Kentucky Conference: 2017
Table of Contents
Seven Exhortations
Address—Jim Hyland
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Turn with me, please, to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians, chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2 and we're going to read the 1St 3 verses of this chapter to begin with.
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse one. And you have to be quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air.
The Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation in time past.
In the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and whereby nature the children of wrath.
Even as others, I'd like to go through this book and I would like to notice, with the Lord's help, some very, very practical exhortations.
In connection with our walk of faith through this world, you know so often when we take up the Book of Ephesians, we think of it perhaps more in connection with its doctrinal aspect. And certainly that is very true. Ephesians brings before us the precious truth of the fact that we are seen positionally in Christ, that we are there already, seated positionally in heavenly places in Christ.
And this precious truth is expounded by the apostle Paul by divine inspiration.
To the Ephesian elders who at this point in their history collectively as those gathered to the Lord's name.
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We're able to take in this high, this deep truth, but there is an aspect of Ephesians that perhaps sometimes we miss.
And that is a very practical side to Ephesians, because there are two things that we need to consider in connection.
With our Christian pathway, first of all we need sound doctrine.
That's vital. That's important because we're built on the foundation and that foundation.
The Church's foundation is the apostles and prophets, those New Testament writers that laid those doctrinal truths for us.
By divine inspiration. But as has often been said, sound doctrine is to lead to sound behavior.
Because Christianity is a very practical thing. We're not home yet.
We're on our way there positionally. We're seen as a heavenly people seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
We are looked at 2:00 as Christ in you, the hope of glory. That's Colossians.
We're on our way to glory. We're on our way to the Father's house, and we've had some expressions as to that.
In the hymns that we have sung already this afternoon, but you know, we're still here in a wilderness world, And as has often been brought before us, young and old, God has set before us each a path of faith and service.
And were exhorted time and time again to walk in that path that he has for each one of us.
And we've been so often reminded that the joy, the fruit and the testimony in our Christian pathway come.
When we walk in the path of obedience, and we're going to notice in the book of Ephesians.
7 Exhortations in connection with our walk. They're all in connection with something a little different, a little different context, a little different aspect of things, but tied together. They exhort us to go on and with sound doctrine as the basis, go on in the path of faith and obedience that has been set before each one of us. But he begins here, in the second chapter.
With a reminder of how we once walked. Now, before we pass on, perhaps I would just say this too. If there's someone here and you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, the things that we're going to speak of this afternoon really have no relevance to you. You're still characterized by that which we have in the opening of this chapter. You're still following the course of this world. You're still going on in your sins. And if that is true?
You are on the Broad Rd. That leads to destruction. A course on that road if continued.
In the end it's going to lead to the lake of fire an eternal separation from God, and how solemn that is. And so this afternoon the way of blessing is open for you. You can change from treading, from walking on the broad road, to transferring to the narrow way it says of that way it leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. But the way of blessing is open today.
And so we find here that the Apostle Paul writing of this very precious truth that he has already expounded in the first chapter and the heavenly spiritual blessings of the believer. Then he pauses for a moment to remind them of what they once were. Now if we were to follow this out in the book of Ephesians, we would find that so often he uses the word we and ye, we and you.
Because he sometimes referring to the Jews. Paul was a Jew by birth and sometimes he's referring to the Gentiles to whom he was writing. Paul had been saved as a Jew on the Damascus Rd. These Ephesians Saints, I suppose for the most part at least, had been saved from a Gentile background. And so he speaks in this way, but without going into it, what is brought out in this chapter is.
That, whether Jew or Gentile, the all is concluded.
As to us being dead in trespasses and sins. And so we find here he brings this out at the at the at the very beginning we find in the book of Romans that we are under the sentence of death. But here it's even more than that. In the book of Ephesians we are dead. Now when he speaks of dead here, of course it's not physical death. Death is taken up in different ways in the word of God, as we well know.
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That's why we stress that context is so important. And here it's dead. Not physically, but dead toward God. We're dead in trespasses and sin. It's true we still have a walk here, so it can't be physical death. And so he's Speaking of walking, but it's the natural man walks in the lusts of his flesh. The natural man walks in the East in ways of evil and that are not according to the holiness in the mind of God.
So he speaks of how we once walked here. We were physically alive.
But we once walked according to our own desires and appetites, the desires and appetites of the old man. But thank God there's been a work in our souls. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we find that there's been a work to give us life. And he takes that up a few verses down. But here he reminds us that whether Jew or Gentile, we were dead in trespasses and sins, and that we once walked according to the course of this world.
And he brings in the enemy here, the Prince of the power of the air.
Because the enemy, Satan is opposed to everything that is of God and Christ.
And before we pass on to some further scriptures, I would say this too, that if you're seeking by the grace of God to walk according to the word of God.
And for God's glory in this world, there's going to be opposition.
There we once followed the course of this world. We once were under the authority and power of Satan, the God and Prince of this world.
But he's still a very real enemy to the people of God. Because maybe I hear someone say, well, Jim, I know I'm saved.
I know that there's been a work, a quickening work in my life and by the spirit of God.
I've been given divine life. I've been saved and brought into the knowledge of sins forgiven.
But boy, it sure is hard to live for the Lord. You talk about a walk of faith, but.
There's opposition. Oh, yes, there's real opposition. You know, I look into the faces of those who are a lot younger than me here, and maybe you're just starting out in the walk of faith. Oh, I'm not going to promise you that. It's all going to be well, I'm not gonna promise you it's gonna be easy. But I am gonna promise you. And as we go on to these further verses, I'm going to promise you that it is a path where every resource is supplied.
Through the work of Christ and the work of God, so that you and I can walk for His glory in this world.
And remember this too. It's a walk of faith. It's not just a step or two here and there.
It's not just something that's intermittent. No, it's a walk. You know, we go out for a hike and what do we do? Well, we might stop for a little rest once in a while, but we've got a destination in view and you keep going. And often, perhaps someone who's maybe not as physically fit or someone a little younger is not used to the terrain. What do you do? You encourage them. We've got to keep going. We've got to get there by nightfall or we're almost back to camp or whatever it may be.
And isn't that the way it is in the path of faith? And so we need these encouragements to keep going.
Because I say, it's not just a step or two here and there. It is step by step. But we have to keep going. It's a walk, not not just an occasional step. And so he speaks of this, reminds us of what we once were, where we once walked. But now I want to go on and notice the 2nd exhortation. It's in this very same chapter, just dropped down to the 10th verse of Ephesians chapter 2.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
Which God before ordained that we should walk in them.
Well, what a contrast we have now once we follow the course of this world. Once we did the works of the devil, but now is that the way it is to be in our Christian pathway? No. He set before us this path and he set before us these good works. And not only good works, but we are actually his workmanship. Because we want to stress that if there are any steps taken for God's glory in our Christian pathway.
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If we have, by the grace of God, continued on in the path of faith.
To any degree, it's nothing of ourselves. I know. I look into the faces of some here who have been walking in the path of faith a lot longer than I have.
And I'm sure if we were to sit down with them after this meeting, we would find that they would have to confess that it is only the grace of God that has brought them through. I say that because, you know, I was once a boy and a young person sitting in meetings like this, and I heard my older brother and exhort us as to our walk of faith and trusting the Lord and going on day after day and year after year. And I used to wonder, can it really be possible? How am I going to do it?
How am I going to get through? Well, I'll be the first to confess. There's been lots of twists and turns.
In my Christian pathway, there's been times when I haven't walked according to the path that God has set out for me. There's been digressions, there's been discouragements. There's been stops and starts. I will have, I will confess. But in the end, as I look back over 50 years of life with the Lord, it's all His grace. He works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure and if we are willing to realize this and to.
Reveal ourselves of the resources that he has.
Then we can press on. But remember this too, that in a future day when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
And our walk is reviewed. We're going to have nothing to boast in in that day. We're going to realize that it was all his grace, that step after step, lap after lap in the Christian pathway he brought us through. As I say, he worked in US and he created those good works because you know, Christianity is characterized by good works, not good works to get saved. If we had read the verses in between here.
He's made that very clear and it's not by works of righteousness that we have done.
But according to his mercy, he saved us. As is brought out in these verses, it's the grace of God that has saved anyone of us.
But don't discredit good works in our Christian life. In fact, I'll encourage you to go over and read the Epistle of Good Works sometime.
You know what? A pistol that is The epistle of Titus. And I believe five times there he takes up the subject of good works again, making it clear that it's not good works that save the soul, but it's good works because the soul is saved. And so God desires those good works in your life and mine. And as we look back, you know, some of us were here last year. I didn't have the privilege of being here last year, but I know some of you were.
Let's think back over the last year since we were in this building. What good works have been produced in our lives by the grace of God?
Has there been something for his glory? But let me just go back to what I said earlier and that is.
When you and I stand at the judgment seat of Christ and our lives are reviewed.
And those things are brought out that were good works for His glory and the blessing of others.
We're going to realize that it was all of himself. I'm going to repeat a little illustration that I've sometimes used in this regard.
But you know the Lord Jesus said that if you give a cup of water in his name.
It will have its reward and so you give that cup of water and then in a future day it's brought out that you gave that cup.
Here's what's going to be brought out. First of all, it's going to be brought out that he provided the cup of water.
Secondly, he put the desire in your heart to give the cup, and thirdly.
He provided the opportunity to give that cup. Well, brethren, we're just going to realize it with all his grace. We're gonna realize that it was nothing of ourselves. And like it's figuratively brought out in the Book of Revelation, when the redeemed are there giving praise, what do they do? They cast their crowns back at his feet. Those rewards that were given for faithfulness. Why, They realize, as we are going to in a coming day, they realize that.
If there was any reward, it was all because of his work, and so he's ordained.
That we should walk in them because we are a new creation in Christ, as I say. And as a result, now you and I have the capacity as well as the responsibility, because there always is responsibility, the responsibility to do good works, to show good works. You know, in the book of the Acts we find there were those who were brought out brothers and sisters who did good works. Why, when Dorcas passed away when she died?
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The ladies, the sisters wept, because there were the fruit of her good works, those garments that she had made, and they remembered the good works that she had done. And they, the Lord was gracious and raised her up again. But let me just ask our hearts this question. If one of us in this room was to pass away before these meetings concluded this weekend, would the brethren be able to say, you know, I remember the good works that that brother did. I remember what that sister did and how she was a real help to me.
And that brother they were, he always seemed to be there at the right time and locally in the assembly, always there with a cheerful spirit and a helping hand. Wouldn't you like to be remembered like that? And more than that, wouldn't you like to have the Lord's approval in a coming day? The Apostle Paul said, We labor that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. He wanted to do those things that would be acceptable to the Lord, and that the Lord would have the joy of commending.
In the coming day. So he's ordained that we should walk in them.
And now let's go on to the 4th chapter for a further exhortation.
Chapter 4 and verse one.
I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness and long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Well, here we have an exhortation to walk worthy of our vocation. Now the word vocation is simply a word that means calling. I'm sure the young people understand this.
You know, if you perhaps are not so scholastically minded as some, you may opt for a vocation.
And I don't know how it is in the States, but where I come from, in Canada, they have what we call vocational schools. And there you can go and learn a trade. Perhaps you're good working with your hands with a hammer and a saw and a screwdriver. Maybe you will opt to take up a vocation in carpentry. And so you go and you study and you apprentice and you get your papers as a Carpenter. Maybe it's plumbing, electrical. And we're thankful for those who have those skills and ability and develop them.
Because if you were to come to my house, you'd find that I'm not very good at those kinds of things and I'm thankful that I can call someone.
Who is trained in those various vocations? So our vocation is simply Our Calling.
And again, what the apostle has been bringing out in these previous chapters.
Particularly chapters 1-2 and three is our vocation, our heavenly calling, that you and I are a heavenly people connected with a risen, glorified Christ who's seated at the right hand of God. And now, as this 4th chapter opens, he exhorts us to walk worthy of that calling. We don't have time to develop it, and we've often noticed the verses in this regard.
But in several of Paul's epistles he exhorts us to walk worthy.
In the context of the epistle, I'll just very briefly mention them and you can look them up sometime yourself.
In the Epistle to the Thessalonians, they are told to walk worthy of God. Why? Because the Thessalonians were new believers. They didn't understand deep truth like the Ephesians had just been given. No, they had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven. And they were waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. And so he exhorts them to walk worthy of God.
There were many things they hadn't learned yet, but they did know that they didn't follow dumb idols anymore. They followed the true and living God.
And they were to walk worthy of that. If we were to go over to the Book of Colossians, we would find that the Brethren in Colossi were exhorted to walk worthy of the Lord.
Why are they exhorted to walk worthy of the Lord? And again, the context is vital. It's important.
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Because in Colossians, it's the lordship of Christ. It's the headship of Christ that is taken up.
There he's presented as the head of the body. We, the members on earth, connected to the head by the Spirit, and whether it's collectively or individually, we are to take our instructions from our head. And so they're exhorted to walk worthy of the Lord. In the book of Philippians they're told to walk worthy of the glad tidings of the Gospel, and you really have to go to Mr. Darby's translation to get it clarified. Why are they told to walk worthy of the gospel in the book of Philippians?
Because in Philippi there was a great freshness and testimony in the gospel.
There are two words that are unique to the epistle. To the Philippians, joy and rejoicing is one of them.
But the other is gospel, and there seemed to be a great testimony in the gospel.
The problem was the enemy was coming in to try to spoil that testimony and that work with contention between two sisters. We we who are brothers, shake our head and say two sisters, but never mind. It could have just as well been two brothers. It could have been a brother and a sister there. It happened to be two sisters. But I believe this brethren, that one of the great works of the enemy is to bring in contention amongst the people of God.
Because he knows perhaps there's nothing spoils a gospel work, Oregon a testimony in the gospel if he can get the Saints bickering and fighting amongst themselves. I've seen it over and over again in my life. An assembly, a group of Christians who are really vibrant in the gospel, and some contention comes in. Not only does it spoil their joy and the fellowship, the practical fellowship that is to be enjoyed amongst believers, but it hinders the work, sometimes even stops the work, and it certainly hinders the testimony that goes with the work of the gospel. Oh brethren, let's be careful.
You know, we're here not just to be. And I want to say this ever so careful, brethren, I this is not what I really had on my heart. But since seems to be pressed on my soul at this moment, I'm going to bring it out. Brethren, we are here for more than just being at all the assembly meetings and walking for the Lord individually. It's that's wonderful. It's and we'll speak of it in a moment. It's wonderful to be at the assembly meetings for ministry prayer certainly for the remembrance of the Lord.
And whatever occasion we are called together in the presence of the Lord, as those gathered to the Lord's name, that is marvelous.
It is wonderful to enjoy fellowship as the Saints of God, but you know, water running into a pool and never running out makes the pool stagnant.
You know the Dead Sea is the Dead Sea because it has an inlet but no outlet.
And I have found that believers who have an outlet in reaching out to souls in the gospel are believers who often have more of the real joy of the Lord in their souls. There's a vibrancy, there's a joy that comes from reaching out to others. And I'm not saying we're all called to be gospel preachers. I'm not saying we're all called to give up our secular employment and go to another land. Maybe we, maybe some are, But we can be a testimony right where we are.
Begins in our own households and with our own families and our extended families, our neighborhood, the community in which God has placed us at work, whatever opportunities it may be. And, brethren, there are no shortage of opportunities, and we need to be exercised to have that testimony. And then, as I say, to walk worthy of the glad tidings as the Philippian brethren were exhorted to do. Well, that's just a little parenthesis, just a little bit.
Aside but getting back to what we have here, we are to walk worthy of Our Calling, to walk worthy of our vocation. Now I'm going to repeat a little story or two that again I know, I've told many times, but you know, they say there are three Rs to learning review, review, review. And that's certainly true in connection with the scriptures. Peter said, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them and be established in the present truth.
But I do remember reading about the Crown Prince of France many years ago when there was a French royal family.
And this young Prince was a very unruly young man, and he had a tutor at the palace that tutored him in certain subjects. The problem was this tutor couldn't discipline or correct this Prince the way a normal teacher would with average students from regular backgrounds. I remember being well disciplined when I was a boy in school, but this tutor couldn't do it in the same way because of who her his young student was.
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And so, almost coming to the end of himself one day, he decided on a very novel.
A way of perhaps bringing about some semblance of order in the classroom. And so the young Prince showed up for his classes one day and his tutor was ready for him, because this tutor had a purple rose in it in his hand. Purple was the color of the official color of the French royal family, and as this this young Prince came through the door, the Tudor leaned over and pinned this purple Rosetta on his lapel.
As he said to him, because you're the Crown Prince of France, I cannot discipline you.
When you are unruly during lessons, but every time you act in a way that isn't in keeping with your station, I'm going to point to that purple Rosetta on your on your lapel, and that is to remind you of who you are and that there is a conduct that is worthy of being heir to the French royal throne. They said the effect was amazing. One other little story too, that some of us have heard. I heard it when I was younger.
Was the when many years ago the Prince of Wales, whose heir to the British throne, was on a ship and they were crossing the equator. Now this happened many years ago when crossing the equator on a boat was quite an event. And the story goes that as the ship crossed the equator, many on the ship painted their faces and dressed up in costumes and they had quite a production.
To celebrate crossing the equator. Well, as the story goes, the heir to the British royal throne painted his face and put on a jester's costume and joined in the festivities. And it was the days before social media and so on. But someone was there with a camera and they took his picture and they sent that picture home to England. And that picture was splashed across the front pages of the British press.
And they say it caused a great hue and cry in Britain, and the general consensus of his subjects was.
That kind of conduct is OK for anybody else, but not someone who's heir to the to the throne, not someone who one day expects to be sovereign of the realm. And so maybe those little stories help us to understand what the spirit of God is bringing before us. Here There is a conduct, a walk that is in keeping with those who are citizens of heaven, And I read the two.
Subsequent verses versus two and three because I believe here it's particularly in connection.
With our walk together as the people of God, because there is a collective side of things as well.
And we are to go on together, and together we are to walk worthy of our vocation.
It's not just an individual walk. In fact, I've been struck by that in reading two Timothy.
You know, sometimes we say of Second Timothy that it's a very individual book, and it is because the last days are characterized by individual faithfulness.
But you know, it's interesting that before Timothy is exhorted, continue thou. That's individual.
In the third chapter, In the second chapter, he's told Go on with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
In other words, he says Timothy even till the end, even during the last days and perilous times.
Which are days very parallel to the days in which we find ourselves today.
He says there's a collective side of things. Go on with your brethren not to compromise the truth of God in any way.
But to go on with others who have a similar motive, a desire to walk, to please the Lord, to only authority and lordship of Christ, and to go on in the truth of God as it has been laid down.
By the New Testament writers, those foundation principles we referred to earlier, now we don't have time. We're gonna have to move on here. But I would just say this about these, this second and third verse of our chapter, and that is that as we go on together, there is a spirit and attitude that is important because, you know, our spirit and attitude in our interactions with one another really does affect us. It affects us perhaps more than we think.
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I'll just cite one example from the Old Testament again, it's one of my favorite Old Testament Bible characters.
It's Caleb. You know, when Caleb came back from spying out the good land?
He and Joshua alone stood firm and brought up a good and faithful report.
If I can put it for, uh, this way, for our purposes, this afternoon they they stood for the truth as they knew it in their day. But there's it's interesting what it says of Caleb. It says my servant Caleb because he had another spirit with him. You know, it's remarkable that Caleb is the only one that we read of that got a personal inheritance when they entered the land. Joshua and Caleb are the only two of that generation that we know of from scripture.
Who actually entered the land. But Caleb is the only one that got a personal inheritance. All the rest got an inheritance by tribe and family. But the Lord told Caleb he was going to bring him into the land and give him an inheritance. Why? Not just because he stood for the truth, but he did it in the proper spirit. He had the proper attitude. And so he brings this out. Loneliness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. Faithful, yes, but doing it in the proper spirit and attitude, The spirit and attitude of Christ.
Who was meek and lowly in heart? And if we do that, then we're going to be practically endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. Again, I believe what divides the Saints of God more than anything else is not always doctrine.
It isn't even always practice, but it's the spirit and attitude.
In which things are taken up. Someone has said we can be clear as ice and justice as cold when it comes to the truth and what damage that often does Well, we don't have time to To develop this we're gonna have to press on. I wanna notice later on in the same 4th chapter another exhortation in connection with our with our walk before God. Let's drop down to the 17th verse.
This I this I say therefore, and testify in the Lord that she henceforth walk.
Not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind having the understanding darkened.
Being alienate, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of the of their heart and so on. Well, this is more individual, isn't it? Again, it's interesting that the exhortation to go on collectively is first I I would have put reversed it. But again, what he's showing is that there's always the ability to go on collectively, no matter whether things are going well.
Or whether things are going in a in a difficult vein, whether the enemy has.
Given us a little respite, or whether the enemy is hard at work, there's always that ability to go on collectively. But then, as soon as he brings this out, there's always the individual exhortation. Because, brethren, we are no more collectively than we are individually. Why is it? And again, I want to be very, very careful. Because, brethren, if I have to point the finger this afternoon, I have to point it at my own heart.
And I have to leave it there. But you know, why is it so often we, especially perhaps in the local meeting where we come from, we feel so weak. We don't always feel the leading of the spirit of God. There isn't, perhaps, the testimony in the gospel that there ought to be. We don't see souls saved or come into further knowledge of the truth. Sometimes there's just not the attendance of the meetings that we'd like to see.
We can't be anymore collectively than we are individually, because it does start with the individual walk. And so he has to remind them here not to walk as they as they as as ye henceforth walked. In other words, don't go back to the way you lived before. I believe, brethren, if we can just bring this down very practically this afternoon.
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What he's saying, and the burden perhaps on my own heart, is don't.
Go back to what we once were. There needs to be progress and growth in our Christian life and our Christian walk. It's so easy sometimes to let things slip. Can you think of a time in your Christian life when your walk was more steady for the Lord? Can you think of a time when you had more of a purpose in your Christian pathway and perhaps more of a focus on Christ than you do today?
Well then, brethren, we need this exhortation. At least I do not to slip back. What God wants in our lives is not just a good beginning. He doesn't want just a flash in the pan, as the world would say. We see This, I believe very sadly exemplified in the life of Demas. Dimas is a young man in scripture that we're not told a great deal about. 3 little comments about him in three places.
In Paul's epistles. And yet those 3 mentions, I believe, speak volumes.
Because we find that at the beginning Dimas was following the Lord with a real desire to serve.
With the Apostle Paul he had a real heart for, shall I say, the mission field.
He had a real heart to visit his brethren and to walk to please the Lord.
But you know, at the end Paul had to say, Dimas hath forsaken me. Having loved this present age. Now I realized Dimas didn't forsake the Lord, and we're going to see Dimas another day, but that purpose that he once had was not there any longer. Something had come in, wasn't that he was following this present evil age like you get in the book of Galatians. No props was nothing evil he was going on with, and perhaps he was still to some degree enjoying and serving the Lord.
But it wasn't like before, so I say the purpose and the steadiness was not there.
And he wasn't following, along with the apostle Paul and others who were associated with Paul.
Like he once was. Well, brethren, I say, if I have to point the finger as to these exhortations, I have to point it at my own soul. But you know, perhaps what exercises my own soul will exercise yours. And if that is the truth, then so be it. I have to leave it with the Lord. But now let's go on to the fifth chapter, where we have three more exhortations. And these exhortations in the 5th chapter. These exhortations, I believe, follow along.
In a very important order, let's notice the first one by reading.
Ephesians chapter 5 and verse one and two. Be therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us. An offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor We're going to see in this chapter with the three exhortations. We are first of all to walk in love, then we are to walk in light.
And then we are to walk in wisdom, and I suggest that the order in which they are given is important.
It's first of all in love, brethren. I believe this is so necessary, so vital in our Christian life. And it's interesting in Ephesians, whether it is our individual walk, our collective walk, or whether it's in the family circle that is. Later on in this chapter he speaks of husbands and wives. The standard is Christ and that interesting, the standard for love in our Christian life.
Is Christ, you know, in Colossians in connection with the husband and wife. The husband is to love his wife and be not bitter against her. But here in this epistle, he is to love his wife as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. You know, I've met a lot of Colossians husbands. I'm not sure I've met so many ephesian husbands, but that is the standard that God has set before us. And so that is the standard that he has set before us here in connection with our walk.
We are to walk in love, you know. It's remarkable and noteworthy that in the final words of the Lord Jesus as he addressed the disciples in the upper room before he went to the cross.
He said shut, And I'll purposely misquote this to make my point. He he said There By this show all men know that ye are my disciples if you keep my truth. Or did he say, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you walk in the path of faith I've set before you. Neither of those is what he said. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one for another.
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That practical love expressed in our walk is our greatest testimony to the world.
Because as young people, we used to sing that hymn. Your walk speaks so loud that the world can't hear what you say.
And you know, we again, we can have all the truth down. But you know the problem with the Ephesians Saints was.
That by the time John wrote to them later on the 2nd Epistle of Ephesians in the Book of Revelation chapter 2.
In that second epistle to the Ephesians, they still had the doctrine down pat. They were even able to detect the false apostles. But the problem was they left their first love and that is a a course of things that the church collectively has never returned to. But make no mistake about it, that doesn't mean a individual can't be in the enjoyment of first love or perhaps even the meeting where you come from. They we can be in the enjoyment of first love, the fervor of first love, and that's what he desires.
So he sets Christ before us as that perfect standard. The one who offered himself without spot to God, the love of Christ in dying on the cross was not just for you and for me.
The obedience of Christ and the love of Christ was first and foremost.
That motive of love and obedience to His Father's will. And that is the way you and I are to walk through this world.
To have that same love and desire that the Lord Jesus had to please his his God and to fulfill the will of of the one that sent sent him. And again in the upper room the Lord Jesus exhorted the disciples that they loved one another. But he didn't stop there. You know, the law said that we were there. A man was to love his neighbor as himself. We are to love one another in Christianity. But the Lord said.
That they were to We are to love one another as I have loved you. The same love that the Lord Jesus had in going to the cross for his Father, and the same love that he has for his own, are to be the standard of love for our walk through this, through this world, and so walk in love as Christ hath loved us, we think of that unconditional love that He had for us and that desire to offer himself without spot to God.
I say that ought to be the motivation, the springboard for that practical love expressed in our walk as we go through this world with our fellow believer. So first of all in this chapter were to walk in love, but now drop down to the eighth verse.
Chapter 8, Chapter 5 and verse 8. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord?
Walk as children, as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all good goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable to unto the Lord. Here we find that we are not not just in darkness, but we have a nature that an old nature that is darkness, that was darkness. And so here we're we're told to walk as children. You're in the light, You're light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light, we have been brought into a new position. Now, now in First John, that position is brought before us because we are in the Light in First John. And if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light, we have fellowship, one with another and so on. Being in the Light has brought us into fellowship with the Father, with his son, and as a result with one another. But are we walking as children of Light? Again? I want to make this exceedingly practical. Are we taking up with those things?
That have to do with darkness, the dark, the moral and spiritual darkness of this world.
Again, the enemy is right there to bring those things before us, you know?
When I was going to high school in Smiths Falls In Smiths Falls is just a small town of some 9000.
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I've often said that we had to go out and look for trouble, and some of us found plenty of it. Sad to say, but you know, when my girls went to the same schools that I went to, they didn't have to go and look for trouble. The darkness, the moral darkness, spiritual darkness has so deepened over the Western world that it's right there and it's so accessible. It's so easy. And you know what I'm talking about? You can go home tonight and push a button. You can look at a screen and there are the works of darkness.
Those things that defile. Those things that the world takes up with.
Immorality and all those things that I know you young people are bombarded with on every hand.
But he exhorts us here not to walk in darkness, not to walk. We I realize positionally we're brought into the light, but practically speaking, we can take up with those things that are connected with the darkness of this world. We are to walk as the children of light. Is that the way we are walking through this world now? I'll just say this. And again, it's a little parenthesis. I realize it's not really the context here.
But I'll just say this too, in connection with the resources that we have to walk as children of light, we have many things. But two things in this regard come to mind. One, we have a conscience. And the conscience is like the eye. And it says in Matthew and again in Luke, that if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But there's something else that must go with the conscience, and that is the light of God's word.
Because we might have 2020 vision, but if we walk in a dark room.
We're gonna stumble. We're gonna fall over things. You say what I've got 2020 vision. What's the difference? Well, you turn the light on, and now you see all the things that are there. And now you can walk according to the light. God has given us a conscience. That's like the eye. But the conscience must have light and direction. And where is it going to get that light and direction? Thy word is a lamp under my feet and a light under my path. You need we need light for our pathway through this world so that we can walk as the children of light.
Then I want to notice the 7th and last exhortation still in this same 5th chapter.
Drop down to the 15th verse, seeing then the Ewoks circumspectly not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Well, here we're told to walk in wisdom, so we've had an exhortation to walk in love. We're to walk as the children of light, but now we're to walk in wisdom. We're to walk wisely through this world. We see that with many in scripture.
Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They're commended because they were wise in their reactions and how they walked, even when they came to Babylon, which was a very different day than when they had been home in Judea. And so we are to walk circumspectly. I remember looking up the word circumspect in a Webster's dictionary, and this is what it said, circumspect, careful to consider all circumstances and consequences.
I thought that was very good. You know, every step we take in our Christian pathway has a consequence. Every step we take is going to have a consequence. It's going to have a consequence either for our good and blessing or it's going to have a consequence that we're going to have to reap to our sorrow. Sometimes it's something that we reap and then it's past. Sometimes it's something we may reap for the rest of our lives.
There were those in the Old Testament who had to reap for the rest of their lives and even for generations to come. Because they sold, they weren't careful to consider in the steps they took the circumstances and consequences. Again, it's often been pointed out, but Abraham when Abraham sinned, Ishmael and his descendants have become the constant enemies of the people of God and having just come back from the.
Middle East a few weeks ago. You can see very clearly how those consequences are still there today. Every man's sword is still against his brother, as God said it would be. We find with David when he sinned, he was happily, like Abraham, happily restored to the Lord because there is always restoration. But a sword never departed from his house forever. There were consequences not only for him, but for his family.
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And for generations to come, Oh, be careful. We're to walk circumspectly, not as fools. That is the person who doesn't know the Lord. They just live for the moment. They just live for, for for today. I've often said that the frequent flyer program for Air Canada is called Aeroplan, and its motto is live for the moment. Doesn't that sum up the spirit of the age? Today, people are just living for the moment.
I know that's just a slogan to get people to fly with Air Canada and a Star Alliance airline and get accumulate your miles and your status and get your rewards. But I say that is the spirit of the age, that's walking as fools, That's not circumspectly, that's not wisely. And then he says redeeming the time because the days are evil. I mentioned this earlier, but you know, to walk for the Lord and to live for him, whether it's in our testimony to the world.
Or our interactions with one another for good and blessing. There's no shortage of opportunities.
To redeem the time is really to buy up every opportunity. And I don't believe, brethren, we have to get up in the morning and ask the Lord for opportunities to live for him and to walk for him as much as we need to get up in the morning and pray that we will be walking in such a way and wisely with discernment to use the opportunities that are presented to us. They're there on every hand. And so I realize we've taken up these seven exhortations so very, very quickly this afternoon.
But I trust you'll go back over them. You know, ministry on an occasion like this is really to give an outline.
And hopefully to whet the appetite of each one of us that we would search these things out further.
These are very practical exhortations that we have in this wonderful book of Ephesians. But again, I say, as I said at the beginning, sound doctrine is to lead to sound behavior. And God has a path of faith. He has a walk for you and me. We're going to take that last step any moment. You know, we're not gonna walk by faith. We don't have a path of faith in the in the heaven. When we get to glory, it's something that's only given to us for this, this life.
If there's just a few more steps left, isn't it wonderful to be exercised, to walk according to his will, and according to his word that he might have the joy of saying, Well done, Thou, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:1-6
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276.
Guidance.
O thou gracious Savior.
Bread of Heaven.
Feed us now and evermore.
Guide us so, thou gracious say.
We are because I want to always believe.
Oh my God, what is my heart for that?
Umm.
We also think M #303.
Him #303.
Psalm 78.
Second part of verse 19.
Place that and got furnace and table in the wilderness.
Verse 23.
He implemented the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven, and it rained down man upon them to eat, and had given them of the Lord of heaven. Man did eat angels food.
Like to suggest that we take up First Corinthians 12 brethren. It's has to do with the body of Christ.
And, uh, we know that the church is his body and I find there's a lot of basic principles that are very important to lay hold of.
Being come recently from Brazil and seeing the work that the Lord is doing in that country and how souls are laying hold of the truth of the scriptures and simplicity.
I it is impressed me, brother, and it's not just merely knowing what scripture has to say about this, but to lay hold of it in the heart that really has power in the life. And I would like to suggest we read this chapter. That's OK.
Read it right.
First Corinthians chapter 12, verse one. We'll read the whole chapter.
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led. Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus a curse, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are diversities of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh All in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all four. To one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.
To another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these work at that one and the self same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will, or as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body.
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So also is Christ, For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I'm not the hand, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I'm not the eye?
I am not of the body. Is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now has God set the members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him? And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are there men, But now are they many members, yet but one body and the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor gain the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
Nay.
Much more of those members of the body which seemed to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable. Upon these we bestow more abundant honor, and our uncommonly parts have more abundant comeliness, for our comely part have no need. But God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored.
All the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. And God set some in the church. First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, are all workers of miracles.
Have all the gifts of healing.
Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
But covered earnestly the best gifts. And yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
We live in a day that there is a lot of religious confusion.
And in this chapter I think a central verse is verse 12 and 13. Really, as the body is one and have many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by 1 Spirit we are all baptized into one body.
It's interesting how many times that word one is used. Is there one body today?
Yes.
By faith-based on what God says in His Word, there is one body.
Well, what about when I look around in the city of Mayfield or any other city as well? I see a group of Christian over here, another group over here, another group over here, and they are not working together.
That is what confuses especially younger folks sometimes.
In connection with this truth, and we have to say that the testimony is in ruins, but that doesn't change the truth. There continues to be one body and to me it's a very precious truth to lay hold on.
And in the measure that we view the truth of Scripture, you're going to see it clearly. The moment you start looking at people and there are gifted brothers in one group and another group, let me tell you, it's going to get cloudy. The picture, it's looking at it as Scripture presents it. That will help you to see it clearly.
I see so many young people up here sometimes they see and they relate what they see to the meeting. You know what I mean by the meeting? Those gathered to the Lord's name and they see so much failure. I said, don't take your reference point there. Take your reference point back to the Word of God. That's where you're going to see it clearly. And that's so important to keep that focus clear.
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There is one body Jim read in Ephesians 4 today he read the 1St 3 verses but verse four says one body and one spirit even as you are called in one hope of your calling and that a precious truth. There is one body. So thank God that to you keeping of the unity of the body was not connect collect not given to man because.
Because.
Everything that has ever been committed to man, he has failed in and it has broken down.
We have failed to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. And so when you approach a town like Mayfield City, like Mayfield or the town of Smith Falls where I come from, you see some of these famous signs that say the churches of Mayfield or Smith Falls or whate, whoever, welcome you. When did that start? Well, it started long ago, didn't it? The seeds of it were being sown in Corinth that led to what we have today.
But let's just go back to the 10th chapter for a moment, because I think it's important to.
Really establish this truth of the fact that there is one body.
Not many bodies. There may be many groups of Christians because we have failed in our responsibility to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. But as Bob said, God looks down the afternoon and he says there is one body. Now just notice in connection with the Lord's table what He says in well, let me read verse 15 of chapter 10.
I speak as to wise men. Judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is that not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Now notice this.
For we being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread. Now the subject in this chapter, as we get in the end of the 21St verse as the Lord's table.
In the next chapter, the 11Th chapter, the subject is the Lord's Supper.
And I believe that the loaf in each case has a little different significance, and it's given in a different order in the 10th chapter where it's a question of the Lord's Table than it is in the 11Th chapter.
Where is the question of the Lord's Supper? Why? Because let me take it up in connection with the Lord's Supper first. That's the way the Lord instituted it in the upper room in the 22nd chapter of Luke. And that's the way we all we celebrated in keeping with the Lord's instructions. And you notice that the cup is given separate from the loaf, because the separation of the blood from the body was the proof of death. And so in when we keep the Lord's Supper, the loaf is first.
And the cup is second. But the loaf in the 11Th chapter represents everybo the Lord's body given in death for us. When we break the bread on Lord's Day morning, it is to be a reminder in partaking of the Lord's Supper, of the Lord's body given in death for us, and then the cup his bloodshed for us. But here in where I read, it's a question of the Lord's table. The cup is given first.
Speaking of the blood of Christ, because that's our title to be there, what is our title to be in the Lord's presence? It's the blood of Christ and nothing but the blood of Christ. But then the low fear has a little different significance than the 11Th chapter. In the context here, the loaf represents to us the body of Christ here on earth. And brethren, when we view the loaf on the table tomorrow morning, if the Lord leaves us here.
We need to view it the way God views it. I'm going to put it very simply. When we look at that one loaf, and it's always one loaf, it's not wafers or crackers or or rolls. It's it's one loaf in the way the Lord instituted it. And when God looks down and his eye rests on that loaf on Lord Sea morning, God sees in that loaf every believer alive on the face of the earth at that time. That loaf doesn't just represent.
00:20:09
Everybod the believers that are here on that on the the occasion. It doesn't just represent the believers who practically express the truth in the breaking of bread. No, tomorrow morning when we sit down and remember the Lord Jesus here in the breaking of bread. That loaf to the heart of God represents every member of the body of Christ, every believer alive on the face of the earth. And brethren, that is the way we need to view it as well if we don't.
We become narrow and sectarian in our view. So just to go along with what Bob said, there's one body. That loaf represents the one body. And again, it's not just those gathered to the Lord's name. It represents every believer alive on the face of the earth at that time.
I'd like to make before we get into this chapter, go back to Ephesians chapter one where we read beginning of the prayer meeting, uh, verse 22.
At the end it speaks of the church which is his body. Church is a word that means called out ones and the church is presented in different.
Aspects in the Scriptures. One of those aspects is the body of Christ. It's the Lord Jesus.
In his relationship with us, it's viewed as one body, and Scripture speaks of members of the body of Christ. It never really speaks.
Uh, that way about the church never speaks of members of a church.
It's members of the body of Christ and so it's it's best to view things in the simplicity in which Scripture presents them. So here we have the aspect. I don't know that the word church is used in this chapter, but it is.
The body of Christ, which is the church, it's one of the aspects. It's also the church is presented in the aspect of the House of God.
But here in this chapter, we have it as the body because it's what's united to Christ. To me it is the most amazingly wonderful thing to be able to realize, brethren, that here we are as believers in the Lord Jesus sitting in this room together, but we are intimately by vitally united to Christ in glory that could never take place.
Before the Lord Jesus died and rose again, when he rose again, he was here in this world for 40 days, showing himself alive, a real living man. And then he ascended to God's right hand. And after another 10 days, in the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down, as it says in verse 13. That was the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Was to form the body of Christ, and united to Christ in glory. The apostle Paul, who was the major one to give us this doctrine, learn that truth. The day he got saved, he was on the road to Damascus as Saul of Tarsus, and to persecute the Christians. And the Lord appeared to him and said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
I think that must have been a jolt to him, me persecuting somebody in heaven. But in touching those believers, he was touching Christ and glory, and he felt it, and that's the way he said it. So he learned that precious truth of the one body of Christ the day he got converted. So it's a wonderful, precious, precious truth, brethren, that we are united to Christ and glory. Couldn't have happened.
Before redemption's work was complete, now the Spirit of God can come in a permanent way on his people and unite them not only one to another, but to Christ in glory.
00:25:02
Like to mention in verse one of our chapter, you'll notice in our King James version the word gifts is in italics.
And it's not wrong because we deal with the question of gifts in this chapter. Gifts are always taken up in connection with the truth of the Church as the body of Christ.
But the thought is more manifestations of the Spirit. Concerning spiritual manifestations, you go over to the 14th chapter in the first verse, you're gonna find.
The same thing gifts is an italics. It was added by the translators and while not wrong. Still the thought is follow after charity and desire spiritual manifestations, but rather that you may prophecy so the question is spiritual manifestations and that's what you get in the first part of this chapter down to verse 12 different ways in which the Spirit of God.
Manifest His presence is the Spirit of God.
In US, yes, He is. Does he manifest His presence within us?
Yes, she does.
How? And that's what's taken up in these verses.
So hard he makes a contrast here, reminding them that they once had been idle worshippers. Because any of us who have been to countries where idolatry is prevalent realize that what characterizes idolatry is confusion and disunity.
You know, if I've been in countries where you see Hindu temples on every corner and every temple is going to have a different God, and if you don't like the God that somebody else is worshipping, you come up with another one, and so on. Complete disunity in idolatry. And as a result, there's this, there's confusion, But what is it that characterizes the manifestation of the Spirit? When the Spirit of God is given liberty, when the Spirit of God is allowed to manifest itself, there's unity in order.
And that's what he's really bringing before these Corinthians. Now God has diversity. He's gonna go on and develop how that every believer is different. Just like in a natural body, every member of the BA, our natural body is different. Every member of our natural body has a different function. So there's diversity in the body, but there's unity. And when our bodies naturally work together, then there's a healthy happy.
Body and we can accomplish.
Things that are good and so on. But, and so he's making this contrast. And so again I say if he's gonna develop this, but overall, when the Spirit of God manifests itself, there is there's unit, there is unity and order. And this is, this is helpful because if there's disorder and there was disorder in the assembly in Corinth, they weren't waiting on the Spirit. There were, they were creeping over one another in the meetings and everyone had a Psalm and everyone had a doctrine and there was disorder.
As well as other difficulties as well. But the apostle says this is not of the Spirit of God.
If the Spirit of God is really working, I say again, there will be unity and there will be order.
When they were following their dumb idols like it says in verse two behind idolatry.
Are evil spirits. Go back to the 10th chapter where Jim was reading and verse.
19 It says, What say I then? That the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols as anything, but I say that the things which the gentiles sacrifice.
They sacrificed the devils or the demons and not to God. There were demons behind those idols and so there's demon influence.
It's a well known phenomena in Pagan lands where they have never heard the name of Jesus that people speak in tongues.
00:30:02
How is that remember uh.
Brother Flavio Kill in Brazil, who is now with the Lord, used to tell me he had a neighbor girl lived next door and when it was hot and the windows were open, he could hear her because she was into spiritism, quite a bit of spiritism in Brazil, and she thought I was talking all sorts of languages. So it's a well known phenomenon, but he gives the test.
And verse three says, Wherefore I give you to understand that no man.
Speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, so the Spirit of God.
Inhabits the body of Christ, unites us together, unites us to Christ in glory. And here's two tests in verse three. No man that speaketh by the Spirit of God.
'Cause Jesus accursed, does not say anything derogatory to our head to whom we are united, and that no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, so we follow the direction of the Spirit of God. Not only will there not be anything said derogatory to the Lord Jesus, but it will give the Lord Jesus his place of authority.
In our midst.
OK.
I have a question though, are there not false teachers who call Jesus Lord who is terrible? The man would be lost after calling him Lord Lord.
I'm sure there is, but not by the Holy Spirit.
If Jesus, if Jesus is Lord, my Lord, it's going to be evidence in my life that I am subject to Jesus Lord. And that's going to be by the power of the Holy Spirit that guides and directs me because I'm going to have the spirit of God in me that leads me to own Jesus Lord and to follow him in my life. If I, when, when I speaking with some Muslims in, uh.
In Malawi, one man, he wanted to talk to me because he thought I was a pastor and he wanted to. He was having difficult times in his life and he was losing his business and and so forth. I went back and talked to him a year later and he was telling me that the Lord helped him and he recovered and I thought he had gotten saved. But here he was calling Allah Lord. He was still serving Allah as his Lord. So you cannot follow Jesus as Lord unless you have God, the Spirit of God.
And just a little hint too, in connection with what Bob alluded to, when you have the expression Lord, Lord, it's profession. It's like vain repetition in that sense. And so there are many who say Lord, Lord, but they'll seek to enter in in the coming day. But he'll say, I never knew you. It was mere, it was mere profession. But just in connection with what Brother Tim has said, it's important to stress as we take up the subject of the body of Christ.
That all direction, as we've been saying, is to come from the head. And again, that's why he uses the illustration of a body, because we understand in a natural body that all our members take their direction from the brain. They take their direction from the from the head. And so on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God descended, well, it's interesting. Let me back up for a moment, because in the first chapter of Acts, there was a problem faced the people of God.
They needed to appoint an apostle to replace Judas. Judas was not real. He had gone out and hanged himself and gone to a lost eternity. But there had to be 12 apostles.
And it's interesting that in the first chapter of Acts, before the Church of God was formed, they cast lots to decide who that apostle would be. And God honored that because in Proverbs it says the Lord is cast in the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. And so it was right and proper for them to cast lots to make a decision in that regard. But one time there was a problem in a brothers meeting, and a young brother who hadn't been saved and gathered very long said to the brethren, well, why don't we cast lots?
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That's what they did in the first chapter of Acts. And why don't we cast lots? And that'll bring us to a decision. Well, it was pointed out to him, and rightly so, that once the Spirit of God came and the church was formed.
And the members on earth were linked to the Spirit by the Spirit of God to their head in heaven. They never cast lots to come to a decision again in the in the Church of God because they got their direction directly from the head. And it's remarkable that as you go through the acts and problems arose and decisions were made, it will say something like this. And the Spirit said, is that interesting? Now it was no doubt through one of the brothers.
Through the instrumentality of a member of the body of Christ on earth, but so direct.
Was the word given from the head in heaven through the Spirit that that's the way it is recorded in Scripture?
And the Spirit said, And you see that when that instruction is followed in the act, there's beautiful unity in the church.
The 15th chapter, some problems, doctrinal issues had risen in the early church.
And they looked to the Lord about it and the Spirit said, the Spirit said, and in the end there was perfect submission to it and unity as a result. Well, if we were all taught of the Spirit on all things at all times, there would be that practical unity, submission and unity. Sad to say, it isn't always the case. But that's why, brethren, we often say the assembly, the church is not a democracy. It's not where we take a vote.
Nor is it a business where we arbitrate and come to some compromise. No, it is always looking to the head, owning His authority and accepting whatever we have in the Word of God as to the direction given for the situation.
And one of the problems that have arisen among the gathered Saints on that, on that very thing you're talking about, uh, brothers making decisions in brothers meetings. And then when something goes different in an assembly meeting, there's a controversy that arises. I remember talking with one brother, I said, why do you think you have the right to dictate what will take place in an assembly meeting when that's one of the things we noticed about.
Denominations and so on, where they arrange everything so you may be determined, something that you think might be the Lord's mind that should take place in an assembly meeting when the Lord is in the midst. But if you get upset when it doesn't go exactly like you said, are you really believing that the Spirit of God has liberty to do that it sometimes?
For others can get very churchy and the brothers meetings, like it's some kind of Deacon elder meeting that where things get past or moved on because, uh, it was a consensus or something. Well, how about let's, uh, do that, do the diligent work and then allow the Spirit of God to have his say in an assembly meeting when he might have a little different opinion of what took place in a brother's meeting.
There is. However I would just say without getting into it, there is.
The precedent in Liberty for Brothers meetings in the book of the Acts. And that's where things were taken up and discussed and the Spirit of God gave a word.
When it was brought to the Assembly, like in the 15th chapter, then there was there was the recognition by the members of the body that this had been directly from the Spirit. But the discussion and so on did take place in the brothers meeting. Trace it out. Sometimes there's three brothers meetings in the Acts. They're very helpful and very instructive in that regard.
Others, you know, sat or discussed or whatever. Umm.
Back to the main part of what we're talking about here, Uh, I've had young people and others say, well, you know, what's the big deal about all this? There are good groups of Christians out there and they don't necessarily, you know, hold these things completely some, umm, kind of do and so forth. And they seem to be getting on just fine. It is in, we're in the day of ruin. So what's the big deal about insisting upon those things?
Well.
I worked in a factory years ago. I was a welder and I remember this, uh, assembly line, they had a engineer's drawing and there was a bracket that was supposed to be put in this place. It was an engine mount. And every time it was put on and they would send a welder like myself down to the line, cut it off, move it down and put it where it belonged. This went on and on and on and on and on. And I remember saying to an engineer who came down the line, I said that.
00:40:28
You know, we're cutting this thing off and moving it over here because that's what the, uh, what, the way they've been doing it. I know where it belongs. Why don't we just do it up here and avoid all of this confusion and so forth. Well, that's what the engineer is drawing saying. Well, maybe the engineer drawings need to be corrected. Well, we don't need to correct this book to, to be right about something. But, uh, if you don't have a standard to hold by, then everything goes. We're seeing in our day if somebody says something like that.
If you don't know the fundamental basic principles and truths of this book, not just about the gospel, even that's being let go. We're living in a day where almost all of Christendom is letting go of some more very basic things. And it's because if you don't hold them, you don't know them, you don't get taught them or don't understand them, what's to hold on to? You didn't even have it to start with. So today, in our day, we used to think that amongst the evangelicals there was a lot of truth, and there still is.
But now there's a swarm of false teachings coming in among just about every group of Christians anywhere, and the ones who know and understand the truth of this book, whether it's about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the truth concerning the gospel, or these things that we're talking about today. What's going to hold you if, you know, somebody says something that's contrary to that or tries to institute a practice or give instruction to go against it? You know what the truth is if you've never had it.
What's there to hold on to? So all of these things are slowly being swept away, and the testimony of the evangelical Christendom is at the point where you almost be embarrassed to even say that you're an evangelical because of what's taking place. There are bright spots here and there, but once you let go of things and say, well, what does it really matter? It's down the road that you soon find out why it really matters.
The body of Christ, the head is supreme, and we need to keep that before, as I must say, rather than it impresses me going back and forth between South America and North America quite a few times a year.
How that humanism has affected entirely our culture. People think I do what I want and you ought to respect me and you should not judge me.
That you lose in that kind of a way of thinking. You lose completely your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the head. He is the one to direct. Like Jim says, it's not a democracy and it's not casting loss. It's getting into the Lord's presence to ask him what he wants to be done. And that's what was done in the book of the Acts. It's beautiful to see. Sometimes the axe is called the axe of the Holy Spirit, and I think that is.
A proper title for that book. But it's the Holy Spirit that guides us. And then as we've been mentioning these first three verses, He guides us to give the Lord Jesus His place a preeminence.
And then we come down to verse 4-5 and six. You will notice what Jim mentioned earlier, they speaks about diversities. In fact, in verse five, that word differences is really the same word as diversities. And it's used in verse four and used in verse five and used in verse six. In verse four it is the Spirit of God. In verse five it's the Lord.
And in verse six, it's God who works All in all. So the whole Trinity is occupied in the working of the body of Christ. And what is so beautiful about it, brethren, is Jim mentioned this is by diversity and at the same time the unity. How can something be diverse and united at the same time? That's what we have in the body of Christ.
Beautiful to see it.
00:45:01
Anybody ever meet a brother like Jim Highland? I've never seen anybody like him. He's completely different.
But if it's the same Spirit that leads you, brother and me, we're not going to be at odds with each other. I might have to stop, step back and say, well, let me think about this a bit. But that's where we are in the body of Christ. There's diversity of the gifts, and you have that mentioned later on in the chapter, but it's the same spirit. There's diet differences or diversities of administrations.
Or we use the word ministry service. The service he gives to one person and another is not the same, but it's the same Lord. And so if we're following the Lord's direction, we're not going to be at odds with each other. And then there's diversities of operations. How I do things is not the way another brother may do things, but if we're.
Directed by the same God, then there will be unity at the same time that there is diversity. I mean, it is so amazingly interesting to see in different parts of the world the Lord working in blessing and how He saves people you might least expect Him to save and brings them to be useful to the Lord's people.
In one way or another doesn't mean that everybody has a gift of ministering the word publicly, but it might be in service.
Quietly behind the scenes. But oh, how important each member is in the body of Christ. Sometimes we tend to think that when we come together in our public meetings, we tend to look at one brother, or two brothers, or three brothers.
Be careful that we do not quench the Spirit of God by doing that. The Lord Jesus is in the midst, and by His Spirit He wants to guide. How many?
Each one of the members of the body of Christ sisters too. Did you say the sisters including that? Yes, they are too very clear in chapter 14 that the woman is not to speak in a public meeting of the assembly.
But that doesn't mean that they're not active. They certainly are, and they're a great blessing.
I remember brother saying that and thinking about these matters. He was thinking how ugly his little toe was. Uh, before he had it lopped off, uh, he had an accident where he lost it. And he said, I never thought too much about that little toe except that looked kind of gnarly. But he said after I lost it, I really knew that I was missing something. I got used to it over time and adapted. But I remember him saying that, that this little toe that I didn't pay much attention to.
When I lost, it really affected the rest of my body and that's what the, the verses here say. I thought about sometimes, uh, people that, uh, maybe feel shy and obscure and maybe off in the corner some place, maybe sometimes it's, uh, it could be a boy or girl or a man or a woman. Uh, but they do things that, uh, might surprise you or they have an opportunity to, There is a little lady over the years that every time I see her, she'd say, brother, I'm praying for you.
It meant a lot to me that she said that, Jim, I bet you have some of that happening along the way from, uh, dear sisters and others and umm, you know, you don't know some of these quiet things that are going on, little works that are taking place, but umm, supporting others, umm, the large sees every bit of it and he's got them busy doing what he has for them to do umm.
Uh uh, brother, I forgot your name.
John.
Uh, just for the meeting, he was talking about this very thing, about the niche that each person has, this little place that God has for us and that there is a place that we can find and even tell them, Tell everyone what, umm, you asked an old brother about what kind of wisdom he might give you about seeking things. Tell him what he told you.
I, I had the privilege of speaking to an older brother, uh, a day and a half before he passed away. And he had been a teacher for his whole life. And I, I asked him what, what instruction he would have for, for a younger brother towards the beginning of his life as, as he was finishing his. And he quoted a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes that says whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do what I might. That was, that was the sum total of his wisdom that he had acquired.
00:50:23
That he would pass on, you know, they're over time with the Lord. If your desire is to really find the place, the Lord has you, what your gift is. I have people ask me that, Well, I don't know what my gift is. I, I don't know what my ministry is. A lot of times people from the churches use that expression. What's my ministry? Well, I can tell you one Paul says he's given, the Lord has given to all of us the ministry of reconciliation. I know that's one everybody has. But, uh, over time you find out even in secular things, what you don't like to do by doing it.
And seeking to do it well, well, that's not for me. Uh, you find other things that your hands more readily fit to. And over time you can find the thing that you're suited to. Someone finds it nursing. I was, uh, we were talking over there. I said, uh, uh, there's a guy that, that goes around this country. He does a reality TV show about the dirtiest jobs in America. And I was astonished to, to see how some people cleaning sewer tanks and cleaning these portable toilets.
Actually, we're enjoying their job and love doing it and that made a business out of it. I don't think that's something I'd be too thrilled about doing. But yet even in a natural way and secular things there someone can find their hand fitted to something that they really enjoy doing. They be they're good at it. They find that place and in, in the, the area of, of spiritual gifts, a lot of the churches don't allow opportunity. You need to become a minister or you're a servant, serving, helping with stuff In between that there's not much place. Maybe in Sunday school or something you can be a teacher.
But when there's freedom for the Spirit of God to develop gifts and you find something your hand is fit to in spiritual things, the Lord will open that up to you, that this is an area where He wants you to go and that He does that all the time. So to allow the Spirit of God to work, isn't it? That's what he's talking about here. It's the manifestations of the Spirit of God and in the measure in which the Spirit of God is given liberty, whatever Christians are.
There's going to be blessing and thank God for it. So again, again, we want to make this very clear. The Spirit of God doesn't just dwell amongst those gathered to the Lord's name. The Spirit of God dwells in the House of God, the Church of God.
And wherever the Spirit of God is given liberty, there's going to be blessing, whether it's in the salvation of souls or the edification and building up of the people of God. But I want to just sum up what we've said about the body of Christ so that we have a full understanding of what constitutes the body of Christ. In the book of Colossians, we have the Lord Jesus presented to us as the head of the body. In Colossians, it's what Christ is to the body, and he's the head of the body.
And without sounding mundane, if I can put it this way, in Colossians a body without a head is incomplete.
And so, as members of the body of Christ on earth, we cannot operate on earth properly without looking to the head.
To whom we are intimately linked by the Spirit of God. So in Colossians, he's the head of the body. In Ephesians it's different. It's not so much what Christ is to the church, it's what the church is to Christ. So ahead in Colossians.
A body without a head is incomplete. But I find this a tremendous truth to get a hold of, brethren, in Ephesians, a head without a body is incomplete too. Do you realize that as the body of Christ, as the members here on earth, we are the fullness of him that fill us All in all. I mean we, we, we readily give a sense of the fact that we're incomplete without our head Christ. But to think, brethren, that he's incomplete without us.
We are the fullness of him that filleth All in all. We are as the members of the body of Christ are the full, the full they fulfilled a film fulfillment of him. We we complete Christ the head now in in our chapter here in Corinthians. We're incomplete without one another and MO a body is incomplete without a head. A head is incomplete without a body, but we're incomplete without the other members.
00:55:03
You know, if if we lose a if I lose a hand like the other hand can take over and I can get through life like that, but not as well as with two. If you lose a foot, you can still get around, but not as well as with two. We are incomplete when the members of as members of the body, we do not in the power of the Spirit go on in practical unity and function in the little place that God has given us. So in these verses.
We have the Trinity at work, as Bob has pointed out, it's the Spirit that gives the gifts. It's the Lord that leads those gifts in the various services that he has for each one of us. And it's God that produces the fruit and result when there are those gifts, the those those those gifts are are administered or used in in the proper way. So the Trinity.
It's three and one, isn't it? You talk about unity. Here's the here's the Trinity working.
The Trinity working together, the Spirit, the the Lord God working together, what for what purpose? So that the members of the body will work together in the diverse positions and services that God has given them, so that there will be practical unity exhibited here on earth amongst the members of the body of Christ.
No John, chapter 16.
It speaks of umm.
The Spirit coming. The Lord Jesus speaks of Him coming.
The end of verse seven says the comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Verse 13.
When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine, therefore said I, that He will take of Mine, and show it unto you. Now there there's a little different thought.
Preps help us out on that we get.
The Spirit and the Lord and God.
Chapter 12 we're reading and here we get the the Spirit and Jesus and the Father.
So a little it makes me think of the expression of brother, Smith said. That every believer is the father's love gift to the son, and as such can never perish.
And that.
Uh, wondrous gift we become a spend brought out the we're.
The fullness of him that filleth All in all. You know that the love, the oneness of the God has seen in it, and the different expressions that bring out the thought of affection and relationship. Just splendid, isn't it?
Want to encourage the younger brothers too, and your function in your local assembly to be exercised when we come together in public meetings. I don't mean that you take over what the Lord may have given older brothers, but the exercise I find that when younger brothers can interject, perhaps a question.
Or perhaps a comment it really does help in the opening up of Scripture. The point is is the Lord is directing and we're all different. Look at chapter 16 of of first Corinthians to took a look at two different individuals mentioned here. One is Timothy in verse 10. Now if Timothy.
Timotheus come see that he.
May be with you without fear, for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. Let no man therefore despise him, but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me, for I look for him with the brethren Timothy was.
01:00:08
A timid type individual, and the Paul had to exhort him to stir up the gift of God. And so in the Corinthian assembly, if he was to come, perhaps there were those who would dominate.
And we need to be sensitive as God is saving and bringing along new souls to let them develop, to give them.
A opportunity to develop. But now we come to another individual who is different. Verse 12 As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren.
But his will was not at all to come at this time. But He will come when he shall have convenient time.
Apollos was a real gifted orator.
The Apostle Paul, did he command him? No. He recognized that Paulus, in his exercise before the Lord, did not have direction to come at this time.
And he said he will come when he has a convenient time. He recognized that it was the Lord that was directing in his body. So we need to be sensitive, brethren. Seems to me sometimes we sit down in an assembly meeting, kind of have our position mapped out. I don't think I'll take part tonight. Don't do that. You are quenching the Spirit of God. Perhaps if He wants to use you.
And So what we need to do is be exercised in the Lord's presence. May the Lord give you to be exercised. Dear young brother, I find that your interaction is a real blessing if you can be exercised and speak at a proper time. Don't think that you're going to never make any mistakes either. I have to say that I've made mistakes and I've received correction and it has been very profitable for me.
So sometimes people say not make any mistakes, that better just completely shut down. That's not the answer either.
I just, I just want to get back to this diversity. Umm, brother Sam, you mentioned you're a welder. If I tried to Weld something, it wouldn't work. I you said you don't like to clean dirty things. I've probably cleaned everything you can imagine.
And from toilets to dead bodies.
And we're all different and God gives us different experiences. And in chapter 14 of first Corinthians and then in verse 31, it says all may prophecy one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted. And so God gives you different experiences. Me different experiences were different personalities. But there's other people that we can reach. You can reach people that I can't reach. I can reach people you can't reach. Jim can reach people that we none of us can reach.
And so God uses all of us. Maybe your young brother, maybe you're not married, you don't have a wife. And Bob speaking about a young brother, just asking, asking a question. But if a young brother doesn't get married, he still has a function in the assembly and he can still be a help. Maybe we can have some insight on how how that that can work with a, a young brother who is not married yet. Can he be a help to the assembly?
We have the, the qualifications of an elder in uh, in, uh, Timothy and Titus, but that that doesn't preclude a brother from being a help in the assembly. He may still have the gift of a teacher. He may be a shepherd, he may be an evangelist. He can still be a help, especially asking the question, how do you offend or make mistakes when you ask the question? I remember a couple of young brothers talking to me. They were in their 20s and they said if I ever spoke up in meeting, I'd hear from my dad all the way home.
I said, well, how about if you ask the question, even a question, you may know something that, uh, you feel that the Lord would have you contribute to in a particular moment. But if you ask it as a question, there's other, there are other people with questions that haven't been answered yet. If you said to someone, even your dad, I said, how would you explain this to someone who's a young Christian and you ask the question, who's going to be offended or upset by that? And how do you make a mistake with a question?
01:05:05
Some of the greatest teachers is the secular world and in the Jewish world and wherever have used questions as part of their teaching, even, you know, asking the right question. And I believe that the Spirit of God can lead in that way and some remarkable ways with asking the right questions. You may have a dozen people sitting around you to say, oh, oh you man, I'm glad somebody asked that question. But in the response you can give older brother an opportunity to umm, you know, add.
And explain that and if some of them are gracious enough they may even return and say.
Well, after they do that they may ask you to contribute or say something and what an opportunity that is. And you know those two brothers, umm they, they tried it and their dad about fell off the chair but still because he had never spoke before.
That's what you said. You know, the Apostle Paul never was married himself, and he was a very useful leader raised up by God, Mr. Darby, who God raised up in the recovery of the truth in the 1800s, he was never married.
And I think he said himself in one of his letters, he realized he could never fill the local office of a Bishop in that way because the Bishop was to be the husband of one wife and to have not a child but children. Floral.
And so on. But he certainly was raised up as a leader and teacher amongst the people of God.
And these manifestations and the exercise of gift that we're Speaking of here aren't just in the assembly meetings, are they? This is for the edification of the body. And remember this, brethren, gifts were not given to a certain group of believers. They are given to the body at large. And so in Ephesians where he lists those gifts, the evangelist, pastors and teachers, that's not gift given to the local assembly or the local meeting.
That gift given to the body at large and again, who are the body at large? They are every believer alive on the face of the earth. You know, we are so very thankful that in the book room work that with the Lord has committed to our trust and we're able to carry on in various countries. We're thankful that we can supply the body at large with good solid gospel material, good solid sound ministry.
We can provide them with Bibles in these poorer countries at a price that the average person can can afford. We're not just serving a certain group of of believers. We're glad when we have opportunity to present the truth to believers in all con that are connected with all kinds of different fellowships. If they come to us and they're interested to know what the word of God says, we're thankful that by the grace of God and whatever ability the Lord gives us, we can present it.
The qualifications though.
For the use of gift, whether it's, as Bob was saying, in an assembly meeting or on a wider sphere, is really what we have in verse 7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit. That's really the bottom line. If you open your mouth in an assembly meeting, is it for profit? Is it for the blessing of the people of God? Is it according to the Spirit of God in connection with worship?
Is in connection with ministry. Is it as he takes up in the 14th chapter? Ministry is for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of the Saints in prayer? Is that those things that the Spirit of God has laid on our hearts?
Collectively to pray for for the good and blessing, uh, of souls, whether it's on a wider sphere in presenting the gospel of the truth, is it for the blessing and profit? So when I open my mouth, my exercise is to be is this in the power of the spirit of God for the prophet and blessing of those that hear me? Is that right, Bob?
We sing 200 and 10210.
01:10:37
10-4, 940 10-4 0 10-4 0 10-4 0 10-4 0 10-4 0 10-4 0 10-4 0 10-4, 0, 10-4, 0, 10-4.
0154.
Give me my friend's voice.
Uh.
Gospel 1
Gospel—Sam Ludvicek
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Sing #1 almost persuaded now to believe.
This song, as we sang it, sounded like a funeral dirge.
Should if you're almost persuaded and you were to die into your sins, part of what the suffering of hell is going to be is remembering how close all the opportunities you had.
And that great judgment day when God brings all men before him that have been lost in their sins and they go through their lives, they're going to see all the different opportunities that they had, and yet they said no and to be close and not come all the way.
It ought to be a funeral nurse to sing in connection with that.
I've said sometimes at the beginning of a gospel meeting that I'm uniquely qualified to preach the gospel because I'm a Sinner.
That was saved by grace and now not a Sinner.
God doesn't see me that way anymore. Yes, I do sin. So do you, if you know the Lord is your Savior. But God doesn't see me that way anymore. He sees me as a son. As a child, I've been brought into great blessing. If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your Savior tonight, you have no part in that. Your future is bleak and dark, and there's nothing in front of you but darkness.
You know one of the my exercises whenever I have the opportunity to preach the gospel, where most of the people in the room are Christians. I am concerned about the children and young people because it was true of me. As I grew up in a Christian home, I got so used to hearing the gospel, it was almost like I was immune to it. I could have told you how to be saved, but I was not yet saved.
Because the message of the gospel is a story.
About a person.
And a lot of people know the story or something about it. They know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem's Manger. And Christmas time, they hear about that. And maybe around Easter time they might go to church or hear about that, and they know something about the story. And if you've grown up in a Christian home, you know the story.
And you might even say, if somebody asked you, is the story true? Well, yes, you might even defend it and say that it's true.
But you know, there's an interesting part of the gospel that Word believes as in it the word that has in it the thought, and the word faith as in it trust.
If you believe that a story is true about the Lord Jesus, then you must believe that what He says is true.
Like that He will forgive your sins. Like that He will make you his child. Like He'll do all the promises that he said he would do.
00:05:04
Because if you believe what he says, that's the crux of the gospel.
But the Lord Jesus in the Gospel message wants us to believe this story, and then he wants us to trust in him. He's a person.
When Paul talked about preaching Jesus Christ and him crucified, he was preaching a person. It wasn't a formula. It wasn't just pray this prayer and you got it or do this thing or get baptized and this and that or whatever else people come up with. It was trusting a person to do what he said he would do.
We were talking earlier about how the Lord Jesus, when he was on the cross, had a thief on each side and the story of the two thieves, both of them cast into his face. Mockery. It says in the scriptures, one on the left and one on the right. They agreed with the crowd. Apparently they weren't in a lot of pain yet, but somewhere in that, as time passed, one of the thieves was awakened.
One thief starts again to mock the Lord Jesus.
And the other one says, you know, stop.
We deserve what we're getting, but this man is innocent.
He turns to the Lord Jesus, and he says, Lord, Remember Me when thou comest into thy Kingdom.
We were talking as we chatted about this story and saying nobody told him to pray a certain prayer or to do a certain thing a certain way or think a certain thing. He just knew that that was the Lord and he asked him to remember him.
He came believing and trusting in that person who was right there. He went from mocking him to trusting in Him. He got everything that comes with it. Sometimes people are hesitating in trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior because they don't know enough or they think they need to know more.
N.
Michael Bruce.
Young man from Iowa. Scientists, weather, meteorologists thought he knew everything and he believed in evolution and all of that. But he kept hearing the gospel and he loved a young Christian girl.
Uh, the opportunity to talk to him and, and, uh, share the gospel with him at one part during his journey, but he did get saved and he told me, he said, you know, one of the things that was hanging me up was I knew science and I knew that this Bible was wrong about this stuff about evolution because I knew evolution was true, but the Bible said something different. But he said there came a day where I couldn't deny the message of the gospel.
I knew it was true.
And I knew if I didn't do something about it, I would die in my sins and I would enter a lost eternity, and whatever hell was, I would go there. I didn't know what it was. I'd heard a lot of things.
But he said, I just said, OK, I know this is true. I think this is wrong, but I can put that over here. I'll figure that out later. And he trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, and he got saved.
He later married that young lady.
Went on to follow the Lord.
But something was holding him back. What's holding you back?
In the room in the back when we prayed, Brother Lemoyne mentioned this verse, Genesis chapter 3 and verse 9.
After Adam and Eve have sinned.
You remember in this account in Genesis, the Lord walked with them in the garden.
The Lord Jesus took form and walked in the garden with these two people every day.
Now one day comes and there they hide.
And the Lord Jesus, who I believe this was.
The Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
You think the Lord didn't know where they were? Oh, I can't find you. You're hiding someplace. Of course he knew it was for them. Where are you? You're not where you were yesterday. Walking with me in the garden. Where are you?
So if you're a young person in a Christian home and you're used to hearing the gospel, I hope something breaks through and I want to ask you, where are you?
Just think, you could be in a Christian home. I grew up with eight brothers and sisters.
Just imagine being in a family like that, at whatever size your family is, and everybody in the family is saved but you're not. Where are you?
00:10:10
Your mom and dad, your brothers and sisters are on the inside.
And you're on the outside.
And if you were to die in that condition, you would remain on the outside.
You're probably saying that the song Are you in the inside or in the outside in Sunday school or which side are you? Where are they?
The Bible talks about people who are lost in their sins as being lost. So what what? What is? What is being lost? It means you don't know where you're at.
If you get lost, you don't know where you are. God says where aren't they?
My question to you is where aren't they?
Are you lost?
This is the GPS unit.
Punch in the coordinates and it'll take you to the right place.
Punch in the coordinates to John 316. That'll take you to the right place.
You know, people have been.
Throughout their lives, at different times, convicted have their conscience stirred up maybe, and they've heard lots of gospel verses, and then something come along one day and some obscure verse will breakthrough and they'll come to know the Lord as their Savior.
But like I said earlier, if you're a child in a Christian home and you've gotten used to the gospel, that scares me. If the Lord came tonight, you'd be left behind.
I saw a YouTube video where there's a guy preaching the gospel and I know they created it, but all of a sudden everybody disappears like that and there's just a couple people sitting in the audience. All the Bible fall to the floor. That could happen.
Guerarta.
You would think.
That having heard about the Lord Jesus, all his attributes, how lovely he is.
How kind he is, everything about him that you would want to run there.
But we have something in us that we inherited from Adam and Eve. The moment in this chapter when they ate of the fruit and they disobeyed God, that thing inside of them broke and they fell.
And you inherited that from your mom and dad. And they did from their mom and dad all the way back to Adam and Eve. You're broken inside. We were born broken.
But what Jesus did on the cross offers the fix for all of that, not only the brokenness of our hearts and our inner person, the brokenness for our bodies. Couple of us were talking about some of the six Saints that are maybe on the last days.
You know every single person is going to be healed either now or later because you've been promised a brand new body someday.
One without sickness and illness.
Can you imagine dying in your sins?
You get a new body too.
Now you can't die.
Not in a physical way.
Now you exist in a place called the Lake of Fire for eternity, and guess who your companions will be? Demons and the devil.
And every vicious, vile creature that's ever walked the face of the earth that has not repented and trusted in Christ to be in that place. You want to go there?
Why would you?
Come to Jesus, answer that question. Where art thou? Lord? I'm over here. I'm lost. Come get me.
I know, as our brother was saying, there's so many things that come at us. You know, from the time we were in school, there were things were bad, but they're worse. There are things that come at us from all directions. We're surrounded by confusion. We're surrounded by darkness. It's coming in, it's creeping in. The light is growing dim.
We should rage, Rage Against the dying of the light, not as the opponent intended, but against the dying of the light of the gospel. We should stand and declare it.
You know, darkness is not a thing of itself.
Darkness is the absence of light. The darker the room, the little teeny candle can brighten up. If you close all the windows and shut everything and shuttered it and put blankets over the windows and lit a tiny little candle in here, it would be spectacular.
00:15:02
So the light of the gospel is being given in your life every day, if you're in a Christian home by the witness of your parents, perhaps your brothers and sisters, every time you come to Sunday school, every time you go to meeting, perhaps on the radio, perhaps on tapes or CDs, the gospel, the light of the gospel.
Almost persuaded? Well, let's come on in all the way.
Three young men didn't have much to do, 2 of them.
Have been raised under the gospel. Third one, not so much, but companions nonetheless like to drink Corrales. They decided that they would have some fun and there was an evangelist in town and they would go sit in the back and Heckle the evangelist who was preaching the gospel. So they did that.
Got a big kick out of it and they went down to the local bar bragging about it. They had so much fun they decided to do it again. They went back.
This night the preacher was preaching on the wrath of God.
And how the Lord Jesus, for those who trusted in him, had drank that cup of the wrath of God to the last drop. So you don't have to have.
But if you do not trust him as your Savior, you will drink that cup. Three young men come back from that. The two that have been raised under the gospel, a little bit sobered by it, but still going to the bar, having some drinks. They go in. The one young man walks up to the bartender. He says, bartender, give me a cup of the wrath of God.
The whole place went silent, even hardened sinners in the place that was a little much.
Those two young men, it was a little much. The bartender hesitated and then finally poured him his usual drink. He slammed it back and fell down dead right in his tracks.
Those two young men were back at that gospel meeting the next day. They got saved.
You mess around with the opportunity you have with the grace of God extended to you in this country. We talked earlier about the difficulties in some of the countries around the world, like Egypt and other Arab countries where Christians are really suffering. And if you get saved in some of these lands, it might be a death sentence.
Certainly, if ISIS were to find out about you and you're anywhere near where they're at, they'll come for you.
But those people, when they die, they get promoted.
They graduate.
They leave this suffering world and they go to a place to be with their savior.
I was listening to a radio program where they were talking about what happened to be like.
They were talking about this and that aspect. They thought it would be like and one person spoke up, lady, she said, you know, heaven is being with the Lord Jesus. That's what I'm looking forward to more than any of these other things that we think that the Scriptures tell us about what heaven will be like being with him.
We sing that song in the little flock.
There is a name that sounds like music to our ear.
Let me ask you, does the name of Jesus sound like music to your ear, or does it just make you feel guilty?
When you hear that name, does it make you smile?
Where art thou?
Go to solemn thing. Every parent in here that has children that's not sure if one of their children knows the Lord is anguished by that thought. And I guarantee you that their prayers at night are that their little ones will come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and that they will know about it.
If you trusted in the Lord Jesus as your Savior and you've never told anybody, go and tell your mom and dad first.
They would love to know that you have.
I see some nodding heads.
You know, I had trouble with understanding some things about the gospel, even though I could have said it, I could have told you how to be saved. I had problems with the idea of what belief meant, what faith meant, what trust meant, all of those things that are tied up in that. It just, I had problems with that. One of my favorite stories I've told many times, I've told it one-on-one and in gospel meetings, is about Mr. Wallenda, the Wallenda that started it all going way back, I think, to the 1800s.
Used to do a tightrope walk.
And he would challenge the crowd.
00:20:03
There are two challenges he made. One was he'd take a wheelbarrow with sandbags in it onto the tightrope and he would invite people to get in the wheelbarrow.
But he would pump them up by saying that, you know, would you like me to take a man in this? Yeah, Yeah, we'd like to see that.
But when he said he'd invite people to come, nobody came.
Over the years, he made the invitation. Nobody ever came. Finally, one year he talked one of his assistants into going on his back and piggyback ride and he took him across.
I remember that story and others similar to that getting in my heart that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ was about trust in Him.
I'm trusting that what he's telling me is the truth. I'm trusting that the story is true. I'm trusting that he'll save me and wash away my sins. I'm trusting him to do what he said and he promised he'd do. Will he do it?
I asked the young man once who was doubting his salvation. He'd been saved for a while. I was 99.9%. He was the Lords. I knew him well, the opportunity to lead him to the Lord in the gospel. But he'd had some dreams where in his dream he was challenged by a demon.
He said he rebuked the demon and he wouldn't go away. The demon said to him in the dream, I don't have to because you're not saved. Imagine having a dream like that scare living daylights out of you.
So he came to me and he told me about the dream and he said now I'm not sure if I'm saved. I said to him, well right now can't hear now. Remember Kenny? I said, Kenny.
Is the Lord Jesus trustworthy? So all you young people, if you don't know the Lord yet, is the Lord Jesus trustworthy? Is he? Can he be trusted? Then trust him. Just do it.
Lord Jesus, I trust you.
Like the thief on the cross, Lord, Remember Me.
You get salvation and everything that comes with it.
Not only does Christianity, true Christianity, promise you heaven and eternal life, but it promises you that you can have joy and peace here, now, even if you're in the darkest place. When Paul and Silas were in prison, how? How could they sing?
Because they knew something and they had someone in their heart that gave them a song. Scripture tells us that the Lord can give us a song in the night that's supernatural. Don't you want to live like that?
The peace of God which passes all understanding, that's supernatural.
My plant manager on the night shift where I used to work years ago was a guy by the name of Les Bentley.
He was an atheist and he hated us Christians and he used to harass us all the time, but he got cancer.
Put to Silence With Well Doing
Passports and Safety
Children—Tim Roach
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Yes #47 by TIDINGS glad tidings I bring.
Last year I went to Malaysia.
Sometimes it's called it used to be called Borneo, and I have with me some Borneo bird flutes.
And if you're good, you can even make it, probably make a song out of it. But I have these Borneo bird flutes. I have six of them, and I also have two bookmarks from Borneo. And if you're sitting in the front, you'll have an opportunity to get one of these. You don't know who's gonna get them. I don't know who's gonna get them. But if you're in the front, you have an opportunity to get.
A Borneo bird flute or a Borneo bookmark.
You know, the Lord Jesus said he was sitting there and the disciples were around him and the parents were bringing their children.
To the Lord Jesus and the and.
They wanted Jesus to touch them, but the disciples saw this and they said no, don't do that. Get away from Jesus. He's a busy man.
And the Lord Jesus said, No, suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not. So I say to day, Let the little children come and sit in the front.
Someone else have a song you'd like to sing? Yes #44.
Into a.
May I know perish my ankle, people.
Nobody ever has a story, that's all.
I can tell you I can.
0924333194.
Zero nine 2801. Yeah, I'm glad I'm not bad.
Nobody ever had smoking before.
And everything we thought of that group of his friends.
00:05:15
You know, we talked about the Lord Jesus saying, come unto me, and he took the children.
He took them into his arms, and there's no safer place in the whole wide world than in the arms of Jesus.
You know, when I was I have a passport here. It's an old one, but it's full of stamps and passports and visa visas to go to many different countries, and I have one in here for the country of Senegal.
And Senegal is on the West Coast of Africa, and I had to spend the night there once because I was going to the plane didn't leave until the next morning. So I had to get into the airport. I had to get a visa.
In the airport and they sent me here and sent me there and I had to pay here and I had to pay money here and I had to pay money there just to get a visa. I see. Seems like I paid for the visa three times, but I had to get a visa and then I would go out into this crowded town or in front of the airport. It was all crowded, many people and I needed to get a taxi to the to the hotel. I didn't know where the hotel was and so I went to the policeman who was standing there and asked him if he could recommend somebody.
So I could get to the hotel. He said, yeah, you go with this man here. So I went with this man here and he took me down the steps and down the street and we started getting away from people and there were no cars. I said, where are you taking me? Oh, it's in my taxi. So I had grabbed him and said, where are you taking me? And I, so I said, you let go of my suitcase. So I we agreed for him to let go of my suitcase and we went away. I don't know where he was going to take me, but he wasn't going to take me to the airport.
He wasn't gonna take me to the to the the motel, but the Lord tells us in Proverbs 21 and 31, he said the safety is of the Lord. We're gonna talk about safety today. Does somebody else have a song you'd like to sing? Yes.
If a number or a song.
#8 OK, we'll sing the first and last verse of #8.
I have another passport in here, it's from Nigeria. I'll just, I'll just pass this around. You can take a look through it. Would you like to look through this? And then you pass it down the road to the next.
And so the passport is from Nigeria. It has been a couple years now since I've been there. And brother Udolphia, we had a nice time together and but now I ask him if I can come and visit him again. He says no, I will not give you an invitation. He says he doesn't want to be responsible because there's lots of kidnapping and stealing and killings of foreigners. And so he says it's not safe for you to come.
00:10:00
I'm not going to give you a letter of invitation. I don't want to be responsible for that. And so I checked up on the website and the US government and the United Nations and the United Kingdom's website, and they say only essential travel. Don't travel to Nigeria unless you have to. There's a lot of evil and wicked men there, and they call them Boko Haram and ISIS. And then there's just a lot of poverty there. And so people kidnapped.
Foreigners and they try to get money.
Out of these people or they kill them and steal the money they have on their person. And so it's a very dangerous place to go. And so if you go up in northern Nigeria where ISIS, where Boko Haram is, they kill people, they kill children, they they kidnap people and it's very and they cut people's heads off. It's not a nice place to go. It's very dangerous. But in Luke chapter 12 and verse 4.
Says I say unto you, my friends.
Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.
But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear.
Fear him, which, after he hath killed, has power to cast into hell.
Yeah, I say unto you, Fear him. That's the Lord Jesus. We need to fear God.
Because God has power to save you, and if you don't accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, he has power to put you into hell.
And so you need to fear God, to fear the Lord Jesus Christ and come to him.
Before it's too late. Before you have to be sent into a lost eternity.
And so don't fear what man and other people can do to you. We need to fear God.
Does somebody else have a song you'd like to sing?
Yes.
#4014 #14.
Nsnoise.
Two years ago I went to the DRC. It's called the Democratic Republic of Congo and there's a visa in there for that one too. It's not a stamp. They don't have a lot of resources. So they just put a stamp with a black and white stamper. They don't have, they don't put stickers in there, but that's for the Congo Republic of Con, Democratic Republic of Congo, and we went down to visit some people.
00:15:21
That were relatives of those people in the refugee camp that were in Malawi. And so we went down to visit these people and they were so amazed that somebody would come and visit them from a foreign country. Because there's so much danger there. Because the my, my rebels, they stay up in the in the mountains and they live up there. And when they run out of food, they come down into the villages and they they attack people and they kill people and they kidnap the young children and bring them back up into the mountains and train them to be my, my rebels.
And so and the last time I was there as I was leaving Congo.
There were big, there were many trucks coming in from the United Nations and they were bringing in their their peacekeeping forces, the security army. They were moving in to keep the people safe. And but people are afraid When these my, my rebels come down, they're afraid and so they run and they run to other countries as refugees. And many of them come down to Malawi and we are able to visit with them and give them the gospel.
They're at the refugee camp. There's one young man he was he was just got in there, just not even a year ago. He came into Malawi from uh the Congo and they had, they were after his father and they murdered his father and then they took him and they tied him to a tree with a chain and they took a big hammer and they clubbed him on the feet and broke his legs. And then he had to walk all the way to Malawi.
And on get transport in different ways, get to Malawi with a broken leg that was crushed and we tried to get him some medical attention and do there are a lot of problems and he wasn't able to get it. So he has a pair of crutches, he gets around on a pair of crutches, but the crutches are only this short and and it's very difficult for him to get around.
The Congo is not a place of safety.
The Lord is our safety. Somebody else have a song you'd like to sing?
Yes.
What ABC?
I don't know if I know the ABC's.
Abcd.
5%.
Waive it in the past where it's true.
UPW's gone out, promised your ex-wife being a hobby and all in.
Another country that's right next to Congo is Burundi, and that's all. There's a stamp in there for Burundi also, and in Burundi they're right next to Rwanda and they have the two people groups there, and one is called the Hutus and the other one is the Tutsis and the Hutus and the Tutsis, They don't like each other and they kill one another and some years ago.
They they they all got angry with each other and they started killing one another. And I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of people were murdered back in the Rwanda massacres. But these people live in Burundi. And I went there and I was visiting some of the people there and every night when I was in the motel room the rebels were were shooting were fighting against the against the the government forces.
And every night I hear the gunshots going all around town and.
But in the daytime it was safe. You didn't hear any gunshots and you could move around. It was it was quite safe. Couple days after I left there, I heard on the news that just across the street from the hotel we were staying at, somebody set off a bomb and killed some people there. But it's.
Right now it's kind of safe, but it's it's not all the safest place. But again, safety is of the Lord. And there's a verse in Psalm 4 and verse 8 and I'll read that to you. It says, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. For you, Lord, only make me dwell in safety. So safety is of the Lord you can you can go in this world anywhere and you can be safe. When the Lord is keeping you safe, it may be that He has.
00:20:17
Other things in mind for you, there may be struggles, there may be difficulties, there may be danger, But if the Lord wants to keep you safe.
There's nothing man can do, so fear God. Someone else have a song you'd like to sing? Yes.
#29
In Malawi we hand out a lot of tracks and thank you tracks and calendars. And I was going through the city of the Long Way and going to all the shop shops and giving calendars and tracks and all the Muslim owners. And as I was going around somebody came up to me and warned me, said there's thieves coming.
And they're they're they're following you. And I thank them very much. So the next day I went out and was giving out more tracks and calendars, and I had two toy phones and I put one in each pocket and I tied a rope to it and tied it to my to my belt. And as I was going around town giving out tracks at lunchtime, I stopped and one of the phones was gone. It was missing and the rope was gone. I don't know how they got it from me, but I I never felt it and.
So the afternoon I saw I'm going to tie this one on real good. They're not going to get this other one. And so I was in a shop giving some tracks and calendars, talking to people. I felt this tug on my belt and I looked down and here a man is holding my phone with the the rope going over to him. He didn't see the rope and he's pretending he's using his phone. He's pushing the buttons and it's playing little children tunes.
And so I took on the rope and and he pulls back and then he realized what happened. So I I blocked the the doorway so he couldn't get out but he was bigger than I was and he ran right through me and right out the door and and.
But that wasn't too scary. That was wasn't too unsafe. But we had some friends, also missionary friends, who lived in another town, and they.
One night the the thieves came in, they had machetes and they and they hacked up the Watchmen and they came, they took a big, a big battering ram, a big piece of wood, and they banged on the door until they broke the door down and then they attacked them and robbed them at gunpoint. So those people, that family, they were afraid. And so they came to our house and they stayed in our house for a few days.
00:25:18
Well.
Matthew 6 verse 19 says, Lay not up for yourselves, treasures upon earth.
Where thieves breakthrough and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. This world is not a safe place. Some of you might say it's best that we just stay right here in America and be safe. But you know on March 27th of this year, the headlines on USA TODAY Americans ask where can I be safe? Where can I be safe? The Americans are afraid. Also there's riots and there's all all sorts of people doing all sorts of.
Bad things here in America. We don't need terrorists here in America because we kill our own people and people are afraid. During the year of 2016, I have some stats written down here. 465,676 people were found missing. Missing reports were filed. People were being kidnapped here in the United States of America and they were missing for other reasons as well.
And already in 2017, from January up until through yesterday morning, 731,351 babies were murdered. And and as I was looking over these stats, for about four or five minutes, 16 more babies were murdered here in the United States. She's a little innocent babies, and they're killing them. If they're willing to kill an innocent baby, what are they gonna do to you someday?
They don't care if they kill a baby or an adult. Well, 22,642 People were killed by drunk driving.
11,251 People were killed in murders.
And get this one 4011 People were killed while texting. Texting while driving. That's more than 15 people a day. Who will those next 15 people be Who will die today texting?
We might say who will be vexed from the next text.
It could be you.
You don't know who's texting out there. Maybe you. I know some of you also text as you drive. It only takes a moment and things can go bad.
303,361 Pedestrians? Has anybody here ever crossed the street? Raise your hand if you've crossed the street. You're a pedestrian.
3361 Pedestrians were killed walking along the road, crossing the street.
When we were at camp this past last week, somebody fell out of bed and they loosened and their tooth got loose.
400 people this year were killed by falling out of bed.
I don't understand how that happened, but 400 people died from falling out of bed. I tell you America is not a safe place. But where can we be safe? I have in my passport one more visa. I don't know if any of you noticed it.
I ha, I I got a.
A blow up of the.
It's a visa for the Kingdom of heaven.
Some of you on the side can't see it, so I'll show it to you. It's a visa for the Kingdom of heaven, the country of heaven. You can come look at it later.
If you were going to get a Kingdom, a visa, children, if you're going to get a visa to enter into the Kingdom of heaven, what requirements do you need to get a visa? I just went to Angola a couple months ago and I had to go all the way into New York City. They wanted to interview me, find out who I was, who I was visiting. They said you're going to visit this man. You've never met him before. You don't know him. How do you know him? How do you know you're going to be safe in our country?
There's a lot of bad people in our country. How are you going to be safe? You don't even know this guy.
00:30:00
Well, they said we don't have to give you a visa.
I said yeah, but I already paid for my air tickets. I already have my motel reservations already paid for them. Well, you should have gotten your visa first, but you have to have your your have to have your plane ticked before you can apply for your visa, so.
But they said we'll let you know in 10 business days whether or not we've approved your visa. So I got in my car and I left the next morning I was driving down the road and I got a phone call from the Angola.
Embassy and they said.
We've had an emergency. We've sent somebody else's passport in your return envelope back to your house.
And So what we did, we immediately approved your visa and sent your visa back to you with another return envelope so you can send their passport to them.
So.
The Lord overrules. He wanted me to go to Angola, so the spirit of God worked in such a way so I could get that visa to go.
So there's requirements to get a visa. What are the requirements for you to get this visa to go to the Kingdom of Heaven? Well, the first thing is you need to have a name, because names are very important to God because he has a book and he has a book of names written in the Lamb's book of life. And if your name is not written in the Lamb's book of life, guess what? You're not gonna get a visa to go to heaven. You're not gonna be permitted to enter into heaven, But then you need to know your nationality.
Well, most of us are. Americans, are Canadians, or maybe some other country, But you are a descendant of Adam. Adam is our father. He's the first man and we're all children of Adam. And so that makes you an Earth child in the South African airport. There's a store there and it sells T-shirts and it says I'm an Earth child.
Not sure what that means, but an Earth child means you are born.
As a Sinner and the wages of sin is death. Romans 623 The wages of sin is death. Each one of you need to understand that you are a Sinner, you're lost, and you deserve punishment in the lake of fire.
Then we need to know what your criminal record is. My criminal record. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Each one of you are a Sinner. We're all sinners. But my my record says I'm justified. My record, my criminal record, is clearance. I've been cleared by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ. God Son cleanses us from all sin.
So we're clear. We're clean. We're we're washed by the blood of the lamb. Then we have a date of issue. They need to know what date they approved your visa. And so I ask you this morning, if you're going to get a visa, what date were you saved?
Mine here says July 1970 ±. I don't remember the exact date, but I remember I got saved. What date were you saved? That is the day that you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and you extrusted Jesus Christ to be your savior. Do you know? Do you know? If you are saved, are you gonna be able to get a visa for heaven? Do you know if you are saved? If you don't know that, you are saved?
You come and talk to me afterwards. I want to make sure that you are saved.
Then sometimes you get a choice when you get a visa, whether it's a single entry or a multiple entry.
Well, my visa for the Kingdom of heaven has a single entry. You can only get into the Kingdom of heaven. Once into the country of heaven, you can only be saved one time. John 524 says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life.
And shall not come into condemnation, but is past from death unto life.
I'm saved. I can't lose that salvation.
I will not go into condemnation. I was talking last night. I went to pick my wife up at the airport at 10:30 up in Paducah and I got there an hour early and nobody else is in the airport. And then this lady, she came in, she was an hour early too. The two of us were there and she looked sad and she said she was there to pick up her, her son and and his wife.
00:35:04
Because her husband was in the hospital in intensive care after, after some while thinking about Sunday school, I asked her what's what's wrong with your husband? Well, he is suffering. He is 71 years old and he has some sickness and he's got pains and he couldn't take the pains anymore. So he took a handful of his pills and tried to commit suicide.
Well, they tried to revive him. They brought him in an ambulance to the hospital.
And they they revived him. His. Why did you bring me here? Why did you revive me? I wanna go see Jesus.
But his sons told them, told his wife he can't go to heaven if he commits suicide if you kill yourself.
You're gonna go to hell. And so I showed her this verse. He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life. It doesn't matter how you die, you have everlasting life. You will not come into condemnation. That man knows Jesus as his savior. He will not come into condemnation. But he's passed from death unto life. He is safe. And then in your and then in the. You want to know how long your visa is good for. Some are good for 30 days. Some are good for a year. Some countries let you get a 10 year visa.
Well, this visa, the duration is eternal. It's eternal. The gift of God is eternal life.
Roman, 623.
The expiry date. What day does it expire? It never expires. John 1028. I shared this verse with the lady last night too.
John 1028 You shall never perish, and nobody can take you out of your.
Out of Jesus hands. We're safe in Jesus hands. We started that in the beginning of the meeting that Jesus took the little children up into his arms. And then in John chapter 10 it says you're safe in his hands you will never perish. You can't get out of Jesus hands. No man can take you out of his hands. Jesus will keep you safe. And the next verse says that the Father has you in his hands. That man who tried to commit suicide, even if he dies, he can't get himself out.
Of Jesus hands, because he's safe. He will never perish. He will not come into condemnation.
He is safe. And then when you get a visa, it has to be sealed by the proper authorities. Mine was approved by the ministry of reconciliation and it's sealed by the Holy Spirit. We have that in Ephesians. Sealed with the Holy Spirit and then it. Then you sometimes you need to have it signed and mine is signed by Jesus Christ. Revelation 22, verse 16, Jesus says.
I, Jesus, have sent my Angel to testify unto you these things.
In the churches and then he signs that he says I am the offspring of David.
I am the Bright and Morning Star. Jesus, he wants to save you.
He wants you to be able to go to be with him in heaven.
He wants you to have an passport where you can get into heaven.
To be with him. He doesn't want you to send, to send you to hell. He wants you to go, to be with him in heaven. Earlier this year, I went back to Burundi and I wanted to get into Congo, but I was too late. I couldn't get a visa for Congo. I didn't have time. And so if I tried to get into Congo, I would be denied entry. And there's some of you here today that you might have a problem when you try to get into heaven.
Because.
You need to have a visa. You don't. You don't have to have a visa like we do, but you need to have something that gives you clearance to get into heaven. But if I try to get into Congo, I would be denied. And I ask you, will you be denied if you try to get into heaven? We have in Matthew Chapter 7 and verse 21.
He says, Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
And in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. Maybe you've come to Sunday School and you say, Lord, I've been to Sunday School so many times. I didn't say a Sunday School verse this week, but I say a Sunday School verse every week. I memorize them. I remember them. I pray at night. I even say Lord.
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I used to do that. Every night I pray Lord Jesus, if I'm not save, save me. Then I go about and be my own self. They had to come to a point where I realized I was a Sinner and I couldn't be saved until I realized I was lost.
And then I had to believe on the Lord Jesus.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. We don't want you to be denied entry to heaven.
Verse 23 says the Lord Jesus responds to you who don't know Jesus as your savior. He responds to you who reject Jesus. You say I don't want to hear it, but listen because you are hearing it today, the Lord Jesus will say to you, I never knew you Why do you think you want to get into heaven? Why do you want to be with me forever if you don't want to have me in your life here on earth? And so?
Lord Jesus will say, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
If you are not sure that you will be received into the Kingdom of heaven.
Please come and talk to me sometime today.
I said at the beginning of the meeting.
That we're going to give some of these.
Borneo Bird flutes to some people, and I have six of them. And then I have two Borneo bookmarks.
And while supplies last, however.
I will give it to the first eight people who come and tell me when they got saved or how they got saved, and then I'll I'll let you choose one of these flutes or the bookmark.
The Glory of the Person of Christ
Occupation with Christ's Glory
1 Corinthians 12:7-13
Reading
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99.
And, umm.
I don't know.
In First Corinthians chapter 12, if we can start with verse 7.
First Corinthians chapter 12, verse 7.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all, for to everyone is given by the Spirit. The word of Wisdom, sorry 421 is given by the Spirit, the word of Wisdom to another, the Word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another, faith by the same Spirit to another, The gifts of healing by the same Spirit to another, the working of miracles to another, prophecy to another, discerning of spirits to another, Divers kind of tongues to another. The interpretation of tongues.
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But all these worketh that one and the self same spirit.
Dividing to every man severally as he will.
For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bonds or free, and have all and have been all made to drink into one spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the hole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now has God set the members, every one of them in the body, as it has pleased him?
And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor gain the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more of those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable. Upon these we bestow more abundant honor.
And our uncommonly parts have more abundant comeliness.
For our commonly parts have no need, but God has tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
And God has set some in the church. First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then giving, then gifts of healings helped government, diversities of tongues are all apostles.
Are all profit? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing, Do all speak with tongues, Do all interpret, but covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
I heard you explain how chapters 12/13 and 14 fit together with has been helpful. Could you do that again please?
Well, it's often been.
Like and perhaps to an engine.
And what makes an engine, uh, function properly is the oil in it.
That makes it function smoothly. And so it has been said that what we have in chapter 12 is the engine. Chapter 13 is the oil, the love chapter. That makes the engine function smoothly.
And in chapter 14, we have the engine functioning. We have what is called an assembly meeting there. And of course, we're not talking about an engine here. We're talking about the body of Christ. And so we have the body mentioned in chapter 12 and then love the more excellent way that we read about the end of this chapter. That's what makes it function properly. And then in chapter 14, we have.
An assembly meeting, if you notice in the chat, 14th chapter in verse 23, if therefore the whole church become be come together into one place. Now there's what is called an assembly meeting. That's God's purpose is for God's people to be together and we're together as the body of Christ. It's not for, uh, just certain ones to speak, It's for everyone like we were mentioning yesterday.
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To be exercised if the Lord wants to use us. It may be that we will not speak up in a particular meeting, but we need to be ready for the Lord's use. Because in the body, how many members function? Is there just certain members that function and the rest are inactive? No, every member should function properly. And when that's the case.
Things work smoothly.
Assembly meetings and all the places for the members of the body to function.
You answer that, brother. I, I would say they're not, I, uh, I, I think it's very beautiful that, uh, there's, there's the gifts of help, there's, there's the gifts that, that, uh, support and, uh, encourage. Umm, And so it's wonderful that the Lord has provided gifts for the edification. And that was what chapter 14 is.
Is presenting to us the importance of identification so that the body of Christ can be instructed and, and, uh, given the, the nutrients to grow and develop and, and, and yet, uh, there's so much more for the body of Christ to display before this world and, and then the family circle. So that's a very helpful question and helpful comments because.
If we limit it to just what takes place when we're gathered together in the Lord's presence in an assembly meeting, it would exclude the sisters.
But every sister here is a member of the body of Christ just as much as every brother is, and every sister has their place and function in that body. So the sisters don't take part in the assembly meetings in prayer and prophecy and ministry and so on, the way the brothers do. But they have a very, very important function. I'd like to just draw without going back to it, to draw on an illustration from the Old Testament.
Because there are also members of our natural body. And remember brethren, what he's using here is a very simple illustration of a natural body. That's what we have in these verses that we have read together. It's he's taking a natural body and using it to illustrate the fact that as members of the body of Christ, we all have a function. But remember this too, that many of the of the members of our natural body are unseen.
They have a function that is hidden. In fact, some of our members have a function that we're not even aware of. But if that function breaks down, we're going to feel it in our body in one way or another. And so there are members of the body of Christ that have a little hidden function that perhaps no one even knows about and, or realizes. But if that function isn't there, if it ceases to be, the body feels, it feels that I'm talking about the body of Christ.
Now in the Old Testament you find with the Levites that every Levite had a function, every Levite had a service. And it wasn't the greatness of the service or the outward show of it that was important. It was doing it before the Lord. And so there were those who carried the furnishings of the Tabernacle and the boards and the the curtains and so on. And that was, that was a big job. That was something that everybody no doubt saw and recognized.
Not just when they took down and set up the Tabernacle in the wilderness, but as they carried those things through the wilderness.
Everybody could look and say, oh, there's those Levites. What a wonderful place they have, uh, carrying the boards and the furnishings and so on. But what about the Levites that were appointed to go around and pick up the pins or to keep the cords from tangling or to make sure the pots and the other equipment was gathered together? What if they had said, oh, I wish I was carrying the boards, or I wish I had the responsibility of the curtains or something like that?
What would have happened when they got to the next place? Well, there would have been a lock. Those pots and pans and those tongs and so on wouldn't have been there to carry out the service of the Tabernacle. There wouldn't have been pins and cords to help give stability to the boards. No, every function was important. It wasn't the greatness of the service or the outward display of it that was important. It was doing it before the Lord.
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Now we talked about ministry and if you'll just give me a moment, I'd like to say a little word about that. Because so many Christians think of ministry or a minister as a special person who perhaps has been to a Bible seminary and they have some letters after their name and they have a special position amongst a certain group of Christians. But that is not the context in which Scripture takes up the word minister or ministry. And we noticed yesterday in the early verses he speaks of this ministry.
You know, everyone of us here are ministers. Is that interesting? Everyone sisters are there. Are there lady ministers? Yes, there are. Every sister here is a minister. You know, it says of some of the ladies that follow the Lord Jesus and His pathway. They followed him and ministered to Him of their substance. And there are three that are named Mary, Johanna and Susanna. They were ministers.
And so sisters, your ministers, I noticed in the dining room, there are some, some lady ministers and they're helping out with the various, uh, practical, uh, aspects of this, of this conference. When we travel from place to place and visit the Saints of God, when Bob and I are in 3rd world countries, are there lady ministers down there? You know, I don't think we could do without them, or at least it wouldn't be the same if we didn't have those sisters. Sometimes they travel with us and they're a tremendous help. They don't stand up and take a gospel meeting at the end of the day.
But there are tremendous help and blessing and so I just say that and I appreciated Phil's question. Yes, there's in the 14th chapter. It's in connection with the assembly and the public place that the brothers have. But brothers and sisters alike have an important ministry as members of the body of Christ the Lord. Sir Paul said to the Colossians Saints and say to Archippus.
Take heed to the ministry that thou hast received of the Lord, that thou fulfill it. I think Archippus wasn't fulfilling his little ministry in colossi, and Paul felt that the Saints were suffering a lot because of it, and he exhorted archipelas to take up that ministry for the blessing and profit. And that's really brings us back to our seventh verse here. I want to read it in Mr. Darby's translation because it it makes it very clear, chapter 12 here in verse 7. But to each the manifestation of the Spirit is given. Now notice these next two words for profit.
That's what, that's what our ministry is for. And when the Spirit of God leads in our ministry and function, if it's really the leading of the Spirit of God, whether it's in an assembly meeting or in connection with whatever little ministry the Lord gives us, if it's led by the Spirit, it's going to be for the prophet and blessing of others. You were referring to verse five, right, As the ministry. Yeah, yes, that's another word is service simply, isn't it?
But I think verse 7, umm, it's good kind of introduces the verses that follow down through verse 11 because it's talking about the ministry of the manifestation of the Spirit. We've been talking about that from the very first verse. The Spirit of God manifests himself amongst his people, and here is a list of different ways in which.
It is evident that the Spirit of God is amongst us and he dwells in each believer individually, but he also dwells in US collectively. I'd like to point out those two verses in uh, here in Corinthians in chapter 6, we have his dwelling in US individually. You notice in chapter 6 and verse 19. What know ye not that your body.
Is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which you have of God, and you're not your own. That's individually. Now go back to chapter 3 and verse 17.
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Over 16 I'm sorry. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Or if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are so that collectively we are where the Spirit of God dwells. And that should be evident then. And so in these verses that follow we have.
The way that the Spirit of God, uh, makes His presence, uh, manifest to one is given by the Spirit, the Word of wisdom to another, the Word of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith, by the same Spirit to another, gifts of healing by the same Spirit to another, working of miracles to another, prophecy to another, discerning of spirits.
To another diverse kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues. So there is a list of different ways that the Spirit manifests himself amongst God's people.
One small thought from verse 7, before we go on, it's pointed out that the manifestation of spirit is for profit. It's important to contrast that with prominence. It's not for prominence. Absalom had a, had a beauty and he ended up hanging, uh, from the long hair that he had that he was so proud of. The Corinthians were quite gifted when it came to speaking in tongues and so on. They didn't use it for profit. That led to confusion because they used it for their own prominence.
And another observation in that verse seven I think is good is it's given to everyone, every man it says in the King James, but it's everyone sisters as well as brothers is given the manifestation of the spirit. So let's be more sensitive as to his presence rather than he's there. Lemoyne read the verse yesterday in John 16 that.
The Spirit of God is to guide us into all truth.
He's here in our midst. Why is he here to guide us? And so he's, uh, manifests himself and let's be sensitive as to his presence and give him his place if he wants to use you to be willing to be used. And in chapter 4 of Ephesians where it's talking about the gifts, it mentions something similar. And it's a little different context in Ephesians because.
In Ephesians it's Christ in glory that gives the gifts from the glory, and it says in verse 7 Ephesians 47 unto everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
So there's the gift, and then there's the grace that we need to use the gift. And those two things, both of them come from the Lord.
So each one of us has it and I really sometimes a burden to see that. Sometimes it seems like some of us just come and we just sit without any exercise to be used of the Lord. I don't say you have to be taking part every time, but what I do want to encourage is exercise. Let's see your young brothers that are of age.
Be exercised. That's the way there's going to be growth in your soul. If there's exercise. The other side of it is we can come with the thought that I'm going to take part. That quenches the spirit just as much. And so I think what you say is important. It's to come with that exercise that if the Spirit of God desires to use me, I am a ready vessel not to come with the thought on the one hand that I'm not going to say anything.
Or the thought, on the other hand, that I'm going to take part. I've got something to say which I think was more the problem.
In Corinth, I just say this to the young brothers too. I knew a brother who never took part publicly in the assembly because his mother had told him when he was young. If you never open your mouth, you'll never make a mistake. Isn't that sad? Not not sad. I, I, I knew that case. That is not a made-up case. And that's why again, when the Spirit of God is given liberty, if I say something that's wrong in a meeting like this, another by the Spirit of God can correct it.
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Where we get the balance in meetings like this? You know, I believe that being gathered to the Lord's name, when the Spirit of God is given liberty in ministry like this, we get a balance like nowhere else.
You know, there are many who will put a man up at the front and they'll get part of the truth, They'll get some of the truth, but there's no one to correct him and there's no one to balance. You know, we're thankful for those who can lay out the doctrinal principles of Scripture clearly and concisely. Others can make a practical application from those same scriptures. Somebody else can even bring out the gospel aspect. And maybe I can just add this too, in connection with written ministry.
You know, we have a wealth of written ministry here on the stage. I hope we're availing ourselves of it. But I would just say this, that when we read a variety of writers, we get that balance as well. I'm thankful for Mr. Darby, who again, can lay out, he lays out the doctrinal principles of Scripture. If you've got the capacity to take it in, Mr. Kelly can tell you all the Greek and Latin and the false teaching that was propagated on the on the subject.
Mr. Ballot can give you the light, nice little Nuggets in the applications. Mr. Woolston can bring out the gospel application. But again, it's like ministry in the assembly. There's a balance when different ones, whether it's written ministry or oral ministry, when different ones minister to us. It's not that the Bible needs balance. This is the only balanced book there is in the world. But it's we who need the balance, and I believe that's why God has ordained.
Gifts and abilities and ministry and so on in the way that he has now as to the word of, of, uh, wisdom and knowledge. This doesn't just apply to the brothers either. It applies to the brothers in a public setting. And a woman is not to pre teach publicly in the presence of a man. But rather than I am so thankful in my growing up for sisters who've been faithful to me, sisters who have come in their proper place, sisters who have known me all my life.
And they've had a word of wisdom. They've had a word of knowledge. Maybe I've told this story on myself before, but I remember many years ago I had a Sunday school class in Smiths Falls. And I had been away for several weeks, uh, from Smith's Falls. And when I got home, I was apologizing to a sister who'd know me all her life and, uh, all my life. And I was apologizing that I'd been away from my Sunday school class for so long. She looked me straight in the eye and she said.
To me, Jim, remember nobody's indispensable. That was a word of wisdom that that really has stood me in good stead till this very day. That was a sister that God gave a word of wisdom to for my heart and conscience at the time. So.
Sisters, yes, you don't want to step out of your God-given place, but you can have a word of wisdom. You can have a word of knowledge for someone at a specific time. This is again all part of being part of functioning as a member of the body of Christ.
In chapter 14, where you have an assembly meeting, it says the prophets speak two or three and let the others judge so that that's what happens in a reading meeting. Like we're having two or three speak and all the rest. They have their Bibles open in front of them. Are you measuring what's said by Scripture? It's not judging people, it's judging what is said.
And balancing it and I think that is so helpful. I must say I sat in reading meetings many years of my life and increasingly I appreciate the balance that there is in that context. If you have one man ministering it. God never meant it just to be that because we are members of one body and we need everybody and we.
Are not sufficient in ourselves, like I mentioned this morning, that or I forget yesterday maybe that I've made mistakes sometimes and what I've said publicly and I've been corrected and it's been so helpful to get the correction in a proper way. I don't know if you remember brother Chuck Kendricks, most of us remember him, but he was fairly direct.
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And his corrections at times and, and uh, I must say he was a great help to me. Thank the Lord for him.
This uh interesting in verse 8, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, two things that go together, but they are different. Knowledge is obtained by reading. Wisdom comes in prayer. Any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who give it to all men abundantly.
But there are those brother that I value. They are knowledgeable, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they have a lot of wisdom.
Wisdom is taking that knowledge and applying it properly. That is a different quality and that's important and necessary. Just like to say something that I feel is perhaps a word of knowledge that is important in the days we live in when, uh, there's so much of focus on the Muslim world. Uh, I've heard the statement made that.
Allah is not the true God, and that is not a true statement because Brother Rife has the Arabic Bible there, and if you look in the Arabic Bible, the word for God is Allah. It's the Muslim religion. That is not the revelation of the true God. So we need to have those things clear. We don't then we're going to make statements that are confusing the people. So the Lord help us to exercise.
Knowledge and wisdom too. They're both very necessary.
Know if any of you remember very much dear brother Harry Hagel, he was. I was a boy when he used to go around, but I can still remember him sitting on the front and saying in the explanation of scripture that means this.
And he would give the explanation. I must say that lots of times when he said what he did, it really didn't explain it. But what he said was a word of wisdom and very value what he said.
Wisdom too is the ability to take the knowledge and apply it in connection with the day we live in and the circumstances that we find ourselves in. Sometimes we might have knowledge, but we may not be able to apply it wisely to the situation might be a little different, but it says of the men of Issachar, they had understanding of the times. It does isn't that it changes the truth of God, that remains the same, but to apply it in connection with the day in which we live is quite a different thing.
And I'm thankful for those that I have known and do know who have been able to take the word of God and apply it in a proper in a proper way.
Back in a generation or two ago, perhaps they took it and applied it a little different way. Again, it didn't change the meaning of it. But these are these are different days than the days that our grandfathers and the early brethren lived in. We're facing situations to do today that we have to say like the lows of old. We've not passed this way here to four. Do we have then? Do we seek grace in the power of the Spirit to take what we know?
It has to be, there has to be a based on the Word of God, but to take what we know and to apply it in connection with the situations that we face.
We find that with Daniel, don't we? Because Daniel had three things. He had knowledge, wisdom and understanding. And those three things go together, but they are again, very distinct things. When Daniel came to the court of Babylon, it wasn't home in Judea the way he had been as as a growing up, as a teenager, a boy and a teenager. But he was able, with the Lord's help, to take what he had learned as to the truth of God in his day.
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And apply it in a way that gave him favor there in Babylon. He didn't compromise, but he used the truth in a way that God honored. And we see the blessing that resulted from it.
Seems like it'd be interesting to consider on our own.
To compare this chapter with Acts 15.
And see these different things in that chapter.
Because there you get those who wanted to bring in the law and circumcision.
Can you get in that book a transitional time in the church when you're moving from Judaism to Christianity? And so there's going to be setting aside what was of God?
To bring in in its power what is of God, because that's pretty difficult transition. What you get in Hebrews as well. You get the order of the the Tabernacle and the furnishings and everything that's typical. But the minute you introduce Jesus to one of those things you see it perfected forever is never ever before. So it'd be an interesting to consider individually this chapter and its functions.
Compared with X15.
Verse 9 says to another faith by the same spirit. I think this is a special manifestation of the spirit in giving faith to an individual at a particular time.
Member Particular Assembly, where they were considering having a conference and the brethren were quite concerned that the expenses had gone up.
Quite a bit. And maybe we shouldn't be too, uh, quick to go forward on it. And another brother said, brother and I really feel before the Lord that we need to trust the Lord and go forward. And it was through that brother's exercise that they did go forward and the Lord blessed it because it was in faith.
So the Lord gives faith at those times of difficulty to act on the Word of God. And I think that's the sense here because to be a believer you have to have faith. And of course it is the Spirit of God that gives faith to believe in the Lord Jesus. But here it is a manifestation of the Spirit in the assembly.
We just had an example of this in Egypt.
The, as many know, the conference there that we, they hold on the Sinai that they've held for many years was canceled. Initially, the, uh, government had banned all group travel to the Sinai during the month of July. Then they said if we were going to go, we needed certain paperwork from the government that wasn't going to be forthcoming. And, uh, several of them.
Most of the brethren wondered if we really should go, but when they had a brother's meeting about three or four days before they had to finalize it, a couple of brothers spoke up and they said, brethren, let's in faith act on the word of God and, uh, let's, let's trust the Lord and go ahead. I, I, I don't want to digress from our chapter, but Brad and I got to share. I, I, I'll share, share what happened. So the Lord really honored the faith of, I believe those two brothers and umm, we all acted on their faith, so to speak, and.
We went ahead, the Lord very graciously brought us safely to the compound where they have the conference on the Sinai, and the brethren asked if we could take up the subject of faith, hope, and love as we have it in the end of the 13th chapter. And I made some comments when we spoke about faith, as to the fact that the way our faith grows is to put it in operation. I know I'm digressing from our chapter, but just bear with me for a moment.
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No, I think that's right. Thank you. So I mentioned that really, in a sense, it is not an intelligent prayer to ask the Lord to increase our faith. The disciples did that, and the Lord gave them an illustration of the grain of mustard seed to show that the way our faith grows is to put it in operation. If you've known me a short time, you might feel you can trust me. But if you've known me for 20 years and I've always been worthy of your confidence, your faith in me has grown.
Well, I brought this out and then.
Brother by the name of He spoke up. That was in Arabic, but it was translated for me.
I hope I can tell you this brother. To me it was the highlight of.
Is the highlight of the conference. He said we have experienced this this week, said when we left Cairo most of us didn't have much faith other than these couple of brothers. But he said we acted on the little grain of seed of faith that we had. And he said, brethren, hasn't our faith grown in the last week as we have seen how the Lord has undertaken, not just in bringing us safely through, but preserving us this week?
In this facility and the happy meetings and time of fellowship that we have, he says our faith has certainly grown. And I thought that was very sweet. It was just a an example right in front of us to show how faith grows. But again, coming back to this, there were those who had the faith to say, brother, let's act, let's go, let's, let's trust the Lord and the brethren trusted the Lord.
And I'm thankful that a Word of Faith was given to those brothers because it was a tremendous time of blessing for them and for all of us that were there.
Umm expressions are the manifestation of the Spirit. So if these brothers acted in faith, the Spirit was manifesting his work in them. And that is what I want to encourage each one here, that the the Lord has the Spirit.
Has this uh.
Dispense diverse gifts amongst the body of Christ, and He wants to manifest Himself.
His power through you and through me and sometimes we think this is something that I have to manufacture myself, so I have to be willing to use of the Lord so that the Spirit can manifest himself is followed.
The next, uh, manifestations of the Spirit are they're miraculous, the gifts of healing, Verse nine at the end, and then verse 10 to another, the working of miracles.
And uh, then it speaks of diverse kinds of tongues. The gift of tongues that was evident was a help to me. If we go back to Acts chapter 18, you have.
The apostle Paul in Corinth and just want to point out, there's something that I found helpful.
Just pointed out to me by brother Jimmy Smith, uh, some time ago that Paul, uh, says in verse one, after these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. And so he's at Corinth, but then the Jews, uh, opposed in verse 6 and blasphemed.
And so in verse seven, he says he departed thence and entered into a certain man's house named Justice, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. In other words, he was right next door to the synagogue. And so Brother Jimmy Smith used to suggest that when Paul separated from the synagogue and went into Justice's house.
There's where the assembly meetings were held then, since it was right next door, there were Jewish people that came in to the assembly meetings and God gave miraculous gifts that were evident in the beginning of the church's history that are not near so evident. They were gifts given to the Jewish people in general because the Jews look for a sign, whereas the.
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Greeks looked for wisdom, and so that's why in the three places in Scripture where you have the gifts mentioned in Romans 12, First Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4, only here you have the miraculous gifts. And so there's the gifts of healing. And I have no question in my mind that God can heal today, but it's not a gift given to a person that can go and heal.
Like, uh was done in the first days of the Church's history. I just wanna make that distinction.
I wanna ask if this is the thought as well.
Hebrews, chapter 2.
You, you the brethren can correct me if if I'm not on the on the mark here, umm, says verse three. How shall we escape between neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and it was confirmed unto us by them that heard him God also bearing them witnesses, witness with those signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost.
According to his own will.
Is, is this umm, indicating that it was, it was it was meant for this transitional time when the Jews needed to come into out of Judaism, into faith in the Lord Jesus. That's the way I understand it, yes, because the Jews sought out the sign. Scripture says that. And so God gave them signs in the beginning because in the early acts it was just Jewish converts that were brought into the Church of God.
Up until the stoning of Stephen, the gospel did not go out beyond the walls of Jerusalem or the walls of Judaism, I should say, because the Lord had told the disciples when He commissioned them with the gospel, that after His resurrection and ascension they were to go into all the world and preach the gospel beginning at Jerusalem. It was to begin with the very nation that had rejected the Lord. So much was His desire for their blessing. But as I say, the Jews sought after a sign.
There was something else too, and that is they didn't have the written word of God completed like we do. In fact, that's why it's a little different. But that's why in the early Acts, when Peter and different ones preached, they drew on Old Testament scriptures and gave what seemed like some almost strange applications of scripture. But the Spirit of God used those because that was all they would have had at the time. So again, I say those two reasons.
Because it was going forth to the Jews 1St and of course Paul is right, or the apostles writing to Hebrew believers in the, uh, second of Hebrews where you cite and then they didn't have the complete word of God. But I, I do wanna say this too, that in unusual circumstances, God can still use these sign gifts. And again, having come back from the Middle East recently and having been in other countries in South America and the Caribbean and so on.
I have by belief seen God use, uh, these, these, these sign gifts, but not in an outward prevalent way the way they were in the early church. And I'm sure Bob and Tim, you've seen some of these unusual ways, that miraculous ways that God has reached souls.
God is not limited.
But all these work at that one and the same self, same spirit dividing to every man or everyone severally as he will. Remember again what we said the yesterday. It's not a democracy, the body of Christ, it's where the Lord Jesus authority is recognized.
And the Spirit of God is to direct us.
In our, uh, speaking in our acting. And so it is the Spirit who divides severally as he will and how important it is. Uh, you know that verse that Jim quoted, uh, the verse before it in first second Corinthians 318, verse before says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
00:50:21
Brethren, it's not sometimes I think we think that, uh, when we read that verse that anybody's free to take part in what they want. That is not the thought. There's liberty for one. It is the Spirit of God and you and I should be here in exercise to be ready if he wants to use it. Let me know. Say another word of caution that.
I feel that I have failed in brethren is that we should speak when the Spirit of God gives us to, but sometimes we speak beyond that and in speaking too much we also quench the Spirit of God and that's an area I need to be exercised about.
So it says he will, not as we will, but as he will. And remember too, God doesn't give all the gifts to one person. That's a a.
Problem sometimes in and again I want to be careful because wherever the Spirit of God is given liberty amongst his people, there's blessing, but the the difficulty sometimes is that all the responsibility is given to one person and it is considered that that person is going to teach and pastor and evangelize and and shepherd and so on. God has not given all the gifts to one person and that's why we need.
This diversity, that's why there needs to be the liberty of the of the Spirit of God. And it's not as we as we will. It's not my going somewhere and taking certain courses and passing certain exams and someone saying, well, now you've got the gift and ability or or the liberty to go out and to do something amongst the Lord's people. No, you know what the Lord said to the disciples, I have ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit.
Nobody ordained them but the Lord. They were ordained. Are you ordained? Yes, you are.
Are there ordained brothers and sisters here today? Yes, but the Lord has chosen you and ordained you that you should go out and fulfill your ministry. And if you do in the power of the Spirit, then there will will be fruit. But again, notice it says he will and I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but in that connection, notice something else in verse 18 he says, but now, but now has God set the members, every one of them in the body? And I want you to notice this.
Not as that has pleased us, but as it has pleased Him. So the gifts by the Spirit are given, and the abilities and the ministries as the Spirit sees as it's hit according to His will. God has set the members in the body, not as it has pleased us, but as I've pleased Him. And I think, brethren, if we can keep that before our souls, then it is going to help us to look beyond the instrument, beyond the person.
You say that person just rubs me the wrong way and when they speak, I I just find that hard, hard to take. But look beyond the person and realize if they have a word of wisdom or a Word of Faith or a word of knowledge and it's from by the Spirit of God, we need to take it as such. It's as it pleased him. God has placed that member in the body as it has pleased him. He said that member is there for the good and blessing of the body, body of Christ. I think that helps us then to accept.
What is said and done rather than just looking at the person or the instrument?
We've had in the meeting here a number of people taking part.
So what is given by the Spirit, Word of Wisdom, another word of knowledge and other faith and so on. So there's opportunity in the assembly reading meeting to have these gifts exercise. But like has been already mentioned, the assembly is not the only place where we can use our gift. The gift is given for the edification of the body, and the body isn't just here in the room.
You may have the gift and you don't need to wait till the assembly meeting to use your gift. There's other people who are are hurting, there's other people who need help, there's other people who need a word of wisdom and you can go privately and talk to them or maybe in a group. And so you can be used by God. Your gift can be used and if you, if you have a gift, you need to use it. God's given it to you to help the body of Christ.
00:55:23
To, to exercise, to be, to umm, edify one another. And so if you don't use your gift, it's just sitting there lying dormant, umm.
The the verse has been used a couple of times this this weekend. Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do with all your might. So when the Lord put something in your pathway, He gives you a person to talk to. We can just be quiet because we don't feel like talking today.
But reach out to that person. It may be that the Lord is wanting you to use your gift with that person for encouragement or or teaching or or whatever, whatever your gift may be. And being gathered to the Lord's name gives us the broadest platform to use our gift. You know, there's some in this room that I've had the privilege of traveling with Brother Garvin Seymour and I whose name is familiar to many. We travel together throughout different countries and we have often said.
We are thankful that we are not shackled by some of the names that Christendom has taken, because if you, I say I'm connected with such and such a fellowship, it may be a well known name that immediately limits me in the minds of those we are seeking to minister to. That limits me. Oh, he's connected with that. He called such and such and, and, and we're connected with something else. But when we are.
Unshackled.
By all the names that Christendom has taken, it gives us the broadest platform to exercise our gift. Brethren, this is the broadest place there can be is to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus alone. I I think what you say is very good, Tim.
Because we take the ground of the one body of Christ, and that includes every true believer. So wherever you meet one, you are to exercise yourself.
And being helping and encouragement in any way you possibly can. So we come to this versus 12 and 13 that we mentioned spoke about yesterday. And I think it is central to this chapter. But again, let's read those verses because they are so important as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one.
Body being many are one body, so also is Christ. For by 1 spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit. 6 times that word one is used. It shows that what God does, it's unity, what man does.
Is divide. And so it's a beautiful thing to see that God speaks about one body and there is one body today, just as there was in the beginning of the church's history. In the beginning of the church's history, it was evident. Look at Acts chapter four. I think it is beautiful. The testimony of the believers in the those first days of the church's history and testimony.
And, uh, chapter 4 and verse 32 Says, the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul. Neither sought any of them that ought of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common. So there it is, one heart and one soul.
Brethren, we are one today just as much as on the day of Pentecost, but it is not outwardly evident. The testimony has, is in ruins. But we do gather on that ground. And that's why what you say, Jim, is important, that that's the ground we take. And so when we do meet up with believers, whatever persuasion they are, we seek to be a help to them in the measure that we can.
01:00:02
I remember in South America when we lived down there, there was a sister who was a dentist. She was quite a nice believer, but she came over to the house quite often. She would wander around from one church to another to another, and one time she was visiting our home and she said to me.
Brother, we should all be one.
I said, sister, it's not that we should all be one, we are one. We're just not acting like it. And that's the truth of the matter. Brother, it's a beautiful thing to realize that the body of Christ is one. We cannot split up the body of Christ. That's an act that God has done. And how has that body been formed? Verse 13.
Says it very clearly. Why one spirit?
We are we all baptized into one body, whether it be Jews or Gentiles, whether it be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one spirit. So the baptism of the Holy Spirit was to form the body of Christ and I'd just like to go back to the book of the Acts to show rather than that it's mentioned in the book of the Acts twice for two distinct.
Actions of the Holy Spirit in connection with the formation of the Body of Christ. First in chapter one of the Acts.
The Lord Jesus disciples and the Lord Jesus are talking together and he says.
In verse 4.
And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith He, Ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. And then the Lord Jesus ascends into heaven. And another 10 days, the day of Pentecost, which means 50.
On the In the second chapter, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were, And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as into fire, and it sat upon each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues.
As the Spirit gave him utterance, so there you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit to form those Jewish believers into one body in Christ. And then when you go over to the 10th chapter, you have the Gentiles brought in, and it is through the instrumentality of Peter, and he is preaching the gospel to Cornelius.
And those that were gathered there, they were Gentiles. And as he was speaking notice in verse 44, while Peter was yet yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them whi which heard the word, and they of the circumcision which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter, because that on the.
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now in Chapter 11 Peter is called to account why he went in and he gives the account of how it happened and just noticed in verse 15 of Chapter 11 as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning.
Then remembered I the word of the Lord.
Now that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. So the baptism of the Holy Ghost is to form the body of Christ. Tongues were given in those cases to show that it was the Holy Ghost, but it was not for that purpose. It was for the purpose of forming believers into one body in Christ.
01:05:00
Rather than this is a wonderful reality in our world. When we look at the religious world, it's those who are called believers are so divided, so scattered that we don't get the picture. We are one body, brethren, and it is a blessed privilege. Jim went to Egypt and you were in Angola recently with believers and and different parts of Africa.
And I, we were in Brazil and Bolivia. And to experience the oneness of the Spirit, it's a reality. It's not just a doctrine. And I just challenge you, younger brothers, go down and visit your brother in other countries. It's a blessing to sit down. Sometimes people say, well, I can't preach another language. OK, you don't have to preach. Just go sit down beside them and show them that you love and care.
That you are of the same body. Break bread with them. It's a blessing, isn't it? The reality of the truth that we are one body in Christ. So how do we explain this, Bob? It seems like there's been two baptisms of the Holy Spirit. It's a, it's a second installment is the way I've heard it, but I, I don't think it's too, it's one. But the first is for the Jews and the second was for the Gentiles to bring them into. It was also the Samaritans in the 8th chapter and something very similar happened there.
And I put it this way, what, how what you say is, is good. It was a little extension of what took place, a little addendum to what took place on the day of Pentecost, not really a repeat of it. And that's why when the Samaritans and later, as you pointed out, the Gentiles are brought in, it had to go back to what was established at the beginning. Because the Spirit of God is very careful to guard in the Acts, lest we ever think there was a Jewish church, a Samaritan church, and a Gentile church.
Or even a Jewish gentile church with a hyphen. No, it went back to what had taken place at the beginning.
And sometimes we talk about saved Jews and saved Gentiles, and I understand what we mean.
But there was a brother in fellowship at the Lord's Table in Smith's Falls for a number of years. He's with the Lord now.
And he was born into this world, into a Jewish family. He was a Jew by birth.
I was a Gentile by birth, and I guess everybody else that's been at the Lord's Table in Smith's Falls was born a Gentile. But when we broke bread, we didn't really break bread as saved Jews and save Gentiles. We broke bread as members of the body of Christ.
And I know it's perhaps a little feeble illustration, but sometimes I've had a chart. In seeking to minister on this truth, I have two circles on the chart. If you can just picture 2 circles on a chart, you put the Jew in one and the Gentile in the other. That's what you had in the Old Testament. You had the Jew and the Gentile. They were two very distinct things and the Jew was in the place of privilege and so on. But if you bring those circles partly together and you have a football shaped.
Segment in the middle you can put the Church of God. It's a new entity made-up of Jews who are saved by the grace of God.
And Gentiles who are saved by the grace of God. And what are they now?
They are members of the body of Christ. They are brought into a completely new position.
And that's why it was so hard for a Jew to accept this in the early days of Christianity and perhaps even still today, because to the Jews had been taught that they were the special people, that they were in that special place of blessing and they had the oracles of God and so on. And that was true. But then to be taught that they had to come for the blessing now in the same way as a Gentile, wonderful for a Gentile to realize he could be brought in by grace.
On the basis of the work of Calvary, but very difficult for a Jew to accept.
That they had to come in that same way and that now they were viewed in the same way.
As a Gen. as a Gentile, yeah, I'd like to look at Acts chapter 2 and verse 47.
The last verse of the chapter.
Says the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. At the beginning of the chapter there was the baptism of the Spirit, The body of Christ was formed. Then the Samaritans came. They it looked like the same thing, but they were just being added to the body that already been established.
Now the Gentiles in Acts 11, they are also added to that body and the Spirit of God did it in a way that looks similar to the beginning, to what happened on the baptism of the Spirit of the beginning. But it was their way. The Spirit of God was adding them to the church that had already been established on the day of Pentecost. And is that what's still happening today? One by one, Yes. So let, let, let's, since this has come out, let's to understand that she was a very simple illustration.
01:10:27
I know it's been used before, but it helped me when I was younger to get a hold of what Tim has just brought out.
On the day of Pentecost, in the upper room, in obedience to the word of the Lord, there were about 120 believers present, and the Spirit of God came down as had been promised, and did two things, three things. It formed a new unit called the Church of God, and came to dwell in that new unit also came, as was pointed out earlier, came to indwell each individual believer. And thirdly, to link us as members of the body of Christ.
With our head in heaven. But now in connection with the verse Tim has read us at the end of the chapter. If I can illustrate it this way, it's like a necklace. Let's suppose I have about 120 beads or so in a bowl here.
They're individual beads. And so now I'm going to make a necklace. And so I take a thread and I thread those beads. You know, they're still individual beads and we are still individual believers. That hasn't changed in that way. But we're something else now. Those beads are something else now. They formed a new unit.
Called a necklace, and there's something unseen that is holding them together, and that is that thread that I have threaded through them. But now let's for the sake of illustration and to illustrate Tim's point, let's suppose that after a while I obtain some more beads. What do I do? Well, I don't necessarily make a new necklace. I untie the clasp of that necklace and I add those beads to what was already formed in the beginning.
And that is what happened, has been happening since the day of Pentecost. The church was formed by about 120 believers, linked together by the Spirit of God.
And like that necklace, God has been adding believers ever since, such as should be saved. And the fact that we're here today shows that there's still some work before the Spirit of God to do in adding to the church. Once the church is completed, then I believe the Spirit of God is that the Lord is going to give the shout and the Spirit of God and the church are going to go the Spirit and the Bride say come at the end of of Revelation. So maybe that's a little help to help to understand what has been happening since the day of Pentecost. There's one church.
One body that hasn't changed, but God has been adding to that which He began in the beginning.
Something I think should be noted that is amazing is that last phrase in verse 12. Paul was Speaking of the church, and he concludes so also is Christ.
And this is incredible. If you or I said that, I'm sure that the brothers would think it was. Erica talked about the church, but he said so also is Christ. That's the wonderful identification.
Of the Lord Jesus, first of all, with each and every one of us as believers, we have this identification with him, but God suits us no longer as children of Adam, but as having a new life. It was Frank and God, but this is a collective thing. Also, Paul is Speaking of the church and he says so also is Christ and that is just beyond wonderful. Uh, I guess it says, Lord Jesus, are we one with thee or I go death of love.
And Mr. Douglas translation, it says so also is the Christ. So it's Christ the head in heaven and we the members in in this world a living relationship. Brethren, do we really properly understand and enjoy this? We are livingly united to a man, a real living man in the glory of God. He is the head.
And we are members of the body of Christ, who is mentioned in yesterday. It never speaks in Scripture of being members of a church. It speaks of being members of the body of Christ. It's a living Organism. I sometimes say to people, people can form organizational structures and it's necessary if they're gonna work together in an orderly way.
01:15:09
But only God can make an Organism, and the body of Christ is not an organizational structure. It is an Organism has one head that directs the body, and we are members of that body.
It might be helpful to just make a, a brief comment about the, the latter part of this chapter. And verse 14 has been mentioned. Uh, the body is not one member, but many. And then it goes on in these following verses describing that. And what it's actually reflecting back to and illustrating is what has already been spoken of. And so I just like to point out one word a little bit earlier in this chapter and we, we have noticed it, but just notice it again.
Umm, in, uh, in verse eight, we're told to one is given that the word of wisdom and then the word that I'd like to emphasize is another. So another, the word of knowledge, verse 9 to another faith, uh, verse 9 to another, the gifts of healing, verse 10 to another, the working of the miracles to another prophecy to another, discerning of spirits to another, diverse kinds of tongues to another.
You you get the point here. There's.
There's a number of different members and, and there's the working together. And so we see that very clearly in the, in this illustration of the body, how there's to be the members working together. And just just to make one application here from these verses that we've already covered. And it was, it was pointed out the, uh, umm.
And uh, in verse 8, the, uh, the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge, the one who is giving that word of wisdom relies on the one who, who gave the word of knowledge. They're applying what that other individual, what that other member of the body of Christ has and they're taking that and they're using it. To use another example, we have one who is a discerner of spirit. A, a shepherd may have, a may have a shepherd's heart, but they, they're not quite sure.
What the exact state of things is. And one who is a discerner of spirits would say, well, this, this one over here, they, they need some encouragement. They, they need you to, to come and give a hand and the shepherd will respond and we'll do that. And so that's why we see developed here in the, in the second-half of this chapter, the working of the body together. And we need our, we need our brethren. We may look down our noses and say, oh, you know, this, this brother can't, can't quote, uh, the whole book of Ephesians with his eyes closed. I, I don't need to listen to anything he says.
Not at all. There's different manifestations of the spirit, no doubt given to that brother or that sister. And we will we will lose out tremendously if if we neglect them and think that that we can do it all ourselves to to illustrate a a fairly simple illustration.
We're all gonna go to the dining room in a few minutes. If, if I think that my hands can do all the work it well, it's true, I could drag myself with my hands to the dining room and and eat it and and do do the eating and do the propulsion and everything, but it doesn't work very well.
We need each member of the body of Christ. And that's really just the the very homely, very simple picture that is being presented in the latter half of this chapter. So illustrating what what is being developed at length in in the previous two reading meetings.
They, when you mentioned discerning of spirits is an interesting gift and in the 8th chapter of the book of Acts, uh, uh, Philip is preaching the gospel and.
There's a man called Simon Magus who makes a profession of faith and he's baptized.
He doesn't seem to discern where he really stood, but Peter and John come down, and then Simon Magus comes up and offers some money, and Peter discerns immediately this guy is not right with God. And he tells him. And it does seem that he wasn't real at all, even though he had been baptized. That's an illustration of discerning his Spirit.
That's there's another thought there too. There's the Corinthians. We're in a Pagan city with Pagan idols and there were demons and the demon is a can impersonate as an Angel of light what is true. And so there was the need for the gift that would detect that it was actually a demon and not the Spirit of God that was speaking. And this is that all important for us when the person might have a difficulty.
01:20:18
Is this a weak believer who needs encouragement, or is this possibility an unsafe person? And when we have problems within assemblies with other assemblies, it's just a discernment of spirits of.
Loss and importance.
You're a little practical.
Visiting with a friend one time, he was a rather discouraged Christian from another assembly and and what it discouraged him was the fact that he felt like the Lord had given him the ability to discern things but the and it I'm not putting any blame on anyone, I'm just relating the story, but.
The brethren and his assembly weren't inclined to listen to him.
And they, there were reasons, umm, they probably had probably given them good reason to not listen to them. But in the end, I've, I've wondered whether he really truly had the the gift to discern spirits and.
There, there's fault on both sides. If you'd have been more useful in the assembly, if you'd been more respected, his gift would have been profitable.
And then would have probably saved some some trials. But at the at the on the other side, each each member of the body of Christ has a gift. We need to be really careful not to discredit or set aside one of the members of the body of Christ because there may be a time when they when it when it when it comes. And it's very important that.
That that the Spirit be able to minister through them.
210.
210.
One spirit.
1.
Day.
Uh.
Gospel 2
Gospel—Stephen Rule
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Let's begin this evening together with singing of #3 on your hymn sheet.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
My name is Grace.
All his time, all the Rome of my life, glowing in the place, Yeah.
Number of days ago was a burden on my heart to.
Share with everyone in the audience this evening.
The wonder of the trustworthy person of Christ, and I hope we'll do that this evening particularly, my burden was that if there was someone here, that's an anxious.
So you would find assurance of salvation. You would have the confidence in that trustworthy person.
And I trust he'll go there.
Lord laid on my heart a second burden to begin with, and it was before last night's gospel and uncovered beautifully in last night's gospel. And I asked the Lord to continue with that subject since it was covered beautifully last night, that I feel that there's a need to touch on it again. And so we'll touch on it again here. And that's the conviction for a callous soul. And my burden here at the beginning is that there would be a conviction in your heart.
If you've heard the gospel many times before.
You perhaps agreed with the facts of the gospel, but you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. So I'm going to turn first to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5.
Many things could be said.
This is what I believe the Lord's laid on my heart. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5.
And verse 20. We'll just read 3 verses here.
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5, verse 20.
Four. Listen carefully, I say.
Mr. Lord Jesus Christ speaking.
For I say unto you.
Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill.
00:05:13
And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.
But I say unto you.
But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger. The Judgment.
And whosoever shall say to his brother Raqqa shall be in danger of the Council.
But whosoever shall say, thou fool.
She'll be in danger of hell fire as we open up God's Word this evening.
I believe probably everyone in this room, certainly the vast majority in this room, would give at least a mental agreement to the fact that we have God's Word in front of us. With the burden on my heart this evening is not that you would listen to another set of words out of this book, but that you would hear those words ringing in your heart. I say unto you.
That the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His Spirit would speak into your heart those words.
I say unto you.
There are the words that I have come this evening to pass on that have any value. In fact, I want to illustrate it.
This way some time ago, a couple weeks ago, I wanted to pass out some of these little booklets that say Peace with God, a bunch of verses in them. And so I bought a little packet of 20 of them and I stuck them in my backpack to bring home. I carry a backpack back and forth to work every day with my laptop in it. Suck it in. But the zipper doesn't go all the way, doesn't close. It's damaged. And as I entered the house that evening, for the first time in several weeks, it started to pour.
Rain just before I left the garage or right as I was arriving at home and in my hurry and going inside for some reason the packet of 20 of these things.
Was right there next to the zipper. They fell, they shattered on the ground and I didn't notice. With guests coming for dinner. They arrived 2-3 minutes later and came in bringing a soggy handful of 20 of these. We spread them all out, they dry it out and we threw them out. I went back and bought another pack of 20. I'm going to remember this time. I'm not going to lose them. Put them carefully in my backpack.
In fact, they came home and there they stayed right there.
On the counter.
So for this trip, I was going to be sure that I remembered a few of these. And so I brought several of them and I put them with my Bible case where I wasn't going to forget them and I set them there to bring along and we went into a Culver's in Marion, IL. On our way down I came.
Paul gone off to the restroom. We already bought our food, et cetera. And I realized, oh, I left them in the van.
Got here, I wasn't going to forget again. I put some in my pocket and I changed my shirt and I left it behind.
So I took him, got a couple more, got him in my pocket. And yesterday at lunch I went out to get a little bite to eat and meditate on what the Lord would give me to share with you this evening. And I went to your local Dairy Queen here and up to the counter and I ordered. I came and I sat back down at my seat and.
Still have them in my pocket. Well, the lady here, they they deliver your food. I didn't know they did that at Dairy Queen. I haven't eaten at Dairy Queen and I don't know how many years. So they're going to deliver my food. I'll remember.
She came, she delivered the food. Forgot again.
But she said, do you want something to drink? I hadn't ordered anything to drink. I said sure, I'll take an ice water and got it out of my pocket. I set it in front of me.
And she came back and I timidly said I have something. Just some thoughts for you.
She picked it up. She looked at it and said, oh.
I need that.
Oh, I need that.
Well, that was nice. She went back and came back a few moments later, bringing the little Blizzard I'd ordered. And when she brought it back, she said, you know, two weeks ago I got off drugs and I got this job. And here's what she said that I want to pass on. I think that she waived this since I thank God is speaking to me.
00:10:00
You know, those are the words I want to impress on you this evening.
I forgot a half dozen times. I dumped them in the outside in the rain without knowing the message messenger. It's pretty feeble fact. The messenger is totally irrelevant. What matters to you this evening is I say unto you.
What matters is, you know, all I had time for. She was in a hurry to get back behind the counter and serve the next person. All I had time for was to say yes, I think he's speaking to you.
And that was it. And she went on. I don't know if she read the verses or not, but tonight you have an opportunity to hear the voice of God.
The voice of the living Son of God, speaking to you by His Spirit through His Word.
And he says, I say unto you, so let's look at this little slice of the message that he gives right here.
It says you, Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.
But I say unto you, And here it is that whosoever is angry with his brother.
Without a cause, she'll be in danger of the judgment. Let's pause there. When we were at the Michigan family camp for a few days, Bernie Rusink and when he was speaking in passing told us about the person. Don't think he gave a name. So I thought of him since as Mr. Chainsaw and apparently and he named the county. I assume it was there in Michigan. Somebody correct me later. It's not relevant. I suppose somewhere near him there was a man who got in an argument with.
Neighbor pulled out a gun. Our I think it was his neighbor's gun. He took the gun. He killed the neighbor, but he was still furious. He was still angry.
So you got a chainsaw and you dismembered his neighbor.
Oh, you say that's awful and that's it is awful.
Oh, you said I've never committed a crime like that. No, you probably haven't.
I'm gonna give you another story.
When I was perhaps 14 years old or so, I was having a.
Snowball fight outside in front of the meeting room there in Addison from the Bible Truth publishers where the meetings are held. And it was winter time throwing snowballs. I think there were snowballs, if I remember correctly coming back my direction. And I threw a beautifully, I thought lovely shot from the front door out to the edge of the sidewalk near where there used to be a flagpole. And I hit the 10 year old boy on the back of the neck and the snow went.
On the back into his neck and I was quite pleased with my shot and I was standing there smiling and he turned around. Well look at the rage on his face. Put together a heavy duty snowball and he was bigger than me and he had a look on his face that told me this was not a good place to be. So I ran inside and quick he was coming up fast with a snowball in his face.
Snowball in his hand and the look on his face and I locked the door real quickly.
And I relaxed, I looked out and the smile came back to my face.
And he came up to that door and he gave one big, huge kick.
And I got terrified and I reached up quickly with the look in my eye and began to unlock that door. And if you remember, many of you have been there, but perhaps not all of you. It's a big glass front door. It's not a wood front door. It's a heavy, thick glass. And another kick hit that door. Before I could get it unlocked, the foot came through the door and all the glass shattered on the inside.
You say?
Oh, I've never done that.
No, maybe you didn't. This particular person was immediately repentance, came in, felt bad about it instantly went and found his dad, Went and found my dad and he made restitution. He paid with a little bit of Labor for the cost of the door, at least a token of restitution for the door. But you say I don't get angry like that. And I would have told you I didn't get angry like that. In fact, that was all the way along until late this afternoon, I was reminded.
That in that after not perhaps six months, perhaps a year later.
I was down in my bedroom.
Wasting my time listening to a football game.
And the team that I was particularly interested in was losing, and I was tense. It was a tight, I don't remember who they were playing. It's irrelevant, But I know I was tense. I was worried. I had a book in my hand pretending to read, and I was listening. And at a critical moment in that game, somebody fumble.
00:15:12
For the good guys and I took that book and I throw it across the room.
You know, I didn't kick in the front glass door, but I was angry.
I didn't destroy the book. I went and picked it up and I felt bad about it. And you say, oh, I've never done that. I never, in fact, football. That's stupid, Yeah.
I wouldn't do that.
But that's not what this verse is talking about. It's not what this verse is talking about. Have you ever said to your mom or to your dad?
No, let's not make it say to your mom or to your dad. Your mom or your dad aren't there present, but they say something to you you don't like and you say when they're not present. That's stupid.
I'm not gonna ask for a show of hands.
But maybe you've never done that. Perhaps you've never even gone that far. You've never let those words escape your lips.
I wanna read the verse again. I wanna read the end of that verse again and let's see what the Spirit of God says here.
It says the end of verse 21. Whosoever shall kill shall be in danger.
Of the judgment. Now watch carefully. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause.
There is righteous anger. Scriptures speak about righteous anger without a 'cause I believe in this context covers righteous anger. That's a cause.
But this says.
Angry with his brother without a cause.
You know what that word angry means?
I looked it up yesterday.
That word Angry.
Has the sense of being exasperated.
What did the person here in this part of the verse say?
Nothing.
There's no words recorded. The next one it says, if you should say. The next one says if he should say. No word about action that came in the prior verse. This one says, exasperated with your brother.
And my concern is that there's somebody here this evening and you've heard the gospel so many times.
You know it inside out, upside down and backwards.
But you're not like Mr. Chainsaw.
And you've never kicked in and you've never smashed a glass door.
And you're not as bad as I am. You've never flung something across the room because you were angry.
Let me ask you this question and it's I say unto you, so don't listen to it from my voice, from my mouth.
Listen carefully to what God says, and I'll read it again. But I say unto you, whosoever is angry is exasperated with his brother without a cause, without righteous anger.
Shall be in danger of the judgment. Now you say I don't know what Raqqa means and I don't know what thou fool means. Let's get on to the rest of the verse. Raka means worthless, thou fool.
Is.
Umm, I'm sorry, already forgotten. Looked it up earlier. Thou fool is a slightly stronger expression that has that goes beyond the worthless of Raqqa. But I want to stop with that word judgement, because I want you to back up now and look again at the prior verse.
What word do you see in that prior verse? Does it say Hellfire? Does it say endanger the council? What word does it say in that prior verse?
Where does it end? It says whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. Did you not in your heart, when we talked about Mr. Chainsaw being angry, did you nod in your heart that that killer was in danger of the judgment? It's the exact same word as the beginning of the next verse. When it says judgment, it's the exact same word.
Me illustrate.
00:20:00
This spectrum of anger in this way, the verse was read this morning in the breaking of bread and John 19, verse 11. The first was in fact, I better go to it. I can't quote it. The Lord speaking to Pilate.
I can only give you the gist.
John 19, verse 11.
Jesus answered, He is speaking to Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except that were given thee from above. Therefore he that delivered me up unto thee half the greater sin.
Perhaps that refers to Judas. Maybe you could expand it a little bit and include the Sanhedrin, the responsible leaders that had brought the Lord over to Pilate. But either way, the Lord refers to the greater sin. So let's come back to the verse we're on. You've got a spectrum of sin here, and we've talked about a spectrum of sin this evening. And the Lord Jesus used the word the greater when he spoke about perhaps Judas.
Does that give you comfort if you're without Him as your savior this evening?
Let me read one last time those words it says.
Whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause.
Shall be in danger of the judgment. Think of it this way. It's like a road. And if you've got that road that's headed to judgment, you've got the road, that's the road that your heart is on. And there's somebody further down the road and you're somebody else a little bit farther on, and you're at the beginning of that road and you're walking down the road. What direction are you headed?
Does it matter that there's a person further down the road than you?
Does it matter that Mister Chainsaw wasn't protected by his parents and given a godly Christian upbringing like perhaps you've had?
And he got a little bit further down that road. What matters is that your heart has the same anger in it that his heart had. It came to a fuller, more complete expression. There were more steps in this verse, but we're going to stop with that first one.
You're in danger of the judgment. Let's turn to Luke's Gospel, chapter 13.
And people brought current events to the Lord, and in verse two it says in Jesus answering, said unto them, Suppose he, that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things.
I tell you.
Listen very carefully, he says, I tell you nay, but accept you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Verse four, or those 18 upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them. Think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you Nay, but except.
Ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
You're not going to stand someday.
If you have to stand someday, I hope no one in this room will. But if someday you appear before that great white throne.
And you're in the presence of the holy God, you're not going to bring up.
Mr. Chainsaw, you're not going to bring up the person that kicked in the glass door?
You're not going to bring up your brother, you're not going to bring up your sister, and you're not going to be able to say I didn't hear clearly because if my words are not clear, the words of the Spirit of God being spoken to your heart at this moment are clear. It penetrates, It takes God's word. It takes what God says when he says, I say unto you.
And it brings it home to your heart. And when you appear, and I hope I shouldn't, I hope you will never appear before that great white throne of God. But if you were to appear there.
You won't be able to say this one and that one and the other one, because you just listen to these words. Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Don't quote to me the news about this horrible this and that horrible that. Except you repent, you will all likewise perish.
00:25:12
Heard a story a couple of years ago.
But my great great grandmother never met her.
My great, great grandmother was a very religious woman.
My great great grandmother was from a very wealthy family in Toronto, Canada and her husband was a very wealthy man.
They lived well.
But down the street, from around the corner, I don't know, close by.
Lived a young man with an eighth grade education and a great great grandmother's daughter fell in love with him.
They were married.
They attempted to present a clear gospel to my great great grandmother. She couldn't get over the fact that her family honor was.
Dragged down, her name was lowered by this 8th grade salesman that married her daughter.
And she didn't want the message either.
She was a religious lady. She hadn't pulled out any chainsaws. She didn't express anger in that great outward way that people would look down on. She was a respectable and upright woman.
But she didn't want to hear the gospel.
She paid money to have somebody go over to at the time, many, many, many years ago, and it was even more expensive than it is now. Go over to the Jordan River and bring her a bottle of water from the Jordan River so that she could sprinkle her children so they'd be baptized with holy water from the Jordan River. After all, the Lord himself was baptized in the Jordan, so the Jordan will take water from there.
She was a religious woman.
And over the decades, she heard the gospel that would have very little to do with her daughter and her son-in-law.
Very late in our life, she sent for my great grandmother. She sent her. My great grandmother came with my grandfather, who was five years old. They arrived at the house and my great grandmother went to speak with her mother.
He was on the edge of eternity. She was facing an eternity, and holy water from the Jordan wouldn't cut it, and neither would her sense of confidence in her religiousness for all those years. And she knew that her daughter had something she didn't have. She knew that her daughter had a piece and a rest and an assurance and an absolute certainty of salvation. And she wanted it as she faced eternity. And they had multiple.
Hours to talk that night.
And my great, great grandfather, grandmother received Christ as our Savior that night, the next morning, perhaps the earliest memory of my grandfather.
Was wondering.
By his grandma was covered with a sheep.
That evening she'd entered eternity, but she entered eternity with Christ as her Savior, not with her religion, not with a set of facts, not with a set of things that she clung to her entire life. She entered with almost no fruit for God, but she entered eternity resting on the blood of Christ shed for her. And in the time we have remaining, I would like to turn with you to Hebrews chapter 10.
Because my burden now is for those of you who perhaps have touched the hem of His garment, But you have no assurance of your salvation. You have no sense that you know Christ as your personal Savior. You heard last night over and over again so clearly what it means to trust.
I want to turn from trust because it's vital, it was essential, and perhaps you heard it last night. I want to return from trust to trustworthy and in the time we have remaining, I want to look at the trustworthy one. I would like with you to look at what God himself has done to bring you into His family, what God himself has done because He wants you as a worshiper.
00:30:04
Next to him forever.
So let's read from.
Verse five. Well.
I'll read from verse 4.
For it is not possible.
That the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offering. Thou wouldest not but a body. A Thou prepared me. We'll look at four things.
In this chapter 4 things not original with me.
Enjoyed this?
A month or so ago and reading in another writer.
From long ago.
And then another writer more recently, and then in another book that was published this year, and they all give the same.
Layout to the chapter and I think it's beautiful. The first part of the chapter deals with the will of God. The next part of the chapter deals with the work of Christ. The third part of chapter deals with the witness of the Spirit. And the 4th part that we'll look at tonight deals with you, the worshipper. But where I want to begin is with the will of God.
And I want you to see that it begins back here.
It says.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, verse 6. Thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I, Hello, this is the voice of Christ speaking, quoted from the Psalm, Lo, I come, and the volume of the book, It is written of me to do thy will, O God.
I'd like to see a show of hands here this evening for all of those of you here who have always done the will of God.
I'd like to see a show of hands here this evening, for everyone here that is at least once done your own will instead of his.
Want you for a moment to think?
About this one, you know, down through 4 millennia.
God watched man on this earth. He didn't find a single one that looked like his son, and the only thing that would satisfy his heart was to have his home, his house filled with ones that were just like his son. It was one that would come and do his will every single moment of every single.
Day.
There's beautiful expressions of the Lord throughout, but I want you to notice one little thing here, he says in the volume of the book. It is written of me.
You're holding your hands. You have on your lap, most of you.
A Bible that you can open and turn to turn the pages of it and back. Then some of you perhaps have your.
Electronic device, and you can scroll through on that electronic device. But back in this time there was a roll. And in fact, to get a full set of them you would need a set of scrolls. And so those scrolls you have to unroll and turn. One of the beautiful things in the invention of a bound book, you can flip back and forth through it easily.
But a scroll, it's kind of hard to go back and forth through that scroll. And so on the ends of those scrolls, they would write the title of the book, and as I understand it, often they would write a brief summary of its contents.
I'm gonna read you the expression again.
In the volume of the book it is written of me to do.
Thy will, O God.
The summary of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ as a man on this earth.
Written.
600 years no Written 1000 years before he was born.
The sum total of that life.
I come to do thy will, O God.
00:35:00
You know.
I've assumed up to this point that you've heard the gospel many times, but I should pause and say that it's the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, that cleanseth us from all sin. It is the offering of the body of this one, the Lord Jesus Christ, that is your acceptance before God, if you're accepted before God. And so who this person is, who this sacrifice is, is vital. It's vital that God.
Satisfied with the sacrifice that's offered for sin.
And so he comes and he says this is what I want. And for long before the incarnation, 1000 years before.
Before the Lord Jesus entered this world in the Psalm, chapter 40, when the words are given.
It says my nearest speaks of his ears as being digged. I better read it Psalm 40.
And verse 6.
Sacrifice and offering that it's not desire. My nearest hast thou opened.
That is, speaking long before his birth, the essence of him taking a body is given every single moment of every single day. This one will listen for my will and do it and do it perfectly.
Once he had taken on manhood, died on the cross, risen back to heaven. And this book of Hebrews is being written. It's been quoted from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. And by the Spirit of God, there's a different twist given. He's back in glory now. And the twist given for the purposes of this chapter is.
Sacrifice and offering, though it's not, but a body.
That prepared me, that one that came to perfectly carry out his father's will.
Came with a body because it had to be offered up for you.
If you were to approach God in the value of who you are and what you've done.
He would stand somewhere on that spectrum of outward.
Send.
Somewhere on that spectrum, but you would stand before God as a Sinner.
But if you're to come and to be accepted before God, it's because God doesn't will you to be there. God wills you to be in his home, and he prepared his Son as that sacrifice for sin.
It says.
No go down in the chapter.
To verse 10.
By the which will, that same will the will of God. We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. Once for all you know in this chapter.
It, uh, enjoyed meditating on it, but in each section of the chapter when I tried to come up with a an analogy that would express the thought.
I was left scratching my head. I've heard a lot of them. There's a lot that the scriptures have to say about sanctification.
So you've heard them too, perhaps. You know, sanctified means set apart, right? So you've got the dishes and they're dirty and you wash them and you put them on the dry side and you put them with the clean ones. You don't put them back with The Dirty ones. Just seems so, so cheap. What is compared? It's a good analogy. I don't take a time. I've used it myself. I'm not. If you've used that, I'm not picking on it.
But it comes so far short.
It comes so far short, it says.
By God's will, he wanted you sanctified. He wanted you set apart for Himself.
And so I thought of the other good one that I've enjoyed. It's a little better, but that is.
The idea of an engagement ring and it comes short, you know, I come even shorter. I bought my wife and I before we were married. We went shopping for the engagement ring together. I wasn't one of these that went out ahead of time. We were privately engaged. I was going to go out to see her parents. I was going to ask them if it was OK if we were married. So we were shopping for the.
Together and we went into the Jewelers one after one to various ones and I had a rough idea of what my wife would want.
00:40:06
In fact, I asked her, what is it that you want in a diamond? And, well, it wasn't the size so much that mattered. That was a relief.
What she wanted was one that sparkled she'd always admired and she named the person they're gem sparkled. So me, Mr. physics student, I go and I look up how you know, how do you get a gem that sparkles and the round brilliant cut. Now you got to get a round brilliant cut and that has maximized and it was calculated. Is there total internal.
Reflection from the bottom surfaces if they're cut at the right angle for light coming in from the top, and then it refracts when it comes in at the top and then it refracts when it goes out at the at the top on its way out and you get maximum dispersion of the light and you get a pretty rainbow.
That's nice, you know. So we're gonna shop for around Brilliant Cut. And we did. And we went into a jeweler there and we shopped around. But we found one in Addison where I lived and she lived, and it was just right.
Not that big, but they graded the cut and the cut was what mattered, right? And I had a budget. I had a certain amount of money in my bank account and so this fit within the budget. So this was going to be the engagement ring. So of course I reached into my pocket and pulled out my.
No, I didn't have a credit card. I didn't have a credit card. Reached into my pocket and pulled out my check. No, I don't have a checkbook. Do you have one in your purse? Yeah. See how the checkbook.
Well, our bank accounts, they're going to be merging pretty soon anyway.
So she wrote the check. I'm not sure if I paid her back.
But she was sanctified.
Had the ring on her finger and was set apart to be my bride.
I did it 100% wrong.
From a romantic standpoint.
Put the ring on the finger was enough. She was sanctified and she was my bride.
By the witch will we are sanctified through the offering.
For the body of Jesus Christ once for all, can you doubt the love of God for you?
He had his will 1000 years before Christ came, expressed in the Psalm that he wanted one that would do nothing but his will, that would have a body prepared that could be offered in sacrifice for you on the cross. Who paid for your sanctification? I didn't even pay for my wife's engagement ring.
Who paid for your sanctification?
By the will of God, the body of Christ was offered on a cross.
So that you would be set apart to be his child forever.
So that you could become his son.
Can you say of love like that? I'm not interested. Can you say of a person like that? That's not trustworthy. You could say that about me. That's fine. You'd be right.
Can you say that about the Lord Jesus Christ? No.
No, by the witch will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. The next verse which shifts into the section where the Christ really if there's a transition there at the end of that last verse and then here in verse 11 and every priest send us daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices.
Which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God, or sat down in perpetuity the right hand of God.
Who is it that hates sin?
Isn't it the God?
We took the sin.
The light it on a sun.
Isn't it the God that we read this morning? He hath made him.
To be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Isn't that the person that has to be satisfied about them? Isn't that the person that needs to be satisfied if it's going to be taken away? That you need to be satisfied for your assurance? You do, but not for your salvation?
00:45:21
For your salvation, the one that hates sin, the one that cannot allow it in his home, the one that will not allow it.
And the new heavens and the new earth, that's the one that has to be satisfied. And.
Your surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one that died on that cross, so that you could.
Be present with him in heaven, it says. Sat down in perpetuity, or sat down forever. Sat down on the right hand.
Of God, of the right hand of God, the one that must be satisfied about sin is satisfied. You know, there's so much in this chapter about the UMM.
That are Jewish figures and there's no time for that this evening nor is it really the burden on my heart I want to go to the next one port says for by one offering he asked for I'm sorry I'm going to read from verse 13 from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool for by one offering.
He had perfected forever them that are sanctified.
How many of you have ever?
Perfected something.
Came to the end of the job, sat back and said that looks pretty nice. Yeah, maybe, probably, likely. You've done that. Have you Finished a job and you sat back and you said that's perfected forever.
Not unless you're delusional.
You know, we lived in Ecuador and for six years and there in the country, uh, there's at least in the city of Keith, well, throughout the country really, there's a lot of construction that's done with concrete pillars and then they fill in with concrete block, but they set in the ground a nice concrete foundation and they put big concrete pillars. There's many, many earthquakes in the country and we experienced a few minor ones while we lived there. And the light bulb would sway in the ceiling and so on as the magma moved.
Underneath and that ground would quake and so they would build these concrete pillars with long pieces of rebar metal bar to rundown through the center of them that gave them a little bit more flexibility when the ground was twisting underneath gave them greater strength. And when they built their ground floor it was customary to look to the future and let those concrete pillars poke up above the roof a little bit and generally they come up a couple of feet and then the rebar would come up out of that and the twist off to the side and.
They're ready, if they got the money someday, to add the second story.
And I can't tell you the number of homes one after another. You go through the neighborhoods for visiting people or handing out calendars or just driving through, and you look at the roof and the vast majority of them ended with these columns and rebar poking out of it. And very often that rebar was twisted way over the side. It was badly rusted, and the concrete pillar on the top was starting to crumble. It was obvious that they had had a.
When they built that home and now that hope was quite literally crumbling on the top of their house.
Four by one offering.
He had perfected forever them that are sanctified. The Lord Jesus Christ in his work has done a work that he says those at the will of my Father, the will of my God wants set aside. I've set aside for him with my work on the cross and those ones are are perfected. Did you notice it doesn't say will be. There's that perspective in other places.
When you want to talk about what's going on, but I want to talk about what's going on in this life. But here it says it just puts it this is the work of Christ and so it says forever them that are sanctified he hath perfected. I'm sorry, says he hath perfected. It says they are sanctified. There's other senses of sanctification in the word, but you turn to Jude chapter Jude verse one and you'll see that there's sanctification that the Father.
Apart. Let's turn to first Peter chapter one, verse two, and you'll find that the eternal Spirit, the Spirit sanctifies and sets aside here in this chapter. It's the work of Christ that sets you aside, the entire Godhead at work to set you aside for himself.
00:50:10
Does that person trustworthy?
Is that person doing a work that can be rested in? Absolutely.
But there's more. Verse 15 Wherefore the Holy Ghost also?
As a witness to us, for us. I just want to stop there. The will of God, the work of Christ. And now it's the witness of the Holy Ghost to us. And what's he doing? He's taking what's true, and he's bringing a witness of it to you that you would sit down and rest in what he's done.
Ever gotten a message from your brother or your sister?
They've come to you and they've said mom wants something.
They come to you and said your dad wants you to or dad wants you to do this or that.
You know whenever get that kind of message and say hmm do I wanna listen?
No, it's coming through a polluted channel. My sister or my brother, they went and told on me and they gave a bad report of Maine and now mom wants to talk to me. No, I don't have to listen because the channel is polluted.
You've never done that, have you?
You've never thought that, have you? But this is the witness of the Holy Spirit. This is not a polluted channel. You could say whatever you will and you'd be right about the words that you may hear from my mouth this evening. But from this book, it says that the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us.
Will you refuse that witness?
But there's more.
It says.
Their sins. Verse 17 is quoting. It says their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Or I could quote it from or read it rather from a different translation. It says their sins and their lawlessness is I will never remember.
I will never remember.
God says I will never remember.
Those things, That's not what he accidentally does. I gave you a long string of ways in which I forgot.
If I wanna remember something for sure. So I bring it home. I always remember my backpack. So I take a note, I get a piece of tape. I tape it to the handle of that backpack so that when I reach down to Oh yeah, get the glass container out of the fridge before you leave, OK? And I go and get it.
I'm coming back to work. You wanna tell somebody something, I write it down. A couple of you wanted to be remembered to my father and mother. It's in the little red notebook. Whether that will be remembered or not, I don't know, but it's there, and at some point maybe it'll come out of the notebook and I'll pass on the message.
God doesn't do that.
God says by an act of his will I will never remember.
Can you trust a person like that? Is he trustworthy? Here's what he wants. It says right here, verse 19, having their four brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way. He wants you in the holiest. He wants you in his presence. He wants you in there boldly. And you say, well, I don't know, I'm not sure.
You're not not sure of him. He's absolutely trustworthy.
Well, no. Finish with two verses, an analogy, and a brief hymn. They did a turn with me. This is what he wants. Isaiah chapter 32.
Isaiah chapter 32.
And verse 17.
That's what He wants for you. Applying it speaks it to Israel, but applies directly to you. And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.
00:55:19
You wouldn't want a person that you loved coming to you and always being nervous, always being uncertain whether you like them or not.
Suppose that that person that you loved said every single day, Do you really love me? Do you really love me? Do you really love me?
God wants you to have a sense of His love for you. He wants you to have quietness and assurance forever.
But I wanna turn to one more verse. I wanna finish with this one.
Matthew, Chapter 23.
Again, we're going to apply this verse.
A perfect one and then nothing but good for his people.
They served among them publicly. They've been there privately. He served publicly. And he says in verse 37 of Matthew 23.
Oh Jerusalem, oh Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stone us them which are sent unto thee, How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gather gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye?
Wood 9 and ye would not.
There's a figure.
In my mind.
It's the figure of you or any other Sinner without Christ who's heard the message of salvation, and it's as though you're seated in a wheelchair.
If no, power of your own.
And Lord is waiting for you at the bottom of an incline.
His arms open wide to receive you. He uses expressions like take. He doesn't say give. He doesn't say give me your heart. He says take the water of life freely.
He says receive.
He says repentance. He says believe, but he's looking for you to take what he has to offer. You have your hand on the emergency brake.
If you take your hand off the emergency brake of that wheelchair, you can't walk there. You can't give him yourself, your heart or whatever. But if you take your hand off that emergency brake and you let go.
You left your hand to take, you'll go straight down into his arms. Is it hard to trust this one?
Take the tank you have to lift your hand from that emergency brake and let go of what holds you back and reach out to take. That's all he says. Take for the water of life. Freely receive me as your savior. Don't hold on to what you're holding on to. Receive me as your savior. I'm not asking for anything but for you to reach out and to take what Ioffer.
Finish. We sang it this morning.
#5 in your little Flock hymn book, I presume most of you have one near you.
It says.
Be the Kingdom and dominion in the glory. Ever more I wish, I hope, I pray that everyone in this room can now sing this from your heart. If you've received Him as your savior #5.
1 Corinthians 12:14-31
Spiritual Fathers
The Meat Offering
Open Mtg. 6
Open—R. Thonney, J. Hyland
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Loud to God, our strength He has brought us hitherto, 242.
Nsnoise.
Turn to 1St Corinthians 11.
Reference was made to this portion this morning, I think, and yesterday as well.
Where we have instruction from the Apostle Paul about the Lord's Supper.
Just read from verse 23. For I have received the Lord, that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he break it and said, take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you, this.
Do in remembrance of me after the same manner also he took the cup when he had stopped saying this cup.
Is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye as OFT as ye drink it in remembrance of me.
For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.
00:05:01
It's interesting to me, brother, that we show the Lord's death. So what we celebrated this morning in the Lord's Supper, we show the Lord's death. That's why we call it a testimony. We show something. But going back to the end of verse 24 and 25, there's something I would like to focus on there.
Notice when he's instituting these two emblems, the loaf and the cup. He says at the end this do in remembrance of me. He doesn't say in remembrance of my death, but in remembrance of me.
And somebody mentioned it in this morning in the meeting. I think that we worship God for who he is. We praise him for what he has done. And it seems so to me. Perhaps others can relate to this, that so often when we come together.
In this breaking of bread meeting that we focus mostly on what he's done.
And sometimes we don't focus very much on who he is. And I would like to, this afternoon, just focus something on the glories of his person. My desire is that it would awaken the affections of our heart. Who is this person that hung on that cross and died such a terrible death? Who is he?
And I know we know who he is, but oh brother, the more.
We meditate on the glories of His person, of who He is, the more our hearts are attracted, and that's the power of gathering to His precious name. It's not endorsing a certain set of doctrines. Doctrine is important and you can't ignore it, but it is attraction to His.
Glorious person. It's often been mentioned in the New Testament. We have three places where.
The glories of the person of Christ are brought out. John one which was read this morning at least verse one.
And Hebrews one, which was also read, and Colossians chapter one, those three places. Let's go to those. First of all, John chapter one. I just for as much as we've gone over John's Gospel, perhaps the most read of the four Gospels and how it begins.
No record as in Luke's gospel.
Of his genealogy, or as in Matthew's Gospel, because here he's presented as the eternal Son of God. He has no genealogy. He always was.
In the beginning was the word not a majestic statement?
So any beginning you want to think of, he already was. He never had a beginning.
He is eternal and that's just something that blows my mind. Try to think of someone who always, always was. Everything we know of in creation has a beginning. We've had our beginning and our end will have.
Even if the Lord comes, it will be the end of our stay in this world. But here, as a person who never ever had a beginning, he always was.
This is the person we're talking about. In the beginning was the Word His eternality, and the Word was with God, his distinct personality in the Godhead.
God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus. The Word of God is the expression. Word is an expression. If I stand up here and don't say anything, you can look at me and you can guess what I'm thinking, but you really don't know until I open my mouth and express myself with words. Then you understand.
Who could understand God? Absolutely impossible.
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Until the Lord Jesus came, and he is the word of God. He is the expression.
In its fullness of who God is, you know in the Old Testament before.
The Lord Jesus came, they could get an idea of who God was from creation. It says in Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showed his handiwork. So you look at the creation and it does give you an idea in some measure of the vastness and the power.
And the wisdom of God, but you really don't get.
A full revelation of who God is until the Lord Jesus came.
He is the word of God. He is the full expression of all that God is, and yet he was with God in the sense that he was one of the members of the Trinity. You want to put it that way or human language is lacking off times and expressing it properly and then it says the word was God. He is.
Divine. He is God in every sense of the word.
The same was in the beginning with God. In other words, there wasn't a change when it came down to a time when you could talk about a beginning. Beginning is time, and time is measured by the creation we live in.
And in the beginning, he already was there.
All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In other words, he's the creator of all. He is not a creature.
Because all things that were made were made by him, so he necessarily is not a creature, he is the creator.
Oh, brethren.
We get, uh, start thinking about it and I've spoken about this sometimes and I hope I don't weary people going back to it because to me it didn't. It just thrills my soul when I think of the grandeur of the creation we live in. And I'm sure some of you have studied the stars and the universe that we live in.
We live in the.
Milky Way Galaxy. Interesting when I go up to the High Plains of Bolivia.
Uh, this last, uh, April, I was up there in the town of Cebarujo and you're up 12,000 feet above the pollution of this world. And at night when the sky is clear and there's no moon.
The array of stars is impressionable. It is incredible.
You can actually see other galaxies with the naked eye. It is so clear the skies.
And when you stop to think that we are part of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Which is a group of approximately 200 billion stars. I was talking to the young people out in California one time and I said 100 billion stars because I'd seen that somewhere. And the young man came up to me afterward and said, uh, did you realize that it's really closer to to 200 billion?
Stars. You know how many people are in the world? About 7 billion.
We're talking about 200 billion stars, many of them far larger than our sun. There we are, whirling around in a circular fashion.
In the Milky Way Galaxy.
But stop.
See if you can assimilate the next point. They say that there are probably at least 250 billion more galaxies in the universe.
We're talking about the person who spoke it into existence. It says in Psalm 33, he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. Can you imagine, can you get any grasp of the power of this person who spoke it into existence? This was the one who came into the world to seek and to save the last. This is the one that the chief priests went up.
00:15:03
To him and spit square in his face. This is the one that they took outside the city of Jerusalem and nailed to a cross, this is the one.
That went under the storm of judgment, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Rather, I have to confess, not very able to speak about it. It's too grand, too great. But we need to let the grandeur, the glory, the perfection of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Sink into our souls. This is the person within meditating on the body of Christ in First Corinthians 12. Perhaps we'll continue with that, but to think, this is the one.
We are intimately united to in the body of Christ.
Oh, may our hearts be attracted to Him.
And then Brother Jim read down in verse 14, I think that is so beautiful. This is the only reference in John's gospel to his birth. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's the only reference to his coming into this world.
And we beheld. Notice this is a parenthesis. This part we beheld.
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, and parenthesis.
Full of grace and truth.
We beheld His glory.
Oh, dear brethren.
I don't pretend to be able to explain what that means completely, but it's something that is extremely precious.
Verse 18. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
No, this doesn't say the only begotten Son which was in the bosom of the Father, which is because in a certain sense he never left that place. He always was there. He always will be there in the bosom of the Father. You know, at the end of this chapter one, we have some disciples following Jesus and.
They uh, the Lord sees them following and said, what are you seeking?
And they say.
Master, where dwellest thou? And he says, come and see.
And they came and dwelt with him that day.
I like to think that His dwelling place is what we have in verse 18, the bosom of the Father and the Lord Jesus is wanting to share.
The affections of the bosom of the Father with us too.
That little hymn we sing 127 dwells in His bosom, knoweth all that in that bosom lies, and came to earth to make it known that we might share His choice. That was His dwelling place. You know I, I really have come to.
Think about it and I look at the Lord Jesus and his life down here. What a life of simplicity.
We never read that he had a home.
Said the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests and Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Is it wrong to have a house? No, I don't think so.
Why didn't he have a house?
The only thing I can come up with, brethren, is that he came from the Father's house and there was nothing down here that compared with that. So he basically wasn't really interested in anything other than that.
So this is something of his glory.
00:20:00
Let's go over to Hebrews chapter one now. It was read this morning because that is such a precious portion to those first three verses. Notice God.
Comma.
Verse 2.
Spoken in these last days.
Has spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world's, Who, being the brightness of His glory in the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
OK, so we have 7 little phrases that deal with this person, the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom God has spoken to us.
The first one is appointed heir of all things. Not interesting. He speaks about that before he speaks about the creation of the world. Why is that?
Because in those eternal purposes.
Before the world ever existed, God had his thoughts to make the Lord Jesus as heir of all things that were going to be made. And so then comes the creation of this world, the world it says, the universe.
We've already spoken a little bit about that, but notice verse three. Who being the brightness of his glory, the full outshining of the glory of God.
It's interesting you.
Cannot look directly at the sun, it will impair your vision.
But what the person we're talking about is the one who made the sun. He is the one who is the full outshining of the glory of God. You wanna know God?
Get to know the Lord Jesus because He is the full outshining the brightness of His glory.
And the express image of his person images representation.
The Lord Jesus in Colossians one, if we get over there, is called the image of the invisible God. In other words, how do we know God? By looking at the Lord Jesus who is the image of the invisible God. That's why God prohibits making other images.
Because the Lord Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
When God created man, He made him in his image and likeness.
The Lord Jesus is the image of the invisible God, but never does it say he's the likeness of God. That would be to deny his deity.
It says in Philippians chapter two, he is made in the likeness of men.
Oh, the mystery of it all, the wonder of it all, the glory of this person, O brother. And I trust that our hearts are attracted to him. Seems like we get attracted to certain things in this world so easily.
Brethren, we're gonna be raptured into that eternal glory at any moment, and these things that occupy so much of our attention are gonna stay behind. We're gonna leave them all behind at a moment's notice.
Does this.
The glories of the Person of the Lord Jesus attract our hearts.
So here's the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of His power, not only as the creator of all things, but He is the sustainer of all things.
He keeps it in clock like order. Fascinating to to think about.
The Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours.
00:25:02
And once a year it makes a complete circle around the sun.
Does that vary?
I don't think it varies very much. Who keeps that in that order?
You know, in this world, you make an engine or you make something, you have to have repair people to come and fix it when it doesn't work right. And generally speaking, things don't last very long. How long has this earth been circling around the sun?
N.
We're not talking about only creating, we're talking about the sustaining of the universe by the word of his power. And then the sixth thing it says here when he had by himself.
Purged our sins. He made the purgation of sin by the sacrifice of himself.
By himself.
There he hung on that cross.
Alone. Completely alone.
His disciples had abandoned him. One of his disciples betrayed him.
Another one.
Who said he would never deny him, denied him three times and the rest took off.
And he was laden as a criminal outside of Jerusalem.
And nailed to a cross with two other thieves.
Oh, what a story.
This person.
There he hung.
And you know, it wasn't only the physical sufferings, it was the sufferings.
Of his soul he says, Reproach has broken my heart. I am full of heaviness, and I look for some to take pity, and there is none. And for comforters, but I found none.
Isn't that awful to think this is the treatment he got from this creature man?
You know, they said.
He said he was the Son of God. If God is his father, let him deliver him now, because he said I'm the Son of God.
God didn't deliver him.
And that reproach broke his heart.
But the worst of all, rather than in an area we cannot get into very much.
Is those three hours of darkness.
It is amazing to try to think about it and the measure that we can, but it was in those three hours of darkness that he made what it says here the purgation for sin.
In those three hours God laid on him the iniquity of us all in the storm of divine judgment broken all its fury.
For three hours the waves and billows of God's judgment poured across him you. If you look carefully at the record, there was no complaint during those three hours.
Until right at the end of those three hours, close to the 9th hour, which is 3:00 in the afternoon where we calculate time, there's a cry. My God, my God, why hast thou forsake?
Why? Because there is no other way.
For us to not be forsaken in him to be forsaken.
And he was forsaken, but before he died.
He said father.
Into thy hands I commend my spirit.
You know, and all his life down here, he always spoke to God as his father.
But in that time, I think it's the only time.
Except in the book of Psalms, he says Thou art my God from my mother's belly.
You know, before he became Incarnate, he could not say my God because he was God.
County became Incarnate in the womb of his mother. He could say my God, but in his life down here you never have any record of him saying my God.
00:30:11
But he on that cross says My God, my God.
Why? It was because God was dealing with him as to the question of sin, and God's holy character had to be vindicated. There was no other way for her to be blessing for you and me than that God be vindicated in his holy character. And so he says, my God, thank God.
But then before he dies, he says.
Father, which means that again that question had evidently been settled, and he could address God his Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
But notice the last of these phrases it says.
He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
And I understand it's reflexive. He sat himself down.
What would happen if any of us would go to Washington, DC and try to walk into the Oval Office and sit down at the right end of the president of the country?
We would be arrested before we got very far.
But here is one because of the worthiness of his person.
The worthiness of his work.
Walked right into the presence of God and sat himself down on the right hand of the majesty.
What a glorious person.
Go back to Colossians chapter one briefly for him because I want to leave some time here for somebody else that may have something.
And here we have the glories of the person of the Lord Jesus given to us from verse 15 down through verse 19.
I'd like to say that there are two areas in which the Lord Jesus is supreme here. Presented in this way. The first part, verse 15/16/17 are the first creation of which we all form a part. But in verse 18 and 19 he's talking about.
New creation? Just read those verses. Who is the image?
Of the invisible God, the first born of every creature.
For by Him we are all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist or subsist.
So he's the creator and it uses this.
Term The first born. You know, in our lives down here we use the term first born.
My father's family, I was the first born, the first one to be born into the family.
That's the way it's used. But in Scripture we find in the book of Psalms that David is called first born of the kings of the earth. It's a term that really means preeminence because David was the 8th son in his father's family. How could he be the first born because of his preeminent position amongst the kings of the earth.
So in the creation, the first creation.
Which we form part. Naturally speaking. He is the first born. He is the one that has the preeminence. He made all things not only visible but invisible. Thrones, dominions, powers, principalities and powers. And I say young people, God made a creation that is orderly.
And there is authority in his creation, and it's proper that it be so.
And sometimes in the world we live, people don't want to recognize authority.
There's authority in government circles, there's authority in family circles, there's authority in the assembly too, in the person of the Lord Jesus.
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God had said it that way, He's created things that way, and if you're going to have an orderly life and a meaningful life, you're going to recognize the order that God has said in His creation. It's important. It's He that made it, and it doesn't work very well if you ignore it.
So he is the first born of that first creation.
Now verse 18, it says he is the head of the church, the body of the church. We've talking about that yesterday. Who is the beginning, the first born from the death? OK, there's a different first born. I often say, was he the first one that rose from the dead in the Bible? There were others that rose from the dead before he.
In fact, the Lord Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. What does it mean?
He is the first that rose from the dead in the power of a life that death can no longer have any.
Power over He rose in the power of an endless life, and so He is the first born in new creation. Scripture doesn't say the second creation. It's new creation because it will always be characteristically new. If any man be in Christ, there is a new creation.
Old things are passed away, Behold, all things are become new. And in that new creation He is the first born. He is the one who has the preeminence.
That in for it please the Father and notice the Father is in italics. It's really the thought is please the Godhead, that in Him should all fullness dwell. Connect that with chapter 2 and verse nine. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
That amazing to think about. Oh brethren, the glory of his person when he said remember.
Me, let's remember to focus, not nearly, and I'm not saying it's wrong on what He has done for us, that's proper, but to focus on the glories of this glorious person, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's go back to John One and read again.
The verse that's been read to us and connected with two further scriptures.
To read these verses is so precious and fresh. I trust to our souls, though we've read them and meditated on them so many times. John one, verse 14.
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory.
The Glorious of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace.
And truth. And then in the 17th chapter.
Chapter 17 and verse 24.
Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.
That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation.
Of the world and one more portion in Second Corinthians chapter 3.
2nd Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18.
But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord.
Or another rendering looking on the glory of the Lord with unveiled faith, or changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. It's not my thought to comment further on what has been said in connection with the portion read in John one, except to say that you know, it's so beautiful to me to realize that God in presenting the truth.
Concerning the person and work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He presents it so often in the three tenses in which you and I.
00:40:03
Operate in the realm of time here in this world that is the past, the future, and the present. And I've enjoyed these three portions that we have just read together in that regard because when John wrote here, John was one who had the privilege of beholding the Lord Jesus as he walked here in this world.
What a tremendous thing he could say later on.
Our eyes have seen and our hands have handled. Of the word of life, you say. What a privilege it must have been, what a wonderful thing it must have been to walk with the Lord Jesus and to see those glory shine out, particularly those moral glories. In everything He said, everything He did, every breath He took, every movement He made those.
Moral glories were there on every hand.
And sometimes even a little beyond that. Peter and James and John.
Had the privilege of being on the Mount of Transfiguration with the Lord Jesus and a little preview of coming glories, the Kingdom glories. What a privilege that must have been when they came to take the Lord Jesus in the garden. There was a flash of glory that knocked those who were there back to the ground. What a wonderful thing I've often thought. Must have been tremendous to walk with the Lord Jesus.
And to behold his glories while he walked here on earth as a man.
But then we find something that's yet future we find the Lord Jesus in what we often refer to as his high priestly prayer and John's Gospel chapter 17. He speaks of the his desire to have his own with him where he is why to behold his glory and all brethren to think of that day coming when we're going to be with the Lord Jesus there in the.
House and what is going to captivate our gaze and our souls for all eternity.
Or I suggest that when we get one look at his lovely face another day, it's going to eclipse everything else.
You know, we often think of heaven and how wonderful it's going to be. And we, I will join heartily in the singing of those hymns that give some idea, least as the author of the hymn, the composer the hymn thinks heaven will be and we sing. And what will it be to be there? And there are many things that we are no doubt going to be aware of in that day, wonderful things.
I believe, too, we're going to have interaction and conversation with one another.
We're going to know even as we are known. We're going to know one another. Just as on the Mount of Transfiguration there were no need for introductions. You know, there were men on the Mount of Transfiguration from three different eras of time. There was Moses and Elijah who didn't know, had never met each other on earth. Besides that, there were the three disciples who had never met personally, Moses or Elijah, But there was no.
For introduction, it seems that they knew one another immediately and that's the way I believe it's going to be in the coming day. But I say again, brethren, what is going to really captivate our our gaze and our hearts for all eternity? It's going to be to look into his blessed face and I suggest that any other.
Interaction we have with one another, anything else that we are occupied with is going to be in relationship to the glories.
Of the Person of Christ.
Does that do something to our souls? Now, why do we so often want something of this world, a little glory in this world when we think of what is ahead? And to think, to hear of the Lord Jesus expressing his desire, because here it's not the disciples expressing their desire to be with the Lord, to behold his glories in a coming day.
No, it's the Lord Jesus expressing.
His desire, as he prayed to the Father, one of the things he expressly desired and asked for was that his own would be not in heaven, not in the Father's house. That's true. It will be heaven, it will be the Father's house. But to be with himself.
00:45:01
To enjoy all the things that heaven is going to offer, to enjoy peace and rest. And beyond the circumstances of life, brethren, that's true too.
We are going to be beyond the circumstances, the trials and difficulties of life. We're going to sit down and rest in His presence for eternity. But His desire was that they would be with Him to behold His glory.
Oh brethren, it throws my soul, and I trust it thrills yours to think of that future day when we're going to behold the glories of the Lord Jesus unhindered. And so we think of that which took place when the Lord was here. John and others beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father. We are going to have a a far greater privilege in the coming day than even that.
Of beholding his glories there, when we see him as the glorified man.
They're at the right hand of God at the Father's house, in the Father's house, and when he himself takes his throne. But what about the present? You know, there's always something for our present portion and encouragement. And that's why I read at the end of 2nd Corinthians 3, because this is something for us now we think of how wonderful it's going to be in a future day to behold unhindered the glories of the person of Christ.
But brethren, you and I have the privilege today of my faith, looking up into the open heavens where the Lord Jesus is now, and to behold His glories with the eye of faith.
The disciples and others saw the Lord Jesus with the natural eye.
As I said, John could say our eyes have seen, but is he any less real to the eye of faith this afternoon? No, if you and I will just look up with the eye of faith, all those glories will fill our souls and captivate our hearts even now. This is no doubt an illusion to what took place back in the Old Testament when Moses, a picture of the Lord Jesus, came out from the presence of God on the mount.
You know his face, so, Sean, that the children of Israel couldn't look on him. He had to veil his face when he came out from the presence of God. But what this verse is really telling us in its simplest language is this.
That the veil for us has been removed, and we can look up into the face of the Lord Jesus. We can behold Him now seated there at the right hand of God. And brother, this is what is going to wean us.
From anything that this world has to offer, any little flash of glory that this world might have.
And put before you and me, if our hearts are captivated with the glories of Christ where he is now.
It's going to mean nothing. I don't mean that we're not going to work hard at school. We're not going to do our job to the best of our ability whatsoever Thy hand findeth to do, do with all my might and where to do all to the glory of God.
But it will put everything in the proper perspective, it will place the proper value on the things, the mercies, and thank God there are many of them, but the mercies and the temporal things that we have now.
To look up into the face of the Lord Jesus. How much?
Has it been true of in your life and mine perhaps in the last week when we think back over the past week, has there been occupation with the person of Christ where he is now? It's wonderful to read the Gospels and to see His life as that example for you and for me. He's left us an example that we follow in his footsteps, but all to look up and to behold Him. What was it that gave Stephen the strength?
To be a martyr for Christ. He looked up and he saw the glory of the Lord Jesus standing on the right hand of God. We may never be called on to be martyrs for Christ, but what's going to give us the strength to go on in the difficult circumstances? And there are difficult circumstances. I have no doubt there's brethren here whose hearts are burdened as we think of going back to the daily grind of life.
What we're going to face if the Lord doesn't come before these meetings are over. But what's gonna give us the courage and the strength? What's gonna give us the stamina to go through whatever God allows in His wisdom in our lives? Oh, I say it's like Steven to behold the glory of the Lord. When I was growing up, we sometimes sang that hymn, Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus.
00:50:09
Look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. We sometimes sing that little prayer all fix our earnest gaze.
So, holy Lord, on thee.
That with thy beauty occupied, we elsewhere none may see.
Brethren, I trust that that's the sincere and earnest prayer of your soul and mind. We're gonna see him another day. He's gonna captivate our gaze for all eternity, but he wants us to look up.
He wants to captivate our gaze now. He wants us, as we've been exhorted in this meeting, to be occupied and thrilled with those glories that are his now. I say, this is what is going to preserve us and give us the courage and the joy to go on until that moment we see him face to face.
174.
174.
Open Mtg. 10
Open—P. Jennings, S. Rule
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Can we also save 166 one 6/6?
Board, the vow has drawn us after thee. Now let us run Endeavour in 166.
I didn't come to the conference here.
Thinking that.
I would be speaking, but it did come to the conference with a burden.
And it's, there's some thoughts that have been generated through the, uh, uh, the, the direction of the Spirit of God in the reading meetings regarding the gifts.
My exercise of late has been.
The Spirit in the spirit of the words of the Lord Jesus.
Them that thou hast given me, I have lost none.
And it has been my exercise.
Regarding.
Those that the Lord has brought across my path.
That.
I would lose, as it were, none.
My exercise this afternoon for a few minutes is regarding spiritual fathers.
I don't know much about the subject.
But I know that the Word of God does give instruction regarding spiritual fathers, and it gives examples of spiritual fathers.
I wonder if we could turn to I think it's Isaiah Chapter 9 and as I speak.
It's going to be evident that I don't have a complete, clear understanding of the Word of God.
But if we are going to.
Be occupied with.
Fathers, I believe we have the supreme example in the Lord Jesus.
Isaiah.
Chapter 9.
And verse 6.
It says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called. Wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Was asked.
Over a year ago in a reading meeting that I was at What is what does that mean? We know the distinction between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus is God the Son, and there wasn't necessarily a clear definition or.
00:10:09
Explanation regarding.
The everlasting Father. But this is Speaking of the Lord Jesus.
And I'm sure there's someone here that could give maybe a very clear distinct.
Explanation. But what came to me in that meeting was.
The spirit of one John, the apostle John, if we turned to that.
I believe is the spirit of Christ.
And I would like.
To emphasize.
This is the Spirit.
Of a spiritual father.
Says many times.
My little children.
Other times.
I believe he speaks of them.
As his beloved.
My dear children.
This was the spirit of the apostle John.
He had the spirit of a Father.
This is the Spirit of the Lord Jesus.
He is the everlasting Father.
And we will.
Be learning for eternity.
What is meant by everlasting Father in the person of the Lord Jesus? But we have the spirit of it.
And one of God's servants who wanted the Saints of God to be further enlightened as to in John's case, in first John it was what is the nature of God. But in addressing those children.
Those that he loved and considered as it were to be his own spiritual children, he addressed them with affection. He addressed them as though he was in a relationship with them of affection.
And.
That is so important if we're going to be.
In the position of being a spiritual father.
Let's turn over to 1St Corinthians.
Chapter 4.
One of the uh.
Spiritual fathers that I have come to love and appreciate is the Apostle Paul.
There's no greater example other than the Lord Jesus of a Father.
Then the apostle Paul.
Here he says.
And verse 15 of First Corinthians 4 for though ye have 10,000 instructors in Christ.
Yet have ye not many fathers?
For I in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. I have begotten you through the gospel.
You know the the Corinthians had a lot of.
They had a lot of instructors.
They had a lot of teachers.
But he says here that there was something that was desperately lacking.
You said, he said you don't have many fathers.
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Here is one who begat them.
In the Gospel.
The Apostle Paul knew that if he was going to have healthy spiritual children.
He would have to give them a firm.
Umm, grounding.
And what the work of Christ had done, and where it had brought them. If you want to know how he begot them in the gospel.
Turn to the book of Romans and read the 1St 8 chapters. I won't go into it.
But.
When the apostle Paul was begetting children as a father, a spiritual father.
He would lay out the value of the cross.
And he did that very distinctly in the first eight chapters.
Of Romans he begat them in the Gospel.
That's a very important thing to ground souls and the truths of the cross.
And that's what a father will do, a spiritual father.
In begetting, his children will make sure that they're grounded.
In the Gospel.
But that's not all that the Apostle Paul did.
For the children, his children.
Let's turn over to Colossians.
Before I do.
Realized I wanted to make another point regarding you.
You have many teachers.
But you don't have many fathers.
You know.
It sometimes makes me wonder.
What is wrong?
When we have assemblies.
With large measures.
Of gift.
Large measures of gift.
And we've had this this weekend, the importance of each member and how important each member is for the function of the body of Christ.
And then some assemblies. There is a great measure of gift in certain ones.
But there ends up to be.
Few sheep.
A great amount of gift in certain ones.
But very few.
Sheep.
It seems like sometimes our assemblies seem to disintegrate.
We had before us this weekend the importance of each member and the function that God has given each one, particularly to perform, to demonstrate, to manifest the Spirit.
But if there are no members.
Then we're not going to be able to enjoy.
A benefit?
Of the body of Christ.
There was recently, uh, I recently had a conversation with a brother who had visited an assembly that where there was a lot of gifts.
And he said I left the assembly.
With the sense.
That there were no fathers.
There were no fathers.
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There was a lot of gift. There was number Father's.
And it wasn't long.
And there wasn't many sheep.
That burdens my heart. It saddens my heart.
Because.
Where there are fathers.
There is a process.
That takes place.
By which the sheep?
Are nurtured.
The sheep are ministered to.
The sheep are encouraged.
The sheep are protected.
And sometimes.
That comes.
At a price to the fathers.
Sometimes.
In order to minister to the needs of the sheep.
It can be messy.
And sometimes.
The fathers have to bear their brunt.
In order to protect.
And provide safety nurse nurturing, nurturing and caring to the sheep to cause the sheep to want to be.
Where the food is.
Uh, Colossians chapter 2.
Excuse me, Colossians, chapter one.
This is the example of a father, a spiritual father in the apostle Paul.
Verse 24 Who re who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh?
And for his body's sake, which is the Church.
The Apostle Paul.
Cared so much.
For the body of Christ.
That he was willing to take the afflictions that the enemy had to afflict.
Upon himself.
In his body.
He.
He filled up that which was behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh.
For his body's sake, which is the church. So the apostle Paul actually took physically in his body the afflictions that the enemy would direct at the church. He absorbed them in his body.
Let's turn to 1St John Chapter 3.
We have an example of the Lord Jesus.
Here, Speaking of the characteristics of divine love.
A spiritual father is gonna display the characteristics of divine love.
Says hereby in verse 16 of first John 3 hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brethren. Let's turn over to Luke Chapter 9.
Verse 23.
And he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it.
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And whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall find it.
You know, as we're seeking the health.
And the blessing?
And the happiness.
Of those that God has possibly put under our trust.
We're gonna. We're gonna find.
That we're going to have to accept some abuse.
Couple of weeks ago.
I was.
Seeking to encourage someone that was very deep in depression and it was real, the real stuff, the stuff that I don't understand.
And a lot of times, if we're going to seek the blessing of others, we're not going to understand what they're going through.
We're just going to need to be there with them. But as I was eating dinner with an individual who was very deep in depression and it was questioning whether.
The assembly was really the right place.
I had to listen to about 20 minutes of what was wrong or what we what the assembly didn't didn't really do right.
There wasn't a whole lot of fun.
To.
Listen to everything that we do wrong.
The said the most painful part about it was I had to recognize that a lot of it was true.
And so I had to acknowledge that.
Some of the criticism was legitimate.
But.
That didn't last the whole conversation.
In fact, after a while we were able to get on a little bit more solid footing together.
And.
He.
Decided things weren't quite as bad and he was actually encouraged by the time we got through.
There are there are going to be times if an if, if an individual is valuable enough to us.
Is there a father in this room? A natural father?
That has one child that really isn't valuable enough.
To give it everything you've got for their blessing.
Is there one of your children that's a scoundrel and you come to the point where you say, well, it's just not worth the effort that it's taking?
To maintain their health and happiness.
I know you all as parents and fathers would say no, everything that I have to put into that child is worth it because of my desire for their blessing.
And, you know, as spiritual fathers.
Sometime we're gonna have to take some of the enemies arrows.
The reason one of the reasons why I'm up here speaking is not because I know about being a spiritual father.
Not because I know I'm a spiritual father. One of the reasons why I'm up here speaking is because I know a spiritual father.
We've talked about the Apostle Paul and we could just go on and on. If you want to know about Paul and what a spiritual father is, read Romans chapter 16.
Where he goes down the list and he is able to quote, he's able to give the names of each one of the individuals that he knew and the value of each one of those individuals. How he gives a list of all of the things that he valued about the different Saints.
00:30:17
A spiritual father knows their children.
He spends time with them.
He's looking out for their benefit.
But as I was saying.
One of the reasons why I wanna share these thoughts.
One of the reasons why is because I value every single child of God that God brings across my path.
And.
I want to see each one no matter what state they're in.
No matter what spiritual condition they're in.
I don't want to lose.
Any of them.
But I wanted to share with you about the spiritual Father the Lord has placed in the in my life and excuse the personal.
Reference. There won't be any names, but the Lord has.
Without a doubt.
Place the spiritual Father in my life.
The only reason I really know.
The only reason why I really know I have a spiritual father is because the Lord has shown me.
The Lord has brought it to my attention.
This is a a brother.
Who I can go to at any time about a question from the word of God.
He's a brother that has wisdom.
I could go to him about a question about practically anything. He'd sit down and he'd share with me what the Lord has given him regarding.
Though that particular subject.
I value that.
I've carried many of the answers that I've gotten from him.
Through my life.
I've.
I've seen this brother.
Come to my defense.
I was talking with a brother here.
Umm, the conference. He was saying what a grief it was when a certain brother left the assembly. Because this brother.
Had come to his defense when the enemy was at work.
And he had stuck up for him. May not have been real popular for him to do that. He'd come to his defense.
With my spiritual Father, the one that the Lord has brought to my attention, that has a special concern.
That what God has given me.
Won't end up.
Being lost.
Whatever he's given me.
It's his concern, it's that brother's concern that whatever's been given me.
The enemy won't come in and destroy me so that the blessing could could flow forth, whatever that is.
There was a time when.
I was confronted in a situation that was kind of shocking to me. It was a very, very difficult situation.
And.
I didn't know what to do. I was shock, shocked, probably deserved it, but I didn't know what to do. But I watched this. This brother didn't see, didn't say. He's never said anything, none of never said anything. These things to me. I watched this brother come to my defense.
And he didn't just come to my defense at the moment.
But I have AI have a sense.
That he followed up without me knowing it to make sure that in the future I wasn't going to suffer from that situation that happened.
00:35:07
He had my back.
For the Lord's glory, that I wouldn't be stumbled.
And the value of what the Spirit of God, as we've had in these meetings, has chosen to impart to me wouldn't be lost.
By the work of the enemy.
You know.
The enemy is busy.
And he is going to try.
In one way or another, I think one of the things that I'm concerned about most.
Is the attempt.
Of trying to.
Mold the consciences of the Saints to a certain line of thinking.
A certain line of maybe exercise.
And so if I stand up here and present something that I feel the Saints ought to be exercised about, maybe it's a matter of personal faith.
There's a real.
Likelihood that there's someone in the room that's not ready to walk in the faith that I'm presenting. I'll just give one more little story that happened last week. I was sitting at a lunch table with another brother in our assembly.
It is my desire now that I'm retired, to be able to.
No, my brethren.
Kind of know where they are to kind of know what they're going through and just to just to sit down and let them, let them know that I love them. We were speaking about how.
Encouraged we all we were by what is taking place in our assembly and how there's so much to be thankful for and the blessing that the Lord is providing and we were we were talking about how we could guard.
How we could guard the assembly against?
The.
Umm, efforts of Satan to disturb.
Thankfully, at the moment the assembly is for is peaceful.
And it it's our desire that it would remain that way. And we were speaking and.
We we were speaking about a certain situation that had come up.
And a brother had shared a, a, a, a meeting with us. And in that meeting there had been some pretty.
Distinct things that he was trying to impress upon the Saints.
And there were things that I wouldn't say shouldn't be, we shouldn't be exercised about.
But I would say that.
Those are areas that we need to be very careful about trying to mold.
Our brethren's conscience is about and there was a sister that left that meeting.
And she spoke to her husband and she said, you know, if that is what is required.
I don't know.
If I can.
If if if I can.
Handle that.
And.
She was assured over a period of time that no, that wasn't what was required.
But what concerned me was with that conversation that I had with this brother last week was there was one soul.
That came very close to wondering whether the whether the Assembly was the place where they could fellowship.
We need to be careful.
We need to be careful to know our sheep.
00:40:03
And to know what will be healthy for them and what will be harmful for them.
We don't want to lose.
1.
We had in our reading this weekend the value of 1.
The value of 1.
They have a gift.
That has been administered by the Spirit of God.
And that gift is needed.
In the body of Christ.
And then we need to consider each one.
Worth stepping in, maybe taking a few arrows. Maybe the enemy is going to make a concerted effort on one of the sheep.
But maybe the father can step in.
And take.
The like the apostle Paul would suffer in his body for the church and we need to step in.
And and protect.
So that we don't lose 1 sheep.
Couple very I trust practical suggestions for our hearts and minds as we're heading home. Umm, if you turn with me to Acts Chapter 18.
Like to connect up with something that our brother Phil just mentioned.
Just read the 1St 3 verses Acts chapter 18 verses one to three. After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth and found a certain Jew named Aquila born in Pontus. What is this?
Lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome, and came unto them, and because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought, for by their occupation they were tent makers. Now notice this brother Phil referred to the end of Romans Romans 16, where all those personal greetings and the heart of.
The Apostle Paul is a father for those ones in Rome.
And I agree, uh, that was the heart of the Apostle Paul. Was the the father's heart there? Where did he learn about those ones in Rome?
He hadn't been there yet.
I just suggest to you that here is where I learned it. It says Aquila and Priscilla were recently come from Rome and here they are in Corinth. And we've been reading in the Epistle and the readings to Corinth, and there are so many things that were out of order in Corinth. There were so many things that were wrong there that needed correction.
And here's the apostle Paul. And he had a right to be fed by the wealthy Corinthians. He had a right to be receiving from those wealthy ones. The.
Support so that he could have more time available to umm minister. And yet he was there making tents with Aquila and Priscilla so that there could be not the slightest hint of impropriety and him receiving money from them, the slightest hint from them that he had, uh, come to feed off them. And so here he is and he seated with Priscilla and Aquila and what surrounds him are just.
A pile of problems and here he is having to work with his hands.
When he could be out sharing the gospel more freely and the truth of God more freely.
And they're seated together. What are they talking about? Are they talking about the failures of their brethren? They talking about this problem and that problem and feeding on it. I'll just suggest to you that perhaps with the Apostle Paul and equivalent Priscilla were feeding on where those lovely ones in Rome and the care. And it was fostering the love and the Apostle Paul's heart for the ones there with the desire to go and visit them. And perhaps if there was a discussion of what the difficulties were there in Corinth.
Them to feed on a dead thing, but rather to feed on what was for the good of these different ones there. So in a couple of minutes that are left I'd like to turn back. But before we do I'd like to make a suggestion on our way home and in our life from day-to-day, if there's a difficulty that comes up and there's a problem and there's something that clearly isn't right and there's behavior.
00:45:06
That perhaps that affects us. That's clearly not right. The unclean animal, the.
Vulture, etcetera, feeds on a dead thing. And so if we take that evil or wrong and we feed on it, we think about it, we turn it over in our mind, it's going back and forth in our head. That's what's going through. We are like that unclean thing feeding on the wrong, but we're encouraged to feed on what's good. This in this sense, I think the Apostle Paul and his care for those in Rome, his care for all the children of God was feeding on what was good with that proper care.
And his heart was bonded in affection for those ones he'd never met and had such a desire to meet. So we can feed on if we just turned for a couple brief thoughts. The Leviticus chapter 2 The the meal offering.
And before we do read just a a, not an exposition by any means of the meal offering just a couple of practical thoughts from it. I would suggest this. Suppose somebody has spoken to you in an angry way and it hurt.
And perhaps there's a need to go to that person, but I'm talking about in our thoughts regarding that person, you find a place in the life of our Lord where he was met with anger.
Feed on that.
Feed on his character in that circumstance. Is there another brother or sister in the Prides? At least we think The pride seems to be oozing out and the desire for prominence and pushing forward. Did the Lord ever face ones that had pride and a push for prominence? Absolutely. And what was his character in the face of it? We have a choice. We can feed on the conduct of our brother that perhaps is wrong.
And that's like.
Feeding on that dead thing. Or we can turn and look at the life of Christ in that circumstance and feed on that instead. So just a couple very simple things from Leviticus chapter 2. It's the meal offering. I'll just read the first few verses, but only comment on a couple of things. Reading from verse one. And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flower, and he shall pour oil upon it and put frankincense there on.
They shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priest, and he shall take there out his handful of the flower thereof, and the oil thereof, and all the frankincense thereof, and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord. Just pause here for a moment. And Hebrews 10/1 Says, sacrifice and offering, and off and burnt offerings, and offerings for sin.
The sacrifice word there is a broad one that covers the whole category.
The offerings is the word I understand in the Greek that accords with this offering here. The meat or meal offering, the two words are a line in the Greek and in the Hebrew here. And so the offering there in Hebrews 10, that's referred to as this right here that we're reading about and it's of a sweet savor. It's what delights the heart of God. That's the kind of thing that you and I want to feed on. You'll see there's they aren't in the sons. They get their portion here.
And so that's the kind of thing that our heart and our mind as we're headed home today, you're driving home in the car, you're flying home and you talk over the conference. There are things that were said perhaps in between the meetings, perhaps in the meetings, perhaps at the hotel or whatever that were encouraging and they're of the Lord. And there are feeding on this meal offering here. That is what the God our Father is feeding on as a sweet savour. That's what he's eating.
And that's what we should eat too. That's what we should share together. Together with him, Aaron and the sons have their portion here.
It shouldn't be. Maybe there's a spiritual concern and it has its place, but it's not what we feed on. And verse three and the remnant of the meat offering shall be errands and his sons. There it is. It is a thing most holy of the offering of the Lord made by fire after bringing ablation of a meat offering. Now notice there are three circumstances and there's different ways to apply them. I'll just give one here. It says bacon in an oven. So there's an oven listed in verse 4.
And verse five it says.
Bacon in a pan and verse six. I'm sorry in verse 7.
It says bacon in the frying pan. I want to apply those three things here and the life of our Lord, and you'll have to extend it to your own life. There is bacon in the oven. I've visualized that as though you had this big oven like they had in the Middle Ages in a big long stick and a loaf of bread on it, and you're shoving it into that oven, not what it is.
00:50:05
I guess the the kind of oven they're using there was like a large.
Stone pot that came up on the outside like that. And inside you would put coals and the fire would be on the inside. The coals would be on the inside. And then you'd flatten out the bread for some here, I guess if you're familiar with it. But for most of us, the tortilla is a little bit easier way to visualize it. And that would be put on the outside. But here's the thing, the fire was on the inside. It burned on the inside. And you know, there are some trials, some circumstances, some situations.
Lord's life that he went through, and in our lives that we go through to where the trial isn't evidence, the burning fire isn't evident on the outside, but there's that care, that burden that's on the inside. Others don't necessarily see it, but as it heats up that fine flower, a type of the perfection of the Lord and his life and his evenness and his character, what happens is you get.
A sweet savour to the Lord. And perhaps you have that fiery trial that you're going through personally, but it's on the inside. It's that care and that concern that others don't see.
But we have the life of Christ that ought to show on the outside, but well, I'm sorry, it should bring out the character it should. It caused that fine flower to ascend as a sweet savour to the Lord, the life of Christ. Here is really the thought the the sacrifices, that life of Christ, but you'll make the application to your own life. That's the oven. But there's a the next one is the pan.
In verse uh five, a pan is like a.
Like a griddle, it's just a little metal sheet almost and it's a griddle or like a frying pan or something that heats up very quickly. And so the fire there perhaps is is visible. It's not the hot coals on the inside, it's the fire that's on the outside and you've got that griddle on top of it and it heats up quickly. There may be circumstances in your life, you may come across a situation where all of a sudden boom and it's there and there's the fire there.
What does it bring out?
What does it bring out in the life of the Lord that brought out a sweet savour to God?
The person that cuts you off on the road, the person in the store that's rude. The difficulty that comes up just flares up and it's there. It heats up quickly and it draws out. And the life of the Lord, perfection, a sweet savour to God.
And then there's the 3rd and the 3rd is the frying pan in verse seven. I believe that that's more like a cauldron. Uh, yes, Mr. Darby puts cauldron there. That's as I understand it, it's like an earthenware pot. It's got the, unlike a griddle, it's not just flat, but the sides come up a little bit and it's for the, they can maybe made out of metal too. I understand. And they're normally for the stewing of meat.
That's something that would sit in there and the fire would be underneath for a whole lot longer.
And it would sit and it would Stew. The meat would Stew in the pan, but they could bake the bread in it. And that's what's used here.
And so there may be a fire in your life, and it may be something that's outward that others can see.
And it's not just that quick heat, that quick moment. It's the thing that goes on and on and on. It cooks and it cooks and it cooks and it cooks. What did it bring out in the life of the Lord? The rejection, All those things that he went through over and over and over and over and over again. What did it bring out? It brought out a sweet savour to God. And so when we're placed in those same circumstances and we tend to want to sit there and Stew.
It'd be better to take our thoughts and bring them to here, to Christ.
To that meal offering. And as that fire burns underneath the cauldron, we can have our thoughts on the one that was a sweet savour to God, a replacement for all these offerings here, the one that was the perfect fulfillment of them. And really, as we meditate on Him, as we enjoy Him, and that character is going to be replicated without our seeing it in our own lives.
By Well Doing Put to Silence
1 Corinthians 12:14-31