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188.
Number 288.
Oh.
I'm going to have a portion for us to take up.
The mind of the law that I was thinking of. Ephesians 4.
Well, I had some thoughts about itself whether that was thing for take up or not.
Decisions, Chapter 4.
I therefore the prisoner of the Lord.
See purely do you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called it all, low enough, with long-suffering or bearing one another in love.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace.
There is one body and one spirit, even as he are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
But unto everyone of us have given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore he sent when he ascended up on hind you let captivity captive, and gave gifts under man.
Now that he ascended, what is it? He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth.
Either descendant is the same old ascended up far above all heavens that he might build all things.
And he gave some apostles, and some proverbs, 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. So we all come in the unity of the faith and other knowledge of the Son of God, under a perfect man, under the measure statue of owners of Christ.
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That we henceforth be no more children across to and fro, and carried apart with every wind of doctrine by the slider men, cunning, crafting, whereby they lie and wait for deceit.
By speaking the truth and love may grow up into him and all things which is ahead even right.
From whom the whole body fitness joined together and compacted by them every joint supply.
According to the effectable working in the measure of every part, make an increase in the body under the edifying of its topping law. This I say, therefore, testifying the Lord that he henceforth want not as other criminal, walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the light of God, and the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.
Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over into lasciviousness.
We work all on cleanness with greedy.
But ye have not so learned Christ, you shall be here to hurt him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
That you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful loss, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lion, speak every man truth with his neighbor.
For we are members one of another.
Be angry, and sin not, but not the strong. Go down upon your round, neither place to the devil.
But in a stroll, steal no more, but rather than labor working with his hands, the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that need it, that no corrupt communication will proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace under the heroes.
And read another Holy Spirit of God, whereby here sealed into the day of redemption.
But all bitterness and rounds and anger and clamor and evil speaking and put away from you with all mouths, and be the kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake that forgiven you.
In the reading of the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, we have found it helpful.
To consider the 1St 3 chapters of this epistle.
As dealing with our standing, which, beloved, we know.
Is in all the righteousness all his righteousness fought his righteousness.
The theft is to say the 1St and the 2nd and the 3rd chapters deal rather.
With their standing, and we stand in all his perfection, not a spot.
But chapters 3 and 4-5 deal more with their state they love.
As we know, varies and is.
Regulated by Communion, Communion. So I thought that might be a beginning.
In a simple way concerning this matchless chapter.
The chapters 4-5 and six you meant for that last division. Sorry, 4-5 and six. Thanks Brother Brown. We sometimes say that the 1St 3 chapters are doctrine and the last three chapters are exhortation. I like it. The way our brother Smith has put it. The last three chapters has to do with our state. But in chapter 4, our chapter.
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Exhortation is in the 1St 3 verses.
And then from verse 17 on existing but verses 4 to 16 are doctrinal.
But the provision for our state?
This vocation mentioned in the first verse.
Is really a collective thing, is it not? It's that to which we've been called collectively and connects back with the what has been brought before us in the second chapter where.
We are members of his body and also we're building together for habitation of God through the Spirit.
Well, you'd say, well, you'd say there that.
Are walking worthy of the vocation or the calling as to walk worthy of the truth. And we're members of the body of Christ, and also that we're built into the household of God.
2 distinct.
Views of the Church of God.
Carrying with it, it's baseball responsibilities.
We're members of the Body of Christ, united by the Holy Spirit to a glorified Christ in heaven. Mar was wonderful truth to consider well the very fact that we're members of the Body of Christ.
And let the Holy Spirit is dwelling in US. Uniting us to Christ in glory carries facial responsibilities that we might walk worthy of such a position given to God's people here on earth, Something peculiar to this presentation.
You couldn't speak of Abraham and Isaac and Moses.
Being members of the body of Christ, they were a part of God's people, Israel and earthless people.
The special blessings and with the knowledge of God and faith given them to walk with God during.
Their day of dispensation. But now, since the day of Pentecost, God's people are brought into a peculiar position.
And blessings that only have to do with the beginning at Pentecost, until the Lord comes with a shout and takes His church away. So there are those special blessings and those special privileges and those peculiar responsibilities that go with this high calling. And to think then that we are.
Built into the House of God, living stones.
As it speaks in the second chapter.
In whom the last verse, in whom also ye are builded together, or inhabitation of God through the Spirit, What a marvelous line of truth is presented to us in those words for us to consider.
That the believers united now has built into the House of God? Are they brought together in that way so that God himself?
Glorious home and peace might have a dwelling place here below.
And that is decision carries its responsibilities with it. That's why we're to walk worthy of the vocation where we're here called.
Our Calling is a heavenly calling, isn't it? That would be an Hebrews 3, isn't it?
3rd chapter Hebrews, The third chapter and the first verse where for a holy Brother, partakers of the heavenly college.
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When the Lord Jesus was going around here on earth.
He was passing by the seaside and he saw.
Some people their man mending and Nets.
And he said to them all me and I'll make officers and men. And they left their Nets, and their father unfollowed Jesus, that is James and John. Well, not calling at that time was an earthly calling, because the Lord's ministry was down here on earth, And they followed him here and there through Galilee and to Jerusalem, and compared them here and there, the Parliament, he said.
Ministry as he went about doing good, healing the second, raising the dead, and so on.
But after Pentecost?
The calling as soon as the heavenly calling.
And then too, I suppose, because to contrast, that would be the call of God in the Old Testament. God's people were unearthly people, and their their shop of their journey is where on earth went through the wilderness, 40 years in the wilderness.
And then at the land of 10 And their blessings were earthly too. The 28th chapter of Deuteronomy tells us that there, that God stands there through motions, that if they walked in obedience to God's word and to his commands, that the earthly blessing would be their blessings shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed be in the field, blessed shall be thy flocks and thy hairs.
And so on. Earthly blessings.
And the victory over the enemies? They would come against them one way and flee from them seven ways.
Such overwhelming victories that have against their worldly earthly enemies. But that isn't the calling of the Christian. We're not called the prosperity on there.
Because oftentimes a Christian may be a very poor person. I have known them especially in the old country where their their their trousers were patched to the knees.
And then go around, and even their Sunday best would have patches on them, on their clothes and on their shoes. And yet they were godly children, children of God, blessed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, their blessings and our blessings are heavenly. And so we're told in the peace and the first chapter of this family Bissell, we're studying reading.
That the blessing of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ through heart blessed us with all spirit of blessing.
In the heavenlies of Christ, so our blessings are spiritual blessings.
And they're in Christ, up there in the heavenlies. And we're told there that that God hath blessed us. But in the case of Israel, their blessings were all future and dependent upon obedience. And if they didn't obey, calamities and trials would fall upon them and they wouldn't have the blessings. But our blessings are they're ours already. They're all in Christ. We've got them all people used to speak years ago.
And perhaps they do yet about receiving the second blessing.
And the second lesson was supposed to be the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we get after we pray and and call upon the Lord and mourn for a long time. God might give us that that power, but that's not according to God's word. The believers blessed with all spiritual blessings and the heavenlies and Christ and her brother was speaking about the and communion we enjoy.
These heaven addresses, they're all ours. They're in the Bank of heaven, make us say to our accountant, and all we've got to do is to draw the check on them, and they're ours so that Our Calling is a heavenly calling. And as we go through this world with the walk as those that belong to heaven and separation from the world, they are not of us worth, even as I am not this world blessed, the Lord says in John 17.
And are calling us heavenly. And our separation from this world is to be like our blessed Saviors, because he was not of this world. He was the heavenly man down here in this world. And where to be walking as those who belong to heaven and separation from everything is not in God down here in this world.
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There are three walking worthily. It involves epistles. We might look again.
The first one we've noticed in our reading this morning.
Walk worthy of the vocation.
Well, I remember reading Mr. Darby's explanation of vocation, and if I remember right there, I think he said it's concerning all the councils of God in grace, directly affecting us. The practice of it as Christians here. Well, beloved, if if we would look at their poor testimony when we'd get in the dollar about it, we have nothing to boast about.
But we have here walking worthy of the vacation. I was not singing in Colossians.
1.
At verse 10.
Verse nine, we might breathe with it for this course. We also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will.
In all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
That he might walk worthy of the Lord.
Unto all pleasing.
Being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, and so on.
Well, here it is, The Walking beloved worthy of the Lord.
Unto all pleasing so that does affect our testimony here. But there's another one I was noticing here in the Colossians, or rather in Thessalonians.
I think it's first Thessalonians 2.
Yes, verse 12.
That he would walk worthy of God.
Who have called you?
Unto his Kingdom and glory. And so we find here it's a progressive thing, Beloved, the actual practice of it all we have in the first instance, and then the final issue.
Walking worthy of God, who has called you under His Kingdom.
And glory.
That's something that truly should affect our Christian testimony, beloved, here below.
Why would you say that blind Bartimaeus was walking worthy of the Lord, after the Lord had opened his eyes? The Lord says, go thy way.
It sounds that he followed Jesus in the way.
Well, he was following that blessed man who had opened his blind eyes.
That blessed one who's given him sight.
Well, now that obviously for it. Full hair is a little simple example, one walking worthy.
The Lord, but of course, in this chapter before us, before we eat them this more waterworthy of of the truth of God.
Position the privileges that are ours by grace.
And we get that question, one who is the truth away, and so on the walk worthy of him. And we think of that as you say, that coming Kingdom and glory where we should walk, worthy of one who has chosen us. Mark this out will have us glory to enjoy a Kingdom that will endure through all eternity.
Our brother has already spoken about Ephesians 1/3 that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavens, in Christ.
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As to our position as to our blessings, all of that is perfect. He also then mentioned that we should walk in the good of it. Well, I like to read some verses to that effect back in Deuteronomy Chapter 11, where Moses is speaking to the children of Israel about that good land that they were about to go over into a land that flowed with milk and honey.
It was full of goodness, but in verse 24.
Deuteronomy 11/24, he said.
Every place where on the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours. Well, already it was all theirs, but in another sense a practical sense.
They would have to walk in it as enjoying the possession of it and venturing into all of its recesses to get the good of this for their own self.
Now again, let us look at First Corinthians chapter 4.
Our verse speaks of walking worthy of the calling.
To walk worthy of it our high heavenly calling. But here in First Corinthians 3-4 we find the Saints not walking, so for ye are yet carnal, for as there is among you envying.
And strife and divisions are ye not carnal. And walk as men, walk as men of this world, down in a low level that is unbecoming those that are of the heavenly calling. Now look at it. Philippians, Chapter 3.
Verse 17.
The Apostle Paul, says brethren.
Feed followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example for many walks of whom I have told you often, and I'll tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
Whose end is destruction? Whose God is their belly?
And whose glory is in their shame? Now notice these last words.
Who mind earthly things? That was what characterized their walk. But the next verse?
What a contrast for our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our bodies of humiliation.
Then it may be fashioned like under his body of glory, according to the working, whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. May we read once more our verse in chapter 4, verse one.
I beseech you now. This is the apostle in prison. He was walking in the good of all his truth. He was sustained in his sufferings and in his imprisonment he was walking worthy.
I beseech you that you walk worthy of the calling, wherewith your call.
To walk in keeping with this high heavenly calling.
Very impractical. We can all understand.
With all loneliness, meekness and warm suffering for bearing one another in love.
We do not require love.
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Explanation as to the meaning of these different words. We all know what loneliness means, being willing to take the loyalty. And we know about both that he was the meekest man in all the earth when he was falsely accused and condemned by his brother and by his sister while he meekly bore their accusations.
Accepted this humbling.
There was no resentment to things that were said about him.
For bearing one another, sometimes we have to endure things that are said and the humble fly spirit holy's in the ways in which we walk worthy the spirit of which we walk worthy of the vocation. See, it isn't just having a lot of doctrine in our minds, knowing all about the the calling and product implies, but walking in a consistent way.
That all about us can see us who our miners, our ways of life, that there is that and connection with our conduct that was like our Blessed Lord who was meek and lowly in part.
That's in the next chapter, chapter 5 and verse 2.
We could walk in love.
Well, how much do we have to love each other?
As Christ also have loved us and how much did he love us?
Have given himself for us. That's what he loved.
All of the man half will give for his life.
But the Lord Jesus gave his life for his enemies. That's what we wear.
Oh, what love? The love of Christ. And that's eternal. I have loved him with an everlasting love. There for the loving kindness have I drawn thee. As love goes away, back into the past eternity, He looks forward. He saw what we would be.
And he loved us. And the time came. He went to the cross and died for us. He's going to have himself in the glory forever. And he's going to love us forever and ever. His love will never weaken. Earthly lovers sometimes have their love weakening.
But his love is eternal. And wait, a walk in the same kind of love as the Blessed Lord He's had for us. What a standard that is.
Good. And say we do it. I can't. Who can? But there's your standard and nothing less than that.
Essential to that I say, what is essential to do that would be to keep ourselves in the love of God, in his presence, in the good and enjoyment of his everlasting love. For this love here is divine love.
This is not merely A brotherly love in this verse. It's divine love, that which is of the new nature and the fruit of the Spirit.
Is that why Brother Brown and the rest of the verse fell there in Ephesians 5 and two? For an offering and a sacrifice of God of a sweet smelling fever showing that it isn't human love, mine love. And the God himself is the object before the soul while the Lord loved the person.
Lay down his life, if he ever had, as the object before it, to do his Father's will in all his pathway, even to the going to the cross. And during our sins it was for the glory of God that he went on from that past, that brought such untold suffering to him. So we need to remember that connection with our loved ones to another, lest it degenerate, and to just postpone.
Affection.
That God is the object must be the object before the soul if there is to be that.
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Sacrifice of a sweet smelling savor the dog.
As Christ in that chapter 5 verse two to walk in love. As Christ also hath loved us under him that loved us, or under him that loveth us, and hath washed us from our sins in his own blood, but the Lord Jesus in John 15 tells us to abide.
That would be continued.
In his love. So I believe the way to succeed and let her brother has spoken about would be to keep ourselves in the good of the love of God and to abide in the Lord Jesus, my love. Another thought here.
In our verse 2.
Is.
The thought there of.
Love those two little words. There are many young people here.
That know what it means to be in love.
You're right here in our temporal affairs.
But here it is that divine love that we have been brought into, and we should enjoy it more.
To live in the good of us, that we are in love.
It is five times mentioned in Ephesians, besides quite a few other places. The expression in love. May we have this think down into our hearts, and we have brought and brought to that place of being in love. Now one other thought, I must add another thought, for it says with all lowliness.
And meekness and long-suffering.
Before I read the next expression, if we are going on in our loneliness and meekness and long-suffering, we are not going to take offense.
And we're not going to give offense, but the next word says for bearing one another or bearing with one another, which would be enabling us to.
Get along with one another with all of our little.
In. In consistent.
Our little ones, I say insignificant things that crop out in our four ways.
The thought here is that we just simply go on overlooking such things in love.
I believe this is the most minor of all the offenses recorded in our New Testament that I know of.
Just in all these little things that we bear with one another in love.
Senator Brownwood, that burst in the 13th chapter. First Corinthians be in keeping with what you're saying, where you read the love sufferers long.
And this kind sometimes love suffers a lot but gets very much irritated and shows and unkind spirit, but divine love suffers from that weight. Whether here would you give us that quotation from your Father about don't try to love the Lord even more than you do. Think that would be helpful for us and connection with abiding in the love of God.
Well, I believe you used to say that we ought never to try to love the Lord any more than we do, but simply to sit down and enjoy the faithfulness of His love toward us. To me, that very lovely in the way in which it's brought out in this epistle, as was mentioned, the first two chapters unfolding the heart of God and the wonderful blessings His love is made known, and then on the basis of all that.
Exhorting us. And I was reminded that it was being outlined. And as our brother Macmillan told us all how rich we were, I sat here and thought, well, now, how many times have I heard that before? Some of us have been to meetings like this for a good many years, and we've often been told how rich we were. We've often been told that all the Lord's people are equally blessed of God.
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In spiritual matters.
But I wondered whether that we come here and hear it once more, Are we going to rise up and leave as we came, or is it really going to speak to our hearts this time? I remember our brother Barry pointing out to us one time in Perth. I thought I had never considered before from the Scripture if he had been unfaithful in that which is another man who shall commit to your trust that which is your own?
Now I believe he said, What is it we have that is another man? Everything that we possess down here, that we so like to call our own, is in reality another man. It's entrusted to us for a purpose for which we shall one day give an account to God. And if we're unfaithful in those things, if we take those things, be their abilities or possessions, and use them for our own.
Improvement in this world.
The Scripture says, who shall commit to your trust that which is your own. I believe perhaps that would point out to us why we are so often.
Barren In our souls we are rich spiritually, but I'm afraid that the enjoyment of those spiritual possessions is so little known to us because we're so much occupied with that which is another man.
Or like the woman that I read about some years ago.
She was picked up on the street of a city in the United States here.
And should a poor, wretched creature and appearance.
She was taken to the hospital. She collapsed in the streets, taken to the hospital.
The doctor said she was starving and after all the different in the hospital, she died. And the diagnosis was she had died of malnutrition. That meant she died of hunger, starvation. She wasn't there. Her body wasn't sustained. She was starved, being starved. Well, in the hospital they took her old clothes off her, of course, and put her to bed when she got there.
Well, after she died, they got their old clothes to dispose of them and the nurses had felt a kind of a rustling sound coming from the garments and the the tore open the lining of the garments and they found $9000 in bills sold into the inside, the lining of our coats. And there she died of starvation with $9000 on her person.
She didn't need to starve.
That could have bought lots of bread, lots of food, that $9000. But she was a miser and that's why she so much money and that's why she wouldn't spend any of it and died of starvation That the doctor said, well, that's just like a lot of us, we're blessed with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. They're all ours. Are we enjoying them or are we trying to find a little bit of enjoyment? And this poor passing scene in which we live this poor world rejected our blessed Lord Jesus.
And made them to a cross, and are still rejecting him. Are we trying to find little pleasure in the things of this present life that that pass away, or are we enjoying our heavenly portion in Christ?
The children of this world.
Are wiser.
In their generation and the children of light, Isn't that to our shame?
How?
Busy. They are going about to get temporal riches. They're wiser.
In their generation only a temporal generation, then the children of Light, who have all these eternal blessings that belong to us, and then sew them up in the hem of our garments.
Thinking of the first part of that second verse with all loneliness and meekness, that when the world speaks of meekness.
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As being weakness, a person as meek and they they won't resist even even wrong. Don told them all the world says is a weekly The world likes a man of little faith back and struggle for his own race. The world says stand up for #1 and #1 means self and the world is a man that will fight for his rights. But the Lord Jesus applies his first to himself.
And not let the chapter of Matthew I am meek and lowly in heart that one who was the strongest man that ever lived.
That is, God's dear son is a man here. Next he had power over the powers of darkness. He can command the demons at the Picasso that believe, and the devil had to step back to his power. He could command the stormy sea to be still, and those big waves tumble right down platinum. There was a great can, not merely a can, but a great calm. The word helps.
And the disciples to say, what manner of man is this, leaving the winds and the sea of vain, What power that was there? And that one to say, I am meek and lowly in heart, and he's the one that and this verse fits exactly. And how long he suffered, how he born with his disciples, and how you go over the world, and even on the cross, when they were mocking him after having nailed him there.
When they were mocking him and jeering at him as you hung there in his agony upon the cross, they they could cry out. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Oh, how how loving is our best behavior. What what meekness and loneliness is there. And that's what we have to be, where to be like him, he's our example that we should walk on his steps leaving us an example.
That we should walk on his steps and that would be for the honor and glory. The more we're like him in this poor world that doesn't want him and doesn't want us either, and we're following him. But that would be for the Lord to glory. That we should be more and more like our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Hottest man find ever to keep the unity of the spirit of peace.
Well, that's rather a large subject I believe.
If we were not going on that's been mentioned in the good of that second verse, we wouldn't be able to carry out the other. And I was thinking about thinking about blowing this meekness in.
Connection with assembly, light. Our position in this world, will it be wealth or actual position as having certain responsibilities? And key as to whether it be maybe our education blending itself. The Lord can use those things, but that in itself doesn't give us a place in the ascent. Well now endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirits.
There would be.
The absence of leverage might come in through pride, that is, that one would seek to.
Keep down anything that might bring up contention.
Or strike in any way that hinders the keeping of the unity of the Spirit, the uniting bond of peace. The unity of the Spirit is that which the Spirit has produced, as I see it, bringing us together as we have in the second chapter.
Into this one body, and they're being built together as a House of God. Well, that's a unity. The spirit of God is produced, but there is the uniting bond of peace connected with it that has to do with us individually as to how we conduct ourselves.
Well, one was thinking in connection with what we said here and speaking about that if there isn't this individually with us.
Why then we won't be able to manifest it collectively? And it may be as fixed about intimacy. And one of the things there is evil surmising. Well, that ought to be something that's judged and put down with it. Well, evil surmising comes in, it may affect me personally, and it may permeate to among others. Well, the sad thing is, it comes in collectively, and there's jealousies.
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Not only individually, but assembly light too. It's been very sad thing. So endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit.
Walking in self judgment before him and seeking to bring out that which would be for his glory.
The unity not of our spirits, beloved, but the unity of the spirit of God, were enjoined upon to keep.
In that uniting bond of peace, now there's a great deal of talk about that they may be one, they all may be one, and they the various bodies around this crystal from John 17 there that they all may be one. And so they get together, as you know.
And there's a pretense there of the unity of the spirit, but it's not the unity of the spirit.
It's the unity of their spirits, for they all go back to their various churches afterwards.
The thought theory in John, of course it's it's one in communion, beloved there. And three times we have those words in that high priestly prayer of our precious Savior.
In the next place, it's one in testimony.
And of course, the final time it's mentioned there, it's one imploring.
One in communion, Bill Oven. Truly, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
If there's anything that comes in that is contrary to his will and His word, then there can be no uniting bond of peace there. Oh, may we just get that really down into our hearts, the unity of these spirit of God, not the unity of our spirits as the world and its systems should teach us.
I remember her brother Otter's destination was that the unit of the Spirit is about the wondrous and to which the Spirit of God seeks to bring the children of God.
According to the truth of God and that's very important you mentioned it brother Smith. According to the truth of God and the blessed Lord says in that 17th of John thy word is truth. Here's where we get the truth and.
Any unity that is contradictory to the word of God could not be the unity of the Spirit of God.
I remember talking to a cousin of mine, listening young man, the Christian man.
And he contented that any place where Christians meet together in sincerity.
That's they're just as much on the right ground, one as another. Well, I said to him, William, I said, suppose here's a company meeting in the same town, and a little further on as another group meeting in this same town.
I said no. The Spirit of God direct some of the children of God from one of these meetings, some of the children of love to this other meeting.
Really had no answer. Well, I went on to say that if the Spirit of God acted in that way, then he's contradicting his own words. For the Spirit of God has indicted through Apostle Paul in the first chapter of First Corinthians.
And Speaking of division, he says, is Christ divine? So according to that, if one place is just as much the place for the children of God together as another.
Well then Christ is divided. So if the Spirit of God is guiding according to the Word of God, there must be a divine center to which he is seeking to gather God's people together.
Laughing when the guidance of the Spirit of God.
You have a spirit of God, beloved never leads country to this blessed book. Never. And that's a good thing to remember the young believers here. God's Holy Spirit never leads, contrary to this word, never could. Now some might remember a missionary saying, Brother Smith, why do you hate us so much? I said, brother, you're talking nonsense.
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It's not a question of hating you at all.
We love every child of God.
But we just can't walk with them, beloved, because they don't walk, according to this book. That's all. And why should we not be favored? Why should we not in love, be faithful?
To inform them. To that effect we love God's people. They belong to Christ. If they're washed in the precious blood of Christ, they belong to him. But beloved, we never can walk with them. If they don't work according to this blessed world, we can't do the first and last year, eighteen, 20th then referred to, were two or three are gathered together. My name there am I in the midst of that.
Well, it isn't where two or three gather, but it's our gathered. There is a power outside of themselves, the friends them together. That power is a spirit of thought. It isn't something of our own religion. Certainly they took the separation brethren is to a person.
To Christ and consequently from the world. It's sin, it's pleasures.
And that sisters, who separation is 2 now the different sects around us, they gather in the name of Christ. Rome professes to do that too, but they're not gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If they were gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, beloved, that would put them outside of every system.
Our brother Fleck once wrote to me that if we are.
Gathered in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are gathered outside of division.
40 years ago, Brother Leck wrote that To my mind, that's a lot of truth in that short statement if we are gathered by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are gathered outside of Division.
In First Corinthians 110.
If possible, this is referred to as why I'm reading it now. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all.
Speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you.
But that he'd be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment.
The unity of the spirit embraces two thoughts.
It is the unity as much as to say there are not two or more. There are not many unities.
And it's of the Holy Spirit.
That same Spirit that was sent down by the glorified Lord to baptize every member of the body of Christ into one body, or by 1 Spirit, are we all baptized into one body.
That is a fundamental truth for exercise souls who are wondering as to God's mind, as to gathering well, there is the basis of it. If I am a child of God, Washington is precious blood. I am in guilt for the Holy Spirit, and I am a member of His body. But that same truth is good for every other member of of the body of Christ on earth.
And therefore the unity of the spirit gathers.
Unites and blesses us together, but the work of the enemy and the work of our own naughty will does just the opposite. And that is why divisions and strikes and evils and all such things come in and defeat the carrying out the unity.
01:00:11
Now the unity and the spirit is always perfect on the side of the spirit, on our side. It is our responsibility to endeavor to keep it.
Perhaps we find a picture of this principle in the Old Testament.
I believe in the book of Deuteronomy the Lord said 21 Times that he reserved to himself the right to choose a place to place his name. Well, that must have been a very, very real thing. The Lord would express it so frequently 21 Times. Well, that was established. But there came a time in the days after the reign of Solomon when Jeroboam and Rehoboth.
Disagree. And Jeroboam with 10 tribes, turn his back on the House of the Lord at Jerusalem. Now we all know the account, but it's rather striking that when Jeroboam did this and took 10 tribes away with him, he let slip. If I might use that's an expression, what he really knew to be the truth, he said. And it's recorded in scripture.
That unless he did something about this matter, they would return to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem. He knew where it was. He knew where the name of the Lord belonged. And he said, unless I establish something, these people are going to return to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem. And so he established 2 centers, one at Dan and one at Bethel. Now, through careless reading on my part, I didn't understand what the sin of Jericho and the son of Nebat might be.
We read that statement in connection with many a subsequent king that reigned over Israel, that he sinned after the sin of Jericho and the son of Nibat who made Israel to stand. I thought, well, probably terrible sin was so wretched and evil that the scripture itself doesn't record it, just that it had an influence on those who followed. But the scripture does tell us what it was. It was that very sin.
Standing up to other centers than that which the Lord himself had predicted and owned.
Where it seems to me that although this world priest has something very light and very unimportant, the centers that men have set up in the sight of the Lord, it's a very, very serious thing. And along came dear King Hezekiah, who was moved by a picture of the principle we have here.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit, dear king Hezekiah desired the keeping of the Passover at the House of the Lord at Jerusalem. But his heart longed after those of his separated brethren, the Israelites, and he sent messages to them, saying, Come to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, that we may keep the Passover together. This is Second Chronicles 30. Well the invitation went out.
And most of those who received it, the Scripture says.
Lasted to score and mop the 10th verse of the 30th chapter. And that's the general attitude today. The people laugh at the suggestions that there is a place to which the spirit of God would direct them. But the sequel to that invitation to me is very beautiful. The scripture says. Nevertheless, divers of Asher humble themselves and return to Jerusalem.
To me, it's so very, very sweet to read that because when we turn to Luke's gospel, we find there that there was a widow named as of the tribe of Asher. What was she doing in Jerusalem? Her tribe had lasted long ago. I suppose that one of Anna's ancestors humbled himself and returned to Jerusalem and never went back again.
Remained there, and now his descendants, there was dear old Anna to welcome the Lord Jesus. Oh, what a joy it would be if by the grace of God.
01:05:00
We were preserved, gathered to his precious name till he comes to college.
That formula you spoke of in Deuteronomy as being recorded about 21 Times.
Is that they were to gather under the place. The Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there.
21 Times our brother has emphasized. Now we read on signs As we travel, go to the Church of your choice, which is directly opposite to what God would have us do. Not our will. Not our choice, not a a burden for us to solve As to where we go, no, it's for us to find out.
The Lord's joy.
The Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there in the 22nd of Luke. The disciples asked him, Lord, where will thou?
Where will thou that we prepare? Well, that is the right upright attitude of soul.
You know the Lord's mind.
One was thinking about what I was thinking of.
Couple of verses in the 4th of Acts.
They.
32nd verse.
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart, one soul. Neither said any of them that thought of the things which he possessed with his own. But they had all things common, and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Well, I suppose primarily this refers how they're in the beginning. They did.
Give up their earthly possessions brought them to the apostles. But one was thinking here they Then the police were one heart and one soul. Well, that applies not only as to earthly possessions, but also as to spiritual possessions.
And one has thought, neither said any of them. Of all the things that He had with his own that were here together, it isn't what we've mastered and studied out and that kind of thing, but it's what the Lord has given to us all. And if there was that spirit, neither said any of them out of the things which he said with his own, it would have a great effect, as it did here in the spiritual power that was manifested before we read. And a great power gave the apostles witness to the resurrection of Lord Jesus and great grace upon them all.
We'd like to see power. Well, how much does my attitude? How much does my the spirit I manifest do to hinder that? Well, here, seems to me, here's the secret of it.
Great power gave the apostles witness the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. It had to be manifested in more than one life.
If you notice too that when Derek Warm set up the golden calves, that he had an imitation of of the true sacrifice, God's order Jerusalem, and it says he divides him out of his own heart for living that always the way when there is a departure from the word of God, then the mind of man begins to invent.
Something to substitute the way that God has provided the order that God has set up for his people to continue this, I was surprised to see it picked up quite a fundamental magazine, and it made this statement that we can't say that.
That all tradition is to be rejected. We have to know what is the right tradition.
Well, what is tradition? But just what Gary Boone did, setting up something according to what he had conceived out of his own heart. Or perhaps we could say somebody else. Someone had said a certain way of going on, way of meetings are to be carried on the way ministries be conducted. And so there's no foundation for it at all.
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But what man has invented?
Nor we can say without any hesitation that all tradition is condemned.
Tradition is what has been handed down from Father to Son or from one generation to another, and the professing Church of God is just full of tradition, no foundation for it at all.
There was a writer that wrote up the history of so-called brethren, he said. Here was the most astounding thing.
Was a group of people that cast aside all that had been established.
Through all the ages of Christianity, and started out with nothing before them, but to be guided entirely by what is found in the Bible itself. Well, the very condemnation of this writer did think, I think his name was, was the very thing that we can rejoice in, which is absolutely true.
We're going on in the way that pleasing to the Lord, or as you get here, keeping the unity of the Spirit, it must be in keeping with God's word and with God's word alone.
Well, they were tradition the way it is.
Been translated in the Authorized version, they had a little different feeling than what it has at the present time now, for instance in 2nd Thessalonians 3.
Where the apostle speaks about those that walking disorderly and not after the traditions received of us. But he wasn't talking about what had been handed down. But really there is the instructions received plus and that's the sense really in which it's used in the New Testament primarily I believe.
But anything like the tradition of the Fall is that Peter speaks of is something that is caused the death of Christ. Deliver a gentleman, yes.
Or he know that he were not redeemed with corruptible things of silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your father. That will be kind of tradition that I was Speaking of bad you mentioned the other, so that no one would be.
Given the wrong thought.
Remarkable that the Spirit of God used Peter to be the one who condemned for this. Again in the second official I I feel he condemned it when he says, Whereby are given unto us all things that pertain unto light and godliness. If I wish to be the possessor of divine life. I have all I need in this book. If I wish to walk through this world of please God, I have all I need in this book, and Saint Peter himself has told us so.
So that the traditions which have been added there really in his name and his successors are condemned in his writing.
The Jews were prone to add to the Old Testament scriptures. They would bring in explanations, and those explanations were the thoughts of men, not as from the Spirit of God. The Talmud is full of them. There are.
There are two.
Lines of energy at work in the connection with this thought of unity.
One is that great, so-called ecumenical movement to try to unite.
All of Christendom into one.
World religion and we know what is back of that. We know what it will eventuate into for all of the the tares, that is not the wheat, but after the wheat is caught up, all of the tears, all of the earthly minded.
Earth dwellers that are not real, they will eventuate into Babylon the Great and after the system is destroyed, they'll go through that black apostasy of worshipping Satan and the beast, the beast image, the Antichrist and demons. They'll go through all that and they'll land in the lake of fire and be tormented.
01:15:18
Forever and ever.
Now that's one line of energy that's going on today in a so-called unity, but it's a unity of evil. Now another line of unity.
Activity going on is what we call amalgamation.
In other words, let bygones be bygones, let us break down the bars, and let us all get together as brethren.
Now this side of the subject I think we ought to touch on at this time. In First Corinthians Chapter 11 and verse 19 we read that there must need to be.
Divisions among you.
That they that are approved might be made manifest among you. So the word of God shows the necessity of division. Now Why? Because God is holy. God has his government, and he is faithful in his dealings with us when we have grown careless and willful and ventured to set up a little religious societies of our own.
Why? It is because of that bad, bad state we've fallen into.
Now let us look back in first, Kings.
First Kings, Chapter 11.
Our brother has spoken about Jeroboam.
And.
The.
Back to Jeroboam was the inventor of.
You might say competitive centers or many centers. Instead of God's one center he sets up, Dan is another center 2nd and Bethel is 1/3. So then the people can make the choice as to where they would go.
Now I want to read in verse 10 or no verse 11 of Chapter 11 The first king.
Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, For as much as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant, So here is unfaithfulness on the part of Solomon.
And he says, I will surely win. God says this, God says, I will surely rent the Kingdom from thee. And in the next verse, the last of the verse, I will rend it out of the hand of thy Son.
Turn over to the next line is up.
Versus Could we sing?
Lord Jesus, hardly one with me.
We're working on pretty close schedule, all right.
327.