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Lord, thou hast drawn us after Thee.
Let us run and never tire. By presence shall our comfort be thyself, our hope, our whole desire. 166.
Come on.
Shall we go on with Luke chapter 13?
Chapter 13. What verse?
For sport Hebrews chapter 13 begin at verse 4.
Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, both ************ and adulterers. God will judge.
Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For he has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, and who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation.
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever.
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Be not carried away with divers and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar where they have no right to eat, which serve the Tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with His own blood.
Suffered without the gate. Let us go therefore. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp.
Bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come by Him. Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls.
As they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for it is unprofitable for you.
Pray for us, for we trust we have a good conscience in all things.
Willing to live honestly, but I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep.
Through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work, to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I have written a letter unto you in a few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.
Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the Saints Day of Italy salute you.
Grace be with you all.
Might be helpful just to review very briefly what we had this morning.
Because, you know, God's word is written in a very orderly fashion. It's not just haphazard as we might write a letter or something. He writes and he writes with purpose. And so the very first thing we have in the verse 28 that we read is in connection with reverence or respect for the Lord.
And what this world in their religious system that the Jews had, they had a mighty temple and they they had incense, they had all the vestments and everything. And it would produce in the natural man some sense of awe, you might say, of being in that situation. But in the assembly might be a little hall like this, or some simple place, some simple.
Location in a far off land where there isn't much, there might be a temptation not to have the respect or reverence for the person in whose presence we are. But it was one of the things that was to characterize Christianity was reverence for the Lord as we're in his presence. And then the second one, instruction that we're given here, exhortation, is connection with brother, brotherly love. So we're to have love for our brother.
And then we have entertainment through the.
Hospitality and where to have into our homes those that we have liberty to have into our homes. Then in the next exhortation in verse three is in connection with those that are in bonds. Those are prisoners that can't come into our homes. Even if they wanted to come into our homes, they can't come because they're hindered, perhaps because of age or whatever it might be. And there are those that are indeed in affliction.
And so on. And so they're not able. But now we have another feature of Christianity that ought to market.
And it ought to be evident in our lives is that the institution of marriage ought to be held in the highest esteem. And so the new translation says, let marriage be held in every way, every way in honor.
And so this world dishonors and sets aside the order that God has instituted and married.
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And under Judaism, they didn't recognize, they didn't know it was really Christian revelation that the man and the woman in the marriage union are a representation of Christ and the church. And so you and I understand that we enjoy the fact that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. And in a future day he's going to present it to himself, a glorious church, not having any spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
And so a Christian man and a Christian woman, married and pulling together.
Enjoying the the Lord together and having a home that is suitable to labor together for God's people and for the blessing of the Christian testimony. This is what God intended and under Christianity we don't want to see the type marred. But we know that in Judaism they asked the Lord Jesus. They said, shall a man divorce his wife for any cause?
The Lord had to rebuke that spirit of things. What a lovely picture. It is Christ in the church.
A husband that sacrificially provides for his wife and loves her, and they go on together for the glory of God.
Maybe I'll I'll just further that.
Cindy and I were at a wedding a few weeks ago.
We've all been to weddings. Beautiful.
The bride looks stunning beautiful.
The Bridegroom.
Soulful and love, his eyes are crossed.
We we've all been to those days. We remember, many of us here remember that day in our own lives. And I say this because there's a lot of marriages represented here.
And perhaps some that are anticipating marriage.
And at a time like that.
Almost invariably, Ephesians 5 is taken up.
And the responsibilities of the husband has gone through the responsibilities of the wife.
But what about five years down the road?
What about 10 years down the road?
20 years down the road. 30 years down the road.
When on the day of the marriage, you know, we're so caught up by the romance of the day.
That we always go away and we're just, we're just delighted.
But what about down the road?
Dare say I look at some marriages.
And they don't look like the wedding day.
We've just been singing a hymn.
It's beautiful to sing that hymn.
With regards to the marriage relationship.
Lord, thou hast drawn us after Thee.
Let us run and never tire.
Some marriages, you look at them and you think, you know they're tired.
I say this because some of the most exemplary husbands.
That I have seen.
And some of the most exemplary wives that I've seen have had obnoxious partners.
For all of us that are in the marriage relationship.
As our brother has just been bringing before us.
It's it's the most beautiful way that we can portray to this world a picture of Christ in the church.
I I trust I'm not saying this from high ground because I understand life is real. We, we, we enter the relationship of marriage down the road. Sometimes we're faced with poverty, sometimes we're faced with our health that goes upside down. Sometimes we're faced with teenagers that go haywire. There are so many things that enter into our marriage relationship that can the enemy can use.
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To disturb it, but I appreciate what our brother read here connection with and I the the way the verse reads in the new translation. This is another one where we have the word left at the front.
Says let marriage.
And I would encourage those here at you in your spare time read the note in Mr. Darby's translation with regards to this.
Because I believe it points down the road.
And so I'll just read it again as our brother has just read it.
Let marriage be held in every way.
In honor.
Well, may we have the grace in our marriages down the road to recognize that we have the privilege of displaying not only to this world a picture of Christ in the church. We have the privilege of doing that to our brethren in the assembly. We have the privilege of doing that to our families.
And it's a blessed result and it's a wonderful end for someone particularly.
Who's had a difficult time in their marriage to be able to pull those vows and seek via picture of Christ in the church?
I would say that the.
Owners principle on us is on the man.
Because that's the picture of Christ. Christ is perfect. Am I perfect, Barbara? I can ask my wife, but I say we are to love.
As Christ loved the church.
And gave himself more so sacrificial love. It's not love when everything goes nice. Well.
Love of sacrifice. When I think of the Lord Jesus standing before Pilate, falsely accused, crowned with thorns, his back ripped up and hailed to the cross, did he ever say this is just too much abuse? I can't take you any longer, I'm going, I'm out of here. Never, never.
Oh, brother.
You and I, their husbands, the Lord give us.
Is that unconditional agape love? You know, it's interesting in scripture the life is never told to love her husband.
With a copy of In Chinese chapter do it says that the older women are to teach the younger women how to love their husbands. But that's the file that it speaks there. So there is love from the part of the woman, but it's in the hard part. As men, that's where the problem comes in so often that we hear they should respond better.
Let's not think that way. Let's think as it says in Scripture. He is so beautiful.
Black urge to be held in every way and honor and the ban on the five. In other words, those intimate relationships.
Are very much in order in place.
They're not to be held in this honor either.
Sex is something that is sacred with God. I just want to say to the young people, remember your body. Not only your soul and your spirit are holy, but your body too.
Keep it for the Lord.
Knowing First Corinthians Chapter 7, it speaks towards the end of the chapter about virginity.
That applies to a man as well as a man, and to keep your virginity before you are married is going to make your marriage much more solid. So I just want to encourage those of you who are not married in your virginity.
And you will not be ashamed of it, you will not be sorry for it, but it will make your marriage that much more solid.
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Say a practical word to our sisters, too.
You know and.
Man and woman were created in the beginning. They did not use clothes.
It was after sin came in that God.
Flows there.
With the skins of an animal.
And that's important to cover yourself. Dear young sister, Remember, your body is precious to God. It is holy.
Recover yourself so often this world's way of living is to try to uncover as much as possible.
That way, cover yourself. And I appreciate sisters who properly cover themselves. I don't think sometimes young sisters realize that they they don't cover themselves. It is a provocation to men who watch them.
I know I'm steeping 30 planning, but I just have a burden on my heart to to encourage you dear young sisters. I really appreciate those that are here.
To cover yourselves properly. It speaks about it. First Timothy, chapter 2 of modesty. What does that mean? It means you do it in a way that is not provocative. Lord help us rather than these things. It's so important because.
What is the resolve and not doing these things?
For mongers, adulterers, God will judge.
People say I've had such a rotten marriage, I'm out of here and they find something better.
Don't.
Work on sacrifice yourself because the alternative is a tough one.
My brother Gordon Hale used to often quote it weddings, and maybe you remember him doing it, but Ecclesiastes chapter 4. And I think it's very helpful to have the principles of Ecclesiastes chapter 4 before us as we enter into the marriage relationship and then all during the time that we're married in this scene, because it's only for this time. So it says in verse 9, two are better than one.
Because they have a good reward for their labor, for if they fall, the one will lift.
Up to his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up again. If two lie together, then they have heat, but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him. And a three full cord is not quickly broken. And he used to remind us often times. I'm thankful for the reminder that a three fold cord represents.
The man 100% for his wife, the wife 100% for her husband, and both of them together 100% for the Lord. And you know, you see this little passage of scripture too, laboring together.
You'll forgive a personal reference, but I had a young brother come to me not too long ago and asked me about marriage and I said well, the sister that you're keeping company with.
You need to, he said, what's the real key to having a good marriage? What's the key to marrying the right one? Said you need to marry one that you have a love for and that is a suitable partner. And your home is going to be used for the service of the Lord. And so you desire to have one that you love and in love together serve the Lord and the Lord's people.
And build the testimony in the place that you're at. That's really what God intended. We might just turn to Malachi chapter three. I think it is. And he the truth is given there in the very last book in the Old Testament.
Chapter 2 of Malachi, he says.
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Let's read verse 14.
Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witnessed between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously or unfaithfully, yet she is thy companion and the wife of thy covenant. You made a promise to love this woman.
And did he not make one, make them one flesh, yet had He the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore 1.
That you might seek a godly seed.
Therefore, take heed to your spirit. Let none deal treacherously or unfaithfully against the wife of his youth. So why did God institute this institution of marriage? It was that he might seek a godly seed, that in that home there would be children born. They would be brought into the presence of God. They would learn about the Savior, They would become worshippers in time, and they would just magnify the grace and the love of God. They would just reflect something of Christ.
In their lives. So God had that purpose.
So let's the exercise about having that threefold cord and maybe it's got a little loose. The knot has got a little loose. Let's tighten the knot a little bit. It is a sacrificial love.
They come so self-centered in our American culture that we think that it does not suit us.
That is wrong thinking and we need to correct it. The Lord Jesus suffered so much and He persevered to the end and we are the beneficiaries of His sacrifice. And now let's do the same in our marriages.
Don't think it is because I'm getting something good out of this, but think of it as the one. Can I sacrifice myself?
That's the secret.
You mentioned the onus being on demand.
David mentioned he's observing.
American.
Do you have a hypercritical spirit?
Get rid of if you can't love anybody with that.
Hypercritical spirit will destroy a very depressed and destroyed relationships of all kind. Have you had that with the Lord? Have you ever read it? It's destructive, played in your own heart. Don't bring that into a marriage during your family.
It will destroy do you know what it is before the Lord get it out?
Might be helpful just to go over. There are four specific characteristics of divine love that are helpful for us to understand and to appreciate. The first one was mentioned, I believe this morning in Jeremiah chapter 31. It says in verse three, yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. And so the Lord's love is an everlasting love. It will never cease.
For you and I who have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, it will never cease. You cannot do anything to have that love cease. But then in Malachi again in chapter one, we could just read it. It says I'm just going to split it up there in chapter one, verse two, it says I have loved you, saith the Lord. And then in the second chapter he says in verse 6.
I are the third chapter. I'm sorry, Malachi 3 verse six. For I am the Lord, I change, not God's love is unchangeable.
He has loved you from the beginning, and he loves you with intensity that cannot change.
He loved you so much, He saved you, chose you from beginning time. But then we have in Romans chapter 8, we have the power of His love.
Given to us there. I'm not going to read much there, but Romans chapter 8, verse 39. Let's read verse 38.
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Romans 838 For I'm persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers.
Nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. It speaks the power of His love. The power of His love is such that once you have received Christ as your Savior, He will never let you go. It's impossible to lose your salvation. His love. In His love He gave Himself for you.
We can say with the apostle Paul, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me, so we have the power of his love. But then in Ephesians chapter 5, as we've been quoted quoting it says that it's a sacrificial love. Let's read it.
Just so that we don't misquote it.
Revelation chapter 5.
I'm sorry Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church. Notice it's action, it's it's active, it's not in the past. It love your wives, do it now even as Christ also loved the church.
And gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it.
Washing of water by the word, That's what he's doing today. What he did in the past is in verse 25, and what he's going to do in the future is in verse 27, that he might present it to himself. A glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing that that should be holy without blemish. And so the sacrificial aspect of marriage. You know, Brother Gordon also used to say, you'll forgive me for quoting him.
He used to say you want to have a happy marriage. Try to please your partner.
The happiest person is someone trying to please someone else.
And you will have the happiest life as A and a fruitful life for Christ. If you're trying to please him, not trying to please yourself, not thinking that you have rights and all those sorts of things, but seeking to please Him, you'll have a happy Christian life.
And so you'll have a happy marriage by seeking to please the other partner. And then there will be that expression. Can you imagine in that heavenly scene with Christ above, with his bride? She'll be happy, radiant for all eternity. But Christ himself will serve her, and she will minister to his needs, and the affections will flow, will respond in our affections to him. But it can be a picture now.
In this world. And that's what God wanted, and that's what he gives us in Hebrews chapter 13.
I think it's important to.
Remember.
That the.
Wife that you're going to marry the sister in the Lord 1St and we will answer.
To the Lord, how are you how are you respecting and honoring that his child so we we are human, but we're also now marrying in the Lord and I'm a brother and a sister when we cover the assembly with a brother and a sister and just wouldn't need to be enacted that that ends when you come in the door, but we will answer for it is interesting in future 5 where we have here before the wives before husband.
His first 21.
Submitting yourselves 1 to another in the fear of God.
That is first before he deleted submitting results one to another in the fear of yes within that marriage are there is the responsibilities that are there. But if we would submit one to another and that's hard. I'm a male, I have pride. It's hard to say you're wrong.
But it gets easier before you submit breakdown and do it. But to begin with it, it's tough. So there's a book I can strongly suggest, Gary Thomas.
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It's sacred marriage. What if marriage is more about holiness than happiness? And I challenge you to read that before you, even if you're married. It's a very good book. It's not just about our happiness. If we live a holy life and they're serving one another, like you've been saying, you will be happy.
If we seek us to be happy and not only won't work out, but we do it God's way.
It will work and the world is we're all about selfishness today. But brethren, if we do it God's way, he wants us happy. He wants us happy. Satan says no, he doesn't. He's hiding good things from you. He's the liar. God, let God be true in every man. A liar. He wants and he said buddy, but that is under plow. He made that. He made love. God is love on his life first. He's holy and God is love, but he made love. Love is love. He wants it to have a happy marriage.
Do it in his order and we'll be happy. As strong as Gary Thomas. Sacred marriage.
Submit to exactly interfere awarding, because Christ is his dad, and right as the woman's head is the man, the man's head is Christ, and so submission is the end of his darkness.
And Christ is submitting to God at the end of the glamour you will OfferUp the Kingdom to God. It will be but so even Christ and there's an order that he has established. So it's we a wife is submitting in the fear of the Lord as unto the Lord. So really you're doing that as unto the Lord you.
Under the Lord, and sometimes He's not. We're at the age now, you know, after about a couple years here.
You're wondering whether she really loves you, you know, and then you get to that point where she really loves me. That's amazing, you know, and you're worried about that anymore. But then you get to the point where we do say some things that are not likable. We may not like each other about something that we did, but the love is there. And that's a security that, you know, people never understand until you get there. And you don't worry about this one that you love me anymore. No, she will die for me and I will die for her. But we do worship him and we disappoint each other. So we don't like each other temporarily. But that's where you constantly say this offended me. But really I didn't seem to, you know, you see, work it out. But it's that is marriage. It gives the opportunity to work out of Christianity.
You've got someone really close to you. There could be sparks, but that's good. You get to live your Christian life and work it out. So it's a very good thing marriage is.
The best like, you know, say that.
I know we're not making very much progress in our chapter, but maybe this is what we're supposed to do. I know we're not making very much progress in our chapter, but maybe that's what we're supposed to do for a few minutes.
One other comment, you talked very I was just in the back. They can't hear you back. There's a speak up a little louder. We can't turn up the volume anymore. It's as high as it goes. So we're going to have to elevate. Maybe nobody should hear me. No.
You should be speaking to God. So we want to hear. So the end of Ephesians 5, the very last phrase.
Is directed to the white, it says. Sorry, I'm gonna have to talk here.
It says.
See that she reverence?
Her husband.
It doesn't say see that she loved her husband.
It says see that she reverence her husband. I I just asked this question. Dear sister, I'm not asking if you love your husband.
Do you reverence him?
We have two references to Michael.
In David's life where it says that she loved him.
But we also have reference that shows us that she didn't reverence him.
But what I would like to do, just read a verse. We we've spent quite a bit of time on what Paul has to say.
What about Peter? What does he have to say?
As one who was married, so let's go to his epistle.
First Peter, chapter 3.
And verse 7.
Says likewise he husbands.
Dwell with them according to knowledge.
Giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together.
Of the grace of life.
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That your prayers be not hindered. I don't know what it's like in the Carolinas, but where I come from.
My wife and I were were wired different emotionally.
A very different.
And it's, it's good. It's, it's good to to recognize as our brothers have been bringing before us, that.
The husband's love is to be unconditional.
But there is this aspect that Peter brings before us and says live.
Dwell with your wife according to knowledge, and I believe that's recognizing the emotional difference.
That we have with our wives and if we're not able to do that, he gives the result and the result is that prayers are hindered. It's it's really wonderful to be able to pray with your wife and for a wife to be able to pray with her husband.
Sometimes at the end of the day, that's when I find out what's happened in my wife's day is when we're praying together. But this concept of dwelling with them according to knowledge.
Is a big help recognizing the emotional difference.
In A husband and a wife.
Might just give one warning. It says here that warmongers and adulterers, God will judge. And you know, there are young people in this room. And Brother TH Brown used to have this little expression. He would say, what's the surest way of never marrying an unbeliever?
That don't go out with them the first time. Don't do it because you cannot trust your heart. Your heart is deceitful above all things, desperately wicked. And God tells us not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers in any way in business or in any other way. But the marriage union is for a believer to marry an unbeliever.
You're just asking for trouble, you're asking for sorrow, you're asking for your disobeying the plain teaching of the word of God, and you're just asking for sorrow. And you never take something that God didn't give you and get away with it says what have what hast thou that thou hast not received? Isn't it nice to receive a wife from the Lord? Isn't it nice to have enter into the marriage union and for a sister to say?
I have been given a husband that loves me today.
But to reach out and to take one who is unsaved, lost, an enemy of God's people.
It's a sorrow and so this term that used fornicators often times the apostle Paul uses it in different ways, but.
You know, he really warns against fornication, against adultery, against it really admiring of that type of Christ in the church. He will be faithful to the church for all eternity.
So perhaps we could go on to verse five that really speaks of covetousness here.
And something that is really a problem in the Western world, it's a problem even in poor countries like your conversation or your manner of life. Be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. For he has said, I will never leave leaner for safety.
Some of us have gone into places where it's literal, people don't have anything.
But they have the Lord.
And I haven't counted how many bibles I have in my home, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had 50.
But for our dear brother or sister in the Lord to receive a Bible in some of these countries.
And maybe you've had it happen to you is they pulled out their their Bible that they've just received very reverently and asked you to just sign your name and the date that you gave it to them. And then they'll just sign their name and very reverently take care of this precious book because they've got one. And it's probably the most prized possession that they've got.
But here we're being exhorted. Let your manner of life be without covetousness.
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We don't need stuff, we need Christ, and we need to have a sense that you'll never leave us or take us. That's the best possession that we have is the Lord Himself.
Every advertisement that you see in the world today is to the bottom line is to make you dissatisfied with what you have.
And we know the verse as well in First Timothy 6. To become godliness with contentment is great game.
So the Lord has given us what He can trust us with, but to make a gain of money, an object is certainly going to interfere with our spiritual progress and.
And fellowship.
With our brethren too. So it's not.
Money, that is.
That is the problem. It is the love of money which is the root of all evil and so.
We can can be displayed in a poor person as well as a rich person, is that right?
I'd like to ask people in South America sometimes who has a lot of money together, which person? Or a poor person? Sometimes they'll say a rich person. I say rich person loves it because he has it, the poor person who loves it because he wants it. And so it's something that afflicts everybody. It's interesting that the new translation is said instead of college. Is this the love of money?
And it's such a.
Challenge to remember that money is just, again, as we said this morning, a means to an end. It's not an end in itself.
I must say I've been challenged. Still a member of Revenue for Republic.
Years ago, Clinton and I were invited to his home for the new Mia.
And his home was made of sticks stuck in the earth for the walls.
The doors at a convenience spot and banana leaves for the roof. And if it rained, you had this situation yourself. In this position, you didn't get ripped on.
And when we went in, invited us to sit down, the only place to sit down was at the table. The system is still preparing the food.
And you didn't have anything to show us of value.
Brother and I'll never forget.
As we sat down at the table to wait for the Leo, he took out his Bible and he sat down at the head of the table and he started reading. I died.
Afterwards I understood you didn't know how to read.
He was quoting that, remember.
Never, ever forget the joy that radiated from that black face, that dear brother.
I just had to put my head down and say Lord Jesus.
Please.
Believe the idea that having stuck will make me happy. That's not the secret. It's having a relationship with the God of the universe that will make you happy. Not having things the Lord deliver us from that. That's the error of the American Dream.
Have more and more and more and you never have enough.
To have the Lord, it is incredibly satisfying. So it's it's.
The what it says here is.
Being content, that's not exactly the American dream.
Be content and they already read that person verse 256 Godliness with contentment is great. I ask you right now.
00:50:00
Are you sincerely content just as you are right now?
That is a secret.
I think this is a very important topic for.
12 more years ago I did a study of it and it's an interesting subject to look at in both the Old and in the New Testament. There's a book written by a Puritan called The Christian Jewel of Contentment, but there aren't that many books written about it because.
I don't think most of us, we want to hear about it or talk about it because this world offers much to fix the eye on heart from Christ. And if you compare the Old Testament with the New Testaments, intriguing to see what we find there. There is much about covetousness. They was promised earthly blessings. But one of the only references to contentment in the Old Testament is in Genesis 37 when they put Joseph in the pit and then they sold him. Reuben persuaded them not to kill him. They sold him away and it says then his brethren were content.
So they sold their own brother and they were content. We live in a world that that's how they define contentment. It's by sinful activity. But God has given us and we see this in the New Testament. We find it in the end of the epistles, First Timothy chapter 6, Philippians chapter 4, Hebrews chapter 13. It's towards the end of the epistle. It's intriguing to look at how it's laid out in Scripture. Covetousness, there is much because everything that the eye can see, it can attract our hearts away from Christ.
But we have in Christ all things that pertain unto life and godliness. We have everything we have treasures in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Paul could say I have all things and abound. And when we put our heart on that which is true and real and precious and eternal, that is our deliverance. There is another word we use the word contentment. But I like in the Psalms. David used the word fixed and I'm going to read some verses and they've been a help to me and again.
This was an intriguing subject to look at. It says in Psalm 57 verse 5, be thou exalted, O God above the heavens, Let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps and you know in this world everything around us is a net for our steps. We need to be aware. My soul is bowed down. They have digged a pit before me into the midst where of they are falling themselves. See love.
My heart is fixed. Oh God, my heart is fixed.
I will sing and give praise. There is deliverance in looking to the King of glory. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty.
We turn also to.
Psalm 108.
Oh God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise even with my glory.
Verse three. I will praise thee, O Lord among the people, I will sing praises unto thee among the nations, for thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth reaches under the cloud. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and thy glory above all the earth. And then in Psalm 112.
Psalm 112 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighted greatly in his commandments.
And then in verse.
Seven he shall not be afraid of evil tidings. We allow the little alerts on our phones, the little messages, the news. We allow the media to instill fear.
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and His children have a place of safety. We need to have the fear of the Lord so that the fear of this world cannot touch us, because it's in the fear of the Lord. That's the beginning of wisdom. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings. His heart is fixed. Trusting in the Lord, his heart is established. He shall not be afraid until he sees desire upon his enemies. We need to look to the Lord and have our heart filled with all that is great and grand and glorious, because He is great above the heavens, worthy of our worship, and we will one day in the Father's house.
We will see His face, and the things of this world will go strangely dim in the light of His glory.
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That goes along with the verses 5 and six. So the end of verse 5I or he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake thee, and that wonderful than those the Lord with us.
Some time ago I have a sister who said to me.
I think the Lord has abandoned me.
I stay aware to get that.
I said, does your feelings ever change? Yeah, they change. Just the word of God ever change? No. What do you think? You better trust your feelings or the word of God.
God, let's say I agree with you.
You said I will never even though you don't feel with you.
And then it says in verse 6, this is associated world, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Rather than that question of fear.
It really tested us in the time of voting and I saw so many brothers under the power.
Yes, we need to take your documents.
The Lord is with us and He is taking care of us.
So he says, I will not fear, but man should be. Lord help us in these things, brethren, where perhaps we'll be tested.
Again, in our lives, are you going to get place to be here or are you going to let the word of God guide your life? I think that's so important.
We were talking about this thought of contenders.
And I asked the question, I said there was a Christian man.
We were having a conversation, he said I have a son that got straight A's through high school, got straight A's and college graduate guys degree and he's living in my basement playing video games and working at 10 and he keeps telling me I'm content that.
What do I do?
Best answer I got was after the media from John Kaiser, he said. Complacency is not content. Is that good?
Places it's not dependent, you know, Jackie tells us Tiki. First the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. God can bring things into your life that will help make your life better.
One of the things that is to characterize or the believer is to have courage in a day that's filled with adversity, isn't it? We live in a day that's.
At the at the end of the day of grace, we know, and the apostle Paul said that in the latter days perilous times shall come. Men shall be lovers of their own selves. And he lists 19 things. I think it is. And so we live in those days.
Men are lovers of their own selves, but we don't need to be afraid. We can take courage, and the reason is that we can have the Lord, a sense that the Lord is our helper.
Would you desire to have anyone else helping you?
You know, I just been doing a little bit of work on the cottage up at the top of the hill. We have a guest cabin and we have people come in the summer.
And I need a hand every now and then to hold something. And I have to call for my wife and she comes and she helps me. She holds something and I screw it up or whatever. And but to have the Lord, to have a sense that the Lord is working with you and helping you in the day of adversity is a strong, strong sense, gives a strong sense of courage to just press forward in the path of faith.
I just want to refer to Joshua chapter one. You think of some of these men of God and the their stories are told and you think they would have had the courage to just press forward and never be afraid. But it says in Joshua chapter one verse 2, the Lord said to Joshua, Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise go over this Jordan thou and all the this people under the land.
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Which I do give them even to the children of Israel. And then a little bit further on it says in verse six, it says be strong and of a good courage. A little later on in verse seven, only be thou strong and very courageous. And then a little further on in verse 9, be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. And then the last time is in verse 18, It's really the people of God now that speak to Joshua.
They say only be strong and of a good courage. And so the Lord spoke to him and said four times, Take courage, Joshua.
And so don't ever think that your older brethren sometimes aren't afraid of situations that develop and things that they feel might harm the people of God and.
Sometimes there is a little bit of fear. I don't know how often it's spoken of in the Scriptures. Fear not, but it's used. The little expression is used even in the Gospels. The Lord Jesus uses it. And so we have that tendency to fear, to be afraid. But what's the remedy? Have a sense that the Lord is helping us.
Have a sense of the presence of the Lord, have a sense of the grace of God. Cultivate the sense of the presence of the Lord, and walk in communion with Him. Anything that would hinder that communion with the Lord. Judge it, have it away, have it dealt with, and walk in fellowship in communion with the Lord.
So help me with this.
There's.
You and I are two very different brothers.
Some some of us here.
Are of a more timid nature.
Honestly, I'd rather be sitting right back there. That's where I'd rather be.
I was kind of dragged up here.
So.
Some of us have have a a more forward, a more.
A more bolder character. Some of us have a more timid character.
We have the apostle. He addresses Apollos in one portion, he addresses Timothy and another portion. They're both. They're both very, very different.
So can we take those, those two characters and put them together? How do we do this? You're giving us some good instruction here, but it's for all of us as if we're all the same. And I'm, I'm asking this is a question. How do we, how, how, how do I deal with this when I'm have a character that's much different than yours?
I don't have the answer brother.
But we each individually walk with God and we each individually are loved as a savior. We each individually ought to have a sense of his presence. And regardless of the temperament that is ours, the character we each there's only one person like you, brother Dave. There's only one person like what you were thankful.
Every single one of us is an individual. We have individual likes, dislikes. We have individual features that the Spirit of God has formed in every one of us. And at the time that we were sealed by the Spirit, He gave us each a gift, a spiritual gift to exercise.
We're all different, but we he's loved us as individuals, he'll love us. We'll keep our individuality into eternity.
And so He desires that in the condition that He has placed us, in the circumstances that he has placed us, that we would be satisfied with him and that we would take courage and walk in fellowship with Him through the wilderness scene. I just say that my expression, my answer to you, would be to walk with God in the circumstances that you are in, in the place where God has placed you in with us.
Satisfaction for the person and companionship of Christ.
01:05:03
It's not so much Brother Dave.
Of who you are, it's the God considered that's the voice. Keep that focus. It doesn't matter what you're doing, the whole you're going to prove his faithfulness and that's what's working.
But we still deal with it. We still deal with it and it's in our lives. You know, people laugh at me when I tell them I was painfully shy as a child, painfully shot, almost to the point of throwing up the social situation. Will God change that over time? But as Robert was reading some of the scriptures about fear and about trusting the Lord, I think there are two verses that have often been contrasted that I will.
What I'm afraid, I'll trust in the Lord. In the opposite of that is I will trust in the Lord and not be afraid. But there are times where fear comes in with every one of us. Courage.
Is being afraid and moving forward anyways. I have never admired my wife more than when I've watched her with fear and trembling move forward in the right direction. When you see that it's to be admired because being afraid, and you move forward because you believe that it's the right thing to do from the Word of God, in spite of the fear and friendly that is current. And even the world admires courage because it's one of the highest attributes that mankind has ever attained to.
Well, what about a Christian with whatever is facing them? They may be in fear, but they move forward anyway. So Dave, when you travel to Malawi, I think it takes some courage to do that. And others, whatever you're facing, if it's got fear down deep, you can still move forward. Take courage in the Lord and trust Him. Then even if you're trembling, you move forward. That's courageous and that's to be admired.
I was thinking of the.
The breastplate that was on the high priests garments. I guess we're familiar with the.
Description there the Onyx stones that were on the shoulders bearing the names of the 12 tribes of Israel that speaks of strength, but on the breastplate were 12 Stones.
And they were all different. You can read that in Exodus 2829. Each one was individually different. And I've enjoyed the thought. The Lord loves us the way we are. He knows our disposition, our weakness. In fact, the 1St man is not really looked upon as sinful. We all have likes and dislikes. This is an entirely apart from the question of sin.
So it's wonderful to know that the Lord as our High priest, he has a special love for each one of us. He understands us perfectly.
He understands our personalities and temperaments and what have you, and it doesn't excuse our sin. That's another thing. We don't want sympathy for our sin. We want to judge that unsparingly when it raises its ugly head in our lives.
But it's wonderful to know that the Lord is understanding. We were speaking at the supper table last night, that the Lord is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He was.
A mistake made in Christendom is that the Lord had infirmities like we do. That's entirely erroneous doctrine. The Lord did not have infirmities. Infirmities are a result of sin.
Because we're part of the groaning creation in which we live.
The Spirit of God help with our infirmities.
To keep us from murmuring and grumbling, which I often fail in, but he doesn't remove the infirmities.
So isn't it wonderful that we can turn to the Lord as our great High Priest? We don't dwell upon the.
Wonderful provision that we have. Hebrews 4 and many other parts of this epistle brings before us a high priestly work of Christ. That was not so during his life down here. The Lord became High priest only in resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God.
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There is a man up there and he understands the temptations that we go through, so it's been a comfort to me. We speak in being an education myself for years. We speak of the children having special needs.
What a lot is made of that in the educational circles? Well, we all are in that position. We all have special needs. The Lord understands we can turn to him in that time of feeling our weakness and that we're going to, we're going to.
We should be trembling where we're going to fall, but we can draw upon the resources. Every time we fail, it's because we do not avail ourselves of the resource that we have in the Lord at the right hand of God, a man, a man up there with all the feelings of a man.
And we don't we tremble and we don't our unbelief.
Had those of us who are older will remember Mr. HEHA Hole whose ministry I came up under as a young man. He says we are unbelieving believers Remember that Robert. So I think we can, it humbles us, but let us never excuse our failure and say, well this is my personality, I can't, I can't prevent doing this.
It may be something dishonouring to the Lord.
But this is the way I made No, no, we have a great high priest who is able to sucker to save to sucker to sympathize. How wonderful that resource is that right, David very nice. Thank you. In the world, counselors, coaches try to build self-confidence in people. Christian, there's no place for self-confidence not not a spiritual thing.
I mean, if I ask a brother who knows how to build a house, does he have confidence in the fact that to build the house? Yeah.
When it comes to spiritual things, there's something you can call Christ confidence.
And for a Christian, that is an important thing because in our lives, when we start out on the Christian pathway, God proves us and we prove him. And the more that happens over time and fear go.
Why was David unafraid when he came down and faced Goliath? Because he'd already proved him up in the mountain.
And he had learned to have confidence in his God, and knowing that his God walked with him, now we have Christ.
That Christ is with us, that he proves us and we prove Him. So over time, when you prove Him, why should you be afraid anymore? Now you may be surprised by something. If I jump out in the dark and you're walking through one of these trails and go boom, you'll jump. What you do next makes a difference. And that happens in all kinds of circumstances in our life.
Something will surprise, something will happen and we are startled and we react a certain way. What happens next? If you have price confidence, the fear will go and you will rest there. No matter how timid you are or how old you are, the same thing, the same circumstance can happen, each one, and the response may be slightly different, but it still comes from Christ conference having proved Him and He's proving us.
It's John, 56.
Before Sam, I would like to read 2 verses that.
It's interesting the difference between versus Psalm 56 and first of all, there's three.
What time I am afraid, I will trust your name and notice being afraid comes first.
OK, what are you doing? You're afraid.
But now notice the difference in verse 11.
In God have I put my trust. I will not be afraid.
Here he puts God first, and then what place is there first?
It doesn't, it doesn't. And so I find that it is true that fear sometimes is very strong when we get situations in life before us instead of the Lord. Keep the Lord before the 1St and then there's no place for fear. But it's because we get a looking at the situation. Can't handle this. This is too much for me.
01:15:00
Is it too much for the Lord?
So.
The worst day of my life was when.
We got the news. My wife at state for lymphoma.
Well, we didn't know it was that at first. He had a tumor the size of a grapefruit in her right long. We went home and we went together and cried together and went to sleep. Still with you.
Dear brother, normally.
Sends out the next morning I got up to turn my computer on and in bold letters. Be not afraid, only believe.
That was and that day three times. God brought that before us in the story of Jared.
The fear less and we began to trust the end of that story is that little girl live isn't it from that moment we do that God was going to save her life from that moment change.
We might just take note that there's a principle that Paul uses here and that is he quotes the passage of Scripture. And so he says, so that we may boldly say or take encourage the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear, what shall man do unto me while he's quoting this Psalm that you read? And so he says in verse 11, I will not be afraid. What shall, what can man do unto me? Well.
It's a good thing to have the word of God before us on a consistent basis. It's vital to have the word of God before us daily, hourly. It's not an option for a believer to read the word of God lackadaisically or every couple of days or whatever, but to search the Scriptures diligently, not only to learn the truth, but to feed your own soul. And so it's vital. So this is really the apostle Paul.
He didn't have his own copy of the Scriptures. I don't believe he memorized these things, and so he quoted them.
And so it was an encouragement to him. Well, if we go on to verse seven, he really begins a new subject here and Speaking of the oversight in the assembly. And I might just say that in Judaism they had an organized system and the high priest had authority and he had there were scribes and Pharisees and so on. So there was an order of things in Judaism.
And it was set up of God, the Levites serving in the ironic priesthood and so on. And there was authority. And so we could read Deuteronomy chapter 17. And if they had difficulty, they would go to the place where the Lord had chosen the place's name, and they would bring the matter before those that were there. And it would, there would be a judgement rendered and so on. Well, God has ordered and organized Christianity, you might say. There are those that God raises up in oversight.
And so he says, let's read it in Acts chapter 20.
Acts Chapter 20 and.
Verse 28.
Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which or wherein the Holy Ghost hath made you overseer. What's their responsibility? To feed the Church of God, which He had purchased with His own blood. So God loves His Church, He loves the Saints, and He raises up different ones that will be shepherds among His people.
And will preserve the flock, feed the flock. There is a work we could go into the work of a shepherd. But here we have in the last chapter of Hebrews. I think it's five references to those that are in oversight. And so this one here remember them which have the rule over you really should be the ones that have had the rule over us. Those that have passed on those that have taught us in the past and brought the truth that for us and we should.
Remember what they taught and walked in the same truth. And then it says imitate them in the same verse follower, imitate them, imitate their faith, the end of their conversation, their purpose of life. And then the third one would be in verse 17, those that are alive now obey them that have the rule over you. And then the fourth thing is submit yourselves. And then in verse 24, salute.
01:20:24
All them which have the rule over you and all the Saints they have Italy salute you. So there are five different words, five different terms that he uses in connection with oversight and these that are raised up of God by the Spirit of God to shepherd the Saints and that is really their under shepherds. Peter speaks of it. Let's read it in I think it's first Peter chapter 5.
First Peter chapter 5 and verse two feed the flock of God.
It's not the flock of the brethren, it's not the flock of anyone but God himself, the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, but not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither is being Lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear.
He, he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
So largely the work of oversight is not very glamorous, you might say.
And so the shepherd is sometimes kicked in the shins and he's unappreciated. But isn't it nice how the Spirit of God brings it out here in Hebrews? They were going to leave the temple and that whole organization of things with the high priest and so on, and they would be gathered together under the precious name of the Lord Jesus. They would be in the upper room and it would look like there wasn't the Spirit of God who just created, made them there.
Brought them there and it would be like a democracy. Everybody had an equal vote. But no, that's not the way it is. He is ordained that there would be order, that there would be those that would be raised up of the Spirit of God and that his people would be fed and they would be protected.
There's a couple of guards here. I believe in this verse for the leaders and the lead that are critical.
And the first one is that remember your leaders who have spoken to you the word of God.
A leader in Christianity is not somebody who leads according to their thoughts, gets a group rallying around them according to their beliefs. A leader in the Word of God is somebody who points you back to the word of God and can show you plainly that the Word of God says this word to remember those leaders. And for somebody who's leading, it is critical that we can lead according to the word of God. We've heard a lot of quotes here this afternoon.
And I think that we need to be careful on quotes because we can set brothers on par with the word of God.
Saying we can't make both, but we need to be careful that we are not making men synonymous with the word of God.
Leaders leave according to and back to the word of God, and then those who are led, it doesn't say imitate their conversation or their manner of life and consider their faith. It doesn't say imitate their personal exercises, their beliefs, their thoughts, their ministry, their mannerisms is not what it says. It says consider that and then imitate their faith.
Their faith, not what they do, not how they act. Consider how they do and how they act, but imitate their faith. Faith is intimately connected with the Word of God.
This helps us, those who lead, not to have the Saints rally around them and it helps us not to set a man or look around this room and say, well, that you know, Brother Nathan, he's a godly man. I'm going to try to imitate him and look like him and act like him because that must be the key to God limits. It is not. It is through faith.
It's helpful to notice in verse seven in the new translation, Mr. Darby's translation, a little more accurate. He uses the word conversation, considering the issue of their conversation, and then he has a note. It's very helpful. It's used to use it in different places, but their conduct, manner of life.
01:25:16
There is a manner of life that is consistent.
With that which is brought out before the Saints to feed the Saints and in a position of.
Being able to feed them and lead, take a lead in ministry perhaps, and those kinds of things. There is a consistency of the manner of life that is necessary, and I believe it's really referring to a consistent walk with the Lord in holiness.
And that the character of such a one is impeccable, that he's beyond reproach. He speaks of those that would desire to have the work of oversight. It's really Titus chapter one and first Timothy chapter 3. We don't have time to go into it. Our time is up. But really there is a character.
And a mode of life that is consistent ought to be consistent with one that is in a place of oversight.
I just like to say that the schedule has 10 or 530, so we can go to 5:15.
We have 15 more minutes. Thank you.
Well, maybe we maybe we should turn to Titus chapter one then.
We're not going to make comments on all of these differences, but these qualifications, you might say.
Now elders were.
Ordained of the apostles. They were selected by the apostles, and here Titus was an Apostolic delegate.
And he was given the instructions as to how to identify one that would be suitable for the work of oversight as an elder. And so he says in verse.
Let's read verse five, Titus chapter one for this cause left four and creep that thou should have set in order the things that are wanting and ordained or established elders in every city, as I had appointed thee. If any be blameless. The husband of one wife having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly for a Bishop must know it should be oversee or must be blameless.
As the steward of God, not self willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, or good things, or goodness, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers, that is, those that would argue against the truth.
Where there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially, they have the circumcision whose mouths must be stopped. And so God is very careful to outline the characters, the features that would be necessary in one that would take oversight, exercise oversight among his people. Isn't that nice to get this list I think of. We've just been Speaking of the husbands and wives, but the husband of one wife. Why does it say that?
It means it shows that the brother.
Has stick to itiveness. He has devotedness. He's devoted to one woman Christ for all eternity will be devoted to one bride. Yes, he will have an earthly people. They are presented as in the affectionate way that the Spirit of God refers to them as a bride, but he'll only have one wife, only one bride. And so you and I need to as those that are in oversight.
Need to be very devoted to Christ.
These are the these are the qualifications. These are the qualifications for the office of elder, I believe, or or overseer.
Which is an office, not a gift. And not every elder brother is is in that position.
01:30:05
The the qualifications are given to us here, as Robert has read in.
Titus There is no official appointment now for an elder or a Bishop or or an overseer.
But each one of us can cultivate these qualities that are listed here essential for an overseer or a Bishop or a guide who is going to.
Lead the children of God.
Administratively, really, it's administration that is prominent in an office.
But all these qualities, these moral qualities are not only for them. We should cultivate them ourselves. Even though we don't feel that we occupy that position of that office, we should cultivate those qualities. You believe that, that Robert? Yes, it's necessary in all of us, but he's saying particularly that there, if we could put it this way, that there are must have.
On the list that God has morally so a man might disqualify himself if he was.
A bigamist, he might have two wives in Africa or something. Well, he couldn't be in a place of oversight because he was disqualified in this matter. But it's nice to see, it's encouraging to see how the Spirit of God desired that the people of God would be cared for and that they would have proper examples. And they were to consider those that had followed the Lord, consider their lives and the end of their lives.
Brother, I think prayed this morning about those that have young people that have a good beginning, but some of them don't have a very good ending. And Brother Gordon used to often remind us that it was necessary for us to have a good beginning, but make sure you have a good ending. And so there are brethren, older brethren that began well in the assembly. They began well, they lived well, They were stable in their assembly life all their lives, and then they ended well.
Where to imitate their faith and to remember what they taught. This is the passage. This is really the force of the passage. Where to remember what they taught us, and to go on in the same things.
Find it helpful to see the difference between Titus.
And the instructions to and overseer bills and Timothy, he's not full to appoint or Dave elders, have you simply given the qualifications for them? And I think that is helpful for today.
You determine them by their moral qualifications. We live in a dead ruin, and sometimes, perhaps, there's no one.
That can fulfill that. I mean the fact that it says here that Timothy Free must be blameless.
That's a pretty heavy qualification. I don't know how many of us can fulfill that.
I remember a brother in a certain assembly of Bolivia who said, you know her other night. I really like to be a help to my brethren here in.
Alaska and he says that.
I can't fulfill those qualifications, I said. I'd like you to read verse one, please.
This is a true saying. It is if a man desire the office of official the desired.
I say, I see you have that desire. Let me tell you that. The desire.
Do what you can. We're not going to call you an elder patient and do what I think that's what we need to be encouraged to those of us who are perhaps in the Senate that needs help.
Do what you do. We're not going to be following any official way, but.
It is beautiful that you can be occupied in that way.
Maybe.
Encourage younger brother, and where there are perhaps assemblies where there are brethren of confidence to cultivate, fellowship with them.
01:35:08
Can I first went from Walla Walla to Oak Park, IL? There was an older brother there.
John L Airson he was.
Grandfather Holidays and.
And I was only 18 years old. I wasn't scared.
And I remember I tried to be as polite as I could. And hello, Mr. How are you tonight?
You're right around.
I'm doing something wrong. I don't know what it is. So I decided I would wait for him to come to me. You know, that turned it around and then he came to me. And hypocritically. But I think it is helpful for you to definitely.
Drive to smoke the village, ask him questions about scripture. See I have this question. Could you help me understand this? It is it's very helpful in the long run. So I just encourage when the young people to do that here. We're told in our chapter to remember in like Robert said as those that have perhaps passed on because it talks about the cans of their conversation.
That verse 17 is for those that.
Exists now obey them which have the rule over you or your shepherds, your guys, and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account. They may do it with joy and not with grief, and that is unprofitable to do. Those are the ones that are now so listen to your brother doesn't mean they always understand, but take what they say and take it to the Lord and let them hear it.
Often been said is their faith we are to follow, not their failures.
And too often.
Leaders have have been.
A source of sorrow in the assemblies because they have influence.
And they lend that influence to the decision they make, and it may not be according to the word of God, and they get a following and it leads to much sorrow in the assembly. So it's their faith we are to follow.
In in humility.
I realized we're just about done here.
Maybe just to breakdown this subject of oversight for us.
The the scriptures that we've had read to us.
With regards to oversight earned 4 places we've had them read to us there in Acts 20.
And then we had first Peter 5.
Then we have the Scriptures read to us in Timothy and in Titus.
Oversight.
Looked at in the local assembly has to do.
In this translation with bishops and deacons.
There's only one epistle.
In the New Testament, that is addressed to bishops and deacons only one.
And it's the book of the Philippians.
So we we might ask the question, what is the difference between bishops and deacons if we could?
Break it down simply without, with just a little bit of time. The deacons.
Are those that look after the practical needs of the Saints.
The bishops are those that look after the spiritual needs of the Saints, and they're not isolated. There's a crossover. Someone saw to it that there was chairs set up for us here. Someone saw to us that there was some negotiation with this, this Conference Center that we're going to get fed. They were going to have rooms. There's those that have looked after the names that came in there are those, all those things that are looked after.
And that's a Deacon or a deaconess work.
The the bishops is more difficult.
01:40:03
Because we have the gifts brought to us in three different places. We have them brought to us in, in First Corinthians 12. We have them brought to us in Romans 12, and we have them brought to us, of course, in Ephesians, Ephesians 4. But a Bishop does the work of some of those gifts. Even our brother John is brought before us. It's an office. But there may not be the gift of a teacher in an assembly. There may not be the gift of an evangelist in assembly.
There may not be the gift of a pastor in an assembly, but it's those who are bishops, those who are in that position of oversight that do that kind of work in a local setting. And I think that's helpful for us because.
Primarily if we look at the the elders that were called in Ephesus in Acts 20 and those that are referred to in first Peter 5 primarily.
Their responsibility was to provide food for the people of God. In both cases, one says feed the Church of God, the other says feed the flock. And that's such an important position of those in oversight to see that the Saints get fed. Feeding the Saints doesn't mean I just present something I've enjoyed. It's having a sense of what the Saints need and providing.
Food for them. We're very careful in providing food for our children. We're very careful about that. There needs to be carefulness in providing food for the Saints. And so that is really what those in oversight primarily do in the local setting.
I find it helpful today to see that bishops and deacons are offices in the Church as the House of God.
But the gifts are given to the Church as the body of Christ. That distinction is helping.
277 We have crisis, the Good Shepherd in John 10 and the Chief Shepherd first Peter 5, and here in Hebrews 13.
He's the great shepherd of the sheep and seeing him through 77.
Yeah.
We.
01:45:00
Are.
Sad about everyone.
Yeah.