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7/20 for 17.
From ideas he sent to me all the others in the church.
When they were come to him, he said under them, you know, and after from the first day that I came in Asia, at what manner I have been with you for all seasons, serving the largest off humility of mine, with many tears and temptation, which befell me by the lying wait for Jews, and how I kept back. Nothing is profitable unto you, but it showed you, and it taught you probably from house to house, testifying both the Jews and also to the Greeks attempts toward God.
Faith toward our own piece of pride.
And now because I go bound in the spirit of Jerusalem, not knowing the things that they call me there, save as the Holy Ghost in every city, and seeing the bombs and quick surviving. But none of these things moved me, neither count I my life here and myself, so that I might finish my courses, joy and the ministry which I have received Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the great God. And now behold, I know that we are all in one whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God.
He might take no more work, or I take you to record this day, because I am pure from the blood of all men. So I have not shown him to declare unto you all the counsel fraud for yourself, and to all the flocks over the which of the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, and be the search of God, which He has purchased on His own blood. So I know this was after my parties to agree with wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flocks also of your own self drive.
Reverse things, draw away the cycle bathroom. Therefore, watch and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone. 9 days here and now, brother and I commend you to God. The word is straight, which is able to build you up among all them to sanctify. I have covered no man's silver or gold or apparel. They yourself know that these hands administered by necessity.
And then that were with me. I have showed you all things how that so labour and you ought to support the weak and remember the word the Lord Jesus is how he said it's more blessed to give or receive the money has not spoken to yield down and trade with them with them all and they all went sore and fell on Paul's neck and system saw why most of all the birds keep faith. They should be safe no more. They accompanied him.
Something of the responsibility here of those those in a place of responsibility and the apostle here draws the elders together there, doesn't he? And he brings before them the great responsibility that is there and I believe it is a solid responsibility for those that are older to seek to guide the other. I think of that from the thing you mentioned that they.
Leadership or really we should be guides of those that are younger guide them in the direction and I'm very, very I know we're not going to touch every verse in these verses that we've read, but just just kept as a verse 20. It's been a promising before me how that the apostle well versus 19 and he was here and he said serving the Lord with all humanity of mind with many tears.
There was a reality with the apostle. It was a tearful thing. It was, it was there was things coming in that were going to disrupt the testimony and he sought it with tears, he said.
And temptations which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews. And then verse 20, how I kept back nothing that was profitable on you, but has showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house. And they tell us what he had taught them. But I, I think of this, uh, the, the, the need also of, uh, because the great media platform ministry, there's a need, need of house to house visiting.
That's pastoral care and he brought this before them, didn't he? He said he he acted in both categories. He said I kept back nothing that was profitable to you. I think that's like is an emphasis put upon profitable statements. You only hear many things that are unprofitable. If you hear many things that are disrupt, you hear those things that you divide. That's the work of the enemy, the the work of one who was.
00:05:21
Had a real care and concern for the people of God who brought before them languages profitable or there might be times where there's a need of acclamation, but it's their to their profits that it might be solved at Microsoft.
And I, I believe again, I, I, I guess that's just.
No, uh, truth to me that he said I showed you and it taught you publicly. He showed them in his manner of life. He just didn't say, well, now you do this and you do that, but he, he acted it out. He lived what he taught. I have showed you and taught you publicly and from hospital. In other words, he wasn't, he wasn't different on the platform than he was when he came into their homes to visit.
I think it's very vital truth, isn't it?
I think it might be well enough.
In a general way, what we have in these versions that we read and I believe it's this well what our provisions are for.
Umm, a post Apostolic age, right on to the end, I believe. I believe this is an extremely important scripture for that reason. This uh, portion here would show us that much of what has come into Christmas is not what God has provided for us. We get a very clear, uh, expression here. I don't mean to anticipate, but just to notice it.
So this is a vital point here to juncture because there's an apostle, uh, chief relay in many ways as much as possible, to whom the most wonderful revelations were given. But he sort of in his own, uh, statements sort of merges into that the, uh, post that Apostolic, umm, period, which, and so we, we have instruction here. We can, we can, umm, rest assured that God has shown us.
What our resources are.
And encourages us and in view of great evil now here it's just touched on it to amplify Timothy and Jude and second Peter. We get much that would show us indeed that they're going to be very difficult days on accounts. But here we have all the pavilions and I think it's encouraging.
Many ways it reminds us of the 24th of Joshua where?
Joshua is about to be part, and he calls the elders of Israel together with a similar burden on his heart, the provisions of.
Umm the umm uh. The points brought out are not exactly the same, but the provision is the same.
And, uh, we have all that we need in order to go on until the coming of the Lord.
The emphasis that our brother little was putting on house to house aspect of things. I think sometimes brother we take it brother who God has specially gifted in that way.
And uh, we spoil that effectiveness by forcing them under the platform.
In order to earn his bread.
And that isn't God's way. We ought to value a brother who can go into homes. And perhaps it doesn't have much to say in the meeting, but.
That was brought home to me.
Years ago with my wife's great uncle and some of you probably remember UMM.
So it's crossed he wasn't really a platform man, but he could really go into a home and visit and do a work for God in a home. And I remember Clipper Brown saying to me, you know, the brethren, they just, they don't let the poor brother alone. If we'd only leave him alone, he'd do what God had given him to do.
That's, I believe, uh, a danger that we have. We don't value that house to house visitation. There are other brothers that, that do that do it well. They go into the home and it's such a blessing when they come in and you can get things across to your brethren you could never get across in a public meeting. And you can touch on things that shouldn't be touched on in a public meeting, but are just suited to the need of that particular home.
00:10:15
No, I believe God has specially gifted the apostle Paul in both ways. And I think the point our brother Little brought out is very, very important. There was no dichotomy here between the two. There was. It was the same thing that he preached publicly, he thought from house to house, and he lived it too. That's important to see. But I believe that we can ruin the effectiveness of a good pastor sometimes.
By assuming that because he's giving his full time to the Lord's service and moving around among the Saints that he has that special meetings. And I think it's a mistake some.
The Lord is called to that and somebody hasn't. And let's not, uh, despise the brother and sister because they open our team in that way. And, uh, there are brothers and sisters that we've had in our home that I've maybe had some doubts about the public ministry, but boy, I was less when they visited our home and I said, Lord, there's a place for that brother and I enjoy it.
Take the real shepherd's heart to do that kind of a work, doesn't it? And I remember a brother who came through Smith Falls some time ago, and they asked the brother when he came if he would like to have some meetings while he was there. And he said, and this brother was very capable, too, as administering on the platform. And he said, he said my exercise in coming to this area this time was not so much to have special meetings, but to visit the Saints in their homes. And he did that. He spent several days there. And, you know, that's still talked about today.
The Saints really value and appreciated that extra time that he took to come into their home. And, you know, sometimes we have things that we just like to pour out, uh, to, to our brethren. And he took that time to, to come into the home and, and to listen and to encourage. And it really encouraged the Saints far more. And he never did have a, a special meeting the whole week or so that he was there. And they really value that. And I, I was just thinking of a verse too, while we're speaking about.
These things just to encourage my dear older brethren to bring, continue to bring before us, uh, the truth of God. I, I say this because I had a brother come up to me one time and he said, you know, he was an older brother. And he said, you know, sometimes I feel like I'm just repeating myself in the meeting, bringing before the same things that they already know. And he, he said, what, how do you feel about it? Well, I turned them to this verse in second Peter.
I think this is a very good verse to keep in mind.
Uh, any who do take a, a part either in public ministry or visiting from house to house, uh, any way we encourage the Saints says in first Peter one a second Peter one verse 12. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things and notice what he says, though ye know them and be established in the present truth. And so Peter said, if I have an exercise before the Lord to bring something before you, maybe I've repeated myself 1000 times, but I'm going to bring it before you again. And we need that, don't we?
We need to have the truth brought before us and one of the other epistles that said exhorting one another daily. Well, we need that. And I just encourage my older brother bring before those of us who are younger. Those things, those principles, those fundamental truths. We need to hear them over and over and over again. And you know too, I, I can say this, the sword cut and dope sheep it when you use it, let it cut, let it cut. And so I, I just say that it an encouragement to my older brother bring before it.
We need the truth of God before it's a fundamental principle of the Word of God. And what an encouragement it is when we when we hear those things like a time like this, we hear things drop before we've heard them over and over and over again. And yet, what a refreshment it is to exhort one another daily.
I just like to turn the First Timothy floor to show that things can be fairly, that our work can be fairly simple.
First Timothy 44 lines of Timothy in verse 12 Says Let no man despise by you.
But be now an example of the believers.
In Word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith and purity. Now, there's no platform here. Yeah. I just thought for a moment. I want to read a few more verses. Be now an example of a believers. Is there anyone here in this room that can't serve God in this way? Now, this is incredible. I think there's a great tendency to look for umm, well, the set apart was in the early days of the Nicolaitans. I see.
00:15:29
With those that rose up set up, we have a great tendency to look to others, a few brethren to carry away and do the job well. I think as we read here now, Timothy did have a special gift. What? The word here is very simple. Be thou an example. That's what you can do and don't despise it. It's powerful. I think I can prove that.
In Word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit.
In faith this is reality and purity. Till I come give a tennis to reading.
This is part of it, to hesitation, to doctrine. Well, we don't all engage in education, neglecting off the gift that is in me, which was given thee by prophecy with laying on the hands of the presbytery, and that was particularly verses 15 and 16. Meditate upon these things.
Give myself wholly to them, never mind if somebody said here could create here a bit off.
Let's Scripture show you what's normal for a Christian. Meditate upon these things. Get myself holy to them.
And that property may appear to wall. Take heed unto thyself.
And on to the doctor, and particularly continue in, the Beloved continued. Come on faithfully. You can all do that for what I'm doing. You think this is ineffective?
Let me check when I'm doing this, I can both save myself and then I hear it now isn't that blessed? You say you don't have a work for God. I say you do, I do.
But umm, but in doing this also our salvation is complete below. We need daily salvation. That's what we get here. Then that they would surely say.
We're all eternity.
But day by day he needed salvation and by continuing to save himself. But I think it's wonderful I wasn't here that his relatives in the assembly.
No, there is salvation for them to We help one another, we sustain one another. I just say this because we look so easy. Look for the prominent thing, you know.
Serving the Lord.
Really includes everything from picking up the hymn books after the gospel meeting and sweeping the floor at the tea meeting, the preaching the gospel and ministering the word of God. And I say that to echo what our brother has brought before us because it's an encouragement because all those even to the children, every I liken it to the natural body. Every member of that natural body has a particular function in connection with the with that with the body. Some of those functions aren't even seen or realized. Epipress labored in prayer and little did he realize that it would be written down in God's eternal record.
To abide for eternity. And if you lose one hand in the natural body, well, the other hand can take over and you can get through life, but not as well as with two, not as well as with two. And I really believe that there's assembly that are suffering a lack because there are those in the assembly that are not carrying out the little function that God has given them to do. Have often used an illustration, A brother at home in Smith's fall. He's been with the Lord several years, but I remember him as a child. He never took a public part.
Never said anything in the meeting, Uh, but every large day for years and years, all the years I grew up, that brother, uh, arrived half an hour early for the gospel. He got the books out, he handed them out. And when the meeting was over, he made sure that the books were collected and put away. And I think of the, of that brother, there was a brother who was carrying out the function that the Lord had given him in the assembly. Maybe he wasn't really appreciated, maybe he didn't get much thanks, but he was serving the Lord.
And uh, I think of Paul when he wrote to the Saints of Colossi, he said, say to Archippeth, take heed to the ministry that thou hast received to the Lord that thou fulfill it. Apparently it's Archibald had been given some little work to do and he wasn't carrying it out. And so just as he stirred Timothy up not to neglect the gifts that was in in him, he could tell our kippers you carry out that function, whatever it may be. The Lord sometimes gives us great things to do, but sometimes they're little hidden services.
00:20:14
Uh, but we can carry out and we can do them for him. The Levi's who went around and picked up the pin, he didn't look at the one who carried the boards and say I wish I was doing that. No one could say I'm doing this for the Lord. This is the work He's given me to do and his well done in the coming day will make it all worthwhile.
There was an example the the apostle himself set here. I was just going back a little bit here and just thinking about, he says. I have showed you showing someone as an example. Isn't it a living example and it's just noticing first, umm.
Umm verse 19 you see this, the apostle was ministering not in a a very agreeable situation.
He was haunted by the Jews, as it says, serving the Lord, verse 19, with all humility of mind, many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying weight of the Jews. But that didn't stop it. He went on. And not only so, but if you notice in verse 21, this is the first, those are the first ones. Those were, they were, they became his enemies. But what is he? What is his testimony? He says?
Testifying both of the Jews and to the great repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That was his title and it was amidst adverse circumstances that we will never, never understand the apostle. I wouldn't read about his his humility of mind of many tears and temptations. They were real. They were real. They sought his life and yet he didn't say he didn't give up and say, well, I'll, I'll testify and I'm supposed to go to the general and I'll forget my brother. He didn't do that.
I think this is a very a very a very blessed truth as to his showing them and then teaching them.
He was thought he was, he was, he was it was not an ideal circumstance. I know I have to confess that many times that I want to speak to someone and and perhaps the circumstances aren't for a very, uh, agreeable and I find I, I refrain. I don't, I don't always go through with it, but I'm I'm looking at circumstances fault and wasn't looking at that. He was looking at the Lord testifying to the Jews and also the Greeks, repentance for God and faith.
Lord our Lord Jesus Christ, and I think further down by I have further thoughts on that too. This is the order very instructive in that repentance toward God.
I don't have any need for faith in our Lord Jesus Christ if I don't have repentance towards God. That is, Repentance is a turning around of my thoughts.
I've got to have my thoughts reversed. I have very high thoughts of myself as a natural man. And if you and I are called to preach the gospel or to just to testify to those that we come into contact with from day-to-day, let's not forget the order of this because a soul doesn't see his need to put faith in the Lord Jesus Christ until he's seen his his condition before God is God sees it.
And that's what repentance towards God is. It's it's to turn it out in such a way that I see that instead of thinking highly of myself, I realize I'm lost and ruined Sinner before God. And I believe part of the reason there's such a shallow working oh insoles today is that there's a lot of preaching faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ without preaching first in the practice towards God.
The conscience isn't reached, there isn't the plowing of the ground that needs to be done. And, uh, it's, it's maybe not as pleasant a part of preaching the gospel, but it's important the two things go together.
Repentance towards God, a change of thought and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance brings the conscience and reproach, doesn't it? I was thinking we sometimes, you know, I I get that done it myself. We use those verses in the in the concerning the jailer. You know when we say believe on somebody says well, how do I get sick believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that thou shalt be saved and we use that. But really there was repentance with the jailer first.
00:25:08
He said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
He was, he was, there was repentance with him and then the apostle said it believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved in thy house. So there was repentance with that man. Uh, and, and I believe that's the order here, isn't it, that the true, uh, the true order of true salvation is repentance for God. Some have said it's repentance, some say repentance toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is that? Why does he say that? Because.
Man gets sinned against God.
And God is a holy, righteous God, so it's repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ because he is the one who accomplished it all in his own blessed person, but he was God. I read that, so I don't mind.
Example of that repentance might be in the.
Sermon was 15. He says, Father, I sinned against heaven, and in thy sight to know nobody could call thy son.
See another contrast for the trails in the 18th chapter. Luke with the two that went up to the temple to pray, the one that went just down to his house. Justified. He was the one that owned his true condition before God. He wouldn't so much as lift up his head, his eyes unto heaven, but slow himself upon his breath, saying, God, be merciful to me, a Sinner. What did the other man do? Well, he tried to justify his position, didn't he? He tried to tell God he was a pretty good fellow, uh, after all, and even pointed out this other one.
As a an example. But the one that was justified was the one that I often said when I preach the gospel, probably every time I preach the gospel.
I'd say there'll be. There'll be no blessing in your life until you get into the presence of God and realize your true condition as a Sinner.
I used to wonder about that in the parables of sewer, you know, when the ones that fell on the, uh, Stony ground, it sprung up for a little while. And when the Lord was explaining the parable to the disciple, uh, he said those were ones that Anon received the word with joy. And I used to marvel at that because that sounded good in itself to receive the word with joy. But then I realized that the problem was there was no repentance. There was no root, no work in the soul. They because.
There when there's repentance, there's no joy initially that comes after, but repent repenting itself. It isn't joy, it's get, it's realizing my true condition before a holy God. And so that helped to clear it up for me that there has to be that work of repentance, that deep rooted work in the souls before, before the joy comes.
We've seen the reverses there from 17 and 21.
That the hostel all services.
Umm, I guess we could use the word the the perfect surgeon. Uh, except that, uh, only we can say that for the war of Jesus. But up until the verse 21, why we just this example, everything that we have today and the prayers ministry visiting was perfect, but even the apostle Paul.
You must remember, but whether worthy of heart Apostle Paul, or the waste of the breadth of the bread, why we cannot go against the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 22 Now it's fine, but impossible to play with hope. I drove out in the spirit of the Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall be following me. Now remember 2120, first chapter in verse.
4.
It was trifles on the tribals. We carried there seven days, except to fall through the spirit that he should not know to Jerusalem.
I don't know at this point. Go on my uh.
Go to the comments and I feel so unworthy to even mention.
The Apostle Paul had a good reason for going to Jerusalem. He wanted to testify and grace to God. He wanted to be an example for the Jews and children what the grace of God had done in his heart and with his life. Thus, the main thing is that it was not according to the Spirit of God.
00:30:13
Levemir of the apostle Paul or the least percent. Uh, we should uh, be very careful not to go against we spirit of God, even the sounded so good to us serving the Lord and everything about it seems to be a real nice thing the apostles to do. But at this point here, I believe that the impossible to have a flight.
Failure and that he was so determined and bound to go to Jerusalem and he failed take the leading spirit of God. The result will see the regarding the all kinds of difficulties that he was forced to make statements that was below his column and.
The Lord sent him to Rome, and he was down. But we find that Romans were kept to 11 and.
Where, umm, it was the apostles of the gentleman.
At the moment where where he spoke that umm, uh, the Lord and the all right, verse 13.
The last time I am the apostle of the Gentile, I magnifying my magnifying my office.
Chapter one, verse 11, when you leave lies with where? Until I'm appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of a Gentile, and that was the position the Lord gave to him.
The Spirit of God was not leading and no matter how right or how faithful, service is dead or they need to take heed.
There we go. It's important, brother Mike, to see that scripture, uh, verse, uh, uh, 22 in the light of the verse you read in verse in chapter 21, because otherwise it might look as if he was bound in the Holy Spirit. Uh, but it, it, uh, Mr. Garvey's translation makes it very clear. He says, I'm found in my spirit to go. And uh, so as you point out, it was, uh, uh.
Really his own spirit, But it had led him there. Now the motives are wonderful.
And his willingness to say that I don't count my life here. I believe God valued that part of it. But a good man with good motives isn't even the whole story, is it?
Uh, we've got to have God's direct word, or if we have God's direct word, we're not to go against it. And he had a direct word from the Lord. Umm, the Lord was in all of these circumstances and worked them out for our blessing and for the apostles. Good. But it took him quite a while and he had quite an experience. It took him quite a while. We recently went through this in our reading meetings in Chatham and, and we were, umm, somewhat amazed at how long it took him really to get back into.
Into the total.
Communion with the Lord on this. And uh, we need to be careful about that If we have a direct word from the Lord. I believe that's the lesson of the old prophet of Bethel, isn't it, that he had a, uh, uh, the young man that got out of Judah had a direct word from the Lord as to what he was doing. And here comes the prophet when he told me he had a word from the Lord's word, but it went against what he knew, complaining from the Lord.
And so he, umm, he was, uh, uh, met by that lion because of his disobedience. So I'm sure the apostle, uh, was met by the lion too, in regard to that, uh, not slain, thank God too. But uh, at least he was, he was, uh, taught a very difficult lesson. So we need to be careful with good motives, praiseworthy motives and, uh, a good man with a good ministry.
00:35:13
Still has to have God's direction for his path and.
See the impossible receive it. You might say the two sides of the apostle here, don't we? We see his love for his brethren, that dangerously his heart was filled, and he says in Romans 10, My heart, desire and prayer to God for Israel is what they might be saying. We see his heart's desire, and so much so that in heart it took him, you know, in his own spirits, his own desire.
But when I think about it, I think also on the other side of it, that which God gave him as through the truth of repentance toward the Greeks or to the Jews, repentance. This was what he was He wanted to bring before them. He loved them. And also repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And then verse 24, he says, I for none of these things move me either, count by my life here under myself.
So that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you are whom I gone preaching. Can you see my face somewhere? Apparently he had some premonition of this, that it was the end of the course. But his, his, the nature of Paul was such that he loved his presence, he loved them, and his desire was that there might be that true repentance amidst all their adverse adversities against him.
And yet what he had, he received it of the Lord that I, I, I don't know what I'm making it clear, but what he received, what he brought, what he wanted to bring to them was a bank which he received of the Lord. So I think I, I really see two sides of the apostles. They see him as a man with a heart desire naturally for his presence. We see him also as a man who was directed by God.
MMM And is there a, uh, sorry, no, I, I was just thinking too that in here in this 24th verse, umm, uh, one of the old writers said that it's one of the most comprehensive titles given here because he speaks about, he says, I have received of the Lord of Jesus, uh, and testify the gospel of the grace of God. What, what focus there is in that And that, you know, Paul really, he had his eye upon the, uh, that is upon the person of Christ as before him. And, uh.
His his ear was open to the will of God, and I believe that's too, so I'm sorry.
Mr. Along that same line, that uh, the 20, uh, fifth verse and the 26th verse, uh, our 24th and 25th verses really give us two aspects of the apostles ministry, He testified of the, uh, gospel of the grace of God.
But they also went about preaching the Kingdom.
And I, I, uh, recently was talking with a brother who was come under, uh, performed, uh, theology as, uh, under the influence and record theology. And he was, uh, pointing this out as an example that the apostle Paul had taken, also taken up, uh, what we would call reformed theology. But, uh, I don't believe it's so I believe that you have to remember who the author of this book is. The author is Luke.
And the aspect of the Kingdom that we get in Luke is moral.
Tomorrow and I believe what the Apostle Paul was saying here, he not only preached the gospel of the grace of God, but he went about and preached the rule of God in the believers life. Now that takes in an awful lot and I believe that there is that aspect of our preaching that is important that we're not only to preach the gospel of the grace of God.
But we're going to remind the Saints that God has a Kingdom and that that Kingdom is moral and there are principles that govern our lives.
And they they were insisted upon by the apostle. I believe we get that the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but what is it? Anybody know where that verse is?
00:40:05
Isn't that Romans? Romans. Yes, yes, Romans. Might be helpful to read that.
Because I believe that's the sense in which we have it here.
1417 Would you read it, Brother Phil?
Where the Kingdom of God is not need and drink, but righteousness and seed and joy in the Holy Ghost. That's it brethren. That's what the Kingdom of God is in the sense. I believe that we have it here. Now there's many aspects to the Kingdom. Harvey Vedder has translated a very nice article on the Kingdom of German, which umm, he has in a form in his computer. If you get a hold of him, he'll send it to you. I'm sure it's a very helpful article.
There are a lot of aspects of the Kingdom.
And I believe the Saints have perhaps have not had as much ministry as they need on the Kingdom. There are future aspects of it. There's the, the, uh, the, uh, Matthew aspect, the rule of the heavens with an absent king and.
There's, uh, there are other, there's John's gospel, which is of course reality and, and, uh, uh, there's, there are many aspects of it, but here I believe would be possible is telling us is that it's righteousness.
And.
Peace and joy is the Holy Spirit and that really is takes in the whole pathway of the believer. So I believe our ministry needs to be.
Balanced between simply presenting the gospel of the grace of God and also preaching the Kingdom now, we can preach the Kingdom in its future aspect that brings joy to our hearts too. But I believe the apostle also brought before them the present aspect of the Kingdom of God.
As God's moral government in this state, which gospel is it that says the Lord Jesus says the Kingdom of God is among you?
The Lord, I believe it's in one of the golf, I don't remember which one it is. And that's another little aspect of the person of Christ. They are wondering when they did not recognize it and said the Kingdom of God is among you, but they wouldn't accept it. They wouldn't accept it. I think, however, that would be good now if we could.
Move along a little bit because there's very important to help for us in the first follow. I just make this remark. I I just only struck me that we've noticed that the apostles failed. Well, I hope we I think we all know that it's not with feeling that we would do any better and we I think we also noticed a little we can perhaps mention it now, isn't it even with with the apostles failing.
God overruled him. Wonderful. And this is encouraging to us, isn't it?
No, I don't that's no excuse for uh, letting our, our feelings, our stairs, uh, supersede the meeting of the Spirit of God. But as we go on here, we're going to see that we're, we're to be dependent at this time on the Spirit of God, not only apostles, he failed. We just noticed it, didn't we? And that surely is my observation is not that fail to see the school was outstanding. You could say follow me as I follow the Lord. There's no one.
Other could say that no other nearer humans a wonderful service, but now I think it would be well if we would first, though noticing verse 27. I have not shown to declare onto you all the counsel of God. Now this is a good word, I think, because if we if we know our hearts at all, we're after shape our ministry a little bit.
To please man.
Well, it didn't have any behind me.
And one of the reasons is what is is 1St 27 he did not shun to declare all the counsel of God. Some of the council of God. We we accept readily because it maybe doesn't Pinterest or it's not against our notions that we require and nurture whatever we all did not show him to be clear on to them. All accounts were gone.
Strippers lump.
00:45:01
And we've got, uh, it's well for us not to have favorite lines of things, specialties, I call it, And I think, you know what I mean, become, uh, obsessed with one. One thing is very dangerous if one can't be broken. And so we know that there all the council is gone. That's blessed. But then I just diverse money. I do, he says for me.
It's interesting that the apostles first admonition to the elders here is to take either themselves. It's no good to talk about helping others if we don't pay attention to ourselves. And that has the aspect of it is that was brought out in connection with being a model.
For the believers or an example to the believers?
If we're not watchful concerning ourselves, well, there's no function in connection with others. But there's nothing more obnoxious than someone who's very carefully watching over others and pays no attention to himself. And so for that reason, I believe it's brought up technique there for two years. Be careful inserting our own wall our own way.
And then there's a flock of God, all the flock. Brethren, I feel we need to understand what it means when it says all apply.
What is oil with blood?
Who are the block of God?
Every believer, every time, not just the guy who changed.
Everybody.
And he realizes, too, that there are special needs. We don't all have the same needs, do we? I've enjoyed that. Don't need to turn to a verse in Isaiah 40.
It says, uh, he shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs in his arms, He carried them in his bosom and shall gently leave those that are with young. And so the writer here realized that in that flop there were different needs, there were different stages of growth. And so here this afternoon, there are those of us who are at different stages in our spiritual growth. We all have different circumstances, different needs. And I enjoyed what you said, uh, in mentioning Peter.
In the address.
Uh, brother did because when the Lord gave that special Commission to Peter, he could have just said feed my flock and that would have included the sheep and the lamb. But he didn't. He said feed my lamb, feed my sheep. He knew that there were special needs, that there were lamb.
And that there were sheep and that there are those that sometimes need to be carried and sometimes we need to be LED. And so he entered into all that. And if we're willing, then he can more than meet that need. And I was thinking too, in connection with this again, you don't need to turn to it. A progression. Paul said that I was fully known. My doctrine and manner of life. Those two things went so necessarily they were so vital together. And I think of Ezra, we've often mentioned, uh.
Ezra in this connection, for Ezra had prepared his heart, first of all to seek the law of the Lord. Secondly, to do it, and then we find to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. So there seems to be that necessary progression there.
Yeah, that's very important to see here that the he's speaking that he says those that which had which he had purchased by the blood of his own that is not.
Thanks for word of God, but it's the blood of his own one, his own Son. And who are they? Every child of God on the face of the earth.
They've been purchased by the death of Christ, by the blood of Christ. So this is what this is written to and the.
Of course, not all filings are there, not all hearing to it, but this is what it's written to. And he's, he's, uh, he's declaring this to those that are responsible for his position and, umm.
And then I think too, I know the time is going here, but I think in verse 29 he says I know this, that after my department shall grieve the world entering among her, not staring the flock also of your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away not exactly just disciples, but the disciples from after them. That is, we find those leaders that will have team up, since he says, I know that that's a mighty party.
00:50:28
When the apostle was here.
Uh, he had a special care and he, he was, he umm, uh, umm, by the leading the Spirit of God, he, he had a special care and I trust God, I care for the Saints of God. But now that he is going to leave them, who does he commend them to?
He doesn't commend them to another great man, and she commended to God and the Word. But I, I think that this is important. Here is the 29th verse. Umm again, it's probably a repeat to me. No doubt everyone here knows it perhaps better than I do. But we see that there were grievous wounds that entered in, and then there were those that rose up and left. And I think we have the two. We have the Epistle of June for one.
They they, that is, that there were those, there were those that crept in.
And then John's epistle tells us that there are those that may help.
So we find those two things now as after Paul has left the scene, you see, Jude, let me see John. And that's exactly what has happened. And they have drawn away the disciples, that is the Lord's followers after them. That this doesn't mean they're lost, as some people like to bring in the profit. They're not lost, but they have lost the sense of the Lord's presence. They have lost the sense of the leadership of the Holy Ghost.
They're following a man, I hear. Just thinking about that downstairs a little bit, you find that in the days of the apostles.
And I'm at the Corinthians, there were there was, there was the Lord's table and there was a table of demons. But I believe this, these scriptures here and I bear correction, but I believe these scriptures here show us that this was the beginning of man's table and.
I just noticed this, that we have a kind of a queue here, I think how to regard a Sherman if he preaches himself.
Yeah, it should be on our door because God-given uh, help in discerning conspiracy. A man draws a cycle after himself. I think we need to be on our guard. This is not a boss. Also, I think with bosses we preach not ourselves to Jesus Christ. This is the half of the truth. He will not magnify himself and uh, he will not go a disciples there for him and make a plan to follow him.
This is a sign that we need to be careful about.
It says, too, that there's not so much of they're going to speak perverse things.
Perverse says bad things, but this is perverted things. It's taking the truth of God.
And giving it a little twist, my unique twist to it. And I illustrated it this way. It seemed to help some down in Bolivia this way. Here comes a brother in the meeting and he, he gets a little twist on me. You know, what I've got is different. I've got a little something that's different. He gives it out in the meeting. And, you know, Saints are not too sure about it. And a couple of young brothers go up to him.
After the meeting and in the back of the room and he says, yeah, let me show you how. And the and he spends 20 minutes with this little goof in the back. That's a bad sign, brethren. It's a bad sign.
That it shows what Spirit is at work. God never uses the truth.
To make parties among his people. And I think it was Mr. Wigram's helpful little paper on heresy, a word for the poor of the plot, that was printed, uh, some years, reprinted some years ago by Mr. Willis, and says that the very worst heresy is not founded untrue.
Oh, let us be careful of that. If we've got something to bring out that the Lord has given us, bring it out in the assembly and let the Lord deal with it in the assembly. And if the brethren aren't quite ready to receive it, why don't you just go quietly and commend it to the Lord?
00:55:07
And if it's of God, it'll, it'll, uh, it'll be accepted. And if not, if the brethren don't accept it, we'll just be quiet and wait on the Lord about it. Don't go off and take a little group in the back of the meeting room and say, well, now here I, I'd like to explain to you just how I got to that point, you know, Oh, it's such a danger. It makes you feel good, You know, here comes a group of little studious young people that have been digging into the word and they come back and they stand around me and I open up the scriptures like this. So good about it because here's something I got.
I want to show them that, that, uh, in Revelation 13 that the brethren haven't understood it quite right. And, and the reason I've got a little group and they've, I've got their confidence and they bring something else out and then I begin to be their gurus spiritually.
And then they lost the eye on cranks, They lost the iron cranks. Those who went out and drawn I guess were never really part of the Christian testimony where they, that is, they were not in hard part of it. I would judge Brother Charles, or perhaps those who were real true children of God that have been used by Satan to draw away the disciples after themselves instead of after Christ.
A good man can do that and I sobers my heart brother to look back over the history of the testimony and read about men like CE Stewart. I don't. They called him the saintly CE Stewart. He spoke at Mr. Darby's funeral.
And there were others like that.
There were studious men, but they threw away the brethren. They gave A twist of things, and threw away the brethren afterwards. Mr. Stewart was fundamental, but Mr. Grant well instructed the word of God.
It's done a lot of helpful writing on Old Testament types, but he drew away the Saints after himself.
What a sad history. That's so resist, doesn't it?
Now, what can we do in doable at least and I think we should not miss that even if we go one minute over something because we've seen a situation here that we face.
Well, it's all about them after his departure. Certainly that brings us where we are. Well, first of all, it says watch.
You got to be alert.
Happy and take it in with everybody wind of darker or anything fast darker that comes along or smooth or whatever and our real resources are given that and operator.
I can measure it on.
Now to stop there, we could be right one side and I've run into some people I I got into a meeting one time where they deprecated the scriptures and emphasized the Holy Ghost.
They could say they were leaning upon God, but they didn't get scripture much place. Well, that doesn't occur with what we have here.
I think it's very important to say there are two sides here.
It says.
Nonsense. Yes there is. There are people who can emphasize and I say I've not seen it. There are groups that go on and make much of and the first they can almost bring anything in and find itself the spirit.
But it goes on, Paul says, under the word of his grace.
And it has to be then. Then you can be a Korean.
And go to the Scriptures and see if these things are so well, you say, if that's the case, maybe you could just lean on the word of God. No, you can go haywire here. There are people that say that they can take their bottles and go off by themselves and you can go right. You can go way off even with the word of God right in front of you. We need the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is in the assemblies in US individually.
But the Holy Spirit has come to me and they dwell in the assembly, and a lot of these are important fundamentals.
It's a pillar and face of the truth the Church doesn't teach.
But it's still a pillar and base of the truth. And there the Holy Spirit takes up the things of the word of God, makes them known to us. Well, I mean, this is our remedy for this very serious and solemn thing, that this attack from without and from within Satan would go out either way.
01:00:16
Uh, repeating, uh, one of the old writers said here, he says, I commend you Brett, and I commend you to God in the word of his grace, one whose love is infinite and whose wisdom is unearthed and whose power is omnipotent and whose resources are exhaustible.
The word of God, the grace of God the the the God and the word is grace and just going back to the earlier verse which Paul says over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. Have you forgotten that that the Holy Ghost is the one who is amazing. Does the Holy Ghost bring anything other than the word of God If it is if it if it's not a God, it's a man. So I believe these are very.
As you say.
Like to read the last two verses of June, uh.
Because it's only the grace of God that defeats anyone of us. We leave these meetings, uh, today and go back to our home assembly. And then he says now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to prevent you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God, our Savior, the glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Predator, I think we ought to notice one other thing too, and that is at the end of this thing. It says they sorrowed most of all, that they would see his face no more. And, brethren, there was something wrong there, and God calls attention to it. What was the sorrow of our heart?
Departures will come in among Godspeed.
And instead of that, they were occupied with the side of it that was very real to them, meant a lot to them. But they sorrowed most of all that they would see his face no more. What to have sorrowed their heart was the departure that was going to come in.
May the Lord give us a proper.
Understanding of that so that we could feel with the Lord.
The sorrow that we ought to feel for what is the minimum, God's people.
One more little word on the on the floor that we've had 2828.
9 and 49 John answered and said that's what we call on casting out devils and by name and with the basement because he follows not with us.
Jesus said unto him, Forgive him none for the for he that is not against us is for us. Well then in John the last chapter Peter being spoken to by the war umm.
Chapter 21 and then Peter 21 verse 21 Peter saved him.
Lord, what shall this man do? Jesus said unto him, if I will, but he's Harry till I come. What is that to be? Follow thou name. And we do have different funds, roundabouts that are preaching when they're done at school and perhaps doing good work in the name of the war. And uh, for these particular ones in the loop, they were doing that, but they weren't falling. And Jesus and his cycle.
Of the, the lightweights, you know, I'm calling the Lord Jesus and, uh, they weren't to disturb these lovers. And I feel that's what the word is for us not to, uh, speak to disturb others who are, uh, speaking to follow the war, but not to, uh, uh, join in with them either because we have the, the statement. What is that to be call us thou mean believe that where it was as we continue on and on our journey.
And build this pathway to just fall over the water and leave everything something of him.