Open—Ted Porter
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I'd like to read a few scriptures.
Starting in the book of Psalms.
Psalm 131 Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters.
Were things too high for me?
Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother.
My soul is even as a wean child.
The Romans, chapter 12.
I think for the proper understanding of this verse we should pay attention to the checks that has been inserted because I'm going to read diverse without it.
Romans chapter 12 and verse 3. For I say through the grace.
Given to me to every man that is among you, not to think more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly. First Corinthians, chapter eight. First Corinthians chapter 8, verse two. Any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing.
Yet, as he ought to know, over to the book of Proverbs, chapter 18.
Verse 16, a man's gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men in chapter 25. Verse 14 whoso boasted himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. Just want to read all these scriptures and then we'll go back to Galatians chapter 6.
Galatians chapter 6, verse 3. For if any man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
And I guess we'll go ahead to the Book of Job, Book of Job, chapter 32, beginning with verse six. I trust most of us understand the context here. And Eli who? The son of Barrichel.
The buzz I lose, I answered and said I am young and year aged.
Wherefore I was timid and feared to show you what I know.
I said let days speak and multitude of years teach wisdom.
But there is a spirit.
Which is in man, and the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
It is not the great that are wise, neither do the agent understand judgment.
Therefore I say, hearken to me. I also will show thee will show what I know.
Low, I waited for your words. I gave ear to your reasonings until you searched out what to say.
Yeah, I gave you mine attention, and behold, there was none of you. The confused Job that answered his words and Ecclesiastes chapter 4, Ecclesiastes chapter 4 and verse 13. Better is a poor but wise youth.
Then an old and foolish king who knoweth no more.
How to be admonished?
For out of the prison house he came forth to reign, although he was born poor in his Kingdom. As some of us are getting older, we're beginning to see, if I can say it this way, in our younger brethren, the fruit of what we have sown, and it's very encouraging to see.
Many of our young brethren rising up and taking their places in the assembly.
And filling the rooms of those of us who are getting older, distracted with the cares of this life were taken down with physical disability and even passing on. So it's encouraging. It's very encouraging. I want to say that to our younger brothers that are rising up and wouldn't want to pour any water on you, so to speak at all. But this word is.
To be an exhortation.
But also a warning when a young child finds his father's shoes and he puts them on and he starts to scoot across the floor, We we smile and we wink and we think that's cute. There's no harm done. And so we just kind of smile and take it lightly. But as they get older and.
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And perhaps he gets older and he finds the car keys on his parents dresser.
And decides to take his siblings for a ride that's a little more serious and we read these scriptures and I would point out that in Psalm 131. The fact that after he says I don't exercise myself in great matters or things too high for me. He says I behave myself as a child. It's weaned of his mother. That means I've matured and that indicates that when we do exercise ourselves in things that are.
Too high for us. That's immaturity. I think it's a good.
Exhortation for all of us, regardless of our age. When that scripture in First Corinthians 8 says, if any man thinks he knows anything, think about that. Do you think you know something? If any man thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know as he ought to know. And knowledge of the truth is not the truth itself.
It's good.
And necessary to study the scriptures and to study the truth. And I would say a word about that scripture that says, study to show myself approved unto God. You know, often times with the scripture we can take the modern connotation of a word and we can put it back on the scripture and then the Scripture is saying something that is not saying.
And I think with the word study, many have done that. We think of study as you know, you go off by yourself and take a book, you know that verse study to be quiet. Go study so that you're not making noise. That's all what that means. And when it says study to show yourself approved unto God, it doesn't mean to go study like we think of study so that you can get a lot of knowledge and show that you're approved. That's not what that means.
It's good if you're studying the Scriptures, and I encourage you make sure that you have Mr. Darby's translation. Now I could be accused of being.
A Darby I have been, but I I think few men have ever walked the earth that had a grasp of language like that man did. And even if you don't agree with all of his teachings and you still have to respect the fact that when he translated the scriptures.
Probably did better than any of us here could do.
And so it's good to check even before you teach on a scripture. I encourage you to check with his translation before you go and expound something on a totally wrong thought because of the way the King James put it. But.
To study to show yourself approved unto God means that showing yourself approved unto God is what you are to study. How to do that? How can I be pleasing to Him?
And yet part of that would be studying the word it is.
Studying the Word as part of it, and it's encouraging that many are doing some. I believe there's a brother in our assembly who's probably studied the Scriptures more than I have.
And and read and and study doctrine and that's, that is a good thing. But that's not the truth itself. You only own as much truth as you walk in. And walking in the truth takes time and it takes growth sometimes in assemblies.
In my short time that I've been gathered, I've observed that young ones will begin to see the failures and the shortcomings of the older brethren and the mistakes they make. Unfortunately, sometimes this emboldens the younger ones to think they know better, and that's where the analogy of finding the car keys on the dresser comes in, and younger brethren can cause a great deal of damage.
By forcing their opinions, particularly in the matter of discipline, when they think they know better than their older brother.
And so if we go back, you don't need to turn turn to it. We read it in job where a lie who said I waited?
I waited, and he did wait, and that was the proper order. He waited. He gave time to the years that should teach wisdom. He gave time to the old brethren and waited patiently. Until what? Until they were done? Until they were exhausted and found that they could not address the matter. And then he spoke up, and he points out.
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That there's a spirit in man.
And that's that is spirit in man is the means by which God inspires him. And there there is a difference between that dispensation and this one in the matter of prophecy, because we're told in I can't remember if it's first or second Peter that the Old Testament Saints, you know, they spoke, they were born by the Spirit, they were carried. And so they would say things.
And they they may not even understand what they're saying.
They may not even know what they're talking about. They spoke by the Spirit of God, but in this dispensation he that is joined unto the Lord is 1 spirit and God doesn't bypass our understanding. He doesn't bypass our soul. When a prophet speaks in this dispensation, he understands what he's saying. There was AI believe a very wise old brother who said once if you're trying to figure out.
Whether what you have to say comes from the Lord and you're absolutely certain that it's the Lord and not you. Probably you, because in this dispensation you really can't tell, because he that is joined unto the Lord is 1 Spirit and He doesn't bypass our understanding. And so when we have something to say.
We can't tell if it's us or him, and that's why it says let the prophet speak.
And let the others judge. And we submit ourselves in love to the judgment of our brethren as to whether what we have to say came from the Lord. And if it didn't, brethren are not going to disown us. If you speak and you're out of place, your brother, and you're not going to hate you or disown you.
Take the lesson in humility. I think the point has been made. You know, some years ago I noticed some younger brothers starting to come into their rooms, so to speak, and I had three exhortations for them. And I was hard pressed this morning to remember what they were. But I do remember one of them.
Always distrust yourself a little bit and that just doesn't go for the younger ones. That goes for all of us.
Regardless of what your stature may be in the eyes of the brethren, always distrust yourself a little bit and always be ready to be corrected. Don't be an old fool. May the Lord cover me. But I do believe I've seen some old fools, and some of them went to their death that way, sad to say. Let's look at a verse in that regard. Ecclesiastes, chapter 4.
Oh, we already read it. OK, so Ecclesiastes chapter 4.
And this is an exhortation for the older ones especially better as a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who knoweth no more how to be admonished. For out of the prison house he came forth to reign, although he was born poor in his Kingdom. In other words, you could reach a stature among the brethren where you're you're honored, you're older, and you've got the hoary head and.
And all.
But you forget where you came from. You forget where you came from. Poor lost Sinner. You have to go back to that state of soul where you would just wish to have some lone place within his door and be glad that you're even saved and among the Saints. And it is enough. You don't have to be anything else if you forget that.
You could be in danger of being an old foolish king. So again.
To the younger brethren, you're rising up. It's encouraging. Be careful.
When you begin to see the failures, the mistakes and the shortcomings of your older brother, not to get so bold, to think you know better about how to conduct, how the assembly is to work, how the Saints are to be, what's to go on. Be careful. You could cause a lot of damage to the older ones. Never allow yourself to get to the point where you just think.
Know so much. You're beyond admonition and correction.