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Oh my God, we are.
Saying.
Father, Father, the God of all grace, by grace we stand. What have we that we have not received? Where would we be who are not for Thy sovereign grace? Reaching down, picking us up, making us thine own, bringing us into Thy very family within dearness and dearness of Thy Son. Blessed God, all eternity will be too short to utter all Thy praise for Thy matchless kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
We thank thee, bless God for the Spirit of God to join this little interim of time, and we see our Savior face to face who delights to minister Christ to our hearts and to occupy us with that eternal scene to which we are journeying on to.
We do pray now that as we open the sacred page that we may have teachable spirits and that we may realize it is the Word of the living God, that Word which will live and abide forever when heaven and earth will pass away, and may it have its effect upon our lives and our manner here below. Do look to Thee for Thy help as we wait upon Thee, giving thanks in the name of our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen.
Matthew chapter 13, verse 24.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
When the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tears? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him With thou then, that we go and gather them up. But he said, Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers gathering together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sold in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree.
So that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable spake he unto them. The Kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the hall was leavened. All these things spake Jesus under the multitude and parables. And without a parable spake he not unto them, that it might be fulfilled. Which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things.
00:05:07
Which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house, and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth a good seed as the Son of man.
The field is the world, the good seed are the children of the Kingdom, but the tares of the children of the wicked one, the enemy that sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tears are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of the world.
The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of peace. Then shall the righteous.
Shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like under treasure hid in the field, the which when a man hath found, he hide us, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one Pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that is, that was cast into the sea.
And gathered of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down. And gathered the good into vessels, But cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked.
From among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire, there should be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, Have you understood all these things? They say unto him, Yeah, Lord then said he unto them. Therefore every scribe which is instructed under the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a man, that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
On the 1St parable we had the Lord as the sower and the seed was all good.
And we had before us the condition of the soil into which that seed was received. And the 2nd parable we have the Lord is the sower again, and the seed is all good. But we find men in responsibility here. It says, Well, men slept, The enemy came and sowed tares. And so we find Paul to the elders at Ephesus, telling them to keep watch over the flock of God over which the Holy Ghost had made them overseers. But they didn't.
And so we see very early in the history of the Church that Tares came in. It was the work of the enemy to bring in those. They were distinguishable.
From the wheat, but they grew up with the wheat because there was not diligence in the things of God is to watch over that. I just point this out in connection with sleep because sleep is used two ways in Scripture. In the original language, one has to do with the condition of the body. And so we get that that when Christ after the Christ rose from the dead, the bodies of the Saints that slept arose. And so the apostle Paul's body is asleep. His condition now is he's in the glory unclothed. His body is in a grave somewhere.
And we perhaps have grandparents or brethren whom we love, and their body is in a grave. Their bodies are asleep. Scripture never speaks of a man dying and being in soul sleep. That's an error of the enemy. But many people are alive and they're in sole sleep.
Believers and unbelievers alike, the rich man was in a state of sleep.
But he certainly was not in a sole sleep in hell, because he lifted up his eyes in Hell.
And he was conscious, he lived this life absolutely unconscious of his peril and so on. But it's possible that his believers that we could be in a state of sleep because it says here while the men slept, the enemy sold so terrorism. So we get the same thought in First Thessalonians 5. Let us not sleep as those that sleep in the night is that it's possible for there wouldn't be an exhortation if it wasn't possible for us as believers to be asleep.
And also.
We have the parable of the 10 virgins. They all slumbered and slept. Five were real and five weren't. Five had oil in their lamps and five didn't. But if you were walking by, they all looked the same. And so here we find man in responsibility asleep, and the enemy does his work. And so the work of oversight to keep watch over the House of God is an important work.
00:10:17
The city of Jerusalem had walls and gates and bars, and it was for the protection of the God's habitation and peace. And so it's well worth reading the book of Nehemiah to see.
What happened when there wasn't carers to that, how the enemy actually got a place right, a lodging place right in the, the enemy of the truth of God got a lodging place right in the temple. Uh, because there was, there was an insinuation of one who had no business being in there, being there. And so we see the fruit of it. Another thing that we see here is that when we fail in responsibility, there is no remedy.
Turn the clock back, so to speak. And so they asked him, you know, should we go on? Uproot the terrace and no.
And so it's great mischief to think that we can reverse the damage that has been done in the profession of Christianity by unfaithfulness. Ours is just to go on faithfully for the Lord.
And and hang our heads in shame that we have not been faithful in what the Lord committed to us.
I think what Neil has brought before us is important because.
We are talking here of the responsibilities of Christians.
In the administration of the Church in the world.
Where the Lord goes on to deal with that of course in the 18th chapter, but with.
We made the 25th chapter.
By all slammers and slipped. They all slambered and slipped. There's none of us that can say that we have fully lived up to our responsibilities as Christians.
I believe it's Mr. Darby said that at the end of each dispensation we see the utter failure of man in whatever responsibility God had given him.
His superior faithfulness on our part, I think we've got to confess our part in the general failure. Those that sleep are not aware of their responsibilities. And we see the divided state of the Church in its outward form, shall I say, in this days, because men have slept. And I don't think any of us can separate ourselves from that and say I've always perfectly lived up to my responsibilities.
That doesn't apply to me.
And so I think it should be careful. We should be careful as we know that we have that privilege of being gathered to the Lord's name. We should be careful that we never, ever claim any credit for it. It is by his grace alone.
That we have the privilege of remembering the Lord in His death, according to His word, Lord's name by Lord's name. May we continue so until He come.
Just another interesting thing in connection with this word sleep.
That it's not always a bad thing to be asleep because the, the word that is used when it said the Lord slept in the boat was not the sleep of his body, but the sleep of his soul. If I may put it this way. He was oblivious to the storm that was going on around him. And you know, a brother pointed that out to me when there was all this hysteria about Y2K and somebody said to him, you've got to listen to these prophets of God. You can't ignore the prophets of God. He said there may be a storm because of things coming on the earth.
And the Lord may allow troubles, but the word, I have no word of the Lord to be excited about it. And there was a storm going on and the Lord was asleep. And we would do well to sleep when the Lord sleeps and get excited, if I may put it reverently, when the Lord gets excited. And I think often we occupy ourselves with things that we should not occupy ourselves with, and then we're negligent in those things that we should be aware of. And then afterwards we just have to hang our head and say we were chasing a.
We're just chasing a balloon, you know?
These things come and go, and then after a while then people realize it's like chasing those bubbles children blow. They get tired of chasing them, and they turn us. The effect is that they turn aside from the Word of God. We need to be diligent in those things God's directed us and to leave all these worries about whether there's going to be oil in the ground and the ecology and all the rest of it and computers and all the rest of it. Leave it with the Lord.
00:15:18
Well here in Matthew you have 6 similitudes of the Kingdom, 7th one is Matthew 25. So it's interesting to see that the military is a likeness of the Kingdom.
So we know that this is not the gospel of the grace of God.
But it's a similitude of the Kingdom. What's going on now? The Lord has sowed that good seed, but it's being mixed up with everything else. And so the, uh, the fact that they fixed finilitudes in this chapter and then the 7th one, of course, is in Matthew 25. And it's very interesting to read that how that just noticing here.
Uh, they say.
Verse 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, dost thou not so good? See.
In the field which then has these hazard tears, he said unto them, An enemy had done this.
The servant said.
Unto him wilt thou then that we go and gather them up now.
He said, he said to them, Nay, lest while ye gather up the tears, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the time until the harvest. At the time of the harvest I will say to you, to the reapers. Who are the reapers? The angels.
Gather the, gather the together the first appears and bind, uh, bind them in bundles to burn them. But we know this is not really the gospel that we preach. We don't do that. Says and, uh, and gather the wheat into my barn. That's the principles of that Kingdom, isn't it, that he's bringing out from here.
And this is not the church, people say, well, you're not to root the terrors up. This is not the church. This is the Kingdom of heaven, that sphere of profession, but the Lord, the word to the Lord is very of the word to us in the assembly is very clear in Second Corinthians, umm.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 6.
Verse Chapter Verse 12. You are not straightened or narrowed in us, but you are straightened in your own bowels. Now for a recompense in the same I speak as unto my children, be also enlarged. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them.
And walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Come out from among them and be separate, and I will receive you. That's the word to the assembly in connection with this. What we have here is we're to be separate. We often think about well.
How does the Assembly receive? We should receive he who the Father has received, and the condition of that is to be separate from this religious confusion.
And we shouldn't receive what the Father hasn't received. And if a person refuses, the word is to those that are going on in this confusion, come out from among them and be separate, and I will receive you. Man wants to continue in that religious confusion.
Then we see what the word of the Lord is. But here in the Kingdom of heaven they were just to acknowledge their failure of having slept, and just to let the tares grow up together and to go on in faithfulness, in a pathway of faithfulness.
I think in First Corinthians, of course, the apostle distinguishes between those that are within and those that are without, and I think there's the area there of our Christian responsibility relates to those that were within.
00:20:02
The principle is that those are without that are without God judges. And so, as you say, it's quite right. Our word is to separate.
The word to ask is to separate from that which is without, from those tears that we find without. We uh, umm, I was thinking too of, you know, uh, to put a practical point on it. When the, uh, uh, a pestle, sorry. When the apostles, right, the Galatians. I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you under the grace of Christ, under another gospel. Is that a tear, brother?
Well, I did.
Back out there, there are lots of tears and I think you're right to say, well, we separate from them. It's not just separating from tares in First Corinthians, and I hope I didn't confuse things by my remark, but it's those that refuse to separate themselves.
From that confusion and so if I'm happy to go on.
In confusion, then I can't be received. That's what that's the truth. I've gone beyond what is here. The point that he's really bringing out here is we cannot remedy that state of things and Christendom, the the wheat and the tares are to be allowed to grow on together.
There's three spheres of things in Ephesians chapter 4 might be profitable to look at. Sometimes that's fairs and such things. You see a a balloon Bender and he has a balloon one blown up inside of another.
And so you might have three balloons. There's a little one inside, a bigger one outside, and then a big one outside that. And that's three spheres of things that are mentioned in Ephesians 4. Starting with verse four, there is one body.
And one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. Only true believers are dwelt by the Spirit of God. Only true believers in this time are part of the Church of God. That's that very insight.
Spear. Only that which is real is part of that sphere. There's another sphere outside of that one Lord. 1 faith, one baptism. That's the sphere that we're taking up in our chapter in Matthew 13.
It's characterized by those three things, one, Lord and the Kingdom of heaven is a sphere of things in this earth that owns the authority of Christ in heaven 1.
Lord, they own him as Lord, they take that name.
Christ is Lord 1, Lord 1 faith. We're part of the same faith. We follow that Lord one baptism. That's the door, the entrance to that sphere. To be brought into that sphere, you have to come into through the door of baptism, the government of the sphere that owns the authority of Christ in heaven. He's gone from this theme.
It's the time of the Kingdom of heaven. The king isn't here. It's a mysterious form of the Kingdom. There's a coming day and a coming form of the Kingdom when the king will be here and he'll take his rightful place and he'll take up all events failed in and responsibility to God, and he'll discharge him faithfulness. But that's not the day that we're in. He's gone and he's in heaven. There's a spear that owns. He's there and he has all authority and power.
They own them as Lord and they come in through baptism. Doesn't mean they're real. They may be real. You know that inside balloon that's part of the sphere of the outside one, it's included in it, but all that's in the out. The other sphere may not be part of the very center. All that professes Jesus is Lord is not real. There's some that's not. There's another sphere outside of that. The next verse one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all.
That is the sense. In the sense of creation, He is the Father of all as creators.
All of creation comes into that sphere, whether they own Christ as Lord or not, whether they've been baptized or not, they're in that. So as those who are real, we're at all three. We're in the very center. There are those who are in the next one that are not real, but they own Christ as Lord and have come into that spirit through the door of baptism. And there are all the rest that are outside. And the last clause was adverse. And in you all is like an arrow that comes right to the center. Again, He's only in the true believer.
So Christ is in heaven now these parables are given, that we might know how to conduct ourselves in the day of of His absence from the Kingdom.
00:25:05
In a sphere of profession where there are those who are real and there are those who are not, and the 1St.
4 parables and we'll distinguish those. The first one is a parable, the rest are similitudes is rather little pointed out. And just as a little side, there's 10 similities in Matthew and we need all 10 similitudes of the Kingdom to really get the full picture of the Kingdom of heaven and the full instruction of the Lord.
As a how to conduct ourselves Or is the parable or the similitude of the talent of the the marriage of the King's son, of the wise and the foolish virgins, and of the unfaithful servant who grabs the other one by the neck and demands what he's owed. We need all those similitudes to have full instruction for our souls as to how to conduct ourselves in this day that we're in. The primary feature is is that it's a mixed.
Sphere of things and how will we know all these parables, except we know the first one that brings out He's so good seeds. But there's been various results in the hearts of men.
And the consequences come out in the similitude. We need to know that first one or will not understand all the rest but the first four given to us.
And this chapter have outward features that aren't a mystery to the world. They've seen the rapid rise of Christianity in this world. They've seen it grow and spring up, the blaze springing up while men slept. They know that there's people who are real Christians and people who are.
They know the difference they've seen this thing grow should have been a the smallest suburbs into a tremendous mustard tree and and become that which is the protector of every kind of vice and awful thing in this world. They understand those things that there's evil doctrines promoted bad things. They understand that, but then there's the last three. That's what's precious to the heart of Christ, that treasure hid in the field. They don't see that.
That Pearl of great price, the Church of God. That's right, the Kingdom of heaven is a different thing than the Church of God. But we get a little picture of what's precious in the Kingdom of heaven to him, that center sphere, the Church of God.
And then those fish, the good ones left on the shore, and the good, the bad left on the shore, the good gathered into vessels, all those who are the objects of God's counsels and purposes in Christ, the objects of his affection and Christ's affection. The last three are the secret of the heart of God. He says, Now I want you to see what's precious to me. Here's the first, Be separate from this. Know how to walk, but now see what's precious in my sight.
See what's valuable to me, you value it. There's a couple of things to notice here just so that we can move along to some of those precious things, is that the tears were bound into bundles. And the notion that there's going to be one world church is not really entirely scriptural because he says bundles. And So what we see the act of before the harvest we see, and I believe we particularly seen it in the last century, century and a half, is these bundles being formed.
Of those that are manifestly tares and it's the work of the of the angels doing that and they're being prepared for judgment. And so within the Kingdom of heaven, those are those groups that are very obviously and very clearly not composed of believers. Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, these these damnable heresies that have arisen the, the ecumenical movement. They're they're the bundles into which the tears are being bound. And so the call is.
For us to be separate.
And the other thing I'd just like to reemphasize, I think it's been brought out about the fruit and our brother mentioned that in connection with the 26 versus a verse in Romans and then go back to Hebrews 6 Romans.
Chapter 8 and verse 9 because it describes a true believer here in verse 9.
Of Romans 8 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
How do we know that the Spirit of God dwells in an individual? The answer comes now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of his, doesn't say have not the Spirit of God, but have not have the Spirit of Christ. How is it that I know that somebody is saved and indwelt by the Spirit of God as he manifests the Spirit of Christ? And you look at the gospels and you see the Lord Jesus answering the devil, Man shall not live by bread alone.
00:30:07
But every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is a very frightening thing, when a believer takes up the word of God and says, you have your opinion and I have mine.
Because the character the Spirit of Christ is that he took the Word of God as the Word of God. The Spirit of Christ is that our brother brought before us obedience.
Submission This is the this is the proof that one is indwelt by the Spirit of God. And if you don't see that proof the Spirit of Christ in an individual, then a.
Person doesn't belong to the Lord to get that thing. Also in Hebrews chapter 6.
In connection with this.
Because I mentioned this in connection with profession, but Hebrews 6 and verse 9.
We'll be reading from verse 8 because it's speaking about fruit here.
Maybe read from verse 7. But the earth which drinketh in the rain, that cometh often upon it, and bringeth forth herbs, meat for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessings from God. There is fruit for God, but that which bear thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh under cursing, whose end is to be burned. So both are receiving the rain. But here in the ninth verse. But we. But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you.
Things that accompany salvation, though thus we speak. And so he spoke as ones that professed, but he was persuaded to these ones that he was written better things, because they had that which accompanied salvation. They had in the language of James, they had works with their faith.
And noticing here the in verse 31.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which.
Uh.
Which a man took and sowed in his field, Which indeed is the least of all seeds.
But when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree. So the birds of the air come and lodge in the tree, lodge in the branches thereof. Well, the Kingdom of Heaven says, is like or likened unto this grain of mustard seed. It's a very tiny little seed, but it takes root in the earth, and it grows into a tree. And who lodges in that? And who lodges in that tree?
Well, I read this a little picture to us of all the, uh, doctrines and all the isms that these teachers come and they lodge in that tree. It's good seed that was sown. But here it says which indeed is the least of all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greatest among herbs and become of the tree. So that the birds of the air, I speak of the unclean, the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
So they're in those, they're in that sphere where the Kingdom of God is. And as has been already pointed out, they're not real at all, but they're lodging in the branches there they are.
Men are listening to them, they have all their, the religious elements with them. And we find here that God exposes that, doesn't it, That we have to see that for ourselves. So it's great. I remember one of the older brother mentioned that to us years ago about the, the, the, the umm, all the various ones with the CLA in the cloth, you might say, that are lodging in the branches of that tree.
It's a religion within.
So there's no reality in it at all.
But the seed was a good seed.
Yes, in the history of the church, the.
Church, instead of taking out, being content to take a outside place, you're not of the world, it really, the Roman Empire died and the church took the PLA, the professing Christendom took the place of the Roman Empire and so it got a place of power in this world. And it's a very serious thing because there's a great deal of that today, the church occupying a place of power and for good in the world.
That it was never intended to have.
00:35:01
It was a herb, it wasn't a tree, the mustard plant, and yet it became that. And it is a similitude that that is what has become of Christendom. It's become a great thing, accommodating thing in the world.
It's interesting the reason the Lord gives you know, we see a front side mentioned earlier the the infinite wisdom and patience of the Lord in as as as the the man here, umm the servant, say unto him, well, they'll go, wilt thou that we go and gather them up. Now of course, we've seen examples of this in the professing church.
Umm, probably the most striking example was the Inquisition where?
Umm attempt was made to root out that which was, uh, of course true to the Lord. Umm, in umm, the Song of Solomon, we they talk, she talks about the vines.
For our vines have tender grapes, and so that fruit that we, umm, have read of in the previous, uh, parable is very tender. Umm, if we see that which is honouring and glorifying in the Christians life, that's good to see it, but it's very tender. That's why the Lord in the 18th chapter begins to talk of offences, because that fruit is easily damaged.
And so the servants here in their perhaps their enthusiasm to serve the law, they would have gone out and ripped up all those tears. Well, I appreciate there's the aspect of profession that we've been bringing out, but there's also a practical aspect here that as we see growth in the Christian, we encourage that growth. We may also see some things that concern us. Well, we've got to have wisdom as to how we deal with those issues because.
Otherwise we'll like these servants, We stunt the growth, we cause an offence, the fruit is spoiled because we don't have the Lord's mind somewhat sometimes in how we deal with these things.
Verse 33.
Another parable put he unto them. The Kingdom of heaven is like. Good to remember that.
Not really it's it's likened to it says is likened umm uh, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven which a woman he took and hid in these in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened again thinking of the good seed of its planted.
But along comes this woman as he were, and she hides in it. Leaven. Leaven is a type of sin. And so the Lord explains this, doesn't he very clearly that, and we find that.
Not to speak against the Sister here, but the many of these evil doctrines.
Are led by women.
I want to name them over, but many, many of those evil doctors, those wicked doctrines are led by women.
So here it tells, it brings that out, he says, uh, why? Which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the hole was levered.
All things of farce, not the not the seed that God sowed, but it has become that by what has been put into it, added to it. We know that man likes to add to things. So I just think of it here, these various stages of the Kingdom of heaven. So we're in a sense, we're in the Kingdom of heaven. We are.
But because the King is up in glory.
And that Kingdom of heaven is territorial. We're down here.
But there's reality in that, too.
So we find that later in our in the familiar self as to responsibility, the Lord said thou sufferest that woman. I have this against thee, that thou sufferest that woman, Jezebel to teach. And so the meal was fine. The fine meal spoke of Christ, but it was not the fine meal that was the problem. That was wonderful, but what was needed into it. And it wasn't just sin like poison or contamination, but leaven is active living evil.
You know, you take leaven and it's a living thing. It's not a static thing and so it's needed in.
And so these doctrines were needed in and contaminated. So yes, the the, uh, eternal sonship of Christ is held as sinless humanity as virgin birth. But what is needed in with that and the woman?
00:40:16
It was is not to teach, as you pointed out.
And the church is not to teach. The church is the bride of Christ. And we've often heard people say to you, well, what does your church teach? The church is not to teach, it's taught.
It's taught by the servants of the Lord, and it's taught from the Word of God, from its living head, his head over all things, to the Church.
He raises up his servants to teach, but the church is not to teach. People say, well, what does your church teach?
Doesn't shouldn't teach anything. It's to uphold the truth.
One of the writers, uh, I've forgotten now which one it was, might have been CHM or one of them, They put it this way, They said they did not feel that, uh, false doctrine was, uh, something that sweeps itself in all at once, but it's a little at a time, fed in to the truth of God a little bit at a time. And after a while it's, it's, it's in there and you can't get it out.
So I, I'm not quoting it exactly, but that was a good point that it's not a question of the whole thing sweeping right in like that. We, we'd say we'd be frightened, but it comes in a little at a time, little false doctrine at a time and creeps in and it permeates the whole truth of God. Thank God for the, the word that we have that we can be maintained and kept by the Spirit of God according to the word, being deceived by all the isms and all the.
Uh, doctrines that are coming in and there's more of them all the time. Almost every other day you hear of some doctrine, some teaching new age movement or, uh, about the, of the person of Christ.
And talking to the man that I met, he didn't even know Christ.
In knowing I said the Lord Jesus Christ was not only man.
But he was God. Oh, he said. That's a false doctrine. That's false doctrine, I said. If that's all you have, you certainly are on your way to a lost eternity.
Because Christ is my saving and He was God.
He went under the cross for me, bore my sins. Who else could do it?
So I think it's, it's, uh, good to see that. And that's insidious because he said, well, I believe in Christ.
But he didn't. He didn't know Christ.
So we gotta remember that too, that there are those that make that profession, but there's no reality at all.
Like we mentioned earlier that the unregenerate men can't appreciate these parables.
And I think in the three measures of meals we get the parable that is most, shall I say, misapplied by.
Shall I say professor in Christendom?
And the thought is as expressed by such that eventually the gospel is gonna take over the world and there's gonna be this growth, shall I say, of Christianity that is eventually gonna take over the world. And that's there seems to be their hope. But I think it's important to notice that Levin always speaks of sin. And So what we have here.
Is what we've had before us. It's the introduction of that which is dishonouring to the Lord, and eventually the whole is leavened. Now something else I've noticed about this too.
Why are three measures of meals?
Here we get 3 measures of meal mentioned elsewhere in scripture. Well, we do.
We get it in the 18th of Genesis, when the Lord appeared to Abraham and the plains of memory three men. The Lord appeared in that form of three men to Abraham on the frames of memory.
And notice what Ibrance says to Sarah. And Abraham hastened into the tent, and Sarah and said, Make thee ready quickly. 3 measures of our meal.
Needed to make cakes upon the heart.
What is that? 3 measures of meal? It's a meal fit for God Himself. What does God delight in? God delights in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so I think that's what we get in those three measures of meals, that which God delights in presenting the person of the Lord Jesus Christ to God, which I'm sure we will do tomorrow morning.
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Notice how easily the leaven would spoil that meal. And that should be a lesson to us. I think there's the, shall I say, the prophetic application of this. There's also the practical application too. How easy it is. There's a little bit of lemon can.
Spoil that meal which is fit for God, and that's presenting the person of the Lord Jesus Christ to God.
Way where we, we, we, we may. When we do that, we be careful of any living anything associated with the flesh being introduced to that meal.
This is why it's important not to confuse the Kingdom of heaven and these Spears that our brother Steve was speaking about in the assembly, because the assembly's responsibility, according to First Corinthians chapter 5, is to purge out 11.
Because the assembly is a pillar in support of the truth. Because as to the reality we see in our parable that the whole lump is going to be leavened. There is no remedy. There's going to be no turning back of the clock, but what God has preserved as a testimony to the truth. And the leaven is to be pro. We're not to eat the bread with the leaven of malice and wickedness, and we're not to tolerate wicked doctrines to the person and work of Christ, and we're not to tolerate moral behavior, that is.
Uh brings dishonor on the name of Christ because it's leaven, but let's not confuse.
Be realize that Christendom is going the entire lump is going to be leavened till the whole be leavened.
Exodus 12 is a couple of verses here. I think it helped us to read.
Regarding the 11 loving bread.
12 and 18.
The first month on the 14th day of the month and even we shall eat unleavened bread till the one and 20th day of the month at even.
Verse 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses, For whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel.
Weather he be a stranger or born in the land, believe that speaks very clearly how God.
Wants separation to be brought about. If there's any kind of leaven at all, it has to be totally separated.
That's just the first time we I believe we read of leaven brought out like this.
Where's the connection to what we're having here right now?
I just point this out in that connection because we remember the Lord in his death, and there's a loaf with leaven in it on the table. And at Pentecost 2 loaves were waved before the Lord, and they had leaven in them, because Christ our Passover, He was sinless, spotless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and as thus there could be no leaven in that at all. But the loaf we have on the table reminds us that he made him to be sent, he who that knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, and that he condemned sin in the flesh.
And so we see that the lo, the leaven in the loaf has been through the fire and it's not an act of living thing anymore. And so we see the pictures is wonderful in Scripture. But as to this leaven that is brought into the meal, it's not to be brought in as you pointed out.
And the assembly is a place where the truth of God is to be maintained. It's not the government, it's not Christendom. Lo each has a responsibility to maintain the truth that everyone that bears the name of Christ, it falls on everyone that names the name of the Lord.
In First Corinthians, it's the responsibility of all them that call upon the name of the Lord, both ours and theirs.
That if a man calls in the name of the Lord, he bears the responsibility to come out and to be separate from that which is evil.
But if my brother won't come out, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't. And if I won't, don't go on with me.
In Leviticus 23, where we have the feasts mentioned there just going down in that, uh, chapter, verse 15 And he shall count unto you from the Morrow after the Sabbath which has begun, brings us to the first day of the week. And as it's already been said, the day after, from that day that you brought the chief of wave offering seven Sabbath shall be complete.
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Even unto the Morrow after the seven Sabbath, which is again the 8th day or the first day of the week.
You shall bring verse 17. You shall bring out of your habitation two wave loaves of 2/10 deals. They shall be a fine flower. They shall be bacon with lemon.
Uh, they are the first fruits under the Lord. The point is that that leaven has been killed by the, by the heat. It's been put in the oven and destroyed. Who destroyed the leaven? Who took care of that for us? The blessed Savior himself. This is connected with his remembrance, isn't he? The feast of the Lord in the Leviticus 23. But it's a precious to see that.
That blessed one on the cross, he went through the oven, he went through the suffering for us and so it's gone all in the person and work of Christ. How precious this is to see that we beg that we don't we don't use remember the Lord with with unleavened bread. Use regular bread because it's been put in the oven. The fire has been applied to it. The leaven is dead.
So were the precious savior. It's a, it's a very lovely thing to think about that. And that's, uh, I'm not too. I can't say that I enter into it all, but I enjoy that fact that that blessed one who bore all the judgment for him.
We have to mention at the house again, and I think rather literally had a thought on that this morning that might be worth repeating since the he, he leaves the House of I, I presume that's Judaism in the first verse. On the 31St verse, he goes into the house and I think they had a thought on that. That might be well repeat them at this point, I think.
Is that the house that we get in First Timothy?
3 and 15 But if I carry long, that thou mayst know how thou honest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the pillar of the living God, sorry, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and round of the truth.
He goes inside and begins to instruct the the the disciples in in the details of that which he had already missed outside.
I'm glad you mentioned First Timothy because I simply mentioned Second Timothy this morning, and in the beginning it was so that the House of God was in order and so he could own the House of God as the Assembly of God.
But in Second Timothy this house has taken on the character of a great house because of the unfaithfulness of man.
And so he gives instruction in Second Timothy as how to behave ourselves or not to leave the house.
We can't leave the House of the profession of Christendom, the place where the Lord's authority is owned in an outward way, as our brother was saying.
But in Second Timothy Chapter 2, we get instruction what we're to do when there's vessels to honor and vessels to dishonor in that house. I believe it's also true that in we get the house in Acts, so they said this morning.
The Spirit of God came down and filled the house, the whole house, and so the Spirit of God will lead wherever He's given liberty.
And and is at work wherever he's given liberty, but.
Again, of course, in the assembly, because we're in that house, we ought to give the Spirit of God liberty. Man has to restrict the freedom of the Spirit to act and systems because the Spirit of God would break up the systems if he was given liberty.
I think in Second Timothy it's described as the Great House.
Now in first Timothy, of course, the description that I referred to the term the House of God is in opposition to the phrase which is the Church of the living God or the church, of course, is the called out ones, literally the clawed out ones. And so the church here would include, would only include reality. It would not include profession. I, I, I, I, I first remedies, second Timothy, it's the great house.
That would include the profession also.
Hopefully here the way the Lord in our chapter again, going back to our chapter, uh, verse, uh, 34 all these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables unto the multitude. They didn't understand this. He spoke to this to them, uh, and and he spoke in parables.
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Without a parable speaking not unto them.
But his disciples were there too, and they wanted to know. So I just thought of how he says and and then Jesus sent the multitude away. It's like he was saying, well now you go, I've got something to tell my own.
My people.
Got something else to tell them, something you would never understand? But he didn't say that, of course. But here Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.
Nice, Sarah, See that isn't it? It goes back into the house. And his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable, The tares of the field go back to that again. And so the blessed Savior, he says.
He answered and said unto them, either soweth a good seed is the Son of man. He didn't say the Son of God. He said the Son of man because as Son of man he's going to take, he's going to assume all his re, all his glorious responsibility in this world, everything that will be headed up under the Son of man in the coming day. Isn't it so as he says here, he answered and said to them, verse 37.
He that soweth a good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world.
Field of the world, the good seed of the children of the Kingdom.
But the tears are the children of the wicked one.
Is that clear? The Lord Jesus explains this to them.
And if we're in the right spirit, He can, we can understand that and enter into it all, but we can understand it. See the difference between that is which was real and what is not real. So we have that truth brought out here, don't we?
In the in this in this account of the parables of the Kingdom.
Now what you were mentioning and what brother Steve was mentioning brought this to mind is that, you know, even unbelievers, they say, well, he's a real Christian. Sometimes their language is more intelligent. People say, well, he's a Bible believing evangelical fundamentalist, born again Christian. We talked that we hear people talk that way. But uh, unbelievers put it very simply. Sometimes they say, well, he's a real Christian and they can tell the difference between wheat and terrorists. But what they don't understand is why God is allowing this to go on.
My Barber said to me once. He said why doesn't God get rid of all the bad people of the world? I said I'm very glad he didn't.
Because I would have gone straight to hell and.
Let this go on together.
Why Mansfield and responsibility? But why? Because the weeds still growing up.
And so man doesn't understand this. He looks and he says, well, if there's a loving God, why does he allow this to go on in the world suffering and so on? Because the.
We're having to suffer along with everybody else and but the Lord is patiently waiting for the harvest and he sees the end. Mr. Darby warned against the way that the gospel was being preached in the last century with a mass appeal to the flesh of man through.
Entertainment and music and so on, But he said it doesn't worry me as most people think, because all the good fish are going to be caught.
But it does have a damaging effect. And so we see when we understand these similitudes, these mysteries, He takes us into the house that as it were, and we understand this, that the Lord just patiently allowing this to go on because souls are getting saved.
And we know the end from the beginning.
But man looking at it outwardly, he just sees a breakdown and confusion and so on. And he says, well, who's to say who's right? There's so much confusion and all they see is confusion and Christendom and in a certain sense they're right. It's been a a very great reproach on the name of Christ. But God is patiently bearing with it. And I think there's something else that's important in connection with the tears. Paul said that I may labor according to his working. It's important when we go to a job.
That we understand what our job is because if we don't, that we might labor according to the Lord's working, We're not going to occupy our place. So there might be a construction company. One's the secretary pays the bills, another one, uh, organizes the material and and so on. And each one different has a work. The angels are going to take care of the tares, but it's not occupy ourselves with that work. The wicked man in first Corinthians 5, the devil, the Lord had an instrument.
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To shift them. And it was a devil. And brethren often hop in and try to do the devil's work. God's committed the work to break down a man who's fallen into gross sin. He's committed it to the devil. And people say, well, we gotta go and pastor him.
That's not our work.
Now, we may not have power to deliver to Satan, but it's Satan's work. He's got to work for you to do. He's got to work for me to do. And we should know what it is and do it.
And the the angels are going to take care of these tares.
And verse 39 you get that brought out clearly.
The enemy that sowed them is the devil. He always sows the evil doctrines.
He's a liar from the beginning, and he continues in it. Then it says the harvest is the end of the not the end of the world, but the end of the age. That age, that's the end of the age. And the Reapers are the angels.
Not, not the chapter, not a Christian.
The angels are the reapers because they're going to bring this into judgment.
We, we preach the gospel of the king. We, we, we don't preach the gospel of the Kingdom, but preach the gospel of the grace of God and the God of grace that is in glory right now and we have nothing to do.
With casting those in the in the pit that the angels do that.
God will take care of that pardon. We don't do that. We can't condemn we all we do is present the truth of God for their salvation and their enjoyment.
And the results, God takes care of those results. But here again says.
The the harvest is the end of the age and the Reapers are the angels.
So we know the Lord has very clearly set that thing for us.
Nsnoise.
I am my love, honestly.
Not hearts are my heart.
Are sunlight and heart stray love?
When I said.
To our gratitude.
The hardest thing followed.
Power of before.
Of one Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Right. So how are you?
I don't know.
01:05:35
Nsnoise.
Every time.