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Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble needs, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way. But let it rather be healed. Fall of peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God.
Just any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, or he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness and Tempest.
The sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, which voice they that heard and treated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.
But they could not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.
But ye are come unto Mount Sinai, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the General Assembly and Church of the first born, which are written in heaven, And to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, And to the blood of sprinkling. That speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that you refuse not him that speaketh.
Or if they escape not who refused him that speak on earth.
Much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
Whose voice then shook the earth. But now he hath promised, saying yet once more I shake not the earth only.
But also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies the removing of those things that are shaken.
As of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain, Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved.
Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.
Satan is spoken of in Revelation as the accuser of the brethren.
God.
Doesn't accuse, he chastises, but he does it as a father. And this verse we have read.
Tells us why.
He's looking for fruit.
Satan was very active.
In afflicting Job.
God allowed it.
There was a reason for it. Find out at the end of the book of Job why God wanted to bless him twice as much as he had before.
Interesting that it's called a peaceable fruit of righteousness, isn't it? Because you know, when we walk in paths of self will, there really is no peace in the soul. The peace of God which passeth all understanding is not exactly the same as peace with God. When we are saved, we have peace with God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus, through the infinite value of his precious blood.
But the peace of God is when we walk, seeking to please Him and committing all to Him.
And when we have acknowledged His hand upon us and profited by it, there is a peace in the soul and going on in that path. In a 23rd Psalm, it says, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. And to have the sense in one soul that we are seeking to go on to please the Lord is a real sense of that piece of God.
That can commit all to him and leave everything with him. Well, he desires that for us.
And so the exercise is to remove every hindrance, isn't it? Anything of self will allowed in our lives as a hindrance to the enjoyment of the peaceable fruit of righteousness. But when it's all out before the Lord, we have seen His hand and chastisement, and have bowed under his hand, then there is the result, the peaceable fruit of righteousness.
On Saturday you were speaking about other causes of afflictions and trials mentioning besides this corrective in this chapter or punitive productive in John 15 where we get the pruning, and then preventative in connection with Paul in 2nd Corinthians 12 and I believe we noticed.
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The end purpose in each case is.
For fruit, certainly true in connection with pruning fruit and more fruit and much fruit, and here we have fruit too. But if we look at 2nd Corinthians 12.
There's a wonderful thing spoken of there.
It doesn't say fruit, I don't believe.
But.
There's the power of Christ.
We get the thorn given in verse 7, Second Corinthians 12. Seven Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelation which was given unto me, a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
All receive that to prevent him from being highly exhausted.
Or he could have said, look, I'm the only man that's been in the glory and come back. That's me.
And that here he gets a preventative thing given, and God even uses Satan to do it. But he goes on and says, for this thing I besought the Lord thranks, that it might depart from me. Now he prayed earnestly, didn't he? But he got an answer, and he said unto me.
Is sufficient for thee? Well, there's a wonderful product, the grace given to him. For my strength is made perfect in weakness, the strength of God. Most gladly, Paul says. Therefore will I glory in my infirmity, be brought down even to glory in infirmities. Then this is the wonderful fruit it seems to me that the power of Christ may rest upon.
Me. Oh, what fruit to think of the power of Christ resting upon Paul because he had this preventative thorn in the flesh and that power of Christ coming forth in such marvelous ways in ministry that we're taking up to.
I'm glad, Brother Clem, that you.
Helping us on this matter that sometimes the.
The discipline of the Lord is preparatory.
And I'd like to.
Refer back to verse six of our chapter.
It says, For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth.
I believe the word there is he disciplined.
That doesn't mean that he's always punishing his sons.
Whom the Lord loveth, he disciplines.
For he guides in the right way.
Or he prepares them to serve him, and he teaches them. The word discipline really is the same thought of of a disciple, one who learns and one who learns control. So whom, for whom the Lord loveth, he disciplines.
And of course the latter part of the verse, it talks about scourging every son whom he receiveth. Well, in verse six we have two things. We have discipline and we have punishment.
And sometimes our tendency is to get overbalanced and think that God is always correcting us.
But discipline has two sides. It has the side of preparing us and controlling us and instructing us, and those are positive things.
Well, yes, of course we sometimes have to be punished and to suffer correction. That's true. But that's only half the story. And I, I think sometimes we get overbalanced and look at this chapter as though it's always negative, but rather than it's not negative.
It's a father disciplining his children, which involves showing them the right way and.
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Preparing them to walk in that right way and that's the positive side of discipline. I enjoyed chatting between the meetings with our brother, Doctor Al Mauer, and he was telling me about his experience with the armed forces when he was in his early years.
Of practice. And he told me that in the Marine Corps.
The Marines were put through all kinds of very hard experiences. They were compelled to walk through the swamps.
They were compelled to stay awake all night.
They were compelled to do things that were difficult for them to do. It wasn't that the officers were mad at them, and it wasn't that the Marines had done wrong and were being punished. No, they were being trained to be good soldiers, and part of their training was to put them through these experiences of hardship that they might be strengthened.
So that their service in the future would be more useful. And our doctor, brother, Doctor Mauer, said that after their rigorous training and discipleship and discipline in the marines, then they were ready to face the enemy. And had they not had that discipline, had they not learned what it was to obey, had they not learned what it was to suffer in the path of obedience, they would not have been.
In the service of their country. So, brethren, let's bring in this side of things that in discipline.
We have a positive side. God is preparing us to be more useful.
For him, and let's not get overbalanced and think he's always punishing us, that's only half the story. But we have a wise father who has a plan for each one of our lives and he's going to discipline us with a view that we may serve him better. So it's not always that he's punishing us.
In the things that He allows that to us seem hard, He is training us that we may serve Him better and more.
And just as our brother Clem Buchanan has pointed out so nicely that the fruit gourd grower goes out and prunes the tree, it's not because the tree has been naughty.
Oh no, He prunes the tree so that it might bring forth more fruit. And that's part of the discipline of God. And we do thank God for that positive side of His discipline with us. He is training us. He is controlling us. He is permitting things to happen to us.
That will make us more useful to him. Now for the mark. Would you like to add anything to that?
If it might be in connection with that.
Profitable to look at some scriptures in Ezekiel the 24th chapter.
There's the preparation of the vessel. I believe that we have, as you mentioned, the preparation of the vessel.
And many of the Lord's servants have gone through this both in the New Testament and in the Old Testament.
But there in Ezekiel 24.
Ezekiel here has to learn an important lesson, I believe, and I believe that perhaps part of this portion is at least prefer to.
Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying in the 15th verse of Ezekiel 24.
Son of Man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
For bear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
Spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
Severe preparation, perhaps, that Ezekiel was referred to.
By a title which not many others have been referred to in the Scriptures, and that is Son of Man. So he went through this difficulty and I think part of the reason he went through that difficulty.
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Well, so that he could understand the difficulty, and to understand the difficulties of the days, and so that he might be a faithful servant unto the Lord. Preparation, if you will, for to serve God in His ways, and to serve the Lord.
Yes, all these things that afflict us and happen to our brethren are not punitive. We have that in our 12Th chapter. I believe it is punitive there in a chapter we're in. But many things that happen are for preparation, as has been mentioned. Why was John on the Isle of Patmos all alone, forsaken? Well, he was prepared, wasn't he, to receive the revelations. It's lovely and but sometimes it's not just punitive.
Purgative which we have like pruning or preventative or preparatory, but it's just purposes. I like it sovereign purposes of God and let's remember this. And so in John nine they asked why was this young man born blind and they examined who'd sinned, who sinned. Well, it was neither. It's the sovereign purposes of God. He was born born blind that the works of God.
May be, may manifest in him. That's lovely, isn't it? So we got to be careful, you know, trying to figure out on our brethren why things are happening. Because it may be that I was thinking of another way of, of preparatory in a sense would be a second Second Corinthians, Second Corinthians.
Chapter one, Verse three. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, or the word could be encouragement, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves.
Are comforted of God Sometimes these afflictions and sickness.
Maybe even putting on their bed in the hospital. Maybe they're going to use that brother or sister in a mighty way. It's a wonderful thought, but isn't it true? Many of these things we go through are used later for His glory, and so we must be very careful. I know for a long time in the work I was in, I did get into hospitals a lot and in very crucial moments.
At the end of the line for some and I've never been in the hospital as a patient.
And I'm sure I wasn't a very good visitor really. I could bring the word and pray and all that, but the Lord took care of it, you see, He put me in for a good long time. And after that, I believe I could then encourage and comfort because I could identify with the one in the bed in the hospital. Well, we must remember this. There is the sovereign purposes of God. It's another fee. And I believe there's others too. There's polishing because He wants us to be.
The image of his own son, that work was on two brethren and sometimes it's afflictions. We need that cutting back for that reason. And sometimes it's perfecting too. It's lovely to see these different reasons. Well, that's that's really on the Romans 828, isn't it? Those things, all things work together for good to them that love God.
The call according to his purposes. But now we are in chastening.
This is chase to leave this. We do know why and it's for our good and our blessing. But as it was mentioned, it's peaceable fruit and I love that. I was just thinking of a verse on feasible fruit.
In in John, I think it's chapter 16. John chapter 16 came to mind.
I'm sorry, it's in 5th. It's in 14th John 1427.
1427.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Well, this is a piece that's only known by those that are going on with him. It's an inner peace, a quietness that has nothing to do with the circumstances or afflictions.
In your life, you can't tell the world about it. They may observe it and marvel at it, but they can't know about it until they know Him and go on according to His word. And it's beautiful there. And I believe that's the piece that we have here. It's a peaceable fruit of righteousness. Righteousness speaks really of our walk here, of our ways here.
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We read about Revelation in.
Romans, chapter 5.
Regulation working station, but notice what it says there.
It says.
And verse 3.
We glory in tribulations.
Well, how can we do that?
Glory and tribulation.
Well, it goes on to say, knowing that tribulation worketh patience.
Is there anyone in this room that doesn't need that? I know I need it. Patience.
Now this is the way God is working patience in our lives, producing patience. This is the way the Spirit of God brings forth the fruit of patience.
There's fruit, their whole cluster of it in Galatians 5/22.
A low cluster.
And God has to allow us to be put through different things in order to produce those.
And there are those that are on beds of sickness and never get off the bed.
Well, they can't be very active. They can't be moving around here and there and serving the Lord in that way.
They're not.
Getting in out of bed and into bed and out of bed and into bed and moving around. No, they're just there on that bed all the time and quietly bearing fruit. Bearing fruit. And if we've done any visiting around hospitals in place like places like that, you see them.
We were visiting this man one time.
And he was.
Stiff and the whole of his body. He couldn't even turn his neck, his head.
The only thing he could move was his eyes.
Every other part of his body was rigid.
And yet there was a smile on his face.
And he spoke.
And he mentioned those things that he enjoyed and when we got through there, it wasn't.
That he he got encouragement. I'm sure he did, but we were the ones who were encouraged.
To see what God can do.
There he was inactive, couldn't move.
And yet God was using him, and the Spirit of God was working there, and there was joy shone out of his face.
The joy of the Lord, love, joy, peace, all of this coming out. We think of a tree in the orchard.
It doesn't have to move all over the orchard to produce fruit, it just stands quietly in one place.
The orchard man goes in there and he's pretty rough on those trees.
Used to look at it and I thought mine what are they doing through those trees? They look terrible. Cut off all the branches but they treat them.
Really. Roughly.
But it helps them produce fruit. If there are too many branches, the tree can't produce fruit. All the nourishment goes into the branches. And sometimes the Lord needs to prune us because there's too much energy that goes into those external things. And it's only when it goes into the soul, into the eternal part.
That there's fruit that comes out of it all, sometimes these trials and tribulations we have.
Serve to mellow us down.
And we're not aware of the change. And it's a good thing too. We we have to be careful about looking at ourselves.
Looking in, looking at the Lord.
It mellows us down, it takes off the rough edges. It's like a tool grinder. He's got to grind that tool down, take off all the rough edges and it doesn't feel very good.
But it's it's a work of the Lord.
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Tribulation worketh patience, and tribulation works other things too.
The endo says Rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
That's the same orders we have in our chapter. Looking unto Jesus. He is the man who has gone into the glory, and He is set before us before God talks about this discipline, this chastening, this correction which yields that peaceable fruit of righteousness, and preparing us for the use that He has for us. And I thought as our brother referred to Ezekiel, we might look at Ezekiel 3.
Because.
We have the glory of God in a marvelous way in Ezekiel.
It had come down.
And abode with that nation of Israel.
It was getting ready to depart, but in the third chapter of Ezekiel.
We have the glory of God and we have the servant prepared for his use.
To carry the message to the people at that time.
Verse 12.
Of Ezekiel 3. Then the Spirit took me up.
And I heard behind me a great voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord in this place. That's a tremendous thing.
And I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and the noise of the great rushing. I would refer this to Romans 828.
All things work together for good. To those that love God. I tell you what's happening in the nations is working together for our good. God has a purpose in everything that goes on in relation to you and I.
Sitting here who are related to Christ it all associated with Christ and the glory of God.
Ezekiel has to learn a few things.
In verse 14, So the Spirit lifted me up. It took Him.
And took me away and says I went in bitterness. There are things that become bitter in our lives and in the heat of my spirit.
God was working with that man in the inner man.
To use it. But the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.
Now look what he has to learn in verse 15. Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv that built by the river of Chibar. He was taken right to where those captives were to be amongst them. And then this is the point. And I sat where they sat and remained a stunning among them seven days.
He got.
Right into the position of his brethren in captivity to learn what they experienced. This was a training for him. Well, the glory of God and looking unto Jesus, we have that one in the glory. He's finished the course. It's in an imperfection and our Father's working for us to bring us into perfection, but to prepare us to train us to.
Direct us to do what He needs to do with us to produce. And it's a blessed thing just to submit and to go on and to learn and not fade under it. Not to think not, but to lift up the hands which hang down and the people needs. There's something to do. We have something to do. And make straight paths for your feet because others are watching.
Others are watching, and they might even be fooling.
Bless that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed our.
Effect upon people is more what we are and what we are seen to be.
Than really what we do and say even then it says follow peace. Well, the peaceable fruit of righteousness and the disciple following the Lord is going to follow peace. Follow peace with all, not just our brethren, but with all.
And nourished trying to speak to someone that's lost a loved one.
You don't know what to say.
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But that thought of sitting where they sit.
Reminds me.
That the Lord took from us our oldest son.
It's with the Lord.
And there have been times that we have spoken to.
Those who've been bereaved.
Perhaps spoken to them or written a sympathy card to them?
And Justice mention that.
We lost a loved one too.
What more do you need to say?
Because it's sympathizing with them.
And we're able to sympathize.
God makes sympathizers out of us by allowing things in our lives.
Not judges.
All that spirit of judging.
It's I'm afraid it's too rampant among us.
We need to be sympathizers to enter in to the feelings.
Of others, the emotions of others.
And God allows things to come into our lives.
So that we know better how to do it.
God is in all of this. It's God behind all of this. Let's.
Put it where it belongs. The source of it all is God and God's heart of love and sympathy for us. We have a sympathizing Savior at God's right hand, and he's gone through everything that a righteous person could go through in this world, and he can sympathize with us. And this, this just calms us down.
It just calms us down and gives us that quiet peace in our hearts.
We have here the three measures of proof.
Verse one, I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman. Every French in in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth through the purchases, that it may bring forth more fruit, there we have fruit.
And more fruit.
Then verse five, I am the vine here the branches. He's had to bite it in me, and I and him the same bringeth forth must be fruit, more fruit and much fruit, for without me he can do nothing. So God has a desire for fruit.
And.
First of all, the fruit, Venice marshals and mushroom. May the Lord help us to realize that and allow it to be so and praise Him for it.
Here.
It's not us ourselves judging other people, but seeing the ways of God with us in our own personal lives and profiting by it.
There are those various ways that have been spoken about that God is using, preventing or perhaps punitive as we have here. But I believe here the subject that's been remarked is punitive. We're not so likely to get discouraged when we feel the Lord is allowing something to produce more fruit or perhaps even to prevent something in our lives. We're very thankful. But brethren, for all of us, it's very humbling when we have to.
The Lord, His hand is upon us in correction. We know this with our children. If we're training our child to do some particular thing, there may be some hardships to be endured in that training, but the child isn't humbled by that. Just very thankful you're taking the time to do it. But when the time comes, you have to correct your child and punish it. Perhaps now there's something very humbling, and I believe that's what is really the subject.
Here in the first part of the chapter we have, as I said, the positive side of things. The Lord wouldn't have to correct us if we always made the Lord Jesus the model for our lives. But in many things we all offend. So all of us have to partake of this chastening, and as it tells us here, if you be without chastisement, were of all our partakers.
Then are you ******** and not sons? Any of us here were to say the Lord never has to correct me, He never has to scourge me.
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I'm just a model. We're mistaken. There is something in everyone of us that needs correction.
But there is a tendency, and perhaps we all feel it individually, that when God does put his hand upon us and we feel that he has done it for some reason to correct us, it hurts our natural pride. And we're liable to get discouraged and say, I give up. There's no use, I'm never going to be any use anymore. And so he's telling us that this correction has a purpose in view, and that purpose is for our good.
Fruit of righteousness when we're exercised, when that child learns why its parent had to correct it and sees that it was for its good, the result is a change in that child's life. And there is fruit. There's something the parents like to see. The child now is seeking to go on in the more happy and happy way in the family, and so on. Well, brethren, when this does come in our lives, and it does come in all our lives.
Times, let's not give up, let's not say, oh, I give up, other people can go ahead but me, it's no use. That's the danger, I believe when the Lord has to deal with us and I believe that's why it follows here.
Lift up the hands that hang down in the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way. But let it rather be healed. Instead of saying I give up, accept the correction. Make straight paths. If there's something that has been wrong and self willed in our lives, the Lord can give us grace to correct that little thing, or big thing as it might be.
And the result is going to be that we can go on.
And be useful, make straight paths and then instead of being turned out of the way.
Were healed. We profited. We're far more useful after we have learned that lesson.
Well, may the Lord give us grace when we do feel His hand upon us, and all of us do at times to profit by it, and there will be that peaceable fruits of righteousness. None of these things, whether preventative or punitive, or chastening, or ever required in the life of the Lord Jesus. In Him was perfection, but in us these things are necessary, and the Lord has that purpose of love.
And may I add too, that I believe that not only can be applied in this way to ourselves, the Lord is intensely personal. But if we see another Christian who has been discouraged because of some dealing of the Lord with him, let's lift up his hand too. Let's say, brother, don't be discouraged. The Lord wants to bless you. He wants to bring good out of this for you. You can be more useful if you would seek to accept this from Him so we can.
Without pointing a finger, so to speak, seek to encourage him not to give up, not to let his hands hang down.
But rather to go on in that way that would be fruitful in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. That's really what patience means, isn't it? Enduring through it in faith. And James brings that out so nicely, the two together in the 6th chapter. And he uses, of course, Job as his example because I believe Job is probably.
A mere man, one of the greatest examples of affliction.
In the sense of chastisement, I mean, and he says in verse 11, behold, we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job. You've seen the end of the Lord. The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. And then he mentions for us in verse 7. Be patient. Therefore, brethren, under the coming of the Lord. Isn't that lovely with that in view. Now behold, a husband waited for.
Precious fruit, the Lord is going to have fruit from us all. It's because of these things in our lives and that's why the fruit. And then he says in verse 8, be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Well now he speaks of the patience of Job and the end of the Lord in Job's life. Well, what was the patience of Job? Well, he took all of those terrible things in the outset that went upon him, lost everything.
Children and in all this did not Job sin nor blame God. That's patience. He he didn't turn against God. His faith was strong in all of it. But God was working something in Job. But the real test came when his friends came, so-called friends and looked upon him.
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And attributed everything that's happening to him to something Job did.
Some wrong and Joel they didn't know there was something but they didn't know and they didn't know how to minister. But notice in Job chapter 13 here's a little key verse there in verse 15. He had gone through so much and surely when your friends turn against you and sit there staring at your your affliction and say aha you're in trouble and he felt it. But look at 15 though he slay me.
Yet while I trust him.
It would be lovely if there was a period there, but that's enduring. He never turned against God, but the very next phrase tells the problem. It's still there, but I will maintain my own ways before God. There's the problem, and he hadn't realized yet that's the problem. The first part's beautiful, but those that sentence has two clauses that contradict each other.
I'll trust him if he slay me, whatever his purpose, I'll trust him. But I'm not going to give up my ways.
I could give my ways before him. There it is. You see, Job was wonderful in the sight of God, in what he was doing. He could even hold him up to Satan as the greatest. There's none like my servant Job in all the earth. Not like him. And it's true. But the only problem was Job was pleased with Job. That's it. Simple, isn't it? But it wasn't so simple to joke. It took a long time.
And what happened at the end?
You got that double fold, a double fold blessing for Job and he was able to pray for those ones that despitefully used him. Isn't it lovely? And so, brethren, that's the thought. It's the patience of Job and then the end of the Lord. And let's remember the end of the Lord. It's he's pitiful. I like that word pitiful our brother was mentioning about.
Sympathizing. And that's part of the reasons these things happen to us, brethren, so we can sympathize with each other.
But for the grace of God, there am I and I've already been there. I have to say most of the time when my brother have problems. But I like the word compassion because that word compassion apart from Christ really isn't known in this world. There is none without Christ. And Webster says compassion is being moved to pity at the distress of another.
And I love that. And we can't do that without this kind of treatment to us that Christ gives us. And we can then comfort, encourage others.
With the same comfort, encouragement we got from him through the same kind of problem. It makes these things wonderful, doesn't it? Well, Jobs was what we're talking about in Hebrews 12. That was Joe. That's us. Too many times there was a problem there, and it was a lot of chastisement coming in.
This lady was the one that really was the hell. The other ones tried to interpret the reason why God had allowed the problem in Jobs life. But it's very lovely what Elihu does. He doesn't try to interpret the problem. He says to Job. Surely it is meat to be said unto God. That which I see not teach thou me. If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more. He doesn't even charge him. He doesn't even says if I have done iniquity, he doesn't charge him with.
What he says, Job, the answer is that you ask the Lord what he's saying to you, and isn't that lovely? We too often will say, well, the Lord's dealing with you because of this or that. Isn't it much nicer to say, well, ask the Lord, I'm sure he has something in this for your good and for your blessing. And if there is something wrong, he'll show it to you and he'll enable you to correct that thing in your life for your blessing. And the end of the Lord, as you were saying, was that he had.
As much as before God blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning. So we see that it was important for Job to be exercised and profit and if we ever have a dealing with someone and perhaps we do feel he might be under God's hand. Let's be careful what we say Eli. He was very careful and Eliyah was a real blessing thought I believe her God with us and so he brought in God. But he did say this to Joel Joel if thou art righteous as.
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Has said, What hast thou given to God that he would accept? That's the solemn thought, isn't it?
That that sort of began to bring Job to the end of himself. He didn't have anything he could give to God.
I haven't got anything I can give to God.
And that's the problem.
We'll find these features that are expressed here. That is, some are.
Lacks spiritual energy and some are in a crooked path, some soul discord. But you notice how it starts. I I don't know if it can be applied, but I remember if you recall in first Timothy, Paul writing to him said that he would that all men everywhere lift up holy hands and pray. So he begins here by saying in this section.
Lift up the hands which hang down. So if we would lift up our hands, as it were, in prey.
And then we had, I suppose, be given a grace and energy because you notice after pray we can we find the practice of these things. It was it's never to be a substitute for prayer, but.
In every assembly these features are seen, and you and I may at this moment be in a category here, but if we seek to find a company of believers of which these things are not seen.
Will become a company of pretentious, self satisfied and self-centered believers.
So what we need is the grace. Someone as well said that the barometer of my state of soul is my ability or the grace given to go on with those who are not.
And so we need grace, and we had it in the first part of the chapter, I think.
Much more than an example in the Lord Jesus, but when he speaks there of looking under Jesus, we actually have not just an example, but we have the power to live to act the way we ought to. When I'm looking at the Lord Jesus, then the the new nature of the spirit that's within me is is in power. And that is the only way only place that you and I will have the grace to go on with one another when these things are manifested among us.
Peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. We should by all means seek the peace of the assembly, never introducing things that disturb its peace, unless it's necessary so it adds. And holiness we do have to be faithful to God, and.
The peace of the assembly would be preserved at the expense of holiness. It wouldn't be God's peace, and it wouldn't be a very subtle thing either. So it's follow peace with all men, and holiness. This is practical, without which no man shall see the Lord. And then it says about lest any man fail of the grace of God. I believe we're always to have in our own souls the sense of grace, as Paul says in another place, what maketh?
Differ from another If the Lord has preserved any of us and kept us, it's all his grace.
And that keeps us from looking down upon our brethren. It keeps us from judging them because we are the subjects of grace ourselves. How patient the Lord has been with us. How how good he has been although he didn't deserve it. And then it speaks about these roots of bitterness. And Brad and I've often noticed that roots of bitterness begin by some trial that has taken place in the life of someone.
Perhaps God's hand has been upon them.
A lot of feelings have been stirred, a lot of unkind remarks have been made, like jobs, friends made to him and a whole lot of.
Root of bitterness has been produced, supporters and non supporters and so on. And it often comes back to some time when God has dealt with someone and a lot of remarks have been made that shouldn't have. How important it is that we do not fail of the grace of God. That if we do try to help our brother so that he doesn't get discouraged.
We don't take the attitude of looking down upon Him, thinking that we're better than him or something of that nature. We need to remember that we are the objects of grace, and I believe we fail of the grace of God when we take that attitude of judging and looking down instead of being a helper. I was thinking of Moses when he first started out, and he had a good motive in his heart too. He wanted to deliver God's people.
00:50:05
And it tells us that he thought that God by his hand would deliver the people, but they didn't understand. But what does it tell us in in Acts Chapter 7 where Steven is speaking, it says they put him away saying who made the ruler and a judge. You know, we can take that attitude of being a ruler and a judge.
But when God had been through with him in his school and for 40 years.
Moses had to go through something in the school of God. It says the same Moses whom they set aside and said, who made the ruler and a judge? God sent to be what? A ruler and a deliverer? What a difference. It's easy to be a ruler and a judge. We see something wrong and think we can judge it and set it right. But it takes the school of God to be a ruler and a deliverer. And I believe this is really what is being brought before us.
This chapter that God has his dealing with each one of us and how we can help in such situations that we be careful that we don't fail of the grace of God that we recognize that grace, not that grace ever overlooks sin. Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord, but that grace of God and many get defiled because of a lot of bad feelings that are stirred when we don't act in that.
Of God, yes, I think that.
That word fail of could be lack of the grace of God. It's in US brethren toward one another and I think that's so important. You'll never fail of the grace of God because in Ephesians 47 it says that every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ unlimited. You can't fail of the grace of God in that sense, but it's lacking it toward our brethren and all that's.
Explained that lovely we should remember that brethren, we're in the day of grace. We're living in it we're profiting by it and the Lord and and it says that the epistle Peter. I believe let your speech be always with grace that may be Colossians. Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt that you know how to answer every man and that's important that grace should come out first and I believe this.
Root of bitterness springing up and not only be because of as jobs so-called friends.
They looked upon him with disdain on his sufferings and afflictions. But you know that root of bitterness can come because some of our brethren are prospering in their souls, are getting some nice things happening to them, and we have bitterness for that reason. That's the sad thought, isn't it? It comes either way. It's not just their down sittings, it's their uprisings. We ought to rejoice with them when they have reasons to rejoice. And I believe that comes out nice in the Second Corinthians.
Christians just one verse chapter 12, which you'd expect to find it in the body of Christ chapter chapter 12, verse 25.
I'm sorry. Thank you, brother. First Corinthians, chapter 12.
25.
That there should be no schism in the body, and that the members should have the same care one for another. That word is really concerned one for another. And whether one man suffered, 1 member suffer, all members suffer with it, and if one member be honored, all members rejoice with it. Isn't that beautiful?
If that formula were applied in our assemblies, wouldn't it be beautiful harmony?
Bliss and peace and joy. That's what we need, the same concern, one for another. And if a brother rejoices and let's rejoice with him or her, and if he suffers, brethren, let's suffer too. That's it, That's compassion. Why do we have ministry like that in this official to the assembly at Corn?
Because there were those conditions there.
And it seems to me that God has allowed things to come out in the different assemblies, that we have letters written to things that had to be dealt with. The apostle Paul had to speak about and correct and give them instruction about it. And we benefit from this and we need to take it to ourselves.
00:55:00
And I noticed in the 11Th chapter, in connection with eating the Lord's Supper, that the apostle brings this out.
That our brother is calling attention to the sectarian spirit.
There were sectarian practices there and there was a sectarian spirit. And there was this kind of a spirit that there would be those that would say we belong to Paul and others would say we belong to Peter and others would say we belong to Apollos. We're, we're following these men. And then there were those that said, we're of Christ.
And they were the worst of all because they would say we're the ones that are Christ and the rest of you aren't. That was the implication of it. And this was sad. So what does the apostle Paul do in in this 11Th chapter of First Corinthians?
Verse 20 says when you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's Supper. I believe the margin has you cannot eat the Lords Supper. That is, they could not eat the Lords Supper on the ground of the truth that they were all one body. They couldn't do it that way. And what has the enemy been doing in Christendom dividing us all up?
And I don't know how many denominations in sex and divisions there are.
And we have the tendency to be sectarian as well because it's a plague in this world. It's a plague on the Church of God. And we need to judge ourselves for an eating. Everyone taketh before others own supper and one is hungry and another is is drunken. You see, they were not even sitting down to a very common meal.
Eating together, they were hiding off one group in one corner and another group in another corner.
And this was sad, right there in the assembly at Corinth. What have ye not houses to eat, and to drink in, or despise you the Church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. Then he goes into the matter of the Lord's Supper, which he received from the Lord. Paul received it right from the Lord in glory. It wasn't that he received it from.
The disciples he received it right from the Lord in glory himself and this.
Really is what we need to think about when there are those in Christendom that say that the Lord's Supper is not for the church.
Well, it's right here in connection with church truth, in connection with the revelation that the Apostle Paul received from the Lord in glory, in connection with the whole truth of the church. So it's part of that. And this is what the assemblies to be doing while we're waiting for the Lord to come.
But then further down he says, or as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, need to show the Lords death till he come. Just think of that solemn thing, remembering the Lord and all his suffering and death. Wherefore he says, Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup.
Unworthily or in an unworthy, unworthy manner.
Shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Oh, this is serious.
Very serious. Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh in an unworthy manner eateth and drinketh condemnation to himself.
Not discerning the Lord's body. You see, all of this is connected together. Not discerning the Lord's body. They were not discerning the Lord's body. They were not discerning the truth of the church that it is one body.
For this, 'cause, he says, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
Oh, this is where the solemn part of it comes in.
And that's why I believe we need to dwell on this and think about it.
Because it is connected with judging ourselves for this cause. Many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
They were sick and there were those that were dying.
Now perhaps the Saints that were weak and sickly and those who were dying were not being disciplined in their in themselves for anything that they had done, but it was for the condition of the whole assembly there. And rather than I need, I believe we need to consider this very seriously because we are seeing so many weak and sickly among us and some dying too. And may the Lord give us grace to do what?
01:00:05
He he has told Apostle Paul to tell us here, for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. We need to judge ourselves. It's so easy for party spirits and clicks to arrive and we need to judge those things because remember, we're all members of one body, one man, he writes to the Ephesians. One man, Jew and Gentile, all one body. 1 Newman.
And the apostle brings out to the Corinthians.
That the body, the human body, is a type or an example of the body of Christ. And we don't want our bodies divided. We don't want part of our body one place and parts of our body another place. No, it's very simple. And these are the things that God is seeking to minister to us, to help us to judge ourselves, to just see what we really are and that we're connected to the Lord Jesus Christ in glory and whatever way in which we're going.
It affects the Lord Jesus Christ the head. He feels it. The apostle Paul got that message right from the very start because he was going about persecuting the Christian, persecuting the members of the body of Christ, persecuting those who were united to the Lord Jesus Christ in the glory, and the Lord was feeling it and.
When Paul said, Who art thou, Lord?
He says I'm Jesus. He got the message. I'm Jesus. These Christians you're persecuting are connected to me, Jesus. I'm the one you're persecuting.
And he learned that lesson, and he never forgot it. And I don't believe that we should forget it either.
That we're joined to the Lord Jesus Christ and whatever we do or whatever we say or whatever we think.
It affects him. May the Lord give us grace to go on together as members of one body, loving one another, helping one another, sympathizing with one another until He comes.
When you say he has given the grace if we just take it.
If we go back to Romans 5 again.
For in that second verse it says, By whom also we have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We are put in grace. There's no lack of a supply of it. The lack is in our drawing upon it and use it lest any man fail of the grace of God.
Now Peter learned that.
David wrote about it and says he will give grace and glory. That's the chronological order. Grace comes before glory. In our chapter, we are appointed as an incentive to the glory, and now we're learning the grace when we stand and we must go on in grace. Peter learned it in the hard way, but he learned it well in almost his last words in Second Peter.
12 The Last chapter, Second Peter Three, 12512.
I'm sorry, First Peter 512. First Peter 512, he says.
By Sylvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose I have written, briefly exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein you stand. We are put in that standing. Let us draw upon that grace, and never fail to draw upon that grace, so that we might go on and be useful.
As our teaching is in our chapter here.
Not to belabor the point, that's to this root of bitterness, but it's such a vital one. And the.
Things the Dan was mentioning as to the attitudes that we ought to manifest toward one another, he left one out that I'm sure he will agree is maybe one of the most important. Turn to 2nd Corinthians.
In the second chapter.
2nd Corinthians 2 verse 10 just to be brief. To whom he forgive anything I forgive also.
Or if I forgive, forgave anything so to whom I forgave it for your sakes, forgave I it in the person of Christ and one verse you have that expression forgive or forgive five times. In this case it was a matter of discipline and they were to forgive the brother and receive him back and do fellowship, but the spirit of forgiveness.
01:05:12
Without it, there will be the root of bitterness brings up and manifest itself.
And.
You know a great deal of harm. You know, Scripture tells us that we'd be kind, tender hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us.
Then the other scripture that says that our sins and iniquities he will remember no more.
Now if he did not remember them, he would not be begot, because he certainly knows, but he treats us as if we have never.
Sinned. And so you and I, we may not be able to forget. And some say we've heard the expression and maybe we've been guilty of it. I forgive, but I cannot forget. Well, if we spend our time trying to forget, if we remember the more. But we can treat our brother or sister as if.
They had never sinned, or they had never offended me. And so we seems to me, we ought to seek this grace of forgiveness, possibly more than any other, that the differences would heal and that we can treat one another as if the offense had never happened. Although we may never forget it, we should be ready to forgive.
Even these Saints at Corinth should have been ready to forgive this man, but it seems like that there was something there that kept them from being in that spirit, and the Apostle Paul had to write to them again about confirming their love to him and forgiving him.
And so we need to look to the Lord for grace, to have a forgiving spirit, and to be ready.
Anytime that anybody confesses and owns their mistake and they're wrong and just forgive them, be ready to forgive them. And that takes grace, doesn't it?
In Ephesians 431 and two. I just want to read those before we close.
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. That word forgiving means to show grace to. There are two words for forgiving. The one is to is remission or descending away of our sins.
And the other is showing grace to, and that's the word Paul uses here for giving one another even as God.
In Christ has forgiven you or shown grace to you. So we've been talking about lacking the grace of God. The most essential ingredient of grace is forgiveness that to our one and the same in our activity with one another.