, but it took time.
And you and I will have to wait in most cases for resurrection in order to see the reward of living for the glory of Christ.
Mm-hmm.
And that's why Paul says in verse 9 and 10 I suffer trouble as an evildoer.
Difficult doing the work of the Lord, being faithful to Him, and being called an evil doer. That has special meaning for us today because those who hold out for the truth of God's Word are being called evil doers and being.
Being accused of hate speech and things like that and what is totally contrary to the Word of God is being exalted and paraded around with pride.
Terrible.
Will there be a reward and resurrection? Yes, there will. And so Paul says in verse 10, I endure all things for the elect's sakes.
Why? Because the word of God is not bound. And how precious it is to see the word of God in the world today going out in a way perhaps is never before in terms of numbers. And it's not bound over it. I don't think it hurts to speak of this Over in India there are a number of states that have instituted what are called anti conversion laws.
That is, if you want to change your religion, you have to go before the magistrate or the local judge or official, whatever it might be, and he determines whether you have been persuaded by force or allurement to change your religion. It's been very interesting to see how the Lord works. Is the word of God bound? No. Our souls still being saved in large numbers, Yes.
Do they need to go before the magistrate to get saved? No, they don't. A word of God is not bound.
Earlier this morning, Bill Brockmire mentioned the desirability of not having to unlearn too much in order to proceed with the the good work of learning.
I have seen.
Such profit from teaching newly converted Saints the truth of election that they were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
When I was in the process of being drawn to the Lord, I of course thought it was all me, my heart pounding, my head just about exploding. And then I did it. And then a few weeks later Lord had it that an older brother brought me into his home and started to teach me from the Scriptures what I now had, and indeed what had happened to me. And I can remember the sense of awe as a new convert when I learned that He had chosen me.
In himself before the foundation of the world. What a foundation for a person to be a worshiper before we even get home. Because it raises the question in your heart, why would he choose me? Why me? And there isn't an answer to that. And the gap between what we can understand and what is the reality of it is filled by worship. It fills up that gap in my estimation. And so it's a foundational truth.
And it carries a certain tenor with it. As we learn the Scriptures more and more we see that God acting in sovereignty, in sovereign goodness really, and giving life is interwoven with the fact that man is indeed very, very responsible. Both are extremely true, as one brother put it. And so as but as people learn it later on in their Christian life, they have to undo a lot of things that they thought.
And that becomes a challenge. And I notice a lot of the younger brothers on the reading meetings I'm on are struggling with that. And they say, well, if you think that it's just God's work alone in a soul, that why even preach the gospel? Because they're going to get saved anyway. And we like to point to this verse and verse #10 the apostle Paul understood deeply.
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That souls were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
And it became a motivation to him, not an encouragement just to sit back in his hotel room, so to speak, and say, well, they're going to get saved one way or another. He said, no, the elect are out there. They need to hear the gospel. They need to hear the word. And that's why he endured all things for the elects sake.
And so rather than being a discouragement and drawing back into some sort of theoretical mental Calvinism or whatever people call it, it was a real motivation to him. I must bring the word. They're out there and they're going to receive it. And I it's, it's, it's been laid upon me to bring it. So I, I just put that before you. I where I was very thankful these older brothers that grounded me in that truth. And it was very precious.
And it really had its fruit in spiritual worship of the Father in spirit and in truth, because all of us knew that we could say, like the prophet, I am found of him.
As you go out, it sought me, not as you go out to preach the gospel, though, Brother Bruce, you don't know who the elect are, do you? So we are told to preach the gospel through every creature and that way every man is responsible, correct? Spurgeon was challenged by that idea. And he was a ******** Calvinist and he said.
If God painted a blue stripe up the back of everyone that was elect, I'd go around lifting shirts. But he didn't, He said, preach the gospel. So I preached the gospel.
There's another point I want to touch you that I think is so wonderful, brethren, to get a hold of. It's in verse 13. If we believe not yet He abideth faithful, He cannot deny himself. I love that, brethren. You can't depend on our own faithfulness.
Should I be faithful? Yes, I should.
Am I always faithful? The Lord is the judge of that brother, and not anybody else. But to realize, brethren, it's not a matter of our faithfulness. It is the faithfulness of him that it speaks of here that cannot deny himself. God is God and God is faithful. He cannot be anything else.
Thank God for that.
If God has chosen souls.
In Christ, before the foundation of the world, are they ever going to go into a lost eternity because I was not faithful enough in preaching the gospel? No, that won't happen. And I had to bring that before some of our brethren and a foreign land where they were just terrified of souls that were going to go into a lost eternity if they were more energetic and didn't do more for the Lord and didn't preach more often and so on.
I said, well we should use.
Every available opportunity, absolutely. But let's remember that if God has chosen souls, He'll see to it that they receive the gospel. Even if you and I can't get to them. He's going to look after the situation. And that gives a real peace, doesn't it? Because we can't be everywhere.
We can't reach every soul, you and I as individuals cannot, but the Lord can. Example of that connection with the Apostle Paul.
He says he has saved or a purpose to go to Pathinia, but the spirit suffered him not.
Does that mean that the gospel never reached Athenia? I don't think so, and I was encouraged to read the first few verses of First Peter where it speaks of those in Bithynia that had received the gospel. So the gospel got to that location through another instrument, didn't it?
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Our responsibility, submitted those followers.
282.
182.
There's a brother here that had a word to share, which could you go ahead, Brother Andy.
I would just like to make a comment to the young as we close this up.
And I want to paint a word picture if I could. I'm not saying that it happened this way by any means, but I think it's helpful to realize that Timothy may not have been quite as young as we would have perceived him to be. Paul had met him 15 years before he wrote this epistle. And I was impressed after the last reading that a young brother came to me and he said, you know, he said, what's interesting is between the first epistle.
In the second epistle there was really not very much time, and it was possibly.
1 1/2 to two years as best as I can tell he said it while it just seems like the declension came in so quickly.
And so I want to paint this word picture to you young people to perhaps make it relevant.
Think of going out to your mailbox. You open the mailbox, you pull out a letter.
That letter is addressed to you.
And it's from a man that you knew, that you labored with, and that you know is in prison.
And you go inside, and you open that letter, and you begin to read it.
And you finish reading it and suppose Timothy's mother comes to him and she says, Timothy, I see that you got a letter from Paul. How's he doing?
I realized somewhere he's in prison, he says. Mom, it's amazing.
He's persuaded that nothing is going to be lost. He's not ashamed of his life.
None of them.
And then our next question is Will, why did he write to you?
What was his reason for writing to you?
And if you look through this epistle, it's just.
It's a man who it's been brought out so well, it just looks like his life has been a disaster as far as fruit. And yet the energy that he's imparting to that younger one and he's saying, Timothy, it's been worth it all. I love to sometimes ask older men who have, after they're done with a career, you say, if you had it to do all over again, would you do the same thing? I think Paul's just saying absolutely, Timothy, I haven't. My mind isn't changed one moment. It's worth it all.
And so he's saying you go forward with energy. And I just want to leave my younger brother with this.
I've been impressed.
And I'm not going to give the names of denominations because I'm not here to bash any of my brethren in Christ.
But there are some very conservative denominations that are giving up. They're being divided and scattered in this nation on principles that the Word of God clearly teaches.
And I look at my younger brother.
And apart from faith and confidence in God, it seems like there is an overwhelming tide of apostasy that is just going to.
Sweep over everything and all is lost. But I just want to encourage your hearts.
Take this letter as it's written directly to you because it's very individual. There is a collective side to it. We didn't get to it, but even that collective side is the result of you following personally righteousness, faith, love and peace. And so may each of us take heart and ask ourselves, why did Paul write to me? I realize he was inspired by the Spirit of God, but why? What's the purpose? And I think that's been brought out so.
Thank you for your patience.
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282.
Master.
We were no longer.
I was scratched from.
Light swallowed oil, and sunlight was aside to join the joy to know.
I shake.
Contact however we're trying.
Or thou must go toward that group seafood.
We welcome.
Steal my baby over.
We shall run my servant soil.
And.
We shall hear the same.
Arise, my Lord.
Shall we no more?
But perhaps the sun and the earth?
The Book of Second Samuel.
In Second Samuel, Chapter 11.
Verse 8.
David said to Uriah, go down to thy house.
And watched. I paid and to Raya departed out of the King's house.
And there followed him a mess of meal from the king.
Papa Raya slip at the door of the King's house with all the servants of his Lord.
And we're not down to his house.
And what they had told David said Uriah was not down unto his house. They decided to hurry up.
Him's thou not from thy journey? Why didn't this thou not go down unto thine house?
El Raya said unto David the Arkansas.
From Israel.
And Judah abiding tents.
My Lord, Joy and the servants of my Lord are encamped, encamped in the open fields.
Should I then go into my house to eat and to drink?
And to live with my wife as thou lives, and as thy soul live, that I will not do this thing.
Well, we're in intimidated the things that thou hast heard of me about snagging this.
The same commit out to faithful men.
That should be teach what the Lord looks is faithful servants. I don't explain what is a faithful but I can see through the scriptures faithfulness.
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Like Joshua when he not departed from the tent, when the people of Israel, they were worshipping the golden. Like this soldier Uriah, the head tied.
Taking care of the Ark of Israel.
While David was asleep.
When David was.
Thinking.
Iniquity.
But the role always reserved faithfulness, isn't it?
Did they learn the lesson this reading Psalm 84?
Psalm 84, verse 10.
For a day in the course of.
Of thy core is better than 1000.
I had rather be a door keeper in the House of my God.
Not to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Will all that were soldiers, isn't it?
But we are not faithful to the banner, to a country.
We need to be faithful to the Lord and I always encourage the young people.
Follow the Lord.
Be committed.
No matter the circumstances that you have around.
The unfaithfulness that in the assembly there is not too much truth to learn from, because you are not gathered to the parade and you are gathered to the Lord.
And it's very important to see who's in the midst, how much volume.
All found in the Lord Jesus Christ who is strengthened unto the end. I have fought the good fight of the day, even to the end, because He was looking on to the day when he was going to receive the crown of righteousness of those that wait for his return.
By the truth and sell it. Love this pray.
Our God of our Father, we we thank you for the privilege we have before us.
Our souls and our hearts to be reminded.
That in spite of.
Unfaithfulness.
Error in spite of so much ruin of the testimony as part of.
The foundation just stands firm. Or even unto this day.
Oh Lord Jesus, within the power risen, and see you at the right hand of God.
Are objects, but we think that we can rely on God precious truth that we can be strengthened that we can be strong in that grace that is in Christ Jesus that man that has passed into the heavens as it is city of the lion man of God and we pray that we might not.
Despite all that is being heard in this meeting, such a blessing for our souls, and we thank you that we might meditate each one individually. How much?
Precious truths we possess are not selling them, but they keep them whole, fast. It's been committed to our precious souls.
01:25:03
Within the collaborator here in Shadow Hills to give us the opportunity to be here under the sound of Thy word. And we pray for each one of us that we might be strengthened and encouraged in our souls. We take the Lord Jesus and we just pray for the rest of the day. Thy precious name, Amen. Amen.