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The Holy Land of God, and fix and root us in Thy grace as those redeemed by blood.
Teach us more.
Holy.
And make them run.
I'm afraid.
And.
And we made it.
Honey cream.
I love.
Consider Ephesians chapter 4.
If someone would read it for us.
MMM.
And the bond of peace.
There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called, and one.
Hope of your calling, 1 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 is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captives and gave gifts unto men.
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Now he Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lowest, the lower parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also that ascended up 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 to 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 slight 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 which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working, And the measure of every part maketh 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, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that ye 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.
And that you put on the Newman, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man's truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon 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 need it.
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.
I'd just like to say, brethren, that I feel that it's very important how this is introduced a subject that's in this chapter. Our brother read a portion of it this morning, and it's interesting, Before bringing this precious truth so dear to our hearts, of the one body and the gracious provision that the head has made for the needs of the body, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, he speaks first of all.
With all lowliness and meekness and long-suffering forbearing one another in love. In other words, the spirit in which it is done is so important. It has been said that the prodigal had to judge wrong actions, The older brother wrong reactions, and very often our actions might be right, but our reaction to situations is not very good and we cause a great deal of problems because of our reactions.
And it has struck me, brethren, that the three epistles that deal especially with what we might say, correction, that is the epistle to the Galatians, he ends with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit, because the Spirit in which things are corrected is so important. Then we find the same thing in Second Timothy, where he speaks about having to separate from the vessels to dishonor.
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Again he closes the epistle by bringing in that same thought, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with thy Spirit, and then in a personal matter like the one in Philemon.
Where there was a personal matter that must have caused some distress to Philemon, we find he closes with the same expression, and as far as I recall, those are the only three epistles that close in that way.
Well, I say again, brethren, I think the truth brought before us in this 4th of Ephesians is so very important indeed. It is the laying out by the Spirit of God of the provision that is made for the church and the way in which we assemble.
But it's so important that that we hold these things in the right spirit and speak of them in the right spirit. I say this for myself and for all of us, because we all tend to get carried away at times, and we need that grace that the Lord can supply.
3 chapters.
Were doctrinal, and they're so needed. But now we have the instruction how to live in the good of what we have in the first three chapters, the practical aspect. And that is what's needed as well what we have in our earlier chapter Speaking of the mystery of Christ in verse 4.
And of the gift of the grace of God, and of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
And the fellowship of the mystery. And those are precious.
Doctrinal truth of one body and all. But now we're getting into something that we have to really realize. We need this exhortation. We need these instructions in order to go on together as an assembly, the body of Christ in the first three chapter Principles.
It's helpful to notice that the 4th chapter begins just like the third chapter.
Chapter 3 For this 'cause I called the Prisoner of Jesus Christ.
For you Gentiles, and then chapter 4I. Therefore the prisoner of the Lord, that is, he takes up.
That same subject again. So the whole of the third chapter, with the exclusion of that first verse.
Is a parentheses. You'll find it that way in the new translation. And when he exhorts them, that where of course he's developing in the third chapter the truth of the mystery, and how it consists of Jew and Gentile, and so on. But when he says that she walk worthy of the vocation, the calling wherewith you are called, that takes us back to the second chapter.
And in the second chapter we have two prominent truths brought out. The one is that he has reconciled both Jew and Gentile unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. And he's made in himself of the Twain June Gentile, 1 Newman so making peace that Newman being.
The members on earth united to the head in heaven.
One Newman, and then at the end of chapter two, we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. And then it says in the end of verse 22, it says in whom ye also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit. So we have these two great truths that have to do with our vocation or Our Calling. We're called to be members of the one body, and we're called to be the habitation of God by the Spirit. Both of these are collective.
And in the first chapter we are called into an individual blessings that are for us to enjoy individually and then the collective ones. But I think, and he, he, he mentions all three aspects in verse 12 of our chapter. For for the perfecting of the Saints is what we have individually. And then that works into the collective thing with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ. We'll come to that.
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But the first is the perfecting of the Saints individually and then the collective thing. But I believe that in particular this calling that we've been called to has to do with our collective path together. I'm not excluding the individual, but I think it includes all. But in particular, it isn't just the individual, it's collective, isn't it?
In John chapter two he tried to get his own to understand these things, I mean the Jews. And in verse 15 then answered the Jews, and said unto him, What sign show us thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, 40 and six years.
Was this temple in building wealth? I'll raise it up in three days. But he spake of the temple of his body. And so that's the basis of of really Ephesian truth, isn't it? It's that we are the temple of God, the assembly.
His body here.
But in John Two, he was talking about his own body. He was talking about his own physical body in which he was going to die. He spake of the he said, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.
He was talking about himself, and he did raise himself. Only a Divine Person could, so speak the Eternal Son.
We know God in the Trinity. The first time I believe that he is fully revealed in the Trinity is in Matthew 3 when Jesus went to John.
And was baptized of John, identifying himself with that Godly Remnant, and when he come up, when Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism.
The Spirit abode upon him, and heaven was opened.
And a voice fake. And he called that man his son. Now there's the Father up in heaven.
Looking down at Jesus as the Son and the Spirit of biting upon him.
What a beautiful scene that is and justice thinking that maybe in addition to our relationship as in the body of Christ, and are being built together in the habitation of God by the Spirit, We could include in the first verses of the epistle where it says in the second verse, grace be to you and peace from our from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he hath, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children. There it is God wanted children if he'd wanted servancy to make some more angels.
But he brings us into a higher relationship as children of God. And so we now are charged, I believe, to walk worthy of God as His children, and walk as being members of the body of Christ, and to walk as being the habitation built together.
As the habitation of God by the Spirit, What a high calling we have to seek to walk worthy of.
Second chapter of Ephesians.
Just to follow on with what Brother Clem was telling us, verse 19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God. That's that's where there is children, aren't we? We're in the household of God. That's the line you were talking about. And then we're also the habitation of God by the Spirit collectively. Household of God we're in that individually, and then the habitation of God by the Spirit collectively.
And of course, the one body is collective truth as well.
Point to understand and especially for the young people.
Where this might be, perhaps not that well understood, is there could not be a body of Christ. There could not be There is the mystical Body of Christ. There could not be a House of God until redemption was accomplished and the Lord Jesus was ascended.
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And then sent down the Spirit by descending down of the Spirit. This unity was formed of which you and I are part. If we have been saved, you know we are part of the body of Christ through the indwelling of the Spirit who was sent from a glorified Christ. And we're also part of the House of God. As living stones are built up. It's developed in other passages as well.
But that's a tremendous truth that we are linked by 1 spirit.
To our glorified head in heaven and to every member living on earth, you know, and we form that body, we tend to think in terms too narrow when it comes to the body of Christ. Every blood bought St. of God is part of that body of Christ. And even if we do not walk with them, and cannot walk with them practically, then nevertheless.
Members of the Body of Christ, we might have personal contact with them also in the family aspect.
You know, they're all part of the family of God. I love to think of a lady that said goodbye to me after I had provided her with a prosthesis. She was safe from a world of sin, but brightly saved. She said, See you in the father's house. That was her goodbye, you know. And what a wonderful thing that is, to meet a child of God, and perhaps to be able to labor even with such, with whom we cannot practically walk.
You know, perfection has already been mentioned to the perfecting of the thing. Of course, we think especially of our coming together in assembly, where the Spirit of God is present, the Lord Jesus is present. But certainly in our personal contact with individual believers we can labor towards that end. Perfection. There is not sinless perfection, but to reach spiritual, full spiritual growth.
And labor towards that end by bringing all the truth of God before them. You know the mystery and all that.
Is true of our position in Christ, and to bring that before soul, so that they will mature, that they will develop normally in their Christian growth.
If one does not know his eternal security if one is not.
Perfected as an individual that is spiritually mature.
In the understanding of where the work of Christ has placed him, that he is in Christ before God, that he has the Spirit of God dwelling within him, and he's redeemed and reconciled and justified and made the child of God, has divine life, has eternal life in the sun.
All of these individual truths, If he hasn't come to that, don't talk to him.
About collective truth, he needs to be established first of all individually in the truth and then you can deal with him more in the collective line. I think we make the mistake of speaking so much of collective truth when individual truth is is not really that the soul has not been established individually. I talked to one person, he says while he is sound except he doesn't believe in eternal security.
Well, someone that doesn't believe in eternal security is not sound in the faith. That is very basic. He's basically under law. He thinks that his salvation depends something on himself and not altogether on Christ. And so he's under law. He's under the principle that he has to hold on or do something in order to gain acceptance or to keep his acceptance, and all that's false.
He doesn't really understand what grace is. The grace that has saved us picks us up when there's nothing in us that is good. We're totally depraved and lost. And then God works and he imparts divine life and faith. They come at the same moment. When the message is received by faith, life is there, and then the Spirit is given when we believe the gospel of our salvation.
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And were led on, and when the soul has been perfected, that is brought to the full mature understanding of his acceptance in Christ.
Then he is ready to receive the collective things. I remember reading a letter by Mr. Darby once, and he was laboring up in Canada and he'd been there laboring for months, and he said I haven't touched church truth yet, that he had just been establishing them in the truth of the gospel.
In connection with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I think it's well for us to see the way Scripture presents it too.
It is always in the thought of the collective. By 1 Spirit we are all baptized into one body.
I say this because many in Christendom believe the gospel, as you have just been mentioning.
Then they think they must wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is never an individual thing. As the truth is presented, it is a collective thing. So the Lord told the disciples previous to the day of Pentecost.
He gathered them together and said that they should wait. They would be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
And there were about 120 in that upper room, and they were baptized by 1 spirit into one body. I just mentioned this because much of Christendom doesn't see it's a work of the Spirit to quicken souls and impart life, and that person is made part of the Church of God by believing the gospel. But it's well for us to see what our brother has just been saying, that everything rests upon the work of Christ.
We don't have to wait for some experience to complete the work. It's completed the moment the soul passes from death unto life, while the truth of it may be used by the Spirit of God to be revealed to the soul, and he's led into the enjoyment of it.
All this individual truth that is so important is taken up in the first three chapters of our epistle, particularly 1St and 2nd, so that we are in Christ, we are in the fruit of redemption, we are sealed by the Spirit of God, and we're brought into the one body.
And now we are into that portion where we are united late to give expression to the truth into which we have been brought.
It has been said and correctly stated, and I emphasize, that the unity that was formed when the Holy Spirit came as the unity to which we are to give expression. The one body was formed when the Holy Spirit came, and now our energies must be expended so that we meet together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in such a way as to give expression to the truth that there is one body. And we can say this without fear of contradiction.
That just as much as the truth of the one God was Israel's responsibility and the principle.
Testimony committed to them. So the principal testimony given to the Church of God is there is one body.
And just as Israel's failure to maintain that testimony and falling into idolatry, so the assembly has failed to maintain the testimony and has fallen into sectarianism, so that the enemy, by bringing in many divisions, negates or seeks to annull the truth that is principally committed to us to keep in this state. So as we peruse this chapter, we need to examine what is it.
The Spirit of God is saying to us to do and how do we do it? We.
Keep the unity by giving expression to it, meeting together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the principle that there is one body and we do it in the uniting bond of peace going on together with our brother and meekness and loneliness and love and in peace together.
Sometimes the question is asked, Question is asked, what is the ground of gathering? Well, the ground of gathering is the one body.
How can that be denied? There's two ways that ground of the one body can be denied.
It can be denied by having a national church like the Church of England, where all Englishmen can be members of that church, whether they're members of Christ or not, whether they're saved or not. Now that's a fellowship which is broader than larger than the one body because it includes unsaved ones. That's one way the truth of the one body can be denied. And the other way is what is called sectarianism has already been mentioned.
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And that is having a narrower sphere.
A narrower circle than the one body. The one body embraces all the Saints, all blood bought, redeemed ones that are sealed with the Holy Spirit and brought by the Spirit into that one body.
Every member of the Body of Christ has a place at the Lords table.
And I feel we are in great danger of violating that principle sometimes. Let me finish what I'm saying before you get upset.
I don't mean to say that every member of the body of Christ can be we can walk with everyone, because we are also the House of God, the dwelling of the Spirit of God amongst us. And so that place has to be kept holy. But.
Member of the body of Christ has a place at the Lord's table. They may, for one of three reasons, disqualify themselves from occupying that place. They may have wrong doctrine as to the person of Christ, or the work of Christ. They may go be going on in an immoral way, such as the man in First Corinthians 5. The wrong doctrine would be Galatians 5.
And to both of those the Spirit of God says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, and then wrong associations or evil associations. One could be an association with a system or with a company that refuses to judge evil doctrinally or morally.
So those are the three things that might exclude one from being practically received amongst us, but it's not because they are not of us.
That we have a sectarian communion, and you have to be a member of our Church in order to break bread or to be accounted one of us. The only membership known in Scripture is the membership of the body of Christ, and if one is a member of that he is, he is positionally. Let me put it that way at in in the place of fellowship.
But then there's the practical walk. As we've mentioned, there's the thought of the House of God, the order, and that which becomes the House of God That has to be considered so when some are denied it a place at the table. If they make application, the only scriptural basis for denying them is their doctrine is wrong, their morals are wrong, or their associations are evil. And if those any one of those 3 is not true.
Then how can we refuse them if they're a member of the body of Christ and going on in a godly way?
So if we do, then we make ourselves a sect and our communion is narrower than the one body.
Unless there's a scriptural reason to exclude them, we must recognize them and receive them. That's what it is to be on the ground of the one body.
When they're Speaking of Our Calling, go ahead.
It seems like there are simple.
Measurements or standards of conduct for this, and a couple of them right in our chapter.
And the third verse being one of them.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Now that's a.
Measurement or standard of behavior, Paul wrote to Timothy, said. If I tarry long that thou mightest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God.
Which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth we need to know.
What the measurements are the standards of conduct and one more in our chapter. That's simple. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. Now grieving the Spirit of God is the allowance of the flesh. Then another one is in First Corinthians 5, where it says quench not the Spirit. These all are concerning the Spirit endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Now, in keeping the unity of the Spirit, that seems to me is a conduct that agrees with the word of God, and it's been said that.
A child of God.
Walking according to the word of God.
Guided by the Spirit of God is one who is keeping this unity of the Spirit, because he agrees with the Spirit that dwells in the house.
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Not have to form a unity.
We have to recognize that it exists.
We have not only to do with the divided state in Christendom in general, we also have to do with the divided state among brethren.
Those who all at one time were gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, and there is a popular movement.
Among so-called brethren, which has been called the ecumenical movement. Among brethren, where by compromising and mutually recognizing each other, is gathered to the name of the Lord at the Lord's table in their divided state, This is just an impossibility. You cannot give expression to the truth of the one body.
When you're in a divided state, when you're in division, and those who are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit are not on the ground of division.
They are gathered by the Spirit around the person of the Lord Jesus. So let me reemphasize.
We keep a unity that already is made. We do not make a unity.
By compromising and recognizing each other on the basis of compromise. This is very important, especially when we think of the recent division that has occurred among us. It's wonderful when souls are exercised to come back to the ground of the one body, but.
Compromise is not the basis.
There is no such a thing in scripture as amalgamating and reuniting, but there can be individuals received back to that place that they have left. Just like it was in Israel's case when the 10 tribes rebelled against the House of David and left the divine center, there were those who humbled themselves and came back to the divine center.
You cannot have divided centers. There can be only one center.
So keeping the unity of the spirit is really giving practically expression to a truth already existing. Chuck already has mentioned two points, how it can be denied by making it larger, accepting unbelievers or by excluding those that should be received. But we have to be on our guard against the spirit of ecumenicalism that is affecting so-called brethren.
And to try to use compromise as a basis for coming together, we ourselves had to come to realize. And there are others here likewise, although we were with brethren, grown up with them, learning much truth there, we had to realize that we were not at the divine center, that we were not at the table, that the table that had been set up was a practical denying of the truth of the one body. You cannot be at the Lord's table when they practice.
And that which forms the fellowship is a denial that there is one body. And if you have a group of believers that exists of previously 8 divided group of brethren who now mutually recognize each other, it's not the ground of one body. It's the ground of many bodies being the basis for their fellowship. I hope I make myself clear, because these eight groups were divided and recognized each other in their divided state as being at the Lord's table. That's just nonsense.
You can't have that. You know it's a denial that there is one body. It's really the basis of fellowship is there are many bodies. You can be divided 8/10/20 times in divisions and all still supposedly on the ground of the one body. That's an impossibility and we have to be on our guard because it is so appealing to hear people say, don't you like to walk with other brethren who in their individual lives might be more faithful.
Then we ourselves sometimes, and it's a very appealing thing, but we have to look at the basis of their fellowship is really a practical denial that there is one body. The basis is that there are many bodies equally gathered before they are together.
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Well, there can be no unity apart from the spirit of God. All other things are union Oregon systems of men coming together. That's not of the spirit of God. But endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit would be according to truth, because the Spirit will never lead us contrary to the word of God and not just man's thoughts of the word of God, but truth. And that's the precious thing.
And you know, we just had, as you mentioned, a good example. It was a very simple example made complicated by men's reasoning, but it was a simple, basic example. We are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ according to truth, and without that in in Revelation 38, it's first kept my word, not denied my name if it isn't according to the word of God.
They can say his name, but that doesn't bring them into the truth of the ground of gathering. But in each assembly where the Spirit is and the Lord, the authority is, and the authority is local in each assembly. And it's simply if an assembly silence, a brother is bound in heaven, that's it, because the authority is the Lord in the midst, and all assemblies in the world who are gathered.
Name of the Lord Jesus Christ are likewise bound, and we go on by keeping the endeavoring to keep the Spirit of God.
If we do not acknowledge that we are not keeping endeavoring to keep unity the spirit, that's simple, isn't it? But it gets very complicated.
In verse 2.
Suppose we get into the place. I hope we all find that, and do seek to walk worthy of that calling in that place of the ground of the truth of the one body with all loneliness and meekness. We have not one thing to boast of in that place.
Accept the Lord himself and the cross, and if we can go on that way, we might not rub some of our brethren quite so badly. Loneliness and meekness.
Long-suffering, just going on. Bearing and love suffered, long forbearing one another in love. It's love that makes this thing go on and work and it is a continuing thing. Endearing is just going on every day with this knowledge that there is one body and others are there, and it is the place that gives true expression to the truth.
And the unity is already formed. But the endeavoring to keep that unity just the one according to the spirit of God who has formed it, wonder if we could look at.
Matthew 18, That portion that speaks about authority.
Matthew 18 read it from verse 15.
Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee.
Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone, if he shall hear thee, Thou hast gain thy brother, But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee 2 Take with thee one or two more.
Than the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established, and if he shall neglect to hear them tell it to the church, But it be neglect to hear the church, Let him be under thee as a heathen man and a public. And very not seeing you, what city shall bind on earth should be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth is touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven, for where two or three are gathered together in my name.
There am I in the midst of them.
That which characterizes this.
Group.
Is that they hear. First of all, they have heard the Spirit of God, they have agreed.
That if two of you shall agree on earth, that is the Spirit of God has come in.
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And it's brought in there. They have heard. They listen. Go to the assembly, go to the church. Witnessing to the fact not of the original offense. They did not witness that. They say this man just will not hear.
So what it is we've been brought by the Spirit of God as gathered under the name of the Lord Jesus.
You know, it's one thing to stop the mouths of everybody. The law does that. The law was given to every mouth might be stopped.
It's another thing to have your heart won over by the love of God, finding everything in Christ that not only has the mouth stopped, but my ears open. I have nothing more to say. He's everything. If that's where he is, that stops everything from me.
And I believe it's the thought, as we've heard, if the devil can keep us.
Still talking and not listening.
We will never find that place because this is where it is a place. It is a work that the Spirit of God has done.
And is to be acknowledged if not he don't fit there if.
Those that hear that belong there have enjoyed the other side of it. When there are those who hear what the Spirit of God has said, and he brings them to honor the Lord Jesus in his absence, that would be one thought. Anyway as to gathered unto his name to maintain his name on earth, God hears. He enters into this with us. My Father will hear. If there are two of you that agree, my Father will hear.
And he brings us in to that which he has for us, and that which is underlying all of the position that we occupy by grace. And it is a valid, real position.
Is that God will hear and that he will make it real to us and make it valid, and then this authority that we've given.
What's there? We shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven. Then we can handle that for him.
Because handling that for him is connected with unto the name of the Lord Jesus. What would the Lord Jesus do? I'm here to uphold his name. What would He do in this case that requires the assembly to speak? What would He do with that authority for where two or three are gathered together? The Lord has done a work in this verse. It exists and is to be acknowledged.
Oh, the blessing that the Lord has.
Joy that he has.
I have enjoyed the thought that.
When he could say us?
When he could say us he that is not.
Against us, said, Thwart Reed.
For us when you can include in his own thoughts.
Those he is saved, those he had gone to have in glory for himself, while we're here below the joy in his heart, to be able to say us and brethren, if you think it makes anything of us.
We don't understand yet what his heart is toward us. If we could fill this room, I thought it often. If we could fill this room with the love that fills the heart of God right now, for every one of his children, we'd be different.
Would be different. We wouldn't have any problem walking in this first two and three in our chapter we.
Know where we were before him and before our brethren.
About peace.
In the bond of peace that goes on here in this end of this third.
Verse in the bond of peace. Look at the second verse of the epistle.
We've already read it, but first chapter in the second verse, grace be to you and.
Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at the next to the last verse of this epistle.
Chapter 6 and verse 23.
This is.
God's desire for us, brethren, what is it peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God is never the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the Saints. Well, this is a standard for us to go on in in that uniting bond of peace, enjoying what God has done. There is one body that's an absolute We have nothing to do to keep that.
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That is kept it's formed by the Spirit of God. But endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit is to go according to what the Spirit of God has written in his book, The truth of God, and in that uniting bond of peace together.
Look at Colossians 3. You've got a beautiful formula that ends in peace, and it's the only way verse 12 of three put on. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved boughs of Mercy's kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a strife, I believe is the better word against any.
Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye, and above all these things.
Put on love divine love, which is the bond of perfectness and let the peace of God rule in your hearts. So it's it's really ends in peace every time we go on according to the spirit of God in love.
I'll be glad to, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also ye are called in one body. Be ye thankful.
Important in learning the truth of God to that it humbles us. I was thinking of First Corinthians 8 and verses one and two. There First Corinthians 8 now is touching things offered unto idols. We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edify us, And if any man thinks that he knoweth anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know it.
There have been much precious things and truth wrought before us here this morning, truth that we need to know and be established in. But I believe, brethren, if in learning the truth it doesn't humble us, we haven't learned it in the right way. And so it says here, if any man thinks that he knoweth not anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know it. Because as we learn of the wonderful love and grace of God and his grace in not only saving us, but teaching us this truth, and gathering us to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Instead of being proud, it ought to make us the most humble people on earth.
That God should have made these things known to us, and I feel that this is an important thing with us and this is really what produces peace.
It's because so often we allow the flesh to work. We want to set ourselves up for something that we know a little more than someone else.
Well, it's blessed if God has taught us many precious things of his truth. But I I think this verse is very important. If any man thinks that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing, yet as he ought to know it. How true that is, when we think of the wonderful grace that has picked us up, and we know God's love that has saved us as sinners. And then he would have taught us these things, and what the Lord's table is, and to be gathered to His precious name.
Well, may we walk in it in all humility of mine, and I believe that will.
Produce what we've been talking about the peace of God, peace in our assemblies, peace in our personal dealings with one another. Well, I I just mentioned that first because I feel that sometimes we spoil Speaking of the truth if we ever get into a boastful spirit.
I just mentioned along that line John 7, and we often quote 17, but not 18, and I'd like to just read both John 7 and 17. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh from himself, I believe, is the way it ought to read seeketh his own glory.
And that's the really the cause of all problem getting in the way of the spirit of God. You know there the Spirit of God is the one that keeps the unity and we just look to the spirit of God. It says endeavor, but that's how we do it. We let the Spirit of God have his way. And I'll just give one simple example in both the division of Shrewsbury, so-called, and this sifting of of Perth, all these things.
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The four sisters on the Isle of Wight were bombarded as many here with letters, men speaking from themselves. And you know, the spirit of God kept them. They have no brother there. He kept them. And one time I wondered, you know, just how they they decided all of this. They said we began to read those letters and when they were accusing our brethren, we said this is not of the spirit of God. We set them aside.
So they were troubled, like a lot of them here who thought they ought to examine all those letters.
We don't need that. We've got the word of God, and it's sufficient. And if we look to the spirit of God, you know, Satans work is to accuse brethren. And when letters like that, the simple souls of just the sisters, discerned right away by the spirit of God.
One another in love. How often do we fail in that forbearing one another in love? And our brother Bill already referred to Matthew 18, one of the things that we learned from Matthew 18. If there are problems amongst the gathered Saints, the circle in which it is to be dealt with is the smallest possible circle.
First of all, the two you know one goes to the other. If he doesn't succeed winning him back, he takes two others with him. If that doesn't succeed, the circle becomes larger. But what was characteristic of these problems among us is things were spread far and wide. You know it should be. And unfortunately there are times when there are things occurring amongst the Saints of God which is very humbling, but it should be dealt with in the smallest boxable circle, and it is Satan's work.
To spread problems all over the continent and worldwide that is not.
God's way as we find it in God's Word. But there's another important point, and that is that the authority is vested in the assembly that the twos and Three are gathered to His name. That authority does not exist anywhere else. Now, this is not a proud statement. This is a statement.
Based upon what we learned from Matthew 18 and the Lord is in the midst, and His presence gives the authority to deal with matters in His name, and therefore we do not really accept actions of those not on that ground. Of course, if somebody comes from a group of Christians and has had problems there, it certainly is wise to investigate whether these problems.
Were of a serious nature and whether it is just an escape for that individual to leave that group and come amongst the gathered Saints, you know we have had, have we not bad experience in that way, but we do not recognize.
An action of those not gathered to the name of the Lord, as done with his authority, but when it occurs among those gathered to his name, with the Lord's presence, which gives the authority to the assembly to deal in his name.
We bet about to it, for we do not keep the unity of the spirit.
It's a little bit of the spirit of the apostle in these things in as was referred to Chapter 3 of Ephesians and verse one connected with chapter 4.
We won't.
Go into how the apostle got in jail.
He should looked at from the practical, faithful side of a faithful man on earth. He should not have been there.
But chapter 3 verse one says for this 'cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. He does not say the prison of you Gentiles for Jesus Christ.
He's living above it. He's living above.
He sees the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus is before his soul. He's living his life from Christ. He's got his priorities right. He sees Christ first. That's where whatever comes or goes to us, whether and we have the Lord Jesus.
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And with him, he's sitting there, and now he's got the sense, as we've heard, of less than the least of All Saints. He had nothing in his heart that would restrict it from contemplating All Saints.
And yet he is less than the least of All Saints, living in the light of glory.
In a path that we might say was of his own making.
But he doesn't come down to that level.
You know, I was just thinking, as we've been Speaking of first John, Chapter 2, I'd like to see if I can bring a thought out there.
One John, Chapter 2.
Beginning with verse 3.
And hereby we do know that we know him.
You see, we have knowledge.
And then we need to know that we have that knowledge. If you were to ask me do you know brother so and so I say yes. Do you know that you know him? Would seem a little strange, but we have a life to live that takes in knowledge.
But that knowledge needs to have another knowledge with it. That is, we need to know that we know.
Hereby we do know.
That we know him if we keep his commandments.
That's walking under his authority.
It's been said that commandments of the Lord Jesus for us are the details, those things in which He gives us the the instructions for the details of life with His own authority.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments. The liar and the truth is not him, but whoso keepeth His word.
In him Verdes the love of God perfected, now keeping his word, as we've been taught, is knowing Him.
And I'll Renita a specific commandment about a detail in life, as knowing him, I just know what would please him.
Now, brethren, I would suggest a danger for us.
That unless we walk and measure ourselves by Christ himself and not by each other.
We will have an assumed familiarity with the word as it's presented here. That will give us, as we think, a little liberty to deal with the Commandments according to our own thinking.
That is.
See ourselves as growing as grown. And now is some wisdom entering into the word of God here, in such a way that we feel a little liberty to either add to the commandments or take from the commandments, which are those specific instructions for daily life, the details of life.
And in so doing, and we do, by the grace of God, have a measure of wisdom, and thankful for it. My what a wonder thing it is to know God to sit at his feet.
But if that produces in us the thought that we have some liberty with the commandments as set before us in this verse, we're in grave danger of reducing Christianity down to what we think it is, as opposed to what God says it is. And when we get it down to that level where it's my wisdom and your wisdom.
That's when we will not walk in love one to another.
We will not do what the apostle says. And he didn't look at those Gentiles who might well have mistreated him that very day he wrote this. He didn't look back at the brethren in Jerusalem who could have come to his assistance and testified for him. He looked back any of those things. He just sat and looked up at Christ and said, I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ, but I'm here because God is going to give a blessing to you Gentiles. That's love living in the presence of Christ for the benefit of my brethren. And that's where he starts this exhortation. He seems to have to stop as he says that.
When he's brought us up to the high level of his state of soul, he has to stop and bring out to us the the unmeasurable, that is, that which exceeds knowledge and passes all that we ask, or think and be immeasurable, unsearchable. Christ has to bring our souls into the light of those things before He would exhort us in our chapter to walk worthy of this vocation where we were called.
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Just to bring us back again a little bit to what are we to walk worthy of? What is that calling?
We're we're to walk consistently with and worthy of the truth, that we're members of the one body, and that we're of the household of God, and we are the habitation of God by the Spirit, and that place is a holy place.
Doesn't say we're to endeavor to keep the unity of the body, but the unity of the spirit.
And He is the Holy Spirit. Any unity which is not consistent with holiness is not His unity.
Separation from evil is the principle of unity, and so the unity of the spirit excludes evil.
It excludes error. It excludes wrong associations which are defiling.
So with a walk in company with a divine person on earth who has formed a unity.
Of his own making, and that is the one body all members united to one another and to the head in heaven called in Ephesians 21 Newman.
That Newman is Christ in the Church, given the name of Christ.
As the in the body there are many members and all the members have not the same office but.
We're all baptized by 1 spirit into one body, and that that one body is called even, So is the Christ. We're given his name united to the man in the glory. And one of the great signs of weakness is when we get occupied with ourselves as a testimony and not with a head. We're to hold the head. We're not to hold the body, we're to hold the head. We're to have Christ before our souls.
And not be occupied with ourselves. We're a pretty poor failing testimony, all of us. Together or individually. We can say that I believe. I know I can. But he is the one that we are to exalt and glorify in the Spirit of God, magnifies Him. It doesn't draw our attention to ourselves, doesn't make anything of ourselves but everything of Christ. And when we get occupied with ourselves and we talk about the testimony, and we even talk about the assembly.
Using that word, assembly referring to us and the Church, all the other Christians. Totally wrong. Totally wrong. The assembly is just another word for the Church. The assembly doesn't mean the gathered Saints. It means the whole Church of God. It means all those that are members of the body of Christ. And when we start to think in terms that we are that.
We're not. We're just a remnant that is privileged to give expression as a remnant to what the whole church is in the mind of God. And if we start thinking of ourselves instead of Him who we're here to represent, to magnify, we've really, we're not keeping the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace in that case.
To emphasize just the remnant in that way, didn't you? We are a remnant by God's faithfulness. What a wonderful thing that is.
That in Matthew 1820, where two or three, I mean. Here the authority is the Lord in the midst, and he goes to the smallest lumber of plurality. No, we don't want to minimize that precious truth. It's called a little flock, and the remnants always been small.
And very precious to the Lord. But what characterizes the true godly Remnant is that they embrace.
In their affections, in their thoughts, in their prayers, all the Saints of God, all of them gathered, scattered, and when we only pray for the gathered Saints, and we never pray for the those that are scattered.
I think there's a great danger of getting into what is called sectarianism in spirit, in spirit. There's only two tribes that Zion, Jerusalem, Judah.
How many loaves did they have? 12 loaves. That's really the principle.
Funded trust failed by the profit. It was 12 Stones. You know another testimony of the truth. And God refuses to see his people other than as one.
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And that loaf on the table, Lord's Day Morning, is not a picture of us, the gathered Saints. It's a picture of the one body, all the Saints, sadly. And we ought to weep over it. We ought to feel it not with the thought of we are we are superior to them, but they ought to be there too. We all ought to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. That's the only ground of gathering. That's the only center of gathering.
And the only ground is the one body, and they're members of it and our brethren that have departed.
We should feel that, and yet feel the evil that Satan has ensnared them in and stayed clear of it by the grace of God.
Verse in Genesis 49 typical that expresses much of what's been said, and it's so beautiful to see it.
Shiloh was a place, we know. But here the place is a person. The 10th verse of Genesis 49. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh calm. That's a person. Then what unto him shall the gathering of the people be? There is a place, and brethren, it seems to me that the place is the person.
Somewhat of the authority.
And certainly he, the Lord Jesus Christ, has replaced this.
Physical place that existed when Israel was God's testimony here.
Mr. Darby's translation of this verse is to him Shall the obedience of the people be gathered to him, We submit to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst.
Not not right. Connected with the assurance of knowing that by God's grace I'm gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that I am where he is in the mirth. And if it is a matter of pride, the Lord will come in and humble that because he won't tolerate that kind of thing, that kind of spirit, because grace is.
That which has saved us.
Grace is that which has gathered us, but when that remnant returned from captivity.
And came back to Jerusalem. They did not hesitate one moment to say we know that we are in a place where the Lord has said His name and beloved. This must become a personal matter of faith with every one of us. And if you lose this precious truth, the enjoyment of this precious truth in your own soul, you'll be like a ship without a rudder.
You know and you have no more direction. Why are you where you are?
If it isn't for him, and if brethren is what brings you to where you are, they will. They will disappoint you. But Christ never will. We have to be where we are, beloved, not because we grew up there and our parents brought us there. We have to be there out of personal conviction, personal faith, and to have that assurance in our souls.
That we are where he has promised to be in the midst.
And it will have such an effect on our individual life. Beloved, we have to be hanging our head. You know, when we speak of these.
High truths and the high privilege of being so gathered. And then see how little in our practical everyday life we show that we know that we are where he is.
And, you know, isn't it sad that we have to admit that some of our fellow believers?
Who are not so gathered put us to shame, their devotion, their godliness in their individual life, how many times it puts us to shame. And it ought to stir us up to have a sincere desire to walk pleasing to him, that our life really will count for him, and the assembly life will experience a revival, if I may use that word.
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You know there will be.
Effects of our individual war seen in our collective path.
Be gathered by the Holy Spirit. And unless it's by the Holy Spirit, you're not gathered anyway. But being gathered by the Holy Spirit is so precious it should humble us. We're really not worthy. But he's gathered us to this precious name of the Lord Jesus according to his word. And it's so wonderful now, there's no boasting in that. You know all pride is wrong. All pride there's pride of race and there's pride of faith.
And pride of grace. But the worst is placed pride of place. But when those that left the wonderful precious place said the reason is we say we're the only place. I have never heard any of us say that. They say we say that without putting the caution our brother put there, that we can't boast in it. It's all marvelous grace of God and if he doesn't keep us, we're not kept.
And if they're going to come back and we've seen them, isn't it wonderful? It's the same spirit that will bring them back because of Christ, and it'll be brought back in repentance. I know you've all experienced it. It's so precious. But we've had one recently and she came back just in tears. And when she was talked to by the brother and the brothers, all were in tears. That's repentance and that's real.
Well, no use going in more than that. Everybody's having these precious experiences.
Could we emphasize this word in chapter one?
Prisoner.
In verse one, chapter 4. Excuse me, verse one, I therefore the prisoner.
Of the Lord.
You know, beloved, if we have not been captured, taken prisoner.
By the love of Christ.
You see, the apostle could say this and he really was in body of prisoner and he knew the weight of those words.
But all around us in this day of Laodicea, there is that which affects us, the spirit that's moving, that is behind the the systems of men and and these spirit affect us and the fact that we're here doesn't mean we're going to stay here.
It's grace that brought us here, and grace is going to keep us here.
But if I see myself at the feet of the Lord Jesus as a prisoner, I don't have any options.
Except to disobey the day I said yes to the Lord Jesus. I gave up all my options and all what a happy thing it is when I live in the good of that I have nothing but him. That's what my heart should say, that's what faith will say. And to be a prisoner of Jesus Christ. But that's where he is. If that's what it is, then that's all I have. That's nothing there. If the world has nothing that I want, If Christendom has nothing that I want.
They can't negotiate with me. And here a prisoner is one who cannot say what he's going to do tomorrow or what he's going to eat tomorrow, who's going to wear tomorrow. He's a prisoner. And the character of the Apostle Paul, as he writes this epistle, as God has brought him to the level of in his own soul of the presence of Christ before his soul as he writes this, it would do us well to to contemplate that one other thought.
When we say I am saved and I have no doubt about it.
And if you don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are not saved.
Does that make us boastful?
Do I not understand that the grace of God has chosen me when I didn't want him?
I was running as far away as I could from him, but he loved me and said I'm going to have that one and against all my arguments, he saved my soul. And that's how you're gathered, how I'm gathered.
Sheer grace. God that says I'm going to gather that one. That's why we're here. The same thought we should have. No, no, No Fear of saying, Well, I'm gathered and I'm sure thankful God did it, as well as saying I'm saved and I'm sure thankful and God did it.
01:20:13
#17, I believe was given out.
I can't say the end of the world.
Where all.
Is there?
A name.