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00:05:35
Mr. God and our loving Father, we will give thanks once again this morning. We give thanks for thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee too, that as in the singing of these hymns, we are reminded in a, we are in a scene of confusion. We're in a world of sin and shame. But we thank thee though, that in another portion of the hymn there we are reminded of daisoon return for thine own and surely how blessed it is that we, uh, it can have that blessed hope before us.
Knowing that the dead in Christ shall rise 1St and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. So would you pray that I would keep that fresh thought in our hearts? But in the meantime, we're left here in the scene, uh, uh, for thy glory and for thy honor. So we look to thee for help. We recognize our weakness. We know how easily we can be discouraged, how easily we can be distracted. So we know we need to be independent.
Afonte so we pray one for another that I will continue to preserve that. Just help us to guide us and lead us in the way that uh, uh, walking in a way that is pleasing to thee. And now we look to thee when you think of the meeting to follow as we once again shall have the privilege to have thy word open before us. So we do pray that as another hymn writer would use those phrase, teach us more of the eyeblast way. So we commit this meeting into thine hand and we pray that the Holy Spirit.
May have three cores to teach us more of Thy blessed way. So we commit one another into thine hand, giving thanks once more in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We continue to ask the Lord for His help.
Our God and our Father we.
Thank you for our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus.
We thank Thee for that work on Calvary that has brought us brought us into the privilege and blessing that we enjoy.
We think our God of the singing of these two hymns.
And we find ourselves, our God, in a valley of conflict.
And we feel it very heavily. We've been singing of how we are beset with foes and snares.
And we feel that very keenly.
In our God, we, we just would beseech thee this morning.
That as we take up like precious word.
Adele's grant us to have a portion.
That would meet the need of each one of us.
We own our weakness and we own our failure. We know that that is have a portion in mind for us and we pray that we will be directed to that portion and that would be a time of real profit. Our God, we would ask this and the worthy and the precious name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Brethren, very much in keeping with the hymns and the prayers, I've had a portion on my heart that I'd like to suggest for our consideration, and that is Ephesians chapter 5.
This chapter starts.
With our object.
Following God has their children and then as the object Christ himself who gave himself sacrifice and offering sweet smelling savor to God and then goes on to take off our individual walk in light of that and then later on goes on to family relationships. But all with reference to the thought of the darkness and the confusion that is around us. So I'd like to just propose that the President steel that would be profitable.
I think that'd be nice further.
Ephesians chapter 5.
00:10:00
Be therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling favor. But fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as become a St. neither filthiness, nor foolishness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving a thank for this. You know that no ***** ****** nor unclean person man who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man deceive you with being words.
For because of these things come with the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the in the Lord walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of these things which are done of them in secret, but all things.
Excuse me, but all things that are approved are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever does Ha does make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves 1 to another in the fear of God lives. Submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church, and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands, and everything husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.
That He might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord of the Church. We are members of his body, of His flesh, and of His bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I see concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless, let everyone of you in particular so love his wife, even as himself and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Might be good just to get a little backdrop as to who the apostle was writing to when he wrote to the Ephesians. If you look at chapter 19 of the book of the Acts, you find there that there was a little company of believers. I always used to think that there must have been at least two or three hundred or three thousand or something at Ephesus for the mighty Apostle Paul to write to them, but we find that there was just a small company. In chapter 19 of Acts verse one it came to pass that while Apollo was a torrent, Paul, having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus in finding certain disciples.
And we'll just drop down in verse five. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake with tongues and prophesied. And all the men were about 12:00. So it wasn't a very large company. And the Spirit of God was working and calling out of these Gentiles a little assembly for himself. And so you may come from a little assembly. And God is not concerned, if I could put it this way, with the large numbers. He's concerned with the person of His Son and what glorifies His Son.
And to be gathered through his precious name here this little company was, but we find a little bit of the character of the individuals told out a little further. There was growth in their souls in verse 17.
It says umm.
Let's read verse 16. The man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus, and fear fell on them all. In the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified, and many believed that believed, came and confessed and showed their deeds. Many of them also would use curious arts, brought their books together and burned them before all men. They counted the price of them and found it 50,000 pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
00:15:00
Well, we find that there was satanic activity. This was the capital city of the, the Asia Minor, and this was, uh, the stronghold of the enemy. And, uh, God had sent his man, the Apostle Paul, into the very depth of the darkness and the wickedness of the, the Gentile world. And out of that darkness called these dear Gentile believers. And so we live in a wicked world and, uh, we live in a place filled with darkness and satanic activity. We're maybe not as aware of it as we should be.
But these men came and once they were delivered from the power of the enemy, they burned their books that says the value of them was 50,000 pieces of silver with no small chunk of change. And so they were called out of darkness. Now they were saved by the grace of God. And he goes over the Christian doctrine in the first three chapters and tells them how we were blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. He goes through the magnitude of the blessing that was ours because we're associated with that blessed man, Christ Jesus. And then in chapters 4-5 and six, he goes over the practical effects, how it should affect ourselves.
Practically, this doctrine that he'd gone over before and so as our brother mentioned in his opening comments, he presents the relationships, the normal Christian relationships when things are going on well, how they should be. In this chapter, any presents the Lord Jesus here as one who offered himself to God as a sacrifice for a sweet smelling savor. And so you and I, each one have the opportunity to OfferUp ourselves, our lives.
As a living sacrifice and all, how the Lord delights to have us offer ourselves to Him in the day that we live in, in the wicked and seen all around us, to separate ourselves, to be sanctified, to walk for His glory.
We can be thankful for the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
In the beginning of our chapter it says be therefore followers of God as dear children. Let's just go back a moment to 1St Corinthians Chapter 11.
Getting with verse one.
V8 followers of me. He doesn't stop there, does he? Even as I also am of Christ.
Then going down to verse 3, but I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the head of Christ is God. So we go full circle there, don't we? And what an encouraging thing it is to.
Have this to remind us. Be there for followers of God as dear children.
And then the next verse points us or gives us instruction as to how we should walk, and that's in love. And again we're reminded as Christ also has loved us.
And has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice of God for a sweet smelling savory.
Here the possession of a divine life.
The Apostle.
Is speaking here of the practical exhibition of the divine nature, uh, that we now possess. And it's important to see that every exhortation of Scripture is on the ground of what we possess. It is never obtaining the thing by our own efforts. So the apostle has spoken of the sealing of the Holy Spirit in chapter 4. Uh, he has spoken of the our standing.
Before God, we've put on the new man, uh, created in righteousness and true holiness. We did that at our conversion. That's not an exportation. And now, uh, we have this, uh, this, umm, teaching of the apostle to manifest that wonderful relationship we have as children of God, something the Old Testament saying did not enjoy. But now through the Spirit of God, we have divine life, divine nature, new standing before God.
Consciousness of our sonship. All of this is brought out in UH in this epistle.
I'd like to make a comment with regards to the various times that the Ephesians Saints were addressed.
If we were to turn to, uh, our brothers turned us to the 19th of, uh, Acts. If we were to go to the 20th of Acts, which we won't, uh, we find there the apostle. He, he has the elders come together and he addresses some very specific things I believe that he saw on the horizon. And I believe he does the same thing here in this, in this epistle. And so we take up with, with what we've just been looking at. It says he followers of God as your children. And the very next comment is he stresses that they're to walk in luck.
00:20:19
And maybe we could just turn to the book of the Revelation for a moment to see what, umm, he addressed here, what he saw on the horizon, and then what the apostle John had to address in Revelation chapter, chapter uh, two, you'd have the, the comment that he starts off with. He says unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, write these things, saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. And he lays out that which was very commendable. I know thy works.
Thy labor, thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them with your evil. Thou hast tried them which say they are fossils, and are not, and have found them liars. I was born, that was patience, and for my name's sake hast labored and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee.
Because.
Notice what he says here. It's the very thing he addresses in our chapter. That if they had taken heed.
To what he said with regards to walking in love, this would not have to be addressed. And so the Apostle John says, this is years later. He says, nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee because thou hast, you know, I've heard it say, I've heard people quote this and say they forgot their first love. They didn't. They left it and the reason they left it is because they weren't walking in it. And so the apostle here in our chapter, he addresses that which he saw was very needful for them to walk in love.
Mm-hmm.
I found it helpful too to see a bit of the division in these verses. Obviously we're starting right in the middle. The thought Brother Robert was already mentioning. This whole book is broken into half. The first half is the teaching of what the apostles being before there the Saints is the Christian position, and the second-half has to do with the practical application of it in the light. The beginning of that was at the beginning of chapter 4 and there takes up the collective side of things for the 1St 16 verses.
And the section that we're in really properly begins, as far as I understand it, chapter 4 and verse seventeen. There we have the individual walk, uh, all the way down to chapter 5 and verse umm, 22, where it goes from individual to the husband and wife, the marriage relationship, and then takes up other relationships as well after that. But here this part is also divided. So in chapter 4, verse 17.
It brings out that we are not to walk as other Gentiles walk. And the primary argument, it seems to me, is what we have in verse 22 and verse 24 that you put off or having put off the old man and having put on the new man is positional, as our brother mentioned. And because of that, now this is the way we ought to walk. This is what's consistent with having done that. And he takes that up and the rest of chapter 4.
Now.
In chapter five, he takes up pretty much the same line of things but from a different viewpoint. It's now taking up really what you have in chapter one. Chapter one and verse four says according as he have chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in luck. So these two things holy and without blame before him in love that is light and love and the two things are.
Very much the subject of these verses in the beginning of chapter 5. The light and the love walk as children of light, and we have here to walk in love.
The example then is given is Christ himself, God is brought before us, is the one to imitate as children, dear children. And so it's God's desire that we should walk this way. And before bringing out again the practical expectations from verse three and down, he brings out this example, this motive for the heart that we might see. What is his desire that we should look to the one, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who gave such a great example by giving up.
His own life. And so he perfectly exemplified all that we're called to do. And we already know that we've got the ability to do it. We have his life to do it. We have the Spirit of God. My brother was mentioning that's the end of chapter 4. And having been reminded of all of that, only then does he take on the exhortations from verses 3 going down. And these are things and that we have the ability to do, and it's something that our new nature wants to do.
00:25:20
I'll make a comment on the section of occasions that you're just picking up, Tim.
We have a repeating pattern.
10:00 times Harvey account, uh, where the apostle speaks in his expectation. Don't do this.
Instead do this and then a comment. So for example it says uh, let him or just say let him.
Well, for example verse 26.
Sorry.
I'll look, I'll look at the section that we're considering right now. 429 don't do this. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. Instead do this, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto your hearers. And then we have comments. Uh, I grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you're sealed unto the day of redemption. So that's a a comment on don't do this. Instead do that and then a comment, uh, then in verse.
30.
One another expectation. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you. Don't do that and all malice. Don't do those things. Instead do this and be a kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Now comment and the chapter division here, uh, makes us miss the thought. Uh, but the comment has to do with those expectations that we just had before. There's a comment on what you're not to do and what you're to do. Be there for followers of God as their children and walk in love.
As Christ also have loved us and given himself for us and offering and sacrifice to God for sweet smelling savor. That's the comment on uh.
And as I said, it's the repeating pattern if you're looking from.
Four to, uh, 14 or 16 and, uh, to chapter 522, uh, you'll find that pattern repeated.
10 or 12 Times.
These things that, uh, our brother Paul has been married before us.
The things that we should not do.
Those things are what our whole nature do.
Our old natures can only do those things that we're being told here, not here.
The other hand are new natures.
Can only do the things that we're wanting in these verses.
It's black and white and I'm either living in.
The old nature operating in the old nature, which I should not be doing, but I often do.
I should be reckoning that old nature bit putting it off in the past in chapter 4 brought to our attention and walking in that new nature and the only way I can do that is to feed the new nature on the word of God lots of around us in this world which.
It comes into every day and it's fun Bars but uh, fees to be old man.
But our new natives need to be fed so that they will be operating.
And then that new nature can only do that export.
If I'm not feeding it, I'm not going to be very active even though it's there.
Obedience is so important and that's brought before us in the perfect pathway of the Lord given to us in verse 2 here Christ also loved us loved us when there was nothing in us that would merit that love that the strongest expressions of the Lord's love to his people were at times that you would least expect it. And the case of the the nation of Israel about to be dispersed and uh, sent to babbling. That was the very time the Lord said that yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. His love did not change toward his people though they had wandered as the Ephesians did too and left their first love. But I was thinking in verse two. It's the.
Expression of the full devotedness of the Lord Jesus in his life and in his death. Sweet smelling savour. The burnt offering aspect.
00:30:07
Of course we can have no part in the atonement of Christ, but we are exhorted to the obedient children. If you look over in first Peter chapter one, this verse might connect with what we have in our chapter here one and verse 14 as obedient. This is first Peter as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. Exactly what the apostle is bringing before us in our chapter here.
So we are called to the obedience of Christ. We have a new nature now that loves to please God. Uh.
But are we, uh, are we keeping that all nature in the place of death and manifesting these, uh, characteristics of the, of the new man, Uh.
And we cannot be happy if we're not obedient in our, in our pathway, in our walking ways.
The other object.
And we have a positive object in verse two and a negative object the end of verse six. And there is specifically the children of the sons of disobedience. And so the Lord is presented as the opposite of that. He was obedient unto death. He loved unto death. He's our example. We have these two examples around us and they both can affect us. And so they're the two examples that are, I believe, prominent in this chapter.
Taken up where we ought to have our walk.
I was just thinking for a moment.
In the natural progression.
We stand before we walk.
And the apostle Paul in many instances in the Epistles gives us admonition in terms of standing. We have one in the sixth chapter, verse 14. Stand, therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
May have mentioned this sometimes before, but I used to be puzzled by a portion in the first chapter of the Book of Judges that had to do with Adonai Bizac. And there were three score and 10 kings surrounding him, and they had their thumbs and their great toes cut off.
I always always used to wonder what the application was and I.
Believe it's this without the great toll, it's difficult to stand properly. Without the thumb, it's difficult to grasp anything. And so as we read along in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 16, it says above all taking that's using the hand, the shield of faith. So we have standing, which is very important.
And then we progress to walking. And what faithful admonition we have in the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
We present here this responsibility that we have to imitate the love of God in verse one, and then to walk in love as Christ did, as the Son of God who loved his Father and who obeyed his father and in his joy that was his to walk through the scene and do the pleasure of his father. And then he gives this sacrifice that was offered even the Lord and it's a sweet smelling saver. It's been mentioned. It's given to us in Leviticus chapter one, the whole chapter.
A sweet smelling savour, and it's what Christ sacrificed means to God, the sweet savour that it is to him offered in devotion and love to his father. But then he gives this contrast in verse three as to how the Gentiles live and they lived in a place that was characterized by fornication, all uncleanness, covetousness. And he says, let it not once be named among you has become a Saints. And so they had grown up and they had lived in this society.
That was characterized the very first thing was fornication is taking pleasure without any reference to God and to abusing the body. That was given that you and I know that our bodies are to be the temple of the Holy Ghost, but we live in a world that is desensitized to the morality of what God has presented for man's blessing in this world. And so the list begins with fornication. I'll just point out and I think it's Colossians chapter three. He has another list there, the apostle Paul and.
00:35:18
Chapter 3 and verse five he says mortify therefore, or put into the place of death therefore, your members which are upon the earth fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, covetousness, which is idolatry. And so he begins this list as well with with fornication. And so it was what characterized the Gentile world and what really we live in a society that has lost its bearings in connection with morality.
And it's a good thing for us to read a little passage like this and to recognize that God's standards have not changed. The beginning of the head of the list of what God, as he looks down upon the Western Christian world today, would have to start with this very word fornication, as he would look down and have to condemn what this world goes on with, but what the Western Christian world goes on with. And so may we take this admonition that the apostle wrote so many years ago. Take it to heart ourselves and.
Judge our tendencies to think of this as very lightly, and the world thinks of it very lightly, but it's a great wickedness in the sight of the Lord.
I'd like to make a practical comment on the concept of saver.
When we think of Christ being a sweet saver to God, you think of the roast lamb, think of coming home to a Sunday dinner. The whole house is filled with a beautiful aroma and if you're hungry, it's extremely pleasing. And that's exactly what uh, Christ sacrificed was to God, something that was extremely pleasing and satisfying. But what we have in the next verse is, I think, uh, is illustrated by a trip we took from Woodbridge to a New Brunswick and we had to travel through the town. I recall the name of it correctly when I was 11.
Promise Ford Maine and it was before they figured out how to treat pulp and paper plants are all all the kids got violently sick when we hit Rumsford, Maine because of the smell of the paper plant.
And that's the concept of an abomination. And so it is with our lives. If we do what it says in verse 2, then God senses and smells the smell of a Sunday dinner. But if we go on with what we have in verses 345 in our lives, then it gets the smell of Rumsford, Maine, and it's not pleasant.
We think of the manna that was given to the children of God initially.
It tasted wonderful if I can use that expression.
But then what does it say later on it it tasted to them as fresh oil or as oil, so it became distasteful to them, didn't it? But nothing really had changed in terms of the composition of the mana. It was how they perceived it, and it was.
Their apprehension of it and their lack of appreciation which caused that.
To be said, you know, reminded that, uh, that all nature that we have is capable of anything.
The grace of God keeps us from these things, but, uh.
I have seen in my short experience that true believers who become careless, those evil desires are easily revived and there is much to minister to them. So how important it is to as we had more to fly our members which are upon the earth, because our bodies now can be used in one of two ways. Our members can be used for the glory of the Lord, preaching the gospel, reaching souls.
Ministering to the Lord's people.
Or they can be used in other ways to the dishonor of the Lord. So it is an exercise. We the Ephesians came out of this whole manner of life and we are surrounded by things that appeal to that whole nature. So how careful, how circumspectly the apostle mentions later on in the chapters, see that she walks circumspectly, carefully, often thought you ever see a cat walk along, uh, a, a, a boardwalk or a along a fence.
He walked circumspectly. He's very watchful that there might be, uh, some danger ahead. So we need to walk, brethren, in dependence upon the Lord, uh, hour by hour, circumspectly because there are dangers, there's temptations, and there's a response in our hearts how, how careful that we need to be.
00:40:03
The apostle Paul in Romans chapter 12 gives, you might say, a positive, uh, instruction in this way. He presents Christ as, umm, that living sacrifice over that, uh, sacrifice in umm, chapter 5 of Ephesians. But then in Romans chapter 12, he gives this exhortation, exhortation verse one. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world.
But be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So how does this begin? How do we do this? How do we offer our lives a living sacrifice? I believe it's necessary every day, every morning and that we have a little example of we imma imitate the life of the Lord Jesus as we wake up in the morning in Mark's Gospel chapter one verse 35. I think of it often times it says in the morning.
Rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed. Oh the blessed Savior, as he faced the opposition in the field, the corruption of this world, the religious world, even in the land of Israel, went into the presence of his Father and sought direction for the day. And you and I need it. We need to offer ourselves daily as a sacrifice for the Lord, that we might live a holy life and put these things.
Uh, set them aside, have a proper view of the filth of them and the world doesn't have a, a view, a proper view of things and the entertainment system of this world, the communication system has no right view of the wickedness of these things that are mentioned fornication, all uncleanness or covetousness. Let it not once be named among you has become a Saints. It's a very high standard, isn't it? But it's something because you have the very life of Christ. If you know the Lord Jesus as Savior, you're capable of walking to this high standard. You'll notice the words that the apostle uses here.
He says, let it not once be named among you. And so he's not saying, uh, in a negative way, as it as it were, Thou shalt not, as he would say to the children of Israel, the Spirit of God writing through Moses, but he says let it, He says, won't you let the Spirit of God have his way in your life?
Won't you just read the Word of God, have a word of prayer in the morning, and seek wisdom, seek the strength, the courage to offer your life just to sacrifice, just for one day at a time. And so we need to let the Spirit of God have His work, have His way with US1 moment at a time. Independence.
This third verse.
It's a problem.
It's a big problem.
It's a problem in this world, it's a problem amongst believers, it's a problem amongst the gathered Saints.
Let's not think it's not.
They Robert, you've just been bringing before us the strength.
Language that's used here. If we could, just for a moment, things were on this subject, on this first, let's look at Second Samuel chapter 13. Second chapter, Second Samuel Chapter 13 takes up with the thought that we have that Mister Darby renders in our chapter as unbridled lust.
So he starts off here. We won't read the whole portion but it says it came to pass after this.
Absolutely understand David had a fair sister whose name was Timar, and Amlon the son of David loved her, and Amnon was so vexed that he fell sick for his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and the Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend whose name was John Abad Jonabab, the son of Shimia, David's brother. And John of was a very subtle man. And he said, Why are thou being the King's son? Lean from day-to-day, wilt thou tell me? And Amhon said, I love teem armored brother abscond sister. And John Ebbs said, lay down in my bed and make myself sick. When my father cometh to see, they say unto him, I pray thee left my sister Tamar, come give me me undress the meat in my sight, that I might see it and eat at her hands.
And so on.
Now can't we won't read the portion, but T Mart comes in and we find, umm, that's the.
00:45:29
Problem there First Corinthians chapter 6.
Where the apostle having dealt with it in the previous chapter, he says here now.
First Corinthians chapter 6, verse 18 Flee fornication.
I had a brother ask me once, uh, So what do you think that means? I wasn't married? Umm, I thought I knew what it meant, he said, Well I'm going to tell you anyway, whether you know it or not. He said you need to run with great fear.
You need to run with great fear. And you young people, you're not, you're not faced with the things that I was faced with when I was younger. Rather if we could turn those things around. What's your face like today? Which is right in your face?
Is that was the apostle deals with here that we need to deal with in our lives because it's it's it's all around us and they're temptation sucks every one of us in such a way that without the fear of God and without what brother Robert has been breathing before us right now we don't have a hope absolutely no hope whatsoever. And we need to look at this expectation that the apostle we think why would the apostle need to to to give this expectation to the Ephesians. You go through the 1St chapter. You think why would why would fornication give a problem there?
Well.
As I said, outside the fear of God.
We're no different, absolutely no different. And that's a that's a hard thing. It's a very hard thing. And yet it's very real and a wonderful thing to be able to, as we've had brought before us, to walk in a manner that's consistent with the Word of God and to flee these things that are brought before us in these verses.
Joseph in the Old Testament.
On top of the first nine and then this is 39.
How exactly can I do this? Great day since I didn't start.
12 The end of verse 12, instead of the left, is running in her hands.
Example of what those days I've been singing before and this would be as you said.
The thought in each one of our parts.
If I could say so, it doesn't get any easier when you get over.
Together.
And the thoughts of our hearts.
They're counted like those. It was how can I do this great wickedness.
Two.
I'd like to take a moment. I, I agree entirely with what uh, Dave and Robert have brought before us. And Joseph, as you've been bringing forward is a, is an incredibly good example of what Proverbs tells us in the 4th chapter fleet. Avoid a pass, not buy it, turn from it and pass away. But there's a particular hazard in our society that I'd like to address looking in Matthew chapter 5.
And verse 27 talking about adultery, which is.
A subset of the larger term fornication.
You have heard that it was said by them of all time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you, whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And the subject I want to address is a *********** because it is so available in our society. The beginnings of it is all through advertising. And the question that I have for myself, because I would agree that I also.
And tempted by *********** by these things that we've been talking about. What am I when I'm alone, when I'm sitting in front of my computer? Am I letting myself go to Matthew chapter 5, verse 28, where I can look on a woman and lust after her? That's what our chapter is talking about. Ephesians chapter 5, verse three. No, the *********** don't go there. And it's interesting, our brother days example.
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The young man who raped his sister.
That act cost him his life. And fooling around with *********** getting into it, destroying your own character when you're alone.
Can destroy your spiritual life.
And that's why Paul is saying let it not be named among you. So just turn away from it. You have to turn your computer off. Turn it on. If you have to get covenant eyes on your cell phone, get it on your cell phone. If you need help from somebody, get it. You can't fight it alone. You need the help of the Spirit of God. And, and we are in spiritual warfare that our brother Bruce was talking about. We need all the armor of God. And we're fighting against a very dangerous, very deceitful, very subtle fault. And that's one particular area where he is fighting a rampant, evil, violent battle.
That's ***********. Flea fornication.
Nice to look at Hebrews chapter 13 just to get the Lord's instruction in connection with Christianity and marriage. It says chapter 13 of Hebrews and verse four, marriage is honorable in all and the bad undefiled, but ************ and adulterers God will judge. And so I'll read it in the new translation. It says uh let marriage be held every way in honor, but uh, fornicators and adulterers, God will judge.
And so you know the Old Testament Saints.
They had a lot of light. The Old Testament, umm, those that had faith, they had the word of God. What advantage then had to do much in every way, because that under them were delivered the oracles of God. They had the word of God. They knew what God's standards were, but they didn't have the standard, the motive of love, the love to please the Lord Jesus as you and I do. As we have Christ before us, our desire is to please Him. And we also understand that the institution of marriage is a type of Christ in the church. Oh, how lovely it is to think of how you and I in this world have the ability to express before the heart of God.
The love that his son has for his bride and how as we go about in this world, in the neighborhood that we live in, and the husband loves his wife and he treats him. He treats her even as they try to treat her as Christ loved. The church gave himself for it. He gives and he gives. And it's a sacrificial relationship, if I could put it that way. But it's wonderful to think of how our attitude should be to hold the institution of marriage in the highest regard.
I'll say it again. Everyone of us should hold the institution of marriage in the highest regard. We should treat it with the utmost respect. And So what we have in the Epistle to the Ephesians is that these ones, these dear Saints of God, lived in a society where the institution of marriage was run roughshod over. It was disrespected. And we live in a world that disrespects and ridicules the institution of marriage. But God's standards never change, and his desire was.
That a Christian husband and a Christian wife would mimic, would manifest, would imitate the love of Christ for His Church. May we have that exercise apart and do it.
There are also other things, uh, mentioned in this passage. Uh, of course, uh, what has been brought out on the moral side is very important because we live in an immoral world. But, uh, the apostle mentions other things. He mentions covetousness, He mentions, uh, foolish talking and jesting, which are not convenient or suitable, rather giving them thanks. So how important to, uh, watch our tongues that.
Our conversation may be restrained, it might be, uh, according to, uh, God's desire, the you turn over to the Ecclesiastes the verse of chapter 10. Dead flies cause the ointment to of the apothecary to send forth a stinking Saber. So does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. And there are many verses in the Proverbs which speak of our tongue and our speech which are really an indication, an index.
Of what our hearts are, are dwelling on. So, uh, we just need to, we can turn to the epistle of James where he elaborates to a great measure on the tongue. And perhaps, uh, that is the hardest thing in our bodies to control, but it indicates what our hearts are occupied with. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. So the the apostle is here reproving. You could use the term foolish talking.
00:55:20
Talking, that is, uh, gossip, or whatever you may call it.
That is just unprofitable, not for even the education of a person, and it's easy for unclean things to come in there.
So we need to be on our guard, uh, that, umm, what we speak about, uh, is according to the mind of God that we might edify one another. What I say to you is going to have one of two effects. Either it's going to edify and build you up or it's going to draw you away from the things of the Lord. It's going to be unprofitable in regard to your spiritual progress and growth.
That's why Apostle Paul exorts us to bring his captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ and so that we don't lust after another. You know, if, if, if our thoughts are in obedience of Christ, you won't do those things and prevent us to from entering into umm, who is talking or jesting and and those other things too as well. If if we it is a constant thing, we have to constantly.
Keep our thoughts.
It's a it's so there into the obedience of Christ that we won't fall into those traps because I thought so are the seeds of the things that fall. And it's so important we are always on guard of that.
I just want to add a point with what brother Robert by the Dave spoke about, umm, growing up in conferences with the younger brother, I hear umm, don't commit fornication, don't commit adultery. Those are very extreme. They seem I I'll never go there, but that's, that's really bad. But what leads to that? And I think, umm, as I said later on in chapter and verse, uh, verse 11 have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Maybe it's not fornication or adultery, but what about the TV shows or the movies or the music I listen to? Are they having that flavor of adultery or fornication? Is that gonna be something that.
Be easy down that path. It might desensitizing my conscience to what is wrong. And I think sometimes we can maybe say, well, I'll never go to that extreme, but maybe just this much or that much and kind of go down that path. And if you look at this chapter, there's a lot about what we talked about in communication are we and we could often have that influence on our friends, even Christian friends, the things that we watch, things we discuss. These can be things that can either bring us down a level more of the OR we can either raise the level morally in our conversation.
For now is our salvation here, than when we believe tonight is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in writing drunkenness, not in chamber and wantonness, not in strife and envy. I put you on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh.
I know a lot of these words are scary. They're scary to me. I've got young children and they were scary when I was young and I was tempted by all of them, I'm sure. But we're in, uh, Hudson, NH for meeting the other night and we were reading in First Peter Chapter 5. Maybe it's just a moment to read those and encourage everyone.
You know, sometimes with even a girlfriend or a boyfriend, any temptations come in and we don't know what to do. And as our brother said about *********** turn off the computers. Our brother said about our tongue, close our mouths, that we can't do those things on our own.
Doesn't say at first, John, that we overcome the world by ourselves.
So here it says in verse seven of first Peter 5, casting all your care upon him, great care for you. Be sober in our chapter later talking about drunkenness, backside wine. Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion walketh boat seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world, but the God of all grace who have called us on his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After that ye have suffered a while making perfect established, strengthen and settle you.
We need the comfort of knowing.
That God is with us all the time, that we can turn to Him. We need the comfort of going to Him when we're in these distresses and not trying to do it on our own because we will fail.
He needs his help.
Other, uh, items that do this list as our brother John pointer head with a company.
And well, it may seem that that might not be serious as some of the.
01:00:04
Morality issues that we've been talking about since.
Is really.
Anything that I desire and long to have that the work does not in his list of Givens.
And we are bombarded by that everywhere as well.
Advertisements on billboards and newspapers on our computers.
Everything is geared to make me wanna have that.
Vehicle which is better than the one I have now for that two way and there are all kinds of expensive toys. I can start naming things but.
Our little grandson loves to loves all the little toy cars that he has, but Satan has all kinds of bigger toys for all of us who are over that he would like us to spend our money on and our time.
And I believe.
That the doctors covered in this is listed here along with what we were.
Talking about this and probably think are more serious.
Maybe he wants us to deliver, not to use our money, our resources and our clients, but uh, might have more and more and more of this world's good, but we will consider valuable. But after we've had in the first, in the first chapter, after we read the 1St chapter and see all those Inferno clear souls lessons that are ours and we didn't have to try to get them after we read all those, why would we want to hide?
I think we're happy for a better car. I think practical way, but I need to need to tell myself that every day, you know, bombarded by the world trying to sell us things that we do not need to walk the life expleasing to the Lord.
In Second Timothy, chapter 3.
It says this. Know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. Well, brethren, I believe they're here. And again, some of the things that we've talked about.
Covetousness.
Men being boastful, and I don't think it requires too much of an imagination to see this in American politics today and around us.
Unthankfulness.
Then another thing that is mentioned is on holiness without natural affection.
Then it says despisers of those that are good.
Then in the next verse, verse 4, traders heading heading high minded lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Then it speaks of that form of godliness but.
Says by denying the power thereof from such turn away.
This is uh, is associated with idolatry also in uh, Colossians, uh, three, uh, verse five. It's mentioned again with these other.
Umm, unclean, umm, sins. Uh, it's mentioned as being idolatry.
And I suppose it can manifest itself in different ways, but if I'm desiring even a place among the people of God.
To exalt myself. Uh, it's, it's of the same character. Umm.
Covetousness can be the desire for more money, but it can be other things as well. And we can become involved in, uh, secular pursuits that just deprive our souls of the enjoyment of Christ and the things of God and get so entangled in the things of this world and in the, uh, progress and in the acquiring these things, whether it be education, music, what have you. It, it is, it is very all embracing term. I think it just goes beyond the.
Pecuniary manners be beyond money is not, is not not not right.
And when we were younger, most of us remember the times at Sunday school when the Sanger shot me softly. Here, what we've seen, we have a tenancy to think of that only as a time of being little. And it's important enough.
01:05:05
I'd rather not find it, but as I grow older this needs to be applied to us more and more and more.
Never escaped the father of, uh, what are high speed, what you hear, what we say. And as we grow older, I find that there are all greater, uh, temptations and difficulties that appear in our pathway that we need to apply this all of our lives, especially as we grow older. But yet again, it's important to learn it in Sunday school, but it's a principle that we need to apply to our hearts and lives.
This little stronger the very different types of humans.
Very important, but I don't believe it's enough. And the Holy Spirit himself takes up a different line of things at the end of the fourth verse, he says, but rather it's very emphatic. It's not enough to avoid evil. We have to have that which is positive. And so he brings that in the end of verse four, but rather giving of thanks, you might think, well, that seems a little odd just to bring out that one thing.
But we had in the beginning of the chapter that we are.
To walk in a certain way and to follow an example. And in so doing we'll be giving glory to God, and in giving glory to God will be living in a way that pleases him, and there'll be communion with him. And when we live in that way, it naturally results in this very thing that giving us thanks.
It's absolutely fundamental to the Christian life, and it's also the very point of departure.
That leads down into those other things you look at where the world itself departed from God. That's the point that was mentioned. In fact, let's look at that in Romans chapter one one and verse 10.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
For 21, this gets to the point because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. We know God. We're called to glorify him as God and in our lives and our bodies. That's what we've been talking about. The next point says neither were thankful. They knew they had no excuse and they turned around and said no, we'll live for ourselves. And they refused to thank God for everything he had given to them.
And how much more for ourselves as believers? We don't just know the God of creation.
We don't know that God only who blesses us in life. We know that God who's blessed us for eternity. We know that God of whom the 1St 2 verses of this chapter is all about.
How much more do we have to be thankful for and as believers, if we are not going to live our lives every day before God in thankfulness for all that he has done for us, then we're going to slip. That's the first step and all the others will follow on from that. And so I think it's very important that we remember that it isn't about trying to avoid the wrong. That's important. If it wasn't important, it wouldn't be stated here. Someone says, well, let it not once be named among you, so let's not even talk about it. No, if that was the case, it wouldn't be in these verses. It means don't let it ever happen.
We have every resource that we need so that this never needs to happen in our lives, but.
But the first step is turning aside from God and not giving Him the Thanksgiving that He's worthy of every day in our life.
When he fell into adultery with Bathsheba, you might look at it and say, well, David, why were you looking on that woman and lusting after her? And, and by the way, Bathsheba, why were you out on your rooftop? That way? You know, she had sinned as well. Then you might go back a little further and say, well, was the time for kings to go out to war, to battle, and David stayed home. Well, well, that's the route. Well, no.
When Nathan the prophet comes and convicts him of his sin, he says, David, you forgot to be thankful. You forgot I took you from the sheepfold and put you on the throne, and that's why you fell into that sin.
Can you interrupt your brother? I just wanna say what both of you said in different words.
Uh, just to use uh, uh, personal illustration, I pardon to do it, but uh, a number of years ago, umm, I had an illness.
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And umm, went to the doctor and the illness was manifesting itself by certain symptoms. And so I, I, they gave me some medication to look after the symptoms. Umm, worked for a little while, didn't really wasn't really dealt with. Uh, it put me on some other medication and it looked after some of the symptoms in another way for a little while, but didn't really look after the problem. The problem was I had a cancerous tumor and they were giving me medication to look after the symptoms.
And one after another they worked for a little bit, but it didn't look after the problem.
And they did surgery and they took the cancer out and it was gone. But initially they were just dealing with the symptoms. And what we have here in this list are symptoms.
And what needs to be dealt with and actually what has been dealt with by the Lord's death on the cross. You know, I just last Saturday I sat through 2 messages from two young brothers who are here you can actually get them online that dealt with what we're having before us this morning. Beautiful messages. I would encourage you to look these messages up terrific. The concept of recognizing that sin has been dealt with by the Lord Jesus. It has been dealt with and if we, if we try to deal with the symptoms of these things in our life if, if I, if I start to talk in a in a foolish way if, if there's umm.
Uncleanness that manifests itself, if there if there's fornication that manifests itself, it's just a symptom.
And and we can, we can try to fix the symptom, but that doesn't deal with the problem. And what we have in the earlier verses and what's been just brought before us by TM and by by Steve is not just a dealing with the symptoms, but the problem itself.
Nsnoise.
Just noticed that this particular hem was written by a man by the name of Robert Robinson.
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Just recently I read an account of this man's life. He was a bright believer. But then.
He got away from the Lord and got far away from the board.
So much so that he even doubted his own salvation.
And on a particular occasion.
He came to a little gathering of people and one of the women there was a Christian and she didn't know who Robert, who Robert Robinson was. But in the course of the conversation she said I've just enjoyed a particular him. Let me quote the words of that hymn. And so she started to quote the words of that hymn.
And then she finally got to verse 4. Prone to wander, ward. I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Yes, our Lord has deigned to seal it with thy spirit from above.
He just broke down in tears and he said, that's me. And he said, ashamed to say that I was the author of that hymn. And the Lord used this occasion to bring him back again to the Lord. And I think two of those lines in verse three, that that grace Lord like a fetter. A fetter is a change. Some chains are strong. We've been talking about some fetters today.
In the meeting, some things are strong, some habits that are difficult to break. And I recall some years ago at a conference, our brother Thomas McMillan, some may remember him, he was a short brother that spoke with a very broad Irish accent. They told the story of a blacksmith in Ireland who used to go around to the county fairs and he boasted in his strength and.
He would have even.
Men put a chain around him and there was a contest to see how quickly he could break those chains. And he would examine those chains for the weakest point and see how that he would attack that in order to break those chains. But on one occasion at a County Fair, he looked at the chain and he said, I can't break this chain. And they said, why not?
He said I was the one that made that chain and I made it as strong as I could so that no one could break that. So what a lesson that is in connection with those things that have been brought before us this this morning.
Recommend ourselves, our loving God and our Father. We thank Thee for thy precious word. We thank Thee for the reality of the love that others have, the power of that love to break the chain, to spoil the strongman's house, and to deliver the captives from the ******* of sin. And so we thank Thee for thy love. We thank You that I love could never rest until we were delivered. And so we looked at Thee for thy blessing. Now as we have a meal together, we thank Thee for the fellowship together. We pray that our words might be sweet. We think of how.
Could be said of the never man speak like this man. And so we long to live and speak and imitate Thee, blessed Savior, and imitate thy love our God. As we interface with one another, so we look to thee for thy blessing this afternoon. Give thanks in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.