Open—H. Brinkmann, 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.
Oh, blessed is our language love.
For everybody.
Give him the wind. Blow the world.
Let's turn to Colossians.
Chapter One.
We were told.
That in Ephesians we have what the Church is to Christ, the fullness of Him that filleth. All in all, reverentially we say he is incomplete without the Church, just like a man is incomplete without a wife.
You know, it's a wonderful thing that we can look at our wives that our compliment.
That's what God gave the wife to us. Four.
But in Colossians, you know what wonderful thing it is that we see what Christ is to the Church, not what the church is to Christ.
And so.
Colossians is a wonderful book, just like Ephesians. You know in these two books you have I believe it's not wrong to say the highest Christian truth are in these two epistles we read from Colossians one verse 9.
00:05:14
For this course we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the full knowledge of this, will allow me to give the more accurate critical rendering on that passage in some of these verses. And that's J and BS translation.
You must be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that he might walk birthday of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the true knowledge of God.
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power.
And to all patients, and long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in life, who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love.
You see, it's not just the point that he is his dear son. He's the son of his love and we have been brought into that very sphere that he has always enjoyed.
In whom we have redemption.
The forgiveness of sins. In Ephesians we have the means by which we have redemption. In Colossians, we have the one in whom we have redemption. That's why the correct rendering leaves out to his blood. Some people have been offended by Mr. Darby leaving it out, but it is here the one in whom we have redemption, not the means. And then this one is presented in the most glorious way.
In the one in whom we have redemption, who is seeing?
He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. He's not the first creature as some have used this verse. He is the first born of all creation. When he enters his own creation of necessity, he has to have the place of the first born, the place of preeminence. For by him were 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.
He's the head of the body, the church. Who is the beginning? Notice there is a beginning here. There are more beginnings in Scripture, but here it is a beginning, and that's the beginning of the Church. He's the head of the body, not as a man on earth. He is that in glory, risen and glorified, who is the beginning, the first born from among the dead, that in all things.
He might have the preeminence. There were others that were raised from the dead before, but they went back to death again, not our blessed Lord. Death has no longer any claim.
You know, he late death had no claim on him in the 1St place he was wholly harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, But he laid down his life.
But he is now the beginning, the first born. From among the dead, we all will be raised. Those who have died in faith will be raised from among the dead, and we who are living will be changed together, going to be brought to be with the Lord.
And he's the head of the body, the church.
Who is the beginning, the first born from among the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For in him the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell.
00:10:00
That's the way it should read.
You know when he came, it wasn't just the sun that came. God was manifested that triune God. The fullness of the Godhead was seen in him. He that has seen me has seen the Father, he could say.
And having made peace through the blood of the cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.
By him I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven, reconciliation means to bring things into proper order.
To the fall of man. Even the creation is in disorder that will be changed through the Lord.
You know there will be reconciliation of all things. All things will be brought into proper relationship to God.
The things in earth or things in heaven, and you.
That is the believers now that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works. Yet now has he reconciled.
We don't have to wait till a future day. We are now reconciled.
Days now a proper relationship between God and to save people.
And reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you wholly and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. Get all of that young people or older Christians, have you laid hold of that. That's how God looks at you and me. If we by faith have come to the Lord Jesus, He has presented us.
Holy, unblameable and unreprovable. That's how we stand before him positionally.
If you continue into faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel people say you see here, you can be saved today and can be lost tomorrow. That's not the way that verse is to be understood.
There is no such a thing as a true child of God becoming an apostate.
This here is apostasy not to continue in the faith. A believer will not become an apostate. All you have to do is check carefully what's taught in Hebrews.
But how wonderful.
We will continue in the faith. He is the one that has saved us. He is the one that will keep us.
Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven. That's God's purpose. It hasn't yet been accomplished. That's why many travel to these dark countries. In Africa and other places in the world. There are people that have never heard about the Lord Jesus.
That's why that word that the Lord Jesus told his disciples going into all the world applies to us today.
Some of us have had the privilege of traveling to different countries not just to preach the gospel, but to bring the truth of God to God's people as well.
And Paul was made a minister of this gospel this is.
The Gospel of the grace of God.
Who now rejoice in my suffering for you and fill up.
That which is behind of the affliction of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the Church. You know what he was suffering. He was suffering for the Lord.
And there are those who still suffer for the Lord, but not in the same way as Paul did.
You know, he was the minister of the Gospel.
And not just.
To the Jews as Peter was.
He's our apostle, the apostle of the Gentiles.
He was made a minister of that good news.
00:15:06
And he was suffering in connection with proclaiming it.
And.
Where off I made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill or to complete the word of God.
You know, the Mormons and others who are liars claim that they have new revelations. All they need to know is this verse to show that they are liars. The word of God is complete. What we have in our hands today is to complete word of God.
No further revelations to be looked for.
Even the mystery.
Which had been hit from ages and from generations, but now is manifest to the Saints.
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this ministry among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. You see, this is the difference between Ephesians and Colossians. It's not that we are in Christ, that Christ is in US.
And that fact that he dwells in our bodies is in US is assuring us future glory.
The hope of glory is the fact that Christ dwells in our body. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Christ dwells in US.
What a solemn truth that is. Dear young people and even older believers, remember that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and Christ dwells there.
That is what makes us realize that we better walk in holiness.
In separation from evil.
Because we bring dishonor upon the one who dwells in us, It's inconsistent.
For a Christian to live in sin.
It doesn't mean that any of us ever reach sinful perfection while we're in this body.
But that's why in first John it says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's not for the unbeliever written there. That's written for the believer. You know, as long we're in this body, the flesh is within us. There are three enemies that we have.
That is the world the flesh and Satan love, not the world.
Know the world is the system away from God, over which the devil is God and Prince.
He's the God of this world religiously, the Prince, politically. That's why I can never be involved politically.
The consistent thing for a Christian is not to be involved in politics.
I'm so thankful that we immigrated to the United States in 1953.
I grew up in Germany.
Unfortunately, I wasn't old enough to have to serve. I was 15 when the war ended.
I'm so thankful when I found out that in the United States I can, as a conscientious objector, refuse military service, and I did that. I'm not trying to boast. I think the Lord gave me to see that it was inconsistent for me, as a follower of the Lord Jesus, to fight and to kill. Love your enemies.
You know, and I took the position of a conscientious objector.
You know, I wasn't even a citizen at that time and there was a possibility that they might kick me out, that I was going to be sent back to Germany.
But they investigated where I worked, my neighbors, and they found out that this is indeed a Christian who wants to live by Christian principles. They allowed me to remain and stay here. But how wonderful that we are able to live for the Lord. And then Paul had two ministries.
00:20:22
Not only was he a minister of the gospel of the grace of God.
He is also a minister of the mystery.
Christ and to church. That's the mystery. You don't find it in the Old Testament revealed. It is revealed in the New. But as often has been pointed out, I think we even mentioned it in the reading that since we have the Revelation in the New Testament, we find we have beautiful pictures in the Old Testament of Christ and the Church.
The Lord Jesus himself said, search the scriptures, for they testify of me.
You know you have beautiful pictures of Christ and the church. Since we have that revelation, that Old Testament book, that Old Testament as a book becomes that much more precious to us, we see Christ in it. The scriptures testified of him.
And Paul was preaching not only the gospel of the grace of God, He was preaching the mystery Christ and the church Have you laid hold of that truth? Christ in the Church. That mystery hit in the ages past, never revealed, now revealed. And the apostle is the minister of the Church, the Apostle Paul, if you want to learn to know about the truth of Christ in the church.
Read Paul.
Yes, you have it in Matthew upon this rock. Christ, I will build my church, and the gates of haters will not prevail against it. But you have reference made, but you haven't. Don't have it developed until you go to Paul's writings.
So how important it is for us as young people to read the Bible?
Read the scriptures.
And read it prayerfully.
When you read it, say Lord, please help me to understand what I'm reading.
It's not a question of just having a bright mind.
You couldn't understand anything if you wouldn't have a sound mind. But in order to understand the truth of God, you need more.
Than a sound mind you need the Spirit of God to give you understanding. His spirit testifies with our spirit that we are the sons of God. That is the Spirit of God testifies with our human spirit that we are the sons of God.
Yes.
How dependent we are upon God, upon His Word, and upon the Spirit of God.
You know, what does the Spirit do more? And the first thing that he does in a person's life, he's seeking to quicken to make a life.
To Sinner.
We find that in John by water and by spirit we are born again.
That water is the word which the Spirit of God uses in order to bring you into life.
But then the spirit also comes and indwells you. There's a difference between new birth and being sealed.
Many Christians don't understand that.
I ministered on that once and somebody among us opposed me on that. Afterwards, there is a difference between being born again.
Old Testament Saints were born again.
That's why the Lord could tell Nicodemus when he spoke of new birth. And he said how can that be? He said our daughter teach and Israel. And nor is this not as a teacher in Israel. He could know that there was such a thing as new birth, but how wonderful in Christianity we have more than new birth.
00:25:06
As a result of the work of the Lord Jesus, the finished work of Calvary's cross, and him going on high, what did he do? He sent down the Spirit to indwell every believer, our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, but not only that.
He dwelt in the church collectively.
That's why it is so important that we allow the Spirit of God to take the lead when we come together as Christians.
I have related that story before and if you have heard it, bear with me. My grandfather on father's side got saved.
And they wanted to make him a preacher.
He had the ability to preach.
But he had come to understand the truth of the Church.
And he met in separation.
That's many, many years ago.
And.
But then they started having get togethers.
The fundamental Christians would have what they called an Aliens Fazam Law Alliance meeting and they would come and they would have Bible studies.
Nobody was picked to preach.
And he heard about that my grandmother had not seen the truth that my grandfather had seen, although he what she was saying, he took her with him to that meeting.
And he told me this story himself, he said. We really enjoyed being there.
And then towards the end of the meeting, since some of those people had in mind to make him a preacher earlier, they said Brother Brinkman has to Lord not giving you anything for us today.
Well, he said. Yes, I really enjoyed being here today.
And I believe we all have felt that he has blessed us.
By his Spirit. But why we didn't look to a particular man? We look to the Lord by the Spirit to use whomsoever he would.
We have all enjoyed being here. I'm sure those of us who are Christians, I would recommend that you always come together that way. Not looking to a man, but looking to the Lord by the Spirit to bless and to guide and to bring his picture before us. That opened the eyes of my grandmother. I was so happy when I heard that story. You know, that was many, many years ago.
That took place at those in those days. The women didn't weren't allowed to go separate and the husband, but my grandfather understood better that it had to be a personal matter of personal conviction. He left it up to the spirit to open my grandmother's eyes, and that time her eyes were opened.
And they walked together in happy fellowship ever after.
But anyway, what a wonderful thing it is to grow up.
Being exposed to so much truth.
And do you really appreciate it?
Do you really appreciate it? Young people especially?
That you have been exposed to so much water responsibility, What do you do with it?
Are you accepting it by faith?
Well.
And Paul realized.
That what was entrusted to him and I already pointed out there are these two ministries.
The ministry of the gospel of the grace of God, and then the ministry of the mystery of God. And what does he say? Who we preach? Warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
00:30:07
How often I, like me, like to ask you, How often have you brought Christ before somebody that you met or that you know?
Have you?
You have a wonderful message.
You know a lot of wonderful truths. You hold it for yourself.
We don't have the same responsibility as the Apostle Paul.
But we have a responsibility of sharing that which God has given us to know and to enjoy. And then it says to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Does that man mean to present him sinless? That is, get him into a position that he won't send any more? No.
People have to come to understand that when they know the Lord Jesus as Savior, they stand before God. Perfect.
And the truth that Paul was bringing to them is to Christ and the Church if received.
That would present them perfect, bring them into full spiritual growth.
I'm sure everybody here, even those who are saved for a long time, and perhaps the Lord whom the Lord has given some understanding of scripture, they will be ready to say there's a lot I still have to learn, you know, there's a lot we still have to learn. Nobody knows at all. But that does not mean that we cannot, in this sense be perfect.
That we come to see our position in Christ and come to see how God looks at us. We have to learn to look at ourselves the way God looks at us.
And a marvelous thing is that in spite of our shortcomings and the flesh still within us.
He looks at us as being perfect in Christ.
Positionally.
Well, how wonderful.
We're unto I also labor striving according to his working, which workers in me mightily. You know, it has to be just like Paul implies here, him working, whether in Paul or in US, it has to be him doing the work by his spirit well.
What brought this chapter before my heart is the fact that we had in Ephesians. What?
That we are in Christ.
Here we have that Christ is in US.
Believer. What a solemn fact that is, he dwelt in US.
You know our temple is the temple of the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus. When he in John's Gospel says that he would come and take his abode with such, you know he has taken his support with us. He dwelt in US individually and dwells in the church collectively, and hopefully we all learn to allow Him.
To use us.
And to bring other souls.
To the Lord.
Or make them familiar with the truth of God? Have you ever had the joy of leading somebody to the Lord?
Have you ever had that joy?
There is no joy like it.
Even our own children.
You know.
People sometimes, several times somebody would say hi, why do you want to have 10 kids?
Why do you want to have 10 kids?
What I have usually answered is how many Christians have the opportunity of leading 10 souls to Christ.
If nobody else is going to be brought to Christ, to my efforts except my kids to have brought 10 to the Lord, that in itself would have been worthwhile having lived on this earth. Don't you think so? And we have a promise, dear parents.
00:35:16
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house, the jailer was told. In Acts there is a promise connected with it, and we can claim that by faith.
It's not going to be according to our way of laboring, but the Lord by His Spirit can use His word and bring it to their hearts, to their conscience, and bring them through it into blessing.
But you cannot bring the word of God before anybody unless you know it.
You know, you have to get to know it.
Fill your mind with it.
And then, when the opportunity arises, the spirit can bring a worse to your memory. That is just what that person needs at that time.
And so we better get into the scriptures, reading it, meditating upon it, and asking the Lord to give us to understand it and to enjoy it, not only to understand it intellectually.
Now there are people in this world, I believe, that know the Bible without knowing the author of it, without knowing the Lord Jesus.
But all truths, brother, the brother that labored among us for many years, made that statement several times. I put it to memory. All truth enters by way of the conscience, Londeen, you know, to the landin.
True, that is.
The word of God has to penetrate into our hearts and into our conscience and then accepted by faith, and even that faith is a gift. That's what we learned from Ephesians 2.
By grace are we saved through faith is not of ourselves, it is a gift of God.
An uncle of one of my sons in law, An orthopedic doctor.
We met him.
And he said, I like to go and talk with you. Let's go over to the house. You know, they had a reception there and it was at a hall and the house wasn't too far away. So we went over there and he said, I just cannot believe.
Orthopedic doctor, well educated, very intelligent.
Well, I said to him, If you really would want to believe, can't you ask God to give you the faith to believe? If you really want to believe, it's a gift.
I don't know if he ever did accept the Lord, but I'm happy to tell you that some of his children are devout Christians.
But Hall said the father isn't.
Maybe he did get saved and I didn't find out about it, but I don't know even whether he is still living but.
How wonderful to have the word of God brought before us from little on.
You know, in our home.
In Germany when we had supper.
The word of God was read.
My parents realized that these children need more than just physical food. They need spiritual food.
My dad didn't have the ability to expound the scripture as his father did, but my mother did. And when I and my brothers had spiritually, we ought to our mother.
You know, and the Scriptures were read. We were encouraged. You know, there was never a time in my life I can honestly tell you that, that I ever questioned that the Bible was the word of God. Never.
But there came a time.
When I had to make a decision.
You know, there was an evangelistical meeting.
And in Germany, Tibetan didn't have a gospel every Sunday, and that's the custom in American in the English speaking world.
00:40:10
And let me tell you, and please don't be offended, I do not agree that we preach the gospel to those that we break bread with.
Bring the truth of God before them. The gospel is for the lost.
And but anyway.
How wonderful to hear.
The Word of God and to be exposed to it.
And brethren, do you have an exercise that these young people hear the scriptures Not just in the reading meeting, you know?
I believe as I have said, and please don't be offended, I don't preach the gospel to the Saints.
I preached the gospel to the Sinner.
And I'm very happy to remember that there were those that I could give the gospel to. And he got saved. Just a few weeks ago. We got a telephone call from Munich from a lady that we gave the gospel, and she was saved some years ago, but it was seven years after we had given her the gospel that she got saved.
That was in 97 when she got saved.
But recently she called. She said, we want you to know that Peter got saved yesterday, her husband. And she called all the way from Germany to let us know. We prayed for Peter every day. You know, what a joy to know. Peter is a family member now. He's a brother in Christ, you know well.
Give credit to the Lord.
But do you have people on your heart that you pray for every day?
Not just your family, your relatives, others that you have contact with.
What a joy it is to see them saved, come to know the Lord.
Well.
This passage in Colossians.
Is such a wonderful passage, and let me just point out to.
In verse nine of chapter two, we have this wonderful statement for in him, that is in the Lord Jesus.
Dwell us all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
We don't need to know anything beyond knowing the Lord Jesus and we know the Triune God revealed in his person.
Read the scriptures. Read the Gospels. Not only the Gospels, but.
What a wonderful thing it is to see how he moved among men.
And can't we learn from him?
The only gospel that some people have is us, our lives.
Can they see Christ in US?
For me to live is Christ, the Apostle Paul said.
Left Christ before man.
We readily admit, don't we? We do it very poorly.
But it is nevertheless the exercise.
To live Christ before men and the Lord Jesus wants.
To use us, although we're poor, feeble human beings, imperfect human beings.
But have you ever found a perfect servant?
There's only one, isn't it?
And that's the Blessed Lord.
But the wonderful truth is, he uses imperfect instruments. But it is the Spirit of God that uses whatever is uttered feebly, imperfectly. He can use it, and especially if he quote the scriptures.
For them.
In have eternal life. Well, anyway, how wonderful.
May this passage be an encouragement to us. And I repeat again, it came to my heart and mind in connection with what we had in Ephesians, that we are in Christ, but now Christ is in us. That's the side in Colossians, He dwells in US.
00:45:13
And what a wonderful thing it is to walk in fellowship and communion or in company with the Lord Jesus.
You know, that's why we need to pray every day. That's why we need to read the Bible every day. And that's why we need to keep short accounts when it comes to anything that we have done wrong, even wrong thoughts that come into our minds.
You know, we attach not only to what we say and do. We also judge by what we allow.
Our minds to be occupied with.
You know when you have a evil thought coming up, touch it, cast it aside, and the best thing how you can prevent these things from coming into your mind is think on good things.
That Christ dwell in our hearts richly. You know, Philippians is such a wonderful book on that point, so may the Lord bless.
This passage to all of us.
And may the Lord Jesus.
Be seen in us, but it cannot be seen in us unless we go on with him from day-to-day.
And then what about the ladies?
You know.
Ladies. The Lord has used ladies to bring Christ to souls.
And what about the wife of a brother in the meeting?
To have a godly wife, what a difference it makes you know and to read the scriptures together, pray together.
You know, sometimes.
Wife might be the best person to correct.
A husband? We all need correction sometimes, do we not? The fool despises corrections, the Scripture says.
Well, to have a wife that knows the scriptures, reads the scriptures familiar with the truth, what a wonderful life to have, and then to allow her the liberty.
To correct us when necessary, Well, anyway.
Young fellows, what kind of a girl are you looking for?
Just a pretty girl.
I don't blame you that you like a pretty wife.
There has to be more than just being a pretty girl. Has to be a godly wife.
That can be a help to you in your Christian life.
So may the Lord bless these few thoughts, and may.
We all.
Grow to be more like the Lord Jesus.
A pleased to 1St Thessalonians, Chapter 2.
First Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 10.
Your witnesses and God also, how holy, and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe as you know how we exhorted and comforted, and charged everyone of you, as a Father doth his children, that you would walk worthy of God who has called you unto His Kingdom and glory.
Just very, very quickly, in the few moments that we have left, I'd like to notice 3 exhortations in Pauls ministry to three different assemblies as to this expression to walk worthy. We noticed one this morning or this afternoon earlier this afternoon and we'll go back to it very briefly in a moment.
But there are three times, as I say, that the apostle Paul exhorts the Saints to walk worthy.
And as was mentioned in the reading meeting this afternoon, the exhortations in our Christian lives as to our practical walk are always in light of the truth that is brought before us. And we'll notice this little difference in each one of them. We find, if we were to back up in the Book of Thessalonians that Paul had preached to them the gospel of God. You get that? At the end of the ninth verse of this chapter, we find 2 to back up to the first chapter.
00:50:01
That as a result the Thessalonian believers had turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven. And having heard the gospel of God, and having turned from dumb idols to the living and true God, now the exhortation is to walk worthy of God. There were many things that no doubt the Thessalonians believers hadn't entered into, Yet they hadn't, I don't suppose, entered in to shall I say.
Colossian or Ephesian truth, they knew that they had turned to the living and true God.
And so the apostle Paul exhorts them to walk worthy of that. I'd just like to apply it in this way. The afternoon maybe there's someone here, and you haven't been saved very long. You've turned to God, as it were. You've realized that God had a great, has a great provision for you in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and the work of Calvary. And you sit in meetings like this, and you say there's a lot of things I don't understand about walking to please the Lord. There's a lot of things I don't understand.
About being in Christ and the heavenly calling of the believer, and so on. And that may be true. But don't be discouraged, young. Convert, walk worthy of God. You've been brought into relationship with the very God of eternity to think of it, and these Thessalonians believers, to think that they had once bowed down to idols that could neither hear nor see or help them in any way, and then to think that they had turned to God, and so he tells them to walk worthy of God.
Who has called us unto his Kingdom and glory? You know the Thessalonian believers, They turn to God, and they were waiting for his Son from heaven. They were waiting for the Kingdom to be established. It's true. They needed to be enlightened as to the another truth. And that was the truth of the Lord's coming for his Saints, because they were concerned about some of their number who had passed away, wondered if they'd missed out on the Kingdom and the glory. And the apostle writes to explain very carefully that no, they hadn't missed out in any way.
That they were going to be part of that Kingdom and glory in a coming day through the resurrection, the coming of Christ for His Saints, and the fact that they were going to rise, and so on. And we've often enjoyed the 4th chapter of First Thessalonians, where he leaves nothing unexplained as to that blessed truth, but simply again to just bring this to bear on our souls. The first exhortation here is to walk worthy of God, but now go back to the book of Colossians where we just were.
Colossians.
Chapter 2.
I'm sorry, chapter one, Colossians, chapter one, and verse 10. That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, and all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks, and so on. Well, here we have another exhortation, to walk worthy, not to walk worthy of God, but to walk worthy of the Lord.
Because this has already been mentioned in these meetings. What he's bringing before the Colossians Saints is the Lordship of Christ, the Headship of Christ. And we often speak of these Colossians Saints as needing exhortation to hold the head, that is, to look to the Lord for direction as members of the body of Christ. And so He exhorts them here to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.
And again, I just want to make this very, very practical. Because, brethren, Christianity is a very practical thing. It's true. We need to seek, by the grace of God and in the power of the Spirit, to get hold of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. But Christianity too, is a very practical thing. We sit in meetings like this, and it's wonderful. But what about, as the world would say, where the rubber meets the road? It's there's reality, and it takes real grace to go on and to walk in the path of faith day by day.
But are we seeking to own the lordship of Christ in our lives? I want first of all to apply this in our individual lives. How much is our exercise? And brother and I can only speak to my own soul, but how much is our exercise? To get up every morning and say, Lord, what will thou have me to do? When Paul was, as Saul of Tarsus was converted on the Damascus Rd. the first thing he says is not the first thing, but one of the first things was, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
00:55:10
And you know, it's true. As was pointed out, Paul made mistakes, Paul failed. But he, I believe it was the exercise of his whole pathway. As a Christian, his whole walk of faith, his exercise really is summed up in that expression. And are we looking to our head every day? We understand this In a natural body, our members take their direction from the head, from the brain. Are we as the members of the body of Christ, seeking to walk worthy of the Lord unto all, pleasing to look to him every day for our direction?
Not to do something according to our own will. The world today says follow the lusts and desires and appetites of your heart and go your own way and nobody's to put restraints on you. Is that the way it is to be with the Christian? No. We need to own the Lordship of Christ in our lives individually and then collectively in the assembly. When a difficulty comes up or a decision has to be made in the assembly, who are do we to look to?
Where are we to look for instruction and direction? We're to look to the head. The assembly is not a democracy. We don't take votes. We don't go by popular opinion. No, we seek to go to the word of God and to find the instruction, the direction under the lordship of Christ, the headship of Christ, for every decision that's made in the assembly. We don't cast lots in the assembly when a decision needs to be made.
No. We have the Spirit of God to direct us. The Spirit of God is our link with our risen head. We have the word of God, the complete word of God, as instruction. Oh brethren, let's walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing and we don't have time. But if you notice the context of this, there's so many things connected with walking worthy of the Lord. Why, there's knowledge, there's wisdom, there's understanding, There's fruit, There's the increasing in the knowledge of God. They're strengthened with all might. There's patience or endurance. There's joyfulness, There's thankfulness.
Why are those things not always so prevalent in our lives, individually or collectively in the assembly? Well, perhaps one reason is brethren. We're not looking to the Lord. We're not walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. But now I'd like to go back, just for a moment, to Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4 and verse one. I, therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that ye walk worthy and notice this. It's not worthy of God, It's not worthy of the Lord, but worthy of the vocation wherewith he are called, or the calling. Now we had some expressions on this verse at some length earlier in the reading meeting. It's not my thought to go over what has been said, but simply to say this, that here.
In Ephesians, as was pointed out, we have our heavenly calling brought before us, and we are to now walk worthy in light of what is brought before us, the position that we have Our Calling, our hope. Are we seeking to walk worthy of that? The story is told of many years ago when France was ruled by a monarchy. One of the Crown Princess of France had an English tutor at the palace. And this Crown Prince he was, he knew he who he was.
And he was very unruly. And his tutor, of course, couldn't discipline him in any way. And this tutor came to the end of himself one day and wondered how he was ever going to teach this young man the curriculum that had been set out that he was to teach the Crown Prince of France. And so he went, and he bought, he obtained a purple rosette and he brought it to Class 1 morning.
And purple was the official color of the French royal family. And as that Crown Prince entered the classroom, he said to him, his tutor said to him. He said, when you misbehave in class, I cannot correct you or discipline you. But he said I am going to pin this purple rosette on your lapel. And every time you misbehave, every time you act in a way that is not in keeping with the French royal family.
Simply going to point at that rose which represents the royal family as to being purple, they said the effect was amazing and you and I have been called with a wonderful calling and heaven is before us. But again, we're exhorted to walk worthy now of the vocation wherewith we are called. I would like to cap my remarks by turning to one further portion. It's in Revelation chapter 3.
01:00:15
We've had three exhortations, to walk worthy to walk worthy of God, to walk worthy of the Lord, and to walk worthy of Our Calling. But now I want to read this expression. It's a promise given to those in Sardis who didn't defile their garments. Verse four of chapter 3.
Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. Now notice this.
And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. You know, this isn't an exhortation here to walk worthy like we've had in the three previous scriptures. Here there is a wonderful promise given that the Saints who sought to go on in separation from that which was not according to the mind of God. He says they're going to walk with me because they are worthy. And brethren, there's a day coming when we're going to walk with Christ.
Beyond the need for the exhortations to walk worthy, when we get to glory and we're with Christ, we're not going to need to be exhorted to walk worthy of God or of the Lord or of our vocation, but we are going to walk with him in that day. Why? Because we are worthy power. We worthy in our own worthiness. No, in the worthiness of Christ. And that ought to motivate us, brethren, to walk worthy. Now to think of what's ahead, to think that we're going to walk with Him because we are worthy, because we're seen in price.
And his righteousness will make us worthy. Oh, that ought to to motivate us to walk in practical righteousness. Now, to walk worthy again, I say of God, to walk worthy of the Lord, to walk worthy of our vocation. And then to think that the day is coming and it's not far off. Brethren, when we're going to walk with him because we are worthy, we're going to be seen in Christ. We won't need an exhortation. There won't be anything to defile there. We're going to walk with him there.
In perfection.
Let's learn to walk in some measure worthy of that Blessed One while we wait that day.
The last two versions of #29.