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Come together.
Connection with these meetings.
And our expectation of stepping into the presence of our blessed Lord and glory.
I read it because I believe that this is the light to the heart of the Lord to see.
This carried out in a practical way. Psalm 133.
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard that went down to the skirts of his garments as the Duke of Herman, and as the Duke that descended.
Upon the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.
I only praise Him.
Blessed God.
Take that.
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Honor of the Lord. Beseech you that ye walk worthy of the location wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called, in one hope of your calling. 1 Lord. 1 Faith.
Baptism one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
But unto everyone of us has given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he said, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended.
The far above all heavens.
That he might fill all things. And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth. And love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that.
With every joint which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself. In love this I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God.
Ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their hearts, who being past feeling, have given themselves over until lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not solar in Christ, If so be that ye have heard him.
And have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that he put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind that ye put on the Newman, which after God has created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not. Let not the sin, not not the sun, go down on your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needed. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.
But that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit 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 ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another.
Even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
That arrested the writer of this epistle as he was going up to Damascus.
Made him his prisoner.
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What did he say though?
And a half.
Who art thou, Lord?
Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus, whom thou persecuted.
Saul was persecuting Jesus.
The truth of the one body the very moment he was arrested.
From that time on he was a prisoner of the Lord.
So the next thing he says, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
Now Paul is a platter to them which should hereafter believe when we get saved.
I suppose every day we ought to ask, Lord, what will thou have me to do?
And ask if he can go out when he wants to.
He is not at liberty to come and go as he pleases. He's completely at the command of the man, of the persons that have him as prisoner. I think that's a really important point in connection with the truth of the one body. We're going to walk together, brethren, in practical recognition of the truth that there is one body. As we have stated in this chapter. We're going to have to lay down our own thoughts, our own desires.
Many times if we're going to walk in accordance with that truth, and I think there's a practical suggestion of this in what Paul says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord.
And I sometimes think, brother, and it's not that we're prisoners now, that God has worked in our hearts against our will, but rather it should be something that is the willing surrender.
Of the heart to the Lord Jesus, as you mentioned. Lord, what will thou have me to do if He died for me, If He gave everything for my eternal good, then my response should be just that, not any longer what I desire, no, but what He wants for me, that should fill my heart and should fill my desires.
And if there is that, then there is the ability to walk together as members of one body. I really believe we living in the society we do.
Where democracy pervades and we're thankful for the liberty we enjoy under a democratic system of government. But it has given the idea that everyone has equal voice and vote.
And therefore I have my rights and people should hear what I have to say.
When that attitude pervades, brethren, we're not going to be able to walk, as Scripture tells us, in the unity of the Spirit, as members of one body.
The wrong country view our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we look for the Savior and Paul gives us his goal and talks about learning why he had been arrested. Let's look at it in Philippians 3.
He was the prisoner of the Lord Jesus. He had been laid hold of by Christ. He was his prisoner.
To get forth the truth that Christ gave him from heaven.
So that in the Philippians 3, he has that goal before and we know it will.
Let's.
Begin with the 12Th verse of Philippians 3.
Not as though I had already attained either. We're already perfect.
But I follow after. Now that's the. That's a disciple. I follow after, not runs ahead.
If that I may apprehend get the consciousness in US.
If I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended, arrested there.
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Of Jesus Christ he wanted to learn.
What for Christ had laid hold of him? The next verse goes on. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do.
Now this is what you and I need as belonging to the Lord Jesus.
Forgetting those things which are behind, that's our course behind us, may be it good or bad, we can't change that.
And reaching forth under their things, which are before the future, is all we have left.
What does he say?
I press.
Toward the mark. Where is that mark?
And the Psalm that was read to us, we get blessing coming down. And those 3 verses blessing coming down.
But here.
In our chapter, Christ first descended, he came down. Philippians traces the whole course Philippians 2 and then it turns around and goes up. We have seven steps downward and seven steps upward in effect. In essence, you're not going to have to learn that course too. Down to the goal I press what an object to have before us so.
Paul didn't know why he'd been apprehended.
But we know a little bit more about than he did to get out.
Those prison, because one of which we have, which really sets us in heaven. The view here in this epistle is we're already there all together there.
Ron, the blessing goes back up now. That's the result of God's work in US. We can praise like we started out. What was the first line of that hymn you gave up, Bob?
Yeah. Do you see? We can do that. It's going up there. But if you follow that 134th Psalm to the last verse, God has the last word. He sends it back down again. He's going to have the last word with every one of us, and He is the blesser, and He likes to.
Receive the blessing and to give it to us.
For what blessing to get into a chapter like this, see the depth of the truth of Christ seeing in the body down here.
One body.
Enjoyed someone saying that Paul was in prison when he writes this epistle.
Mundane made a statement something like this. The body was put into no movement so that the spirit would be free to receive what would be given to the church and to think of him there submitting to those circumstances and his spirit being free just to have the blessing flow down.
And then to write it and to give it to us to enjoy as we are preparing to go up.
I'm sure the enemy thought he had a great victory in allowing that or in circumstances, being that Paul was now in prison, I'm sure the enemy thought, well, now he can't go around and encourage the Saints of God. Now he's not free to preach the gospel and souls be saved. But I always think of that verse, The wrath of man shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain. Paul himself said to the Corinthian Saints, We can do nothing against the truth but for the truth.
And oh, what a triumph it was. It was Paul was in prison, it's true. But it was, as you say, at that very time that the Spirit of God used him to write much of the precious truth that we know and enjoy and appreciate. And I think it's nice to see that God never is frustrated in his purposes. The enemy may come in and try to frustrate the purposes of God. He may try to smash the testimony. And he could. He would if he could. That's his desire.
But God's purposes are never frustrated. He works everything according to the counsel of his own will. And just as it was in the life of Paul and he was used in a mighty way at this time, so it is in our lives too. Has something come into our lives, something to maybe restrict us in our movements, or something we want to do? Let's realize and take that from the Lord. Paul was in a sense a prisoner of Rome and a prisoner of Nero, but he doesn't refer to himself. That was we. Shall we, shall we say the second 'cause, but the first 'cause was the Lord.
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Paul recognized that the Lord had put him there and put him there for a purpose, and taking those circumstances from the Lord, then the Lord could still use him in blessing to the Church of God, and not just for blessing at the time. It's true he couldn't go around and orally minister to the Saints or preach the gospel, but we hold in our hands, by the grace of God this afternoon, much of this precious ministry that was written at this time.
And we know.
Things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are they called according to His purpose.
Verse. No, I'm going back now to the third chapter, the first verses of the third chapter.
You get.
A special revelation given to Paul, and he was the administrator of it.
Let's read them.
In the third chapter he speaks of being the prisoner as well for this 'cause I appalled the prisoner of the Jesus Christ for you Gentiles that all speak to us. If you have heard of the dispensation or the administration of the grace of God which has given me to you word how that by revelation Paul got a special revelation. He got four of them in fact, that are marked out with words something like this.
And this one we can put in the first line, and that's the truth of the one body. The Gentiles, along with everybody else that's saved, become the body of Christ. Revelation.
By revelation He made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote a year. When he read, He may know the ministry mystery verse 5, which in other ages was not made known in sons of men, as it is now made known unto His holy apostles and prophets. Now here's what it is, that the Gentiles. The Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, the same body one. But Christ was forming a body down here.
By the baptism of the Spirit, bringing into one body, not 2, not 2001 body, Christ has one body.
And it's marked out with special revelations.
I've just ahead that God has given us.
A witness to that for us to maintain in this age.
And that's marked out with words like this. We read them almost every breaking of bread I have received of the Lord, that which also I delivered unto you. And so on. He got a special revelation about the Lord's Supper upon the Lord's table, where you see the witness that there is one body that came through Paul too. Then there's another one in.
First Corinthians 5th.
As to the fact that we won't all sleep.
The Lord's coming and the resurrection and the manner of it is added to it in the First Corinthians. First Thessalonians 4.
You know that so well.
That too is marked out with special words. Let's just read them because it's so bright to have that hopefully horse as we are here.
Sweating out these days in such a comfortable spot, waiting for the Lord's coming.
We know what it is. First Thessalonians 4.
Verse 15.
This is a special mark of what was given to the prisoner Paul.
To give to us. This we say unto you, by the word of the Lord.
That we which are alive and remain under the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the Archangel, with the trump of God, and the dating Christ shall raise first.
Then we which are alive and remain these four special revelations.
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That were never known before are given through the Apostle Paul, the prisoner of the Lord.
We're to be a witness to it, break bread and enjoy daily.
The expectations, momentarily, of the Lord's return for us.
And we will not all sleep.
This one here is the truth of the one body. There is one body. We've had it in our chapter and and.
It's especially how that by Revelation verse 3 verse 6.
That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel. You can't get anything bigger than that. That's Jews and Gentile all formed into one body. That's the work of Christ. I will build my church. Christ has begun it, and he's still working at it.
Now he wants a witness to that.
I tell you, brethren, there's only one body, and there's only one witness to that truth with one body, and it's on one Lord's table. There are not 2 Lord's tables.
And it's the Lord's Supper.
In that one law.
It's remarkable. We look at that loaf and we discern a figure of the body that Peter writes about to his own self, bear our sins and his own body on the tree. That's the first view that we recognize in that one law.
But it's composed of members.
And so there's one loaf there to give a true witness that there is one body. And God looks down and he loves that testimony. Christ loves it. Satan hates it. He'd been trying to smash it, that part, ever since it was initiated. He can't do it. It's sort of like trying to bring peace in Jerusalem. They can't do it till the Prince of Peace comes back. We're living in interesting times and it's a wonderful thing to enjoy this chapter where there is one body. Nothing can ever change that.
We have the revelation of the mystery, which is Ephesians 3, the truth of the one Body. And then he had a special revelation as to the Lord's Supper, Lord's Table, which at which is expressed the truth of the one body. And then there was a special revelation given to him as to as he says in First thessalonians 4. This we say unto you by the word of the Lord.
That we the living shall not precede those that are fallen asleep, and so on.
What's the 4th one I think?
15 and it's introduced by similar words.
It's these words in verse 51.
1St Corinthians, 1551.
Paul introduced another special thing that was given to him to give to us. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of life. It's the fact of that and the manner of it is developed in First Thessalonians 4. We've got so much to be thankful.
Four special crews that were given to the prisoner to give to us.
Significant that in this epistle we are getting into the practical side of the truth in chapter 4 and along the same lines that we have been considering. It's the collective aspect of the apostle takes up first.
I think if we had been writing it, we would have put down the individual aspect of it, which starts with verse seventeen of our chapter and goes on to the end of the epistle. But no, the apostle takes up the collective aspect first, showing, as we've been mentioning, the importance of that precious truth of the one body. And it's that, is it not that the devil would make a special attack on it, it seems to me.
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An observation that.
While Satan hates everything to do with the things of Christ and his brother Jim has been saying he would smash everything if he could, but he will even tolerate a measure of fellowship and joy amongst Christians. He will even tolerate a measure of blessing in the gospel if he can take a direct shot at the truth of the one body, because that dishonors Christ. If we could say it this way, more than anything else, it's something that is so precious to his soul.
Precious to his heart. And I believe that's why it has the first place in these exhortations that are given to us here. I understand that.
I'd like to mention what is said to Philadelphia.
Satan can't do away with the truth of the one body, and he can't do away with the witness to it because of God.
And but there's a warning into the Philadelphia assembly there in in Revelation.
Hold that fast which thou hast.
That's all these precious truths that are given to us, brethren. We've been given these things. We've been given them. We have them. Why, that no man takes thy crown tells me that if I don't hold them past, God will have somebody else to do it. And I believe that with all my heart. If I give it up, He's going to bring somebody else. It's wonderful to me to see how He goes down in these lands to the South of us and over on the other side of the world, and save soul here and save somewhere.
And who give them their truth, if they will take it?
There's going to be seats together to the Lord's name, breaking bread till the day the Lord comes, or he wouldn't have asked us to do it.
Speaks of our walk, and as Bill is mentioning, it's more in connection with the collective walking together as one body that we are in Christ.
Notice in verse one it's walking.
Get down to verse 17 again. He mentions the matter of walking. It's our walk. It's our, it's practical. It addresses the way we walk. And so there should be a reflection. Given the truth that we have been given in Ephesians, there should be a practical reflection of that truth in our lives. Is it true? If it is true, then we have to live by it, brother.
And so.
It's a matter of our walk. It's been helpful to me to see in the 1St 16 verses which has been mentioned. It's more the collective thing as to the body of Christ. The 1St 3 verses are practical exhortation as to how we should walk. From verse four. It really is a statement of fact. Again, it simply says one body. There is as an italic.
One body. It's stating a fact. It's not exhortation exactly.
And from verse 4 to 16, it really is part of the doctrine of the epistle. Again, it's stating what God is, has done and is doing in the body of Christ. And I I think it is helpful to see that. So the 1St 3 verses specially treat as to exhortation as to how we should walk in view of this truth of the one body. We are one body, that's a fact.
And like someone who said, nobody can change that, for as much as I want to ignore the truth of it, for as much as I am contrary to it, the fact remains I have changed nothing. The fact remains there is one body. And so if we are one body, then there should be some practical recognition of that in the way we walk together as believers in the Lord Jesus.
How are we?
Who have so many diverse feelings about things and different opinions so often, How are we going to walk together practically? And that's what we get in these verses. Verse 2, with all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. What a tremendous amount to think about brethren in that verse.
All lowliness, meekness.
Some of us may have gotten a little bit of this, but is there anybody in this room can say I've got all I need? I don't think anybody would ever say yes. I've got all loneliness and meekness. No, brethren, we're still learning and we need this exhortation. We're going to walk together as members of the body of Christ. We're going to have to put this into practical.
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Effect in our lives.
All lowliness and meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.
Attract us to do that, give the motive for it is the vocation, wherever they are called, and much of it is in the first chapter. Just read a few verses in the first chapter. If we can get our hearts there, our feet will want to go there.
And the loveliness of what it says in this prayer of Paul in the.
1St chapter, beginning with the 17th verse. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know.
What, what is the hope of his car?
And it's so large.
And what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the Saints? He brings us in the body, right in there.
And going on, it's in the power of resurrection.
And what is the exceeding greatness of the power of his power to us? Were to believe according to the working of his mighty power. These adjectives get as big as you can get them. The working of His mighty power. What was it which He wrought in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places? Now you see, we are so. We are associated. I'll read that 19th verse again.
What is the exceeding greatness of His power to us, or to believe we're associated in that same power that raised Christ up, set Him up there. Now that's what we have in His face. I'd like to turn to 1St Corinthians chapter one and get a simple statement of what we are called to there in the beginning of that collective epistle. It's easy to see and easy to understand.
The depth of it comes out more in our epistle.
But it's very very simple in first.
Corinthians, chapter one.
And justice, the ninth verse.
God is faithful by whom you recall. That's our vocation. That's Our Calling.
By whom you were cold.
And to the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. You can't get anything any bigger than that. The fellowship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Lord. We're called to it right in the start, in a collective way in Corinthians.
We can't really emphasize the need for the heart being open to take these things in. Our brother Buchanan has mentioned this and just go back to Ephesians 1 to the 18th verse, and I think there's something very important for us all to consider. I'll read this in Mr. Darby's translation, verse 18 of Ephesians one being enlightened in the eyes of your heart, so that you should know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of his glory, of his inheritance in the Saints, and so on.
And I believe it shows, brethren, the importance of opening our hearts to take these things in, because if the heart is not affected, we can take these things up in an intellectual way. We may be able to turn from Scripture to Scripture and enumerate this precious truth. And it's important to be able to do that. We need to hold fast the form of sound words. And it's good to have an outline of truth. But that in itself is not enough. Because I believe that when our hearts are engaged.
And it's a person that they go out to. And when the heart goes out to a person, then our feet will follow.
There's really only one way to be a true disciple, and that is to have a heart where there's only one object in it. If I say when the heart is engaged, then the feet will follow. And perhaps just an illustration in the Old Testament that's been helpful. And that is in connection with Caleb, because with Caleb it's true. It says of him seven times in his history that he wholly followed the Lord. And what a wonderful commendation that is.
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But you see something else with Caleb too, because when he brought up that report of the good land, his brethren turned against him. The whole congregation spoke of stoning him, We might say for our purposes. It wasn't a popular truth that he presented to his brethren on that occasion. They all turned against him. And Caleb might have stood back and said, well, I'm going to wholly follow the Lord as an individual. That's important, brother. But not only did he follow the Lord as an individual, he went on quietly all those years in the wilderness with the people of God and.
He was about to see, as they wandered there, much more of the of sin and the governmental hand of God dealing with his people in the wilderness. He was going to hear fault finding and murmuring and complaining and those of his own generation fall around him. And he might have stood aside and said, well, I'll follow the Lord, but I won't go on with those people. No. And it's remarkable that you don't read of anything from that point where he brings up the report. You don't read up anything that Caleb said.
In the wilderness until they cross the Jordan and he comes to remind Joshua.
Of the promise made by the Lord through Noah those years before. Maybe you're just allowed to turn to Joshua 14 because I think what I'm leading up to, the key is there in Joshua chapter 14.
Caleb, as I say, was content to go on those years quietly following the Lord and with the people of God. But I think the key is here in the 14th of Joshua and verse 7.
For 40 years old was I when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadish Varnia to a spy out the land.
And I brought him word again. Now just notice this expression as it was in mine heart. What had preserved Caleb all those years in the wilderness and caused him to go on amidst all that he saw around him? The inheritance had gotten into Caleb's heart. It was there in his heart. And with that, in his heart, he could press on. And brethren, if this precious truth gets into our hearts, then the walk is going to be right. But if the heart is not right?
Walk is not going to be right and we can talk about walking in communion with the Lord and with one another and going on with as members of the body of Christ, and that's wonderful. We need those exhortations to walk worthy. But rather than I say, if we don't open our hearts to receive this precious truth, and if our hearts don't go out to the person of Christ, then it becomes just a set of rules, as doctrinally accurate as it may be.
You're mentioning about the the the state of the heart.
I want to ask a question or two. Each one of us can answer it before the Lord.
Are you saved? That's the first question.
If you answer that question yes, that means you are a member of the body of Christ.
Yes, you are a member of the body of Christ. Now we're to walk worthy of this calling. We've been called to be members of the body of Christ, and one with Him called into the fellowship of His Son, as we've heard and read.
Are you walking worthy of that calling?
One of the what is the central act that we perform every week that gives expression to the truth that there's one body? Well, that's their Lord's Table. It's that the Lord's Table where the Lord's Supper is partaken of. My next question is.
You said you were saved. That means you're a member of the body of Christ. Do you express that truth at this table every Lords day? And if you are a member of the body of Christ and do not express that truth, why not?
That's the that the Lord has given us down here to give expression to that. Can you say that you're walking worthy of that calling If you don't give expression to that truth that we're one body, that's the that's the the highest blessing that we have.
In this present dispensation of the grace of God is that we're members of the body of Christ, members one of another. You express that. Do you remember the Lord in his death, not just as an individual, but as a member of the body of Christ? Now that's a collective truth. We can't just remember the Lord as individuals. We do remember him in an individual way, true, but we we do more than that. We can't act as though we're not members of the body of Christ and of one another.
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And not give expression to that truth, and be walking worthy of that calling.
So I ask you, we should ask our own hearts if I'm the Lords and a member of the body of Christ, He has desired of me, of you, of each of us, that we remember him. And in that act we express a tremendous truth, that is, there is one body in this.
I don't know how better to put it to bring home to our consciences that there is a responsibility on our side to answer to the place of blessing and nearness into which He's brought us. And we have that privilege every large state. Do you?
Remember Him in his death. Have you taken your place at His table? You have a place there. Every member of the body of Christ has a place at His table. Have you taken that place?
I'd like to just add a little to that because this is a very important subject with me and I feel as much when I see young believers coming to meeting and the Lord is remembered, but they don't partake, but you know that they're members of the one body. And so my thought is this, it isn't just that the Lord said Remember Me. He said this do in remembrance of me. And I believe the reason is if it was left to us with our human reasonings.
We would get into a big contest to figure who would be remembering the Lord in the best way. And we know what men do. They build monuments. They have all the wonderful things that the Lord allows us to acquire as we go along this path. And they would all be seeking to do great things in remembrance of the Lord, valuing that great sacrifice on our behalf at Calvary. But the Lord said this too.
It's very plain as we read First Corinthians.
11 where Paul had one of those revelations, he says this cup, this loaf, it's specifically what the Lord wants from us is very simple. It leaves the flesh out completely. He says this do in remembrance of me and it's a wonderful thing if we think of the fact that he who has everything, he's Lord of Lord, King of kings, we he is so.
Wonderful in sharing this wonderful creation with us that we can earn our livings and so on.
But when it comes to the remembrance of him and that sacrifice that transcends any sacrifice we could ever think of our creator of this whole universe going down into the depths of death as a man in order to be the Lamb of God on our behalf. He says this do in remembrance of me. I just serious thing.
Add to it in the type and ask about it. In Numbers nine, we know that the Passover LED up to the time when the Lord's Supper was instituted, which follows on from that same Old Testament feast. And in Numbers 9, there's a special provision in keeping that Passover.
For somebody that's on a journey and not there, we don't need to read too many verses, but that's.
That's the subject of the chapter at the beginning and the way of keeping it.
And then?
These, these that were, these that were not there, what were they going to do? And.
And in the eighth verse, Moses said unto them, Stand still.
And I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you.
And the Lord speak unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you.
Or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body.
Or be in a journey far off, yet ye shall eat the Passover unto the Lord.
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The 14th day of the second month, there was a month of grace in there.
And even they shall keep it and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and they shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any bone of it, according to all the ordinances of the Passover. Shall we keep it? Now this next verse, what I want to ask about, I know we're living in the day of grace, but clearly in the day in which it was given, there was a severe pronouncement.
I'll read the verse.
Verse 13 But the man that is clean.
And is not in a journey and for bear to keep the Passover.
Even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people, because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed seat. That man shall bear his sin now, that's that's the strength of the law in that day. But there's a principle there for us as to what Chuck has brought out and **** has thought about to stir us up.
To take up our privilege.
To represent the place into which we are called publicly. To show that Jesus lives and he lives in his body.
Jesus lives, and he lives in his Saints.
The world can't get rid of Jesus. They'd have to get rid of every St.
Remember the body of Christ to get rid of Jesus. They think we've got rid of it, but they haven't. You have taken Him personally up on heart, but the body is being formed that's livingly connected with the head and gives expression to them.
10 For justice a minute on this point, 1St Corinthians 10.
Verse 16.
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
The bread which we break, is it not the communion? That's the same word that is rendered fellowship, or called to the fellowship of his son in the first.
Is it not the communion or the fellowship of the body of Christ? For we, being many are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. In the 1St century it was not.
The habit at all that one was a member of the body of Christ and not partake of that one world. Everyone who was a member of the body of Christ partook of it unless he was excluded by discipline. But you're not talking about that. You're talking about what Clem was reading in Numbers nine. One, that is clean and there's no reason for them not to eat the Passover, and yet they've done that when you let that the the loaf and the cup pass by you.
If you're a member of the body press, really when you don't partake, you are saying I'm not a member of the body of Christ.
Yes, but I'm not looking at that. I'm thinking of one who is clean and he's going on well.
But for some reason he hasn't taken his place at the table.
You're really saying I'm not a member of the body of Christ? I know you don't mean that. That's what your act is saying, isn't it?
Ready for a believer to be at the Lord's table and to remember the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread. I was thinking of an expression in connection with what you brought out earlier, Brother Chuck, you introduced this subject because again, it's a question of the heart and it's a question of a person. We sometimes, and don't misunderstand me when I say this, we sometimes use the expression, we remember the Lord in death. I have no problem with that expression whatsoever. We often use that and rightly so.
But it's interesting that three times in connection with the remembrance of the Lord, he says this do in remembrance of me. Maybe it would be helpful just to look at those 3 expressions very briefly. The first one is that the institution of the remembrance feast in Luke's Gospel 20 chapter 22. And maybe I'll say while we're turning to it, that one who is a brother, you can and said clean and as you mentioned, a member of the body of Christ and does not remember the Lord at his table.
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He's really robbing not just himself, that's true, but he's really robbing the Lord, robbing the Lord of his joy and His desire in having that person there to respond. We won't read all of these are well known scriptures, but just notice to bring to bear on our hearts and consciences the last expression of the 19th verse of Luke's Gospel, chapter 22. This is the Lord Jesus himself speaking to the disciples in the upper room.
Do in remembrance of Maine, it's a person that we remember. It's true that we remember the work and it's right and proper that scriptures be read that we call our hearts to Calvary and it's the ground of our blessing. And so we often have those and I think it's good on Lord see morning to have scriptures that we call our hearts to Calvary and so on. But now let's go over to 1St Corinthians 11.
One Corinthians 11.
Again, we won't read all of this, but just notice the last expression of verse 24. This do in remembrance of me. Now notice in connection with the cup in the end of verse 25. This do ye as OFT as ye drink it in remembrance of Me. And perhaps we could just let those words burn into our souls. This do in remembrance of me does the person of Christ and what He has done for us.
Mean no more to us, brethren, than to sit on Lord's Day morning and let that lull from that cup pass by and not respond to that request that He has made. And He has preserved this precious feast to us, not only the privilege of breaking bread, but of partaking of the Lord's Supper at the Lord's Table even in 1999. Because how long till he comes? And he wouldn't say till he comes. He wasn't going to provide and maintain a scriptural basis on which to do it.
Until the moment that we're called away and all gathered around the person of Christ, the Lamb in the Father's house.
But does the person of Christ know more affect our heart than to sit here tomorrow morning if we're left here, and to let that loaf and cups go by? May we hear these words, May I hear these words burn into my soul. This do in remembrance of me.
The power of gathering brother, and I think that's important to keep before it.
We do it on the ground that there is one body, and I think it's important for us to understand that too. We're going to walk rightly, but what is the power of gathering is attraction to the person of Christ, and that's why it should be his person before us.
This do in remembrance of Maine. It also says you do show the Lord's death because in no place in all of history was God's love shown as in that moment when Jesus was crucified and gave his life for us. I'd like to suggest to brother, and I fully agree with all that's been said on the matter of breaking bread, how important that is.
That this brethren, the truth of the one body should be something that is practically affects us every moment of every day. And, and I think we need to reflect on it, our relationships one with another on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, all through the week. It should be a reality to it. We have brethren in other countries who are suffering severe persecution, some of them put to death.
For the name of the Lord. Are we one body with them? Most certainly we are. We don't know many of them in the flesh. But we need to be exercised, brethren, as to our responsibility as members of the body of Christ in seeking to be a help in the measure that we can. Many are not where we can have practical fellowship at the Lord's table with them.
Still, they are members of the body and there should be a practical desire to be a help in whatever measure we can. There are souls in our areas where we live that we meet up with. How can we be a blessing to them to seek their good? And that's where we have to be exercised in these verses. And it says with all loneliness and meekness and I, I just marvel, Lord, brethren, when I consider the Lord Jesus.
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In his testimony down here, how accessible he was to everyone who felt his need, the woman of Samaria did not feel repulsed by him, even though he told her what kind of a life she was living. She felt attracted to him. Isn't that beautiful loneliness I often find of myself when I speak to somebody about the Lord? I don't know, perhaps something in me, but I feel.
I get the feeling that that person feels repulsed. I mean that I'm taking an attitude of being better than they are.
Saved. Oh, that there were more of this loneliness.
To seek the good of others. Lowliness and meekness. Beautiful characteristic to meditate on. Nowhere can we learn it better than with the Lord Jesus. He said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. There you're going to learn it. We may have somewhat of those characteristics in some measure, but as I say again, none of us can say we have it all.
The Lord Jesus says take my yoke and learn of Maine, brethren. What a beautiful opportunity to learn from Him, to get into His presence, to be more like Him. You know when you're in a yoke and there's two oxen and a yoke, they have to go together. If one stops, the other has to stop. If one goes to the right, the other has to go to the right.
And he said, take my yoke. It's something he's saying to your heart and to mine. How am I going to learn this loneliness, this meekness, but taking his yoke and learning of him?
You need to finish that first.
Result.
Yoke together with unbelievers. Be sure we're yoked up with the Lord.
Embers should have the same care one for another. And one of the gods of this age, I believe, is self. And we're a very selfish, at least I have to say for myself, I'm very selfish in my motives and my actions. The natural man, the tendency of his heart is to draw a circle and put himself in the center of that circle and do everything for himself. But that's not the way it's to be with us in Christianity.
There is to be a new center in our lives, and that's Christ. And if Christ is the center, then his interests will take up his interest as well. And to be able brethren, to give ourselves. Do we know what it is to.
As it says in Romans 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your intelligence service. And in first John chapter 3, where he brings before us the Lord Jesus, laying down his life for us, then he says we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Do we know what it is to lay down our lives? Perhaps not physically, but to lay down our lives for our brethren to give ourselves?
In sacrifice.
Lord Jesus and to one another. Well, this is what will give happiness and peace, more blessed to give than receive. Perhaps you'll allow me just to say, 2IN connection with meekness and loneliness, that in Matthew chapter 18, we often read those verses concerning the Lord Jesus speaking in anticipation of the formation of the assembly and giving instruction to go on in the local assembly. The seeds, we might say, of the function and administration of the local assembly, that is.
From verse 15 through verse 20. But it's very significant to notice where that those verses are couched.
Because the whole first part of the chapter is taken up with the question of humility. Just read it sometime.
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So that whole first part of the chapter has to do with the subject of humility, and the whole rest of the chapter from verse 21 on has to do with forgiveness. I think it's very wise of the Spirit of God to couch that precious truth in those between those two things.
Because that's the gas and oil that makes the machinery run properly. You might have a very good piece of machinery, you might have a very good engine out in the parking lot in your vehicle. But if you go to go home this evening and you don't have gas and oil in it, you're not going to get very far down the road until that's all going to seize up. You say I had the best piece of machinery that money could buy, but you didn't have the gas and oil. And so the Ephesian brethren later on were written to by John.
They had everything in very much order. Why, they were even able to detest the false apostles. Things were in order.
But they had left their first love. That's a warning to us.
Part of our verse we're considering in.
Ephesians 4. Let's look at Ephesians 4. The end.
Of verse two forbearing one another in life. Paul is at all too forgiving for bearing bearing with one another in love. That's what makes things work in the assembly.
I think it's important. Sometimes we talk about discipline in the assembly, and that's certainly necessary according to the light of scripture, but.
Really we need brethren to understand what it means to discipline ourselves and to forebear is a self disciplinary measure. And I think it's extremely important like to say in connection with this, loneliness, somebody said is one that will not tread on somebody else's toes. Whereas meekness is one who doesn't mind when somebody threads on his toes. And I, I think those are so important to think about. Sometimes people may be lonely, but they're not very neat.
Meekness. We have an example in the Old Testament in Moses is in the 12Th of Numbers, where Miriam and Aaron complained against him, and it is beautiful to see how he handled that.
He had married an Ethiopian woman and they complained and the Lord was jealous for Moses and smote Miriam with leprosy. What was Moses response? As you say, you got what you deserved. No, he said, Lord heal her now. He prayed with a sincere desire for her.
Fullness for her blessings.
And when somebody speaks against me, what is meekness is the ability to be able to get down in my knees and sincerely without any resentment to pray for that persons good. And that is a real challenge to me brother. And and it would liberate us from a lot of bitterness. We could just learn that characteristic of Nicole.
Or I read here that now the man Moses was very deep above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Where did he learn this? He wasn't Born This Way.
On the backside of the desert it's been mentioned, and I think too, at the burning Bush.
When it was required of him to remove his shoes from office teeth coming into the Divine presence, and it's only there, is it not, that we begin to learn what we are and be willing to have this object before us and to become more like Him?
So it's a slow process, it's not in one step, but it's a wonderful process.
Tension in this verse, long-suffering. I remember, I think **** Gorgas spoke on this one time and he said, brethren, we don't pronounce this word right.
Long-suffering.
We tend to live in a day when we want things done and done right now and.
Sometimes, brethren, what we have perhaps learned in maybe 10 or 15 years, we want somebody else to learn it in five or 10 minutes, and that is the lack of long-suffering. The Lord help us to understand what this means.
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Thinking we like to justify ourselves and to vindicate ourselves in a situation. Something may be said against us or done against us, and may be unjustly, but the natural heart flares up and wants to have that difficulty straightened out. But there's a nice example with the Lord, the perfect example, of course. It says Who? When He was reviled, reviled not again. When He suffered, suffered, He threatened not. He just left those things. How could He do it? He committed himself to Him. That judgeth righteously.
And I believe this will help us to exercise practical meekness and loneliness.
In realizing that, we don't have to vindicate ourselves to just leave those things with the Lord.
He has the record down properly, he knows the motives of the heart and people may judge our motives or judge us or our actions or whatever.
But to be just like the Lord Jesus and leave those things knowing that there's a day when they will be brought out.
Think of Mary. She poured out her ointment at the feet of the Lord. Not only did Judah speak against her, but all the disciples spoke up against her.
Did Mary flare up and say well I've saved this costly ointment and I did this in a pre? No, you don't read of anything that Mary says there.
She just left it with the one who had knew her motive and had the record down properly.
To make the unity of the Spirit do.
It's already made.
All we've got to do is to keep it.
Important to see that, isn't it? Because there is a unity of the Spirit just as much as there is one body, isn't there? I can well remember quite a few years ago now where I used the expression breaking the unity of the Spirit. And I'm thankful that a brother came up to me afterward and said, Bill, where do you find that expression in Scripture? And we don't, we are exhorted to keep it, but in the uniting bond of peace.
So as you say, Brother Buchanan, there is a unity of the Spirit. We don't make it, but we do have the privilege of keeping it. And it has been a real voice to my own soul. Because if we could say it, very few Christians today, if they really have any intelligence in the things of God at all, would deny that we are members of one body. They might have 200 years ago, but that truth has come out. It has been spread, and much of Christendom knows and understands it to a degree.
But if there is one body, there is also one spirit as we get in this chapter, and there is a unity of the spirit. And so if I'm going to appreciate and hold the truth of the one body, I am called to express it by using diligence that the Darby translation of this verse to keep the unity of the spirit. Well, that's quite an exercise to our heart, isn't it? How often we have seen that.
Unity not kept in the way it should.
I think Mr. Bellitt uses a nice illustration. He says the unity of the spirit is like a precious jewel, and you and I have the privilege of keeping it in a casket that was made for it. He says how many times has that casket suffered damage because we have not used diligence to keep that unity of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. And so if there is a unity of the spirit, there is a uniting bond of peace in which we can keep it.
But it requires real diligence, doesn't it?
State succinctly exactly what we do.
In order to keep that unity of the Spirit. Perhaps it's already been mentioned, but would you just speak?
I think I remember Ch Brown saying that this is seen in a child of God.
Which?
Walks according to the Word of God as guided by the Spirit of God.
The Spirit wrote the book, just all you have to do is obey the book that's granted by the Spirit of God, getting your teaching from Him.
01:15:07
There it is one.
We're not told to keep the unity of the body.
What that would mean would be that we have to walk in fellowship with every member of the body of Christ the world over, regardless of what his doctrine is or his walk is or his associations are. We would have to walk in fellowship with every member of the body of Christ if we had to keep the unity of the body, if I were to keep the unity of Spirit.
And he is called the Spirit of truth. He is called the Holy Spirit.
So it is a holy unity. It is a unity that is characterized by truth and not error and not evil. It is holy, and that's the unity of the Spirit. So that doesn't mean that that we're going to walk in fellowship practically with every member of the body of Christ, because some are not walking in the Spirit. So what to keep the unity of the Spirit is to walk in company with the divine person on earth, the Spirit of God who is holy.
And who is true?
The importance of the word endeavoring.
I think it indicates that this is not something that's easily accomplished. We have to consciously seek to do it and we have to have the energy of faith to carry it out because I think Scripture, as we all feel, is very practical. And so here it's put, it doesn't say keeping, but endeavoring to keep. In other words, we have to consciously keep this before us and see our responsibility, knowing God's Word. And by the way, I'd just like to add to what you're saying that.
The unity of the Spirit is found in this book.
It might help in Philippians too.
And the second verse, the very suggestion of the way the verse reads.
Know the first verse of Philippians 2.
There are ifs here.
Sometimes you can change that word to sin.
We read it with sin, since there be therefore consolation in Christ.
Since there is comfort of love.
Since there is.
Fellowship of the Spirit, since there are bells and mercies down here, it's practical. And when we get involved in it, the F come in because our walk and as you say, we have to endeavor, use diligence because we've got another will besides this. But there is the fellowship of the Spirit.
And to see the connection between verses 2:00 and 3:00.
It's been a marvelous revelation to my own soul to recognize that the abiding presence of the Spirit of God on earth is something that is peculiar to this dispensation. And if I may make mention of His name without in any way trying to lift him up, but Mr. Darby said that probably that was the most significant truth that God had recovered through brethren in the last century.
I believe that's true. And so we don't have, like the Old Testament, a scripture to cover every situation that arises in our lives or in the assembly. I believe we have principles in the Word of God. We may have illustrations of situations that we may run into, but this dispensation is characterized by the abiding presence of the Spirit of God on earth.
Why then are these verses linked together? Oh, I would suggest that. Well, let me use an illustration. I can remember showing a scripture to a Christian friend of mine. She was a patient of mine. I knew her well. And I said, I believe this is what the word of God would say on a particular subject. And she said, you mean that your interpretation of what it says. And of course, therein lies the big problem, doesn't it? Because.
Different Christians, even true believers, pick up the word of God and one of them says, I think it means this, and another say says, I think it means this is the unity of the Spirit and that no, there isn't. So what do we need? Do we need loneliness and meekness? Which one of us would stand up here and say, well, I'm always walking in the unity of the spirit, so if you only see it my way, you're sure to be all right. I don't think any of us would make that statement, not even the best taught or the most advanced Christian.
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And so there needs to be loneliness and meekness constantly in looking at the Word of God, realizing that in any one of us, our own natural thoughts, as we've heard, can take us where the Spirit of God would not lead. And then we can be thankful for what others may, may do to seek to correct us. Now, the other side of that is, of course, that as we get in John's ministry, we need not that any man should teach us why.
Because we do have the Spirit of God abiding in each one and if there is something that is said which is not according to the mind of God, we have the Spirit if we're walking with the Lord and in the power of the Spirit to tell us that, that is not the shepherds voice. But I say that because sometimes there's a bit of confusion and people say, well, just follow the Word of God. And sometimes we pick up the word of God and we have different thoughts on it. Well, we have no right to an interpretation of Scripture except as the Spirit of God, kids.
But that's why there needs to be loneliness and meekness for bearing one another in love, realizing each one of us needs the thoughts and correction of others at times.
That forms the body of Christ and I think that's an important point by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body. So the two things are really joined together and so it's not a matter like you say Bill of what my interpretation is. I may be wrong and I should be willing to admit it if the Lord shows me from his word, but and you may be wrong.
But the point is, the Spirit of God has something in mind when he's 10. These words, what is it? It's not a matter of interpretations, it's not a matter of opinions. It's a matter of what God, by his Spirit is seeking to tell us.
And to walk in the light of that, that's what is the unity of the Spirit.
There's 3 words to guide those who are listening, he said. Here and understand.
This book teaches us it doesn't matter what we teach from it. That's not the guide, it's what the word said.
Willed to do his will shall know of the doctrine. So ultimately it comes back to what our true desire is. Do we really want to do the will of God? So we think? 30 for the book.
36 in the appendix.
We go to.
To me.