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If you were to read the 20th chapter of Acts, thinking particularly from the seventh verse on to the end of the chapter. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the Morrow and continue his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber where they were gathered together, and they're sat in a window.
A certain young man named Euticus being fallen into a deep sleep, and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep and fell down from a third loft.
And was taken up death. Paul went down and fell upon him, and embracing him said, trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him.
When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even until break of day, so he departed, and they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
And we went before to ship and sailed under Asos. They're intending to take in Paul for so Handy appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Asos we took him in and came to Medellin. And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Geoff. The next day we arrived at Samos.
And Terry de Trojan the next day came to Merlida's.
Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus because he would not spend the time in Asia, for he hated it were possible for him to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
And from my leaders he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you at all seasons.
Serving the Lord with all humility of mine, and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable under you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
And now behold, I go, bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem.
Not knowing the things that shall befall me there, say that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither can't I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received with the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Then and behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God.
Shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I take you to a record this day.
That I'm pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Take heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which is purchased with His own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing, should grievous wolves enter in among you not bearing the flock.
Also your own self shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore, watch and remember that by the space of three years.
I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears.
So now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them with their sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver, nor gold, nor barrel. Yeah, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
I have showed you all things, how the soul laboring ye ought to support the weak.
And to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive.
When he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.
The all wept sore, and fell, and Paul's neck, and kissed him, soaring most of all for the words which he speak, that they should see his face no more than they accompanied him under the ship. It seems to my own soul that we get in this chapter.
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A reminder of the condition of things in which we Live Today.
A reminder to of the resource that we have that God has provided for us.
And at the same time, before the apostle Paul goes into the dissertation to the elders of Ephesus, the most sweet and precious encouragement for us as to that which God will preserve.
Until that wondrous day that we were singing about in our hymn, and also the character of ministry that will recover those who have fallen asleep.
Someone was just remarking today that perhaps what has had more to do with holding the Saints gathered to the Lord's name together? Yes, the breaking of bread.
The remembrance of the Lord in his death.
Is being given up by many systems.
Have that received and christened them? And some have so departed from the truth of Scripture that is.
Having one man ministry and only one man that thought that authorized ordained that could.
Perform the service.
Been so misused and so abused that the blessedness and preciousness of it has lost its place. But I believe that is a true statement.
That giving the remembrance of the Lord and his death is placed.
Is the power and the way that God has.
Folding us together and preserving the testimony.
Have been gathered to his precious name. Now there is little doubt that at Choice this was a great event in the little gathering there to have the greatest of all the apostles to visit their assembly. But did they come together to hear Paul preach? They did not. It says on the first day of the week they came together when the disciples came together to break bread.
If Paul hadn't been anywhere near to us, they would have come together just the same.
That was their custom and Paul takes the opportunity when they have come together to break bread.
Now to give a long address, I believe that instead of just preaching, it's more discoursing in not in just a continued talk, but an informal wait. He was talking until break of day, but let's just get the importance before us.
Of the place at the beginning that the remembrance of the Lord had in those early days.
There was an institution the Lord left when He was departing from this scene that last night in that upper room, perhaps to the Passover or the Passover was never to be kept according to the mind of God. Again, the Lord took the bread there and said, This is my body which is given for you.
And then he took the egg cup and said this is the New Testament in my blood and the New covenant. But he said it shed for many, for it's not limited to Israel.
But to every poor believer that has accepted Christ and blood has availing and gracious power in saving and cleansing from all sin. Like Israel of old, when judgment was approaching, they were under the shelter of the blood of the land.
So it does seem that this portion opening with the the breaking of bread as intended of the Spirit of God.
That we might feel deeply in these closing days how important it is to go on with that testimony in remembering the Lord and his death.
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We're told to do this in remembrance of the Lord.
Remembrance Feast.
To remember him.
We're thinking of Him, meditating upon Him, and of course that leads to thinking about what He has done for us, His precious blood that has been shed on Calvary, His precious body given in death. This is what we think especially about at the breaking of bread. But I noticed here in the seventh verse, it says they came together.
To break bread.
There was number thought of breaking bread individually or in little groups, but they came together. They came together as members of one body. And this brings before us what we have in First Corinthians 10.
There it speaks of being at the Lord's Table and partaking of the loaf as an expression of the fact that we're members of one body. So this is another thing we do.
In Breaking Bread, we give expression to the fact that we're members of one body.
Because the loaf is the symbol of the one body, and when we partake of that loaf, we're partaking of the portion in that loaf that belongs to us as a member of the body of Christ.
So actually we do two things when we come together to break bread. We remember the Lord and we give expression to the fact that we're members of one body. Well, that excludes all other membership, and there can only be one membership expressed at the Lord's table, and that's the membership.
Of the body of Christ there is always the danger, beloved.
Hierarchy.
That is to say.
Those who would pose to occupy.
All the teaching and preaching and everything, this pleases the flesh. I was talking to a minister of the gospel, and undoubtedly it was a saved man.
And I brought this very portion of the word before him.
Said that is right. That is right. But he says I prefer to go along with the hierarchy. Well, I said, dear brother, you stay there as long as you can.
As long as you can, you stay there. I think he looks quite surprised, you know, because if you should come out and not understand the truth of separation and being gathered to the precious name of Christ and the truth of the one body, you'd be the most miserable man in the world because you'd be waiting for some big.
Big display of the flesh and you'd be looking for a choir and some big organ and something that would please and Flint you stay there as long as you can. Well, we trust that he would see the truth. We don't know, but that is a danger the beloved you know to.
To wait upon those who labor even for the Lord. And I've been noticing, and I know you'll excuse me mentioning this as an old missionary.
Among the Latin believers in a prayer mating, perhaps 20 or 25 or more would take part. They wouldn't wait for any particular missionary to take part, but they would take part in a brief prayer. And this is very nice. You know, it's one longs to hear the dear Saints open their mouths in prayer and these prayer meetings and does your heart good.
So we have to be very careful lest we drop into this question of being a hierarchy too.
Don't you think we get the order of the remembrance of the Lord? That ministry follows the the breaking of bread, drinking of the cup?
In fact, if you take First Corinthians in the 11Th chapter, you get the breaking of bread.
As something that Paul received from the Lord and glory I have received of the Lord.
That which also I delivered unto you. Then in the 12Th chapter of Paul, in the 11Th chapter we get the gifts, and then in the 14th chapter you get the exercise of getting in the assembly, and as often and said in the 12Th chapter, you get the machinery.
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In the 14th chapter, you get the machinery and operation. In the 13th chapter, the chapter all about love.
You get the oil, it makes the machinery run smoothly. A beautiful chapter of love. So it does seem that.
That is called order and and one is LED of the Lord, and has a word from the Lord to minister at that occasion. After the raid has been broken and passed, there may be an opportunity for a word of exhortation.
Mike well say something about the first day of the week, the importance of the first day of the week.
The last day of the week, Saturday, was connected with the old economy under Judaism, but we have an entirely new thing brought before us now.
And it's connected with the first day of the week.
The Lord rose on the first day of the week, and then we find that the Holy Spirit came down on another first day of the week.
And the church was formed on that first day of the week.
And now we find that there's the breaking of bread, the remembrance of the Lord on the first day of the week.
And it seems to connect with what we have in the first chapter of Revelation where the apostle John says I was in the Spirit on the Lords day.
The Lord's Day, the first day of the week is the Lord's Day, and on the Lord's Day we sit at the Lords Table and eat the Lords Supper in remembrance of the Lord. It's all the Lord. The first day of the week is connected definitely with the Lord and His Lordship, because the word that's used there is definitely pointing to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the dominical day.
And we know what the word dominion means. It's the Lord Jesus Christ having dominion given the place of dominion over the church. He's the head of the Church, He is the Lord and we remember him at his table on the Lords day.
What a day it is, what a blessing it is to have such a day. We're not under the old economy of the law connected with the Sabbath, but we're under the new, connected with the Lord Jesus Christ, His Lordship, and the first day of the week. I believe in Exodus 23, verse 16.
Previous verse speaks of seven Sabbaths, and so does verse 16.
Even unto the moral.
The moral after the 7th Sabbath. Of course, the Sabbath was ever the 7th day, and their blessings would come in the day of the Millennium, when the Lord would reign with blessing over the entire earth.
So ye shall #50 days and ye.
Shall present a new, a new offering unto the Lord.
23rd Leviticus verse 16 in particular, showing that it was the moral after the.
Seven weeks of Sabbath and that would make it the first day of the week. And again in First Corinthians 16 you'll allow.
That verse one.
And verse 2.
Well, verse two, upon the first day of the week that everyone of you lay by in the store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no, no special offerings when I come, that would be their continual practice, so the Lord gives prominence.
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In Christianity.
To the first day of the week.
Giving God to the 1St place, the Lord Jesus, the 1St place, the preeminence or the the 50th day which is Pentecost. You get mentioned of the day after the Sabbath and the waving of the wave sheath.
Showing that the Spirit of God had the resurrection of Christ in view because.
The waving of the the wave sheep was a type of Christ risen now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. So that wave sheath was waived tomorrow after the Sabbath. You get that in the.
On the 23rd of Leviticus.
And the 11Th verse.
And accepted for you on the Morrow after the Sabbath, the priest shall waive it, showing how accurate and how perfect Scripture is in the Old Testament in connection with those days.
And it's lovely too, that it was to be for their acceptance. And we are not said to be accepted in Christ on the cross, but we are accepted in the beloved, The one who is risen and glorified, that man at God's right hand is the one in whom the believer is accepted. I take it that when they came up after Eudicus was raised and ate bread.
All continued until break of day that they are breaking bread.
At that time was not the remembrance of the Lord, but they just partook of food and.
As it was a late hour and had no definite connection with the the remembrance of his death, I think it rather spoils the thought of the importance.
Of the remembrance of the Lord, because that was the purpose that the disciples came together for was not to hear Paul, but they came together to break bread. So we don't want to confuse that with the.
Subject.
Of the remembrance of the Lord and the breaking of bread.
You agree with that, brother?
Lundy.
Possible that on account of so many of the Christians being slaves in that day and under persecution, that possibly the breaking of bread might be in the evening when they when they.
Laborers of the day were over, and their duties were over. I have heard that remark, He continued till midnight.
In his preaching, or at least his discourse.
I do agree what you say that this eating was a separate thing from the breaking bread, but I'm just wondering if the breaking of bread was always the first thing of the day whether well it seems that at the beginning the breaking of bread was in the evening.
It was in the evening that the Lord appeared in the midst of the disciples on the first day of the week. That was the very best time of the day for those at that time and for those who are living in the day in which we're living.
There's no question that the morning is the most.
Proper or convenient time that we should come together?
I don't think that.
Fact that they came together as they did here in the evening, said any president that we're to follow and always to break bread in the evening, it might be a condition or even the day where it would be best. And I haven't attended meetings where they broke red in the afternoon. There's no scripture that would tell us definitely there's a certain hour and a certain time.
We have become accustomed in our gatherings to remember the Lord in the morning. That's the best time of the day. On Lords Day. I believe it's very proper and consistent to continue going on remembering the Lord and to give the remembrance of the Lord.
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Importance in connection with that day, I know of a system where they followed.
Line of truth that we hold and breaking your bread and every every Sunday morning.
I that's certain brothers I knew brought the emblems and they and they had the breaking of bread. But he told me one Sunday the preacher had taken the table and put it in the back of the room. He said to the man, what does this mean? The preacher? He said, oh, 11:00 is too good a time for a sermon. He said if you want to break bread while you can break bread in the evening.
Wasn't long before he said. Oh, once.
Months is often enough. Every Sunday is too often. Well, that's the way it's gone and Kristen doesn't. You can see the very fact that he didn't want it in the morning was because that was the very best time, as he said, the best time for a sermon. He wanted to preach the sermon and so.
Eventually they're breaking a bread with just practically set aside. Well, we want to be careful that we don't in any way.
Let it lose its importance by not giving it the very best time on the first day of the week. I think that is what we learned from this.
As long as you mentioned that brother Barry the.
The important thing that we're considering now is the breaking of bread itself and what it means and what it suggests to us now. It is not just a form. Christianity is not a set of forms. But he did make this request, this doing remembrance of me.
And as we gather, it should be the result of what has been stored up during the week.
In our occupation with Christ, because otherwise there won't be any praise. It's been sad, you know, that worship is the overflow of the heart. And it's on this occasion, as we remember him and his death, that the Spirit of God would produce that in our souls, the remembrance of his death. And what does this mean?
Well, from 11 angle, it's his taking our place in substitution.
He died for us.
True that he introduced an entirely new sphere of blessing by doing so, and then that precious, precious theme that through his death, and that death alone, we've been brought into that relationship with the Father that man never knew before.
Now all these things are precious subjects in themselves, and they do come to mind as we remember the Lord, because the Spirit of God opens to our hearts the true meaning of remembrance of His death.
We know that myriads of souls are occupied with observing.
A day, and possibly in Christendom generally there are two or three or four days that are observed and man thinks that he's done his duty.
And what a low position to take in regard to the things of God, and especially after Christ has done what he has for us. We remember him in his death. We don't remember the circumstances of his death.
That's not the thought. We may remember them, but that's not the thought. The thought is to remember him in his death. We find in the Song of Solomon at the very start of the book.
That.
The attraction is to his person and after that?
As she sees herself as entirely black, the bride and then.
We find the generous praise flowing out as the King sits at his table. But that's the result, is it not? First of being occupied with his person.
And then realizing what we are in ourselves and what we would have been and where we would have been.
Had he not died and taken our place in judgment and satisfied the claims of holy God? And so all this comes before us, I'm sure, either before the breaking of bread during the week or at the time I remember. Our dear brother Wallace is some you remember and used to be in Pasadena. He said it starts Saturday, not large day.
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And I thought that was a real good remark. It starts Saturday.
Because, you know, just to rush off to the breaking of bread, we're really not, or even to meetings like this, we're really not in tune, as it were, for the things of God. Is that right, Brother Brown?
Yes, that was, however, a Jewish view, as the commencement of the day being the evening and the morning.
Our point of view is the first day of the week.
With a Christian point of view.
Now I believe in.
In Deuteronomy 26 will agree with the former remark you made a few minutes ago about how we lived during the week will affect how we come together on the first day of the week. And so when we speak of of Saturday night, in keeping with Brother Wallace's thoughts.
If we dissipate it, and we care nothing for how sleepy we're going to be the next day, how slow it will be to rise in the morning and to have any kind of refreshment and be really ready to come before the Lord in a joyful spirit. Now I bring these thoughts before us because they ought to be practical.
If our lives are geared with keeping the Lord always first before us.
Why it will help us. But there is first needed a devotedness to Christ in order to have it that way.
It I want to read the 1St 3 verses perhaps? Maybe another touch in Deuteronomy 26?
Commencing verse one it shall be.
When thou art come in unto thee land.
Thank God to us, it is Christ in the glory.
And the Lord, like thy God, giveth thee for an inheritance, and possesses it.
And dwelleth therein, living and rejoicing in our new place.
That thou shalt take of the fruit of all, the fruit of the earth or the land.
Which thou shalt bring by thy hand, that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shall put it in a basket, and shall go unto thee place, which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there. Now another thought there in verse.
10 Now behold.
I have brought.
I wouldn't have anything to bring of the first fruits if I haven't been gathering.
During the week.
If my life has been out of accord, it's pretty hard to bring it in shape. All of them it all of a sudden Thursday morning to put off self judgment all through the week until the Lord's Day morning is not the Lord's mind.
Well, the verse ends in verse 10 with worship.
Before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, and also thy house. In this same verse. Well, another thought is over in verse 17. This day, to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, Christ.
Are the ways that we should walk it isn't easy now for me to say this because.
All of you know what poor, weak things we are, how little we live up to the ministry we might utter with our mouth.
But we do know our hearts want, I trust, to live in the ways of Christ during the week, gathering fruit so that we come with something, a heart like a 23rd sum. My cup runneth over.
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That verse you just read us. Andrew Harkin unto his voice.
Yes. Now it isn't simply that we are taken up with the word. Is a deeper thought there than simply to be taken up with the word. It's to hearken to His voice. In other words, if it's his voice, he has something to say to me.
I might be acquainted with a great deal of scripture and yet never hearken to his voice.
I believe that's a thought that we should.
Would.
Give attention to.
Because the Lord, you know, is he's not very far from us. We may not see him, but he's not very far from us and he has something to say to us.
Continually, and when we read the word, we should be searching that there's a voice for us in it. Otherwise it will not affect our walk, right? Continuing and tied to what you say and looking at this verse again, to walk in his ways. Now in Haggai, He does not pat him on the back because they're gathered at the right place in Jerusalem.
But he does say twice.
Consider your ways now. If we really do that, it's profitable.
It's something like taking inventory, but when you get to another verse in Jeremiah 7, first part of the chapter again, twice.
Amend your ways.
We can hear a lot of lovely things.
Say a lot of lovely things by considering our ways, they ought to be the ways of Christ. We know that, but when it comes to amend your ways, are we not like the Ethiopian that can't change his skin nor the leopard is spots because the verse goes on to say because ye are accustomed our customary ways of life.
We are slow to make any change.
And all of our loveliest ministry has often a very, very little effect in any change in their lives. We say, oh, that was wonderful ministry, happy meetings and all that, but how much do we really make application of the word to our own lives?
Gives us a word there in this respect.
It begins a new and emphatic principle. Beloved, Beloved.
But it manifests the supreme authority of the Word of God. This is where we need to hold too fast too.
Now truth is only understood as it's couched in the Word of God and we are talking about.
This first day of the week.
What are we going to say to those who inquire about it? Well, we on the authority of the word of God, we declare what we seek to by the grace of God, to practice. Now this has come up often among the latent Saints.
Authority have you, Brother Smith, to teach us to break bread on the first day of the week.
I said we have no authority apart from the word of God. Now that's the principle that really is is unfolded in in Deuteronomy 12, the authority of the word of God there the place is mentioned six times and it also gives a warning he a heed warning there in verse 13. Take heed to thyself that thou often not thy burnt offering in every place.
That thou seest.
Well, here's a great danger too. But the authority is the word of God, beloved, concerning this point.
Concerning the.
Baskets.
That were mentioned gathering up the baskets of first proof I was thinking of connecting.
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A thought there in the 23rd of Exodus, which we have sought to bring before some of the young and the verse is Exodus 23, verse 15.
Thou shalt keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
I shall eat unleavened bread seven days.
As I commanded thee at the time appointed in the month abith, for in it thou cameest out of Egypt, and none shall appear before me empty. I wondered if, Brother Brown, if there wasn't some connection between that principle. That we come, we gather up, we come with our little basketball, perhaps.
The first fruits something of his praise, something that Christ is some way that Christ has filled our thoughts, our hearts. And then the warning is the exhortation is none shall appear before me empty. And as our brother London has already said.
The praise really worship is the heart filled with Christ and a little thoughts of his love that flows out. Is that not so? And I believe it's a good exhortation, as we find here in Exodus. None shall appear before me empty. And I thought about this, meditated upon it. What a solemn thing to think that we are in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Solemn, isn't it?
And having the thought of His death before us, shouldn't our hearts be filled with His thoughts? What a solemn thing to think that that Blessed One endured that suffering for us, and we come there empty.
No praise, no thoughts of His love to us. It speaks to our hearts, does it not?
Danger of of that incense or burnt offering, that is not really.
Of the Spirit of God.
That's condemned both the incense and the burnt offering. That is not really of God.
So if we come and try to put on or try to make any kind of show of self.
Oh how shameful. What awful awful natures we do have. But if we do or if we try to help make a program that is not waiting on and being led of the Holy Spirit when we come with self for out of the out of the way and waiting on the Lord mind, what wonderful.
Grace, He still shows to us how undeserving we are.
But God is able to just fill our hearts to overflowing and when he does it, I tell you we just it's a real rejoicing. So first fruits and we read they rejoice before the Lord and we read they greatly rejoiced. But this one little point, Brandon, what is the highest form of service Worship, I believe is the highest form of service.
Now a preacher said to me, I'm I'd like to come among you people to preach the gospel.
So I said, you know, worship is the highest form of service I've never seen him sent.
Is in himself, it is true, brethren, that the highest form of service is worth. Is that right?
Oh, I'm sorry that I didn't wait for you to finish right here in our chapter that you refer to. Notice please, in chapter 12 of Deuteronomy, we get the place in verse five, and by the way, we get this mentioned as to the place the Lord thy God shall choose.
21 Times in the book of Deuteronomy alone. 3 sevens.
21 Times to the place the Lord thy God shall choose. But what I want to do is call your attention to the very first thing is the next verse 6 and thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings. Now that's in keeping with your last utterance, dear brother, as to worship and the burnt offering is God's portion.
00:45:07
And that is Christ.
And the work of Christ is a burnt offering, all of the excellencies, and that is real worship.
Well, after that we get the rejoicing. In other words, let us come with our hearts. That's already been mentioned. Let us not leave our hearts at home. The rejoicing that's mentioned a number of times in the chapter, brethren, that as has been mentioned already, they came together to break bread.
But there is no proper intelligent understanding of the significance of the coming together to break bread apart from the ministry of the Apostle Paul. He is the one who has given us by the Spirit of God the understanding as to the significance. The Lord Jesus instituted the beast. He established it for us on that night in which he was betrayed. But the apostle Paul.
One who is given to us to explain it, to give us the order of it, to give us the significance of what we do. And we find that in this chapter, in this portion that we're reading, the Apostle Paul preached unto them, continued his speech to midnight, and then in the 11Th verse talked a long while, even till the break of day.
It seems to my own soul that while I I I certainly wholeheartedly, wholeheartedly agree in the comment made concerning the breaking of bread in the 11Th verse.
Yet there is a very precious encouragement reminder for us here and encouragement to see that God has given us in an outline that there will be that maintenance by God of the ministry of the apostle Paul and.
The those who will receive, at least in some measure, that ministry until the break of day, until the Lords coming for us to take us home. And whether it's midnight, still there is the precious ministry of the Apostle Paul, that which would encourage us to recognize the fact that we don't belong to this scene at all and we belong to the glory.
We find the comments made this morning about amending our way, and I place I trust in my own heart there's at least an acknowledgement of how necessary that is.
But we find that in connection with the ministry of the apostle Paul, it says of him, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the moral. And it's that character of ministry, that which will lift our hearts toward the glory and give us that longing desire to depart, that we have nothing here in this world at all that will lead to the amending of our ways.
We find in one John chapter 3 it speaks of every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. That is that thought of that we are going to be conformed to the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
We find in First Thessalonians chapter 4, after the precious outline of the truth concerning the Lords coming for us, then in the 5th chapter he says to us, walk as children of light. That is the result that will follow, if the sense that we have in our hearts is.
I'm ready to depart on the moral for today, the ministry of the Apostle Paul that will lift our hearts to heaven and ready to go there tomorrow.
I wondered about that expression tomorrow. Brother John pondered about it for quite a while, because I didn't feel that that was quite the proper attitude for a Christian ready to depart on the Morrow. And reading this passage over, it seemed to me to present a very, very interesting little outline of the Christian testimony, shall I say?
From its birth, its introduction, until the moment when we actually shall finally.
Be called away. I see three things characterizing this original early testimony. They were in a place of complete separation up there in the third loft. That would be a dreadful place to be if it were not for the fact that the Lord was there and made it all worthwhile. Why be separate?
00:50:08
Oh, how privileged we are to know the joy of being.
In the presence of the Lord Jesus, gladly we enjoy then a third law. Then the second thing was that they had an open ear, for, as you remarked, the ministry of the apostle Paul, and there was the breaking of bread. But then this statement, ready to depart on the moral, rather puzzles me. But it seems to me that when we go on with the story, we might see the purpose of it.
That is, this happy picture was interrupted. It was interrupted by a fall at midnight.
Back down to the level from which they had come forth and an interruption, I believe in the breaking of bread and an interruption, perhaps even in the ministry of the apostle Paul. You know, I picture this young man, Utica, sitting on the window.
None of us are wide awake one moment.
And sound asleep the next. If you've ever sat in a meeting and struggled like I have trying to stay awake, you'll hear the voice fade away. And then it'll come back and then it'll fade away again. First thing you know, you've missed quite a bit. You've fallen asleep. Well, there came this.
Deaf ear to the ministry of the Apostle Paul this fall back down to the level that had been left. And though what a sad picture this midnight really is.
It says was taken out dead, and I suppose to natural observation. There came that time in the dark ages when the remembrance of the Lord, the ministry of Paul, the place of separation, seemed to have been lost completely. And I guess if you and I had looked at the whole thing, we would have said lifeless.
Death. But Paul said trouble not yourselves. His life is yet in him.
And I have no doubt that even through those darkest of dark ages, the eye of God could see real life there. But then, as you remark, the story is resumed. We find again when midnight is past the company in that third loft, that upper room. And I agree with Brother Barry's comment that undoubtedly this was just partaking of refreshment.
Spirit of God does use the expression had broken bread. And it seems to me that it does present, perhaps to us a happy picture of a company characterized by the same three things, that same place of separation. And may we not say it carelessly or thoughtlessly? May we say it as though it were a personal challenge to every one of us.
Are we valuing the separation that would find us delivered from this poor world and all that it boasts of?
And the breaking of bread, shall I say, at least mentioned again the second time, and an open ear for the ministry of the apostle Paul. And this time, instead of saying ready to depart on the Morrow, it says until the break of day. Until the break of day, as though it were right now. Some years ago, someone asked, dear old brother beg.
What if you here knew him well and knew how much he loved the Lord and loved the prospect of His coming Brother Beg, are you looking forward to the Lord's coming?
No, perhaps you can just see the solemn, blunt way he said, Brother Beck, are you not looking forward to the Lords coming? No. Well, but I don't understand you. After you all you've told us about the Lords coming. You say you're not looking forward to it, Said why look forward to it? Why not expect it right now? I was at a wedding last week and if I'd gone to that bridegroom on a wedding day and said, well, you're looking forward to the wedding day.
He would say, no, it's today. So, brethren, I just love this expression until the break of day. And again, perhaps there's a little hint here of the two days that the Spirit of God knew all about. Thought Brother Hale, that we might get a picture.
Christian testimony starting out with Paul's ministry, which takes us to the third loft, which is ministry. It has to do with the 3rd heaven.
00:55:09
Very highest.
Truth ever ministered connected with that scene of glory where Christ is now seated on high, and the Church, so to speak, fell into that stupidity.
Of Utica's and went to sleep under Paul's ministry lost Paul's ministry and fellowed down from the high level where they were enjoying his ministry to the level of the world down to the street in fact, it's a known known and solemn fact that.
The the truth of of being gathered on divine grounds to the Lord Jesus and the heavenly truth connected with it was lost for centuries.
The toil goes down and reveals the young man and takes him up again to the third law. So could we see in that the recovery of the truth when?
The Lords servant certain ones that got exercise as to what the church really was and began to search the word. They discovered that through Paul's ministry that just bought the church really is.
And the very truth that had been abandoned and lost were were recovered, and much truth that the early Church possessed.
Is recovered truth. And so that testimony goes on now until the break of day, in other words, until the Lord comes. Would you agree with that?
Passage.
I wondered about the many likes.
They were on the third floor and there were many lights.
I have thought of this as one thing that as well to consider, and that is that Christianity operates in the light, not in the darkness. It's the pure, undiluted light of God's Word, and whenever the light of God's Word is despised and neglected, you are, so to speak, putting out the light. For everything must be in keeping with the character of God's Holy Word.
There's this point too, as to the many lights, and that is the moral elevation that accompanies the truth of being gathered the Lords name. Our ways have been brought before us, and we are not above becoming insensible like those who fell asleep here. All admonishes us in the Thistle to the Ephesians, where we get the highest truth of the Church brought out.
A week from the Dallas sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine on thee.
So there should be that moral elevation belonging to the gathered Saints that we see in the upper chamber here. Many lights, each one of us walking in the light of the truth that has been recovered, many lights morally elevated from that drudgery that's been the truth has been brought out of.
I heard, Brother Hale, you bring out something on an address in Montreal one time about others that permitted that.
Young men are sitting in the window to pull out of that window that there must have been carelessness on the part of some who are there. Maybe you could repeat something that you. I thought it was helpful. Well, I find it personally very, very challenging. That is, I have no doubt that when Utica sat in the window.
There were those who saw him sit there and may well have nudged the person next to them and said that young man's going to have a fall if he's not careful.
See where he sat down? That was a foolish place to sit. But there is no record of anyone moving over and saying Utica come and sit by me. Apparently he was just left alone to sit there on that window. And as I remarked, I'm sure he wasn't wide awake one moment and out the window the next. Again, I quite pictured. Maybe I shouldn't visualize so much, but I I picture Utica's.
Nodding his head and somebody nudging again and saying, look at that young man, he's going to forward out the window. But no one makes a move to go over and put an arm around sleepy Utica and say, come and sit by me now, dear brethren, before going any farther with it, I believe.
01:00:09
But we just have to lay our hand upon our heart and say, Lord, help me never to see another Utica and pay no heed to the condition that that I see. And I'm sure that if Utica is finally falling out the window attracted quite a commotion. And I had been one of those who saw him sit there and felt that he was making a foolish choice if I had seen him get so drowsy and never made a move to help.
I would have felt very responsible and very guilty.
When I stood by that body down there on the level of the world. Oh dear brethren.
Let us also be exercised, every one of us, that we may never resent a brother coming and putting his hand on our shoulder and Speaking of faithful words. Perhaps he's seen us headed toward the window. Perhaps he's seen us losing an ear for the ministry that would separate us from this world and attract our hearts to heaven.
And let us, on the other hand, be faithful in putting that loving and restraining hand on the shoulder of another, that we may not be guilty of another's blood.
Their father many years ago made this remark with regard to Utica, that it was Pauls ministry that put him to sleep, but it was also Pauls ministry that restored him. I believe that's what Brother Barry had in mind when he spoke of the those of an earlier age.
Who have searched the Scripture and found the ministry of Paul, that which brings before us the blessed truth of being gathered to the Lord's name according to the truth we have of the one body.
But I was thinking of what we have in First Corinthians 11.
For Paul brings before us what he received from the Lord, as to the remembrance of the Lord in a collective way. But along with it there are also the warnings as to the consequences of falling asleep. But also in connection with that there is a blessing promise connected with it. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you to assure the Lord's death till He comes there is going to be.
A clean place for those who seek to be in the dependence upon the Word of God and faithful to the Scriptures. There is a place where the Lord can be remembered according to His truth. A verse in Deuteronomy 25. In connection with Eudicus, I have often used this verse.
Going in the meeting and maybe I was trying to be maybe too amusing perhaps.
But I just call your attention to a principle here we find we'll see some young ones that.
Choose to sit as far away from the front as possible. I'm making that pretty bald. And not that it applies to everybody that sits in the back seat, but here in the 25th of Deuteronomy, Amalek, I want to tell you Mr. Darby's.
What he says Amalek signifies perhaps a little different than we generally look upon it. It's commonly thought that Amalek represents the flesh, but Mr. Darby says.
Amalek.
Signifies Satan's operations on the flesh. I have enjoyed that for many years, and here it is.
Amalek.
25 Verse 18 How he met thee, by the way, and smote the hindermost. The Eudicus was as far away from the apostle as he could get. He wanted to get a little fresh air maybe, and take it easy.
But his heart was not really going to be as close as possible and get all he could out of Pauls and ministry. You just the opposite. He smoked behind her, most of the even all that were feeble behind the wind. Thou was fate and weary.
I think we have a principle, brethren, to.
01:05:04
Want to be aroused?
We mentioned about being awakened and we're living in a day when we need, I need, we all need awakening ministry, not smooth. That just simply makes out that we're living absolutely so wonderfully. Complacency that is Nets like Leticia, What's the matter with me? Well, I'm rich and increased with good.
Have needed nothing like what's the object of what you say? That is a naughty spirit and it is an indication of how we are drifting this world as a snare. Now I believe this has its application to the subject at hand.
If we fill our lives with.
That which materialism produces.
Around us to the extent that we have no time during the week for the things of Christ.
Then we have already come under that snare, and we might go on with the forms. We might find our seat on Lord's Day morning, but there certainly will be an empty basket and.
We we find that it's the little things of life, not the big things.
That will deceive the heart, and that's why we're told in the Song of Solomon.
To take the fox as the little foxes, it's the little things that build up.
That causes the trouble and we allow ourselves to become so tied up with the little things that cares. We all have them, but there is a great many of them we make for ourselves we don't need at all. And it's those cares that tie us up to the point that we have no time for the things of Christ. I'm just going to make this statement when you and I get to heaven.
How many of the things that surround us will we take with us? How many things that surround us? How many of the things that were occupied with today?
Who we take with us, you know, this pride in the Song of Solomon could say, and that was at the very beginning of her exercises. My beloved is mine. Is there one thing in this world that you can say is mine? Oh, you have a new car? That's mine. Is it seven years, about the length of the life of it? Whatever you have, whatever you call yours today is not yours.
It's only allowed you for a certain time and even the very breath you breathe.
And now apply the principle of it. Who does it all belong to?
Will it not be all handed back again and the Lord is going to give us what is really ours?
As we have in Luke 16. Who shall give you that which is your own? What is that?
It's just what we have of Christ and that's all. And when we when the bride says my beloved is mine, her whole heart was in it because she had been given at the early start of first love to realize.
That there was nothing here that belonged to her.
Everything.
That was found in the bridegroom himself. Now we get away from this.
We lose the sense of first love. And how do we lose it? By allowing ourselves to be taken up with the snares.
The cares of this life, to the extent, the little things, the little foxes, the spoil, the vines, the fruit that should be found on those vines. And this is what hinders our spiritual growth. And that's why there's such long periods of silence as we come together. And I'm speaking to myself, dear brethren, as we come together to remember the Lord.
I know it's a time when it isn't a time of a great deal of.
Action necessary, but there should be some response from the heart to the Lord.
Even as we sit quietly, there should be a response from the heart.
As we come together to remember the Lord and if we really are engaged in what He has done for us and what He is to us at present.
There will be a response, even though it may be quietly, not audibly, but still there will be a response to the Lord.
Gospel in connection with Mary, we have that beautiful comment where she says, and the Lord says of her against the day of my burying hath she kept it? It seems to me there's a suggestion there to us that she had it laid by in store. She had it ready for the occasion when the occasion arose, to pour it out upon him. It's one of the most priceless things that you could find in the way of, of whiteness. There's not also a suggestion here, brethren, in that.
01:10:29
When it says about Eureka's being fallen into a deep sleep, at that point he hadn't had to fall from the third loft. He was still, can we say he was still positionally in the right place, He was still up in the third loft as far as simply occupying a position there, but he had fallen asleep. He was ready for a fall. And then it says, as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep.
That is, the asleep started to have that effect of having him sink lower, and the result was then a fall, and it was fall of such a character that he was taken up dead. That is, to all outward appearances it would appear as if there was no life in him. It seems to my own soul that there is a lesson and a warning for us there, that Brother Brown has said we need the warnings of Scripture very so very much, and there is such a thing as being outwardly.
Position that the Scripture, the Word of God authorizes or shows us to be the right one of outwardly being in that position and yet being so sound asleep that ministry by the Spirit has no effect. And the sleep begins to show itself in a sinking down. And finally a fall that can result in such a fall that those who know us would say there is no difference between him and one who's in the world.
Church, the church's history until the truth of the one body was recovered in 1825. So we get the story of the churches history from the top loft way down in the world. Here we are in the same boat, the same position, but there's another thought that comes to me present the value of God's word.
To call the last revelation of scripture, the scripture was made to the impossible.
Second Timothy. Nothing was revealed after that. And here we have this question of the breaking of bread. In chapter 10 we get the table of the law, and in Chapter 11 we get the manner in which we remember the Lord. Where do we get this from? From the apostle Paul. From the apostle Paul, how we should thank God.
Now there was life in this manuticus.
God used the apostle Paul to bring through God's dear servants way back in 1825, this wonderful truth. It was for centuries absolutely unknown, unknown. But He used those men in those early days, our old brethren, to bring it out. The Spirit of God used them to bring out this wonderful truth.
And it was Paul's ministry.
Through the Apostle Paul's ministry. Well, now we come back to that very important matter that.
We have this definite instruction concerning the breaking of bread, the order, and everything we get in false ministry. This is the value of the Word of God.
Will be a miss to call your attention to how this chapter begins and ends.
In the beginning verse one Paul called his ministry gathers and draws.
His disciples.
And he did it in love. He embraces them. And the chapter ends in the response on their part where they too embraced him, as it were, by their kissing him. And they just, their hearts had been won by him and his ministry, his life. Oh, there was something there that they knew they would miss.
When he would be taken from them?
Let us sow value the ministry, the heavenly ministry of the Apostle Paul.
Who God? Who the Lord, the ascended Lord has given gifts unto men, but all how he's given a wonderful gift?
01:15:04
In that humble man that proud Cedars all of Tarsus, the axe was laid at the root of his of that tree, and he could say, though I be nothing 2nd Corinthians 12A great vast principle that.
None of us have learned too well. Have we though? I be nothing. But in Colossians 311 Christ is everything. Now that literal Greek verify yes justifies that Christ is everything.
Now it shows in this chapter. Then in verse four, there were those who accompanied him.
Ought to be in Paul's company is worth much.
And in Second Timothy chapter 2 or No no.
Yes, chapter 2, it speaks there, the apostle says.
Consider what I say now. Paul, the great apostle, who gives us 14 epistles. Heavenly truth, 100 chapters.
He says they are considered what I say. Dear young Christians and all of us, we need.
To really value all that, God has used the apostle Paul to give us his ministry, heavenly ministry, so that we are looked upon and our brethren partakers of the heavenly calling and we have the responsibility to walk worthy of this heavenly calling. Ephesians 4 verse one.
Well, I just wanted to call your attention to it begins with love and it produces love.
Like it says in the Old Testament, God loves Solomon. It also says that Solomon loved the Lord well.
God's love produces the love that responds to it.