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Ephesians chapter 4.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith your call.
With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. And unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he Seth, when he ascendeth up on high, he led captivity captive.
And gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also that ascended 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 of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, under 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 slate of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in 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 supplier, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body under the edifying of itself in love.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that she 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 she put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt, according to the disciples.
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And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that she put on the Newman, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your rock, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole feel more, but rather let him leave her working with his hands, the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that need. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth for that which is good, but that which is good to the use of edifying.
That it may minister grace under the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed under 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 sake have forgiven you.
In general, I suppose we can say that in the first three chapters of Ephesians we have the doctrine of the Epistle, and beginning with verse one of chapter four, we start with part of the.
Exhortation to walk in accordance with the truth that we have in those first three chapters.
But I'd like to draw attention that from verse four through verse 16 of this chapter.
We again have part of the doctrine of the Epistle. Verse four through 16 is not exhortation, it is teaching as to what is.
Begins with that verse four. There is one body that is a truth.
As much today in 2004 as it was when the church was first formed on the day of Pentecost.
In that day, the testimony was beautiful to that truth. They gave testimony in their practical working out that there was.
Indeed, one body.
Today we know that the testimony is in ruins.
People that would come to any city in our land would say, while you have so many different groups of Christians, where in the world do I see that there is one body? We have to confess, brethren, that the testimony is in ruins. Still the truth remains. There is one body, and as God looks down into this world, the only thing he contemplates is one body.
Isn't that wonderful to get before our souls and realize that it is a reality today just as much as anytime in the history of the Church? There is one body.
But before we go on to that, we need to touch these first verses which are part of the exhortation of the Epistle. And Paul says in verse one, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. We have that heavenly calling developed especially in chapter one.
Verse chapter 2 as well but.
Especially in chapter one, that we are united to Christ the head in heaven. Oh brethren, precious truths that nothing can change our own unfaithfulness, our failure cannot change the truth that there is one body and that we are united to Christ in glory right here and now.
It's a reality.
But we need to learn to walk in accordance with that truth, and so we have practical exhortation in these first three verses as to carrying that out.
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Was making a journey on a ship.
And the custom was when they crossed the equator, they.
Carried on in a foolish way, you know, the dressed funny and so on. And the Crown Prince went along with that and somebody was there with a camera, snapped a picture and that appeared in the newspaper in England to front page. He was called and he was told that might have been all right for everybody else, but not for the Crown Prince of England.
You know, it wasn't becoming. I'm using that.
Walk worthy of your calling. Remember who you are, what the grace of God has made us to be, and the position into which grace has put us. Then there is a consistent way of living because of what the grace of God has made us to be.
It's not the calling here that's referred to by the apostle.
The same as we have in Colossians chapter 3, the peace of Christ, to which you are called into one body. It did not hear the collective calling and those.
Succeeding verses where all these virtues that are found in the Lord Jesus need to be exercised in our dealings and relationships one with another in Christ.
And our union with Christ and glory, right? Go back to chapter one. I think it's so beautiful there, brother.
All at the end of chapter one is praying.
And his prayer is, verse 18, that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward, who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead.
And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And that's what all things under his feet, and gave him to be that head over all things to the Church which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all. Isn't that wonderful, dear brother, dear young people, to realize that there is a living.
Link A living union that exists between every member of the body of Christ here and that man. There's a man in the glory, a man of flesh and bones is seated at the right hand of God, a real man, and we are livingly, intimately united to him in glory right here and now. We need to leave that sex says settle into our souls.
Sometimes I think we talk about these things, but let the wealth of it sink into your soul. It's going to have an effect on you if you do. It's so wonderful to get ahold of that simple truth that we are united to Christ in glory. The apostle Paul, the instrument through which God gave to reveal that truth, learned that truth the day he was converted.
It's on the way.
To Damascus at Saul of Tarsus, and the Lord appeared to and in the way, and said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? He didn't say, Why are you persecuting those Christians? Because touching those Christians he was touching Christ in glory.
Real brother, it's a very real thing. That's why we need to be careful when we touch God's people, if it is in Word or in deed how we act towards them. They are beloved by God and He loves them. We need to pray for them. They may have their faults that let's be careful not to speak bad about it. Let's be careful to pray for them. They are part of His body.
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We are united to Him in glory.
When Paul speaks here in chapter four, he speaks as the prisoner of the Lord. I thought about that many times. A prisoner does not have the right to.
Do what he wants. He can't say I'm going down to the Dairy Queen downtown to have an ice cream.
He doesn't have that litter.
Do you? And I think we have liberties, brother.
Or have we come to realize too, that we too are prisoners of the Lord?
Prisoner is completely at the command of the jailer. He has to learn to obey if he doesn't.
There will be consequences. Not saying that we're under a rigid rule system, brother, but I say if we're going to learn to walk together, the idea that we can insist on our own rights, I have a right to express myself. They should listen to me.
That's what we learn in our American culture.
Human rights, democracy. But if we're going to walk together, brethren.
As members of Christ's body, we have to learn that we have no rights at all. There is somebody else that has all the rights. It's the one who laid down all his rights when he was here in this world and went to the cross to redeem us to God.
And if he did not insist on his rights, the one that did have the rights?
Are you and I insisting on our rights? I suggest that if we have that idea that we can insist on our rights, we are not going to be able to walk properly together as members of Christ's body. We have to realize that there's somebody else that is in complete command of every situation.
Being the prisoner of the Lord means to be in perfect liberty.
You know, we must not confuse that with what we usually understand under people in prison. It gives you perfect liberty to live as a Christian and.
Then endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit. Notice it doesn't say to keep the unity of the body. That is what even people who used to be gathered with us are saying.
Now I can practice fellowship with every member of the body of Christ.
Well, the unity of the Spirit is that which gives practical expression to the truth. It's a unity that is formed by the Spirit. By the Spirit we are gathered around the person of the Lord Jesus. I believe in grace. We are there and still are so gathered. But not everyone who is a member of the body of Christ is exercised about expressing the truth.
Of the unity of the Spirit, you know, it's practically giving expression.
But the Spirit has formed, so there's a truth that is practiced practically, not just.
Recognizing everyone that is a member of the body of Christ, of course that's the basis. But there are many members of the body of Christ with whom we cannot express the truth because of their doctrine and their way of life and what they are associated with. It's not just what they are personally.
Allowing themselves to be involved with association with evil defiles. We learned that from Second Timothy 2, but.
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A wonderful that we can give expression to the truth.
Of the one party, in a limited way, you might say. And you have a picture of that in the Old Testament.
Remember, there came a divided state when the 10 tribes rebelled against the House of David and they sent up centers of worship in Dan and Bethel.
But there were still 2 tribes that were at the divine center in Jerusalem. But there was a table of showbread in Jerusalem. How many loaves were on their table? 2, No 12 floors. And when we come together, our Lord's Day mourning and we have that low on the table.
It does not only speak of the body of the Lord Jesus.
It certainly does, but it also says we the many are one law. We can give expression to the truth of the one body, although not every member that is a member of the body of Christ is willing to meet on that ground. But how wonderful that we can still do so, and we can when we see that law, hopefully.
Do not just think of those gathered to the name of the Lord with whom we are in practical fellowship. We see every member in that law. I remember that Albert Hall used to tell the story that he met a dear Christian. I think it was Albert.
On Lord's Day after noon.
And he was a dear Christian and he said, I saw you in the meeting this morning.
Well, that rat said I wasn't in your beating this morning. I saw you there. I've never ever been into your meeting. Well, he said, let me explain. There was a loaf on the table and that represented every member of the body of Christ. And I know you to be a member of the body of Christ. And in that way I saw you on Lord's Day morning there in the meeting. Well, that's the proper attitude. It's sectarian.
If you only think of the gathered things you know as members of the body of Christ, we miss them. It would be so nice if everyone who is a member of the body of Christ would be willing to meet on that ground. Isn't that one of the reasons better and why we are so weak? You know we don't benefit from what we could be benefited from if every member of the body of Christ would be willing to simply meet as a member of the body of God.
I'm thankful that there are those not on that ground who still serve the Lord in the systems where they are. And there is food even for God's people through their ministry. I'm thankful for that. But we do miss them. If we don't miss our brethren in Christ, there is something radically wrong with us.
Sub interest in going to Acts 26?
To see that the Apostle Paul standing before King Agrippa.
Saying in verse seven of Acts 26.
Unto which promises are 12 tribes, instantly serving God day and night.
At this point the 10 tribes had been long gone. The two tribes had degenerated to the point where they put their Lord to death on the cross. And the apostle still remembers that there are 12 tribes. I thought of that when my brother mentioned the 12 loaves and the showbread in the in Jerusalem when the 10 tribes had left, and this is long after that.
And the apostle Paul didn't forget that there were 12 tribes to Israel. Well, we're in a day of weakness now in the in the church. And look, we need not forget there is one body. That's still the truth, isn't it?
Yeah, you've always thought about the prisoner of the Lord in the first verse as the ninth verse in Colossians chapter 4.
Verse 3.
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Losses chapter 4 and verse three says Withal, praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest.
As I ought to speak.
In that some of our Bibles when you have notes, it does say a prisoner in the Lord. Also because the apostles fall, unlike us, was physically imprisoned for the testimony of the Lord Jesus.
So he was called through his circumstances to manifest those very things that he was speaking about.
And it's the same for us as we read this chapter, you know, those glorious truths that are revealed to us, whatever be our circumstances, the ones that God has placed us in. In those very circumstances, God calls us to manifest the truth that we've been taught. The Apostle Paul in prison, well, he was manifesting, I believe in measures the character of Christ.
You and I in our circumstances were called in measure to manifest the character of Christ, and you and I in our relationships, in the assembly we were called to manifest.
The character of Christ. So if we're going to speak about these things and it's a the grace of God that allows us to speak about these things, and we will in the next few days, it's good to remember that if God can reveal these things to us to enjoy, he's calling us also the manifest as we speak of it.
It's good for us, too, to see that in this same book if we turn back to the second chapter of Ephesians.
You find that?
In the second chapter and the 14th verse, He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandment contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain. 1 Newman, Soul making peace.
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body, by the cross having slain the enmity thereby. It would seem that God is bringing before us in these verses, that he recognizes the enmity that existed between the Jew and the Gentile. It was probably the greatest hatred that there was.
Between people. And yet God had taken those same people, saved them and put them into one body. And now we have in this chapter, the 4th chapter, the working out of those same people that naturally hated each other, that there was a way that they could conduct themselves for the glory of Christ and go on at peace one with another. And it's a marvelous thing to see.
So.
If God took those people and put them in that kind of a relationship one with another so that they could be the working out of the of the truth of the one body, the expression of it, the going on, Is there not a way for us to in this day and age?
Some of us this morning were just considering a verse in First Corinthians 10.
Verse 32.
It mentions A3.
Three groups that there are in the world today.
He says give none offense.
Neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God. As we sit here, maybe we think we're Gentiles, you know, Gentiles anymore. There happens to be someone with Jewish ancestry that's a believer. He's not a Jew anymore. We're part of the Church of God. We're put into one body and it just comes out in these various places. So as you mentioned, the, the enmity between those two groups.
And how God took down the middle wall of partition. And now if we're believers, we're neither Jew nor Gentile, but we're part of a church.
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Keep that in mind.
We are to walk in the light of who we are. We are one body in Christ with all God's people. We are seek to walk in that. And the reason you say, Brother Heinz, that we don't.
Is lack of knowing how to put into practice these first three verses.
Before we leave verse one, I'd like to say one other thing I learned there.
Paul was a prisoner of Rome when he wrote this.
But he does not say, I therefore the prisoner of Rome.
He says the prisoner of the Lord. In other words, Rome may be in the instrument that God used.
So that he was a prisoner, but he looks beyond that. And I think, brethren, there's something so wholesome to learn here is that God may use different human instruments to cause circumstances that naturally speaking, we don't like.
Do we recognize the hand of the Lord in that? That's what Paul did, and he doesn't say the prisoner of Rome, the prisoner of the Lord.
And so often, brethren, we get into situations, difficulties that are far from pleasant. Do we recognize there's a man in the glory who is head not only of his church, but his head over all things to the church, in other words.
Every circumstance in your life that affects you and me is controlled by that man in the glory.
So instead of picking problems with human instruments, let's look beyond. Let's recognize the hand of the Lord in what he has allowed. Let's bow before him and then simply recognize that He has seen fit to allow this.
For our exercise.
And then in verse 2.
So important to consider in view of walking together in the measure that we can, brethren.
According to the truth of the one body, how we're going to do it.
With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering for burying one another in love.
Anybody have all loneliness and meekness here?
I think we're all willing to recognize that we still need to learn quite a bit of this.
I have to speak for myself that I need to learn quite a bit.
But oh, brethren.
To think about this, why haven't we gone on together with all our dear brethren?
Because of a lack of these things.
All loneliness and meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.
Where can we learn that?
I must say, brethren, that it humbles me and I see how problems amongst God's people stumble. Some of our young people and they see fleshliness perhaps in my person. It's going to stumble. It's not going to be a help, it's not going to bind together.
Where can we learn this?
See some of these things in some of our dear brethren, but no one.
Can say that they have come to the point they have it all.
That I love to just think of what the Lord Jesus says and let's just read it because it's so important brethren in Matthew Chapter 11 well known verses.
Matthew Chapter 11 and verse.
29.
Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Here's a place to learn it, brother. It's an invitation.
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Of the Lord, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Oh, isn't this wonderful to seek in our measure, to learn of that man that walked through this world?
And all holiness and meekness, yes, he had it all. There was no human imperfection in him as he went through this world. Complete perfection. And as we look at the Gospels and read through them and see.
The beautiful perfection that was always there, Oh brethren, to take his yoke and be able to say, Lord Jesus, let me walk with thee. That's the secret to learning these things.
Lawlessness, meekness. Somebody has said. Lawliness does not give offense. Meekness does not take offense.
We give offense, brother.
Too bad, but it's the truth of the matter, and I think we need to recognize it. Seek to be in the measure that we can, not ones that give offense. But there are those who perhaps are lowly, but they're not meek.
That brother didn't shake hands with me tonight. I don't know what he has against me.
We take offense.
That's another problem.
And we need to know what it means to not take offense, brethren.
Oh how important these things are. Moses from the Old Testament was called the meekiest man in the all the earth and you can read it in Numbers chapter 12 where?
His sister and his brother were complaining against him.
I said As the Lord only spoken by Moses, hasn't he spoken by us too?
And the Lord was jealous for his servant. And the Lord smote Miriam with leprosy. I don't know if she was the first one to start talking that way, but it was she that was smitten with leprosy. What did Moses do? Did you say, Hey, you got what you what you asked for None of that, brother.
None of that. What did he do?
Said Lord, heal her now. Isn't that beautiful?
Meekness didn't take a bit of offense. And I say, brethren, can you and I, perhaps to those who have acted in a way that offends us, can we sincerely get down on our knees and pray that the Lord will bless them, really meaning it? I know there's that old flesh in me that wants to see them grumble.
That's not meekness, brother.
Got to put that to one side and to learn what it means to.
Bear offense as well.
Oh, how important these things.
Some of you maybe have seen oxen in a yoke in South America. They still use yokes of oxen.
And one time when we were going through the countryside, I saw something that really impressed me. They were training a new LOX for the yoke. I'd never seen it happen before, but they put.
On one ox that is used to bearing the yolk in one side, and they put a new ox in the other side and then they let them go.
Was it ever interesting to watch? That new ox didn't like that Yoga threw his head in the air down, trying to shake it off right, Charge forward, charge back. And that poor old ox just had to sit there and take it all patiently until after maybe a couple hours, that new ox got so terribly tired of doing that he just bowed his head and accepted the yield.
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I stood there and I watched, and I said over mile how we must make the Lord supper with our charging ahead, going backwards, shaking our head one way and another.
Oh, brother, and do we know what it means to take his yoke on us to learn of him?
These precious characteristics of loneliness and meekness. The Lord help us, brethren, we don't learn those things. We won't be able to walk together as we are one body in Christ.
All lowliness and meekness.
Nobody is exempt here from this exhortation, brother.
Forbearing. I like to think of that word forbearing as self-discipline.
We talk about discipline in the assembly and there is discipline in the assembly, but here is something that is self-discipline.
Or bearing means maybe there's something that I don't like and that brother sitting over there. But instead of saying something about it, I'm just going to bear with it. We need to learn to know how to do that too, if we're going to go on together as members of the body of Christ.
For burying one another in love. Oh, how much he bore within us. Brethren, are we not able to bear with a little bit of things that we don't like in one another?
These are things that we need to think about in relation to walking through this world.
Manifesting that precious truth that Christ and His people are one, the Lord help us.
And meditating on these, just like to say that last word, Love, brethren, I think we all know what it means.
This is a golfy love. It's love that love not because of what the object is. It loves because of the source, God. So let the world. Why did he love the world?
There is one.
Answer because God is love, it's the source. And you say, well that brother is very lovable.
There's an opportunity then to love like God loves, because if he isn't lovable, then you can love him without any reason to love him except that God is not. And that's the kind of love that's to be manifested amongst his people here.
I like to be diverse in Titus.
To balance things, to show that there might be circumstances that.
His people have said tough love, love even in the family, you know, with children need to be disciplined and it has been called tough love love and that might also at times be necessary amongst all people and in Titus.
Three verse 10. A man that is a heretic after the 1St and 2nd admonition.
Reject. That also might occur, and we have experienced that, have we not?
People who are dividing and are on an agenda to divide God's people. Hopefully there will be those that discern this and take a strong position. We cannot always.
Deal with everybody alike if there is such a case, but there's also for the younger one.
A scripture in first Peter.
And he admonishes in the 5th chapter, the elders.
Toshua in the league, and practical admonitions are given there and then they are like it were under shepherds, under the great shepherd. But then in verse five it says, Likewise, Ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
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All of you be close with humility.
The state will be subject 1 to another is not authentic.
The older ones are not asked to be subject to the younger ones, but the younger ones to the older ones.
Has got order in the Assembly. Of course, there might be a situation as we have experienced it in Brazil. When we first went there, the oldest brother there were about 30 years old.
So we told them.
One thing you're lacking is you don't have older brethren.
But if you walk in dependence upon the Lord and humility.
He can help you to carry on a testimony that is worthy of his name. Well, they're still going on there in Brazil. But we can be so thankful, dear young people, if we're in an assembly where there are older brothers and we can take this as an admonition for us as young people. And that doesn't mean that young people can never open their mouths in prayer or in worship.
As a matter of fact, it thrills me when I hear a younger person give thanks or pray, because that is a priestly privilege.
But there is such a thing as those who are in the lead and we better accept them. There are other scriptures that speak of that, but hopefully those who are in the position of leadership.
Demonstrate love and by their example more than anything else leaked, you know, by their godly example. Well, hopefully we take these things to heart, but young people do well in our society. That's a problem. You know, the young people do your own things. That's what they told in school, you know, and undermining.
God-given.
Authority in the home, in the society in general, even when it comes to the government, you know. What about Ephesians 521, Brother Heinz? What's that? What about Ephesians 521?
For him submitting yourselves 1 to another in the fear of fraud. Is there not that side there too, that in Peter first Peter 5 the correct rendering? Let me read it again.
Likewise, the younger submit yourselves unto the elder and be clothed. All of you be clothed with humility. In other words, the older ones are not expected to be subject to the younger ones, as it is in the King James. But they are to put on humility too, aren't they? Yes, humility is. In that way. They carry moral weight, I believe, don't they?
They lead more by their example than by words.
Put in a position, isn't there? It says that why be subject to your husband? So the husband has a position that God has given him, and he calls the wife to be subject to the husband because he's given her him that position. As members of the body of Christ, we don't have positions one above another. And in that connection we all need to be subject to one another.
Whether I'm an older brother or a younger brother, if there are things that need to be addressed to me because of the truth of the body of Christ, of the truth of Christ of Scripture, what needs to be done in a, in a, in an orderly way, because God has that kind of an order. But there is no authority, you might say, for a brother to Lord over others, as it says in first Peter chapter 5. And there is liberty in the body of Christ as considering each other as being one in Christ.
One above the other. This I feel is from the Scriptures and in that light we have a huge inspired in 21 which says the subject 1 to another in a fear of Christ because in Christ we're all one. So we have this relative directly one to another to be subject to one another. That doesn't take away from those that are in the league, those that are gifted, those that are leaders or older brothers that have a senior might say in the Lord that has a special place of respect.
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But we have this covering statement. I enjoy it, this way of this liberty to address each other in submission to one another. For a younger brother comes to me and he says to me about that thing you said. And I remember one young man did say that to me once. He said I didn't appreciate that, you know, and I appreciated that. He told me that because he was right. He was that about my discourse that was coming from the old man. And his young brother did me a favor. He came and he brought that together and he did it nicely and I received it. So I think there's that aspect to it, isn't there?
It also in First Peter 5.
It's blind on in the Darby translation. It's not just blind on humility. I can think I'm humble, but it's going on humility to War One another.
Hebrew chapter 13.
We have in verse seven remember them which have the rule in the King James. Unfortunately rule is not the best rendering. It should be those who take the lead.
Among you, and have spoken unto you the word of God.
Whose faith follows, considering the end of their salvation, their conversation.
So there is leadership spoken of and I remember distinctly Mr. Kelly pointing out this seems to go beyond the local Assembly, but in verse 17.
Obey them that take the lead among you and submit yourself, for they watch for your souls. That is local, Mr. Kelly said. You know there is such a thing as submitting to the rule, to the order that God has established, and First Peter certainly fits in with that as well. And we are in Laodicea days.
What does that mean?
Democracy in the Church.
That is what is Laodicea. Everybody thinks that he speaks with the same voice. That's not so. There are those who are in the lead and those who are left.
And it's nothing wrong in desiring.
According to First Timothy three such a place.
To be an elder, overseer or Bishop, those are the three words used for the same office and that's local. And that's very important to emphasize that because we have problems again and again amongst the same. Why? Because they think they have a right to interrogate and stick their nose into an assembling matter of another assembly.
It's local. What would you think if I would come to your home?
Where the Lord has put a man as the head of the family and I'm trying to tell and interfere in the order that he has established in the family, whether it is the family or whether it is the assembly. Oversight is local, let me emphasize that. And if he would keep that in mind, we would have saved ourselves a lot of trouble, Mr. Darby said. We bow to an assembly action.
Right or wrong, if it is wrong, trust that the Lord will correct it. And that is what we should remember. And the democratic idea that everybody thinks he has a right to interfere in what is local responsibility leads to no end of trouble. But here in Ephesians chapter four, we do not have that side.
Brought out, but to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bonds of peace. And then we find that there are three circles.
As it has been pointed out, the inner circle is inverse 4 to which only two Christians belong. There's one body and one spirit.
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Even as you are called in one hope of your calling. But then there is the sphere of profession, 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism. Every professing Christian is in that circle.
And faith here is not used for individual personal faith, That is the Christian faith in contrast to some other religious beliefs, just like we have it in Jude to content earnestly for deep faith once delivered to the Saints. But then we have the universal circle in verse six. One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all.
Spot in you all, only in your Christian. But these are helpful points that threaten knowing the scripture better than myself, and most of us here have pointed these things out so we can be exercised about these things.
To.
Remember to keep the unity of the Spirit, and we remember these three circles.
You know, we only allow true believers hopefully to be, say, in fellowship or at the Lords Table. But in a certain sense, we are part of the whole Christian profession. 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism. You know, that's why brethren have said if somebody was baptized even as a baby in the Catholic system, he doesn't need to be baptized again.
Because he has entered by baptism the Christian profession. What? A baptism is not connected with the truth of the body of Christ. That is connected with the Christian profession, and we enter that by water baptism.
Like to say as we move on that what has helped me to understand the question of leadership that was mentioned of elders and deacons that are mentioned in First Timothy three, that they are connected with the truth of the church, not as the body of Christ, but as the House of God. It's order and conduct and discipline that is connected with that subject.
So it's helpful to keep it in its its context. Whereas in this chapter we are dealing with the church as the body of Christ. And here we have gifts. Gifts are always taken up in the context of the church as the body of Christ. Here we have it in this chapter in verse four. It's the body that's mentioned in verse seven and verse 11 speak of the gifts.
And so it helps to keep it in its context, like to say to before we move on the verse 3 again.
That kinda are going forward, but how important brethren, to walk in the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace. It is a unity that the Spirit has formed and we are to walk in that unity. Remember as a younger brother making a statement one time.
That we need to be careful not to break the unity of the Spirit. Your brother came up to me afterwards and said, brother, we don't break the unity of the Spirit. I didn't understand what he was talking about. He didn't explain any further. But there was a few weeks afterwards when somebody helped me to understand unity. The spirit is a unity that the spirit.
Maintains and my actions.
Maybe, perhaps in that unity, or if I act in the flesh, I am not keeping the unity of the spirit, but the unity of the Spirit is not broken. Either I act in the spirit, keeping that unity in the bond of peace like we are exhorted here, or I act in a way, perhaps fleshly, that is not in that unity. We need to.
Think about that.
And we have practical examples in the book of the Acts that I think are very helpful.
We don't want to get away from the chapter too much now, but next, chapter 15, you have an example of a problem that existed in the assembly of Antioch, but the problem had come from Jerusalem.
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And the brethren in Antioch, when they saw the problem, they did not settle it there, because they knew that this problem had come from Jerusalem.
And they weren't a separate.
Entity with those at Jerusalem. So they went to Jerusalem and the thing was settled in a way that kept the unity of the spirit. All we need to be careful in our relationships between assemblies to act in a way that does not.
That that is in keeping with the unity of that spirit.
Because it is the Spirit of God that is baptized all believers into one body, and so the exhortation is to keep that unity in the bond of peace.
I've used an example that's been helpful to me. My children have a unity that's proper to them, and that's that they're my children and I'm their father. And if they're all out playing in the yard and supper time comes and I come out and call them in for supper, and a few of them head in and the others say we're going to stay out here. And where are you guys going anyway? Well, Dad called us. It's time for supper. We've got to go in. Well, you're spoiling our fun. We're having a good time out here, and you're just kind of ruining everything. And we're brethren.
Where brothers and sisters together, Well, no dad's called us because the unity that's proper to them is the unity of their father. And SO3 head inside. Well, they're keeping that unity even though all aren't with them. They're keeping that unity because it's obedience to their father. And maybe even they get inside to the table and there's some squabble and one gets up and says, well, forget this, I'm going back out to play with the rest.
You know, it says keeping it in the uniting bond of peace.
Because we don't want to be anxious about it. We don't want to be in turmoil about it. That perhaps some of the other children didn't come in or someone got up and left. In chapter 6 it says having our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, peace in all our circumstances without anxiety going on in the path of faith speaks louder than anything else in the believers life as others look on keeping it in that bond of peace.
Without being anxious about what the Lord may allow to come in and through circumstances bring that humility and loneliness that we've been Speaking of. Because He has to allow a thorn for the flesh because of the abundance of revelation. And that's what Paul had. He was a prisoner. He was a sufferer for that truth. That's why he was a prisoner. The Jews and their enmity refused to hear him when he came to the point in his defense of his gospel that he was taking it to the Gentiles.
They didn't want to hear that. They didn't want to hear that the Gentiles were brought into equal blessing with Jews as one new man. So he suffered for that truth. But not only that, He had a thorn for the flesh because of the abundance of revelations given to him, lest there be spiritual pride.
God allowed that which kept him lowly, kept him humble, and God is allowed things with us as well to keep us lowly, to keep us humble because of the truth that He's given to us. There's a danger of being puffed up by it. Let's not be anxious about those things that He allows, but to go on in peace, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.
Maybe the time is up can still make this statement.
If we would not receive anyone who is a true Christian, and there is no scriptural reason not to receive him at the Lord's Table, we're not keeping the unity of the Spirit.
If we receive somebody who is not a Christian, as that is customary in many churches.
They fellowship with those that are not truly Christians. That's not keeping the unity of the Spirit either. So it would be nice if all who are members of the body of Christ would be willing to simply meet on that ground with us.
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170 Four 174.