Open—R. Boulard, S. Allan
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Lord, Thou has drawn us after Thee.
Now let us run and never tire.
What in thy love possessing?
Our star by night, our sun by day, 166.
Lord.
Of the rings.
I'm waiting for the Lord.
My beauty to see, Lord, I am waiting for thee, for thy coming again, number 78 in the back.
I'm waiting for the Lord thy beauty to see Lord I waiting for me more like a man.
Over there, Lord of praise, to prepare more blood. Oh, my whole life shall be, shall bear for thy name.
Mid danger.
In the water of life.
We're here for a day and I'm still here of my God again.
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Good Lord.
Should we just turn to the book of the Acts?
Read a couple of verses there, beginning at verse 41, Acts chapter 2 and verse 41.
And they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day were added unto them about 3000 souls.
And they continued steadfastly in apostles, doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul. And many wonders and signs were done by the apostles, And all that believed were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they continued daily.
They continuing daily with one accord in the temple.
And breaking bread from house to house to eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. While we read another passage in a little bit. But I just have it on my heart this afternoon to just speak of a couple of passages in the Scriptures in the book of the Acts of a couple of assemblies, and they were running on all cylinders, you might say.
And brother, where we're staying at, he got into his car last night and started to shutter and didn't run very well and something was wrong with it. And so they opened the hood up and beat on the battery and a few other things, and it seemed to run better after that. But you know, the Lord desired that the assembly would run smoothly and run on all cylinders. And here things were running smoothly at the beginning of the church period. And God, if I could put it this way, has organized.
The assembly, and it's not just something that is thrown out there and in a disorganized way, is to kind of chaotically go on and find its own way. It says in Philippians that they were to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
And that is that there are going to be difficulties coming into the assembly and among the Saints of God.
And it is the Lord's assembly and they were to workout the salvation of the assembly. So in that context, you know, in Philippians where we're quoting that verse, it's really not the salvation of the soul, it's the salvation of assembly. I don't think we realize in the day that we live in, very close to the end of the day of grace, we have a sense and we song of it just now of the coming of the Lord Jesus.
That the Lord.
Desires to bless the assembly and but there's an enemy that desires to destroy. He's a destroyer and that's his name, Apollyon. And he seeks to destroy your life and mine, but he seeks to destroy the assembly. That which is a testimony, a public testimony to the grace of God in this scene and ought to be a clear testimony.
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As the assembly. And so here we have these 3000 souls that were saved on the day of Pentecost.
Peter preached what a mighty word was given and it was a work of the Spirit of God. 3000 souls brought into the Church of God on that one occasion. Perhaps we don't have any other preaching ever told, and perhaps having happened since, we don't know that 3000 souls were saved at that occasion. And they came into the normal course of things, into the assembly, and it says they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship.
And so I just want to point out these three things, four things perhaps we might say that are 4 anchors to the assembly, 4 anchors to your spiritual life. And if our spiritual lives individually are not in order with us in reading, meeting and different times, he would say to us, brethren, if our personal lives are not in order.
Then it's going to transfer over into the assembly.
And it will affect the assembly, It will affect others. No man liveth unto himself, no man dieth unto himself. But here they were saved by the grace of God, and they continued steadfastly. They didn't just continue in the assembly, but they continued steadfastly. It was a focus of their lives. It was a priority. I want to ask you this afternoon, is the assembly a priority?
You know the world wants to make their priorities your priorities.
They want to supplant the Spirit of God and the work of the Spirit of God among his people. They want to take Christ and supplant Him with some other priority.
But these souls, after they were saved, they received the word, they were baptized, there was a public acknowledgment that they belonged to Christ.
Now, I just want to say this, that sometimes we have thought and I have myself, that baptism is really a public thing that needs to be done in in public. Well, you know, we're not going to turn to it. But the Philippians jailer, he was baptized about midnight, maybe after midnight after he was saved. Was it a public thing? No, he was just baptized.
It just he wanted to disassociate himself from the heathen world that he had grown up in. And now he wanted to leave idolatry and everything else that was associated with it. He wanted to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And there at midnight in the darkness, perhaps by the Riverside or perhaps in his own home, he was baptized. I just want to encourage anyone here that has never been baptized. It doesn't need to be public thing. You don't. Phillip was baptized, baptized the Ethiopian eunuch.
The Ethiopian eunuch out in the middle of the desert, did he say, well, you know, this has to be a public thing and we can we kind of have to wait until we get to the city or something and and gather a crowd. It's nice, you know, to go to baptism and that there are others there perhaps that rejoice with you, but it's not necessary. And if you're not baptized, what a wonderful thing would be to identify with the Lord Jesus.
In his death and resurrection, to go under those waters and to be disassociated from the heathen world that we live in, the Christ rejecting world and be associated with that one.
Who loved us and gave himself for us. And so it's a privilege. While they were baptized and they were added to the assembly, there they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. And so really they went on in what the apostles taught. The truth of God was revealed to the apostles and it was delivered to the apostles to deliver to the Saints of God. Now we have the written.
Ministry of the Apostles and God used I think it's 8 individuals to write the New Testament.
And we know that Peter wrote some epistles. Paul wrote 14 epistles, if you count the epistles of the Hebrews. And these dear Saints of God, they had a readiness of mind to hear what the doctrine was that the apostles taught. They weren't telling them about Judaism. They were telling them about Christ and the magnitude of the work that had been accomplished upon the cross of Calvary.
They received it with all readiness of mind, if we could use that term, that expression that the Spirit of God uses in connection with the assembly in Berea. They received it and they went on steadfastly in it. Today we live in a day and age where the Paul's doctrine and the doctrine of the apostles is being let go, maybe not totally trashed, not totally given up entirely.
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At little parts and bits and pieces. Or perhaps kept. But these Saints didn't take a black magic marker to their Bibles and start blacking out those parts that they didn't like.
No, they went on in all of it.
And that's the place of blessing. That's the course of blessing for you and I is to read the epistles and to go on in the truth of God as was revealed to the apostles, and with devotion to go on steadfastly and in fellowship with what they taught. Now we might apply the fellowship in connection with the assembly, to have the assembly running on all cylinders, fellowship with one another as necessary, isn't it?
And I know we live in a day of busyness that says.
We could turn to Hebrews chapter 13 and just quote a little verse of Scripture there, because hospitality is one of those things that the Spirit of God records in the New Testament as being necessary, and that the assembly might be built up and that it might continue on, it says.
In verse two, chapter 13, verse 2, let's read verse one. Let brotherly love continue or another translation. Abide in brotherly love. Be not forgetful to entertain or be not forgetful of hospitality.
For thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
You know, brethren, we live in the day of business and you remember that Paul wrote this to the.
Jewish converts, you might say. He wrote it to the Hebrews and it was written approximately 7 years before Jerusalem was leveled. It was the last warning perhaps that they got written warning and it came from the apostle Paul, from the heart of God himself, and he said to them, leave Judaism.
Judaism is going to be destroyed, and they were being persecuted. And we read in First Thessalonians how the Jews persecuted the Thessalonians. There was much affliction.
People were losing their lives. The people were losing their goods. They were being hunted and chased. And it says, and I think it's in Acts chapter 8, there was a great persecution and they were scattered at all. They were scattered all throughout that known world except the apostles. So God limited the.
The effects of that persecution and so they were under a lot of pressure.
And we are under a lot of pressure, aren't we? Today? There's all kinds of pressure, financial pressure.
There's social pressures, there's all kinds of pressures and how we need to have the Saints in our home. I want to thank you those of you that have had me in your home, laid yourself out, taken of your funds, your, your food, your all the comforts of home and just tried to make me feel at home in your home and.
You know, it's just a wonderful privilege to have the Saints have gone in the home.
You know, the Lord Jesus didn't have a home that we know of when he was here in the scene. It does say that he moved from Nazareth to Capernaum, and I think that's Matthew chapter four. He moved and he made his base, as it were, Capernaum.
But he was invited into different homes, and what blessing flowed from those homes that he entered into? And so when you have the Saints of God in the home, God is never any man's debtor. And he says in Hebrews chapter 13, he says that thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Now an Angel is a messenger sent from God.
And you might say, well, I never entertain an Angel that I know of. Well, maybe you have.
You didn't know it, but you know, I've often had different ones in my home very thankful for that privilege. And maybe a sister or maybe even a young person said something or quoted aversive scripture when they were in my home. And I got a message from the Lord. I got a message of encouragement sometimes. I got a message of you sometimes, but I got a message.
I'm thankful, you know, you're never going to have that privilege if you don't have the Saints in your home.
And maybe there's something in your home that shouldn't be in your home, and that's why you don't have the sinks there. Well, it would be worth getting rid of it that you might be able to have the Saints in it. You know, the Lord delights to bless, and his desire is that we would go on and fellowship. Well, they were to warm one another. You know how you start a fire is you have a little bit of kindling and you put one log on one side and another log on the other side. You put a little bit of kindling in between.
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And you light the kindling.
A little bit of newspaper, a little bit of cedar or whatever, and it goes up and then you just push those logs together and they get hotter and hotter and you start a good fire and then you put another one on top. Now you have a roaring fire. That's how a fire gets started and that's how you maintain it is to keep those logs together. And brethren, to have an assembly that's running on all cylinders. We need to have hospitality, we need to have fellowship. And it's wonderful to go into the home and then have the Bible.
And after a meal or something and just to read a little portion of Christ and get a little message from him. And so I just want to encourage us here this afternoon to use our homes in that way to have the Saints of God in the home. And then it speaks here of breaking of bread. And you know, there are two ordinances that were given to the church. The children of Israel had something like over 600 laws and commands and ordinances and.
They could hardly remember any.
Not even 10 of them. They could. Moses gave them the 10 commandments.
Even before he gave him the 10 Commandments, they'd fallen into idolatry.
But God has given us two things. He's asked us to do 2 Things. One is to be baptized, and the other is to remember Him in his death. And beloved brethren, the time is almost up.
And I just want to say perhaps there's a young person here struggling with the idea of going to talk to an older brother and say, you know, I'd like to remember the Lord in his death. You know, they're not going to interrogate you. They're not going to make life hard for you. Your brethren, you know, that are older. They were once young people, and they once knew how they felt when they went to see an older brother and say, I'd like to remember the Lord in his death.
And they're going to be very gracious with you. I can tell you that from experience. I never felt the love of my brethren more.
In Plain Grove, Ontario, where I asked, it would be received into fellowship. I never felt the love of my brother, and more than when I asked to remember the Lord in his death. And two of those dear, kinder, older brethren came to my home, my father's home, and just spoke with me, just to make sure that I had some exercise about what I was doing and wasn't just trying to do it mechanically.
I'm thankful for that. And so they just interviewed me and I was receiving the fellowship.
So you know, they continued in breaking of bread. And I just want to encourage you this afternoon that if you've never remembered the Lord Jesus in his death, doesn't matter how young or old you might be. Why there's the Lord would desire that he's asked us to be baptized and then he's also asked us to remember him in his death and then it says prayers and prayers.
And so to speak at the prayer meeting, and we had our older brother and often times used to say that this really this verse perhaps referred to those assembly meetings.
That were so necessary in our lives and that the enemy would try to present and prevent us from going to those assembly meetings. But the apostles doctrine and fellowship would really speak of the reading meeting and ministry meetings and the breaking of bread we know as remembrance of the Lord and prayers the prayer meeting.
All young people, can I just say this to you? Never miss a prayer meeting. Never miss a prayer meeting.
You may think, you know, you're so tired you can hardly go, but I feel refreshed that every prayer meeting, and it's the dependence that's expressed by those that pray. It's the assembly in on their faces before God, crying for help and sustenance, for his intervention on their behalf and on the behalf of others.
In a world that is against Christ and against his people, and you know the enemy is against the enemy and the assembly.
And so we come and wouldn't it be nice that if the prayer meeting was just full? And so we have this little picture of an assembly that's running on all cylinders right at the beginning of the church period. Now, if we just turn over a few pages, I'd like to reread what we read in the in the reading meeting in Chapter 11.
And very briefly touch on these four gifts that are given to the church, Acts Chapter 11, but perhaps we'll just read in Ephesians chapter 4 before we do that.
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Ephesians chapter 4.
Verse 10.
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things, and he gave some apostles. Now the commas really aren't in the right place If you look at the the new translation, I'll read it the the way it's written in the new translation. The Lord Jesus is the one who gave these gifts. He gave some apostles.
And some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Now this is the reason that he gave them for the perfecting of the Saints, for the ministry, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man.
Or a full grown man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
So God in his grace, when the Lord Jesus rose and ascended into the heavens, I was reading recently a little book by Gigi Billette, and he said, you know, there's a risen Savior on high. He rose up and he's a crown priest in heaven, and he sent down coronation gifts to the church.
He sent down those that are gifts to the church, that it might be built up, that you might be edified and built up.
And strengthen. And so he gave here these different ones. And let's read from verse 19 in Chapter 11 of the book of the Acts and see how these different ones, they labored together. And if I might put it this way, that the work of the Lord went on smoothly and it was running on all cylinders at the beginning of the church period because these different ones didn't. They had respect for one another and they labored together.
Harmoniously. You know, I used to run a business years ago.
And we had job descriptions for every single person, the janitor as well as the the purchasing agent. We had job descriptions for everyone. And we had a little sentence at the end of every job description. It said this must work harmoniously with all other employees.
Not nice.
You know the Lord desires that you and I in our labor, our service of love for him and affection for Him, would labor harmoniously together, while this is what we have in the church. In the early Church Acts Chapter 11, verse 19, it says Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, traveled as far as seen icy in Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to none but the Jews unto the Jews only.
And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake under the Grecians. These were really Greeks, and not really, I don't think they were Hellenistic Jews, but they were actually Greeks. They spoke Greek and so on. And they speak under the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the Lord was with them.
And a great number believed and turned under the Lord.
Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch, who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave under the Lord, For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and faith and much people was added unto the Lord.
Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for the Sikhs all. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the Church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch, And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem and Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified.
By the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief under the weather in which dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
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Well, I think we you'll recall that we mentioned these different ones that were involved in this work of the Lord and as the Jews rejected the truth of God is connection with the Lord Jesus being the true Messiah sent to them. Why the Lord was going to bless and he sent the word to the Gentiles and he was not going to be hemmed in as it were. And it's really the secret of understanding the book of the Acts is to recognize.
That God was going to send the gospel throughout the whole of the world. And so that's, I think it's chapter one, verse eight. We're not going to take time to read it, but you can read it in your own time. And so the gospel began to go out in Judea, Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and then to other most parts of the world.
So who does the work first? You know, there are some salesman here in the room and salesman have a little bit of an expression. They say nothing happens without the sale.
Well, in connection with the work of God, you know, the evangelist has given the marvelous privilege of beginning to present Christ to the soul. God does a work himself. He quickens the soul so that they can hear the word of God and give them life so that they can hear. And then they're brought into the knowledge of the the truth. But you know these men.
They were Greeks, gentiles. They needed to hear by the way of an evangelist.
And the evangelist came, and he was preaching the word, and he was preaching to those he thought were worthy of hearing the gospel of the grace of God. He preached to the Jews 1St and then they began to preach to those that were of the Gentiles. And it says the hand of the Lord was with them, And a great number believed and turned unto the Lord.
And so we have the day, the day we live in the evangelist is used of God and he uses different opportunities. Our brother Mario persona we know uses the three minute gospel and on the Internet and people click on that and he's had millions of hits for three minute gospel. Souls are saved and assemblies are formed. And so, you know, it's still happening today.
And so we can do a little work of evangelism, as was quoted here yesterday.
Paul tells Timothy do the work of an evangelist. Now, we're not all evangelists, but there are some that are given the gift of an evangelist. And so God begins to work with evangelists. Now, you'll notice that the work of an evangelist is outside the assembly. He does his work out in the countryside. He does it in the city, he does it in the hospital, He does it all those different places.
He can exercise his gift in the assembly if there's an assembly.
A gospel meeting, Sunday school work, whatever, and the Saints of God deliver the hall to him to be able to preach the gospel of the grace of God. So a gospel meeting is not an assembly meeting. The assembly has fellowship with that work and can show fellowship with that work. And the Sunday school is not an assembly meeting either.
But the assembly delivers the hall, allows the hall to be used for Sunday school work, is wonderful work to be used for and the hobby class, all those sorts of things.
But the work begins there. An assembly that's running on all cylinders, if I could use that terminology, is involved in some kind of gospel work.
You want to have some blessing in the assembly, have a little bit of gospel work. It doesn't need to be magnificent. It doesn't need to be very visible. Gospel work generally is very hard, sometimes is very disheartening. And I just use the analogy of the salesman. I was just talking to a salesman at lunchtime, rather successful salesman, now retired, but you know.
He he said that it's often times very, very disheartening and discouraging work.
To try to sell something to somebody that doesn't think they have a need, they don't think they need it, but they do need it. And you see that they need it and you're trying to convince them that they need it. And so it's disheartening, discouraging work sometimes that the assembly is benefited by gospel work. And if you don't have a little Sunday school work, if you don't have a little work of going out to the nursing homes.
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A little work, personally, individually, to seek to tell others of the love of the Lord Jesus.
Then it will not be as prosperous an assembly, if I could put it that way, it will not you you know what it says in Proverbs chapter. I think it's Chapter 11, verse 25. It says he that water shall be watered also himself. And so if you do a little bit of gospel work, you'll you'll get the benefit. The Lord will see to it that you'll be blessed. Well, the preaching of the word went out a great number of believed in verse 21 turn to the Lord and then the assembly.
Jerusalem found out about this that there were Gentiles that had taken Christ as Savior and they knew that they needed a shepherd.
And God has raised up those that are shepherds among the people of God. And if I could just quote Mr. Darby, I'm not going to quote him just word for word, but he said he mourned that there were not more shepherds among the people of God. He said he longed that there would be shepherds among people of God that would go after those that were disheartened perhaps, and those that just.
Were at the fringes.
And here was Barnabas, and he apparently was one of those individuals that cared for souls. He was a shepherd and a pastor. He pastored the flock of God. It was a gift to the church. God says in his word. He was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people was added unto the Lord. He exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they should cleave under the Lord.
And so here the assembly sees that they need some help. And he said they send, they asked Barnabas. He made himself available to go and see these brethren. And he went and they were comforted. They were exhorted or encouraged, you know, exhorted as no English word. It sometimes means encourage. Do you encourage people?
Or do you discourage people?
That's a wonderful thing to be an encourager. You want to read about an encourager, read about Tikkas in the New Testament. He's his name is mentioned only five times, but I believe every time he's mentioned, he's encouraging someone, he's encouraging the Saints and God records that. And so here Barnabas was sent to encourage and so he, you know, so was saved. They need to come into the knowledge of some of the things that God has desired for them to know.
Because they're now in a family of God and they need to know something of the truth of God and the doctrines of Christianity. Barnabas knew something of the truth of God. He was faithful and devoted to Christ. And if you are faithful and devoted to Christ.
I want to tell you this afternoon that God will use you in some way if you make him the center of your life and you make yourself available to be an encouragement to children or the Saints of God in some way. He will use you. And you don't know when, but Barnabas, you know, made himself available. He was a man, a good man, a full of the Holy Ghost. He was a shepherd and the Saints of God knew it. They saw as he conducted himself in the.
There in Jerusalem and they said, you know, Barnabas is just the right guy to go to encourage those Saints, and they send them.
And he went there with the fellowship of his brethren, and he encouraged the Saints. But, you know, he got there and he recognized that these Gentiles were not Jews. They didn't know the Old Testament Scriptures, perhaps as the Jews did, and they didn't know the truth of God. And they needed a teacher. They needed someone to come in and expound things in a very orderly way as to the new position that they found themselves in. And Paul, the apostle to the.
Was in Tarsus.
Verse 25.
Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul. I don't know how many miles it was. I have a little note that I made years ago that says about 115 miles. I suspect that he walked. It may be more than that. Maybe someone can correct me after this meeting. But he walked perhaps for 115 miles. He went looking all over Tarsus till he found Saul.
That teacher.
And then he walked back with Saul, and they talked, perhaps about those dear Saints of God.
In Antioch, that Gentile city, and they talked about the different needs and they labored together. Then it says for a year, a whole year, assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. Now there was fruit. If there are a work of God and there's teaching that is according to the mind of God and in the Spirit of God, there's going to be fruit. And here there was fruit.
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It says.
The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch, Christ ones. They were called something that they'd never been called before. And so good ministry as it presents Christ as the heavenly man really will always make us more like Christ and make us give us that desire to imitate him. And so these men.
Spoke of Christ, and they lived the life of Christ before these dear Saints of God.
And there was real fruit. Now this word Christian is only mentioned three times. I think once again an Acts where I think it's a Griffith says almost all persuades me to be a Christian. And then Peter says if any man suffer being a Christian, as a Christian.
And so it's not mentioned very often in the Scriptures, but it's wonderful to be known as a Christian, as Christ one. And so here, these three different sets of these three different grips, gifts, they labored together. The evangelist labored, and then the shepherd came. The shepherd and pastor came to this assembly.
And Antioch and labored for a little time and then he knew, you know, he wasn't selfish.
Wasn't protective of the work, so to speak, and he knew that he couldn't do all of the work that was necessary. He needed a teacher. They needed a teacher. And so he goes to.
Tarsus And he gets the teacher, He brings them there, and then there's fruit for God. Now we have the prophet in verse 27. And these days came the prophets, came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
And there stood up one of them gained Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea. You know a prophet is a man, or could be a woman.
A woman has a private place in connection with her work of prophecy.
But a man, a brother, and he's raised up of God.
By the Spirit of God to deliver a message to the people of God that's necessary at a particular time, and it's from the heart of God to His people at a particular time to meet a need, to address a need. Let's look at First Corinthians chapter 14.
And this really is a ministry meeting, and it says let the prophet speak two or three.
Let's read in chapter 14 of First Corinthians verse three, he that prophecy, it speaketh unto men to edification and to exhortation and comfort. So there's three works that the prophet has he really edifies and it's really for the knowledge that the Saints perhaps are lacking in and he.
Presents some passage of scripture that and he makes the knowledge of scripture.
The truth of scripture known he teaches a little passage that might be they might be deficient in and so he builds up the Saints in that way. That's what an edifice is is a building and so we edify that wonderful. Any one of us you know has the ability to build. There's a lot of tearing down that's going on in this world. There's a lot of destruction but among the Saints of God in the assembly there should never be tearing down there should be a building one another up and.
Brings blessing, but the prophet is used of God to bring, to build and then exhortation is really he's speaking to the conscience, he's stirring them up and sometimes we get complacent.
You know, we used to have a little expression in manufacturing world. It's called drift. When you have a manufacturing process and you set up an assembly line and you had all the parts designed properly and the whole process running smoothly. You just fire it up and then everything's running smoothly and products are coming off the other end. Everything's running fine. But then after three days you find that there's a little bit of a hiccup somewhere and somebody isn't following procedure or they decided they didn't like that particular screw and they went and substituted.
Screw things aren't working very well. We called it drift. There's drift and you and I have drift in our life. We know what the truth of God is. We know what's pleasing to the Lord. We've heard the truth, minister, and sometimes we're more devoted to Christ at different particular times of our lives than we are at the present time. There's drift and how we need to exercise ourselves and connection and judge ourselves in connection with the drift spiritual.
00:45:23
And so we need the exhortation and then the comfort. Sometimes there's something that goes on and the hearts of the people of God needs to be comforted. And the prophet often times is used of God to deliver a message of comfort to the people of God at the right time, just at the time that they need it. And he directs the movements of the prophet that he might be there at the right time to deliver a word of comfort. So that's the work of the prophet, but I just wanted to bring out.
These four different gifts, they're the key gifts, you might say, in connection with the assembly and the work of the assembly today and how God desires to build up the assembly and maintain the assembly, that the assembly might work and be productive and be for his glory a proper testimony. And it might run on all cylinders. And so the evangelist works outside the assembly. And I might just say this not as a word of.
Criticism. But his word of caution, Generally speaking, the evangelist doesn't involve himself in the work of administration in the assembly because his work is not in the assembly. It's outside of the assembly. And then you have those that are pastors and teachers that generally are involved in the administrative affairs of the assembly. And we have the profits too that sometimes involve themselves in that way. But I think it's so lovely in this passage of Scripture.
That they all lambered together harmoniously, and the Saints of God, that assembly, they were first called Christians in a Gentile assembly, not in Jerusalem in a Gentile assembly. And May God give us the grace as we go on individually.
And seek to go on steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and prayers, that individually our lives might be on running on all cylinders and in communion with the Lord, and that we might affect one another in a positive way that way, and that we might labor harmoniously together.
That there might be fruit for God, and that the assembly might be built up and a proper testimony at the time that the Lord comes and he's just about to come.
We've been, we've been taking up the Epistle of Thessalonians.
The last day or so and I thought of the verse that really comes in the 4th chapter.
And the first verse, I'll just read it very briefly to you.
It says there in first Thessalonians 4 verse one. Furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that ye have, that as ye have received of us, how ye ought to walk, and to please God, so that she may abound more and more. You know, I remember many years ago at a Frederick conference.
A brother said that this chapter has been called the Enoch chapter.
Because at the beginning of it, it says how he ought to walk and to please God. And then at the end of the chapter, we have the Lords coming brought before us. And if you go back to the story of Enoch, you find those features were true of him. And I just wanted to share something that I have enjoyed if you go to Jude for a moment.
I'm thinking of Enoch now.
It says there.
In the 14th verse, Enoch also the 7th from Adam, prophesied of thee, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with 10 thousands of his Saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them all.
Among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken.
Against him.
You know, there's something interesting there. Nothing is written in the Bible for.
No reason and you'll notice there it says that Enoch that he's the 7th from Adam. Now if you go back to the the 4th chapter of Genesis or the 5th chapter of Genesis.
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You will be able to count very quickly from Adam to Enoch and you'll find that he is the 7th from Adam and you know he's in the line of Seth. That is the line that God preserved. You'll notice the 26th verse of the 4th chapter, it says to Seth, to him also was born a son and he called his name Enos.
Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
So in the line of Seth there was that godly line where the Lord, the name of the Lord, was continued.
But you know, it's very interesting. There was not only the line of Seth, there was also the line of Cain. And if you go to verse.
Well, excuse me.
If you go to the 16th verse of the 4th chapter, you'll find that Cain was can I say #2 from Adam, and then Enoch was three from Adam.
18 First Irad was 4, Mahujil 5, Methuselah 6 and Lamech 7. So the 7th from Adam in the line of Cain was was at was Lambeth. The 7th in the line of Seth was Enoch.
And to me it's very interesting that we have these two lines and that there is quite a description of the 7th from Adam. If you go to Lamech here now, you'll notice from the 19th verse down to the 24th verse, it's describing one man lame all the others. There's hardly anything said.
The same thing is true when the line of Seth, you have these various individuals that says so and so live for so many years and he died and then he his son lived so many years and he died. But when you come to the 7th from Adam incest life, there's a description.
And I believe there's something there that God is telling us, and that is that I believe that the 7th from Adam in Cain's line really brings before us the foundation of this world as it stands. And I was thinking of this in connection with our brother Walt Porter mentioned, in connection with the things that characterize the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All that is summarized in this.
One man, Lana. So when we come to the 7th from Adam incest line, everything is summarized in the life of Enoch and he's a picture of the Lord of the Christian walking in this world in spite of the violence and corruption all around. And so I just mentioned very briefly these two men.
The first one, Lamech, you'll notice here. It says of him in verse 19 that he took to him two wives.
The name of the one was Ada and the number name of the other was Zilla.
So God's purpose was for man to have one wife. But here comes along this man, the 7th from Adam and Cain's line, and what does he do? He takes two wives.
Does not that bring before us not only the fact that he didn't go along with what God had set up in the beginning, that man was to have one wife? But here we have an example of what our brother was mentioning yesterday, the lust of the flesh. This man was not content with one woman, he had to have two. And we know that very same thing continued in the world until we have been like Solomon that had 300 wives and 600 and 700.
And a hazardous who had all those women to choose from for a wife. So you see here the beginning of it with Lamech, and then you have the next person coming along. It says Ada. I better read here Lamech took on to him too wise. The name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other Zilla.
And Ada Bear Jabal, he was the father of such as dwell in tents.
And such as have cattle and his brothers name was Jubal. He was the father of all that had a handle such as handle the harp and the organ. And zilla also bear two volcanoes, an instructor of artiser and brass and iron. So here we have you might say the lust of the eye one is responsible for setting up. Can we say the business world?
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The next one was responsible for setting up the entertainment world.
Because he, his children, handled the harp on the organ. And the third child was responsible for setting up what we might call the scientific world. Because you'll notice there that he was an art. He was the instructor of every artificer of brass and iron. You know, you just can't find brass and iron in their natural state. You have to use a scientific process.
To bring these things about and he was an instructor.
So it brings me forth the education and the scientific world, all established here by one of the children of Lamech. And so it is the lust of the eye, I believe, everything being done to make man happy in this world without God. That's really what it was. And then he had a sister, the sister of two volcanoes, Nayama. Now I understand that in the.
If you look up the meaning of that name, her name means pleasure.
And isn't that one of the things that this world is going after today? Pleasure. You find them building these huge cruise liners that will hold, I don't know, 1500 people. And everybody wants to go out and enjoy themselves. Of course, that's just one aspect of it. But here we have this girl. Her name means pleasure or pleasant. And so we see this all in the setting up of the world.
Well, then we come to the next thing that's very interesting. It says Lamac said unto his wives, EDA and Ziller Zilla.
Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech. I have slain a man, I believe it should reform my wound, and I have slain a man, a young man for my hurt. In other words, this man did exactly the same thing that his great grandfather had done, or whoever he was came.
Some man came along and wounded Lamech, and he hurt him somehow. And So what did Lamech do? He killed him.
So you'll find here that the Lamech established in his lying corruption by marrying 2 wives. He set up the worldly system and now we find violence coming in. He just killed this person because he had wounded him.
And notice the way he talks in the 24th verse. If Cain shall be banned sevenfold, Lamech 70 sevenfold. In other words, he was saying, you know, nobody's going to hurt me. Cain was told that nobody would touch him or would be avenged seven times. But I have killed somebody and nobody is going to touch me for 70 * 7. In other words, he was full of the pride of life and who he was.
So we find here and brought before us.
In Cain's line, the beginning of the worldly system that has continued right up until the present time and we find it all summarized right here. But you know it's very interesting when you come to the fifth chapter now and the 7th from Adam Incess line, you have Enoch mentioned and it's very interesting. There are two things I believe mentioned about Enoch.
In the Old Testament and there's two things mentioned about Enoch in the in the New Testament.
And it says here in verse 21 Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah, and Enoch walked with God after he begat method was left 300 years.
It's very interesting. We were noticing yesterday talking together, that it was only after, after Enoch had lived for 65 years and begat Methuselah, that he walked with God. And you know, sometimes we tend to be when we're young, rather careless and the world has an effect on our lives.
But the time comes when we're given a child and all of a sudden we see the importance of bringing up children for the Lord, and it has an effect on our lives. And I believe that was the case here because it was after he begat Methuselah that Enoch walked with God. And you know, I think it's wonderful to see here that he walked with God. 300 years. Can you imagine?
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Back in those days, men went to live to be 909 hundred and 39160 years.
And here it says that he walked with God 300 years. What a wonderful privilege was Enochs. What's it mean to walk with God? Doesn't that mean to walk day by day in communion with him, speaking to him, sharing thoughts with him, walking in obedience to his word? I believe that's what it means. And just think, you know, we're down here for.
507075 some of us even 85 years.
But here was a man that commune with God 300 years and look at the days he was living in. It says there in the 6th chapter and the fifth verse, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth that every imagination of his thoughts were only evil continually. That was the the day that he lived in. And you know, dear brother, and we're living in similar days today, aren't we?
But what a privilege it is that we can walk with God, as Enoch did here well.
There's something else that's mentioned. It says all the days of Enoch were 365 years and Enoch walk with God and he was not. Notice there at the mentions he walked with God two times, it says it twice and then it says he was not for God took him. Now we find a little bit more about that in Hebrews Chapter 11.
If I just want to look at it for a moment, well, maybe just before I do that, can we turn back to Jude again where we were?
I don't. I won't take much time here. I know our time is running out. But you'll notice in Jude that he prophesized he was a prophet. He spoke the word of God and notice what he prophesied. He says the Lord comes with 10,000 of his Saints to execute judgment. Just imagine here is a man before the flood that prophesied something that still hasn't taken place.
We know the Lord is going to come with 10,000 of his Saints when He comes out of heaven.
On a White Horse and he judges this world. But, you know, Lenox was living in a day that was just as corrupt, just as violence as it is today. And he wasn't afraid to prophecy to the people. You know, often we're afraid. I know for myself, I tend to be a coward sometimes when it comes to speaking to people about their ways. But here was a man who was faithful.
And he prophesied what was going to happen.
And how wonderful that he was a testimony against the violence and the wickedness that was going on. We're going to Hebrews then Chapter 11.
We find that just a little bit more about Enoch in the fifth verse. It says by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him.
For before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God.
Now, you know what's rather interesting here? It says he was translated that he should not see death. Now just think for a moment, he was 365 years old when he had Methuselah, or I'm sorry I got that wrong. He was 65 years old when he had Methuselah and he walked to please God, 300 years and that's when he was translated.
You know, naturally speaking, he still had another 600 years to live if he lived like the rest, like Adam and Methuselah and these others.
He could have lived for another 600 years. Why does it say here that he was translated, that he might not or should not see death?
You know, I believe the answer to that is that people were so angry with his testimony that God was going to bring judgment on that civilization because of their wickedness, that they wanted to kill Him.
They wanted to kill him, and so it says here that he was translated that he should not see death.
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In other words, if he had stayed around much longer, the people would have done the very same thing to him that they had done to.
That had been done to.
Yes, sorry. Well anyway, the same thing he had done to Steven. He wanted to get rid of him. And so we find here that the Lord translated him. And we know this is a beautiful picture of the Lord's coming. Because if you go back to the story of Enoch there, we know that Methuselah was the longest living man in the history of the world. And when he died.
That's when the flood came. Because it's very name means that I can't give it to you exactly, but it's something.
Like when I die, judgment will come. That was basically what his name meant. And so he was the longest living man on earth. And you know, we're living in the longest dispensation, you might say, of man's history. We've been the gospel of the grace of God. God has gone on for almost 2000 years.
And we believe that we're right at the moment when the Lord is going to come. And Enoch, here is a wonderful picture.
Of the Lord Jesus. And as we get closer to the end, I believe the anger against Christians is building. We know that there are many thousands of Christians who are being persecuted terribly in places like Syria and Iraq and Vietnam and China and many others. Many of them are giving their lives because their testimony is hated. And Enoch here, I believe was the same. His testimony was heated, hated, and yet the Lord.
Caught him up to be with him and you know, the day is going to come very soon. I, I think most of us here feel that the Lord's coming is about to take place. What a mercy it'll be for us to be taken out of here. Well, there's just one other thing I wanted to say about Enoch and that is what it says here, that he had this testimony that he pleased God.
Is there anything more wonderful than to walk in this world?
And to have that testimony to please God is that our exercise? We're not here for much longer, and the Lord wants to see us to go on for him just a little longer and to be faithful to him. And so how wonderful it is here that it says of Enoch that he not only walked with God, but that he pleased God. May that be our exercise until the Lord comes, which might be this very day.
Everything turned all day. It's been already.
Better.
So you can't close the sun and her birthday invention.
Certainly. Shall I start?
What shall change to God Cruise?
They need to praise.