Address—H. Brinkmann
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Appendix.
Oh Lord, I love.
Love. Love. Love.
Transformers.
And everything.
Let's what we have within myself.
I.
Know in the.
Brightness.
And like my laundry.
And yet I love.
Something.
And the recall my heart.
Is going All in all in right now.
Mine, I would.
Love.
It.
In my.
Heart.
When that becomes.
Out.
Lava, plug me in there.
And if I.
Wonder.
Back to the.
Therefore thy creation.
Forever.
Make her like, so big.
Oh.
And birthday my of myself.
Come from.
To read one verse and Genesis.
00:05:04
Genesis 4 verse 9.
And the Lord said, I'm the pain. Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not.
And I my brother Keeper.
The subject that I have on my heart tonight is the subject of discipline.
And I believe.
In the minds of many.
Of God's people when we talk about discipline they think of.
The excommunication of one who has fallen into.
Immorality or evil doctrine or whatever might require.
The form of discipline of excommunication. But really?
That is the end of discipline.
And it proves that all discipline has failed.
And I believe that many times.
The extreme form has to take place because we have failed in carrying out discipline.
And I believe the answer that pain gives to the Lord. Am I my brother's keeper?
We know the answer, do we not? Yes, we are our brothers people.
In other words, we all have responsibilities towards one another.
Now there might be do, and there are those that have more responsibility in this respect than others, like the currently those who have the gift of shepherds.
What is the gift of shepherds?
Well.
They're really concerned with the soul, with the stains to help them along.
And to treat them, and if necessary, to correct them, and so on to help them along in a spiritual way.
There's such a thing as a gift.
As a gift over Kepler, you know those gifts And Ephesians 4 which are apostles and prophets. Well, those gifts we don't have any more. You know we still have prophecy, but we do not have prophets. Those who completed the word of God, those who were used by inspiration to write down what we now have.
In the Bible.
Whether that's the Old Testament or New Testament, you know there were prophets in the Old Testament and there were prophets in the New Testament. Without going too far off on this side line you might take, it's important to see that profits are not just people that foretell future events.
Those prophets we have in the word of God, prophets are all for those, and Samuel had those.
Beginning with Samuel that says in the book of Acts, they are not necessarily telling foretelling future events, but they use what has been previously revealed to restore.
The people to bring them back to God. Corrective ministry. That kind of ministry is still with us today. Let the prophets speak two or three in First Corinthians.
Is really corrected ministry predominantly.
Deadwig is necessary to deal with the state of the Saints. Someone has distinguished between.
And the teacher and the shepherd and the prophet. And you know, the teacher addresses himself to the intellect.
Of course, we're speaking now of spiritual intelligence and the Shepherd.
Directs himself to the heart and the profit. His ministry is directed to the conscience, and we need that kind of thing. And we should not despise prophesying. And this kind of prophesying fits in with our subject.
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Of discipline because we all at one time or another.
The correction We need to be brought in line with God's thoughts and even as to our way of life, our practices, they have to be brought in line with what God expects us to do and say, to have our thoughts in line with His, our practices in line with what He can approve of in our lives.
And the Prophet is not wanted.
You know, what did they do with the prophets in the Old Testament? They stoned them.
You know, and you know what the Lord Jesus said. Which of the prophets hath not your father persecuted? Well?
Today we might not stone people who direct themselves in their ministry to our conscience, but we might friends that make legal.
You know.
You know, it's a terrible thing many times when people's brains, people legal who are exercised about obedience to the word of God and I sometimes said.
If obedience to the word of God is legality, then I want to be classified a religious project. I hope you too would want to be there. So classified. There is such a thing as reality, and we know that, and we have to guard against it.
Our actions should always flow from realizing what our position is in Christ, the elevated glorious position that we have the perfect standing in Christ and that we are saved not only from Hellfire, also saved from this present evil world.
You know, and then if you see that clearly, then we can know what is expected of us.
You know, we probably have heard Albert give that illustration of.
The Prince, was it Prince Charles or one of those of the Royal House of England, was traveling on an ocean liner and crossed the equator. And I understand they had some kind of a celebration where they clown around and they dress up in funny clothes and this prints also did the same. And there was a photographer snipping a picture, snatching a picture.
And it appeared on the front page in England, and he was reprimanded when it came back. And he was said, that might be all right for anybody else, but for one who is the Prince, a Prince of England? It's not proper behavior. So we always have to realize what we are in Christ and what our position is in order to know how we ought to conduct ourselves.
But the problem is that.
When we get saved.
We don't right away know everything and we might have habits and customs from our former life that we have to unlearn. And you know, remember when Lazarus came out of the grave, the Lord Jesus told the disciples to take the grave clothes off of him, you know, and I remember that somebody was saved. The lady was saved and.
She came to the meeting, you know, she was painted.
And dressed up and like a Christmas tree, you know, she looked.
And people found that offensive. And somebody said come Egypt lately, come, you know, be patient. Well, it didn't take long and these things dropped off.
Well, I think patience and grace is necessary, but there has to be.
This loving care to help such souls belong. The best way we can help him, of course, is find our example.
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And all discipline really begins with self-discipline.
And I think Paul himself is an example.
Of that turned through First Corinthians.
Chapter 9.
Verse 27.
But I keep under my body to entering it into subjection.
Less than by any means, when I have prayed to others, I myself should be attached away.
Because she is talking to Paul did not judge. You know he lived running creeps and.
My grandfather pointed out to me when I was a young believer.
What you find is the book of X.
Verse one, Chapter one.
The former creedus.
Have I have I made a Theophilus of all that Jesus?
Began both to do and teach.
Interesting. We begin to do first and then, he preached.
You know it's.
A sad thing, sometimes when people preach something that they don't practice, there is no power behind it. You know, when I was a young believer in Wisconsin had come here, I had an exercise about joining labor unions and most of those veterans there were in the labor union and so.
They were offended by some of them anyway, by the state that I took.
And.
So one brother, who himself had joined the labor union, preached in the meeting.
Pointing out what the specific teachers about the things, but it didn't carry any weight, you know, it wasn't very acceptable to the audience because they knew that every labor union meeting he attended, you know, well, that wasn't Perry anyway. Well, we should do and then.
See, so it's a very important thing that we are exercising in our lives, that we walk through this world pleading to the Lord, not stumbling anybody, you know?
Offending.
You know, offending we.
That word in English today, when somebody heard our feelings.
But this is not how the word of God uses the Word of Faith. That is to cause to somebody, or to go astray by even our example that we ought to be exercising about that. But we all need sometimes the help of our brethren. We need corrections. The Scripture says that the fool despises corruption. Why do we want to be fooled?
What do we want to classify with food? Despising.
Correction, we need it.
There's none of us there at one time or another does not leave correction where we have. As we look into the subject and read various passages about discipline, we find there are various.
Different forms and to have less or more severe forms of discipline and I think one of the least severe forms is what we find in John.
And Chester 13 to Let's turn to them.
John chapter 13 speaks of the washing of feet.
And we know that the Lord Jesus begins the upper room ministry with the washing of the feet.
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You know all that he has to say afterwards, that which is especially of comfort to his own because he was going away. We can say that they can really only be enjoyed if we come into the good of the washing of the feet. And Peter, when the Lord does that to him, or wants to wash his feet, he says, You, the Lord washing my feet? No way.
The Lord says, well, if he I don't wash your feet.
You have no part with me.
What? He doesn't mean to say that if I don't wash your feet, you'll be lost.
I'm going to keep you saved by washing the feet. No, the danger exists of losing communion. That's the point. And we as we walk through this world, which is the wilderness and which lies in the land of the wicked one, that's how it can be translated.
Satan is his. God is the garden Prince of this world. The world lies in his life.
We cannot help but be defiled.
And it isn't something that we.
See, He can't avoid it.
You know, all we have to do is when the weather gets hot and we go to town and we see how immoderate some of the ladies are dressed. You know, they know what that does to men. Maybe ladies don't always realize that, but men are aroused by what they see, and the advertising agents know that. And that's why they when they want to sell a car, you know they.
Put a well formed, scantily dressed lady right next to it, you know, because that catches the attention of people. Well, I sometimes ask the question.
Do we want to tempt or arouse our brothers in Christ? But we ought to be exercised about these things? But we, as we go through this world, we cannot help but see things and hear things that we do not necessarily want to see, that we don't necessarily want to hear. When you go to work, for instance.
You know, depending where you work, many of you are privileged that you don't have to go and work in a factory or where you are with many unbelieving people. You know as you sit on your tractor and farm your farm, your privileged individual in this respect, that you are not exposed to the vulgarity and all that which are better than Christ have to be exposed to who have to work in the factory.
Well, so we cannot help but see hearing things that have a defiling effect. So we have to submit to the planting effect of the word of God. Now the Lord Jesus uses that with his disciples and then he tells the disciples. Now I'm giving you an example if I.
The Lord says that you have to do that to one another, but it is.
A service that requires humility and grace, you know and and many times when I hear on John 13, people always bring in.
Sin and defilement serious of a serious nature. I don't think this is necessarily what is anticipated there.
A brother in Wausau, WI. He made the statement once after I've been all day in the store contact with the world, I feel that I have to go home and let the water as it will run through me, you know, and this is what the word of God does.
Define that a new birth.
The word of God is used as a cleansing agent. And when Peter says oh, he says when he hears that if the Lord wouldn't wash his feet he wouldn't have any part with him, he says old enough, only my feet and he wanted to be washed all over. And the Lord says he that has been given a bath need not to our save his feet. You know we have that with the.
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Dedication of the priest in the Old Testament, he was given a bath that's new birth. That's a picture of new birth. But then daily he had to wash his feet, his hands and his feet.
Why was that Because?
As he walked through this desert sand, his feet will be fired, and in connection with the bringing of sacrifices, his hands were unclean.
They got bloody, you know, But how wonderful for us as believers. It's not hands empty, it's only feet. Because the work is done, you know. And this in itself also shows if it would be a more serious case of defilement, something that we do. Our hands are usually used in the word of God for what we do, you know, but our feet walking through this wilderness.
We get deprived and we need to be cleansed, and our brethren can do that. When we come to meeting, when the word of God is opened up and read to us, and it's found that this is what takes place and that's why it is so important for us to come to meeting. You know, some people think that the breaking of bread is all that I have to go through. No, we need to come under the sound of the word.
And I believe when we get together.
In the holes, I think it's a good thing that the word of God has a big part in our get together, even outside of the assembly meetings.
You know it's a pleasure to be in the home of the Saints then, and after breakfast the word of God is bread. And then.
The same about their needs coming themselves to the Lord in the evening. You know the word of God is wet. Prayer is made. These are beautiful, wonderful customs based on the word of God.
You know, in Timothy Paul says that everything is good to eat if it is connected with the word, the word of God and with prayer. You know that we visited in Cairo the first two times we noticed that they do not have the custom that they open those pictures after they had eaten and read the word of God. We have mentioned that several times, but that is such a custom with them.
Or lack of custom based files and or if you don't do it, but it certainly is a good person for us to do that.
So the work is a cleansing agent, and even when it becomes a more serious case of defilement, if you really want to help our brethren, you know I believe you use the word of God.
And I understand one time it was an assembly that had a problem with a certain brother and brothers had labored with that individual and hadn't gotten to first base with him and.
And it was a serious case, a serious problem that they had with him. So they asked his brother, well thought, whether he would go and make an effort to the brother went into that house.
And he won't even sit down. He wouldn't in any way socialize with that man. And he said, I've come here to read some scriptures to you, and if you read scriptures that were pertinent scriptures that really fit his face and then he left, you know, the Lord used that to exercise their individual. And I believe from what I understand, he was restored. So the word of God.
Is such a big.
Part even we find in Ephesians chapter 5.
That this cleansing with the water, the Word, is something that is an ongoing thing that the Lord is doing, that God is doing with us until we reach glory, you know, that is the scripture then shows that water and the Word of God are synonymous well.
You find in the Old Testament you have a more serious case typically.
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In the Red Heifer, you know there you have a person who gets defiled but the defilement has not started from within himself. You know there are things that lead to our defilement, like leprosy for instance, or open source scriptures speak of that. That is something that breaks out in an individual and it comes from within.
His evil, sinful nature, but we find there with the red heifer.
The person that comes in contact with a dead body or with a grave or with a bone, he is defiled, he contract, is contracted, Something that does not necessarily start with him, but at least to something serious in here.
So what we find here too, in that passage that he cannot get cleansing without the help of one of his fellow believers. A clean man didn't have to even be a priest, had to strangle the water of purification on the third day and under 7th day, you know, and this is so instructive there, that it doesn't have to be a priest.
You know, or Levi, even any clean person can perform that service of love to a fellow Pilgrim. And so it is with us, you know, we must not say well in our local assembly. There are some brothers, they have the responsibility of oversight and so I don't have to bother with this kind of thing.
Well, certainly there are things that only the older ones and those in oversight should handle and deal with. But in our contact with one another, all of us have to responsibility. We're all our brother's keepers, depending on the circumstances, you know, and how important it is, you know, even a sister.
Him.
Depending again on the circumstances for your help to a believer who is of the opposite sex in that connection with just a brief statement or quoting a scripture you know in context, outside of the assembly, of course, how important these things are to realize that. But let's turn to relations.
Relations, Chapter 6.
First one.
Brethren is a man, he overtaken in a fall, he which has spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness. Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted, bear ye one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself, But let every man prove his own work.
And then shall you have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another, for every man shall bear his own burden.
Well, here then we have a case where.
Can you simply the fellowship of the same? There is somebody overtaking by a fall.
Well, it is evidently not something that needs to lead to excommunication, you know.
And those that are spiritual should restore that one. And again, in here you don't necessarily have the elders and overseers, but.
Those who are spiritual should restore that one. Now what is a spiritual person?
Well, I believe a spiritual person is one who realizes that that evil that that individual has fallen into is something that I can fall into, myself and.
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A person that.
The chances of his own weakness and shortcomings. The humility tries to help a fellow believer. The story is taught, and I don't remember now who told that story that there was a brother that had fallen into some problem and here some brothers live together and they were praying about it and this one brother.
Wanted to have another one to do with it.
And after they had prayed the brother who was leading in the exercise? He asked the one brother, he said.
If you would face the same temptation, what do you think would happen?
Well, she said. I think the Lord would give me grace that I wouldn't fall into it.
And.
The other one was asked and he too gave an answer that his brother wasn't satisfied with. And then the third one, I believe he was sitting there with his head down and he said to the brother when he was asked. He said. I'm afraid if I would have faced the same thing, I might have fallen more hard than he did.
The voters said you're the one that goes with me and they labor with that person.
Well, I think this is what is so hard and why.
This care for one another is so difficult because it has to be carried out by people who themselves are far from perfect and they themselves might have had in their history things where they had to be dealt with.
And it might well be thrown into their face when they come and try to help the one that now, at this time itself well. So it is humility that is necessary, considering ourselves realizing we're made out of the same stuff. We can fall into this.
And so that's the right state of soul.
That is necessary in dealing with one another. And then the Lord can give praise. Now he again it is not held such a serious nature that the person has to be put out of fellowship, you know, like fornication, adultery, and evil doctrines of turning the person and work of the Lord Jesus. But Gordon Hill once said when the subject was discussed at a conference.
It's not for brethren to determine what has to be done with a fornicator. The word of God tells us what has to be done with a fornicator. Put out some among yourself that was the person you know. There's a doctrine going around even amongst the gathered things that if somebody only falls into sin, one fornication, you know he doesn't need to be put out.
Well, the question that should be answered to people is somebody only murders once.
To become under discipline. You know what they're trying to say? That the person is not a foreigner. Peter, by falling into that sin only once, is a person not a murderer. If he murders only once, he certainly is. Well. So we have to be careful to not have people put things into our minds that don't stand up in the light of the word of God. Now it is true that.
If somebody falls into such an evil.
And it truly repented.
And truly humbled before God that he might not have to be outside very long, but there is more involved in that form of discipline in the assembly than the thought of restoring that one.
The name of the Lord Jesus had to be cleared. The name of the assembly has to be cleared. Well, we'll probably get to that if we do in First Corinthians 5, but here it is apparently not something that requires excommunication.
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All that is needed here is those who are spiritually with that one. And when the person acknowledges his fault, he's forgiven, you know, He remains in fellowship, you know, sometimes.
Like in one of my recent trips, I came through an assembly. Not in this country.
I'm glad to say that there was a man that had fallen into adultery, and he and his wife came to one of the responsible brothers, and he was broken about it, confessed it, and the brother thought that it was all that was needed. He had confessed it. And so the brother continued in fellowship. You know what happened? He fell into the thing again.
And at that time he left his wife without any support and his two daughters and.
So when I pointed out to him, to this responsible brother, what could teach us, he was thankful, you know, he didn't know. And so sometimes mistakes are made amongst our people because of lacks of understanding the scriptures. But that's why we need to go into a subject like that. We would much rather take a subject like we had the last two nights, but I believe this kind of subject is very important.
Too, especially in our day and age where people are so independent, you know, and the attitude that prevails in the world in general.
Mind your own business, you know.
It's none of your concern. Well, we are one members, one of another, you know, whatever happens to one of us affects us all. And we are one body, you know? And when things occur in the assembly, all are affected by it, not just the person.
That falls into some sin. Remember, even in the Old Testament, when Aiken took up the accursed thing, God did not tell Joshua that.
One in Israel has been, the Lord said. Israel has sinned. Sure, it was one in Israel, but all Israel, until they dealt with it evil, was identified with it before God.
And they were defeated at AI because of it.
But isn't that nice when there are such cases as we have here in Galatians 6 and when in love and grace things are dealt with and the person is rescued?
And does not continue on a downward course and eventually has to be removed from the fellowship of the Saints.
But now let's turn to.
Timothy First Timothy.
Verse Chapter 5, verse 20.
Them that sin rebuked before all that others also may fear.
Now here again, you have a more severe way of dealing with something. Something has happened that requires a review.
You and what we find when we look at this whole subject of discipline, we find more scriptures deal with personal discipline or the responsibility of the individuals to be individuals to deal in discipline than the collective.
Aspect. That is the assembly dealing with it. And if this is what comes across to us tonight, it'll be very helpful because I believe, because we do not carry out that responsibility that many times a person ends up outside of the assembly altogether, but sitting here again is not a.
Matter.
That will have to come before the assembly, and the assembly has to excommunicate that person you know, let's say for instance as an example.
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One of the brothers or sisters makes a vulgar statement or in their anger. Use a word that Christians should be saying a fellow believer right then and there.
Can use this picture.
As authority to rebuke that person. But what it is anticipating here is that the review has not only hopefully the result that that person is repentant, that also is a warning for others who might witness the conduct and behavior. Take another example, let's say in a brother's meeting.
There's a young brother who in an undercoming way.
Runs down an older brother or talks to an older brother. That's pretty.
Or children do it to their parents.
We might all have done that at one time or another.
You know and.
A review should be administered right then and there. The Lord might use another brother to rebuke that young brother, right? And then there publicly, you know? Or maybe it's an older brother that behaves out of place, you know, let's fly off the handle, you know, you know, order better than two, and nobody is beyond the review.
You know we have in chapter 5 verse one rebuke not an elder, but Mr. Darby's rendering says rebuke not an elder character.
Such a case that an older one has to be reviewed. Don't review them sharply. Review them as a father as it would be becoming for a son to talk to his father.
No, father sometimes might well.
Have to.
He rebuked even by their own son.
But there is a becoming way to team with older sisters, you know, like a mother, and then into the coming way how younger sister should be rebuked by a brother. So we had to consider these things, you know, sometimes perhaps the older one, saying that nobody should ever dare say anything against them or oppose them in anything.
Well, older ones are not always right, but there is a becoming way how to speak to older ones in such a case.
Now turn to.
First Thessalonians, first of all.
4:50 verse 14.
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that our unruly comfort the people minded, support the weak, be patient towards all men. He again you have, you certainly see, a form of discipline.
Warn them that are unruly.
You know, in our day and age.
The kids are being sold in school many times. Do your own things, don't you think for yourself And so on and so forth and.
Things are undermined. The family structures undermine.
In many cases, for those who take the place of counselors, even among Christians, you know, we've heard that long ago that somebody who played quite a prominent place trying to be a counselor to the young people set to one of the children of the Saints.
Does your father really love you?
Yes, he said. Well, how do you know he loves you? Well, my dad goes to work.
He she's two. I said I have something to eat, that I have clothes to wear, that I have a head over my roof, a roof over my head, and well, he said the penitentiary would do that for you.
Fitness and the mining.
Confidence and trust.
In the family.
Well, it said that these things occur, but.
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We have to.
Honor those whom God has put over us, healing the family, be it in the assembly. And there are rules who are over us in the middle.
Then Second Thessalonians.
Verse six of chapter 3.
Now we command your brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh his orderly, and not after the tradition which he received which.
He received of us for ourselves, nor yourself, nor how you ought to follow us, For we behave not ourselves disorderly among you, neither did we eat any man's bread for not.
But brought with labor and prevail night and day, that we might be not be chargeable to any of you, not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Over here that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but a busy body. Now then there are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. But he brethren, be not weary and well doing, And if any man obey not our word participist, though note that man, and have no company with him.
That he may be ashamed.
Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
So you can see what the problem was here at Tesla. Nika was that there were those who were walking disorderly and the disorder walked consisted of not working. They were lazy.
You know, they didn't provide for themselves and for their own. That's it. Quite a statement in First Timothy when we read that those who do not provide for their own have denied the faith and are worse than an unbelievable. You know what, it is there not just for our own children, but it's for our relatives, you know, when they get older and need help.
And here.
There were those who were disorderly and didn't walk work well. They were to be not associated with. They were not to be socialized with.
And they were not to be regarded as an enemy. They were still in the assembly. But this is a form of discipline. That is the responsibility of individuals. Are we willing to be faithful? We have met in our short life as a Christian, those who were lazy, whose family suffered.
Didn't have food on the table sometimes because the father was lazy. Well, when we had such cases, we should not keep company with them. We should not invite them, nor neither should we accept invitations by them.
Now, those who act on the Scripture in such cases might be considered troublemakers, You know, an unkind. But this is what the Scripture teaches. We're going to go not by what people say, but it's popular in the world.
We go by what the Word of God teaches. I hope we all do.
You know, and this is a form of discipline that is individual responsibility. It might become the basis for an assembly action. This is I think another thing that we can see that those scriptures that speak of individual responsibility, like a review for instance, that is predominantly an individual responsibility. But I know cases have been such that the assembly rebuked somebody publicly.
00:55:00
Or sisters publicly for their behavior.
But here this also might be necessary that the assembly publicly reviewed such a one for the disorderly walk.
But it might well be that some discern this earlier than others. It might have to act for their for themselves. And hopefully the others will come to realize that there is indeed a problem that needs to be dealt with. Now turn to Roman.
Romans 16.
We're 70.
Now I beseech you, brethren, and you will see now that things become more and more serious, as we proceed in the subject of discipline. Now beseech your brethren, mark them, which caused divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which he has learned, and avoid them.
Don't have anything to do with them.
For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches receive the hearts of the simple.
To hear now we are born.
You know, if we do not avoid those that cause division and offenses, contrary to the doctrine.
If you do not avoid, then we ourselves might become affected by it. Have we not seen it many times? Those that are oldest here?
I'm sure they can relate cases where people did not go by the teaching of this scripture and were influenced and their fellowship with their brethren.
Between March.
But you see he again. You don't have necessarily yet an assembly action here, but the individual discern this man conducts himself in a heretical way, and it might be a woman.
And the course of safety for me is that I avoid such a person. I don't expose myself to the influence.
Now turn to Titus.
You see, sometimes we confuse divine love with humankind, you know, and we continue to associate with those that have divided the Saints of God. Beware. Maybe we ourselves will be affected.
Perhaps even Mr. Pat.
Chapter 3 of Titus.
We're standing.
A man that is an heretic after the 1St and 2nd admonition rejects, knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth being condemned of himself.
Here, now you have a person.
Called a heretic now when we usually encissed them, hear, hear the word heretic used.
And it's generally used in connection with people. Doctor, this man is heretical and people read by that he has fall darkness. Now a person might well use false doctrine to draw disciples after them like we have it in Acts chapter 20.
From among yourselves the men arise, teaching perverse things, drawing disciples after them. But a heretic might not necessarily be one who teaches false doctrines, but he divides the same.
And that's a heretic. And you know, we can use the very truth and divide God's people. You know, not everybody amongst God's people sees everything the way you and I perhaps might see it.
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And.
Especially young believers, you know, who are still in the early stages of spiritual growth. And if you try to force certain aspects of the truth of God upon people when they're not ready for it, you know, and.
Then we might cause a risk amongst the people of God. You all know, perhaps that Mister Darley's belief in.
Household fabric and many of these brethren did not believe in household baptism. And just like today there are brethren who believe in household baptism and their brethren who believe in believers baptism, that only those who have made a profession of faith should be baptized. And when he was ministering in England, he was in a meeting, in a certain meeting, where the president there all were pretty well.
Of the persuasion of the liver's baptism, and a young man comes running after him after he had ministered the word and he said, Mr. Darby, and what did you hold on back to him? And Mr. Dougherty said, you know, you go to those travel in there, they can tell you all about their citizens. What he realized is he didn't want to give this young man.
Ammunition that he could use to cause problems in this group of believers in England. Well, we have to be careful. A heretic is one who divides the people.
And you know, there are such things as division.
And.
They are caused by a sectarian influence, but they might still be.
Start people. You know, we speak of the division of sons of bread and the division of son, so brethren, But really, I believe it would be more correct.
Of so on and so the steps of so and so because when it becomes an outward rift.
You know, it's really a sectarian movement all together.
You know you find everything within the church. Encourage Chisholm. But it wasn't getting outward. RIP How serious a matter it is to devise God, people.
There we find in First Corinthians 3, where it's quite a solemn scripture to consider.
I see we don't get to the fifth chapter, but there we have.
Verse 17 If any man defiled a temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple we are. That is the church collectively was the temple of God. Well, the 6th or 5th chapter of First Corinthians is really.
The evil is of such a nature that the person has to be put outside, and that cannot be done by individuals. That can only be done by the assembly. And also only the assembly administratively can forgive or.
To not forget to remit or not, to remit or to bind the sin upon the person, or to loosen the same. You know, when people say like they have been saying that in connection with recent troubles among our people, we are bound by the action of so and so. That's not a scriptural expression. Finding means that the assembly binds to sin upon that individual.
You know, and we bow to the action because it was done in the name of the Lord Jesus. They're not binding us to be active Now we bow to the action. The action of the assembly of binding and loosening is binding the sin upon the individual or to loosen.
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System. And when that is done on earth, it is recognized in heaven the administrative responsibility.
Invested now in the assembly. That's why, first, what Matthew 18 teaches, that is no longer Israel.
That is among the two and three scattered to the name of the Lord, and they have authority to deal in his name, because the Lord himself is in the name.
And really, those who do not have the Lord personally in the midst, according to Matthew 1820.
Do not have such authority. That's why we do not.
Vowed to anything or accept or acknowledge anything that is being done by those who professively.
Made in the name of Christ, but cannot lead His claim to begin at according to Matthew 1820. Well, I will. I hope you love it that.
We will look into this subject more thoroughly and.
To see that we all have responsibilities with one another. And if you see me do something wrong, you have the responsibility to try to help me. And it should always be done in the smallest circle. You see me doing something wrong, you come to me.
Do you speak?
From the word of God to my conscience. And if I acknowledge it, that's where it ends, you know. But hopefully that's where it will end. When any of us and this whole thing of spreading things all over the continent and all over the world with satanic, you know, matters are to be dealt with in the smallest possible circle. That's what Matthew 18 teaches.
You know, so maybe God helped us that we live up to our responsibilities and.
All of our actions.
Affect.
The whole testimony.
And affect the name of the Lord Jesus.
And if he can in any way contribute to things being.
Ordered properly or straightened out so that the testimony is not marked by anything in any of us. The Lord will be honored by this. You know the time is going to come when this will no longer be necessary, when we'll be all with and like the Lord Jesus, as long as we are on this earth.
We have the responsibility of trying to help each other. You know we are.
All interdependent. We all need each other, and how wonderful that the Lord has arranged it in this way. And may the Lord help us to live up to our responsibility.