Carolina Conference: 2013
Table of Contents
1 Corinthians 12:1-7
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It was seen 231.
Where pilgrims in this wilderness are dwelling as they can created things so pleasant now bear to us. Death stands, but onwards we are speaking, and will often lead in pride. The Holy Ghost is leading home to the land His Bride 231.
We didn't need to give her a problem.
We need to give you a call blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Uh-huh.
Awesome. Uh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm also not supposed to be anything.
Uh-huh.
Different times, maybe every day and I don't know. Well, I'll start with my health. I don't know if you can do anything. It's it's.
I've had on my heart, brethren, uh, given what we've had in these meetings already and in view of so many young people being here, that often there's questions about the ground that we take. Uh, sometimes we say we're gathered on the ground of the one body. What does that mean? Perhaps we could take up First Corinthians chapter 12.
There's any other feeling I'm willing to bow to my brethren too.
1St Corinthians, chapter 12.
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Verse one.
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led. Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts with the same Spirit, and there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh All in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit. Whipple.
4 To one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, by the same spirit, to another faith, by the same spirit, to another the gifts of healing, by the same spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, discerning of spirits, to another, diverse kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the self same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. Whereas the body is one and half many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is Christ.
For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ears shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now have God set the members, every one of them in the body, as it half pleased Him?
And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you.
Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable. Upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need. But God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing helps.
Government's diversities of tongues are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, are all workers of miracles, Have all the gifts of healing, do all speak with tongues, do all interpret, but covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show eye unto you a more excellent way.
Chapters 12/13 and 14 kind of go together in the book of First Corinthians, brethren. And in chapter 12 we have the body presented and the different gifts that are given to everyone. Don't just think of just certain ones up in the front row. Listen to me. Everyone is given something to profit with all, and we need to be awakened to what the body of Christ is. It's a reality, brethren. And so we have the gifts in chapter 12.
In chapter 13, we have the love chapter, that which makes the gifts function in harmony. And then in chapter 14 we have the body functioning as it comes together as the body of Christ to function properly. We have principles that guide us in that chapter to show how it, how it works. So it's, uh, a wonderful 3.
Chapters and I don't think we can take up more than it depends, I guess how far fast we go, but uh, chapter 12 has got a lot of material in it. I'd just like to say as we begin this chapter that the House of God, uh, let's go back to the third chapter of, uh, this epistle and the.
Uh, verse 16 says no, ye not that ye are.
The temple of God, and that the temple of God dwelleth in you. Now that's plural.
The Spirit of God dwells in US collectively in the whole House of God. If you go to chapter 16 and verse.
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19 It says, what know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you. There you have that our bodies in individual form are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we need to be exercised what that means in our lives in a practical way. But then when we're talking about chapter 1213 and 14, it is more the collective.
Uh, thought in mind the body.
The Spirit of God dwells in US collectively.
And so in verse one of chapter 12, he says, and you'll notice that the word gifts is not, uh, in the original. It's in italics. And the translators made it that way so that we know that it's not in the original.
The new translation, it puts a little parentheses and says manifestations. So it's not exactly the thought of gifts, but this thought of spiritual manifestations. If the Spirit of God dwells in US, is that manifest? And so that's the thought that it's given here. And how does the Spirit of God manifest himself in our midst? And so as we go down through the chapter, it's the question of spiritual manifestation. There are.
And in verse four it says there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit, so that the spirit is the one seen as giving the gifts.
In this chapter, but it is the manifestation of the Spirit through the gifts that the Lord has given or that the Spirit of God has given. So if we can keep that in mind, if you notice in chapter 14, the same thing follow after charity or love and desire spiritual. Again, it's in italics. It's manifestations. We should desire that the Spirit of God manifest himself in our midst.
Through perhaps, as it says later.
A word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, etcetera. And so the Spirit of God dwells in us. A wonderful, wonderful reality, brethren, but in our way of life so often.
We put away the thought of the Spirit of God dwelling in us to guide us into all truth, and we're guided by our own natural impulses. I have to confess, brethren, that I'm affected by the culture I'm passing through. And I think it's best if we confess it and confess it to the Lord and ask him to help us to be overcomers. But the Spirit of God dwells in US. Isn't that a wonderful truth? Not only individually, but collectively? And so as I look around at my brother and I say the Spirit of God dwells in YouTube, brother.
I have a tendency to talk too much, so I hope there's exercise not only in the front rows, but act back there in the back or two.
It might be helpful too, as we embark on this chapter in connection with the body of Christ, to just say a word or two as to what the body of Christ is in the context in which it's taken up. As to this aspect of the church, we know as we read through the New Testament that the church is taken up in various aspects to bring before us certain aspects of truth and responsibility as members of the Church of God. The Lord Jesus Himself introduced it as a building in Matthew chapter 16.
On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. It's referred to as Bob has already brought before us as the temple of God. That is, it's the dwelling place of the Spirit of God collectively. It's also taken up as the House of God in Timothy.
In connection with responsibility and how we are to behave as the House of God, because as I think it was brother Mark Carlson read to us this morning, we are the House of God. We there's a behavior that is connected with being part of the House of God.
It's also taken up as the bride of Christ. We're going to be married to the Lord in the coming day as his bride. It's also referred to as the wife of Christ and where there's going to be an ongoing relationship, and we're going to reign with him in that connection. It's also described as a city in her millennial glory and administrative position over the earth with Christ in the coming day. But here in Corinthians, it's more particularly the body of Christ. And we need to understand if we're going to understand our responsibility and the practical side.
Of what is taken up in this chapter, we need to understand what is the body of Christ? Just go back to the 10th chapter for a moment.
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For a verse.
In chapter 10 and verse 17, for we being many are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. Tomorrow morning, if the Lord hasn't come, we're going to have on the table a loaf of bread. And you'll notice that it's not more than one loaf. It's not two or three loaves. It's not crackers or wafers. It's one loaf because in the in first Corinthians 10, where he has taken up the is taking up the subject of the Lord's table.
The loaf there signifies every member of the body of Christ.
Every believer to the heart of God is represented in that one loaf. When we put it on the table unbroken, that loaf speaks of every believer alive on the face of the earth. When we break it in connection with the Lord's Supper in the 11Th chapter, it has to do It represents the Lord's body given in death for us. But in connection with the Lord's table, it has to do with every believer. And God looks down this this morning and he says there is one body.
Now, not only is the church taken up in various aspects, some of which we've just mentioned, but I think it's helpful when you take up Corinthians to see there are three contexts in which the church is taken up. Sometimes the church is viewed in her entirety from her beginnings at the day of Pentecost, from her birthday till her conclusion at or her fou till she, uh, concluded at the rapture. And so it's looked at as the, as the bride, the Lamb's wife and so on. If the whole Church of God, every believer from.
Pentecost until the church is completed at the rapture. Sometimes the church is looked at in its local aspect. Various apostles wrote to the church, the church at Ephesus, we, he, sometimes individuals hosted the church which is in their house. That was the local aspect. Like Matthew 18, where he speaks of the church in her local function and administration. But when it's the body of Christ, it is every believer alive on the face of the earth.
At one given time, my father is not functioning as a member of the body of Christ on earth any longer. He's going to be part of the bride and the Lamb's wife and the city in a future day. But as Bob said, this is very practical here. It's the function, the working together of the members on earth for the edification and building up of the people of God. And it is it to be it completely in the power and the leading of the Spirit.
Fit to see that as Bob pointed out that that one gifts does not appear in this post book. It doesn't mean the state doesn't occur in the chapter is being pointed out, but the first thing we find that the spirit does is exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and if we don't get hold of that then we'll become like the Corinthians and we'll make much of self gift was never given to make much of self. The word charismatic comes from the Greek word meaning gift. We don't make much of gift. We make much of the Lord Jesus Christ and that's what the Spirit will have us do.
Somebody gives you a gift. You don't thank the gift, you thank the giver of the gift, don't you?
That's important.
But as we are also affected, and I'll say this as a younger person, umm, by the world around us, we look at, uh, there's a lot of talk about self actualization. And I feel like a lot of times, and I've seen this in myself. Indeed, we, we believe that there's something from within us that will emerge eventually. And we're all called to do the work of an evangelist, for instance, to do the work and to see what the Lord manifests through us. We are to be conduits of his grace, his grace working in US and through us and by us. And I think, uh, one of the great conflicts of this first epistle has been pointed out.
Is largely that there's the carnal mind versus the spiritual mind. And to exercise spiritual judgment, they'll say I don't care if you judge me, but there is a spiritual judgment whereby we, umm, can learn. There are many gifts. And so he's setting things in order as we've mentioned.
Like to mention too, in connection with what Jim said about the body of Christ, especially as we function as members of the body in this chapter, it is focused on and perhaps these are key verses of this chapter is verse 12 and 13.
As the body is one and have many members and all the members of that one body.
Very many are one body, so also is and you can put the Christ, in other words, Christ the head in heaven. We, the members of his body united to him are called Christ, just like Adam and Eve in chapter 5 of Genesis were called Adam.
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Wasn't Adam and Eve? It was Adam because they are united together and we are so united to the Lord Jesus in glory that it calls us the Christ. And So what should people see in US, brethren?
They should see Christ and if we are led by the Spirit of God like he has been said, the Spirit of God is here.
To glorify the Lord Jesus, not us, not some human instrument that may have a gift, but the Lord Jesus, the giver of the gift. And so just notice how often that word one is mentioned, not only in verse 12, but in verse 13. Four by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit.
Notice how often one is mentioned.
We look around in the world, brethren, we go into Asheville and say, where are these Christians that everybody's talking about?
Would you ever get the idea from the public display that there is one body?
No, they say. There's quite a few different people, bodies of Christians here in Asheville or in whatever city you want to go to.
And that was what was mentioned earlier. I believe that the testimony, the public testimony is in ruins.
But the truth remains, there is one body, and to me it is such a precious thing to lay hold of. Every true believer in the Lord Jesus is baptized by 1 Spirit into one body. It's a reality, a present reality.
And we do have the privilege of going to other countries and meeting with Christians in other countries. Brethren, it is such a precious privilege to to realize the reality. Yes, it is true. There is one body and we're part of it by 1 Spirit bound together. And sometimes you can't even understand the language.
But you can feel the Spirit is the same. Oh, brethren, these are real things.
Right now, in 2013, it's a reality. There is one body. Isn't that precious, despite the confusion. And I say as soon as I start looking around at human instruments and see how nice this brother is that doesn't meet with us and this other brother and oh, this group of Christians over here.
The picture starts getting cloudy. Where I get the picture and clarity is in the Word of God.
And it's such a precious reality to go there and to say there is one body and every true believer, when he believes the gospel of his salvation is sealed by 1 Spirit and that spirit.
Binds us together in one body in Christ. The baptism of the Spirit of God is to form the Church. That took place at the beginning of the Church's history. It's not repeating.
We are added now to that one body by that one spirit. So it's important to have that clear in our minds if a person has received the Lord Jesus as their Savior and truth, and that person is now.
Uh, sealed by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God, then, is the power that unites US1 to another wonderful, precious truths of Christianity.
Just, uh, make a comment. Recently I had an opportunity to speak to a young person and they asked.
You think when God looks down upon the earth sees the division? I said absolutely, and they were shocked.
When God looks down upon Christendom, does he see division? Absolutely. He sees division. Now, that's not to say that there isn't a side of things where God looks down and sees one body perfect. When he looks down, he sees.
A bright as we have in Ephesians 5, that says that He might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle any such thing, but that it should be holy without blemish. But it doesn't take away from what we find in the first chapter of Corinthians where it says.
And I'll begin at verse 9, but verse 10 is the one I wish to emphasize. God is faithful by whom ye recalled unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. His fellowship is not our fellowship. We don't create it.
We are, we are called into it now at the state, you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing of it. There will be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment. When God looked down upon the Saints, their occurrence, He could see divisions that had not yet happened. He could see splits there in that assembly and he had to address it and he addresses it as a very close matter in the book of Corinthians. So please don't say that God doesn't see division or that division doesn't matter. It absolutely does matter. And no doubt it's a, if I can speak humanly, a source of tremendous grief that God should look down upon his people.
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And see them divided. But keep in mind also that the body of Christ is composed of individuals. It's not composed of assembly because I think there's a general view that the body of Christ is composed of assemblies. So therefore it doesn't matter where you go because it's all part of the body of Christ. No, the body of Christ is composed of individuals. I think these are vital things that were not vital, but important things to get hold of in our minds. And that's why it says there. Therefore it's the body one and members in particular. And I love that verse there in verse 25.
That's the hope of what this chapter will give us, is that there should be no schism or division among you.
Umm, there are three primary views, uh, earthly views of the church and I think, uh, it's good to outline them like Mr. Hyland has mentioned, provide a little context. The 1St is umm, and these are themes. You can find this in the Old Testament as well as the new. These are not, these are common human themes. And uh, the first view is the one we're almost familiar with, of course, which is the, what we call ecumenism, this belief that somehow the divisions in the church are a reflection of the diversity of God as we see in nature or in the species or etcetera.
Umm, and so we, we meet, uh, upon commonalities, uh, they call things like essentials and non essentials. But when we look at the scripture, for instance, in Hebrews, the, the heart that is attuned to Christ and wants not just what I can benefit from God, but what will give him pleasure, what will bring him into his guard and let him take this pleasant fruits. The heart that could tune to Christ and his glory And the father in his honor will look at Hebrews where it says, beholding the volume of the book that is written to me and will recognize there is no unessential part.
And to say that we have priced in common and yet disagree upon any part of scripture, it sounds like a high order that we would be of one mind of the same love, say the same things, but we recognize immediately that that's not enough. And then on the other side is, of course, those that would misread the text of Scripture. Instead of saying we strive to keep the unity of the Spirit, they say strive to keep the unity of the body most properly. Those higher traditions which many of us are probably not as familiar with, which would say there may be other communities of believers, but there is only one church and no salvation outside of it. Or at least that Vatican 1.
Referring to Roman Catholicism. So there's either the, the desire to bridge or to somehow amalgamate or the desire to dominate or to force unity. And I think we recognize just as umm, a true believer will recognize that it's not just free will or not just sovereignty, that there's an admixture there and that we are living analogies of God's purpose in our lives. We'll recognize that we neither can make the body one and yet it is possible that we can be one. And so we need to strive to keep that unity of experience. So those three, again, one is the ecumenical, the idea of bridging, of amalgamating.
Of of finding unity for unity's sake. Umm, the others that dominate is to somehow control the human factor.
And umm, the 3rd, and I believe the right one according to Scripture, is the one that tries to keep the unity of the Spirit where there is failure. We as members, as our brother just said, not as assembly is making up the church, but as individuals in particular, are we walking in such a way as to express the truth that there is one body? And in so doing we give glory to the Father and to the Son. Well, that's indeed.
Beauty of the Spirit exists regardless of what we do.
Striving to keep it is the outward appearance of what is already true in other states. That helped me as a young person. And I don't know who originated it, but it really helped me. And it was put like this. If you had a table in front of you and we're at the day of Pentecost and you had a table A and there were 120 or whatever pearls laying in front of you and you had a silver thread and silver chain there when the Spirit of God descended and the church was born.
And this uniting that took place, this baptism of the Spirit and this forming into one, as though a jeweler took those pearls that were individuals laying on the table and strung them on this silver thread. And now a new thing existed where individual valuable pearls existed. And this silver chain was there. Now they were strung together and a beautiful necklace was formed. And that was the church, the true church. It was also the body of Christ and those individuals now united.
And valuable in a way that had not been before that there's unity of purpose and so on that exists in all kinds of ways. But now there's this new thing. So from that moment on.
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Each new born again believer is a new Pearl strung on that necklace and put up on there on on this earth. And the display of that God sees it. He knows everywhere they are and they're all strung together. They may be divided in outward appearance and may not even understand or know what we're talking about, but they've already been put there. They've already been strung together by the Spirit of God and they exist. And if they look in this book and if they were beginning to study these things as we're talking about them today, they would begin to see what they really are.
And to see that these kinds of artificial unities and efforts of man to show something on the outside where compromise is made on truth that it's worth nothing. And to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit is to to outwardly manifest what we know this book says exists before God's eyes and by his purpose and his will according to what he has done already. So they're still individual pearls. They formed a necklace, but they still remain individual pearls. And that's what Nick was saying. And I believe that's very important to understand.
I would like to just for a moment go back to something Bob mentioned in passing because I think it's very important in taking up this subject. In the days in which we live, sometimes we hear the expression the church is in ruin. I don't believe that's an accurate expression it I know what people mean when they say that. But if I say the church is in ruin, I'm saying that the Lord has failed in what he said in Matthew 16 when he said I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The church is not in ruin. There's still one body, as we've been saying. God sees it in that way. What is in ruin is the testimony, as Bob has said, it's the testimony to the truth of the one body. Because the the keeping of the church has never been committed to man. The keeping of the unity of the body, thank God, has never been committed to us because 4000 years of man's history prior to the establishment of the Church of God showed beyond a shadow of a doubt.
That whatever is committed to man always breaks down. He's going to fail in some way or another.
Now we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, but not the unity of the body.
And so it's the it's the testimony that is in ruin. And brethren, we all have to hang our heads. If we find ourselves gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by grace, and it's only by grace we still have to hang our heads. Brethren, we can't stand apart and pretend like we're not part of the failure and ruin that has come into the testimony to the truth of the one body. Another comment I'd like to make, and it's in connection with the second verse of our chapter.
And that is that this was quite a contrast. What we've been saying in this meeting so far this morning was quite a contrast to what the Corinthians had been used to under idolatrous worship. Because any of us who have traveled to heathen countries and idolatrous countries will attest to the fact that in idolatry you have confusion and disunity. Just go to a Hindu country. If you don't, if you can't find an idol to satisfy you, you invent one of your own. You get it, you get a new one. And there's all kinds of new deities being produced or conjured up in the minds of men.
All the time. And you have someone in this house worshipping one idol they have in their yard, and somebody else has another one down the street and somebody else at this temple. And so there's confusion and disunity in idolatry. And these Corinthians had been saved from idolatry. And now what Paul is telling them, you've been brought into a sphere of things where there's no longer to be confusion and disunity, but there is to be order and unity.
God, when God, when the Spirit of God, is given his place, it has brought us into a place where there is unity and there is no longer confusion.
Now that doesn't mean that God doesn't delight in diversity and distinction, and we're gonna get that in the following verses. And so every member of the body is unique. It's distinct. Every member of the body has a different function. God delights in diversity and distinction in creation and in the body of Christ as well. But brethren, disunity and confusion is not of God. If there's disunity and confusion, it is because we are not.
Acting in the power and the leading of the Spirit of God if you're taught of the Spirit of God on all things.
And I'm taught of the Spirit of God on all things at all times where there's going to be complete harmony. We're going to be in fellowship with one another, and we're going to be of one mind on all things. Sad to say, as we see, that isn't always the truth practically of the matter, but that is what God desires for His church. I think that theme of diversity, I want to dwell on that for a second, if I may, because I think there's an inherent, especially in the West in the last 450 years, an inherent fear.
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Of of losing our identity the more we, we unite to one another. And I think we have to remember that in Christ, though we already made one, that is the source of all diversity. There is, he is the source of all things. Apart from him there is nothing. I mean, consider, consider any of the issues of the modern world. All of them tend towards unison. I mean, think of, of, of what the analogy of homosexuality is, is it's a predominant issue. It tends towards unison, towards losing one's identity and seeking to find in the world a reflection of oneself.
Ultimately, instead of a, instead of a submitting of one to another that is different than ourselves, which is the analogy of marriage and what Christ and the church represent to us. So that harmony and diversity is what we is, what we see and, uh, what we should strive for. And I think that's a wonderful thing to remind ourselves of is that when we talk of oneness, we're talking of coming into the completeness of who we are as diverse, not of losing our identity. And I think that's what the world will often say. And so there's the analogy of the great house, for instance, and a lot of Christians will say, well, there's no diversity of worship in the gathered Saints. I can't dance if I want to dance and I can't, you know, reflect my specific culture.
Umm, and so we go to these places and you'll have basically that you're turning into clubs of various kinds of mutual admiration societies, etcetera. Umm, and even CS Lewis, though I love CS Lewis, he said, well, think of it like this. He said, it's a great, it's a big house. I don't know if he, I hope he was an ironist and so I hope he understood he was actually doing this, but he, he basically was reflecting what second Timothy is all about. He said, well, you can choose, it's a great house. It's all the House of God. You can choose this room if you like green and plush carpets and this one if you like more of a bare essentials of things. And when I realized was that if we focus so much upon preserving our sense of dignity and our own individuality to such an extent that the only things and criteria whereby we judge where we should meet.
Is based off what I get out of an experience or when I get to express about myself. Then when in effect, we are like children who, leaving the Father's table, take the food from the Father into our own rooms and enjoy it there. And indeed we will be fed. Indeed the gifts of the God are without repentance. But what has the Father suffered by as being absent from him? I Unfortunately, I have done that before. I've left the my father and mother's table and I've gone to my room. What I was food kept from me. No was shelter kept from me? No Is the Word of God kept from the church at large? Will the Spirit move where the Word of God is opened and him and and given space?
Of course he'll move, but what does it matter to his heart? We may be in this great house, but should we not rather be with Him at the table? Because not that we will benefit anymore, although we will in a spiritual way, but that He would benefit and that it gives Lori an honor to him. I think too often we we begin our journey and our search for both identity and proper worship with the self instead of with what matters to the Lord. Well, with what He said we are with what He has given to us.
The thing about this, all of this stuff that goes on in our client, even amongst groups of Christians with self esteem and all, and about the self and all of that, and the focus on that is that when it's defined other than the way God defines it, it can be taken from you. But when you believe this book concerning what God says about you, when you believe this book concerning about who God says you are and that you are loved and you have value and you have significance because of what He says and because His love is upon you and He has chosen you, no one can take that from you though you be in the darkest prison on this earth.
The very picture of a body shows diversity. Just look at everybody here. Their ears look a little bit alike. The eyes do, but the nose and the ears don't. So there's diversity in the way the Lord has made us up and the individuals that we are talking about, the illustration of a, of a necklace with pearls, if you have different sized pearls or other things on there and look at these individuals, uh, there are kinds of necklaces that are made-up that are all different kinds of things. There's lots of diversity, but just looking at the body that's used here, uh, there is so much diversity there, but it's the way God made it.
That diversity to identify how God made me. Now we have natural gifts that we talk about which are in here, that abilities, and we should use those for the Lord too. But there is an individual gift that at least one, a spiritual gift that has been given to every believer. Every true believer has it and they may not know what it is in the beginning. And let's say, umm, someone gives a young child a very expensive phenomenon and a special diving watch or something that does all kinds of things and the child looks at it and goes, what's that?
Well, you'll know when you're older and you'll learn about it and the, and the giver of the gift can tell you what that gift is and, and how you're going to be able to use it as time goes on. But it's his gift that he's given. It's not you deciding this is what it is or this is what the place I want. It's discovering how he's made you the gift that he's given to you and then the place that he has. And then it's the real thing. And when you, when you find all that out, then there's true significance because you're in the place and doing the thing that God has created you to do.
00:40:24
So in these verses two and three, we have what, uh, was true of the Corinthian believers.
They were from a Pagan culture and as such they were moved by unclean spirits in their idolatry. And in chapter 10 it definitely says that there are spirits behind.
Demon spirits behind idols and so they were used to that. Now they are Christians and so he gives them two tests in verse three of the working of the Spirit of God. He says I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit.
Of God calleth Jesus a curse.
If you're really speaking by the chapter Spirit of God, what you say will not dishonor the Lord Jesus.
And that no man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. In other words, if you are speaking by the direction of the Holy Spirit, it will be to give the Lord Jesus his place.
Of authority in our midst, He is the head. And so from verse 4-5 and six, you have the whole Trinity mentioned, the Spirit in verse four, the Lord in verse five, and God in verse 6.
And what has been mentioned about diversity is beautifully united to unity. And I suggest, brethren, that although the illustration of a necklace is helpful, that is not the illustration it gives in this chapter. It's of a body. And we all have our human bodies. How many members? There's lots of members. How many body? One body, but many members. And this is.
The beautiful thing about the body is that there is diversity and there is unity. Verse four, there are diversities of gifts.
And there the word gift is right properly there, but the same spirit. So the spirit, the gift that I may have been given is not the same spirit that you have been given, but it's the same spirit that has given both gifts. And So what I say, what Brother Jim says, what Brother Nick says, I trust there's not contradiction in it. There might be balance. And sometimes we have to wait for spiritual growth, don't we? We don't see things exactly the same.
What am I gonna do? And if I don't see things exactly as you see them, Brother Nick, what am I gonna do about that? Am I gonna force it? No. I'm gonna seek to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. And so we wait on the Lord. And sometimes we have to grow up a little bit. You can't expect a child of five years old to understand algebra. What's wrong with that child? Just give him some time. He'll grow up. He'll understand. The time comes. But we have to be as patient with one another, too, brother. And it's not forcing matters.
But it is waiting on the Lord. And in these meetings like this, it says in chapter 14, the prophets speak two or three and the others judge. We don't judge persons, we judge what is said. We measure what is said by the word of God and by one speaking and another speaking. There is a balance of truth that brother and I have come to value deeply. I've sat in reading meetings since I was a boy.
But increasingly, I value the simplicity of balance that there is in public meetings where there is liberty of the Spirit, so that the prophets speak two or three and the others judge. That means that if there is a mistake made, and can you make mistakes, Brother Jim? Yeah. And so I make mistakes, too. What am I going to do about it? That's what our brethren are here for. And if I say something, that's not quite right, brother.
Tim, I hope you say something about it.
That's the way the body works. And so my right hand is trying to lift something heavy and I can't quite do it very well. What happens? This other hand comes along to help brethren. That's the function of the body of Christ. And so there's diversity. And I marvel at seeing the diversity, the brethren, its uses and unity. And then we go on to the verse five. It says there are differences in administrations, the way we minister.
00:45:02
The way we do things, the way we speak.
It's not always the same.
But the same Lord. And so there's one Lord, brethren, and then there are diversities of operations.
But the same God which worketh All in all wonderful brethren to see this now I sometimes find that when we talk about this, sometimes people think that we're the ones that have it all straightened out and we we do things right here. You know what I find happens if we start thinking that way, we mess up royal.
And I think the Lord allows that so that we realize rather this is the desire to do this, to put it into effect, but to think that we've got it all straight, we're learning, brother, let's continue to learn. On the day of Pentecost, there were three unique things that happened when the Spirit of God descended. Two of them have already been pointed out, and that is that the Spirit of God came to dwell. Each individual believer came to dwell collectively in the Church of God, the new unit that was formed on the day of Pentecost.
But that's the Spirit of God also became the link between the members of the body here on earth and their ascended head, the Lord Jesus in heaven. And that's how we can have this truth before us, because how can we function as members of the body of Christ? How can there be diversity with unity? It must be by the leading of the Spirit of God. And it is possible, brethren, because we are linked by the Spirit of God to our head. And when it's the illustration of the body as we have here in Corinthians.
It's the head in heaven and the members on earth. We understand this in a natural sense, don't we, That all our members of our, the members of our natural body take their direction from the brain. They take their direction from the head.
I just mentioned it in passing, but it's a helpful study to take up the contrast between Ephesians and Colossians because in both Ephesians and Colossians you have the subject of the head, the glorified head, Christ, and the members of the body on earth. Just a couple of things in passing that are helpful to see as distinction. In Colossians we find that we, as the members of the body of Christ on earth are incomplete without our heads.
Because the Lord Jesus in Colossians is the head of the body. We cannot function properly without taking our direction from the head or, as we often use the expression, we need to hold the head. Why is there sometimes confusion and disunity amongst the people of God? Again, it's because we're not taking our direction from the head. And I don't want to speak in a mundane way, but if I can put it simply, in Colossians, a body without a head is an incomplete unit.
But wonder of wonders, it's just the opposite in Ephesians. In Ephesians it's what the church is to Christ. You realize that we're the fullness of him that filleth All in all. I can hardly take that in. What he what you have in Ephesians is a head without a body is incomplete as well. Not just a body without a head, but a head without a body. And Christ is incomplete. I, I, I can't. If it wasn't for Scripture, we wouldn't dare to say it. But Christ is incomplete without the members of the body here on earth, where the fullness of him that filleth All in all. But the point here is we must.
If there's going to be diversity with unity and if we're there's going to be these these spiritual manifestations and the proper use of gift and ability, it must be that we take our direction from the head. And if I can just sum up what Bob said in these 3 verses. In verse four, the Spirit gives the gifts. In verse five, the Lord leads in the gifts and services. And in verse six, it's God who produces the results. Now that doesn't leave any room for us, does it? Yes, we're the instruments. We're the members of the body that he delights to use. But if there's any.
Blessing brethren, it's not of ourselves, it's in the power of the spirit with the, uh, Lord himself, uh, leading and God giving the results and producing the fruit in the end. I'd just like to reiterate what you just said, Jim, and the, and the difference between these versus fi uh, 4-5 and six, as you said, the Spirit of God is the one who imparts the gift, uh, to the member of the body of Christ. And as a soul grows and develops in their spiritual.
Uh, life and matures, the gift will, umm, as it were, become a service, uh, or a ministry. I noticed in my margin the administration in, in verse six, uh, uh, in verse five, uh, there are differences of administration, but the same Lord. And so as, as the young people sit here, maybe you're even wondering, well, what is the gift that God has given me? What is the gift of the Spirit of God?
00:50:17
As imparted to me and as we walk with the Lord, read his word, umm, Grove and the things of the Lord, it will become apparent that special ability, that special interest, uh, that the Lord has given us, umm, the, the special umm, ability that we have to be able to help to our brethren. But then oftentimes that will in some ways become a service.
God will take that gift and he will begin to use, use that gift in service. It becomes a ministry. Not that we want it to be too occupied with exactly, uh, what ministry we have, but when we realize God has, has a desire to use the gift, then we go to him about the service. We don't go to the Spirit of God about the service. We go to the Lord about the service because he is the one.
Who gives direction in the service? It's a beautiful thing when you have something laid on your heart. Maybe it's in connection with the gift God has given you. And you realize, umm, that God has a desire to, to use that gift in a service for him. And when that becomes apparent to you, you go to the Lord because he's the administrator and you ask him, Lord is this is it? Is it your mind to use that which you have given me?
In a ministry or the body, umm. And so I just wanted to give that a little distinction between those two versus.
I would like it to maintain the fact that, uh, Speaking of gifts, it isn't just for our older brethren that has been brought out, but we can encourage the younger ones. Uh, perhaps we can, as our older ones can see a gift in one of our brethren is to encourage that brother that perhaps he has a gift for the Lord or something that he can do for the Lord. I'll give you an example of the last Saint Thomas conference.
There was a young lad I would gather to be about 10 years old, a boy who was helping his father doing the recording.
And he was busy doing the labels on the recordings for ministry for the Saints. And I was impressed by that because I thought, here's a young lad who's doing something for the Lord. Sure, he's helping his dad, which is fine, but he was doing a service for the Lord. And when I passed by him and saw what he was doing, I said, dear brother, I encourage you to keep that up. You have a gift. You are doing something for the Lord that you could do. And.
We should try as older brethren to see the gift amongst our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we could see something in them and say keep up the good work or the Lord is using you for this or for that, that we must keep in mind and encourage them.
I think, too, we need to keep in view that there's a difference in Scripture between natural ability and spiritual gift. Now, God will often link natural ability and spiritual gift. God isn't going to give a person the gift of an evangelist and give him open doors to address large crowds if he has a speech impediment or he doesn't have a good clear voice. And so God will link natural ability with spiritual gift. I'm thankful for those who have the natural ability to go to other countries and to be able to take the conditions and the food and the.
And the and so on. And so God does that. But we want to be very clear that there is a difference.
And so when we speak about spiritual gift, it's those gifts that are given for the edification and building up of the Church of God.
We have some of them list listed in Ephesians where he says he's given to the church, some Pennsylvania, uh, some apostles and prophets. Those are those that laid the foundation truth for us. And then he says evangelists, pastors and teachers, those are spiritual gifts that God has given us, but God has given us everyone as members of the body of Christ, gifts and ability. And I believe it's important for us to get before the Lord.
In our individual exercise as to what the Lord has given us as to gift and ability.
The reason I say that is I believe it's important for us in our own souls to know what that gift is. Timothy was given a gift and he was to stir it up. He had to know what it was to stir it up. You can't stir up something or use it.
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If you don't know what it is now, it's not to say that immediately God is going to tell us what that gift is. We as as as has been said little services for him that we do they they developed and after a while there's maturity in our Christian life and exercise and the Lord perhaps will show or will always show us if we're really exercised. But I believe it's good brethren for us all, brothers and sisters alike, no matter how young we are here today if we know the Lord.
Be before the Lord. What does He have for us? What little gift has He given us? It might not be some outward manifest big gift that we think of as an outward manifestation. It may be some little fit service, some little gift that He's given us. But the exercise, and when He does show you, then stir it up, use it for His glory. And I believe that often the Church of God suffers a loss, and even local assemblies suffer a loss because there are those who do not stir up and use the gift that God has given them for the blessing of the Saints.
And I think we need to be careful how we encourage those. There are those who definitely have a gift and Paul said to Timothy, like has been mentioned that stir up the gift of God, which is in you and one place it says by prophecy.
I take it that someone discerned and Timothy a gift in a certain way. We don't really have registered what his gift was, but, uh, evidently someone did and they must have spoken a word of encouragement in the right direction. But what I find sometimes happens, brethren, is that when somebody tries to encourage somebody and compliments them lavishly, we tend to turn in ourselves, Oh, I have a tremendous gift. I can be a help to God's people. And if you're not looking to the Lord in the use of your gift.
You're gonna start being a hindrance to your brother and not a help. So let's keep the focus on the Lord. Brethren, thank God for the gifts He gives, but let's not focus on ourselves, not be turned in on ourselves, be turned toward Christ, into be occupied with Him and to be exercised to be directed by Him. Notice here in our chapter verse 7.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone to profit with all every man, that is, every woman too, because the the women have gifts just as much as the men. They do not take part in public ministry, but they have the gifts just as much as men do. And they are to be exercised, we read about.
Phillip the evangelist who had four daughters, which prophesied, Where did they prophesied? It doesn't say. But evidently they spoke the word of God to edification, exhortation, and comfort in some way that was in keeping with their position as women. And so there is a real important point here, that the manifestation of the GI of the Spirit is given to everyone. That's the exercise about that. Brethren. Don't sit on the back of the row and say I'm gonna not take part. I'm not gonna be.
Here to say anything, you sit down in the presence of the Lord Jesus with the Spirit Lord. I don't know very much, but if you wanna use me, I wanna be ready to be used. If there is that Spirit with us, then I think the Lord could show Himself there would be a manifestation of his presence amongst us and we need to be exercised about that. Brethren, it it grieves me to see sometimes, and I have to say that there's been times when I've come to meetings. I was younger.
With the attitude, I'm not going to say anything here. If I say something, I might get corrected and we get, we really quench the Spirit when we do that. Spirit of God is a living.
Uh, person of the Godhead that dwells in his people. Oh, that that truth would.
Come upon us, brethren, that we would enjoy it as we properly should, and that that we might give the Spirit of God liberty to use us. I have been guilty of quenching the Spirit of God sometimes by not speaking when I should speak.
And more often speaking too much when I should shut my mouth and remember downtime down in southern Mexico one time just mentioned this as an illustration. I was traveling around with Brother Ramon Alarcon and, uh, Doug Buchanan and we had a afternoon reading and then the me. The meeting in the evening was a gospel meeting and Ramon spoke first. He was the leading brother and he was had a real gift in the gospel.
And then Doug split up and and Doug sat down. Everybody was looking at me.
01:00:05
I just didn't have anything.
I looked around and says, oh man, they're waiting for me to get up, I'd better say something. And I got up and I don't remember what I said, but it wasn't the spirits leading. While I was speaking, another young brother got up and went and whispered in Ramon's ear and then went and sat down. Well, when I got done talking and finally sat down, uh, Ramon was very prompt and he shut the meeting because the meeting time was up.
But he said afterwards, too bad there wasn't any time Brother Anhel had something to say and uh, to that it wasn't any time. You can imagine how I felt. I was guilty of speaking when I should have kept my mouth shut. So the Lord help us, brethren, the important thing is that you exercise when we come into the presence of the Lord and He is a present with us, even though we do not see Him be exercised as you sit down in His presence. Just don't sit down and then kind of shut your eyes and doze off.
The exercise.
In the presence of the Lord to everyone is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit with all. And sometimes the sisters may say, well, what profit are we? We can't speak in the meetings. It's the interest of the sisters that sometimes supersedes the interests of the brothers. That definitely have an effect on the liberty that the Spirit has in the meeting. And I must say, there have been times in meetings when I felt real liberty, and there's been times I have not felt liberty. And I say, why?
It could be because of my own spiritual state, but it could be that there are others who have sat down in the meeting.
With a predetermined idea, I'm not saying anything. And that quenches the Spirit of God. Let's not be that way, Brandon. Let's be exercised in his presence.
Thank you to note that in between verses 3 and verses 13 of our chapter that the Spirit is referred to 10 times. Between verses 3 and 13, if I were to say something to one of my children three or four times, they would start to get the idea that I meant what I said and it was important. What we have here 10 references to the Spirit in verses 3 to 13. And it's instructive for us to know what is the Spirit talk about. And I'd like to greet a few verses in other umm, books that would help us with that in John chapter 16.
It says John 16 and 13. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show and sing to come. He shall glorify you, for He shall receive of life, and shall show it unto you all things that the Father hath. Our mind therefore said high, that He shall take of mind, and shall show it unto you.
So the Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and He will guide us, and He won't speak of Himself, but He will show us things to come. He will glorify Christ, and He will receive a mind and show it unto us. So that's the evidence. That's how the Spirit works. The Spirit of God glorifies Christ. And then in Ephesians chapter 3, it says that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner manner, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love.
May be able to comprehend with All Saints what is the breath and length and depth.
And high and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. So the Spirit of God, not to faith of himself, but will show us things to come, will point us to Christ, will strengthen us by his Spirit and the inner man, and will show us the beauty, the wonder, the majesty of the love of Christ. And then in a practical way we find that there's the fruit of the Spirit. It's not fruits plural, but it's fruit. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is love.
Enjoy these long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. So that's the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit. And in Paul's second epistle, we we find we see how the Spirit works. If some of us have been just a college or university and many others maybe are there right now, and they speak through the intelligence, the mind and the intelligence. But how does God speak by his Spirit in 2nd Corinthians 3?
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 3 and verse two, it says, Ye are our Epistle written in our guitar, known and read of all men. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with a but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And then in verse 7. But if the ministry of death, written and engraven in stone, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the faith of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away, how shall not the administration of the Spirit be rather?
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For administration of condemnation to glory, much more that the administration of righteousness exceed in glory. Verse 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with open faith, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, so the Spirit points us to Christ.
He transforms us by His spirit in the inner man.
Displays the fruit of the Spirit and through the work in the arts and in the conscience of the will, conforms us to the image of Christ.
I think that's what Paul says in the beginning of this epistle as well. In the second chapter he says, albeit we speak in verse six of chapter 2, albeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princess of this world that comes to naughty. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the Princess of this world knew. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory from the verse 10. But God hath revealed them unto us.
By his spirit.
For the spirit searcheth all things, yay, the deep things of God. And I think what's, uh, what's wonderful is that we have to remember this is a mystery that is being manifested to us. And our brother mentioned it 10 times that the words that the word spirit is mentioned here. And it indicates to us, as with all things that are, that are mysterious to humanity, that our rationale cannot necessarily combine or yoke equally. You'll notice there's this constant antithesis, this constant parallelism that Paul uses here. There's many and then the one and the many and the one. And we're ultimately left with that final image in Revelation where the apocalypse, everything is revealed and we see that tree again, one tree varying 12 manner of fruits, each fruit according to its season.
And I think this gets into the question of umm tradition, which is why many brethren may not speak up. And I think our brother mentioned that earlier. Umm.
Since the analogy of the body is being explored here, I think it's appropriate to examine ourselves in terms of how God has designed us since he uses our body as an example of what the church is to be. And one of the things that I think we all recognize is that we are both creatures of habit, but we're also easily bored, which is kind of interesting. So we, we like routine and I think it's important that it's one spirit. And yet distinctions, I think is the word, uh, Darby uses distinctions of administrations or ministries, but the same Lord. I mean, there's one authority, though, different distinctions in that, in that ministry.
There are diversities or distinctions of operations, but the same God which worketh All in all, and he's having to parallel those two things and and to fill out this whole explanation course because so often.
We'll have, umm, you know, on the one hand, we'd love to hear a brother get up and speak in a way that we've grown accustomed to. But sometimes we find it refreshing when a brother speaks up in a very different speech pattern. Perhaps he's from a different locality than we're used to or from abroad, or perhaps was raised in a slightly different tradition and didn't pick up the, the patterns of speech that we develop over time, that all communities develop over time. And I think this, this is an exercise here that too often if we're not, if we're not careful, we can begin to follow in a tradition of things, a way of saying things. Umm, but what I think he's, he's pointing out to us here is it's a profound mystery that we being many are one.
And that there are very many distinctions or waves of ministering the word. The gift is the same and the giver is the same. The authority is the same, the lordship is the same. And yet we will find that, uh, oftentimes, umm, in the systems of this world. Exercise, I think is the thing that comes across Europe. I was going to go off on an anecdote, but I think the main thing to focus on is that exercise is what he's Speaking of. This is a living entity, Both, umm, theme and variation. That we both have singular themes and yet we variate upon that theme. You see that in the diversity of creation. It all speaks of 1 Lord. So often we focus on the diversity of things and we stop there without looking for the unity.
Or perhaps we start with the unity and therefore try to control things and so therefore those that are not like us. Umm.
We, we eschew or we shame. Umm, I think it's important that we view that there are both diversities of gifts, umm, but the same spirit. There are distinctions in the way those gifts are manifested, as we've been talking about, but one Lord always. And I think we can avoid the pitfall on the one hand of trying to be just loosey goosey and everything just goes. And on the other, this kind of rigid conformity that the Pharisees sought, umm, which they had reason to afford, but umm, they did it in the wrong spirit.
01:10:10
Verse 11 But all things work at that one and self same spirit dividing every man severely as he will, he will what he does, he's doing it. It's his power, it's his direction. Jim had mentioned that often God, uh, connects someone's natural abilities with any gift, but sometimes he doesn't. David Raine is an evangelist who thought that I did because he's got cerebral cerebral palsy. They told him you'll never speak. Nobody will ever ask you to come. You'll never get married. You'll never have children. You're gonna, you'll never be anything.
Yeah, he can't get enough places around the world to go preach the gospel. And when he comes, everybody listens. People are usually bored or not bored. He can be understood that he speaks in a funny way and he reaches souls and souls are saved. Sometimes Lord says I'm going to do it like this. And the gift is manifest and it's there. And when you hear it and you see it, you go, that's from the Lord and and that's what you want to see. Somebody may be different or rough around the edges, all kinds of things, but if it's really the Lord, you go. There it is. I see it when we see Christ in each other in any way.
Shape or form, when you see it, you go, there it is. That's the thing that I see in that person. And it's Christ and it's manifest in this way. You know, sometimes in a small assembly someplace, there may be just a few and there's a brother there and he, there's several brothers and they come and they're there on Wednesday night or in a reading meeting and they're tired and their children are tired of listening to them and hearing their stories or whatever. And it's difficult. Umm, I was talking with a brother once and I said, you know, every day at your job and in your life and what happened to you when you were a child.
There are stories in your life and that this, this brother's family, uh, his children said they hardly know anything about their dad's stories because he doesn't tell them. And I was telling them there are things that happen to you that God taught you and that if you think back on that, you're reading a portion of scripture or maybe the day before, the days before, you know, in the reading meeting, you're going to have this before you. There's stuff that happened. Tell that, you know, ask the Lord to help you. And then when you're sitting there and that meeting comes and even when you're tired, start telling those stories. You look at your children, they're gonna be paying attention. There's.
The interest is there and it's relatable and you can get those things across. You know, the Lord used parables and stories and in one fashion to use it to hide it from those who weren't really listening and others. It made it more simple to understand if you really had ears to hear. But stories tell us and teach us spiritual truths and get us to connect to maybe one aspect of something. And even the illustrations we're talking about, about the body of Christ in the chapter that we have, if we look at that and then think it through, it'll help us with those understandings. So every single person in this room has a gift. Not every single person here knows what their gift is. But as our brother was saying, we need to come to a place where we understand that and over time that we will.
Somebody said once, no matter what age you are, if you know the Lord Jesus as your savior, if you see a need, go fill it. Sooner or later you'll start seeing that there's some needs that you're happy feeling more than others. It will probably be connected with something that the Lord has given you, and then over time it will be developed. One brother was telling me, uh, uh, Norman Berry years ago and that when he first, uh, was speaking someplace, he overheard a brother say that brother has no gift. Well, something changed. Something happened. There's development too, over time. Our brother over here was talking about encouraging a little boy about doing something.
Some of the gifts that you noticed, you think back in your life, there are those speaking gifts. I, I, I loved it as a little boy glued when Albert Haywell would preach the gospel. You know, there was something there that was very special. But there are other things that are more hidden and not so open. The gift of health. You think about this in your life over your time, however long you've been around, there are certain people who are there when, if they're needed, there are certain people who come and they help and they really help and they know how to do it. They're not just, you know, saying, OK, I'll be helping you, but they're there. And time and time again, they're there and they're supporting people. And you don't even always know about it. And you'll hear that they were there and you didn't even know they were there helping. There are things like that that don't get much attention, but they're needed because other things wouldn't get done without it.
It's there, it's from the Lord, it's his doing, it's his work, and if we ask him, he will show us.
In the context of this chapter, then what we started with was the aspect of this was an idolatrous country or city, Sorry. And in this city, there are many spirits and people love to say things like I'm a spiritual person, which is just an inane response because there, I mean, there's many different types of spirits. They're not qualifying, You know, what kind of spirit am I following? And So what our brother has mentioned, and I think what we're mentioning here is that when we, we will proceed, there are many diverseities in which this will occur, but we should all see the same spirit emerge. We should say that's the image of God if we do not see it. And so we need to begin with ourselves, I guess. Umm, I think back, umm, one of the brothers mentioned earlier the idea of being so taken with the things like the bride was in song of Salman. She said, look not upon me. He says, no, you're this, you're that. And the other, she says, you know what I kind of AM. And then she looks around and he's gone again, you know, type thing or in Ephesians, uh, the 2nd epistle to Ephesians. I often call it in Revelation where you've thrown this out and you won't have Antichrist and the Nicolaitans. But you've left your first law. We can be so taken with our own. Gift or the, you know as you mentioned the affirmation, that our brother can give but we'll
01:15:26
that will be distracted from what should be manifested, which is him in the 1St place. He said that which I have called clean, called are not unclean. And then we're so taken with our cleanliness and we forget. And if we're not paying attention to whether or not we are actually putting forth the image of God in us, the Christ that we are becoming, the Christ as it were, then what people perceive in us will be simply our talents. And there's all sorts of appeals, there's credibility appeals. There's people that are very logical. There's people that are very a lot of pesos or emotion they can emote very well.
And will people will start because we are image bearers, we forget that we are created as image bearers. We will, we will, umm, reflect someone's image. You may say I'm a non conformist just like everyone else. Your, your image, you're an image bearer. And so if we want to build up the church, because we mentioned that the profit is all profit with all, then we have to focus on the fact that we are moving by the spirit, by the spirits leading and that those that see us are seeing Christ in the words we speak, seeing Christ in us and our actions, etcetera. So that when they in turn follow after, like Paul is maybe followers of me as I am of Christ, they're not following your form or the way you did it, because we'll find things impressive and we will try to bear someone's image. So make sure that the image that they're bearing.
Is priced in you the hope of glory. And I think that's one of the things we've mentioned here. So, umm, that's, that's been what I, what the Lord has been laid on my heart as as this meeting is progressing, it's, uh, it's an edification. What image are we seeing? And are we causing others to, causing others to take up crisis image? And that's regardless of how and in what way that gift is, uh, manifested. Could we sing #31.
Uh-huh. And we are going to do the surprise and they roars against the columns and come to the bottom of that.
Uh, well, pretty many times in dresses I'm going to have a.
And, uh, getting, uh.
We don't know how to survive.
In the room.
Renaissance.
Christ Had to Pay the Price in Full; There Was No Negociation
What It Means to be Gathered Unto the Name of the Lord Jesus
The Authority of the Assembly Is the Lord Himself in the Midst
1 Corinthians 12:8-18
Reading
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1.
Year. Hold on. Would you be able to go ahead if it is one, I mean, it came around my friend's hair and then for how long?
I don't know, I thought.
I'd go by.
And tell them that I'm going to be a change and I have a little while to turn off.
The other day, laughing out loud.
Let me see how dreams are screaming.
All the way.
Out let me turn weeds out of hell for that thousand blah blah blah blah.
Oh my God.
OK.
We're reading in First Corinthians 12 Perhaps #7.
First Corinthians chapter 12, beginning in verse 7.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all four. To one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit to another, the working of miracles to another, prophecy to another, discerning of spirits to another, diverse kinds of tongues to another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh at one and the self, same Spirit, dividing to every man separately as he will. Whereas the body is one and half many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is Christ.
For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles.
Whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ears shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now have God set the members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him? And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members? Yes, but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, Nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need. But God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God have set some in the Church. First, apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly, teachers.
After that, miracles, that gifts of healings, helps governments, diversities of tongues, are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, are all workers of miracles, have all the gifts of healing, do all speak with tongues, do all interpret, but covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
Before we pick up at verse seven, I'd like to pass along something if I could, that I've heard from my brother Gordon Hayhoe that it applies to what brother Umm.
My brother's tested in his horse and umm.
And he was just giving us like a word picture or something helps with the guy to understanding. Suppose there's a couple that has several children maybe 10 or 12 and years past. The children grow up and more of the years past. And now the pilot is on his deathbed and he calls all his children together as to say his twelve children. He says, I'm getting ready to die. And I want you to get together every year and have a family get together just to remind yourself that you're one family and that you don't all just go separate directions and not be in touch with one another.
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So they agreed to that. He passed away. And they do that for some number of years. They get together once a year. But a little time passes and the differences of opinions and thoughts creep in. And the next thing you know, some of them aren't bothering to come. And then soon none of them are getting together any longer. And a little more time passes than two or three of the siblings are talking and they're saying, oh, it's not good that none of us are getting together. Our father asked us to get together every year and why don't we go ahead and get together anyways? We know some of our siblings won't get together with us, but we'll be honoring our father to go ahead and do as he said that he wanted us and we said that we would. And so AP will continue to have that family get together.
And hopefully the picture was kind of understood there. Then the one that went ahead and got together, they're no more of the families than the other ones. And they're not trying to take a superior position or anything. They just want to honor the father as best they can. And again, I thought that was a help to me and just thought it'd be worth passing along.
That's good. And remembering the Lord, isn't it? That's what you're blind if you isn't Daniel.
Here in this chapter, verse seven, we already spoke about it last, uh, meeting and uh, that the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit with all. Then in the following verses, we have the ways, the different ways that the Spirit of God manifests its presence in the local assembly says 1 to one is given by the spirit, the word of wisdom.
To another the word of knowledge by the same spirit.
There's a difference between wisdom and knowledge.
Brother Nick mentioned the importance of knowledge, but there is such a thing as having knowledge and not having wisdom.
And wisdom, somebody has said. Knowledge comes from reading the word of God.
Wisdom comes from getting on your knees. If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all abundantly. And there are brethren that are very knowledgeable, but perhaps not much wisdom.
We need that knowledge, brother, Let's not despise it. But when it comes to wisdom, wisdom is the application of that knowledge in a way that is proper and useful. And so there is. There are brethren who have a word of wisdom, some of the older ones. Remember Brother Harry Hayhoe.
He had a particular way of speaking and sometimes he would say that means this.
I remember listening to what he said about a particular scripture. I can't say that it was the scripture is that much clear to me afterwards, but it certainly was a word of wisdom and I and many appreciated and valued that still do so there is in the assembly if the Spirit of God has given his place to one, is given a word of wisdom to another word of knowledge, and then it goes on to another faith by the same spirit.
Now, every believer in the Lord Jesus has faith. It's the gift of God. But I think what we have here is the gift of faith.
Sometimes I think it was illustrated to me one time and I appreciated it. And sometimes in the assembly context there seems to be a point where we get to and we don't seem to have the courage to go forward.
But then a brother speaks up and says, Brethren, given what God has given us in the Scriptures.
I believe that we should move forward, and given that Word of Faith, the assembly moves forward. So there I think it is in a special way, this faith that's given at a particular moment. And then it goes on to the gifts of healings, the working of miracles, and it says a little further on to divers kinds of tons. These are the miraculous gifts that were very evident at the beginning of the church's history.
And if you look in the book of the Acts, when Paul went to Corinth, he first went into the synagogue of the Jews and when they contradicted.
He separated the disciples and went next door. It says hard by the synagogue. I guess that means right next door.
He went and that's where they had the assembly meetings and the fact that there are miraculous gifts given as evidence of the spirits being there in the assembly at Corinth.
Jimmy Smith suggesting that perhaps there were Jewish people that came in from the synagogue next door and those were signs given especially for the Jewish people.
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You know, the Greek sought after wisdom and the Jews sought after a sign, and God did give signs, the beginning. And I don't think we have to call in question whether God is able to heal today. I've seen some cases where it's very evident that the Lord has healed somebody he can, Brendan, but it's not the gift of healing. We pray and the Lord can heal. And so there are cases today too. And so we can't limit God, but let's try to keep it in the context of Scripture.
When there is healing involved, it's not like as sometimes spoken about in Christian circles, that they have a healing campaign. I say sometimes to people, show me one healing campaign where everybody gets healed.
There is no such thing, but when the Lord Jesus and His disciples went out, they often healed everybody. Not always, but a lot of times. So it doesn't relate to gifts of healing like there were in the beginning of the church. So you have the, uh, miraculous gift mentioned as well. Another gift that I find is very important and useful is what's mentioned in verse UH-10, discerning of spirits.
I must say I don't believe I have that yet, but there have been brethren that have helped me that have discerned a wrong spirit. And that is a very important gift. Sometimes, you know, you can have everything right, seemingly spoken right, but not the right spirit. And something's nothing's wrong. Nothing's right really, if there's not the right spirit. So the Lord help us, brother, in the exercise of these gifts. These are not gifts given to everybody.
No do one to another and that's why it's important that the Spirit of God have liberty to use whom he will. That's why it's important in the local assembly, not only when we're here at conferences, brethren, but in our local assemblies. Is there exercise on our part. Your younger brothers, you've come to the assembly meeting with exercise. Maybe you don't feel able to teach, but you know what I find that one that our younger brother who have a real interest in the word.
And they ask a good question. It really helps to open up the Scriptures. I've had complaints from younger people that say it seems like the brethren over here, way over here talking up in the air and I can't figure out what they're saying. Maybe somebody needs to ask a good question. And that I find really helps to open things up. And remember, brethren, when I was some younger and I felt that there was a need of that of younger brother trying to bridge the gap between the older and the younger.
By making a comment or by asking a good question. Brethren, these are things we need to be exercised about. If there's ministry given, it's given for the profit of all. And if there's some young that are not getting it, they exercise, it's valuable, the ministry break it down a little bit more. And, uh, I really believe that there can be a real blessing if that's the case.
Gifts are given to the local assembly, are they? They're given to the body at large, and I think it's important to see that.
Now, as you say, Brother Bob, it's wonderful when gift is exercised in the local assembly, very important, but they function in administration of the local assembly is not dependent on gifts. If it was, there are perhaps many little assemblies that would have to close down because there you say we come from a little assembly where there's just two or three brothers or just a handful of us gathered to the Lord's name, and there isn't any great outward manifest gift. Maybe you say there's nobody who really would qualify as an evangelist or a teacher or even a pastor. We can do the work of those things. Of course we can all pastor, we can all shepherd, we can all do the work of an evangelist. We can share, as you say, what we've enjoyed from the Word of God in a local reading meeting or ministry meeting. But you say that we're gonna go home next week and there isn't going to be those gifts so outwardly manifest.
But I say the gifts were given to the body at large and what the way that the reason that the local assembly can function is not because of gifts, but because the Lord is there. But when the when, when we have followed the word of God, the man bearing the picture of water, as is illustrated in Luke 22, to where the Lord Jesus is in the midst. That is what gives the authority to act in the assembly, whether it's for breaking of bread, for prayer, for ministry of the Word, for matters that have to be taken up.
For discipline, perhaps, whatever it might be, it's because of the authority of the Lord in the midst. And as I say again, I wanna stress this, Gifts are given to the body at large. And while we need to be exercised to use our gift in connection with those that we find ourselves by the grace of God in fellowship with at the Lord's table, it ought not, brethren, to stop there. It ought not to stop there. Every believer alive on the face of the earth is a member of the body of Christ. And I'm thankful when I'm in other countries to meet these members of the body of Christ and we share the Word of God together.
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We, we have fellowship together as much as as we can. We may not sit down and remember the Lord Jesus on Lord's Day at the Lord's table like we would like, I would like to, but you share what you can while you're with them. You exercise your gift and they exercise you theirs for the, for your blessing and for your edification. And so, yes, again, the exercise of gift in the local assembly is gathered to the Lord's name is important and vital for the edification of the Saints. But brethren, we all have a gift that needs to be used for the edification of the body at large.
Is that going too far, Bob? I, I think that's right. I would say this, Jim, that the gifts are given in three scriptures and the New Testament, the Ephesians. And there it is definitely universal. A gift is given. It's, uh, for the body at large. I think the context in First Corinthians is more the local assembly because you have a gift later on mentioned in verse, uh, 28 governments, which I don't think that has to do with the body at large. It's something that is local. I would take it that way.
Uh, and then you have it in, in Romans and Romans gives you individual position more. And so there, it's taken up in those different conditions, uh, contacts. And I think it's helpful to see it that way. Not that, uh, I, I do believe that a word of wisdom and a word of knowledge would be something that could be useful, perhaps universally, but I think it's more in connection with when we get together, some brother has a special word of wisdom or a special word of knowledge that is a very great help at a particular time.
One thing that these verses preclude is the thought of one man ministry, and that is all the gifts residing in one man.
Again, someone said recently to me that they didn't find having a so-called minister so terrible. And brethren, maybe some are sitting here saying, why are you making such a big deal of these things? You know, we could, uh, say with Paul in first Corinthians 18, what then notwithstanding every way where they're in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached and are therein to rejoice. Yeah. And will rejoice and take a verse like that to say, well, it doesn't really matter, but you know.
Have we gotten so callous to the word of God that the only sort of sin that we recognize is moral sin, that we can't recognize the sin against the Holy Ghost, that we cannot recognize doctrinal evil, but we saw callous to the word of God that these things don't exercise us. Every part of the word of God is important. And I don't disagree that God cannot, that that God may use a man that has been set up either by himself or by others to minister the word of God and that blessing may result, but that's not what God intended and we should be exercised by it. We we shouldn't be indifferent to it. There isn't any thought in Scripture as well.
This is, uh, the best way to do it, and this is better and this is OK. God had a plan, and as was mentioned early in the meetings, we're not gonna see that plan if we look around in Christmas. We have to see it from God's perspective.
And we have no choice but to try to walk in the good of it according to the grace that he's given us.
I'd like to go back to something that brother Bob was saying about asking questions. I was talking to a group of young people once and saying the same thing. And his one brother said if I ask the question in the reading meeting at the assembly where I go, my father on the trip home would not be pleasant. And uh, he said he, he would see it as like questioning things as though I was doubting or something and felt intimidated that he should ask a question. So I.
That would be unfortunate if that were the case. And I suggested to him, I said, well, there's different ways to ask questions. You can ask a question if you feel that way. Next time, if you really have a question, ask it like this. Say if you were going to answer a question like this that somebody asked me, how would you answer it? Well, you have to think things through a little bit and try and find a way because that is important. And in fact, that is a good question to ask. How should I explain that? I may have a kind of simple understanding.
But I don't know how to explain it to somebody else. Help me, help me understand it. And, and if someone that's wise there will then answer that question and say, well, here's a simple way. Here's an illustration. Everybody will learn, including that young brother. And like you said, the meeting suddenly got very interesting to everybody and it opens up and the Lord likes to see those things so that there's an engagement with everyone there. He doesn't want half the people sitting there bored to death, uh, doing something else in their mind someplace else that he wants to see that engagement. And Nehemiah 88, the last part of that verse says they caused the people to understand the reading. It wasn't just distinct reading. It wasn't just giving the sense of it. There was this last part causing the people to understand the reading. Now that's a gift.
00:20:33
And that is an ability or to seek that. And I want to cause the people to understand the reading so that there may be high things and there may be some young people or people in different ages and levels of spiritual maturity and only a few people are getting.
What's being talked about then? Someone that has that ability can then take it and bring it down where, oh, OK, some younger person gets that now and then they get a little bit more of it. Well, that makes a much more interesting time and you get something from it. You go away encouraged and different age levels and all the sheep are getting something from that at that moment. And that's very helpful. And I'd just like to encourage us in our local meetings not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I know it's so easy.
You're tired, you get home, think of driving the meeting it. It gets so easy to make excuses brethren, but I find it such a blessing when there is the courage to go as you know you should be, and to be there in spite of the weakness. You know what really speaks to me is when the Lord Jesus was to feed the 5000 men and women and children, there could have been close to 10,000 people there.
Why? He said to the disciples, Give ye them to heed, and the disciples didn't have anything.
One said we if we could have 200 pants, well maybe we could buy enough that you all have a little bit. But what did the Lord use?
A little boy's lunch. It seems so tremendously despicable. Come on, let's be real. But that's what the Lord used. And I have found that when there is simplicity in looking to the Lord, He took that, those five loaves, those two fishes, he blessed it, and there was enough for all to be filled. And they had 12 baskets full each one of the disciples could go away with.
A whole basket full of fragments that remained. That's our God, brethren. It's not what we are. We're just simple instruments. We're not important. It's our God manifesting his glory. And he wants to feed his people. I want to bless him. It is when there is simplicity of looking to the Lord, coming with that simple faith in Him. And so may we be encouraged to go on to read the Scriptures. I know some brothers say I don't know how to explain it. Well, at least you could read it.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So get up and read a chapter or two chapters maybe or three chapters. If you can't do anything else. It's a blessing. Remember hearing about times of revival in England, that there were scripture readers that would stand out on the streets of England and just simply read scriptures. And the Spirit of God was working with such power that people would fall down convicted on their faces and get saved. It was the word reading of the Word of God.
That's important, what I say about the Word of God. What's important is the Word itself. Did the Lord help us, brethren, to be encouraged in this way so that God's people can be fat? I thought of that, brother Bob, in connection with the children of Israel in the wilderness. Because one of the things that displeased the Lord with the children of Israel when they were in the wilderness was that they began to despise the manner that God had given them. And they despised it in the simplicity in which He reigned it from heaven every morning. And you'll find that they tried to do other things with it. They tried to beat it in a mortar and bake it and so on. And what happened when it was given in the simplicity with which it was rained from heaven? It tasted like wafers and honey.
When they tried to dress it up and do other things with them with it, it was no longer palatable. It tasted like fresh oil. Now I'd rather eat wafers than honey than fresh oil. But if they went out and gathered it every morning in the simple way, their soul, their, their hunger was fed. And I've sometimes said, let's be careful, brethren. I know that sometimes, as Bob says in the local assembly, the word of God is ministered in a very, very weak and feeble way. Not many comments made about it, maybe just some very basic or general things said. But let's be careful that we don't despise the simple manner.
God gives you in the local assembly because if we're there, we're in the presence of the Lord. He's there is not what counts. He's there if the Spirit of God is is free, given liberty, he's able to take the living word and give us a few little Nuggets, a few little things. Maybe there isn't what we would call a teacher, but we can all share and enjoy what we have had. And if we brothers are exercised to maybe even read the chapter before you come, just think about it a little bit and then come and and share what you've you've enjoyed. It may be feeble, It may be stammering, but I would like to say this too, to go back to what Nick said about one man ministry.
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When the Spirit of God is given liberty, brethren, in the assembly to minister the Word of God, there's a balance and a check like we get nowhere else. You know, there's many who will put a man up at the front and they make, he may be a very godly man and he may know the Scriptures and they may get part of the truth. They may get one aspect of the truth, but there's nobody to check and balance it. I think Bob alluded to it this morning, but if I say something wrong here this afternoon, someone by the Spirit of God can correct it.
We're glad for those who can lay out the doctrinal principles. Those are the teachers. They can layout for us clearly and concisely the the principles of Scripture. Others can make a practical application. Someone may take that same Scripture and be able to present the apply it in the in the gospel. Now it's not brethren, that every meeting for ministry is necessarily completely balanced, but in the overall scope of things, when we avail ourselves of ministry in the assembly, we're going to get a balance in check. I say like nowhere, like nowhere else.
And so we need to, as Bob said, avail ourselves of every opportunity to have the word of God before us, where the Spirit of God is given liberty to minister the, uh, the truth of God, uh, to us. And you'll find that you will get that bounce. We're extremists by nature. Now, let me be careful, brethren. It's not that the Bible needs balance. The Bible is the only balanced book there really is. Every other book written by man is biased and unbalanced in one way or another. It's not the Bible that needs balance, but it says of Ethereum. Ephraim is a Cape not turned. And if you put a cake on the griddle and you don't turn it, what happens?
It gets too well done on one side and not enough on the other. That's what we're like. And I have noticed that those who do not avail themselves of ministry in the assembly are often like that. They get off on a tangent. They get off on one side of the truth, but there's no balance. And so we need that balance that comes from being where the Spirit of God is free to use different ones who have different gifts and ability to present the word in different ways. I think that's why the, uh, scripture says in first Corinth, first Timothy three, that the assembly is the pillar and ground of the truth. It's where the truth is upheld where there is.
Liberty for correction if you like. You say in the case of a minister of a church, he's paid to do what he does. He's not. The parishioners are out there not to correct him if he makes a mistake. I suppose in some cases they might do that, but I don't think that's the general way it's done. And also in a Bible school, you know, they, they teach a lot of good things. And in the Bible school you might get a lot of good teaching, but if the professor makes a mistake in his teaching.
The students are not able to correct their professor. That's not the context. It's the context of the assembly as the House of God that is the pillar and ground of the truth. Not Even so much a question of correcting, although I think that's important, but as has been said, to provide a balanced view. Have you ever seen engineering drawing? You've got a top view and a side view and this other view, my bud, I may have a particular button, but as Jim said, it tends to be rather narrow. It's so nice to hear another brother come along and build up this view of the picture. It's not that there are different, different, umm, interpretations of Scripture necessarily, but we each have a different foot and then see things perhaps from a slightly different perspective and you get a much more rounded view.
And with regards to questions, young people or anybody here, you know, there's plenty of written ministry. I know writing, reading, written ministry is not so popular these days, but there's plenty of reading meetings in the 1800s that are in books that you go back and read. And some of them are like question and answer sessions that are not necessarily endorsing that. Because perhaps those brethren, as soon as Mr. Dobby was, the assembly, tended to direct everything towards him. I don't know that that's necessarily healthy either. But those meet reading meetings consisted of questions and answers, questions and answers.
You know, if a young person just asks a question, we know.
Where the interests lie, we know where the needs are. It's it's so wonderful to have young people engaged, even if it's just fine. You know, I just don't understand that book. Could someone explain it that that really is so helpful in a in your local reading meeting? And those questions were answered by men that were raised up of God at the beginning and they were given special gift and special discernment. And I wanna just add to what Nick says about written ministry.
Because I believe too, when we read different writers, we get a balance as well. You know, Mr. Darby, I appreciate him because you can go to his writings and you can get the meaning of Scripture. You can get the interpretation on this portion and he explained what it means. Then you can go to somebody like Mr. Ballot and get a nice nugget of application. Then you can go to Mr. Wolfson and you can get the gospel application and you get a balance when you read various writers. I know perhaps we all have favorite writers and writers we tend to, uh, gravitate to more than others. But I want to encourage you when you pick up written ministry to read different writers. God, those men had different gifts and abilities than when they wrote those things.
00:30:17
That comes out in what they have written just as it comes out in oral ministry in those that we sit and listen to in in our day. So again, I believe we get that balance when we don't limit ourselves to one man ministry or even in the writings that God has caused men to write that are helps to us, that we don't limit ourselves to just one, one man.
Helpful for us to consider why spoken that there are questions that people have. Why are these different and I believe we find in the New Testament that there are three places that mention gifts. We have gifts mentioned in Ephesians chapter four in Romans chapter 12, as has been referenced and also here in this chapter First Corinthians 12 and I think there's a difference. There are similarities such as in 1St 18. Now I thought set the members every one of them in the body as it has pleased him who we find similar expression in other two passages but in Romans chapter 12 as Pitt mentions God.
It mentions that umm in verse three, according as God has dealt to every man, so we have God mentioned as the giver of those gifts in Ephesians 4, mentions them from an ascended Christ in glory. And then in our chapter here, these are gifts from the Spirit. So each person of the Trinity, I believe is involved in, in Romans 12, we have God. In Ephesians 4 we have umm ascended Christ and glory. And here in chapter 12 we have the Spirit. But there's a difference as well. Why are these gifts given? And I think if we briefly reference them, we can benefit from it in Ephesians chapter 4 when the gifts are given from a descended Christ and glory, it says in Ephesians 4 and 13 till we all come in the unity of the faith.
And of the knowledge of the Son of man unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the wholeness of Christ. Verse 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head in Christ. So when the gifts are given from an ascended Christ in glory, Christ was the perfect man, and we are to grow up in the knowledge of that perfect man. There's growth there. And in Romans 12, the gifts are given from a father, and for a father and his children. We know that children are to obey their parents. That's the responsibility of children to obey.
And so we're told to present our bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, our intelligence service of worship, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you and improve what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
So when the gifts are given in the context of Christ and ascended Christ and glory, we are to grow up into him, that perfect man in Romans 12 it was obedience, obedience. But here in first Corinthians 12 and in First Corinthians 14, we see the practical outgrowth and I think perhaps we get a little allusion to why are they given in verse 25. And thus are the secrets of his hard made manifest. And so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth.
Well, this Spirit does not speak of himself. He points to Christ. And so we are to have that worship, as it were, to fall on our faces and to worship God. So there's a purpose in these gifts we're given through each person of the Trinity. They're given for a purpose, for obedience, for growth, and that we would fall on her face in worship.
We're not given any choice as to what our place in the body of Christ is or what our gift is. And so we find that at the end of verse 11 That, uh, he well read the verse, but all these work at that one and, and the self same spirit dividing to every man severally as if you know Mr. Darby's translation as he pleases. There are two things in connection with the body of Christ. He's placed some members in the body as it has pleased him and he has given gifts as it has pleased him. And I believe that's why it's important rather not to look at others and covet or want to do what they're doing.
Maybe we look at somebody else and we say, well, I wish I was doing that. What if my hands decided they wanted to be the feet? Well, if I walked in here on my hands, it wouldn't be a pretty picture. I wouldn't be able to do it. And so He's placed the members in the body as it pleased Him. He's given the gifts as it pleases Him. And what we need to do is recognize before the Lord where He has placed us, what He has given us to do, and to do that as unto Him. Because it's not the greatness of the gift that counts. It's not what we would consider.
The greatness of it, or the outward manifestation of it, that counts, It's doing it for him. And that's why in Galatians it says, let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. And I suggest that sometimes there is great conflict and disharmony caused amongst the people of God, and perhaps even in the local assembly, because there are those who not only do not carry out the little gift that they have been given as a member of the body, but they are coveting and trying to do somebody else's work.
Our when Paul wrote to the Saints that Colossi, he said and say to our archifis, take heed to the ministry that thou hast received of the Lord, that thou fulfill it. We don't know what that ministry was or what that gift was, but Paul felt that the Saints at Colossi were suffering a loss as a local assembly because there was a brother in that assembly who was not carrying out the little function that God had given him for the blessing and the edification of the of the assembly. And I believe that there's nothing causes more disharmony and jealousy amongst the people of God than trying to covet or do another's gift. Again, if I tried one of my members of my natural body tries to do.
00:35:32
Something that it's not made to do, it's going to get into difficulty. And if I can just say this too, brethren, I believe we need to be very careful not to go beyond what the Lord has given us. And I believe when we go beyond the gift and ability that the Lord has given us, we, it's not, not only is it not for the edification and blessing of the body of Christ, but again, it causes more problem and difficulty than good.
You know, there are three enemies that we're given in scripture, World of Flesh and the Devil.
Umm, all of them, and I know one of them, uh, is mentioned in the beginning of this book again, umm, they don't know if you could talk to them if they were personified before us and you asked them what God is doing because you know, they're all actively against and opposing his, his Kingdom and his plan. They would say, uh, we don't, we don't really know. We don't really know what Todd's doing. And, and umm, we're having to learn as all the Corinthians were the difference between a carnal man's knowledge and the true spiritual wisdom that comes only from above. Because if they knew it, they said, it says, and I've read that before in chapter 2, verse eight, they would not have crucified the Lord.
A glory they would have realized that actually in killing them they are accomplishing his ends. You know that in the destruction of this man, this worm and no man in the in the killing of life itself. Our salvation was brought about and I love that that somehow and I hope that we all sense it as we read through first Corinthians and as we read through the Scriptures. There's something very foreign to unfortunately the natural mind and what the Lord is doing and I think we can see that in this chapter umm because the world of flesh and the devil they do not understand God. They understand man and they know how to undermine and their systems in opposition and we accept unfortunately some of the logical rationale of those systems since.
A man can be ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Umm, add to that the fact that the two sins, uh, well, I guess I would call them, yeah, I would call them sins. The two sins, the two great sins that afflict humanity and have from the beginning and are kind of at the root, I would even argue of most of the suffering that is in mankind, umm, and its history is pride and envy.
There's something very different about this chapter that those parts and I'm interested to listen to the umm older brothers. That'd be my question as a young person. What does it mean that the that the uncommonly parts have more abundant comeliness that God has made those that are more dishonorable have greater honor and why that amazing little little phrase there that there be no schism or division among you. There's something very different about the way the church is to operate in order, which is what's first Corinthians about where we honor and glory in the blessings that others have around us. I mean, it's a rare brother or that's why there's a brother born for adversity. It's a rare brother that looks at this guy over here and says, well, I wish I had that.
You know, name it, athleticism, etcetera. And, And, and there's a bit of envy, even neglecting the fact that we are all in our family, honored by someone's achievements and in the church to be able to look not upon our own things, but the things of others, not as a busy body or a ****** but instead of someone who is, is interested in building up the church one upon another to actually sharpen one another in the faith. So that would be, my question is, is what does it mean that these, that these, uh, members that seem less commonly, umm, have been given more comeliness and more honor? Because as we see in the systems of the world, as we mentioned before, how does, how is the pastor corrected? Well, pastor is corrected traditionally, at least in mainline denominations, by elders, right? They can, they have some power over him. Or in a higher church tradition, you just go to the man upstairs. Like you wouldn't, uh, in a business or a management, you can't necessarily fire your manager, but you can go to your, the boss's boss. And it just keeps going up and up and up. But what does it mean for us to?
Operate. I mean, I mean, can you read this passage and envision a church where a man stands at the front and those that are weakest and have less to say sit at the back?
Does it, is that the vision that's given to us here, or are we uncomfortable if we were to go to a place like that and reading through the scriptures to see where two or three, there's no freedom for that. I mean, it may not be there. Maybe only one man ends up speaking at a local assembly if they're weak enough. I know in, in, in our assembly, there have been times where through sickness or travel or the issues of life, there may be only one brother present. And so for intensive purposes, we'll say, what's the difference between yours? No one may have missed. No, the freedom is still there. At least we can fix it. So, umm, the pride and enemy that we bear, they have to, they have no place in the gifts and as they're given here in First Corinthians.
And I'll end with that one verse and then I want to re ask that question one verse in first John, my brother began or we began this meeting kind of a Speaking of spirits and discerning of spirits.
So I'd read that again in, in first John chapter 4. We're all familiar with that. I recommend the whole passage, obviously, but I wanna read one specific or two specific verses versus, uh, the first verse. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirit, whether they be of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Umm, verse five. They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them. So a lot of things that people will say out there makes sense and they make sense in a worldly way, but there's, but there's something very different price game not in power to dominate, but came as the first greatest and most unspeakable gift.
00:40:20
And so it should follow by pumping our hearts. But the way we should be, the spiritual gifts should in some way be parallel or find their ultimate type in Christ as gifts. And he came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. And you just keep going down those lines there. So I'll, I'll end with that. But I want to ask that question. What does it mean? It's one of those intriguing pastors. What does it mean that the uncomely part is more has more abundant comingness that the dishonorable has more honor that there be no division. Let's see if we can take it down in context rather. So we're getting ahead to here. So if you don't mind, we'll, we'll address that when we get down, OK.
I just want to go ahead and say verse 11.
And verse 18, they have that common phrase, as is, as he will or as he pleases. Verse 18 Now God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased him. And what has been mentioned in these meetings? That it is His work. Brethren, it's not our work. And the verses we have next, I really think it is beautiful, these verses 12 and 13, where we've already mentioned about the oneness of the body.
And we have, we have presented that question at the beginning of the meeting, the reading meeting. What does it mean to be gathered on the ground of the one body? And I think it was explained briefly, but simply means in recognition that God is doing a work in this world, bringing souls to Christ, saving them. And when they believe the gospel of their salvation, the Spirit of God seals that person and also incorporates them into the body. It is his work, it is not ours.
And to recognize that when he does it, there is no schism in the picture.
It is not there. That's not what God's doing. He is forming 1 body, the church to the United to Christ. And we are already really united to Christ. Wonderful, wonderful truths. But I find so many times that our thinking is tainted by present trends and we got to challenge ourselves rather. And that's probably why questions are good because it kind of challenges us. But I must say that one of the things that I believe has hindered the Christian testimony in these western lands probably more than anything else.
Is humanism making myself the center of my world? And I think it's the problem that we have in talking about the Lord's table and the Lord's Supper is because we think I have my rights, I have my ideas, brethren, it is not my rights. It is not my ideas. The figure in this, it is what he has said, what he has taught us in his word. We're set in the body as it pleases Him. It's not the place I want. You hear so many people that say I've decided to go into the ministry.
I think I'm going to be a pastor. It's not a question of a person deciding what he wants to be. That isn't in the picture at all. And so that has done tremendous damage. We think we can do what we want and that I have equal rights with everybody else. If it was a question, brethren of you and me, yes, you could argue that point. That is not the point. There is one who is supreme. They're at God's right hand. He is God's beloved Son that came into the world and accomplished redemption and through redemption as purchased.
A people for himself. Now it is not a question of what I want or what I think merely.
It is a question of what he is doing, what he has in mind for me in his precious word. And the thing that I find is very common as we lived in Bolivia for a number of years. We were for the first ten years in the area of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and then we moved up to Cochabamba. Cochabamba is a very nice place to live and there's a lot of missionaries there. I don't know if that's right or not, but anyhow.
When I moved up there, they asked me, why are you moving to Cochabamba? We moved there for our kids getting into school, but and they said you must be coming up here to plant churches. And that idea of planting churches is very common and it is not of God. And I said to them when I was asked that question, God forbid that I should start any new church. If I do meet together with other Christians, I'm going to meet together recognizing the church that began on the day of Pentecost.
And still exist to this day. And that which to God is adding every time a new soul is safe, It is recognizing what God has done. It's not what I'm doing. I think sometimes I'm more of a hindrance than I'm a help. And God works so often in spite of us. Oh brethren, it's wonderful to see what God is doing. But when we get our fingers into the soup.
00:45:21
All the messes we make of it. May the Lord help us.
To simply see what he is doing. What is he doing in this world? He's working to form 1 body in Christ. Such a beautiful thing, the unity that there is in this one body. Let's read it again because this is so precious. Brethren, this is the truth of God as the body is 1 Isn't that beautiful? It's one brother.
I remember a sister that used to come to our home once in a while. She was a dentist and quite well educated and she used to go around visiting different denominational structures. And anyhow she come to our meeting sometimes as well. And as a member of the body of Christ, we were glad to to let her come to our meetings. Anyhow, she said to me one time, Brother Bob, we should all be one. Why are we all divided up like this?
We should all be one. It's not we should all be one. It's we are all one. We're just not acting like it. That's the truth of the matter. The body is one and all the members of that one body being many hundreds of thousands, millions, perhaps billions of believers. Who knows the exact amount, but.
The many are.
One body, soul also is the Christ. Oh, in the beginning of the Church's history it was evident. Look at the testimony brethren, in the book of the Acts in the 4th chapter. It is so beautiful.
Andy.
32nd verse.
The multitude of them that believed were of one heart.
And one soul is that beautiful.
So the prayer of the Lord in John 17 was fulfilled at the beginning of the church's history in reality, in practical reality, it will be again when we're caught up to meet the Lord in the air because there will not be anyone missing at that time. But that's beautiful to see the unity of God's people, to realize that that's what God sees when he looks at his people, one body.
And then it says by 1 spirit we are all baptized into one body.
Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, nationality doesn't enter into this picture. Whether we bond or free social position is not there and have been all made to drink into one spirit. So oneness is what is characteristic of the body of Christ. Beautiful brethren, I'd just like to say this, that the baptism as we were mentioning is really only took place at the beginning of the church's history.
In Acts Chapter 2, the.
Spirit descended and those about 120 that were there were united into one body. They went in 120 and they came out as one body. Then later on in the 10th chapter of the book of the Acts, you have Peter preaching to the Gentiles, Cornelius in his household, and the Spirit while he's preaching, while he's giving the gospel, the Spirit falls on those that believe. If you're looking the 11Th chapter.
Peter quotes that that was part of the baptism of the Holy Spirit those two times in the book of the Acts. Some of, uh said it's an extension of the baptism of the Spirit of God, but it took place in the beginning of the church's history and it is not repeated. We come into the body when we are, when we believe the gospel of our salvation, we are added, but the body is not formed over again. Some have given the illustration of the American army that was.
Uh, formed in the 1700s, the American army that is existent today is the same army, but not one of the soldiers that existed in the 1700s is today a soldier, but it's the same army. And that's the picture that you get in the body. It's those, Jim mentioned it this morning. There's sometimes when it's looked at, and I think in Ephesians especially, it's looked at as all believers of all times, but it's looked at as those that are living, active.
00:50:05
On the earth at any particular time.
That it is a habit, including myself in it that we have a tendency, uh, to sort of wish in a way, it's not the right term. But if I know that John, John camp is coming to our area or Jim is home from a trip, then we say, oh, we're going to get good ministry. I'm guilty of it just as much. And I say that I'm guilty of it, but that shouldn't be the way, should it? But we do it. I have that bad happen shape. Oh, John campus coming, you know, Oh, I'm going to be there.
For John, Jim is home, I'm going to be there. That's that's just the trouble with us. We depend on them certain granted, who have that ministry and we get something out of it. But if we say, oh, Jimmy's gone, John is gone. Well, let's just point the coin. Isn't that true?
That's not holding the head, is it? And I agree, sometimes I notice rather when we come together in a meeting, we all sit there, Nobody, nobody says anything. We all sit there kind of 1015 minutes, sometimes that long. And you know, brother, I think we're so geared at operation operating on the world level that we have to kind of kind of let go of that sphere of activity and focus on the Lord. And truly, we really are limiting ourselves. If we look at human instruments, Thank God for gift that God gives. We thank God for it, but there's gifts in everyone.
And I think the reason that so many are not active is that they're not exercised about it. Brother and sister, the Lord is going to ask us before his throne that the judgment seat. What did you do with what I gave you? Are you going to say I didn't even realize I had something? Are you going to say that?
Let's reflect on that. Let's be exercised now. There's so many gifted brethren in this room and and we talk about laboring brethren. Brethren, let's not form in our minds a certain class of brethren. That's not right. We're all laboring brethren. And I think there's lots of brethren that labor more than I do. You might be a different sphere, but even a slave in Colossians chapter three was said to serve the Lord Christ. He was a laboring brother.
He was a slave, he was not at liberty to do his own thing, but he was laboring for the Lord, doing what he was doing. The Lord help us. The other side of it is that we need to be exercised to allow the function of gift as we see it amongst the members of the body of Christ, because that's the other extreme, isn't it? If we don't allow gifts to function properly, then there's not going to be the proper growth and and edification of the Church of God. So we can fall into both extremes. That's why it says in Proverbs be not as the horse of the mule.
And I think you one time Bob pointed out that the horse is impulsive. He needs to be held back with a bitten bridle, the mule. And we see the mule in some of the countries that we visit. Uh, they still use donkeys and mules and they have to be driven ahead. They need a rod and they, they hold back. Scripture says don't be as either. As we said earlier in this meeting, we're extremists by nature. And that's why we have the balance of, of Scripture. And so with the Corinthians, everyone, when they came together, it was a free for all. Everyone had a song, everyone had a doctrine.
Well, that was one side of the, of the ditch. Then we can fall into the other side by not allowing, uh, by by looking to human instruments and only to those that we feel have some, what we would call manifest gift. That's a teacher or, or what, whatever. And so there are both extremes and we want to be careful that we don't fall into either ditch. After the, uh, Bible reading this morning, our brother Roy Stevens, I thought he gave a really great illustration.
About giving a gift, I just wondered, would you?
We have spiritual gifts. We're all given spiritual gifts. Umm, if Paula Paul wrote to Timothy to stir up the gift of God in him.
And really well, and I could talk a little bit about that and I may give somebody a gift and it may take some practice to use it properly. So we try it and we don't become very proficient because we set that gift on the shelf and we, we leave it there. Umm, we, we, so we lose the proficiency of, of, of that gift. And, uh, there was a brother one time we were talking about that and he says, uh, he said, I have to say, he says, I haven't opened my gift. So we have spiritual gifts every one of us. And, uh, you know, if we don't open that gift, if we don't use that gift, then we don't become proficient in the use of that gift.
And it, it, uh, it, it, it's lacking. So I, I don't know if I could say it any different than that or not. But, uh, you know, the apostle urged Timothy to stir up the gift in him. Why stir it up? Because we need to become proficient at it. If I, uh, a little analogy, we're talking about using the analogies and variables and so on. Earlier this morning and, uh, when my brother and I were very young, my father gave us a, a baseball bat, a ball and a glove. And, you know, we, uh, learned to, and I'm not a good ball player. I can hardly hit the same place twice.
00:55:19
But yet if we don't use what we have, we never get good at what we have. So we have spiritual gifts and if we don't use them, we, they, they grow stagnant sales. We have to use them. And Roy, can I just add that for those of us who are older, we need to allow them the development of gift in others. Charles Spurgeon made an interesting comment. He said an evangelist rarely jumps into the pulpit full grown. Thought that was an interesting comment. And what he was really saying is a young brother may have the gift of any of a public evangelist, but the first time he gets up to preach the gospel, he may do it in very much weakness.
Maybe he only speaks for 10 or 15 minutes, maybe he stutters and stammers. Doesn't mean he doesn't have the gift of an evangelist, but it may be that it needs to be given room to grow and develop. And so I just say, and I agree with what you say, that's very, very helpful. Gift needs to be developed. And it's an exercise to each one to use and develop our gift. But I believe it's also an exercise especially for those who of us who are older, perhaps those who take more of a public park to allow that gift to develop. And the first time a brother helps out with the gospel in the local area.
Don't jump on him because he didn't present it perhaps quite the way we thought it should be presented. Or he didn't cover all his faces. Encourage him. Paul, when he spoke to Timothy about his developing his gift, using his gift, Paul, I believe, was giving room for Timothy's gift to grow and develop. Timothy was reticent. He was holding back. And Paul says, I'm going to give you some room to use your, your gift. And I, I think that's a very good word for all of us. The word mentor comes to mind. Paul wasn't just dealing with Timothy and Titus. And we talked sometimes speak to them as being Apostolic delegates and sent out in a certain way, but there was real mentoring and that, that word, the idea that's, uh, contained in that word, that the mentoring of those that are by older ones for younger ones. And there have been the real examples of that.
Where that's the kind of teaching, uh, and development of gifts that needs to be done, where there's mentoring by those that are older with the younger taking somebody under the wing and taking them along. If you see somebody that has an exercise in the gospel and, uh, you're Bob Tony and you take them with you to South America or someone else, uh, Jim, you take somebody in some place that's mentoring and, and it's, it's biblical. It's, it's, we see it demonstrated there and it can be a help and, and people learn that way. And it's like on the job training. There's a beautiful example of that, Sam in the Old Testament with Joshua, Moses and Joshua.
You know, Joshua is referred to as a young man as Moses minister and you read over and over and over again of him being in the company of Moses, not always saying a lot in the wilderness, but he's there with Moses and God then later raised him up as that great leader to lead the people through the Jordan and into the land. I know he's a picture of Christ, but in a in a practical way, Joshua got that training and development from being in the company of another older man. And I want to again encourage the young people and maybe some of us who are older haven't given always the opportunity that we should. But are you exercised about the gospel or being helping in some work?
Hook up with a, with an older brothers or, or sister or couple, an older brother at home. He's with the Lord now, but he, he trained horses in his younger days. And he said, Jim, we never put two young Colts together in harness or in the yoke. We when we went to train a young colt or horse, we always initially put them with an older one. And that older horse spoke that they spoke the same language. And if that younger one got out of line or too frisky or wanted to go its own way, that older horse had a way of making that whole to understand.
What it was supposed to be doing and he was using that as an illustration. And so younger brothers, younger sisters, is there some gospel work goes on in your area, hobby class, perhaps some outreach in the area, some brothers going to the prison or going to the nursing home. Go along. Maybe you won't take a lot apart, but go along, observe, learn as they say, learn the ropes, get the idea. And I believe it will be a great blessing to you in the development of your gift and maybe a ministry that the Lord will have for you later on.
Can anybody tell me umm, importances?
Portis come on brother Fortis well known enough figure the Bible.
The growth or the Well, no, I'll get to my point. If we go to Romans 16, we're talking about the importance of.
Of, umm, exercising our gifts. And I think it's real good that the young people have been addressed because I was once a young person and those of us who were speaking or those who have been speaking, a lot of them have been younger. But if we go to Romans 16, it's almost like A roll call.
01:00:02
Of, uh, Paul commending these different ones as to their labor in the Lord. And some of them are well familiar with Priscilla and Aquila in verse three. And, uh, you can go right on down the line there. There's probably something you're more aware of than I am. Obviously, Timothy, I'm Opius in verse 21. And uh, like I said, there's some more. There's a whole roll call of Saints that Paul was commending for their work and for their labor. And I'm sure some of them, I know Timothy was a young man and obviously there's a number of sisters here.
So it wasn't just a select few, but there was quite a few that are mentioned in Scripture and I'm sure there are many more that aren't that were helpful, uh, in the gospel and in the ministry. And, uh, we have this roll call here, but coordinates doesn't say anything about him. Verse 23 gave my host and of a whole church saluted you, arrested the Chamberlain of the city, saluteth you and Porthos a brother. That's all that said, Porthos a brother.
Could be Cynthia's sister, but for some reason.
Uh, under inspiration, Paul mentions, and you know, I was, as I was listening and enjoying scriptures here, I, uh, in the comments of my brethren, I happened to turn to Romans and I'm seeing this roll call, if I could use that phrase of, uh, these different ones. And then it just struck me for us, never heard of them ever, even probably read this or maybe I read the verse without thinking about it. But, uh, nothing is mentioned except, well, his name is mentioned and that's enough. And I, I like to just emphasize again that for the young ones here and those of us that were once young to testify, there is a very important place for you.
In the assembly.
And to to know that there is it is God's help, God's work. God is the Holy Spirit that take courage and.
To, to, uh, like it was mentioned about mentoring and to listen to the older brother. I remember the first time I prayed in the assembly, I was shaking like a leaf and I said something that wasn't quite scriptural. And, uh, a brother faithfully came up to me, brother Woodside and graciously corrected me and, uh, you know, encouraged me to just go on. So if you're doing OK and it wasn't a matter of puffing me up or making me feel good about myself, but you saw that there was a desire by the grace of God. And I say this to everyone here because I know sometimes in larger assemblies, perhaps the younger ones are.
In the back and they wanna say something and they don't, or they feel to be corrected. And we've already covered some of that, but I don't know, uh, in thinking, of course, this, if he was a young man or an old man or an in between age man or whatever you might wanna say, but he had an important part. And, uh, you know, thank God, by the grace of God in the assembly, we have that privilege as brother, don't we sisters, we know have a very important part, as we can see in scriptures in the 16th of Romans, but, uh, us, the brothers and the younger. And there is that gift and there is that desire as it wasn't called to stir it up.
And so, umm, if you feel insignificant or if you feel like what am I accomplishing or what's my card or I can't speak this well or I can't say things like this for other, well, obviously Portis was a big help in some way. Not much is said, but he's recorded for us. And I think perhaps maybe for those of us who feel that maybe I'm not significant, but you are in the eyes of God, you're just as loved and you just, you have just the potential as any of us who do take part, who are out of the forefront to, to step up.
God will help you.
That's what we have in verses 15 through 20. And then we have the flip side verses 21 to 24. So in 15 through 20 is the thought that says, well, I'm not, I'm not important. It's umm, it can be and, and, and the center of both of these itself itself. And then the other side of it says, well, I'm the eye and I have no need of you. So both cause dysfunction in the assembly. This word that just came though. Sometimes there are special moments in a meeting, brother, that was one.
I've never noticed Quartus before.
This touched my heart in a special way like you just said, because no doubt there is a court in this meeting right now who just got encouraged in a way that you have no doubt about because no one else notices, maybe that God does. And in this book there will be this way for all of eternity. This man's name is recorded because God noticed. And boy, what an encouragement we can have when we might not be noticed by anybody else, maybe in our small corner, but to know that God notices and that He has recorded a name for that purpose.
And on this day, you are encouraged because this was brought forward to your attention so that you would be encouraged right now at this moment in this meeting. I'd just like to add that Keynes remark is am I my brother's keeper?
So he regarded Abel as his brother.
Very interesting. In scripture, God never called Cain Abel's brother.
01:05:04
He doesn't act like one.
So in connection with these verses, then I might lose a hand or a foot through some accident and the other hand and the other foot can take over and I can get along through life like that, but not as well as with two, you know, I might have, I have a collapsed lung and I can still breathe and get along through life, but not as well as as with, with both lungs. And so we need one another. No man is an island, as they say, tells us. No man lives to himself and no man dies to himself. And again, I believe it's illustrated very beautifully in the Old Testament with the Levites.
You know, the Levites were born into certain families. They had no choice. And those certain families all had various functions and connection with the function and administration of the Tabernacle through the wilderness. They weren't given any choice as to what they were to do. And there were some who carried the boards and that did things that no doubt got commended and looked like great services. But, you know, there were no doubt others of those Levites that went around when they were going to move and they picked up the pins of the pegs they kept, they rolled up the cords and kept them from tangling. They gathered up the pots and pans and the instruments that were used in the sacrifices.
And the one who kept the chords from tangling or picked up the pegs, he wasn't to look at the one who carried the boards or the cut the curtains and say, well, I wish I was in charge of the curtains. I wish I was in charge of the board. I wish I was like the priest who could carry the the ark and that kind of thing. No, what was important was to do what God has fitted him for and placed the position to. God has placed him in to do that is under the Lord. Can you imagine if one of the some of those Levites who kept the pins in the court had decided they weren't going to do that?
What would have happened when they got to the next location and tried to pitch, pitch the Tabernacle? Why, there wouldn't have been any stability. They would have been in great trouble. The one who was to keep the pins and the snuff dishes and all that in order. What would have happened if they got to the next location? And he said, well, because it was such a little service that seemed so insignificant, nobody thought, nobody thanked me. I didn't bother doing it. Well, there would have been a great deal of difficulty. No, it wasn't the greatness of the service. And Bob already quoted it, but I'm going to quote it again. It says not to do service. I service as men, pleasers, but in singleness of hardness unto the Lord.
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. And so there were slaves and servants to ungodly masters in the early church. They might have thought what good am I doing I I I'm a flavor a servant to an ungodly master. The apostle says you, you can serve the Lord even in doing your work well even in in serving your ungodly master and being upright in in your your daily grind of of business and and labor and that service to the Lord and don't do it for men pleasers. And I would suggest this that those who carry on.
Quiet, hidden services for the Lord are perhaps going to get, in many cases at least.
A greater reward than those who carried on some outward service where they got a lot of recognition and a pat on the back and a thank you. Not that those services aren't necessary and they can be done for the Lord too. But I often think of that first. I know it's a different application, but often think of that person Isaiah that says every valley shall be exalted in every mountain and hill shall be made low. Those things that were done in the valley of secret, maybe they're what's going to be brought up at the judgment seat of Christ. They're going to be made high and they're going to get a great reward. Those mountain top things where everybody noticed it and everybody appreciated it and said thank you. Maybe that was just a lot of self. Maybe that was checkered with as it says, the crop and the feathers, just a lot of self. And it's not going to get such a great reward. And if you're using a quiet hidden gift and doing a quiet service and ministry for the Lord, make no mistake about its importance.
Do it quietly for the Lord, don't seek men's approval, and you'll get a great reward in the coming days. And isn't that what we really covet, the Lord's approval? Paul said we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of our brethren. Well, that's nice, but we may be accepted of him. You know, Paul was misunderstood by the Corinthians. They questioned his apostleship. They have questioned his authority, they have questioned his gift. They questioned his ability to present his ministry and his ministry and so on. Paul said that's OK.
We're laboring for the approval of the one who's going to put his stamp on, on things in a coming day. Well, when I was young, I enjoyed a, a, uh, a meditation from, uh, chapter Macintosh on, uh, uh, it was a, umm, illustration of the gifts that we have here in this chapter. And he used the, the breastplate of the high priest and the stones that were embedded into the breastplate. And he, he made the point that the, the, these varying stones shown in different brilliance. Some of them were a, a bright.
Uh, deep red color, some of them were almost clear, just maybe a tone of green or, or blue. They all shown in their individual brilliance, but none of them shown if they weren't in the light. And the problem we have in these verses that we're taking up is when we become occupied with ourselves and what may be our service or gift that the Lord has given us, we aren't able to function for the Lord.
01:10:20
And use be used for His glory.
It was when the high priest walked into the, the holy place and the lampstand was, was aflame and, and, and the light was reflecting off of the gold on the, on the sides and it was fulfilled with brilliance. Then those breast, uh, tho those stones shown in their brilliance. And the only time that our gift will be of any use whatsoever is we're, when we're in the enjoyment of Christ and then it won't matter.
What gift it is, It will be beautiful. There will be a manifestation of the Spirit.
And I, I want to encourage all here that we each have a gift and it is a manifestation of the Spirit of God. And if it is in operation, it will not go unnoticed and it will not go without blessing to others. It will be a reflection of Christ. So we're occupied with ourselves. It's probably gonna be that we're thinking we're superior to others.
Or maybe on the other extreme, that we're inferior. Yeah.
And both itself now I, I think in the first part of this, uh, description here in first, uh, 15, it says if the foot shall stay because I am not the hand, I'm not at the body, the foot.
Perhaps thinks itself to be inferior and so doesn't want to perform at all. Well, that's a sad situation and uh, it goes on to speak about how that, uh.
The year says because I'm not the guy, I'm not of the body. Well, the eye, you're thinking itself to be inferior for the eye. That can't be the eye. So I'm not going to do anything in a sad situation to be in. But you go to the other extreme and then you have the eyes in verse 21. The eye cannot stay unto the hand. I have no need of thee nor in the head to defeat. I have no need of you. So here you got a superior attitude and.
What kind of a situation would that be? Where would the hearing? Where would the spelling be?
You know, we do have an important service to do for the Lord. Get occupied with ourselves and start looking at others and thinking, well, I'm inferior or superior because it's going to affect our usefulness.
So Paul says early on, we are yet calm to the Corinthians.
Their mindset.
Prior to their conversion is that of the world, there were great men, there were great speakers, there were people they would imitate and he uses this figure.
Which is not merely a figure, it's a fact that there is one body, but that's not a figure that their mindset had entertained before. And he has to bring them to see. This is how you need to function together in a oneness that brings honor to Christ. I had a cousin who didn't realize how much he'd grown in one year, in his 15th year, and he dove into a quarry and broke his neck. And the rest of his life he was paralyzed from the neck down.
He managed to do a little, uh, movement with one shoulder and could operate a mechanical hand, but.
He had no time for Christ.
When he was injured.
And I, I think it took, uh, another 16 years.
Before he owned, he shouldn't have disobeyed his father the day he went swimming.
And he came to love the Lord Jesus and be used with the voice he had that was very good, uh, to read the scriptures in the nursing home where he was until the day he died of cancer at 41 years of age. But it's pitiful to see.
A body that can take no signals from the head.
Coming around to a couple of these brothers had mentioned earlier about the one man ministry. The law of unintended consequences is always often talked about in politics, the law of unintended consequences when humans come up with their solutions for well, nobody's doing their job. The guy isn't picking up the pegs or whatever they so that somebody else has to do it. I was talking at lunch with a young brother who grew up in a little country church and he was telling me that the favorite pastor that he enjoyed that helped him the most that he could talk to as a young man. Uh, he heard recently was in a home, some place with depression.
01:15:27
All of them burdened that a one man has to be put under taking all of the jobs that are supposed to be done for others. The unintended consequences are that many of these men breakdown and that they say statistically coming out of seminary and that that within five years the majority that graduate they're done. They can't handle it. They can't do it. God never intended it to be that way to start with and that those who manage to go on are the ones that get famous or whatever people know about them, but they don't know about the thousands of shipwrecks that happen because this solution do it doesn't work very well when all these burdens are put up on one person but.
Has a way that works and it makes where each one does the work. It's not all put up on one person and there isn't this breakdown there.
Hope to read that, uh, just a couple of verses in closing, I guess, umm.
From John 13, you know, Tim is our great pattern and I love this because in First Corinthians, one of the things that he that Paul the apostle tells to them is ultimately that all things are yours.
But that also means we also have to bear all things UMM that we shouldn't have pride or envy towards others because the gifts that they manifest with the service that they do, ultimately we all are part of the Christ as it were, and therefore we are part in heirs with Him of all things. And ultimately as as UMM Charlie brought out, we become the fullness of Him who fills everything else.
So I'd love these verses here now before the feast, John 13 verse one now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own, which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.
Three, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God. He rises from supper in later sighs his garments, and took a towel and girded himself. And after he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith you was girded. And of course Peter commies to stop him, not understanding this new standard to which a master would turn to one and wash their feet. I love that umm, the Lord Jesus is that great and unspeakable gift as mentioned here as the one who and we with him are heirs of all things. And yet what did he do when he has everything? He birds himself.
He kneels down, and he serves.
His brother. There's nothing to be envious of. There's nothing to be prideful about, you know?
And this is the error of this is this is, this is the God of the universe here. Umm, how much more, uh, we or so much less, uh, and yet have the men that aired the whole thing.
Gospel 1
Gospel—Tim Ruga
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Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Gospel meeting. I'd like to start tonight with him number six on our hem sheets.
God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified twice for sinners. Jesus died number six.
God and mercy.
Became a pride and flexible and his father had anything to call by his forestry and you're experiencing the sun.
Oh Lord Calorie.
In the flies and I'm glad that was running down there.
And the Lord I am.
God never prayed to him, all right and.
OK. And we're like great, baby.
103 King's Lunchtime.
Uh, three six 310 + 5.
Come again?
Let's ask the Lord's help in prayer.
Her God and her Father, we thank thee that at the end of these day of meetings that we can.
Turn and proclaim that great news of salvation, the story that captivated so many of our hearts and gave us life made aside children. And we're thankful to these that we can proclaim that same message.
Of love and Thy grace to any who may yet be lost, and in their sins. Here we just pray that thou but Thy Spirit would work through Thy word tonight, and convict and he such that they would turn to thee. We have this in the name and for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
00:05:21
Tonight in the prayer for the Gospel meeting, Brother mentioned that verse from Romans chapter 10 and verse 17.
In this prayer says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And so tonight I am going to be preaching the gospel, but we'll be turning 2 verses from the Word of God.
Because it doesn't really matter.
Whether I can persuade you or not, but the Word of God is living and powerful and quicker than any two edged sword. And so it is the word that we're going to preach tonight. And what I'm asking you to do right now is listen to the Word of God.
Because if you are lost and in your sins, this may be your last chance. And I want to just start in Revelation chapter 21.
Revelation 21, verse 8.
But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and ************ and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake of fire, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Now, I'm going right to this verse because tonight we're going to talk about eternal realities. Things that actually matter, unlike the vast majority of the news are really unlike all of the news. These things are important, and we're going to talk about things that decide your fate for the rest of eternity. Not what you're going to be doing tomorrow or the rest of your life in this world, but things that are important.
And you notice that as we read this verse.
We read about a destiny and that destiny is not good.
Speaks here about a lake of fire.
And it says here that it burns with fire and brimstone says it's the second death.
This is a terrible place of torment, and it's set in contrast with the other place that Scripture talks about, which we call heaven.
The next verse is going to speak a little bit about that. We'll talk about that later on, but I want to start with this.
Because this is the default position, if we could call it that. You do nothing. This is where you end up. People say, how is that fair? How can that be true for me? I'm a pretty good person. I'm not like these things. Look at this list. It's terrible. Abominable murderers, ************ sorcerers, idolaters. I'm not like that. OK, fine. I'll grant you that. And tonight we're going to talk about the second thing on this list. And probably the first two are true of you at the very least.
Fearful and unbelieving.
You know.
Hell is going to be filled with people who perhaps only have these two sins in their life. Maybe they never did any of the rest, but these two things will be true of them.
And it's my purpose to talk about the believing in Jesus Christ. And here these are the ones who don't believe. And so I wanted to find some terms right in the beginning of this meeting, but we're talking about believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, in John chapter 16 and verse 8, the Lord Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit. And he said, he said that he will convict the world of sin.
Of righteousness.
And of judgment, the Spirit of God is working in the world today to do exactly that, to convict.
And if you will open your ear and listen to Him tonight, that's what He's doing with you too, if you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior.
But in fact first one that I wanted to talk about because in verse 9 the Lord Jesus went on to say.
Of sin the Holy Spirit will convict of sin because.
00:10:03
They believe not on me.
That's what we're talking about. People believe all kinds of things in the world today.
But they don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you don't believe on Him as your personal Lord and Savior tonight, then this verse that we started with applies to you. That is your destiny. A lake of fire burning with fire and brimstone. Awful. Something that never ends.
This is what God says. This is not my word. This is the word of God.
You know.
In Malawi, I've talked to many people about where they're going to spend eternity and I often.
Start with asking them if they know and most of them there have enough of a Christian background to say, well, I'm going to go to heaven. I said, well how is it that you're going to go to heaven? And one after another, sadly usually says something about what they're going to do or what they are doing.
Somehow.
That they are going to be good enough. Keep the law.
Many of them will say, well, I trust in Jesus Christ. OK, that's a little closer, but I want to say tonight it's not good enough.
Say how so? Doesn't the Bible say believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved? Yes it does. The Bible says that.
But there are so many people who believe in Jesus Christ the way they want to believe in Jesus Christ.
And the Word of God does not allow for that.
The Apostle Paul said when he was in Corinth, he said when I was there, I determined to do to know nothing among you.
Save Jesus Christ and him crucified.
And so the apostle Paul would know this among those people.
The Lord Jesus Christ, that is his person and him crucified, that is his work.
And I want to define terms right now, at the beginning of this meeting. Preach the gospel as simply as I can, that if you're gonna trust in Jesus Christ, you have to trust in who He is and what he has done.
There's no other way.
The Lord Jesus said this himself, and I want to go look at those verses. Let's go to John chapter 8.
John 8 verse 24 and let's just read from the middle of the verse.
This is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking when he was on earth. He says, If you believe not that I am.
You see, he is in italics. It doesn't belong there if you believe not that I am.
You, ye shall die in your sins.
What is he speaking about here?
He's referring back to Exodus chapter 3 where the Lord.
Jehovah God told Moses, you go and you tell the people that I am has sent you.
He claimed for himself that title as the ever existing God.
And when the Lord Jesus says these words in John chapter 8, he's saying that I am that same one.
I'm the I am and he says unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.
You cannot come to him without believing in who he is. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal God.
God himself, God the Son.
He is the one who always existed and will always exist. Let's go down his first.
58 The end of the chapter.
We'll go to verse 57.
Lord has spoken to him about Abraham.
Having rejoiced to see his day in verse 56 and verse 57, then said the Jews unto him.
Thou art not yet 50 years old. And has thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was.
00:15:10
I am.
Now the Jews were saying, How can you? You don't look old? How could you be old enough so that Abraham would see you?
But the Lord wasn't talking about that. He was talking about something entirely different.
If he had been that old and he could speak that way, he would say before Abraham was, I was. That's the only way we can speak and have it grammatically make sense. But when it comes to the eternal Son of God, he doesn't speak that way because he's not like us. He says before Abraham was, I am you go back a million years, I am. You go into the future, I am.
He always is, and that's the one that we're presenting tonight.
Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he said, unless you believe on me, that I am.
You will die in your sins. And so that's the starting point. We preach the person of Christ, and for the rest of this meeting, I want to take up the work of Christ. The Lord Jesus spoke of that too. Go back just a few chapters to John chapter 6.
And John 6 and verse 53.
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Now what does that mean? Many have made strange doctrines out of it, but the Lord Jesus explains it clearly enough back in verse 47. Because here he says.
Inverse uh.
54 He says whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood is eternal life. Go to verse 47. He says he that believes on me has eternal life. He's talking about believing in him.
And what he's saying here is you cannot believe in him just any way you want.
You have to believe in Him as to the truth regarding his work. And that truth is we're going to go on to see is that the Lord Jesus came to this earth.
Is that perfect Lamb of God and he gave up his life on the cross of Calvary, dying for their sins of people like me.
And he shed his blood, so that now if a person like me would look to him in faith and believe on him.
Then I can have eternal life and so can you if you believe on him tonight. There were others here who did not believe that way.
There was one in John three he thought the Lord was a good teacher. Thank God later on that one came to see that he was far more than a good teacher. But I've met so many who think that the Lord Jesus is just a good teacher. They say you have to follow Jesus and do what he says.
And that's as far as they get.
That won't help you.
Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, you must be born again. It's not enough.
The beginning of this chapter 6 of John.
There were a lot of people who came to hear the Lord Jesus teach and when it was over, he fed them and they were very impressed by that. They said, wow, look at this, here is someone that we can put faith in, this one can feed us. He can lead us against our enemies. Let's take him and make him a king. So he went away. They didn't believe.
On him, not the way they had to to be saved. That's why he says these things. It's not good enough to believe on the Lord Jesus is one who can do miracles and can do great things in your life. So many have told me, well I if I follow Jesus, I'll have a better life. That was the reason it's true, but it's not enough. What is this life we're talking about eternity. The verse we started about, that's where we're going.
If we don't trust in Jesus.
Have you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ?
00:20:00
Well, you say, I don't see why it should be so. Why do I have to trust in Jesus Christ? Well, let's see what the word of God says. Let's go to Romans chapter 3.
Romans 3 and verse 10.
As it is written, there is none. Righteous. No, not one.
There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together, become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, No, not one. And skip down to.
Verse 18 There is No Fear of God before their eyes. This is what God says.
And notice it says no, not one. There's no exclusions to this.
God sees us in this way. You say I'm not so bad.
You know, that's your opinion.
God has a different view, and this is God's view.
And God says there's not one righteous. Not a single one. Take all the people in this room. You may look up to some and say they're pretty good.
No, there's not one.
And so God takes up the case of all of us in these verses.
Go down to the.
End of verse 19, it says.
The middle of it says that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. It's as if we're in a courtroom here and the indictment is laid out as to what is wrong with man. All of us. God passes the sentence, and that sentence is guilty.
Condemned the whole world. Nobody's left out.
It goes on to say in verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
You say I don't believe that. Surely there's another way.
Maybe the 1St to say that, but I can't see how God would condemn me because I've been a pretty good person in my life.
I wanna tell you tonight again, this is the word of God. And it really doesn't matter what you think. Doesn't matter at all, actually, except as regards your future.
What matters is the truth.
A person may say they're convicted by a judge. I'm sorry, Your Honor. I don't believe in jail. OK? Ridiculous.
What difference does it make? He's going there just the same.
You might just as well as well say that to God. You can't get out of the judgment.
You come to the edge of a Cliff 100 feet high and you say I don't believe in gravity.
And you come right to the edge there and say I'm going to step off the edge and nothing will happen to me.
Does your opinion matter?
No, of course not. It's foolishness. You take one step and you're dead.
You know, I say, 53 says, oh, we like sheep have gone astray, and for very good reason, because as people we are like sheep.
We follow in the path of others. We think there's safety in numbers.
And there was a time that I read about when she did do this very thing that I spoke about, there was one sheep who came to the edge of a Cliff.
And it went over.
There was 1500 or so sheep if I remember correctly in that flock.
All 1500 of them went over.
One after the other, dying as they hit the ground, but they just kept following and following and following.
That's what it's like to follow others. Consensus of opinion doesn't help.
The flood is adequate proof of that.
The whole world pairs except for a few at that time. And so it is again. The Lord Jesus says the road that leads to destruction is broad. And why does that hate many go in there?
00:25:03
Don't follow in that.
They say that of those 1500 sheep.
Maybe the last 300 or so lived because those bodies piled up and after all, sheep is pretty soft.
And so some of them survived, but there is no escape from this judgment.
You have a chance now you're living.
You have a chance. We're preaching the gospel tonight because God loves you.
And He wants you to hear yet one more time that there's an opportunity for you to be with Him in heaven and not go to that place. But once you die, once you step over that precipice, it's all over.
Hebrews, Chapter 9.
Verse 27.
As it is appointed unto men once to die.
But after this the judgment, though Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.
It's appointed to die once and then there's judgment. No more chance, then it's over.
If you hear me now, you're alive and you have a chance and it might be your last chance and so.
You have this opportunity to come and to listen to the gospel and accept the Lord Jesus before you die. What will you do with it?
You know, the problem is, as we read with our sins, we saw that God convicted the whole world called it guilty. You may all the rest come short of the glory of God and guilty. And now God's holy righteous nature can only require one thing, and that is that that sin that we committed be paid for and the only way that that sin could be paid for.
Was by the blood of an innocent victim.
Just go back just a few verses, verse 22.
Middle of the verse it says without shedding of blood is no remission. That word remission means forgiveness. There's no forgiveness of sins before God without the shedding of blood. He requires it, His nature requires it, and in time past God allowed that there should be animals.
Spotless animals innocent to be offered up for sin.
But that never satisfied God. It never could. What good could an animal do for you or for me?
But instead, God had to provide for himself, a sacrifice for us.
Hebrews chapter 10 tells us all about that verse four. It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrificing offerings. I would is not now who is it talking about here? So Lord Jesus, the same one we read about in verse 28 following down from there, Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not but a body. Hast thou prepared me?
And burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.
Thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I.
Though I come.
And the volume of the book, it is written of me to do thy will. O God, the Lord Jesus Christ willingly came into this world. And remember who we're talking about, The eternal, mighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the sustainer and upholder of all things that glorious 1.
Came down, became a little lower than the angels, became a man so that he might go to the cross.
And go down into the suffering of death.
The Lord Jesus came here knowing it. God had prepared a body for him.
00:30:01
Why?
Because we've already talked about how God is a God of light, a God of holiness, and how God must punish sin and he can have no sin in his presence. But that same God is the God of love, and he had a will, a will that would reach out to man who were lost and bring them to himself and save them.
And there was no way that he could do it except that that one he loved so much, the Son of God, would do this thing.
Willingly come into this world and take on him a body prepared for him by God.
And go.
As I sacrifice for his blood to be shed, when he did come into the world and he began his earthly ministry, there was one who spoke about him. And one day that one John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, and he said, Behold the Lamb of God.
Here he was now a man.
And the mighty God. But now.
It's a man.
In this way, the Lamb of God, this spotless animal, a sacrifice that God could receive. And John spoke of him that way, and he says, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
The Lord Jesus came for that purpose, and without him coming into this world to do that mighty work of salvation, not one of us had any hope at all.
But because he did that.
You tonight can have eternal life by believing on Him.
Will you do it?
Let's go to Isaiah chapter 53 because we must look at that work.
OK, let's say a 53 verse 4.
Shirley, He had borne our grief and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken and smitten of God and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his strife we are healed.
Verse six, that one we talked about earlier. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Yes, it's true, we're like sheep. We've all gone astray, just following after others in the wrong way, LED astray by a nature inside that is corrupt, following the world and all the excesses of lust there.
Just like sheep.
But the Lord Jesus knew all about that.
And so he was willing to come and take on that body and to go and suffer for you and I.
And if we're going to preach the gospel tonight, we must proclaim this part of what his work was.
Because you need to know it.
God does not look on sin lightly, however lightly we may look on it.
And at the beginning of this meeting, I said that the word of God talks about the unbelieving.
And I'm going to contend again that the only thing you can do tonight is believe.
There is not one other thing you can do and you say, as so many before you have said, how can it be that easy?
My friend, it wasn't that easy.
There was nothing ever in the history of this world that was harder than that. God should forgive you or forgive me.
We get the story of it here. It costs the Lord Jesus Christ everything.
He had to pay for every sin I ever did, wherever he would do, and every other one who believes on him. You too if you trust in Him.
And the price that he had to pay, we can never measure it. We can never know it. We get some idea of what it says here.
Stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. Wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.
00:35:10
Says the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
You know, the Lord knows everything that I ever did, every offense I ever committed.
And thank God, because I can't remember them, but He knows them all, and he took them there and he put them on His Son. The Son of God had my sins placed upon him, and he bore them on the cross of Calvary so that I might live. Let's go to John chapter 19.
We need to see when that happened.
John 19 and verse 17.
And he, the Lord Jesus.
Bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified him and two other, with him on either side, one and Jesus in the midst. And so there came that day when wicked men just like you and me, I'm sure they thought they were good people too. They took this blessed, holy.
Son of God.
The only perfect man, whoever lived.
They took him and they put him on the cross.
They thought they would get rid of him.
God knew all about it.
The Lord Jesus said those words in eternity.
Behold, I come to do thy will, O God.
There was no question about it in his mind. He knew from eternity what he was going to go to do. Fulfill the love of God, all God's will, so that God's love could go out freely to you and I. And so the Lord Jesus allowed them to hang him there on the cross. They could never have touched him. Even while those soldiers drove the nails into his hands, He was giving them their breath.
He was holding their bodies together, causing them to continue in their life.
That's the person that we're talking about and that is the love that he had for you.
That's the love of God shown out and proved in a way that nothing else could show it. And that's the love of God we want to proclaim to you tonight. That's a love worth trusting in.
One who would die for you, but even now you're his enemy.
He didn't mind.
We'll never know what it cost him if you could suffer.
For your sins to the end of eternity, you could never pay for them all.
But here, in three hours, the Lord Jesus suffered.
And he suffered in a way that we could never know.
Not just for you, not just for me.
But he suffered infinitely more than that because he was perfectly holy and he felt that sin in a way that we never could.
And so he bore that punishment of God, until all of the wrath of God was exhausted against our sins.
And then we get to the end of that story.
It's also here in this chapter.
1St 29.
Verse 28 after this.
Jesus, knowing that all things are now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith by thirst.
Now they were set a vessel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon Hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said it is finished.
And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparations, the body should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath day, for that Sabbath day was in high day. We thought, Pilate, that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
00:40:14
Then came the soldiers and break the legs of the 1St and of the other, which was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs, but.
One of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came their out blood and water.
Verse 35.
Spirit of God.
'Cause the apostle John to write these words precisely as they are, and he that saw it bear record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he saith true, that you might believe.
We preach tonight Jesus Christ and him crucified.
It's your only hope. It's my only hope.
We have nothing else to preach. You remember in Hebrews Chapter 9 it says without shedding of blood there is no remission, no forgiveness of sins.
And so here that Lamb of God was slain in his love for you and me, and his love for his Father, to do all the will of God, and now his blood is shed.
First John chapter one, verse seven says the blood of Jesus Christ, his God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. That blood.
Came out of the side of a dead Christ, and God looked on that blood.
And the value of that blood is so great that now, as he said in the Old Testament, I will pass over you.
All of our sins are covered in that blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you trust Him tonight, your sins are gone. That blood is taken care of, All of it. He paid the price.
Remember what he said the last words here?
It is finished.
Verse 30 it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.
You know.
The Lord Jesus didn't just happen to die then.
I've often explained it this way. In Malawi, you can take me and you can go fell a pail of water right over here and you can get a couple guys together and overpower me and stick my head in there and it doesn't matter what I want to do, within approximately two or three minutes I'm dead. I have no power over my spirit.
But it's not true of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nobody could take his life from him, he said. I have power to lay down my life and I have power to take it again. This one, when the work was finished, he said, it was finished.
And he laid down his life. He went into death. It was necessary that he should die. God required that that victim die and that his blood be shed. And so the Lord Jesus voluntarily not only paid for your sins and mine.
But he went down to death.
And he allowed that soldier to come and Pierce his side, and so that all.
Of the will of God might be fulfilled, and now the love of God can go out full and free to anyone who trusts in Him.
There's a man.
That I met one day which we were drilling a well in Malawi and I got to talking to him and he said.
You know, I used to be a drunkard and I was doing so many bad things in my life, living in all immorality, but there came a day, he said, when I heard a man preach.
And he said, I listened to that one and what he said, and through that one I saw the power of God. And he said, I can tell you.
That God has power.
00:45:01
And I'm absolutely, absolutely convinced of it, and I'm committing my life to that cause.
I said that's very nice.
That sounds like a good thing.
But what about John 316? Have you heard him speak about that? He said, no, I don't. I can't say that I ever heard him speak about that. What? What is that first? And so we went to John 316. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
And we talked about that for a little bit.
He thought it was enough to follow on.
And so we talked about the gospel, and he listened for a little bit and this is what he said.
He said.
That sounds like it's important. Maybe I should pay more attention to that. But let me tell you something. I saw this man one day coming to a hospital and there was a lot of kids there all sick. And he said, tomorrow I want this place emptied out. And you know, I went back here the next day and it was empty. He said, I've seen the power of God. I devote my life to that cause. That was it. He didn't want to talk anymore.
About the Gospel.
I suppose he continues on still in that way.
The hardest thing?
Is to admit that God is right and we are wrong, and come in the simplicity of faith and trust in Christ alone. If you haven't done it tonight, perhaps you've heard the gospel many times before.
But there's some hindrance.
And very often I find is that people think that it's still something they can do.
I thought about it this way.
If you say to me, well, I need to go to England, how can I get to England? I tell you, OK, fine. I know how you can go to England. Come with me to New York City and we'll go out in the Hudson River and there's a nice pier there and you got out on the end of this pier and you jump off.
And you start swimming, and you swim, and you head east, and if you swim long enough you will get tangling.
No. Is that true? Yeah, it's true.
Can you do it? No, of course not.
And that's the problem with doing things.
There was a man who came to the Lord Jesus one day in Luke chapter 10, a lawyer, he says, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
So the Lord tells him he couldn't do it. He had already broken God's law.
The man failed utterly. So will everyone else, and so another human religion comes along because that's what all the religions of the world are. You know, only two, right? There's do and there's done. Tonight we preach. Done. The Lord Jesus said it is finished.
So there's nothing left to do, only trust in him.
And so another religion comes along and says, well, forget the Hudson. Over here on the East River, I have a pier that's closer to England. You jump off this pier, that's all it is.
You take the thoughts of man, That's all it is. Somebody else may offer you a wet suit. God says I have a boat. You get in this boat, you will arrive safe in England.
God says believe in Christ. There is no other hope. You must believe in Him.
There was another man that I knew in Malawi. He was actually very well respected among the believers there and a good friend of mine. I thought he was the Lord. We had a week of gospel meetings. At the beginning of that week I found out that he wasn't saved. He had gone on as a leader among Christians for many years. Also at the beginning of that week he discovered he wasn't saved and that man was miserable.
And that whole week he listened to the gospel.
And through he understood that everything he had been penning his hopes.
Of eternity on were useless. He saw it from the word of God.
The end of the week came.
00:50:02
He was so miserable.
The next week we went to another place. We had another week of gospel meetings. That man was there. On the second day of those meetings he came.
Now his face was different. He was beaming.
He said. So many have come and preached the gospel here before. I've heard it so many times, but I never understood.
He said, now I see that it's not my work, but I see what John 316 means. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. And he grabbed onto that verse and he held it. To this day, if you hear Samson come window preach the gospel, he's gonna preach from that verse.
That verse is life and death to him, and He is life.
Moses said that, you know.
I set before you this day life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore.
Choose Life.
And that man chose life. He trusted in Jesus Christ and received him as his Lord and Savior. That simply. And so can you tonight.
All you need to do is believe on Him who He is, the eternal Son of God.
That one who came into this world so that he might seek and find you because you were lost.
That one who gave his life a ransom for many, and that many includes you.
If you trust on him.
That one.
Who died and shed his blood to wash away all your sins? And simply looking to him in faith and believing settles the entire issue before God so that now you have No Fear.
Of going to that place that we began our meeting with tonight.
The Lake of Fire.
Is for the unbelieving.
When you trust in Jesus Christ, you are forever removed from that place.
Inhale there will be people that have are guilty of every one of those sins.
In heaven, there will be people who are guilty of every one of those sins too.
Except for one.
That is, none of the ones in heaven will be unbelieving.
That's sin separates going from heaven from going to hell.
That is the difference. That's why the Lord Jesus said of sin, because they believe not on me.
One further verse. Romans chapter 4.
Verse 5.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
I don't know how to put it in any simpler terms than this.
The one that doesn't work.
Lay all their deadly doing down, and it is deadly. That's a song you know. Perhaps you've heard it that we have in our hymbal.
To take up work and try to do anything.
To attain merit before God for your salvation is deadly.
That effort ends in one place.
And it's that lake of fire.
He says to him that worketh not, but believeth on him. That's God who does what. He takes ungodly people and justifies them.
He says his face is counted for righteousness.
When it comes to you and when it comes to me, it couldn't be easier.
It is simple.
We just have to get over ourselves. That's where repentance comes in. Turn away from our thoughts and accept what God says about us and turn in simple faith looking to the Lord Jesus Christ and then to believe on Him. The gospel is no harder than that.
00:55:08
We can't make it any more complicated than that, because the Lord Jesus has done everything.
And tonight, all we have to do is proclaim.
And you must believe on him this.
Clothes in prayer, our God and our Father, We thank Thee for that one.
It's always given for the object of our faith. We thank you for His mighty work on Calvary's cross and that He finished all that work that thou didst give Him to come here into this world and do.
We thank You for the salvation that we have through Him, and we continue to pray for any who are lost and in their sins here. We pray that by Thy Spirit that would open up their hearts, that Thy word would be effectual there.
That there would be.
Someone tonight who would pass from darkness to light.
From death to life.
We just pray.
And asked this in the name and for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Will Being Clean on the Outside Get You Into Heaven?
Children—Tim Roach
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Good morning.
There's some seats up front if any of the children want to come and sit in the front row.
You can just come on up while we sing the first song. Somebody have a song you'd like to sing.
Yes.
43.
OK, set in here.
123456
and I think I don't know what we're going to do and have you 1006 five 43 to 300 and one 301 five.
67859758.
765-436-5837, so thank you.
34567899887 Thank you every time 99765438910 to me.
4567891089 four simple 10109876547434 and four.
Someone else have a song you'd like to sing?
OK, how about we sing #41?
Around the throne.
Umm and sign in grow the spotless. Why it is flying without any calories.
Well.
I think my grandchildren have a birthday singing glory.
Glory.
Glory Face, we're going to follow up on Allah and Mahalo.
What brings them to the world top of that council of pride and death where all this being sent to all hands dwelt on Cains, the kills and everything in glory?
Glory.
Glory days to promote.
You sometimes say you're a champion, but do I know where you have sinned now watch him breathe. More scratches, blood behold. And why? And bleeding, thinning body.
Low Watery and the Muslim one and Five nine.
You're probably wondering what I have in this bag.
Uh my Bible.
Here, we'll just set this down here.
I don't think there's.
Yeah, OK, someone else have a song you'd like to sing?
#43
One door and only.
One inhabit that.
You.
Why don't we pray and ask the Lord's help before we continue our God and Father We give thanks for this new day. We give thanks for the sunshine. We give thanks for all the boys and girls who are here this morning. And we just ask for your your help today as we consider the gospel and at for the children. We just commit this day into your hand. Father, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
OK, someone else have a song you like to sing?
00:05:02
#40
Jesus loves me.
I can see him strongly. Yeah. It's like something. Yeah. It's not getting. Yeah, it's it's not a big, it's not like those countries.
2000, 5005 It will by itself away my sins like God bless those outcommunications.
Yes, it's a lot of kids. Yes, you might want me. Yeah, I'm seeing some sponsors.
By Motel 60.
0110179.
Great, beautiful being against and upon. It is being a promised breaking line.
Yeah, it is like something. Yeah. Do you need some time to be? You have to do. That's why I'm sick.
I don't tell me. So she's like one thing about 6 Yellow, but I don't like everything that I have to do. But I'm not produced by hiding from a long time. You didn't know what I'm going to watch two weeks before I never mind my mind.
Yeah, yeah.
Sometimes I'm sleeping. If I have a pain, I'm not sick, it's not outside, so I'll help you get some.
Well, static. Well, stay inside. It's a couple of months when I'm glad you have a fight from them. Shut up and I die by.
The mind and God, honey, you know how much you need, but well, well, yeah, she's like one thing.
I see there's a little difference in everybody today.
Everybody's dressed up nice, even me. I'm dressed up, got a tie on, got a little pocket puff to make me look nice.
We look good, don't we?
And you boys and girls, you got all cleaned up, maybe even had a bath this morning or last night or yesterday.
But you we get all cleaned up and nice. We look good and we're ready for the day. And that's good, because the Lord Jesus is worth our our honor and our respect and praise someone else. Have a song you'd like to sing this morning? Yes, 2141. Uh, we sang that once already. Do you have another song you'd like to sing?
42 Good one, I.
A little.
Pride. They may not have no salt of Allah and we have a price that's not enough.
And my father also read anything, anything like that. Now maybe it's just there's a little bit of.
When you got dressed this morning.
Your mom probably said, Oh no, you can't do that. You got to put your good shoes on, or you can't wear your sneakers, or you got to wear a tie or you got to something's just not quite right and ****. So but how good is good enough? How good do you have to be to go to meeting? How good do you have to get dressed up?
00:10:00
Some maybe get dressed up nicer than others, and for some to be dressed up isn't what other people think it is. How good is good enough? Umm.
I remember when we were home schooling our kids, one of the kids, he knew that if he got 90% on the practice test, he didn't have to do the real test.
And so he would do 90% and he wouldn't do the rest of the test. And we'd say, but you didn't finish these questions, oh, I don't have to, I already have 90%.
He knew just how good enough he had to do to pass the grade. And if you're going to do a test at school, you want to know well, what's the passing grade, How good do I have to do to pass the test?
There is another boy and he would go to school and he would think that he could just write down any old answer for his answers. And sometimes we do that. We get tired. We don't want to really spend time on our test. And so we just write down any old answer. And because we want to get finished and we want to go out and play and we never do anything do any better and we're not worried about how good enough.
We do. And I remember when when I was in school and in math, I was trying to get ahead of the class and I was, I use. I was usually pretty good at school and I I didn't have to worry about grades. But so I continued to try to work ahead in math and I found another friend in the class that he had taken the teacher's school book and written down all the answers for the whole.
For several chapters ahead, and I knew that wasn't right. I wasn't going to borrow the teacher's book to do that, but I borrowed his notebook.
And I got ahead in class and.
Late when I graduated that year, I went out swimming and.
Because I cheated. I cheated to try to get ahead because I was lazy. I didn't want to do what I had to do. Well, I was out swimming that summer and I dove off the rock and down into the stream. But I didn't jump out far enough and I landed on my head. And Mr. Barry, he was downstream and he pulled me out and they took me to the hospital.
After that, I couldn't think right for doing my math because I cheated, I couldn't get ahead in math, and the Lord had to punish me for that.
How good do we have to be to pass our grades?
There isn't another young man.
Well, a lot of us are like this. We know all the answers because we went to Sunday school for so many years. So we know all the answers. We can say the verses. I'm not going to ask you to say a verse today, but you know all the verses. You know how to answer the questions. You know what's right, you know what's wrong and you're not. You don't dare do what's wrong when you're in front of other people.
I was like that.
But when? Perhaps when your mom or your dad tells you, OK, it's time to go to bed, or you can't go play basketball, or we get angry and we try to manipulate her mother and twist her mind to try to make her agree with us. And that's sin. That's sin. We think we're good enough the way we are, and we don't want to change. We don't want anybody to tell us what to do. We don't want anyone to tell us that you're a Sinner.
And we look good, but we are. But inside we're not so good. We need to have the inside good as well. But how? How good? That? That brings us to the question, how good do you have to be to get to heaven? Here you are at Sunday School this morning and we're listening to the gospel. How good do you have to be to get to heaven?
When I was in Malawi, I would ask, ask we're we're teaching the, the, the people. And uh, we asked the question, how do you get saved? And one boy raises his hand and he says, stop stealing. So I said, OK, stop. Who taught you that? All the Sunday school teacher. Who's the Sunday school teacher. And so we had the the teacher stand up.
What are you teaching these children? How do you tell them how to get saved?
And from all around, everybody's telling her believe, believe, believe. And so she says believe.
00:15:09
Can you get to heaven by to stop stealing? Will that help you? I don't think so. I don't think so. How good do you have to be, though, to get to heaven? How good is good enough? When we were when I was in school, we had a gymnastics coach and he would tell us what looks good is good.
And for gymnastics, that may work, but to be fit for heaven, that doesn't work just because you look good on the outside.
Doesn't mean you're that good on the inside. To be fit for heaven, you need to be good on the inside.
You know, maybe you've heard this story before, but there there was another time we were in Malawi, and this lady, she was.
She was going to have a baby, but she didn't want the baby and so she went into the.
Into the When the baby was ready to be born, she went into the toilet. And there's a hole in the toilet.
On the floor and they she had the baby and she didn't want the baby. So she took the baby and pushed it down into the hole and put it down into the toilet.
Into the outhouse and the baby was crying and the mother left and she never ever came back. She didn't want the baby. She was well the uh the people in the village, they heard the baby crying so they went and took the the.
Toilet apart. And they reached down into the slop and peeled the baby out. And the baby was dirty and it stunk. And they took the baby, they cleaned it up and they put nice clothes on it and they gave it good food to eat. And the baby started to get better and it started to be healthy. But you know what? The baby looked good on the outside, but inside the baby had disease and it had HIV and AIDS and it was sick and it was dying on the inside, but it looked good on the outside.
And they dressed it up and they cleaned it up and it looked real nice.
It wasn't long before the baby died.
You need to be good on the inside to get to heaven, not just on the outside.
It won't do you any good just to stop stealing.
To stop your jealousy. To stop your lies. To stop your fighting.
To stop your disobedience against your mother. That's not a decision that you can make that will save you.
You can't make a decision just to do good. Maybe you think well if you help others.
Or if you give money, it's going to help you to get to heaven. It doesn't work that way. You can't be good enough. You can sit there and try to be good, but there's going to become a temptation and you're going to fall. You're going to fail. You're going to sin. If you want to go to heaven, you need to know how good do you have to be to get to heaven.
How good is good enough to satisfy God? Well, there's a verse in Matthew 48, Matthew 5, verse 48.
And while you're looking that verse up, there was another verse that there was a man. He came to the Lord Jesus.
And he said to him, Master, good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?
This man came to the Lord Jesus. He thought he could be good. He thought he could do something to obtain.
Eternal life to be saved. But there is no good thing he could do. And here's what here's another verse in uh, Matthew 5, verse 48. This tells you how good you have to be.
In order for you to get to heaven and it says be perfect even as your Father.
In heaven is perfect.
Wow. How does that happen? How can you be as perfect as God? Can you be as good as God? Well, that is the standard. If you want to get to heaven, you need to be righteous, you need to be holy, you need to be as good as God. But for us, that is impossible. That is impossible. The only way for you to be clean. The only way for you to be righteous.
Is to have your sins taken away. You need to be saved from your sin.
You need to have the sin taken off your record if you boys and girls.
If we had a sign up here and we had your name on it, and we listed all your sins on that, he disobeyed Mom, you stole a cookie. You.
00:20:06
He cheated on a test.
You put all your sins down there.
How are you going to get them off the record? You're guilty. You can't get rid of them.
You can't be good enough to take away those sins that have been written down. You've already done them.
You need to have those sins taken off your record.
So it is not the good people who go to heaven.
It's a center. If you want to go to heaven, it needs to be a Sinner who's been saved by the grace of God.
He is the one who's going to go to heaven, you boys and girls, You can only get to heaven when you're saved through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you need to put your trust in him. You can't put your trust in your in in sitting here and looking good on the outside and making everybody think you're a Christian. Because you're you're sitting here and you're looking nice. That doesn't get you to heaven. And it doesn't help because your mom and dad are saved. That doesn't get you to heaven. Let's go to Titus Chapter 3.
Titus, Chapter 3.
And verse 5.
It says here not by works of righteousness, which we have done. That's good things. Not by being good and trying to be righteous and do good things.
That's not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy.
He saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing.
Of the Holy Ghost? That's a difficult verse to understand, but mercy?
Mercy. When you have sinned against your mom or your dad or against the Lord Jesus, mercy is getting something that you don't.
Deserve or not, it's not getting what you do deserve. You need to be punished.
But the Lord Jesus is willing to not punish you if you accept the work that he did on the cross.
The Lord Jesus came because he loved you. Boys, hey girls, He loves you too. And he died on the cross because he loves you because he doesn't want you to be punished. So he took the punishment for you if you will accept him, and so.
We need to have the inside cleaned up. When you when you when you look at me, you see, oh, I look pretty good on the outside, but what do I have on the inside? You don't know me much.
A lot of you. You don't even know my name. My name's Tim or Mr. Roach.
But you still don't know who I am. You think I'm good because I'm standing up here talking to you.
And then maybe because I have a pocket puff, you think I'm I'm pretty nice.
But what is on the inside of this nice suit?
I'm going to take my jacket off.
Oh my.
My Oh my, what is this?
Anger.
Lost in sin?
Liar thief fighting.
A Wretch like me.
Jealousy.
Bad news.
Disobedient to mom and me a bad Sinner.
I looked good when I came into this room.
Nice tie.
Nice jacket, Look good.
What can I do to take this this thing away?
What will work? How do I get these things off of my shirt?
More importantly, what's on your heart? What's inside of you?
Your sin, Your disobedience. How are you going to get your disobedience off of your heart?
So the Lord Jesus can come in because the Lord Jesus can't come into your heart when it has sin on it, in it. Some people tell you, tell you, oh, I have to ask the Lord Jesus into my heart to be saved. But if you have a sinful, dirty heart.
00:25:08
The Lord Jesus can't come in, so we can't ask the Lord Jesus to come in. We need to ask the Lord Jesus to save us from our sins.
Lord Jesus, I'm a Sinner. I have all this vadnais on me. I need to get rid of it.
How do you get rid of it?
It's only in the blood of the Lord Jesus.
I can take this shirt off, but.
The sign is still here. It's still dirty.
Look at this. Would your mom let you wear this to meeting?
My mom doesn't know about it.
So.
Can we just throw it in the garbage?
Yeah, we'll just throw it in here.
And you know, it's the blood of Jesus Christ.
God's Son that cleanses us from all sin. And I'm going to shake this up.
And see if we can't get it clean.
Now it's not the blood of Jesus, it's going to clean my shirt, but it's the blood of Jesus that's going to clean your heart from sin.
So while I'm shaking this.
We're going to sing one verse.
Of #32.
What can wash away my sin?
What can wash away?
If you want to make it up, no, no, no, no no.
No.
OK, let's see.
What happens here to this shirt?
It's clean.
It's clean.
Amazing. Look how white and clean that is. It's beautiful. There's no lies. There's no fighting. It's clean. You can have your heart look like this. All that sin that you've done, you can have a nice clean heart that the Lord Jesus can come into. Do you want that? Do you want to stop disobeying your mom? Do you want to start doing good in your school?
Do you want to start paying attention to the teacher? You want to stop fighting and arguing?
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin.
It's only the blood of Jesus Christ that can cleanse your heart from sin when you tell the Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, I am a Sinner and I want to be saved. I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that you came into this world.
I believe that you are God. I believe that you took the punishment for my sin. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and he will wash away your sins just like this nice white shirt got cleaned up.
By shaking it in a bag, you can have your sins washed away When you come to the cross of Jesus Christ and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son will take away all your sin. Remember this, uh, the sign that we had with all your sins on it, that the Lord is going to wipe that sign clean. He's going to throw the sign away because there's no more sin. Because the Lord Jesus saved you, He washed your sin away.
And if you sin again tomorrow, that's all That sin has already been washed in the blood of Jesus.
It's already gone because the Lord Jesus took the punishment for you at the cross.
But now when the Lord Jesus takes your sin away, He gives you something else.
He gives you eternal life. The Spirit of God can now live in your heart because your heart has been cleaned.
From sin.
Because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus Christ, He died for our sins. He shed his blood.
00:30:00
They buried him, and on the third day the Lord Jesus rose again, and he had victory over sin and over death and over Satan. And the Lord Jesus wants to give you victory over sin. When you go to school, you have struggles because you don't want to do it.
When you come home and you have to obey your mom, you don't want to do it.
But the Lord Jesus, he wants to give you victory over those sins, over those temptations.
And it's because he's washed your sins away. He's given you eternal life, and he's giving you the Holy Spirit. And so you have the power and the ability to obey your mom. You have the ability now to obey the teacher and to try hard to do, do your schoolwork, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. You know, there's a a sad story of a little girl who disobeyed her mom. We were out at the Grand Canyon a few months ago.
And I found this book, and in the book there were stories about people who had.
Who had died at the Grand Canyon? Well, this little girl, and she was with her family and she kept running up to the edge of the of the Canyon looking over. And the mother pulled her back. No, don't go out there. Stay behind the fence. And the little girl, she wouldn't do that. She got away from mom and she ran over and played over here. And she wanted to throw stones and play over by the edge. And her mother said no. And finally the mother took her by the cheeks and said, don't you go over there.
It's you're going to die and you're going to fall over. And she pulled away from the mother and she ran over and she slipped.
And she fell and she fell, and she fell 600 feet down to the bottom. At the bottom she crashed.
That little girl will never disobey her mother again.
Because she's dead.
She hit the rocks at the bottom.
And she died.
God says that the wages of sin is death.
And if you continue on boys and girls, if you continue on to disobey your mom and you don't care about it.
The wages of sin is death. You may not fall off the edge of a Cliff.
But when you stand before the Lord Jesus, the one who loves you, the one who died for you, when you stand there before him, he says, Who are you?
What do you want? And you say, well, Lord, I said all the verses.
But I didn't believe in you.
Lord Jesus is going to say to you, I don't know who you are, he's going to tell his angels to take you.
And tie you up and throw you.
Into hell, the lake of fire. And you're going to fall and you're not going to stop at 600 feet.
You're going to keep on going and going and going like the bottomless pit.
Boys and girls, hell is not a game. It's not a game that we test our mom and dad with.
Hell is serious punishment and God isn't there. The Lord Jesus isn't there.
The Lord Jesus loves you. He wants you to come to him, and that's why he says to you today he says, come unto me.
The Lord Jesus said, Suffer the children to come, little children to come unto me.
He wants the big children too, and the adults. He wants you to come to him today. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Maybe we could pray. But before we before you leave, I have one other thing to say.
Our God and Father, we give thanks for the Lord Jesus. We give thanks that He came into this world knowing that we were sinners, knowing that he was going to go to the cross, knowing that our sin was going to be put upon Him, knowing that He was going to be punished for our sins.
Knowing that his blood would be shed. Lord Jesus, we thank you for all of this. We thank you for making a way for boys and girls, men and women, to have our sins washed away, washed clean and white in the blood.
Of Jesus Christ, the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We give thanks for this. We just pray if there's anyone who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior that they might come.
And find out how to be saved. We ask this Lord Jesus.
00:35:04
Amen.
I want to finish seeing that #32.
And while we sing, I want you boys and girls, you got a choice to make today.
And here's your choice when we're finished singing.
I'm going to go back to my chair just over there.
And your choice is you can get up and you can leave and you can go out of that room.
And.
You can ignore the gospel.
And get a little closer to hell.
And have a chance of falling into the abyss.
Into the lake of fire or.
You can come and talk to me and I'll help you try to understand how you can be saved.
OK, let's let's finish singing #32 verse 2.
For my party.
Overnight when I'm getting metastatic and I just think about blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Nothing can cause themselves nothing but the blood pressure.
Not being good, but I have not seen about the blood flow.
Pressure. That's well, that's why I make me cry and slow.
Dial zero 531 two 3130.
2 Nothing about the blood clothing.
Hey boys and girls.
Remember your choice.
If We Are Not Plugged Into the Lord We Can Do Nothing
Faith - Believing God
Satisfaction - He Satisfieth the Longing Soul
1 Corinthians 12:19-31
Reading
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225.
We were just on the back of your mind and it's all thank you forever community. I am right.
So I'm gonna get rid of them to make sure I'm living in a muscle when it's like very difficult. I have it together and it's been so long, it's gone.
Well, the interim left now.
It's not like we say oh, OK, but.
Let's crank that blood and eggs.
Little green from my sweater. Extravagant. So do you think it's not? Umm, I don't like the birthday in the dark. I have time to make my own.
400,000 renewal. I think I'll give you a lot about your grand uh, I just gave him the rest of the question.
I'm glad that's still very strong. Still doing. And how's the lighting from?
I'm trying to see.
Uh-huh.
308101399.
All right. You're going to be good, period. What's going on? You're going to take it.
With all my revenge from neither, from God to the moon, it'll be a little my friend.
If you're not going to go out and.
I have a prayer request for, uh, our brother Nathan Thompson in Atlanta. He's been taken to the hospital like Austin, chest pains and pain down his arm, so he lifts him up in prayer. That's Nathan Thompson in Atlanta.
Gracious Father, we do lift up our dear brother Nathan.
To Thy arms of love at this particular time of need, and ask for grace and Thy supply for him, for his wife and his family. We pray for special help for them and for us too. Lord, here we are opening again Thy precious word, and we confess.
How needy we are, and we do pray that thy spirit may have liberty.
As we speak about it according to the need, as though to see it in us, Lord, we pray, give thanks for these moments together. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
But now I've gone set the members, every one of them, in the body, as it hath pleased him.
And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable. Upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely parts have no need. But God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked.
00:05:09
That there should be no schism in the body.
But that the members should have the same care one for another, and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. And God has set some in the church. First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers. After that miracles and gifts of healings helps governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles are all prophets are all teachers, are all workers of miracles have all the gifts of healing. Do all speak with tongues.
To all interpret, but covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
I'd like to just make a very practical comment on this verse that we opened with. I know we have made some comments about it, but this little expression that he's placed the members in the body, not as it has pleased us, but as as it has pleased him. Now I want to bring this right down to that which we're going to face when we go home from these meetings, and that is we're going to go back to the little assemblies from which we came. You know, it's wonderful to be here at meetings like this and as members of the body of Christ.
As believers, we've interacted with one another and we've had a wonderful time. But you know, most of you in this room don't know me as well as my local brethren, and I don't know you as well as your local brethren know you. And so we're each going to go home to the assemblies from which we came, and we're going to interact with those that the Lord has not only been pleased to save and bring into the body of Christ, but those that He has been pleased to gather to His name at His table.
And as we go home and look around the meeting room or wherever we meet, let's remember that He has placed the members in the body, not as it has pleased us, but as it has pleased him. He's gathered to his name and brought us into fellowship.
With a company of people that perhaps we wouldn't have otherwise chosen. I often think of Gideon in this regard. You know, Gideon had a vast army. But the Lord said to Gideon, whom I say shall go with thee, shall go with thee.
And whom I say shall not go with thee, shall not go with thee. And the 300 men that eventually went to fight with Gideon were not necessarily the men that Gideon would have chosen. He had nothing to do with the choice.
Had the Lord allowed Gideon to go through the army and hand pick the 300 men that he was going to go out and fight with, it might have been a very different company. And you say, well, I go home and you know, there's this brother and that sister and that brother just kind of rubs me the wrong way. And that sister, she just, I just don't see eye to eye with that sister. And we just don't always get along. Remember that the Lord chooses our company for us.
You always find that in Scripture, whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament.
And I believe the blessing comes when we reconcile this in our own souls. And so we're going to go home to a company that we might not have not normally chosen, naturally chosen to be with. But if we realize that it's the Lord's choice, brethren, it's going to help us in our interactions one with another. And remember too, that in breaking bread at the Lord's table and expressing as we did this morning, the truth of the one body.
With one loaf on the table, it brings us into relationship with one another.
To a closeness of relationship that is closer than anything on earth outside the family tie. You know you can go to another fellowship of believers and you can sit there from week to week, and sometimes you hardly know the person two rows behind you. Never, never mind those who are in the same sort of fellowship in another city or another state or another country or another continent. But in breaking bread at the Lord's table and expressing the truth of the one body, it brings us into this closeness of relationship.
And that's why if grace and love aren't exercised, the machinery is gonna grade up. If I can put it that way, I'll just go back to what I think Bob pointed out at the beginning of these readings. And if I can put it just a little in a Li, the same thought but in a little different language. In the 12Th chapter of where we're reading, we have the machinery, we have the body of Christ, we have the machinery. In the 14th chapter, we have the machinery in operation. But what do we have in between?
00:10:00
We have the oil that makes the machinery run smoothly. We have the love chapter, and if love and grace aren't exercised in the local assembly, the machinery is gonna grade up. We are going to get on one another's nerves. There are gonna be problems, there are gonna be difficulties. There's gonna be divisions if we're not careful. And so I just say that he's placed the members in the body as it pleased him, and he's gathered to his name in the local assembly as it pleased him.
And if each of us would practically in our souls esteem other better than ourselves, as we are exhorted to, I think in Philippians, if we would esteem other better than ourselves, we would be very careful what we said and did towards that person. If I look at you, brother or sister, and I really believe, I really in my soul believe that you're better than me, that I esteem you better than me, I'm gonna be very careful what I say about you to somebody else. I'm gonna be very careful what I do against you behind your back or to your face.
And so it's just a practical comment, but remember, He's placed the members in the body as it has pleased him. Most of you, I wouldn't know in this room if the Lord hadn't saved me and hadn't saved you, and if the Lord hadn't gathered you to his name and by his grace gathered me.
We have somewhat of the same thought in Ephesians 4, where we have the body presented too, and at the beginning of the chapter, uh, we have some exhortation that relates to our walking in the truth of the one body.
Says verse one of chapter 4 of Ephesians. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vacation wherewith you are called. We are called in one body.
But it says with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.
All holiness and meekness. Anybody cares to say that they have all loneliness and meekness?
I don't think any of us could say that. Brethren, we are all learning about how important these things are. If we're going to walk in the truth that there is one body. Loneliness does not offend others and meekness does not take offense, and those are important things. As we walk together, we take offense. We give offense so often because we're occupied with ourselves and we are not to be occupied with ourselves. We will be occupied with others, with Christ.
But then it says forbearing one another in love. I should say there is another word here, long-suffering.
I think you all remember how **** Gorgas used to pronounce that, he said. We don't pronounce it right. It should be long-suffering and we take it for a little bit and then we sometimes blow up. Sometimes we want somebody to learn in 10 minutes what took us 10 years to learn. Brethren, we need long-suffering and forbearance. That's self-discipline. Sometimes we like to talk about discipline of others.
But this is self-discipline. Forbearance is something Brother Jim you don't like and me. But instead of saying something you just bear with it.
Thank you, brother. But that's what forbearance is, and it's necessary in our walking together as members of the body of Christ. But notice then it says forbearing one another in love. And that's love, the agape love, the love that loves when there's nothing lovable, brethren, and that's the love that's to be in evidence. Oh, may the Lord help us. You know, I often think of these two characteristics, loneliness and meekness.
The Lord Jesus said take my yoke upon you.
And learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. You shall find rest unto your souls.
Where are you gonna learn that with him? And oh, and I think, uh, the creator of the universe, the one who spoke the whole universe into existence. There he stands before Pilate and they accuse him, violently accuse him. Is there any response of himself to defend himself? Oh, how different I am. How we need to bear his yoke and we need to learn of him.
Those Jewish high priests came up and spit in his face. Think of the insult of that. And yet there was no reaction against them.
00:15:05
Loneliness and meekness. The Lord help us brethren, this is what we need. I remember there is a brother, I lived in Bolivia that and I didn't seem to get along the best. And one day I had an opportunity to talk to him and said, brother, you know what? I didn't choose you to be a member of the body of Christ and you didn't choose me. Somebody else chose us both and they put us in the same body. We gotta figure it out.
Now we're going to go on together because we're in one body and that's the truth of the matter, brother. In our chapter going back, uh, somebody mentioned yesterday that inverse is, uh.
15 through 20 we have what is called sometimes the inferiority complex.
And from verse 21.
Uh, forward, we have a superiority complex. Both complexes come because of occupation of one with another. And that's not wise, brethren.
How can you compare the work of the foot with the work of the hand? Both are such important members in the body and in its function. Oh, how important it is to realize I need you, brother. Even though I might think I don't need you, I do need you. We need each other. Each one is necessary, even the ones.
That seemed to be more feeble or necessary.
So it takes grace sometimes, brethren, to go on together, but that's the truth of the body of Christ. So often I hear this, I don't seem to be able to get along with these. Brother, I am out of here.
Is, is that what we're seeing in view of the truth of the one body? You mean you think you can be out of the body of Christ? You can sever the ties? That's not the truth of God. You and I have to figure out how we're going to get along together, how we're going to, uh, continue to go forward and bring glory to the Lord Jesus. May the Lord help us, brethren, in these endeavors.
Brother Jim, you said that if we really considered others better than ourselves.
It would go a long ways to do that. I had a young person, young brother want to say to me, but they're not better.
What do I do about that? I don't think I can't fool myself. I mean, I think maybe that guy is better and maybe she's better, but I don't think he's better. How do I get around that? What do I do with that? You know, I can't just make myself think that way, but we have instruction from scripture and faith comes into it. But you know, you think about that and you chuckle a little bit and, and, uh.
I thought about it a while and I said, you know what? Make up a list of what's wrong with that person, the things that bother you. Then make a list of your own about what you know about yourself. I'll bet you your list about yourself longer.
You know what? You're right. And that there still may be things that bother us about other people.
And sometimes this idea of taking an offense.
You know, people because sometimes do things to try and just push your buttons. You know, people are funny like that. Families do that and they try to get a rise out of you. Well, what if you decide one day you won't take a pair? I'm just not gonna bother be bothered by this. Sometimes that person, then it happens at school and the playground and all of that. You learn some of those things and you just say, well, I'm gonna try it this time. And and then you find out it actually works and you learn, uh, in practical way that that, well, I didn't take offense.
Uh, it changed the dynamic of the situation. And then maybe you'll learn the next step. But some of these things, uh, you start with, while the Lord says so and I respond by faith because he says so. And then you need to think it through and then seek a way to, you know, try it out, work it out.
I think the book is Philippians enough to digress too far, really gives construction as to how to go along in the assembly. It's not taking up truth as such. But I always have seen the book of Philippians corresponding to Joseph's instructions to his brethren. He said two things. One was regard, not your stuff we find at the end of flipping. The other one was see that you fall not out by the way. And so in Philippians 2, we have this expectation that we've been talking about.
00:20:04
You have to be there for any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, of any fellowship of the Spirit, of any vows of mercy. Fulfill you my joy that ye be like minded having the same love, saving 1 accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through striker Vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own thing, but every man also on the things of others, that this might be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
You know, when it says to be at the to be of one mind, it doesn't mean that we all have to be lockstep and thinking exactly the same thing. I would suggest that contradicts what we've been enjoying in Corinthians, where we have unity and diversity.
But the one mind that's broken of is the mind that we have in verse five. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. That's the one mind that we need to have. And then just one other comment. You know, we love to make me. We love meekness and loneliness in our presence.
But it's much hotter in ourselves.
You know, when problems come up, you always hear someone say, well brother, you need to be me and I, I'm not saying I don't need to be meek, but next time we're.
Say those words, perhaps we should think about ourselves and where the problem lies. You know, we let this mind be in us. It was also in Christ Jesus. Then there'd be a far few problems, far fewer problems than we experienced. In fact, there were no problems. We really carried him out. You think? Uh, brother, following up with what you just said about being in one mind, uh, I was noticing earlier and against chapter 4 and verse 2 where Paul is beseeching Eunice.
And teaching that they be of the same mind and the Lord is that, is that the same thought? He's, he's not putting them together. He's in, you know, he's signaling them out individually. And uh, I hope that there would be a prayer that they would be of one mind. Is that, is that the same thought? Are they, uh, there was some kind of attention there obviously. And Paul was trying to be a peacemaker. I think that's the way I'm reading it. I would agree with you. I'd say that one mind is the same again that we have. We'll let you know. We touched on this yesterday about being envious and jealous of others were since.
Others may have, and in James we have the conclusion of that.
Said that umm in James 316 so we're ending in stripes. There is confusion in every evil wood and I believe that would strike really has the sense of striving. We're striving with our brethren because something that we think that we should be doing or that they have a better gift or that their gift is more preeminent, then there's going to be confusion and every evil work. And so in the case of odious and Kentucky umm.
Which perhaps we could say with Odious and Snacky, but you know, they needed to get their eyes off each other and to have that one mind that we have back in the second chapter.
Your brother was mentioning humanism.
And one of the great ironies of, of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment period is, is they finally discovered that the earth was not the center of the universe, but then they placed themselves at it, center of it, what we call an anthropocentric view of things. They, and one of the things that I love about, umm, a certain definition of humanism is a simple phrase called that man is the measure of all things.
Also, Segway and put our brother has spoken about forbearing because one of the my favorite verses in the New Testament is from Hebrews where it says and those we Speaking of the sacrifice. I'm not going to build a quote. I'm going to paraphrase, umm, talking about the sacrifices and how they were effectual through the forbearance of God. Now I know and having well, I know enough of Greeks and realize I probably need to look a little closer to smash to see if they're the two words are the same. But I like this thought and that is.
When we make ourselves the measure of all things.
We can judge very, very quickly because our standards and, and often unfortunately, it's, it's associated with a bit of self hatred, as you mentioned, because if we're the measure of all things and we, we also have ideals that we can't really aspire to. So it's kind of a divide itself, I guess, in that, in that, in that respect. But I love that idea of bearing with one another, umm, thinking of the Lord's Prayer as forgiving as we have been forgiven to, for bear with one another to have mercy.
And that Ephesians umm 4 I think it was again that her brother mentioned.
I think it's at the end of that chapter.
00:25:02
It's almost, uh, I mean, it begins so wonderfully. Not to not to get off track, of course.
As you mentioned, we're bearing with one another long-suffering from the end of chapter 4. I love this too.
Grieve not the Holy Spirit verse 30 of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be a kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. You know, if we place the measure of all things back in the person of Christ, and when we go to judge someone else, and this is I mean, I almost want to cry because of just how many times I've transgressed this.
Umm, I can. You can hear his words saying that which I have called clean, called out, not unclean, you know.
That which I have called lovely called thou, not unlovely.
And when we put him as the measure of all things, again, this loneliness, this meekness we talk about, we often view the, the Christian faith as putting up fences, right? OK, don't do that, don't do that. It's a bunch of negatives. And we, we neglect the fact that Christ came and, and I don't know if this will translate into Spanish. I'm sorry, umm, something that we call in English a positive thing. It's an affirmative thing. It's a, it's a, it's a forward moving thing. But loneliness, that meekness, things like chastity and modesty, all these things are positive things, not things that we are restricting, but instead.
Things that move us forward. And if we place, umm, this the same love and affection and, and beauty that Christ who obviously laid everything out for his beloved, his beloved, umm, it won't be something that we're gonna try and say, Oh, I've gotta be lowly. I've gotta be meek. I've gotta be humble. Instead, it's gonna be, how can I raise this one up instead of putting myself down and cutting myself down to where a lot of guilt and shame can come from as well, which the Spirit is not leading us into because you'll only convict us, umm, and draw us back to Christ. Instead we lift them up.
And trying to build them up towards Christ from that standard and we'll find ourselves perhaps beneath them and perhaps more lowly, but we won't have turned once again. Humility can also be making myself the measure of all things again. I'm more humble than this one. And I'm aware, you know, the false sense of humility. So to to turn those things. Often Christianity is a we can change. And I think that's a lot of American culture negative. We gotta draw back instead, you know, we gotta push somewhere else. We don't separate from we separate to, you know, turn it positive.
Change that paradigm and place Christ's valuation upon others that you have never melt. I'm sorry, never melt. You've never met an ordinary person. You're gonna see in those around you, no matter how weird they look to you or whatever. Something that the God of the universe both created in his image and will perfect.
And perhaps in our flesh, if we were to see them in their glorified state, perhaps our first inclination would be to worship or to venerate, at least in our flesh, but will one day be conformed to the image of Christ. Now we see through hysterically, but then face to face.
I think it's helpful if we.
In considering the different members of the, especially in our local assembly and those that we rub shoulders with and those that we have care, care of and, and, uh, those that help to make the local assembly function healthily. I think it's nice if we take a little time to consider each one and what party part of the body of Christ, they, they, uh.
They occupy what, what, uh, what gift or strength do they bring? And if we consider one another and realize.
If that person is not present, if that person isn't functioning within the local assembly, if something happens and we lose them, who is going to take up the role that God gave them to perform? I when I was young, I used to like to walk on my hands and I never really did get very far. I remember one time it was just a freak happening and I got up on my hands and I walked.
I don't know, it seemed like a really long distance down this down this dirt path and out into a dock and I jumped into a lake on my hands. But that was very, very unusual. In fact, the people around me were, they were really amazed that that would happen. Umm, locking is for the feet. There's God made the feet to walk, not not the hands and.
Each one of us have a specific function within the body of Christ, and it really isn't any fun to try to perform someone else's function if you haven't been given the the ability to do it. Now you know when the body of Christ gets severed and divided and, and when there's schisms and all kinds of things, we, we find ourselves in a a situation where.
00:30:28
We're trying to perform.
The, the tasks and the abilities that really weren't given to us, we're trying to just carry on and it's really not very pleasant. And so as we consider one another, and you know, this really speaks to me as, umm, I consider how maybe there's been mistakes in the past and I haven't encouraged those that needed to be encouraged. And all of a sudden they're no longer, uh, actively participating.
Possibly in the local assembly or maybe they're, they're not even there. And this is, I find it almost very difficult to speak about because I'm aware of my own failures in this. But anytime a member of the body of Christ in some way gets severed from the function of the the body as it's, as it's working within the assembly, it's a huge, huge.
Loss and so if if we would consider our brethren and say you know that brother or that sister has a unique.
Special ability that.
Is it and it is a real help and and we would be more careful.
How we, we conduct ourselves and what we say and what we do. High Christianity is a messy thing and trying to carry it out is messy. We wanna tidy it all up. We don't wanna see some of those things. We wanna make it. And sometimes then we, we may take too much and say, well, then it's upon me to fix all of this here. And then, then that goes too far. You can't fix everything that's going on in the local assembly. Prayer is a powerful thing. You know, when assemblies are in difficulties and there, there's never been one that's never had a difficulty and, and, and probably.
Most of the time there's some different ebb and flow of difficulties that are going on with families, with each other and so on. And trying to find that way. As our brother mentioned, the, the love chapter is so important in how that comes in to, to, to affect things. But still it's messy and, and maybe we don't wanna look at it. Maybe we wanna sweep it under the rug. And maybe then these things that our brother was talking about that can be a schismatic. You start grouping a little bit with those that are a little bit more like you and the others over here, a little bit more like them and those kinds of things.
That the Lord maybe sees 1St and then over time can end up literally being schismatic in an assembly, but prayer and trying to do what you can with those that you can, especially the, the problems that maybe, uh, you have with somebody or I have with somebody dealing with that and really going before the Lord about it and even owning that we don't know what to do. You know, scripture talks about, I can't think of the reference off the top of my head, but uh, and I'll paraphrase it.
We have no might against this company that cometh against us. Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee. And there's times like that where you just don't know. But we've got a source. We've got to go back to that. We've got to go to that source. And you know, we've been trying to come up with a plan of action. But when you see it start working in the South, NASCAR is a huge thing. And if you're everywhere near where sometimes they hold an event where they have these contests of the teams that change the tires and refuel the cars, stop by at a fair or whatever and just watch that.
The team effort that is goes on and the few seconds it takes for them to change the tires and fuel the car and do what they do. And watching this group of people who trained and worked so smoothly together and they over time it's gotten that way. It's unbelievable. It's amazing. Well, that that would be the desire we would have in our local assemblies that they would work like that. But they don't. And things happen and then someone else will come in and they're a new believer maybe, or they come from some of their background and there's new problems and it comes again. But the assembly should be.
The local assembly should be a place that, you know, yes, there's trouble, yes, it's messy, but there's a triage going on there. There's, it's a place where people are repaired there, there are things that get fixed and over time, not that, you know, if it just gets swept, swept under the rug, that's not good either because that can come up then as a future health problem that bursts out and causes more problems. But going to the Lord and just saying, we don't know what to do, but we're gonna cry out to you. And sometimes the most important part of it, and then doing what you can not one person can fix everything, not just one woman, one husband, one family.
00:35:15
It takes us really crying out to the Lord. And then little things start happening and changing. Your eyes get open. You see somebody in a different light. Because as soon as you see somebody and you understand why maybe they are the way they are, and you get enlightened, you change how you think about them. You know my own father.
But we butted heads as I was growing up. But there was a time in my 20s when I looked at a picture of my dad walking behind a horse and a hero in a field and I remembered that he took over farming at 8 years old when his dad died. And my heart broke and I changed how I felt towards my dad. Never again did I think towards him in in the way I had is through my teenage years. If you have a moment like that where you get a picture of somebody.
And you see some difficulty and you get a moment like that. Never again will you think of them the same way. And the Lord will do that if we cry out to him and ask us, open our eyes, help us to see. There's a way that we can be a help to this person or that person. And, and prayer is the most important of all of that. I don't know of any other thing that you can add to that except that the Lord will open our eyes to it. Then in verse 22, we have the members that seem to be.
More feeble.
Sometimes that seems like that to us, brother. In verse 23 we have those that are less honorable.
And upon them we Bo bestow more abundant on it, that at the end of verse 23 we have our uncommon parts.
Have more abundant comeliness. I'm not sure how to put all those things together, but that is the case in our, uh, relationships together as members of the body. I think it was in this area that your question was back. Can you repeat your question? Umm, I forget what it was. Umm, it, it, it, umm, finds itself in that verse with that interesting word tempered.
For our commonly parts of no need, but God has tempered the body together.
Having given more abundant honor to that part which lacks, that there be no schism, the reason for why God tempers the body with what seems to be feeble, with what seems to be uncommon, with what seems to be, umm, less honorable, as a way of preventing division.
And I think we have to look to the Lord and like Sam said, pray about it, But I say rather, and it's not what seems to us so often, like you say, we make ourselves the reference point in judging matters and of times we make mistakes in doing that. I have to confess, brother and I formed opinions and judgments about certain brethren, uh, were totally wrong really. And so let's not form those judgments. The Lord has tempered the bed, the body together, as it see.
As it pleases him often think of the shoulder in our human bodies. There's a lot of stress in the workings of the body and the shoulder. Why is there so much stress? It's because the arm is doing something and that what it does has to be, has to go along with the rest of the body. And so there's a joint that is very important. And so I might say, why is there always so much stress here?
That's the way the body functions.
And so let's just seek to go on together in the measure we can and not form judgments that sometimes this brother seems to be more feeble or.
Lescomley or not so honorable, there's many members of our body we have never seen.
Never seen my heart. Pretty important member of the body and there are those who are not out in public, but they are very important members of the body. We tend to look at those that are out in public and perhaps take a part in teaching and ministry.
But that's not the full workings of the body.
And so men measuring themselves by themselves are not wise. And the tendency is to measure one another or to measure others by the standard of the day or how society would measure them, whether it's, as you say, a public park, whether it's even how we how a person looks, what is considered good looking or what is considered not how a person dresses. James takes that up in his epistle. All these things are outward, outward things.
00:40:21
And we tend to measure ourselves by ourselves. And that's why we mentioned yesterday the Levites and their service. They might have looked at one another and began to measure themselves by the service they were doing. It might have been one who had a lowly hidden service looking at one who had a great service. But it might have been just the opposite too. It might have been the ones who were responsible for folding up the curtains and making sure the boards were, uh, arranged properly for the journey and those bigger things by man's standards. They might have looked at the ones who went around and gathered up the pins and look what I'm doing. I've got a far greater.
God's given me a far greater position and responsibility than they. But again, it wasn't the greatness of the service outwardly or by what men would measure. And so we need to be very careful to measure ourselves by ourselves. And so how are we to measure ourselves, brethren? We're to measure ourselves by Christ. And when we measure ourselves in that way, that makes all the difference, doesn't it? To get into the presence of the Lord, to have Christ, as the reference point has been said.
That's going to make all the difference, and it's not going to be how society measures us, but how He measures us. And then there's going to be not the meekness and loneliness of Christ, because we've tried to generate that within ourselves, or humility because we've tried to be humble. But there is going to be an unconscious meekness and loneliness and unconscious humility and an unconscious reflection of Christ.
Because Christ is our center and our reference point.
Said to put on Christ.
Christ, our righteousness. I love that in the Psalms he calls the Lord the lifter of his head. And I think too often the breastplate of righteousness is something we're supposed to put on, but too often we allow the world to wound us and we are consistently looking at ourselves and not seeing the road ahead. So the Lord lifts our head by saying put on Christ, put on me. And in the same sense here Darby would translate, umm, that word, umm.
To be clothe these in more abundant honor. I think the word is to clothe. Yeah. It says umm verse 23 for TWE Yeah, 23. And those parts of the body which we seem to be the more void of honor or without honor, these we clothe with more abundant honor. I wonder, is there a similar sense there with the two things that you were just talking about, Jim?
You know, the fact that we close ourselves in the Lords we put on Christ, it's not we can't do it ourselves, but we also close one another. And do you see a connection there? And to see others in Christ is what's going to make the difference. If I look at you in a natural sense or you look at me in a natural sense, maybe I'll illustrate it that way. You may see lots of faults. You may see lots of little idiosyncrasies. You may see some personality traits that you're not happy with and that rub you the wrong way. But if you see me in Christ.
And I see you in Christ. That's what's going to make the difference. And that's what's again going to give us that unconscious trai characteristic of meekness and loneliness and the humility of Christ and this mind being you, which was also in Christ Christ Jesus. It's really to see you as a member of the body of Christ, to see that he's placed you there and that he's placed me there. And the IT took the same grace to place me in the body.
As it took to place you and the body, I would like to make another practical comment in connection with what has been said in the last few moments because there's another tendency of our hearts, brethren, when we go home to our local assembly. And that is to look at other members of the body of Christ and say, you know, they're not doing what they should be doing. Well, I'm doing what I should be doing. I'm fulfilling what the Lord has given me, but they're not doing what they should be doing. Now, no doubt, as we said the other day, there are assemblies who suffer a lack because.
There are the artifices who aren't taking heed to the ministry that the Lord has given them. But you know, rather than criticize or throw up our hands and say we can't go on because they're not functioning properly, you know, sometimes we do have to fill in. Sometimes we have to take up. Maybe we, maybe you say, you know, there's no evangelist in our assembly, but you know, you can still carry on a gospel work. You can still have some outreach. You say there's no real teacher in our assembly. But as Brother Bob others brought before us the other day.
00:45:13
We can still have meetings for ministry. As feeble as it may be. The Word of God hasn't changed. The Spirit of God is able. The Lord is there. You say there isn't really even a shepherd or a pastor in the assembly, but we can all shepherd one another.
It says in our chapter that the members should have the same care one for another brother. There are those, I believe, that are always gonna have to be carried. They may never take up what God has given them to do. They may never function. Maybe we have members of our body. You know, there are some people who are born with a withered hand. They're born without a finger. Do they give up and say I can't go on? They lose something, a limb in an accident. Do they give up and say we can't function?
No, another member takes over and they get through life not as well as with with if they had that member, but they still get through life. And brethren, I believe we can go on. Rather than criticize or just hang crap, as they say, or throw up our hands, we can go on. I'll tell you a little story that has illustrated it to me. When we were children, there were four of us. My mother was a wonderful cook and housekeeper. My father was of the generation that didn't really get involved in domestic things too much.
But I remember my mother got very sick, and in those days when you had gallbladder surgery and those kinds of things, they didn't do it like they did do today, in and out the same day or the next day. I remember my mother was in the hospital for about two weeks.
And my dad, who was not a cook and a housekeeper, he donned an apron and he entered the kitchen and he took care of his four children.
I'm going to exaggerate, but it seems like we ate charred grilled cheese three times a day for two weeks. I know that's an exaggeration, but you know, I look back and I appreciate a dad who took up something that wasn't according to his natural ability and bent, But he had a care for his family. And in the absence of my mother, he took care of us. Now, when mother got better, he was very glad to take that apron off and go back to work and let her go on. And we were very happy.
Do. And so I think you get the point. When all the members function in their proper gifts and capacity, everything functions happily and healthy. And when my mother was in the kitchen and my dad was at work, the paycheck was there and there were good meals on the table and we were well cared for. But in the absence of that, there was one who had a care for his family and made sure that we were fed and clothed and housed every day. And I believe, brethren, when it says the members should have the care, what same care one for another?
Maybe sometimes we have to go the extra mile. There's there's some in the assembly. They're never going to learn to walk on their own. Do we know how to carry them? It says of the Lord as the shepherd, he shall, he shall feed his flock like a shepherd.
He shall gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom, and gently leave those that are with young. He discerns that there are those who have young. Some of us have to be carried, some need to be LED. And do we have that same discernment for the members of the body of Christ? I agree with what Phil said. When people, when every member takes up their own function, things are healthy and happy. If we go beyond our gift and ability, we can get into trouble.
But sometimes we do have to stretch ourselves for the good and blessing of the other members of the body of Christ. So that says instead of do I have a gift for this? It says is there a need? And that's what we have to be exercised about. Remember a brother in connection with this and being tempered together that we need each other, a member, a brother in Bolivia illustrating the different members of the body. And he says.
This thumb is always opposing these other fingers, but if it wasn't that way, I couldn't pick up a piece of paper. So it it's necessary, brother. And sometimes we look at a brother. Why does he always give me the counter? The Lord has put them there and we're tempered together. We're united. And sometimes we don't understand. But let's go on with our eyes on the Lord and do what love would would ask us to do.
Towards each other and another thought in regards to your question.
Putting aside modesty is the issue. Different cultures at different times, what is displayed. We have the body here, what you're going to put out there, the face, the arms, legs, whatever.
00:50:11
What's covered or what's put on of somebody as gnarly, ugly feet, they probably won't go barefoot. They're gonna have a nice pair of shoes over that. The importance of that, what's underneath has nothing to do with the nice pair of shoes. That's on top of it. I was thinking of that. If, if you go to the beaches here in Florida where some Europeans come that, uh, are overweight, you're going, boy, cover that. You know, it's like there are things in culture and time where you, you covered up.
And, uh, you know, there's something nice, nice on top and it's over, but it still has nothing to do with how important it is that what's underneath. So it seems the idea is seeming that way. And when, uh, you talk about the tempering side of things now that's where we're getting over into the idea of a team. Teams work well, that practice being a team together, that practice working together. Fear a basketball team. If you're a football team or a soccer team and you never practice passing the ball to that person, how you gonna catch it? How you gonna have a, you know, when you, when you watch these well oiled things going on there is because there's been work done.
There were nobody else ever saw it. Nobody can see it. I'd use the illustration once before because I find it fascinating. I'd read an article about the special forces teams that, that go to, uh, whether it's Iraq or in Afghanistan or whatever, how that they train these teams. And then every single person on the team learns everyone else's job. But one guy is the expert on each job that they do, but they learn the other person's job so that when they're out, if one of them gets injured, as Jim was talking about.
Yeah, for some reason or another, they can't fully accomplish it. Or maybe they can only partially do it. The others can step up. So there's one guy who's a medic, but all of them have been trained as medic. But there's one guy who's really good at it and that's his main job. But what if he gets injured? Then the others step up and help and do with that. There's a guy that's a sharpshooter. There's a guy who's a munition expert. They've learned that so that they can work as a team. And even when somebody gets injured, they carry them and they they have way, they learn how to do that. They learn how to carry a wounded member. They learn how to evacuate and and they plan for those contingencies.
There's a whole lot of work that went on beforehand and the same with team sports or any of those kinds of things. There's a whole lot of work unseen that took place, that involved discipline, effort that, that made for the smoothness going on. And we can't treat the relationships we have in the body of Christ, uh, as though they don't need work. And there is an effort and there is a discipline. Now there's a hard way to do things and there's always an easier way or a better way, and it's always the way the Lord would have us to do it. But when those things begin to be practiced and work through.
And E, if, if there's at least one in, in, in a situation starts doing it, there's an improvement, it can be seen and that oil can flow over to the next joint as well. And there can be an effort like that. But I, I thought about it in that way, umm, that what seems to be, doesn't have anything to do with the importance underneath. We should take what the Bible says about how important each member is. And if, uh, I use the illustration of a NASCAR team, if the guy that's tightening the lug nuts is mad at the driver and decides not to tighten them, guess how well the driver's gonna do.
You know, he's the one that gets Hall of Fame and all the glory and everything, but the guy who does the lug nuts, he's very important or that car is not going around all those kinds of things can give us a little insight on how important the guy that's unseen that tightens the lug nuts, how important he is or nothing will get done right. This expression that the members should have the same care one for another. I'm afraid, and I can only point the finger at myself. We sometimes don't take this up in its practical aspects until.
Someone, another member of the body of Christ, has some difficulty, be it physical or spiritual, that manifests itself. But if we would take this expression to heart and use it as a preventative measure, I believe it would spare us from many things. Why do we wait until someone is discouraged or someone, as I say, has a physical or emotional problem that manifests itself? I believe it's in Galatians that it tells us that we're to bear one another's burdens.
But do we wait till our brother or sister falls under their burden to bear their burden? If we would help bear their burden with them when they're standing up and walking so to speak, they would never have that fall. If we would have the same care one for another as there are members of the body of Christ that are going on well and functioning in their capacity, perhaps it would prevent them from not functioning down the road in their in their proper capacity.
00:55:09
So let's really each one take this exhortation to heart to have the same care one for another.
But now I wanna notice two things that we have in the next verse or two here, because I think it's very important and our time is gone. We don't wanna miss it. But in verse 26, he says, and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. I'll stop there for a moment. You know, that's relatively easy for me to go and sit by the bed of someone who's sick, or for me to go and take someone out to dinner who's going through a real trial and just sit and weep with them.
Is relatively easy and we're told to weep with those that weep.
But there's something that's a lot more difficult than that. And that's what you have in the rest of the verse. Or one member be honored. All the members rejoice with it. Let me go back to the verse I quoted earlier. Meet with those that weep. But there's something that's more difficult. Rejoice with those that rejoice. Why is that more difficult? Why is it more difficult to to, if, if one member be honored, rejoice with it? Because it usually means they get something or, or or a position or a place that I didn't get.
Maybe it's something I wanted. Maybe I thought I deserved the pat on the back or the praise for that. Maybe I thought I deserved getting getting that. How often have we said, well, I deserve it? And so it's easy. It's in a it's relatively easy to weep and suffer with those that weep and suffer. It's a lot more difficult to rejoice and to give honor to those who are honored and, and rejoice. But how can we do it, brethren? Again, it has to be in the spirit of Christ. I have to take the reference off myself.
Whether I got something or didn't get something, that is not the point. What? What has God been pleased to give this person? What took place? Has God been pleased the Lord been pleased to give this person? What function has he been pleased to use this member of the body of Christ, and what gift and ability has he been pleased to honor them with? Am I willing to rejoice that that person has been given that from the Lord for the blessing and edification of all the people of God?
Mm-hmm.
I have a question.
What is the bottom line?
A brother in this room said to me many years ago.
Make lunch of Christ.
We can't have a part of Christ and a part of the world.
And sometimes some of us that aren't too bright.
Can decipher. We think we're going to change the world.
We think we're going to make the world a better place to live.
What is our goal?
To be like Jesus. How long? The songwriter said. All day long.
So much has been said. I thought over and over a Mary and Martha.
Mary sat at the feet of Jesus.
Martha was busy. She was cumbered about with much serving.
She couldn't stand it any longer because Mary was getting the blessing.
She says to the Lord, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bitter therefore that she come and help me, O the Lord, said Martha, Martha.
Now we're careful about many things.
But one thing is neat.
And Mary had chosen that one thing. Have you chosen that one thing? Have I? I have to hang my head in shame because I'm at the end of the journey.
Oh, I would say to the young people, don't you let the devil rob you. You get into the word and let the word get into you, and I'll guarantee you you'll have much in heaven.
The last of the ages. I'm going to have so little that I'm almost says make that a little bit of change to go to heaven. Oh no it won't.
I'd rather be a king, a door keeper in the Kingdom of God.
01:00:04
In the 12Th attempt of the week.
And sometimes I even got involved in politics at one time in my life.
Tangled up in the affairs of the world.
We need to be tangled up with the Lord Jesus Christ and He'll lead us in the path of righteousness.
And you'll do it every time if we let him so many times I didn't give him an opportunity. I would like Martha busy doing other things. And I look back on those things and I'm honest before the Lord.
And they'll be burnt out, the wood, hay and stomach.
And beloved, if you don't remember a word I said, especially you young people, you people that still have.
All the members of the body. I still have all the members of the body, but it doesn't. They don't function.
Because I fell yesterday. That's the kind of fellowship we need, somebody that cares.
And if we care for one another, remember Jesus said a new commandment I give unto you.
That you love one another out as I have loved you. So I had my sin sheet. Am I willing to die? I mentioned about Christian being persecuted and I must have said it in a way that my dear beloved son-in-law.
The husband and my little girl here.
He lit on me like you can't imagine.
Any fence of church will not go through the tribulation period.
Christian being persecuted right now, you can go into the other parts of the world where they will not allow the Bible, where they will kill Christians.
I'm ready to go with or without all the works that I needed and should have had.
You can't help but look at someone that has dedicated their entire life to the Lord.
I read of a missionary that went to Africa.
65 years.
And he never left Africa.
And he had one of the biggest females ever.
His heart was where he wanted it to be, full of Christ.
His mind's heart full of Christ.
You can have as much of Christ as you want.
In your life will show.
Oh, with the government, that's a good that could come out of a meeting like this would stir up even the heart of an old man.
The author was that king. I got it laying right there in the floor.
And I'll hobble around.
Probably for the rest of the journey with another member of my body, but it is not really of my body. A.
My daughter bought me a hurry pain.
4/4.
Probably a dozen times in the last.
But anyhow, brethren.
I want you to know I love you and I appreciate your prayer.
01:05:02
The Lord Jesus has never failed in His love for us.
Now we have a little chin.
And if you really want your heart broken?
Glendale View Nursing Home.
I have a Bible class in the nursing home.
Then they say, indeed, good blossoming.
Just as good as anybody ever thought.
And that what we want to remember.
We could say what somebody wants to get in a flight with one of his friends or her friends get it.
Come to Christ and stay with them till He comes to you with one of these days.
Of getting price will rise 1St, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. And you young people have something that you do right now for His glory, and you'll never never.
In verse 27, brother, since now you have the body of Christ and members in particular, one of the ways that we can enjoy Christ is in our brethren, that practical side of enjoying the Lord Jesus Christ. He's displayed in those members right here. We can't see him at the right hand of the Father, not with our visible eyes. We can look there with the eyes of faith and we can look up and if we, like Steven should go a martyr's death, we may get a glimpse as we go and maybe there and there are Saints who have but the body of Christ that exists here on earth.
As Christ is displayed in that, we can enjoy and see that and appreciate that if we don't look for it, we won't find it sometimes.
Remember old brother Ron Reeves and his leaves of lettuce peeled back from the lettuce leaves? That was an illustration of that at a conference years ago. Peel back the outward leaves and look within the for the good. And when you see Christ there, you'll enjoy what you see because you recognize and you go, that's it, that's it, that's it. And it'll be demonstrated and we can enjoy him that way too. So we've spoken a lot in these meetings about guests and ability. We've spoken about the function of the members of the body of Christ.
But maybe there's somebody here sitting after these readings that are just about concluded and saying, well, I'm really not sure where I fit in. I'm not sure what I can do. What can I do when I go home to my local assembly? How can I be a help to other members of the body of Christ? And at the end of the chapter here in the 28th verse, we have some things listed. And it's really almost in a sense, an overwhelming list when we read it from our perspective. And we might read this list.
Let let me read, let me read the 28th verse and God has set some in the church verse, Apostles, secondarily, prophets, thirdly teachers. After that miracles, gifts of healing. You say I don't have any of these. Later on in the verse he says government's diversity's tongue. She said I don't have any of those. But there is one in the midst of this list that I don't think anyone of us can get out from under and that's the little word helps. And I just suggest that as we go home to our local assembly.
And as we operate and interact with other members of the body of Christ, let's remember that every one of us can be a help. Now I wanna read a verse in the 27th chapter of Acts in this connection.
In Acts chapter 27, this one, Paul was in the ships and others with him.
And I'll read verse 16 and running under a certain island, which is called Claudia, we had much work to come by the boat, which when they had taken up, they used helps undergirding the ship, and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strike sail, and so were driven. Now you'll notice this little word here again helps, and many years ago when I was in Nova Scotia.
I asked some of the elderly brethren who are now along with the Lord, but I asked some of the elderly brethren who followed the sea in the days of wooden sea going vessels. I said what were the helps? And this is how they described it to me. They said the helps were steel cables that were used in anticipation of a storm or some inclement weather and they would put those, take those cables, throw them over the bow and draw them back at various intervals.
01:10:06
Along the ship they would bring them up and they would be tightened by a pulley on the deck of the ship and they were to hold the ship together in anticipation of a storm. And that's what they did in the 27th of Acts. They were anticipating a a storm. And we know from the rest of the chapter it was a violent storm and the ship eventually broke up and so on. But I've often thought of this, brethren, in connection with the helps that we have in our chapter.
We're not anticipating storms, and I'm not talking about physical storms. Most of us can look back over the last few years and we say there's been some storms amongst those gathered to the Lord's name. As members of the body of Christ, we face some storms, and if the Lord leaves us here, we're probably going to face some more storms rather. But what do we need to hold things together? We need the help and every one of us, I say, as feeble as we may feel.
As low on the rung of the ladder as we may feel, as much as we may feel our weakness, and it's not wrong to feel our weakness, but as much as we may feel it, we can all as we leave these meetings, we can all be a help. And if we are seeked by the grace of God to be a help, it will help to hold things together in the local assembly and amongst the the the body of Christ. And let me say this, it doesn't take much sometimes to be a help.
Just to take someone's hand and help them over a rough spot, just to go and sit with someone who's going through a real time of, of difficulty. You say, I don't know what to say to that person. You know, it's not always what we say. My, my uncle Harold, who many of you will remember used to tell the story about, he went to, uh, to uh, visit someone that he, he knew was going through a real time of discouragement and some difficulties in their life. And he said, I really didn't say anything, but he said when I left, he said that person thanked me for coming.
And being a help to them wasn't what he said. It just took time to give them an ear to sit in their drawing room and, and, and be with them and hear, hear them out. And brethren, it doesn't take much sometimes to be a help in a practical and a spiritual way.
Enjoy a little burst of Scripture. Take it with you and use it as God gives you opportunity. And so I just I've been struck by this little expression in the midst of all these things that we would consider great outward manifestations of the spirit in the midst of it all. There's this little word health. May we all go home exercise to be a help. You see that as well with Moses in Numbers 11. It's a beautiful passage. Numbers 11 where uh, Moses says to the Lord, where us thou wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant.
Wherefore have I not found favor on thy side, that thou layest the burden of this people upon me? We talked about, umm, why one may ministry doesn't work in many cases. And here it is the Lord presenting the 17. I love this because it relates to that helps the Speaking of 17 verse 17. And I will come down and talk with the there, and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and we'll put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee that thou bear it not thyself alone. And what our uh brother was Speaking of.
At some length earlier was to be tangled up in Christ. Truly we have fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, and our fellowship is then one with another.
And we, you know, you spoke of steel cables. I mean, that's definitely where the word temper comes from, to temper a metal to make it strong so that it does not shatter, it's brittle. And you fold steel and you fold metal upon metal and you heat it and turn it into something that we call steel. And we, we might be able to pick that up nowadays because we'd say, of course of a sword back in the day, if you, if it L it can lose its temper. That's where we get that I that, that speech from. Of course, we also say you have quite a temper on you, which is a twisting of that word. So we kind of lose the sensitive there, but.
To temper it all together that it that would not break.
But it's balanced, which where we get the word temperance from as well. So to be tangled up with one another because we have that in Christ one another to be of health, to bear that burden, to share it so that all the pressure does not come on that one point in the blade and it shatters. We need to remember, brethren, we are speaking about the body of Christ. And when we gather together, uh, we gather in view of the fact that all believers are members of that body, but not all the members of the body gathered together to the name of the Lord Jesus.
And I believe we have a responsibility to all believers in the measure that we can, We don't have to compromise truth, but any major, you see one suffering speaks of those who suffer. And there's a lot of suffering in this world, brother, and we need to be sensitive as to it. Uh, the persecution that brother John was talking about in the world, brethren, are we exercised about at least praying for them? I believe there are things that we can do.
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To help out those dear brethren over in the Muslim countries where they are suffering severe persecution. There's persecution in India too, and in Africa. Are, are we doing anything about it? Are we exercise to take a little time and prayer for those dear brethren? That's part of, of, uh, the truth of the one body in any measure that we can when we see suffering to suffer and to seek to be a help.
In meeting the need in any way it meant to mention in verse 25 it says, and I don't think we spoke about it says that there should be no schism in the body. That is the word division, the new translation.
There is no division in the body and that's why God has tempered things together that there being no division in the body. And as has been spoken of before, there is division in the outward testimony, but really there's no division in the body as God sees it in the outward testimony. And so it takes real wisdom how to go about being a help in any measure that we can when we see the and I found that off times in.
Home Bible readings When believers that live in the neighborhood are invited in, it can be a tremendous blessing to those who are not gathered to the Lord's name but have an interest in our hungry for the Word of God. May the Lord exercise us to reach out to those. They are fellow members of the body as well and it the fact that we don't meet together doesn't mean we are not in the body with them. We need to be exercised about it.
Verse 27 I want to mention something too brother, and I think is important. He says now you are the body of Christ and members in particular. So where I meet together with my own local brethren, we take that ground that we are members of the body of Christ and taking that ground we recognize that we are only members in part because the body of Christ is in the whole world.
But where are those who recognize that truth and meet together on that ground that there is one body? We act together with our brethren if there is a decision made in a certain assembly that is at a distance from us, since they meet on that ground, that there is one body, and that what effects one member of the body effects all.
We act. We act in unison. Together, we submit to what has been done.
In another area, maybe we don't understand it all, maybe we don't think we're in agreement with what was taking place, but we vowed to that. I think that's an important principle in seeking to carry out the truth that there is one body and that we are not independent assemblies. And there is those who, brethren, I don't want to speak evil of anybody, but there are those who maintain that in the body of Christ local assemblies are independent and autonomous.
That is not the truth of God. We are not independent of each other. We are not autonomous. I should say, in speaking that way, that the authority of the Lord Jesus, as was mentioned in Matthew chapter 18, is in the local assembly to exercise discipline, but it is not independent of others. We are interdependent because we are body of Christ.
Christ's body.
But we are members in part of the body of Christ in the whole world. I think that is a very important principle.
Which Boat Would You Trust?
Gospel—John Kaiser
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
I love to preach the gospel.
Been my privilege to do it for, believe it or not, 52 years.
I began preaching the gospel.
In jails at the age of 13.
My grandfather who loved to preach the gospel.
Took me with him.
And sort of made me do it.
But it's been a wonderful privilege.
I remember going into these jails at age 13 and I'd see.
Because in those days they didn't have juvenile detention centers.
And they would have young people, teenagers in these jails as well as older.
Criminals.
They just put them in different cells.
And I look into those cells.
And I'd say why?
Are these people my age behind bars?
I'm not.
And I knew the answer.
Because I knew.
The Lord Jesus Christ and he had kept me.
And I never was a good gospel preacher.
But I was thankful I had something to say.
I had a message.
And I have a message for you tonight.
It's from my privilege now. Often. Usually once a week, sometimes oftener.
To speak in a detention center. And over the years I've developed little lessons and I didn't know I was going to have this gospel meeting when I left Addison to come down here. But I've learned to travel prepared.
And I brought with me a little lesson that I've used before.
And I want to.
You tho, those of you who are older, you'll just have to pretend that you're not so old.
And, uh, I'm going to invite participation as I usually do.
I'll start by telling you a little story. When I was very young, I can hardly remember how young, but I was quite young, I, uh, went to my grandfather's farm often in Madrid, Iowa. And as I grew older, I started wandering around that farm and I wandered out in the fields and found a pond. And lo and behold, in this pond was a boat.
This pond was just a stagnant pond. I don't even know why they needed a boat in a pond only maybe 30 or 40 feet across, but the boat was there and you can imagine what my first thought was. Try it out.
I learned.
Fairly quickly that there was a reason why that boat was left there.
And I'd never heard about it before.
Because the boat was full of holes, it was sitting on the bank and I couldn't tell it. But believe you me, I mean, when I push that boat out and try to get into it, I found it right away. It wasn't gonna keep me above water.
Now everyone in this room is looking forward to a voyage, a trip. You're going somewhere you're expecting. I don't think is anybody expect to be here 48 hours from now.
You're going somewhere and let's say you're going to take a voyage and you have a choice between boats.
A&B and these are boats that are big boats so it's not something you paddle yourself, but you're going to take a trip on a boat and you have a choice and 1St off we'll say.
Uh, we'll consider who made the boat.
It was a boat made by expert boat builders, experienced, experienced boat builders. So we'll put down here.
Experienced builders.
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And our experienced builder, OK, and we'll say that boat.
A This builder has probably never built a boat before, certainly not the kind that you're traveling on this time. OK, so the answer is and put a no here, an N for no, but both B built by experienced builders, all right.
Well, you're going to recruit too.
The better to sail with an experienced crew or inexperienced crew, common sense says.
An experienced crew.
And again, vote A. The answer is.
No, this crew that you're going to sail with.
Has no previous similar experience, but vote B. The answer is yes.
And of course, crew needs a captain.
And the question is, do we have an experienced captain?
And the vote, first vote, the answer is no. And the second vote the answer is yes.
Now, umm.
When you go on a voyage, you want to know where you're going.
And vote A has a definite or the umm. The question is, shall we say, an expected destiny?
A definite destiny in the first vote, of course it's it's According to pattern, the answer is no, and the second vote yes.
Now these are. This is common sense.
I'm going to ask you how many are interested in going on Vote A Hold your hands up, please.
Now, how many are interested in going on Vote B?
Yeah, sounds pretty good.
But you know you don't have all the factors yet I want to show you.
This is Vote V.
Vote me. The Titanic had ex best builders in the world and experience them. But the best crew in the world, the most experienced captain that the White Star Line could supply it was to go from Northampton to New York City. They had a definite plan. They had plans all made out. They forgot there was one thing they didn't have and you know.
When the when this boat sailed the story is told how?
Umm. 1 passenger who was a little bit nervous? Asked the crewman.
Uh, could this boat sink? And the crewman is reported to have replied, Madam God himself couldn't sink this boat.
There was a lot of self-confidence.
Well, what's the other boat?
This is a modern rendition of what they thought Noah's Ark looked like.
But the wonderful thing about this, it had inexperienced builder. He did have a good plan, but it we didn't mention that an inexperienced builder, inexperienced crew, inexperienced captain and I don't think Noah knew where he's going. As a matter of fact, he didn't even have a rudder far as we know, and didn't have it rudder or navigation equipment. What made the difference?
I'll tell you what made the difference.
God's guarantee.
God told Noah that he was going to go on that boat.
And his life and the lives of those who went with him would be preserved. And it made all the difference. And there may be somebody in this room.
Who thinks they've got life figured out and they can get along without God?
00:10:06
And they may have all their ducks in a row, so to speak. Things look pretty good.
But I'm telling you, if you haven't got God's, go ahead.
You're sailing this I the Titanic.
Let's turn to.
First off, Hebrews Chapter 11.
Hebrews Chapter 11 verse seven. It says by faith.
Noah warned of God.
Being warned of God, of things not seen as yet.
There's not a single person here has ever seen heaven or hell, but they're ahead of what you one or the other.
Being warned of God, of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark.
We don't like the word fear, but fear can be a very healthy thing.
I'll be frank with you. I had fear coming up here.
And it caused me to depend that much more on God.
Because if God doesn't speak to you tonight, I'm wasting my voice.
He was moved with fear, but also besides fear, there was something else here, it says by faith.
Noah. He recognized the danger.
And he believed God.
Now let's turn to.
Excuse me?
First Corinthians First Corinthians, chapter one.
First Corinthians chapter one it says verse.
17 For Christ sent me, not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.
Not with wisdom of words.
Lest the cross of Christ should be made of not effect.
You know the world admires wisdom of words.
You get people who can string words together in funny ways and they're called comedians, and they can get them to string them together and persuasive ways, they're called politicians.
And there's auctioneers and other things that we find entertaining. We're not here to be entertained.
We're here to be warned. This may be your last opportunity. You know there came a time.
When it says Noah and it said it went in the ark and God says God shut him in.
And in so doing, everybody else was shut out.
Not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of non effect, for the preaching of the cross is.
Foolishness.
Or what? Not quite the way it says there is it to them that perish, it's foolishness. And I know there have been people who have sat in meeting after meeting after meeting and said this is not for me.
Yes, God has got you labeled here. To them that perish, it's foolishness. Do you hear it?
It says here the preach in the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved. It is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy.
Who says that? God says that I will destroy God's engaged here today.
We are in the presence of God.
God says I will destroy the wisdom of the wide and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? You know, there were many who thought going on the Titanic was the greatest adventure of their lives and it turned out to be the greatest adventure and the last adventure of their lives.
00:15:00
They died.
But they trusted it, and if you hadn't tried to warn them and say that that that ship's going to sink on its maiden voids, they would have said you were crazy.
But it did. Now nobody knew that it would except God.
And that's the point. God knows things that you and I don't know.
I will, it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to understand to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God.
It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them who believe. You know there were some saved from the Titanic.
They had to trust a lifeboat and then the Kaparthia came and they had to trust that ship as well. And there's trust involved in everything in life.
But there's we don't know everything in life, only God knows.
We need so we need to trust somebody bigger.
Than ourselves, you know, that's what it comes down to when people say I don't believe.
The issue is who do you believe and who don't you believe? If a person says I don't believe God, they believe they, they're, they're saying I think I am qualified to judge.
Who is trustworthy better than God is?
Do you really think you're qualified to judge concerning life and death and guilt and eternity?
It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them the belief.
For the Jews require a sign. The Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.
Unto the Jews a stumbling block, unto the Greeks, foolishness. But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God.
And the wisdom of God. You know this arc when Noah was building the ark? I meant to put this picture up here.
I know I was building the ark.
That wasn't done overnight.
Here was this man, maybe with some help building this great boat. And I am sure people ridiculed Noah.
For building the ark, What are you doing there is this for And no one could tell them God is going to send judgment on this world and we're going to need this. And they thought he was ridiculous.
They probably thought he was ridiculous after he went into the ark until.
The sky became overcast, the winds picked up and the and the rain started to fall and I'm not even sure how it all happened, but it was something that hadn't happened before.
You know God's word is always fulfilled.
There have been lots of things happen in this world for which man has not been prepared.
And we know that my experience. Now let me ask you a question. Are you prepared for what's coming?
Are you sure you're prepared? You're ready for what's coming?
Verse 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than man, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh.
And not many mighty, not many noble are called for. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Nothing looked more foolish than the ark.
Until it was too late.
I imagine there were those who realized too late Noah knew what was going to happen and it was too late to do anything about it.
They were shut out as surely as Noah and his family were shut in.
We talk about people being shut insurance. We feel sorry for them. You don't feel sorry for Noah.
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That was a wonderful thing to be shot in. It's a terrible thing to be shut out.
To bear God's judgment.
Verse 28 and base things of this world and things which are despised.
Has God chosen? Yeah. And things which are not to bring to not or bring to nothing. Things are everything in this world is going to come to nothing.
And God uses despise things.
We did just before we, just before I got up here, we sang about looking at the crucified One. You heard about Him before the Lord Jesus Christ.
Turn to Luke chapter 22.
23 Sorry Luke Chapter 23.
Verse 35.
And the people stood beholding, and the rulers also with him, derided, mocked, laughed at him, saying he'd have saved others, let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar. They ridiculed the Lord Jesus Christ. And maybe you're afraid.
They'll ridicule. Somebody will ridicule you.
And I imagine.
Noah's family came in for ridicule, too.
You think they regretted that once they were in the ark?
Where are you going? How are you making your choices? Are you making them in the light of God's Word?
Says here.
It says here we read it earlier.
To us which are saved, the gospel, the preaching of the cross is.
The power of God we've experienced in our lives.
And you know.
Umm Noah's children had observed Noah. Noah's sons had observed him. His neighbors had the opportunity to observe him, and they made differing decisions. Noah's sons followed him into the ark.
And nobody else.
And that was a dreadful mistake.
Verse 28 again the base things of the world, things which are despised, has God chosen.
The weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not.
To bring to nothing things that are. And here's the verse I want to leave on your conscience that no flesh should glory in His presence. That applies to everyone here. We had the privilege of sitting in the presence of God for the past two days.
Has your flesh been glorying in God's presence? What does that mean?
Well, you know.
The flesh glorying. That's sitting a lot of ourselves. That's what it means to be self confident and self occupied. Maybe you've been thinking about the impression you're making on somebody else here today.
You've been occupied with how you looked.
Or maybe you've been occupied with your thoughts. Let's turn to Genesis chapter 6 and see just how serious this is.
Genesis chapter 6.
And verse five And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth.
And God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart.
Was only evil continually. God wasn't just concerned with the outside.
Maybe human think about your outside your appearance, maybe the impression you were making on somebody here today and God was looking on the inside. God says it says God saw the imagination of their hearts was only evil continually.
00:25:07
That no flesh should glory in his presence, you say, Well, I'm going to get out of here pretty soon. Turn to Psalm 139.
Verse 7. Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
You can't get away from God.
It'll be a terrible thing to stand before God in judgment and know that everything you did.
Is still on your record and all things were and are naked and open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. You know scripture is not redundant when it says naked and open.
That means the pretensions are shipped off, like taking the clothes off. You're talking about going to a hospital. It's like going to the hospital. The first thing they do is they take your clothes off and they're going to do surgery, and then they open you up on the inside too, naked and open. And that's just the way every person is here before God. Look, you look pretty respectable sitting in your seats. It's not the way God sees you. He sees you naked and open, every one of us.
And so we have this verse I want to con close with.
That no flesh should glory.
In His presence no flesh should glory. In His presence you've got nothing to be proud of. Jesus had to die to make you fit for heaven.
Is he your savior?
And if not, what are you going to do without him? Let's pray.
Our God and Father, we thank Thee again for this solemn time. We thank Thee for Thy word, which is quick.
Living and sharper than any two edged sword. And we count on the to use Thy word in our hearts, in our lives for Thy glory. We thank You, our God and Father, for the privilege of being here, all the mercies we've enjoyed.
We, as many, will be heading home now. We pray for Thy mercies for them, and pray that they might travel safely in time.
And eternity we ask in Jesus name, Amen.
Open Mtg. 2
Open—V. Redman, N. Simon, S. Ludvicek
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
He'll be saying #327.
Lord Jesus, are we one with thee, Oh, hi, oh, death of love, and crucified and dead with thee now one in heaven above 327.
OK. Oh.
My God and blah blah blah blah blah.
Uh-huh.
Uh.
Umm.
Wednesday. Wednesday night of my life.
0121023.
OK.
I can give you a much more than one.
I like just to, uh, continue with a few thoughts that we had this morning in our reading meeting.
Uh, my wife and I, uh, have had the privilege.
And the opportunity to travel these past few years to various conferences. And we're most thankful that we have this opportunity. We really enjoy the the fellowship of the Saints.
But, uh, when we go to these conferences, we're so encouraged.
By the many young people that we see there, and to us older Saints.
And to younger ones, it's a it's a real encouragement to see young people out. I know you have places to go and other things to do, but you choose to be here for whatever reason. But you're under the sound of the word of God. And this is encouraging to have so many young people out. So I like to address a few thoughts that it has been in my heart and been exercised about to you young people and hopes that it might be an encouragement to you.
00:05:18
Turn to Matthew, chapter 26.
If I seem to be nervous, please excuse me. I'm not used to being up here, but this has really been on my heart for several weeks now, and it seems that the Lord is exercising me to say what I can.
In Matthew 26, beginning verse 38.
Then saith he unto them, that is the Lord Jesus, My soul is exceeding sorrowful.
Even under death, tarry ye here and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and he fell on his face, and prayed, and saying, Oh, my father.
If it be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto his disciples, and findeth them asleep. And he saith unto Peter, What could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you enter not into limitation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And he went away again the second time, praying, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drank it.
Thy will be done.
Well, here we have the Lord Jesus in anticipation. As we all know, we've read this.
Portion many times.
Here the Lord Jesus was in anticipation of going to the cross.
And here the price.
Of what it was going to be to redeem our wretched soul from hell was presented before him.
Now I was in real estate a little while few years.
And in real estate, we always try and bring the seller and the buyer together.
And there was a price that was presented and the seller always wants to get the most and the buyer always wants to get the lease. And so there was always a negotiation going on in real estate.
But, beloved young people, there was no negotiation here.
The full price to redeem our souls we've brought before the Lord Jesus.
And I can't emphasize that enough that.
There was no negotiation.
All that was.
Going to be required to vindicate a holy righteous God.
To glorify God, the Father was presented to the Lord Jesus. Here we've had the opportunity to visit this site.
They build a big church around what they thought the stone was that the Lord preyed on, but the, uh, trees are still there, and some of them over 2000 years old.
But here that was presented to the Lord Jesus.
And great agony, said he, sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, and God was presenting to him.
What it was going to entail for him.
To make that bride.
That body of Christ that we've been talking about?
He would have to be forsaken of God, his Father.
He would have to be made sin for us who knew no sin that Holy one of God.
What did that entail? I I don't know. I don't know what it meant for him. But on the cross he paid that price in full and he cried out. My God, my God, why are you forsaking me? And what was it?
For it to mean that for him to be made sin, all my sins laid on that blessed one. What did that I don't know, but I can respond to that.
I can respond to the what the Lord did for me and how he vindicated a holy God and he reconciled all things to himself and finished the work that God sent him to do. But the price was enormous, Dear young people, and what is our response? What should our response be? You know, if you ask some older brothers and sisters that have been at the Lord's table for 4050, sixty years.
They might very well tell you. I know it's true in my own heart.
And they've been doing it week after week for 4050. Sixty years. And they'll tell you that every Lord's Day is just as wonderful and just as precious and just as fresh as the day that I took my place at the Lord's Table.
00:10:12
Why? Because our hearts and our minds reflect back to what it cost the Lord Jesus. It was all made before Him. And what did He say? No, I'm not going to do it. The price is too high. He sold all that He had to become sin for us, the forsaken of God.
And we remember that each Lord's Day morning, a fresh.
And of course, it's the fact that the Lord is in the midst in a very special way, and God delights to honor His Son. We read that He has given him a name which is above every name.
But here in his scene of his rejection and people still have the enmity towards God, they still hate God and they still reject the Lord Jesus as much as they did 2000 years ago. If you don't think that's true, young people get some tracks, get some gospel tracks and go out and try and pass them out to some of these people on the street. You see how much Christ is rejected.
But God, you like to honor His Son, and dear young people, I would.
Bring this to your heart. Nothing honors Christ more than to be at His table remembering Him in the midst. Nothing honors Him more. Nothing you I could ever do.
And nothing is is more delightful to the Lord Jesus.
But to have his own gather to his precious name, nothing brings more delight to him.
So what is our what should our response be to what the Lord Jesus has done on the cross to put away our sins, to bring us into this family of God?
To bring in that wonderful prospect position and hope that we have.
I believe we find the response of what it should be and what I press home to your hearts. Dear young people, we have it in First Corinthians.
The chapter before the one that we were taken up.
And I think this is a good response that the Lord would exercise our hearts.
It says in First Corinthians Chapter 11 verse 23, it says, For I have received the Lord, that which I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed.
Took bread and so forth and so forth here, the Lord Jesus, the very night that this took place just before Gethsemane.
Here was.
The night that he was going to be betrayed.
By his own all forsaken.
And he knew what lied ahead of him. He knew that the price that he was going to have to pay at Calvary was going to be presented to him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yet he wanted a few of his own to remember him. A few gathered around himself in wonderful fellowship on that very night that he was going to be portrayed and handed over to wicked sinners like you and I and hung on the cross. He wanted a few around himself. Isn't that wonderful?
This should be our response to what the Lord Jesus has done for you and me.
He wants us to remember him. He wants us to take our place at the table.
As part of that body of Christ.
Any of us deserve to be there. No, we're there, by the grace of God, it was pointed out. But he's inviting you, dear young people.
Is what we have.
In verse 26 it says for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. It's got to be personal. It's got to be individual. We, we come together collectively, yes, to show forth the oneness of the one body, but it has to be individual that we come to the Lord's table.
And I would lay it on your hearts to young people, if you're not there, that you make it a matter of prayer that your hearts might be exercised as to asking for your place. It's gotta be personal. It's gotta be individual. So in this 26 verse, put your name there. Put your name in there and see if it does not apply to you for it. As often as Virgil Redmond eats this bread and drinks this crop, Virgil Redmond does show the Lord's death till he comes. I've had that wonderful privilege for almost 50 years.
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And I thank God, by the grace of God, that I'm there. I could be anywhere.
But he exercised my soul, my heart 50 years ago that this is the place that he wants me to be. And in view of what he's done for us, doesn't he deserve our remembrance?
Isn't he worthy of us to be at his table?
To do this as he's asked us this do and remembers to me, well, that's the only few words that I had. But I trust it might be an encouragement to young people that.
You would prayerfully consider these things and be exercising your heart as to being at the Lord's table to remember the Lord till He come.
I'd like to turn to Matthew chapter 18.
And I pray, with the Lord's help, that I might be able to speak for a few minutes on what it means to be gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus.
Our brother mentioned it.
In exhorting you to remember the Lord that it has gathered to His name.
So let's just read.
Matthew 18 will begin with verse 15. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother, that if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee, as an heathen man, an republican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that shall, that they shall ask, it shall be done through them of my Father which is in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
It's with a great sense of my own weakness that I speak on these subjects. But let me express what's on my heart. And if another is exercised to add to it, then may they have liberty to do so. But recently I had the opportunity to speak to an individual. There was another brother with me, and that individual said, Well, the Lord is in our midst right now. There's three of us here.
Is that true?
Let's examine that in the light of Scripture. Does this verse simply mean that we're two or three believers come together?
They can claim the presence of the Lord in their midst in this collective way that we have expressed here. I'm not Speaking of an individual sense of His presence.
But is he there in their midst? Is this what they're saying? Well, let's have a look at these verses. Now, another common thing that we're told these days is that we just take these verses out of context. These verses have nothing to do with the assembly or.
The way that we come together.
Well, we have a bra, a situation described here where one has trespassed against another and we're exhorted to go to that individual to express our concern and if he doesn't hear or she, then we're to take that individual to two or three witnesses. So we have two or three right there. So why don't they settle the matter? Why don't they take care of things? Because they have absolutely no authority to do so.
They cannot, because they cannot claim the presence of the Lord with them in that sense that we have in Matthew 1820. But instead, if the two or three are not heard, then they were to tell it unto the Church, unto the assembly.
And why?
Well, it went on to say, What server ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven. That's not true of the two or three that had just come mentioned in the the verse previous to this. That's not true of them. That is true of the assembly. Why? Because verse 20. Why? Because where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Brethren have always taken this verse to mean something more than just coming together and claiming the Lord's presence.
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No, we are gathered. That's in what we call grammatically the passive Something is gathering us, and that something must be the Spirit of God, and I won't get into that right now.
But the thought is of we are being gathered together unto him, you say, well, in my Bible, if it's the King James in front of you, it says in I don't want to get too much into in versus unto. I can assure you that in the original it is indeed unto.
But I could argue just as possibly if I was to use the word in to do something in someone's name, We we just don't I, I just can't take a a check and sign Barack Obama and the the signature line and say it's good on the.
The treasure of the United States government, I can't do something and in his name, I have no authority to do it in his name. But that's exactly what Christians are doing. They're taking the name of Lord and saying of of the Lord Jesus and saying that they have his authority when they're acting in their own will.
Let's move on and look at another familiar portion, First Corinthians 5. Here we have probably the best known example of assembly discipline in the Scriptures. First Corinthians five. He was a man that was caught in immorality and the assembly has to act. If what I have just said is true, we would find those principles in this chapter.
Let's see what it says.
So First Corinthians 5, the apostle, now the Corinthians were very carnal. He was a person that was ultimately immoral, immoral. It was commonly reported. It wasn't a hidden thing right there in their midst. And the apostle Paul has to exalt them to act. You know, there's two things emphasized in, there's more than two emphasized, but there are two things emphasized in First Corinthians. There's a lordship of Christ and the Holy Spirit. And we've seen something of that this morning.
But he is having to exhort them and he says in verse 3, for I verily as absent in body. In other words, he wasn't there physically. He says I'm not there with you physically, but I am present in spirit. Little S having judged already as though I were present. You know, this matter didn't require a court to sit down and examine the person to weigh up the pros and cons. This person was living in clear violation of Scripture.
You know, there are many incidences of things that come amongst the Saints of God where we don't have to debate them.
They're in clear violation of scripture and the assembly is called upon to act. Why? Well, is he Lord or not?
And so the apostle Paul says, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that's the only basis of authority that they had to act. It had to be in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When ye are gathered together and my spirit, again, Paul couldn't be there, but he says in spirit, I will be there with you.
With the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan, on what basis could they claim the power of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, the only basis we can claim the power of the Lord Jesus Christ if we're gathered together unto Him.
And he is there in the midst.
Going back to what I said in Matthew 18, those two or three that were called or the two that were called to come along to be witnesses, they didn't have any power to act in that matter. It had to be brought before the assembly. And why? For where two or three are gathered together under My name, there am I in the midst of them.
It means something, brethren. It means something. Otherwise, if we make it to mean we're just any two or three Saints of God come together. I could be on the street out here talking with two of my brethren and we could enact something and claim it's done in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it would.
Affect all of you what you say. I don't believe that either. And indeed that's what's happened in Christendom. They take this verse in Matthew 1820 and say wherever any believers that come together, the Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst because he's promised that. But when an assembly does act or a so-called assembly does act, no one else recognizes it. In other words, they don't recognize the power of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst. They don't recognize it. It's in name only. They've completely gutted this verse of any meaning.
Let's look at another verse in Hebrews.
The 13th chapter.
In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 9, be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is good thing that the happy established with grace, and not with meats which have not profited in them, which have occupied, which have been occupied. Therein we have an altar where they have no right to eat, which serves the Tabernacle. This thought that there might be some that have no right to eat.
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That's completely gone and Christendom.
The thought of separation from others within Christendom is met with outright indignation, and yet Scripture calls upon us to separate from those that we can't go on with because of perhaps immorality that they're connected with, perhaps a system that they're connected with, perhaps doctrine that they're connected with. We'll talk a little more about that in a minute.
I don't want to take too long. Verse 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him, without the camp, bearing his reproach. If we want to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we go unto him. We don't ask Him to come to us, we go unto Him, and if we go unto Him.
We will be found together. We will be found collectively together, gathered around the Lord Jesus. Now it says here that again, I refer back to verse 10. We have an altar where they have no right to each which serve the Tabernacle. Think about that. Where was the Tabernacle in that day? There was no Tabernacle. There wasn't one. There hadn't been for hundreds of years. You know, sometimes the Apostle Paul.
Required those that he wrote to to understand a little bit about what he was writing.
And sometimes you and I have to apply our minds, you know?
Knowledge pops up, but that doesn't mean to say that we shouldn't have knowledge. You know, ignorance is not a good thing. We need to have knowledge, but it needs to also go down into our hearts, and sometimes it's a long way from our head to our hearts. There was no Tabernacle in those days. But he's referring back to one of the sin offerings where the offering had to be burned without the camp.
It's an interesting study in the Old Testament to look to see those occasions with a Tabernacle had to be taken outside of the camp, and it's always in connection with defilement had come in amongst the people of God. Were the people in the camp no longer the people of God? No, they were the people of God. But if they wanted to worship, they had to go without the camp. And those principles are as true today as they were in that day. Christ has suffered without the camp.
And whether it's Speaking of Israel and it it certainly was Speaking of Israel in those days, you know, the Lord came unto his own and even after the cross, he worked with his own. But there was a point where the disciples had to be separated from the synagogue. And we see that process throughout the book of Acts. And so there were those that even if they claimed to believe that the Lord Jesus was Messiah, as long as they continued on worshipping.
In the Jewish way, they're required a separation from them. They had no right to eat in this conversation that I had with this individual. And they said you make too much of reception at the Lord's Table.
You know, if I want to come and break bread, that's should be up to me.
And they asked where in Scripture do you have a chapter that talks about receiving at the Lord's Table where it says, well, you have to meet with the individual and then you have to wait a month and has to be reported to the care meeting. And I will grant you that there isn't such a chapter. And maybe in some cases we are too hesitant. In some cases we're too stuck in a, a, a tradition, perhaps even. But you know what, just as a, a side note, I would hesitate.
To condemn old tradition, it's a, it's a, it's a popular thing to do to label something tradition.
And thereby condemn it. Umm, I could show you a verse we won't digress but in I believe it's First Thessalonians where it talks about those things handed down from the Father's traditions. Don't be so ready to throw out tradition because you don't understand them. Find out why things are the way they are. Why? Why?
But going back to receiving at the Lord's table, being gathered to the Lord's name, let's just quickly.
Have a look at a verse in Romans 15. The Scriptures say nothing about receiving individuals at the Lord's table. Nothing about receiving individuals.
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Well, I don't understand why God has given us the scriptures the way that He has.
But you know what's just as true of prophecy? I'd love if there was just one book of the Bible that just neatly laid out prophecy from beginning to end, just the way that I wanted it.
But God hasn't chosen to do that. Instead, he chose to communicate these things concerning the church through Paul's epistles where he was writing to different assemblies and there were different needs of those assemblies. And so you have to go through Paul's epistles and you'll find a little bit here and a little bit there and so on. But in Romans chapter 15 it says.
Verse 7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Well, there we have something about receiving one another, but it's as uh, I just lost my umm, as Christ also received us. Let's just move on to chapter 16. I commend unto you Phoebe Al Sisto, which is a servant of the church which is in Saint Crea. Now, why would the apostle Paul write that about Phoebe if Phoebe could just go to Karen and just.
Receive herself at the Lord's Table, on her own testimony, on her own witness. Why did he bother writing this? Does it not matter? Do these things mean nothing to us?
Let's just turn back to Acts chapter 20. So those two sides were, let's say, the positive side of things. And one, we have an expectation to receive one another even as Christ has also received us. And now that we see Paul commending our sister Phoebe to the assembly there in Corinth saying please receive her.
But now we get to the negative side in Acts chapter 20.
It says.
And uh, I just began reading in verse 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter it among you, not sparing the flock also of your own selves, your men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to win everyone night and day with tears. This individual suggested that as I said, that we make too much of receiving and, and we should more or less receive anyone. And when something shows up like close Corinthians 5.
Then we should act on it. And I asked that person, what are we supposed to do with this exhortation that we have here?
What are we supposed to do with it? What? How am I supposed to act on that practically?
Or collectively, I should say housing Assembly supposed to act on that. Collectively, I don't know what they thought, but they didn't give an answer. We have exploitation here as to what would come in and that we're to watch. Let's look in Jude now, in Jude Chapter 4.
Well, there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, here were.
A case where individuals had crept in unawares. Why does it say unawares? Well, if they'd been aware of it, they wouldn't have let them come in again. What are we supposed to do with a verse like this?
Are we not supposed to care as to who is coming in and who is in our midst? Are we not supposed to be exercised about it? You know, there was a verse, and I'll just wrap up my brief thoughts that, but there was a verse that was read this morning from Hebrews chapter 3. It says Christ the son of his own house. Whose house are we? Whose house is it? It's Christ's house.
It's not our own house. I said earlier on that in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he emphasizes the Lordship of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Whose table is it? It's the Lord's. Whose supper is it? It's the Lord's. Let's turn to 1St Corinthians 10 again. 11 Sorry. Well, what does that mean? What does that mean? What does that mean to you to say that it's the Lord's table, that it's the Lord's Supper, that it's his house?
Excuse me? That is his day, the Lord's Day. What does that mean to you? Does it actually have any meaning left in itself?
You know, I've used this example before, but if I was to I, I left my two sons home this weekend and I do indeed pray that they're behaving themselves wisely. And my, uh, parents went away on vacation when I was a boy and left myself and my two brothers to take care of the farm. My two brothers are older than me. But let's say one of my sons decides he's going to do something and my other son says no, no, no, I don't think that would be good. Why?
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You know, my younger son might say to my older son, no, no, no, you really shouldn't do that. And he, my, my oldest son might tend to say, boy, what authority have you got to tell me anything? Well, it's not our house.
It's not our house. And so that's what it means when it says it's the Lord's Supper. It's not our supper. That doesn't mean that we don't care.
That doesn't mean we don't have a care for those that are in our midst. We should have a godly care and we should have a godly care as to those that come into our midst.
Because it's not our supper, it's the Lord's Supper. Now in First Corinthians 10, the Corinthians were coming together and, uh, they were believing that. They were remembering the Lord and the apostle Paul has to tell them.
In verse 20, when you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper. Here's to tell them what you're doing is not the Lord's Supper. And then he goes on to describe and tell them what no doubt he had taught them earlier about how to appropriately.
Remember the Lord.
And at the end of that chapter, he says.
In verse 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, for he that drink eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the body or the Lord's body, it says in our translation.
What is this really saying? Well, first of all, let's make it very clear that it's speaking to those that were thought they were remembering the Lord, speaking to those that were remembering the Lord.
But the Corinthians had turned it into such an appalling occasion.
That the Apostle Paul has to address their behavior.
And what he's addressing here is that very behavior, the manner in which they were doing it. And the apostle Paul says, no, no, you need to examine yourself. This is not the way you're supposed to behaving. This is not the way that you're supposed to be doing it. Examine yourselves. And so let.
Him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. So in no way does this chapter by any stretch of the imagination refer to receiving at the Lord's table is speaking to those that were remembering the Lord and it was speaking to the manner in which they were doing it, which was entirely inappropriate. And it says if you remember the Lord in such an unworthy manner that there's no wonder that sickness and trials have come in amongst you.
Because this is not the way the Lord intended.
I started out by talking about being gathered to the Lord's name and how that it means something, has always meant something, and not simply where I choose to come together that I can claim the Lord's presence in the midst. I just want to go back to that subject because I have one other thought and I apologize for being so disconnected.
But do we find an assembly in Scripture where the Lord is not in the midst?
I mean, surely that would be very telling, wouldn't it? If, if what is true in Christendom where any believers come together, the Lord's in the midst, they can claim that, then it would be very telling if we could find an assembly in Scripture where the Lord is not in the midst. And yes, we do have one, it's called Laodicea. Let's just turn to Revelation chapter 3 in closing.
Revelation chapter 3 and verse 20.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. The Lord is outside the assembly. I know this verse is taken up in the gospel and umm, there's an appropriate way and means to do that, but this verse is both speaking to a literal assembly and should never be forgotten.
It's also given to us and there's a word for it, but I don't know that word. I'll ask Jonathan afterwards, but where it would it it speaks to us of these seven churches give us an outline of the history of Christendom. But I taking this both literally and in the latter sense. Here we find an assembly, especially the the literal sense. Here we find assembly where Christ is shut out and he's seen as outside knocking at the door.
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But notice what follows. It says, If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into them. No, it doesn't say that. It says unto him, and will Sup with him, and he with me. I believe with all my heart that there are many dear fellow believers in Christendom that have a strong sense of the Lord's personal presence with them, that are even ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit, and souls are being saved, or whatever the case may be.
But they are associated with systems that I cannot identify with, if I'm going to say true to the word of God. And I'm thankful that there are those in the camp still ministering.
But remember, I'm not asking you to be gathered to meet, I'm asking you to be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we both are, we will be found together.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I, in the midst of them, right where Nick was talking about.
I've always looked at that verse and taken it just as it is.
And in connection with diverse, he also quoted in Romans chapter five or First Corinthians chapter 5.
It's being gathered in the name of Christ and unto His person. We talk and we make much about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're gathered unto His person, you're also gathered unto His name. It can't be without it at all.
But he is the attraction of that, and whenever the discussion comes up about assembly, discipline and assembly decisions and so on, sometimes people get lost in that, this talk about authority, that there is authority. We don't have intrinsic authority in ourselves, but why is there authority in a place that is truly gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ on the ground truth and principle that there is one body? It's because He's there, it's Him, it's himself.
That's the power, that's what makes the difference. It has nothing to do with us. And in recognition of that, that it's him. And as our brother was saying, I'll talking about his two sons having a conversation back home. It's their father's house. It's not their house. And when that's thought of, it's because of him. And when the Lord Jesus is seen in that way, uh, I grew up in the assembly and certainly I didn't know very much about.
Those things, I heard them as a youth and as I grew older and began to grasp hold of them as time went on and learn from many who have have taught and began to get a hold of that, yeah, you get a little bit better understanding as time goes on, but that it's him.
That he's there. You know, Scripture tells us both in the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Lord Jesus, it says in the old that he actually sings.
In the congregation in the new, it says he sings in the assembly. The Lord Jesus sings in the assembly. Yeah, he does.
And if we know and believe that it is true, that we have been by the Spirit of God brought to some place, and gathered in his name, and attracted to His person, and we have also gathered unto His name.
In practical ways, sometimes in conversations we have with others as brother Nick was talking about, there was a dear brother that I knew years ago that I worked with and he was a soul winner and he was a Baptist brother. He happened to be. And we had a number of conversations about this subject. And as Nick had brought out and others, I know a lot have had some conversation where people will say to you that, well, you make too much of this. And the same thoughts about well, if you're.
Two or three Christians hanging out playing basketball. The Lord is in the midst. Well, that's not what Scripture is talking about. This has already been pointed out.
But the Spirit of God really does lead and guide, and he does take the scriptures and he does draw us. And he would have us go so far, and we only go so far as we're willing to go. So in this conversation, we were talking about this and the story went along this line. I said to him, I said, Jim.
Let's make a hypothetical situation. I said I have dear friends that go to South America and go to faraway places. I've never been to these places, but let's make it easy for you. Belize is an English speaking country and you speak English. Let's say you went there to some outer village on vacation, you and your wife and I know you, Jim. I said if you had opportunity you would speak of Christ to those who were there. Let's say in this place there are no churches, there's nothing. All that's known is paganism.
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And nothing of Christ, but you're there and you lead a soul to Christ and another and another and another. And pretty soon, in a few days time, there are 50 people who have responded to the gospel. I said, I know you, Jim, you would be rejoicing. Be so happy to be there and be doing this. I said, now tell me from Scripture what you would do next.
Told me from scripture, there's no Baptist Church. There's nothing. There's no place to go. You've got 15 new people that have come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior. You've given them Bibles, they can read them. They're there. What what are you going to do next? He said, well, we form a church. OK, show me.
Well, you gotta have a church.
Show me, I said. First of all, Brother Jim, you're a Baptist. What would you do next? Oh, baptize them.
And we chuckle just like we're chuckling. And of course, any we looked at that and baptized. What would you do next?
Get a form of committee. I mean, we kept coming back that you have to have a church. I said. How about they already are the church?
Dozens of scriptures that we've been talking about that we had in the meeting before, these new believers, 50 of them, including Jim and his wife in that city, wherever they are, they are now members of the body of Christ. They are the church in that place. And what do you need to do? Show them from here that that's what they are like we've had in the meeting today in the reading that this is what you are, you know?
You have been born again. The Spirit of God has joined you with Christ, who's in heaven. Now you start to show them what this is. Well, what do those people do?
What do they do? What says here they came together and they broke bread, they prayed, they did these things?
Well, do we have scripture instruction for them? I said if you did that.
One step at a time, you would be following the leadership of the Spirit of God and those people would be coming together some place where there was a convenient area. It could be in the field, it could be in a home, in a barn, along the lake, wherever it is. And you would say, well, it says here, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, Who is the gatherer? He is the Spirit of God. What do we do when we come together? We do what the Scripture says. What are you? You're members of the body of Christ. You are the church. You're the redeemed. All those things began to be learned upon.
Things, Jim, I said that you already know about, but now in a practical way are taking place. Now what you have, you have the church doing what it's supposed to be doing. It is the body of Christ. It's acting. And you learn and you begin to learn. You know, I told that story to him because as I was growing up, some of the most helpful things that I learned were from Brother Whitaker and Dan Anderson, who learned those things as they tried to explain.
To the Africans in Africa, simple things from the word of God and not tradition from church or denominational things they actually learned as they were trying to teach others. And I remember those stories that they told as they expressed those things from back in Africa and is one step at a time. The Lord brought them along because they were honestly trying to tell new people who knew the Lord Jesus brand new, the simple truth in a simple way.
And they learned them themselves going one step at a time that they are what they are. So when we hear growing up in Christian homes, uh, if you grew up in an assembly someplace gathered to the name and unto the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, you've heard of on the one body, on the one body, maybe so many times you just, it just loses its meaning.
The ground truth or principle, and I I will say it like that, that there is one body and not many.
That truth that we know that we've been talking about this morning, that principle is the basis or ground. There is no other. If you come up with something else, when I was talking with this dear brother, I said, you know, if you form something, you have these 50 people. If you make something, you have the same 50 people. But whatever you make is something you make. It may be real Christians, all fifty of them, it's, it's the church. But whatever you made, you laid on top of it.
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You made something new, and I don't care what you call it, it's something you made. It's something different other than what the scripture says.
And that's what happens right there is where many believers take a hard left or right turn because they're so used to the idea that you have to do something instead of just taking one step at a time and following it through the Scriptures. So yeah, no matter what age you are, when you hear that thought about being gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ unto his person on the ground truth and principle that there is one body, there is only one body. The Lord knows it, He sees it. He knows every true believer on this planet.
No matter what group they happen to be with, He sees every single true one there and they shine out unto Him. He knows who they are and that body is one and it is linked together. He sees it and whether they know it or not. Just like Nick says, the Lord does provide for their feeding wherever they are. But if we do follow the scriptures and we do understand truth and we want to obey them, then there are places we cannot walk. And even though you can meet the.
Lovely believers along the way when you travel, I do often in business.
Uh, it's lovely to have a little moment with them one-on-one when you can. Just before I left.
The law firm that I work with asked me to pick up some documents at a, at a business place and take them over to the office. And as I sat with this dear old lady in her office, uh, she, the son owned the company. She had, uh, taken some time to get these documents together. And I, she told me she'd been ill. So I sat there and she said, they tell me I have cancer. I have a large growth next to my, my kidney and I, and I'm going to have to have surgery and it's very difficult. The 1St doctor said, Oh no, I don't think I can.
But another doctor said, yes, we're going to operate. And she was frightened. And as we talked, I realized she was the Lord. And I said to her, can I pray with you? Oh, yes, please. So we held hands across the desk and we prayed together.
As this dear lady, a simple believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, a simple statement of faith and a member of the body of Christ. And we wept together and we prayed as she faced this surgery. And I laughed and she thanked me and I walked out of there and went delivered the documents to the office. I told my boss who was a Christian about it. And he allows me that freedom to be able to do whatever I want when I'm with wherever and there's no restrictions. That was a member of the body of Christ that I enjoyed a little time and moment with and I will treasure it as I go along the way. I will see her again.
And if it's not on this earth, I will see her in glory. And the Lord loves her every bit as much as He loves anyone of us.
#22 in the appendix.
Uh.
00:55:05
She didn't understand the name.
Of all.
123, 10-4 19.
1439.
3/5.
115.
And of the church.
My body.
Of Christ, love, grace, thou grave come when they get through the blood thinning. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
OK.
You're taking.
Oh, oh, we should have done today in the vinegar. 1A Bhaiyyaji Jayaraman, a lot of things. They didn't make it and then I'll turn on the oil. Umm.
All right, well, I'll go over everything.
And drop down again. I can't hear you.
I haven't had a fire, and when I'm tired and I'm fine, but it's bright. Shuffled among the winds into your eyes.
Open Mtg. 6
Open—L. Mackewich, R. Thonney, W. Dear
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
168.
I didn't die.
Great, all this time again tonight.
Upgrade to 912.
Well, I think it's a lot of.
Exercises.
You're laughing ourselves.
Well, well done today and Gracie and the dangerous level.
Let me also make sense.
Of the heart stop on my hands and darkness together.
It's OK.
Let's breathe. I'm glad it's raining.
Umm, well, I don't take away.
15 umm, one day, two days tomorrow.
Verse 5.
I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit, and without me you can do nothing.
I was thinking about this. We've been talking throughout the conference as far as gifts and abilities.
00:05:00
And the Lord has given us each one those gifts and abilities that we can do great things for the Lord.
And we also had brought forth as far as analogies and one analogy that I've been thinking about that I've heard.
Is this within regards to a smartphone? I'm sure plenty of you have seen these.
With this smartphone, I can do great things. I can look up maps, I can look up the weather, I can use it as a flashlight. I can do great things with this smartphone.
But you know what?
I realized something. If I don't plug this in, it doesn't work. I don't think you understand that if I don't plug this in, it does not work. If I do not plug this in, it does not work. I have this device that was created to do great and wonderful things and if I do not plug this in, it does not work. Let me reread that verse again. I am the vine and ye are the branches.
He that abideth in me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.
In our lives, if we're not plugged into the Lord, though we were created to do wonderful and amazing things, we have no charge. Without Him, we can do nothing. Now let me ask you, how much is enough to be had for that charge with the Lord? You know if I take this phone?
And I plug it in for three to five minutes at night before I go to bed because, you know, that's how long it takes to read a chapter, 3 to 5 minutes when I wake up in the morning.
How long is that charge going to last me throughout the day? How long can I expect to have the usefulness of this phone throughout the day?
Do we kid ourselves when it comes to our faith with the Lord? Do we think that three to five minutes here, or three to five minutes there is going to be sufficient for us throughout the day? Says thy word, Have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee? Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. You know if I don't charge my phone.
I can't use it as a light and dark as we walk about in our lives. If we're not in communion with the Lord and having those things before us, we're gonna be of little use. No, just as we had brought forth as far as the gems on the ephod of the high priest, they sparkle when they were before the light.
We have been created to do great things for the Lord, but we can only do them when we are in communion with them. Says I am the vine, and you are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. As we go back to our lives.
How much are we going to charge up, as it were? Are we going to plug in for three to five minutes and say, no, I'm charged up? Maybe I'll charge myself once or twice a week or, you know, we need to be in that constant communion with the Lord.
And just as with our smartphones and our devices, we understand that they don't work unless they are fully plugged in and charged. In the same way in our lives, we need to be fully plugged into the Lord and in His Word.
Good analogy.
I'd like to read a verse in Hebrews 11.
In verse 6.
But without faith, it is impossible to please him.
For he that cometh to God must believe that he is.
And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Just like to talk about the question of faith.
The living God.
Without faith, it is impossible to believe Him. You know God has given evidences of His existence in creation tremendous in the more men look into whether it is the tremendous expense of the universe.
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It is just boggles your mind to try to grasp the vastness of it all.
Or whether it is you take the microscope and go down.
It's order, it's intelligent. So God has given evidences of his existence, his power, his wisdom, his knowledge.
Incredible.
And we how much do we understand as people?
You know, I like to ask sometimes to young people.
Given all the knowledge that there is in the whole universe, how much do you understand?
The time I was talking in a youth village.
The young man said I don't believe in God because he's let things go wrong in my life. So I challenged him with that. How much do you understand of all the information that's out there?
He said, oh, maybe about 20%. Wow, that's a lot.
If I put my knowledge in there, I think I say .000001% maybe if that much people keep learning. And you know what, I find people that are the most knowledgeable are the ones that understand that they don't understand very much at all yet.
And that's why it is impossible to please God without faith.
Because we just don't understand very much oh, how important it is.
Faith, but faith is based on something.
In Romans chapter 10 it says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We heard that verse already in these meetings. And so it's not what people call blind faith. It's faith that's based on something. And according that verse, it's based on the word of God written out here in black and white for us to read it. Your brother was saying how much we need to be in the Word. What does it mean to abide?
By doesn't mean 3 minutes a day like you're saying.
It's constant, abiding. And so it's so important, this matter of faith. You know what impresses me? In our culture, we base so many things on the question, the principle of sight.
You see the markets doing in a certain direction, you gear your investments in a certain way.
You see that there's opportunity for business in a certain area. You go into business in that area, you're guided by sight. And I don't say that it's necessarily wrong, but when it comes to our Christian life, it has to be more than that. It has to be based on those things that are not seen.
Says in Second Corinthians chapter 4.
While we look not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Is your life based on what is seen? Let me tell you, it's just for a time and things change and sometimes they change pretty fast so you better be stepping fast if you're going to do gear your life by sight.
But there is another way to live, and it's by faith, taking God's Word into account. Let's go to a verse in Second Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse 7.
Just a short verse.
The King James translation. It's a parenthesis.
For we walk by faith, not by sight. How important the principle this is. We walk by faith, not by sight. It doesn't mean that when I walk I'm going to close my eyes. No, God has given me my eyes and I use them. But my life is not controlled by what I see. My life is controlled the direction I take.
00:15:05
Is controlled by what I read in the precious word of God. You know, sometimes I find in these countries where we think we have advanced intellect and the more we get into this humanism, brethren, I don't believe we realize how much we've been affected by humanism.
We've been thi. We think that we're the center of our world. We are not the center of our world.
Somebody else is.
But we walked by faith, not by sight, and to get our focus straight is so important not to hear our lives by what is visible.
And so often when we read the scriptures, we don't understand very well what the Lord is saying and when certain circumstances present themselves.
We think we know a little bit better, perhaps than what God says in his Word. You know, we have Interesting.
Examples of it in the Word of God.
In the New Testament, when the Lord Jesus was using Peter's boat, you remember one time he was preaching to the multitudes on the shore.
And I suppose to get a better position to teach the multitudes? He asked. He used Peter's boat.
And so after he had got done with what he was going to give them, why, he says now, Peter, launch out into the deep for a draught of fishes.
Let down your Nets, Peter probably thought. Well, Lord is a Carpenter. He knows about carpentry, but I know a little bit more about fishing.
We toiled all night, Lord, and we didn't take anything. But because you said so, I'll let down a net.
Not too much difference, net Nets just one letter. What happened?
Well, the net failed so much that it broke. If you were to let down the Nets like the Lord said, I don't think they would have had broken net. Then he called to his companions on shore to come and help him out and they filled both boats to the point that they were sinking. Had quite a bit of problems. Because he thought he knew better than the Lord. I, I'm, I take it that's what he thought?
But uh brother, we are not wiser than God, and how important when the Lord says something in His Word to pay attention to it.
Remember back in the Old Testament when they were going into the land of Israel?
Or the land of Canaan, the Israelites, and they came to Jericho and the instructions to Joshua from the Lord.
Where every day for seven days to go around the city. In the first six days they went around once every day.
Once every day. Once every day.
When it came to the 7th day, the instruction was go around it seven times.
I wonder if there is some complaining.
What in the world are we doing going around the city?
Is this having any effect?
Is this helping us?
Rather, when it's the Word of God, let's not reason with it, let's simply obey it. You know, Scripture speaks in Romans, one in the first chapter and one in the last chapter, the obedience of faith. And if you truly believe God, the characteristic of that faith is that you're going to obey what he says.
Implicitly obey it and it's beautiful to see when they there is that simplicity of obedience. We don't read that there was any complaining, but it was after they had circled it seven times that last day that they gave a shout. The trumpets were blown and the walls fell in and there was a great victory. Brethren, it is simply obeying God.
00:20:15
It's not what appears to be. It is God who knows everything. It's obeying him and I find that so important for our day. Brethren, we've been talking about the importance of assembly meetings, prayer meeting, reading meeting, not just the breaking of bread meeting. But why is it that increasingly we tend to.
Find excuses.
And sometimes, you know, I ask. Didn't see. Yeah. Why brethren proceed to give me an excuse. I did. You don't have to give me an excuse.
You give excuse to the Lord because in the end that's who we're going to have to give an account to. But what are we going to say in that day, brother?
Rather exhorted yesterday about breaking bread and how the Scriptures so clearly says this, do in remembrance of me. If He says this do, may the Lord help us brethren to simply do what He says. Don't say I can remember the Lord by sitting back too. Maybe you do, but you're not doing what He asked you to do.
Each time until he comes again, Faith is obedient.
One other area and I just like to not speak too long to leave time for somebody else.
But you know in the Old Testament when?
The Solomon built his temple. It was.
Tremendously elegant building gold and precious stones and fine wood. And when?
He dedicated it the Lord.
His glory filled that temple. There was a column of fire. By night there was a column.
Of the cloud during the day to show that God was their present with us.
Later on, the people got into idolatry and that cloud lifted and removed toward the east.
And in time the children of Israel were carried away captive.
The 10 tribes first into Assyria and then the two tribes and the Babylon.
In time God gave a restoration with Ezra and Nehemiah and they came back to the city of Jerusalem. They rebuilt the temple and in the times of Nehemiah, the city with its walls.
You know there was never again the column of fire, the column of cloud to show the presence of the Lord. Was the Lord there?
Hey, you can't show anything. How can you know that the Lord is there?
Let's go to the Book of Haggai.
This has been such an encouragement, brethren.
In connection with faith.
And what we've been talking about in our readings as to the ground that we seek to take when we break bread together.
Hegei was a prophet in the times of Zerubbabel who was in the restoration. And I'd just like to read a few verses. In the second chapter beginning with verse one, the 7th month. In the one and 20th day of the month came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai saying, speak now Deserubble the son of Shieldio, governor of Judah.
And to Joshua the son of Josadec the high priest, and to the residue of the people saying?
Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?
00:25:02
And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes, in comparison of it as nothing yet? Now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord, and be strong, O Joshua.
Son of Josette the high priest, and be strong all ye people of the land, saith the Lord. And work.
For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts.
According to the word that I covenant with you when you came out of the land of Egypt.
So my spirit remaineth among you. Fear ye not.
Isn't that beautiful?
Lord said I'm with you.
No column of cloud or fire by night to show the presence of the Lord now. And so it is in the day we live in Britain. Dear young people, dear older brother and two, we don't see grand outward displays of power like there were in the first days of the Church's history. That's not the day we live in.
Sometimes people say, oh you poor little people, just a few of you gathered together. Who do you think you are? Look at how big these churches around are.
Does that sway you?
Without faith it is impossible to please Him. And faith is based on the precious, living, unchanging word of God. Oh, how precious. It is Precious it is, brethren, to be simply counting on God. He has not changed. His word has not changed. His spirit remains among you.
That's what we've been speaking about. The Spirit of God dwells in US collectively. And so to count on His word and His Spirit and to go forward in simplicity of what Scripture presents, one body. So when we meet together, as we did this morning on the table, one loaf. Why one loaf?
We heard about it.
Yesterday I think because there is one body and as that low was passed around.
I took a piece and I ate it. In doing so, I said in effect, I am a member of the body of Christ. I'm a member in part of the body of Christ, which includes every true believer in the whole world. We're just a few.
That meet together. I remember a conference in Toronto when I was young. I think they said there were 1200 brethren there together.
And I still remember the loaf was quite large and had to be. I think you had four plates this morning, didn't you?
I don't remember how many plates they had that time. I think it might have been 16 or maybe 20 and it was necessary. But just to think, brethren, doesn't matter even if it's two or three, because the ground we take in breaking bread is that of one body. That's what we are expressing. Brother mentioned yesterday the importance.
Of not showing fellowship with that which contradicts that truth, and so doesn't mean we accept just anybody, just at any whim. No, no, there's responsibility because it is not our table, but the Lord's table. These are things to be appreciated and valued by faith.
So don't expect there to be.
Outward, visible, impressive manifestations of God's presence. Sometimes he does give real times of happy prophet in his word. Thank God for that. But if there's not, if it's like I think Brother Jim said, maybe we don't say too much in the reading, Maybe we don't get too much and we go home not feeling too edified.
00:30:02
Don't get discouraged, go on, read the Word for yourself, and when you come together, seek to be an instrument for the Lord to use.
So here is Zerubbabel and Joshua. These two were encouraged by the word that he covenanted with him. When they came out of the land of Egypt. It had not changed.
And by His Spirit that remains in us, Lord, encourage us brethren, to go on in the simplicity of faith, counting on Him.
We've had before us the importance of abiding in Christ, that we might be useful in His service.
And the importance of walking by faith and not by sight.
I would like to take a few minutes to talk about a word.
It's a rather big word.
And that word is satisfaction. Now last night and this morning, the gospel was presented to us very faithfully. Emphasis was on the word salvation.
And how wonderful that is, salvation.
And we pray earnestly that each and everyone in this hall this afternoon might be saved.
But I'm thinking that perhaps there are those that are saved but not truly satisfied.
Are you happy? Are you content?
Satisfaction is what we want.
Satisfaction.
Comes to us through this blessed book. It's the word of God.
And I'd like to revisit.
A verse that we read earlier in this conference.
Found in Psalm 107.
Psalm 107.
And verse 9.
A familiar verse, a wonderful verse. A favorite of mine.
For He.
Satisfieth, the longing soul, and Phyllis, a hungry soul.
With goodness.
We know who this is speaking about.
The Lord Himself noticed the verse before all that men would praise.
The Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works.
To the children of men.
So Lord is good.
The Lord is good unto all.
Somebody said.
To another brother, the Lord has been good to you. And the response was.
Who wouldn't he be good to? He's good to all, and the Lord satisfies.
I notice I believe it's on the Walmart.
These words satisfaction guaranteed.
But it doesn't stop there.
Or your money back.
In other words, there is a possibility that you will not be satisfied.
With the product, we're willing to give you your money back.
But if you are satisfied with the product, we're not giving you your money back, we're keeping it.
But here this afternoon.
The wonderful thing is.
That God satisfies.
00:35:00
The Lord satisfies, and you keep your money.
It's not gonna cost you.
A cent you know salvation is the gift of God.
And satisfaction is the gift of God.
Why? Because satisfaction is Christ.
He satisfies.
The longing soul.
Now we're talking about a spiritual issue here.
We could say that he feels the hungry.
Stomach with good food and we've all proved that at this conference.
What wonderful meals we've enjoyed.
And the Lord is good. He provides for our needs in a physical way. But more importantly than this.
The physical satisfaction is the satisfaction of our soul.
Our soul. Because there may have been those that sat down to that feast over in the cafeteria and you sat there with a big plate of food, but you're not really happy.
Not happy.
Why Problem in the soul? You know God desires that you and I, we might be thoroughly happy.
It speaks in First Timothy.
About the Gospel of the blessed God and I understand the word blessed there means happy.
God.
That rejoiced my soul. My brother brought that out, I believe, Saint John Conference.
And I hadn't seen that before, but wonderful to realize that God delights to bless.
He rejoices to see his children happy.
That's his desire, and so he satisfies the longing soul.
Now I noticed bumper stickers and I'm sure you do too.
But I saw a bumper sticker one time and it said something to this effect.
We have the power to satisfy.
And there was a signature.
Underneath the statement.
Guess what the signature was?
Yamaha.
Yeah.
Now you know, Yamaha produces some amazing products and I'm sure we've all enjoyed some of their products. Maybe it's been a musical instrument of some sort or maybe a four Wheeler or.
A some sort of a snowmobile or something of this nature?
And we can enjoy these things for a time.
But the time comes when we have to.
Turn off the switch, park the vehicle and.
The satisfaction, it just goes away.
And these things are those things that don't truly satisfy the heart. Now the Lord Jesus, he satisfies.
For time and for eternity.
And you don't have to pay $5000 for a four Wheeler or $1000 for a piano or a keyboard or whatever.
Where are we gonna find satisfaction in Christ? Where do we find Him? Right here in this book.
Is there anybody here this afternoon doesn't have a Bible?
I think we all have a Bible and it's our privilege to open this Bible and to.
Learn of Christ the Lord Jesus could say. Search the scriptures.
00:40:04
And then you have eternal life.
They are they which testify of me.
And I believe.
What we have here in this portion tells us that.
Satisfaction. It does not come from things.
Satisfaction, true satisfaction comes from faith in Christ.
You know the hymn writer put it this way. I tried the broken cisterns, Lord, but ah, the waters failed. Even as I stooped a drink, they fled, and they mocked me.
As I wailed.
Now none but Christ can satisfy none other name. For me there's love.
And life and lasting joy, Lord Jesus found in thee. What more do we want than love, than life and lasting joy?
Can we ask for anything more than that?
Well, I just thought that perhaps we could look another portion in the New Testament over in the Gospel of Mark.
And I believe this account.
Indicates to us how.
The Lord Jesus desires to satisfy. It's in the heart of God to meet your need.
And this particular account that we're going to read appears in all of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and we did refer to it already in this conference.
But let's just read here in Mark chapter 6.
Mark chapter 6.
And 1St.
30.
Mark 630.
And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
You know, previously.
John the Baptist.
Faithful minister of Christ.
Ended up in prison.
And.
He had his head cut off.
By a wicked man.
And you know, his disciples they felt as keenly.
And they buried the body.
But the next thing they did, they went and they told Jesus.
About what had taken place.
The Lord Jesus.
Is waiting to hear.
From you and me.
When we find ourselves in a very difficult situation.
Perhaps.
There's been sickness.
Perhaps a loved one is passed on and we feel very keenly these things.
Who do we go to?
Jesus.
Is waiting to hear.
Your situation and he will sympathize with you like no one else. He always has an open ear.
And he knows exactly what to say.
And he can tell you what to do.
In the most difficult situation.
You know Jarius, he got a message about his daughter.
That she had died.
It says as soon as you get this message, the Lord said to him.
Be not afraid, only believe it's in the previous chapter in verse 36.
Mark 536 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
00:45:12
Believe that's key. Take God at his word. The Lord is good.
His desire is to bless.
As we contemplate.
His love pulled out. It's a cross, as we did this morning.
In the remembrance of the Lord.
Certainly.
We would acknowledge that he has our best interests at heart.
Think about His love told out in the sacrifice that he made. Is there anybody here this afternoon that questions that God is for you?
Because if you do.
Think about Calvary. Think about.
The cross.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ and how He gave his life.
He died, he shed his blood in order that you could become his own.
How special we must be to him as we contemplate the price he paid.
For you and me.
What a wonderful savior Jesus is so.
Go to Jesus.
He has comfort, sympathy.
He wept at the grave of Lazarus.
He felt for those sisters.
What a precious savior.
And friend Jesus is, He's the only savior, and he's the best friend.
Now I believe.
There were disciples that came.
And also spoke with Jesus about their successes.
And how that they were able to cast out demons and so on. You know, that's a good thing to talk over with the Lord too, when the Lord gives us a victory to go back into His presence and thank Him because He is the one who gets the credit. That's been said. Sometimes it's hard to use a victory than it is to get it.
Because sometimes.
The Lord gives us a victory and it tends to puff us up. And the sad thing is.
Failure comes in as a result. Well, the important thing is.
To stay in the presence of the Lord.
Go to Him about your difficulties, your sorrows, your sadness, but also about your success.
Now first.
31.
And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while, For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately, And the people saw them departing, and many knew Him, and ran afoot thither out of all the cities. And I went to him, and came together unto him. So the Lord was taking His disciples into a.
Place to rest.
A desert place, but.
Those in the communities, they heard about where he's going and they took the land route when the others took the boat and it tells us they're they out went, they came together unto Jesus.
Now what's gonna happen next?
Verse 34 And Jesus when he came out, saw much people and was moved with compassion towards them.
Now had they not gone to take a rest? Here's all these people.
00:50:03
Did the blessed Lord resent?
You're being there. Did he tell him to go home? It says here he was moved with compassion. Why?
Because they were a sheep, not having a shepherd, you know?
The difficulties and the needs of people is what draws out the love and the compassion of the Lord of glory, the Creator.
So beautiful to think about.
Compassion, I believe.
Yes.
Having pity on somebody who is in need, with a very earnest desire to meet that need to help that person.
That's how Jesus is. You know, I looked in the Psalms and I see five times, at least five times that the Lord is.
Full of compassion.
Not simply one who has compassion, but he's full of compassion.
So what does it tell us? He began to teach them many things, and when the day was now far spent, His disciples came unto him and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far past. Send them away.
That they may go into the country, roundabout, into the villages, and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.
He answered and said unto them, He, have ye them to eat? They say unto him, Shall we go and buy 200 penny worth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye go and see? And when they knew, they say, five and two fishes.
And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. They sat down in ranks by hundreds by 50s. When he had taken the five lows, the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and break the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And.
Two fishes divided he among them all, and they did all eat and were filled.
And they took up 12 baskets full of the fragments.
And of the fishes, and they that did eat of the loaves were about 5000 men. Now you notice the attitude of the disciples different than that of the Lord.
And I think the big problem with the disciples was lack of faith. And you know, where there's lack of faith, often there's lack of love.
The Thessalonians, if you read in the first chapter of the 2nd epistle, it tells us how their faith it grew exceedingly.
And commensurate with that was that their love toward those about abounded.
I think that love is in proportion to the faith. The disciples are wondering how are we going to deal with these people?
Send them away.
That was not.
The heart of Jesus.
And so we read what took place.
And how he provided in a miraculous way.
One of the disciples you read about this over in other gospels, I think it was Philip, he said shall we go buy 200 penny worth of bread, give them to eat? He said that would only provide for just a little for the folks.
Then Andrew says, you know, we've got some food here. It's 5 loaves.
And the other gospel, it says bodily loaves and it also says small fishes. Andrew was a fisherman, you know, so he know what big fish are and he knew what small ones were. And that's all that was available here. 5 firely loaves. Barley was a food that was fed to horses.
00:55:02
It was only worth about half what the week was, and in one case I think it was only about 1/3 of what the week was. And it was the bread of the poor. So we have this little bit of food, but.
God is going to use it and as we often say, little as much when God is in it. And so we see how miraculously it was multiplied and multiplied. But what I enjoy too is that the Lord gave thanks for this little bit of food.
He thanked God for the food. Now later on in Mark, we have him thanking.
God for another.
Loaf another bread. We know what we're talking about.
At the Lord's Supper to give thanks for that bread.
And what speaks to my heart?
Is the attitude of the Lord Jesus that he could thank God for that which?
Signified the deepest suffering in his life. He breaks the bread after thanking the Lord, thanking God.
And we know it speaks to us of his death. This is my body which is given for you.
Do I thank God for difficult circumstances?
You know, the Lord knew that out of his death there was going to be much fruit, the blessing that would result.
And you know, our trials and difficulties I believe God does allow.
In order to bring forth much fruit is going to bring good out of it. Well, you know.
The little bit of food is distributed and it's multiplied and multiplied. And it says here they did all eat, no exceptions, and they were filled. They were satisfied.
And then they took up after fragments.
12 baskets, which was far more than what they started with.
Our time is gone, but if you turn over two more chapters, chapter 8, we have the Lord feeding 4000.
And he's using, again, just a little bit of food.
This time.
7 loaves.
And a few small fishes.
And what does it say in verse 8, Mark 88? So they did eat and were filled, and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
Now I believe 12 and seven are perfect numbers, but we don't have time to talk about that in Scripture. There was leftover a perfect supply for future use. That's how God works. He provides.
For today.
And for tomorrow, and next week, and for the future.
Now so he multiplies the bread, you might say, why would they want to gather up the fragments?
God, I do not believe, appreciates wasting his resources.
And you know, this, uh, woman in Chapter 7, Cyranician woman came to Jesus on behalf of her daughter had a big problem. And you know, the Lord Jesus speaks of how he was sent to the lost sheep tribe of Israel and she didn't really have a claim on him for any reason, but she said when he told her, it's not really meat to give.
Children spread to the dogs, she said. Yeah, but the dogs, they eat, the crumbs that fall from the master's table, That's all she wanted, just a crumb that would satisfy her soul, her need. A crumb. So these crumbs are very important.
And when it comes to feeding these thousands, none of the crumbs are going to be left behind. You know, anything that God gives, anything that the Lord Jesus gives is very valuable. We need to place important side.
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And.
I'll just close with this, uh, thought that, uh.
God's desire is that you and I be not only saved, but satisfied and.
Yamaha may satisfy for a time, a very short time, but Christ, he satisfies for a time and for eternity. Let's be feeding on Him. He says I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
#186 just the 1St 2 verses.
186 versus one and two only.
We care, but I'm I'm good at the land together. I'm going to do everything. So I'm glad you're a lot of water. Bye, bye. It's my heart and everything and my medicine when I have your time.
I breathe and pray.
What are the glory cracked on the air of lawn? It's kind of surprised. Oh, OK.
Mm-hmm. Our God and Father, we thank you for that. We've just been before our souls this afternoon and the pages of Thy living Word. May we walk in the good of it. We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for His glory, Amen.