Address—J. Brereton
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.
General Meetings, Ottawa, April 1976, addressed by John Burton.
Mike, we open the meeting this afternoon by singing hymn #146.
We bless our Savior's name.
Our sins are all forgiven.
To suffer once to earth he came.
He now is crowned in heaven 146 and one would start it for us, please.
Our Savior's name.
I would like to turn dear young people this afternoon to a number of different passages that the Lord gives.
Time for it, but first of all I would like to look at First Kings chapter 12.
You know, dear young people there are.
A number of things that we find in the word of God.
Concerning motives.
And I would like to look at those things this afternoon the.
And particularly as they apply to the subject that has been before us the last couple of days.
The truth of the Church.
Of the one body, and of the privilege of being gathered on that ground.
We sometimes hear it said that motives don't count.
That's all that matters, is that you'd be right.
But dear young people, that is not true, as we will find, I believe from the word of God, it isn't enough.
Just to be right.
The motive for being right?
Is of the utmost importance.
On the other hand, we hear a great deal today.
That motive is all accounts.
As long as the motive is right, as long as it's love that's behind what you do.
It doesn't really matter too much what to do.
And that is not true either.
Because, dear young people.
While the motive behind what we do is of the utmost importance.
00:05:04
So is direction, obedience to the Word of God.
In First Kings chapter 12 we'll begin reading at verse 25. Then Jeroboam built Shechem in Mount Ephriam, and dwelt therein, and went out from fence and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart. Now shall the Kingdom return to the House of David. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah.
And they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam, king of Judah, whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold.
And said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he and Dan. And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one even unto Dan. And he made an House of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained the feast in the eighth month, on the 15th day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah. And he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made.
And he placed in Bethel the priest of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar, which he had made in Bethel the 15th day of the 8th month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart, and ordained the feast unto the children of Israel. And he offered upon the altar, and burned incense. And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah, by the word of the Lord unto Bethel. And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burning sense.
And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord.
Behold a child.
Shall be born unto the House of David, Josiah by name, and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places, that they burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
Now we find here, dear young people, a case that I'm sure.
Is very simple for us to understand.
If you remember the history that preceded this.
Solomon's Kingdom had been divided.
Two of the houses, two of the tribes of Israel, had remained true to the House of David, and it followed Rehoboam, and 10 of the tribes had followed Jeroboam.
Now God Center was at Jerusalem.
But Jeroboam, as it tells us here, fought in his heart.
And the method.
Of his thinking was this.
If.
All the tribes of Israel continue to recognize God's center at Jerusalem.
And the 10 tribes continue to go up to Jerusalem to worship.
Then it won't be long before they're all back together again. They will kill me.
And they'll all go back to Rio Ball.
And so as a result, Jeroboam established 2 new centers, one at Bethel and one at Dan.
He also prepared 2 golden calves, and set them up one at Bethel, one at Dan. And he said, these be thy gods, O Israel, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Now, dear young people, I'm sure you don't have any difficulty at all in seeing how wrong this was, the sin of it, the sin in establishing centers of his own choosing.
This is what Jeroboam did. It was a sin, and it led the many of the children of Israel into the sin of worshipping the golden cast.
You know it's most remarkable when you think about it, but terrible could even claim a precedent.
For what he did if you were to go back to Exodus Chapter 32.
00:10:03
You would find there that Aaron, dear beloved Aaron, a true child of God.
But he too had prepared a golden calf.
He too had given the message These be thy gods, O Israel, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he, too, had been instrumental.
In the children of Israel sinning against the Lord in worshipping the golden calf, so Jeroboam could claim a precedent.
He makes 2 golden calves.
And the result is that Israel, the 10 tribes, are LED into the sins of worshipping golden calves at centers of Jeroboam's own choosing.
We find, though, that God goes behind the scenes for us.
And not only lets us know the iniquity of what Jeroboam did, but he also lets us know the iniquity of the motive.
That governed his actions. He did what he did because he wanted.
To divide God's earthly people, He wanted them kept apart.
And so his actions were deliberate, motivated by motives that were as great a sin as the action that he took.
And the result was as he planned.
God's earthly people were divided.
In this case even though.
Jeroboam could claim, not rightly, but could claim, that there was some precedent for what he did.
The fact remains that God condemned Aaron for what he did, and God condemns Jeroboam here for what he does.
Now it might seem strange to you, but at the beginning of the 13th chapter where we finished reading.
The prophet that comes out of Judah tells Jeroboam what is going to happen to that altar that he has established.
He comes, the Prophet comes to battle and tells him that a man was going to arise Josiah by name.
And men's bones would be burnt upon that altar.
God was going to overthrow that altar. God was going to show.
That it was an act of deliberate.
Evil motivated by an evil motive.
But strange as it may seem to you.
God did not carry out.
His judgment upon that altar until 300 years later.
God waited 300 years.
But what he said came to pass.
Here we have a case, dear young people, an important lesson for us to realize that.
Men can arrive and have arisen in Christendom.
And have divided the people of God deliberately.
Motivated by the worst of motives at deliberate attempt to divide the people of God to gather disciples around themselves.
And to make something of themselves, the action is wrong.
And the modem is wrong.
Now I'd like you to turn with me to First Chronicles.
Chapter 13.
You recall perhaps that yesterday reference was made in the Reading meeting to Psalm 132.
00:15:05
We find in that Psalm how David speaks of the desire that was in his heart.
How there was such an exercise on his part?
To bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem to Zion.
The place that the Lord had chosen.
We find how he says there that he did not give sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eyelids.
Until he had found an habitation for the holy God of Jacob.
What we find here? Something of the accounts that took place as a result of David's exercise.
First Chronicles Chapter 13 and David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds and with every leader.
And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, if it seemed good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites, which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us. And let us bring again the ark of our God to us.
For we inquired not at it in the days of Saul, and all the congregation said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
So David gathered all Israel together from seahorse of Egypt, even unto the entering of Hema.
To bring the ark of God from Kerja and David went up on all Israel to Bala, that is, to Kerja Jerome, which belonged to Judah. To bring up fence the ark of God the Lord that dwelleth between the cherry bims whose name is called on it. And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the House of Abinadab. And Aza and Ohio drove the cart. And David and all Israel played before God, with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with sultries, and with timbrels.
And with symbols and with trumpets.
And when they came unto the threshing floor of Chidin, Aza put forth his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against us. And he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark. And there he died before God. And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon us. Wherefore that place is called Perez, Aza unto this day. And David was afraid of God that day saying.
How shall I bring the Ark of God home to me? So David brought not the Ark home to himself, to the city of David, but carried it aside into the House of Obed Edom, the Gittite.
Now if you go down to the 15th chapter.
And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God.
And pitched 40 the 10th Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites, for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him forever. And David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord unto his place which he had prepared for it. And they will assemble the children of Aaron and the Levites.
And if you go down to the 12Th verse, and said unto them, ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites.
Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not, at the first the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order. So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. And the children of the Levites bear the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves there on.
As Moses commanded, according to the word of the Lord.
And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of music.
Salt trees and harps and symbols sounding by lifting up the voice with joy.
The 25th verse. So David and the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of the House of obed Edom with joy.
That came to pass when God helped the Levites that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven Rams.
00:20:11
Oh, here, dear young people, we find a different situation.
We find David had a real desire, an earnest desire he longed to see.
The Ark of God brought up to Jerusalem.
This was a good motive.
That was a desire that I have no doubt the Lord had put in his heart. It was a desire that it showed how he valued the ark of God, how he recognized that Zion Jerusalem was the center that God had chosen to put his name there.
But.
David did what he did in the wrong way.
I believe it's very striking to notice, first of all, before we consider what he actually did.
How that when David first had this desire?
To bring the Ark up to Jerusalem.
Everything seemed to be connected with himself.
Or with us as the term that he uses.
Let me show you what I mean. If you notice for instance in the 13th chapter.
At the end of the second verse he says, Speaking of the children of Israel, that they may gather themselves unto us. The third verse let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we inquired not of it in the days of Saul.
Then if you go down to the 12Th verse, David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?
So David brought not the ark home to himself, to the city of David, but when you go down to the 15th chapter.
You find it tells you there in the third verse David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord unto his place which he had prepared for it. You go down to the 12Th verse.
That he may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared.
For it.
When David first considered his actions.
What he wants to do motivated, as I say, out of a real earnest desire, a desire, dear young people, that I have no doubt please God. Yet the fact remains that his thinking, his thinking, concern, was concerned a great deal with himself and with us, those who were identified with himself.
And you know, dear young people, we can think this way too. We had a very precious meeting this morning.
And I believe God by His grace brought some very precious truth before us. But whenever we have this line of ministry before us, as we have had these last two days.
We have to be very, very careful that we don't begin to think.
Highly of us.
That we don't begin to think highly of some select company.
That we don't even begin to think of ourselves as any kind of a company at all.
But simply to recognize, as we was mentioned this morning, that we meet together.
As members of the Body of Christ, that we all have no name, no organization, that there is nothing that you can even put us to.
But the precious truth is that there is a place. And when we come to the 15th chapter, as we've noticed, David recognizes that there is a place, that the ark is to be brought up into, the place that the children of Israel were gathered together unto Jerusalem. And he has stopped thinking, it seems, about having the Ark brought to him, of having the Ark brought to us.
Dear young people, can I put it very simply, if you and I think of ourselves.
00:25:03
As a company that have met together and the Lord in his wondrous grace.
In his wondrous grace chooses then to come, as it were, and present himself where we're gathered together. Then we're making something out of us.
And it's not of God. But if we recognize the fact that God has chosen the center.
That there is a place where the Lord has placed his name. That there is a place where the ark of God using the type here is to be.
And by God's wondrous grace, we are gathered there. Then we are thinking.
According to the word of God, in a manner that makes nothing of us.
But a great deal of Christ typified in the Ark at the place.
Of his choosing.
Now we mentioned about motives.
We find that David's motive was right.
Except perhaps for that deficiency, if I can use that term in thinking more of us than he should have.
But the fact remains, he had a desire, a real desire, to see the ark at Jerusalem, a desire that was in accordance with the mind of God.
But.
David.
Failed to act according to the word of God.
His motive was right.
But his action was wrong.
Now David again, just as we noticed for Jeroboam, David again could claim a precedent. He could look back to First Samuel chapter 6 and say this is the way the Philistines did it. They brought the Ark in a new cart. They seem to get away with it.
Well, God bore with what the Philistines did, but David, a true child of God, was called upon to recognize.
The truth of the Word of God.
And the result is that the bringing up of the ark in the new in the new cart.
Leads dear young people to the death of Other to the death of Other. The Ark is brought up in a way that it was not to be. Other reaches out to steady the art.
And he is killed, slain by the Lord.
Now this leads to David.
Being afraid, he says in the 13th chapter. In the 12Th verse, David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? How was he to do it?
Well, when we come to the 15th chapter.
We find that David has the answer. Where did he find the answer? Why he found it in the word of God?
He found it in the word of God. It wasn't a new rule that he made-up as king.
It wasn't some new rule that the priests had made-up to overcome this difficulty.
The answer to what had gone wrong was going back to the word of God, because dear young people, to have the right motive wasn't enough.
He needed to have the direction of the word of God.
And sometimes beloved young people, and I say it to my own soul, we can act out of a good motive.
But contrary to the Word of God.
And have it lead.
To the spiritual death of some poor soul? Have it lead to the spiritual loss.
Of some poor soul because even though we were acting out of the, we considered the best of motives.
The fact remains that the word of God is the direction.
That we need so that the motor and the act.
Might go together. Now we notice it says in the 12Th verse of the 15th chapter. David says unto the Levites he are the chief of the fathers, the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because you did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.
00:30:10
Our beloved young people, if I could say it, and I trust I say it right, if you're going to think of us at all.
Think of us at all. Think of those with whom we're gathered at all as.
In any way a collective thing.
Let it be to recognize that we have failed, that we have failed.
But as David says here, that what God has allowed to come in has been a result of our own failure, of our own failure and our own weakness. David here acknowledges, whereas before he was angry with God, now he says it was all our own fault. It was all our own fault because we sought him not after the due order. Oh, isn't it a marvelous thing to see here?
How David doesn't cry now to plead and say our motive was right, We thought what we were doing was right.
We copied somebody else and that's what led to the problem. No, all he does is says we were wrong. We were wrong. We failed. We failed because we didn't act according to the due order what was in the word of God. Now we find that when they do, when they do, act according to the due order according to what was given them in the word of God.
When David sees the Levites.
Carrying the ark according to God's due order, all my friends, it was a time of joy. You know, it's a remarkable thing, and I don't mean to go into it now, but there's a precious to my own soul, a precious subject, just for meditation alone on that thing, to notice that when they brought the ark up the first time on the new cart, there was a great deal of noise.
A great deal of shouting, a great deal of blowing of trumpets.
But there's no mention of joy.
But when you come to the 15th chapter, you find David speaks of them and how they're going to do it, and you see all those instruments mentioned again. But this time he says with joy, with joy, all beloved young people. There is a joy in being submissive to the precious word of God, a joy that any amount of activity, any amount of noise, any amount of trumpet blowing will never replace the joy of subjection to God's precious words.
Well, we find that when we come in the 15th chapter to the 25th verse.
It says So David and the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of the House of Obadiah with joy. And it came to pass when God helped the Levites that bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rounds.
When God helped the Levites all to my own soul, dear young people, this has been very precious.
You know, David.
Had tried that way, copying the system of the Levites, and he had seen finally how wrong it was. But now now he acknowledges that it was wrong, and he seeks by God's grace to act according to the word of God. And God helps God helps the Levites. Oh, how precious. Here was not only the motive, right?
Not only is the thinking corrected, so that David makes nothing of us except to acknowledge their failure, and everything of the Ark and its place. And now the Word of God says God help the Levite, And there in turn offered seven bullocks and seven rhymes. All beloved young people, may you and I, by God's grace, seek to act on this precious word.
To remember, it isn't enough just to have the motive right, but the action. The action must be according to the word of God to meet with His approval, and God helps those who seek to walk in that path. God will help you if you seek to honor His precious word, and you will find yourself too, offering your 7 bullocks and seven rounds just returning Thanksgiving and worship.
00:35:09
To that one who in infinite grace helps you and I that are such failures to walk in the path of his choosing, to acknowledge that his word is the guide is the direction that we need, so that not only the motive is right, but the ACT is right. Now would you turn over with me, please, to 1St Corinthians 13?
1St Corinthians 13.
We'll just read the 1St 3 verses of this chapter.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become a sounding brass or a tinkling symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity.
It profiteth me nothing.
And then I'd like you to turn, if you would, to Revelation Chapter 2.
Revelation Chapter 2 and verse one.
Unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus right these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil. And thou hast tried them, which say they are apostles, and are not, and has found them liars, and has born, and has patience, and for my name's sake has labored, and has not fainted.
Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the 1St works.
We find here, dear young people, a situation in both these chapters.
Where we might put it this way that what they did was right, but the motive was wrong.
In First Corinthians 13 we are reminded of how.
Essential it is that love govern our acts in this scene, whether I give my body to be burned or as it says there, particularly in connection with the subject I have before me. It says, though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.
Beloved young people, and I say this to my own heart, it isn't enough just to know the truth.
You can be so crystal clear as to the truth you could say here this morning.
I agree with everything that was said.
And yet, dear young people, if the motive.
Behind what we do is not love for Christ and love for our brethren. Then it profits nothing. It profits nothing. I remember hearing someone say many years ago they made comment about a brother and his ministry and they made a comment. I don't believe the comment was very kind, but the fact remains what they said was he is clear as a crystal and just as cold.
Now, beloved young people, May God speak to your heart and mind in this when we come in First Corinthians 13, he speaks of them having all knowledge.
But love, Love was necessary to give character to what they did. And if there is a dear brother or sister here, if you may feel, you may feel that what you're doing is absolutely right.
But if love, what is, is not that which governs your actions, if it's not love for Christ and love for the people of God, then don't expect it to have the Lord's approval. Don't expect to have the Lord's approval for us.
00:40:11
We find here in Revelation chapter 2 That the one who walked amongst the seven golden candlesticks.
He can speak of their work, their patience, their charity, he says. I know thy works, and labor, and patience, how thou canst not bear them which are evil. Thou hast tried them, which say they are apostles, and are not, and has found them liars, and has borne, and has patience. And for my namesake has labored, and has not fainted. Not one thing outwardly, that could be pointed to, is wrong. Everything seemed to be in order.
But the motive that was to govern it all.
Was not there. They had left their first love.
All beloved young people, may the Lord give this to your heart, and to mind, particularly to mine.
To recognize that it isn't enough to be right.
It isn't enough to be right in the action.
But the motive also must be right to meet with the Lord's approval.
You know, we had a little bit mentioned about this yesterday.
About the spirit.
In which things are done?
Sometimes things are said and what is said.
Is right.
But how it is said is all wrong.
All wrong. The motive?
That would have kept the lips so that the spirit of Christ might have been seen in what was said.
Was not manifested and the result was. While you may be able to claim that you were right.
In what you did.
Or write in what you said.
The Lord may very well have to say, but the motive was wrong.
Now I would like to just turn to three verses very quickly in closing.
The first one is in First Corinthians Chapter 11.
First Corinthians Chapter 11.
And verse 24. And when he had given thanks, he break it.
And said, Take, Eat. This is my body, which is broken or given 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 drinketh in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death.
Till he comes.
Dear young people, these three verses that I have upon my heart to mention in closing.
At least for my own heart, and I trust for my own conscience to it brings together.
The act and the motive.
It says.
As often.
As you eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. But, beloved young people, I don't break bread at the Lord's table and partake of the emblem to show forth the Lord's death. That is not the motive.
The act is to partake of the emblems to sit down at the Lord's table and partake of those emblems.
But I trust that the motive, the motive is not only obedience to the word of God, but the fact that the Lord Jesus.
Said to my heart, this do in remembrance of me, of me. It's because the Lord has requested that I remember him, that I do so and how I do it.
Is as the word of God outlines for me in this precious book.
The fact remains that in doing so I show forth the Lord's death till he comes.
But the motive, the motive that governs what I do, and I trust I say it for all of us.
00:45:06
I trust the motive that governs my heart.
Is his request.
That I remember him this do in remembrance.
Of Maine.
Love for Christ, love for this one who has redeemed us at such a cost to himself.
Love for him gives me the desire to be subject to his word.
And to remember him, you know, I have children.
And it would be a sad day for me if my children were to do everything that I asked them to explicitly as I asked them to. But the only time they ever desired to be in my company was when I asked them to.
If I had to specifically.
Lay down a rule only to find them that they did what I asked. That isn't enough, is it? It would never satisfy my heart. Dear young people. What the Lord looks for is that the motive might be love for himself.
Our dear brother used to say years ago amongst us that we should never be occupied with our love for the Lord and how true that is. But the fact remains that love is to be the motive and occupation with his love to us will give us to love him more. We love him because he first loved us. So he has said this. Do in remembrance of me.
Obedience to His words gives us how to do it.
And love for himself.
Is. Why would you turn with me now to?
Hebrews Chapter 13 for justice A moment I'll just be a couple of moments more I trust.
Hebrews, chapter 13.
And verse 13.
Let us go forth therefore unto him. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the cap bearing his reproach. All dear young people, I find in the word of God what the camp is, I find, that God has defined for us in his word, given us instruction in his word, as to what the camp is, that system of organized religions that has for itself.
Earthly Sanctuaries.
Ordained priesthood and is connected with seeking to keep the law for righteousness or some part of those 3.
God has given us to see what the camp is, and so on, obedience to His word.
By God grace, you and I seek to go without the camp.
But all beloved young people, what is the motive? What does it draws us out of the camp? Is it simply obedience to the word of God? Well, dear young people, we can develop, we can develop a legal form of obedience that will lead to a fall. But if my heart and soul recognize that he is without the camp, that I go forth unto him without the camp, that I leave the camp behind because he is outside of it.
Now the motive spring for what I'm doing is love for the one who is outside the campus.
And he draws me out there to himself.
The last verse I would turn to is Matthew 18 and verse 20.
Matthew 18 and verse 20 for where two or three are gathered together.
In or was mentioned yesterday, the better translation is unto my name. There am I in the midst of them now beloved young people, Here is the same precious line of things, the Acts, but according to God's word, to be gathered unto him unto him, where two or three are gathered by the Spirit of God unto his name.
There am I.
In the midst of them I remember many years ago.
Talking to a dear brother many miles away from here. He's now with the Lord.
And that dear brother asked me a question.
00:50:03
Let me tell you what the question was, if you'll bear with me for justice a moment. He's with the Lord now, and I'm sure no one here would even recognize the question, so I feel safe in mentioning it. He mentioned how in that little company, that little place where he was, just a few gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus, and he had been criticized very strongly for continuing to break bread there by others from another.
Company of Christians.
And the comment they had made to him was, they said, the Lord's table.
Must have 4 lakes and because the Lord's table must have four legs and there must be four brothers there.
Before you can have the Lord's table. And since there isn't four brothers where you are, you've no right to break bread.
Now that dear brother, he was the only brother there in this little company and he came to me when I was visiting there and he said, now is that right? Is that right? That's how simple that dear brother was. Dear young people.
And yet he told me that what had kept him all the years that he had gone on, the only brother there for years, what had kept him?
Was the realization of his soul that Jesus was there. That's all he knew. Jesus was there. And because the Lord Jesus was there, that was all the motives that his heart needed to be in subjection to the word of God, because Jesus was there.
Well, I trust God will bless these few remarks to your heart. Mind your young people to recognize that the motive and the act can both be wrong. That there is such a situation, as we've seen with David, where the motive is right but the act is wrong. And failure to act on the word of God can lead not only to loss for our souls, but danger and sorrow to others. We found the situation in Revelation and in First Corinthians 13.
Where what is done may be right, but the motive is wrong and it does not have the Lord's approval.
And we have seen, I trust where we can, in subjection to the word of God, and out of a motive, love for Christ and attraction to Him, a love that grows dear young people, as you're occupied with His love to you that will lead you in a path where not only the motive is right, but what you do also meets with His approval.