Open—D. Jaeger, H. Brinkmann, D. Brinkmeyer
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Where will God be in the heart?
Of all.
Flavours of God, where it shall bring.
We fall.
Brethren, there's something very much on my heart, and I'll trust you'll forgive me for hopping up so quickly, but really, I feel quite full on this subject. Turn with me, please, To 2nd Corinthians. I'm sorry, Second Timothy. Chapter one to read. One verse that will.
Express that which is before me.
Second Timothy chapter one verse 9.
Now I know I'm using this first slightly out of context, but nevertheless I'm feel free to use it. God who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. And so there would be a title to what's on my heart. It's Our Calling, Our Calling as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I think of ourselves too as a unique company here.
Of course we know, as our brother Bob indicated a few minutes ago, there are many, many believers in this world, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, lovely Christians. And we though, as a unique company of Christians, have, I think, a special calling. And that's what's on my heart. And notice that it says here it's a holy calling, It's according to God's own purpose and grace. We have the word on grace.
My view of grace is that it's God's power of blessing for us that we can call upon by faith.
That is grace. We are to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, we grow in our faith to call upon that power by grace. Are you saved through faith? And so grace is inseparably connected with grace. When it's not faith and God works in our behalf, that becomes mercy, because God can have mercy on whom He will have mercy. But grace is always connected with faith.
So these things just finished. Verse nine was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. So we have a calling, and that's what's before me now, if you will turn with me.
To Ephesians chapter 4.
And I'm going to read the 1St 6 verses.
I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation.
And I'll note that Mister Darby translates vocation calling.
Walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called.
With all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering forbearing one another in love.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, there is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, 1 Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God, and Father of all who is above all and through all, and in you all.
00:05:08
Now, having read those verses without comment, I'm going to cover them one by one in reverse order. It's been noted that verses 4-5 and six can give us a representation of all humankind, all mankind in this world. And so that's what's covered by verse six, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all. And in you all the in you all, of course, is the Apostle Paul writing to the Ephesians.
But there is one God and Father of all all mankind. And so if you think of these three verses as concentric circles.
With the same center verse, verse 6 covers the largest, most inclusive circle of all. All mankind will in God and Father of all. And we have that referred to even by the Apostle Paul when he addressed gave the address on Mars Hill where he spoke that all men are of one blood, which shows in the sense that there is a unity to mankind and we know that every man, woman and child was made in God's image and likeness and put upon the earth.
I heard one evangelist speak one time and it was most interesting because he said.
And he was referring, of course, to the theory of evolution, he said. But the one thing that no one can disagree with that separates man from all other creatures is that man is God conscious.
He's conscious of an almighty God. Even the atheist proclaims as atheism, protesting that very point that we are immortal creatures and we are God conscious. So verse six is the largest circle now smaller within that circle is verse 5 and I believe this covers Christianity 1, Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Because as we're baptized, we're baptized unto Christ, so there is no distinctions there. It's one Lord, one faith, the truth of the gospel, and one baptism. Then we might say, Well, isn't that sufficient? Well, verse 4.
Is smaller still, and I hope this is not misunderstood, but I believe it refers to what I would consider Our Calling we as Saints who are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because there it stresses those things that each one of us here knows are very precious, That is, there is one body, one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. And so we seek to manifest in a real way in this scene the reality of the one body. And of course that includes the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ, our head. And we have no other name that we take.
We are, we trust, in the place where the Lord is pleased to put His name. We have that principle well established in the Old Testament where God chose to put His name. And so now we are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I believe that we can see ourselves as a company of Christians in verse four, and you might say, the smallest of those 3 concentric circles.
But now we have to be careful of Brother Bob touched on this and I was very happy he did.
That there are many Christians, many more than we are. We know many, many more.
And true Christians, no matter what their association but true ones, show the wonderful characteristics of being Christians. It's lovely to be in the company of other Christians, no matter what their fellowship may be. When they're real Christians, the fragrance of Christ shows forth, and they are precious, and we should value every opportunity to speak to those who are Christians.
The way I look at it is that in this world there are really, well, we've heard this, three groups of people. In the eyes of God, there are the Jews.
There are the Gentiles and there are the believers in Christ, the Christians which come from both Jews and Gentiles, and all other distinctions really are unimportant because God has his promises which are yeah, Amen. Which will be realized for the Jews in due time.
The Gentiles are those who are outside. They don't even have the promises of Israel. And then of course, there are the believers in Christ who, when that child is given, are going to be caught up, every one of them, whether they're in this room or wherever, as long as Christ is their Lord and Savior.
00:10:15
Now I thought when we were when my brother mentioned about other believers, and we have to be very careful and pride doesn't come in because of our knowledge of the word or our position. The Lord knoweth them that are His, but let everyone that name it the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. I think that's a word we have to remember. That's in Second Timothy 2.
The foundation of God standeth, sure, but the point is we do not have to be the judge of other believers.
We don't even have to be judges of one another in this room, except as it relates to our own walk before the Lord. And so that's why that verse, I think it's a very powerful verse, because if you name the name of the Lord that is, you say he's my Lord, then you have a single responsibility and that is to depart from iniquity you personally. You don't have to make judgments about others. In fact, that is one of the things that can cause us infinite trouble.
Is if we get judging spirits now we have to judge, of course, to determine our walk and so on. But I trust we all have a knowledge of what it means to be judgmental. We should be very judgmental concerning ourselves in the light of God's word, very tolerant with our fellow Christians, and only make that distinction when we have to, when we can no longer walk together in fellowship because of some matter that we know from the scriptures.
And let's face it, these other believers are immensely fruitful for the Lord. If it were up to us, how much would there be in the way of widespread evangelism?
There are we have some of our brethren who are in various parts of the world, and we're thankful for it. We're thankful for the the the fact that they've been called of the Lord, and they're being fruitful. But when we look at the totality of those who, under the name of Christ, are abroad in this world, and sometimes we know very feebly and sometimes even an error, but nevertheless under the name of Christ are seeking to spread the gospel, we are dwarfed.
Several years ago, a brother who was visiting us and staying with us for a day or two.
When we were driving around to visit some of the shut INS, he shared with me the thought he said, Brother, he said. I think that we as gathered Saints, that our role, the the thing the Lord would have of us, is to maintain the truth of the one body being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the Lord has worked for other Christians to do, which is not in the sense our concern. Our concern is to go on and do that which the Lord would have us to do. So that's part of my thought in this matter of the one calling. But just to show you this is something I don't think many know, but I learned that there was a radio station in the South part of France that is very powerful and its sole purpose is to preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in Arabic.
And it's directed towards the Middle East and as I understand it of course talking to some of our brethren in Egypt and so on that it is very widely listened to. So we know that the.
The Muslims are very militant and anti Christ, but God's word still gets through and we have nothing to do with that radio station. But we surely can be thankful that there are those that are proclaiming a gospel in Arabic, so that's just a little illustration of those.
Who are within the circle of verse 5?
Now when we come to ourselves, and I've already indicated those things, I think that we have, is Our Calling to maintain the truth in a practical way of the one body and the one spirit being LED of the spirit illusion has been made to some of the problems amongst us, and I think it's because we've lost sight of what we're called to. So now I want to work a little farther back in this chapter to verse 2, which we just read.
But didn't comment on notice it says the Paul beseeches and he's writing to the Ephesians that you walk worthy of the calling wherewith you are called. Now the first question I would raise is how do you walk worthy of that calling? And I might observe this about the calling too and reflecting on this. I don't think this calling speaks upon Our Calling as Christians for eternity. I think it's Our Calling here in this scene.
00:15:07
Like the apostle, Paul was called as an apostle. That's the salutation he made in everyone of his epistles. Paul, an apostle called because that was his calling of God. Well, we as believers and privileged believers, because we have had before us, and we all are here together because we see the truth of the one body and the headship of Christ walking apart from all other systems of men that we have now a particular.
Responsibility.
To maintain this truth. But how do we do it? Verse 2.
With all lowliness and meekness and long-suffering forbearing one another in love. Oh brethren, when we consider that what a challenge that is absolutely contrary to the old nature, isn't it?
That isn't the way we usually would naturally operate, you might say, when we're faced with a matter of doctrine, you know, we we hold this doctrine and we feel strongly believe what God says. But to hold it with all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.
I submit that part of our current stress amongst the gathered Saints is because we are not practically.
Practically observing that verse two turn with me, if you will, to apportion that we read this morning in Philippians Chapter 2.
We started with verse 5 and it was most appropriate. And I'm sure everyone in the room. We so often refer to this portion that the breaking of bread, because it tells us of our precious Savior, the Lord of glory, the Creator, the one to whom every knee is going to bow, taking those seven downward steps and humbling himself and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. But why is that portion here in the second chapter?
Of Philippians.
This here is an illustration of how we should be in this world.
Because verse 5 which and we often skip the first part of verse five, it says let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. So we take that portion out of context. And I don't say that's wrong at all because it's a lovely portion and it just elevates our hearts and our affection and our worship for the Lord Jesus. But really the apostle was writing it to the Philippians because.
Because they had problems in that assembly.
Was the problem. The real problem was a lack of one mind, or to put it another way, contention. And who was the contention between two sisters? Two sisters in that assembly who couldn't get along put a paw on the whole meeting. And the apostle Paul wrote this epistle and the and if you look at it sometime from this viewpoint, it's interesting to read this epistle. Just think about 1 mindedness, because I think that's one of the themes of this epistle.
But it's right here in the beginning of chapter two. He says, Fulfill ye my joy, verse 2.
That ye may be like minded, having the same love, being of 1 accord of one mind.
And brethren, I say this is what should characterize all of us if we're not of one mind of 1 accord.
Certain. One thing is certain. And you know what that thing is? We're missing the mind of the Lord.
Because if we had the mind of the Lord, all of us, we'd have one mind, wouldn't we? We'd have one accord. So it should be a very humbling thing when there is a difference between brethren that should drive us to our knees and not to be self-righteous. Say I know I'm right and he's wrong. That's not it at all. Say Lord, where have we failed? Why don't we have your mind? That's what we want. So we should be of one mind 1 accord the same love. Now verse 3.
And I'll just as I read this, you think about what's going on. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
The way I re paraphrase verse four is don't look at things just from within yourself.
If your brother or sister has a different viewpoint or doesn't agree with you, try and see what it is they're seeing. Look not on your own things, but look on the things of others. But more than that, in verse three, let nothing, nothing be done through strife or Vainglory.
00:20:04
Now why is that here? It's here. It leads us right into verse 5 because it gives us the most wonderful example, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, the Son of God. And yet it says, let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. And what was the mind of the Lord Jesus?
He didn't argue with Pilate. Pilate was wrong. He didn't answer When he was reviled, he answered, not again. We're going to look at another portion.
But what did he do? He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Do we have that mind in US? Are we willing to humble ourselves?
I think that's the most challenging question. So here we have.
The perfect example, the Lord Jesus. Now is there strife amongst us.
There's no place for it. There's no stripe with the Lord Jesus. He was yielded. He humbled himself. Let's turn to the first Peter.
And it's nice that it's in Peter too, this portion, because it shows that two apostles are an absolute accord. Of course they had the mind of God, but sometimes we think of the Pauline epistles and so on chapter two of second of First Peter.
And this is very challenging too. Verse 21.
For even hereunto were ye called. Now I'll just stop there and say the thought I had this afternoon was Our Calling as well. Read intelligent Saints who want to walk in the full truth of Scripture. Christ is our head practically walking on the ground of the one body. All right here onto we are called.
Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example.
That ye should follow in his steps. So what we're reading here is not abstract theory. It's not something that's ideal. But we're being told that we should follow in his steps, following his steps, and it tells us exactly what those steps entail. Who did no sin, Neither was guile found in his mouth.
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed to him that Judgeth righteously, and noticed himself as an italics. I really don't think it belongs here. In other words, the Lord Jesus committed that situation when he was reviled, when he was threatened, when he was, when he suffered.
He committed to him, that is, to the Father, his father to him, that judgeth righteously. Now I'm going to stop there.
Are we having contention amongst us?
We are told not to proceed with strife and Vainglory, not to argue for that which we may believe is really the true situation that may be that's not the issue. We're not to use strife and Vainglory.
Where we don't have to depend upon our own knowledge to set someone else straight.
What we can do is exactly as the Lord Jesus did here. He committed to him a judgeth righteously.
Now I'll quote a hymn in the beginning of the appendix he won.
The Mead and crown by being trodden down. That's the Lord of Glory.
Now I speak to my own heart. I'm not scolding anyone here, believe me, because my nature is one that's very quick to flare up.
But when we encounter difficulty with our brethren, are we willing to be trodden down?
And committed to God.
I mean, I think that is the answer. There should be no room for strife or contention among us.
We should be willing to take the low place as we have in Philippians. I think God's word is so clear to us now. If you accept my model of the three circles, then we place ourselves in that smallest circle, which is a privileged place because we're seeking to maintain the truth as we find it in God's word.
Do we have problems? We have the all nature in US. What is the solution here? It is God is telling us in the most plain language. Is it easy? No, it isn't easy. It's absolutely contrary to our own nature. Our brother referred to the day in which we live. I couldn't help but think of a verse. We're surrounded by that which is around us the in our daily lives, the media and so on. Do your thing. Think of #1. And so on.
00:25:20
Evil communications corrupt. Good manners that rubs off on us. Oh brethren, we have the resource. I think this was mentioned yesterday in a reading meeting, but there's repeating, and that is God gives us nothing in His word as to walk in our ways that is not practically attainable. In other words, he doesn't put the impossible before us. It may be difficult, but it's not impossible.
So if he expects us to be yielded, to be reviled and not reviled again.
To esteem each better than ourselves to take the low place.
It means we can't do it now if we go back to our portion in Ephesians.
I think we have a little picture of that.
We have a few verses that we didn't read.
But Ephesians chapter 3.
Go up to verse 16. I say up because it's up in my Bible, but 3/16?
That God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with All Saints what is a breadth and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now here's a wonderful promise now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask, or think according to the power that worketh in US.
After reading those lovely verses, I ask you, is this an impossible thing to do?
You know, there's a saying in the world that takes two to tango. That is, if you start to fight with one of your brethren, your brother is going to fight back, the brother observed after the last meeting. For every action. This is the law of physics, is an opposite and equal reaction. So if you push, then somebody's going to push at you.
But if you're yielded, there's nothing to push against, is there? There's a proverb that says a soft answer turneth away wrath.
Let me suggest that these problems that we have of contention amongst the Saints, and I think that's a fair word, start with me. They start with you. Because if there's no resistance, there's no contention. But if you're committed to the Lord, the way our precious Savior did, if we walk in His steps, where's the fight?
Now you might say, but I know that this is ripe and what he's bringing out is wrong.
Where is your faith? God's arm is not shortened.
He can reach out to that brother. He may be using you as the instrument to do it, but you're not called to set things right.
You committed to the Lord just the way the Lord Jesus did when he was reviled. He reviled Not again. Oh, I think the challenge to us is so plain, so plain, brethren. And I think that if we had a sense of what Our Calling is, our true calling is to be Christ, like in this scene. And Christ was a humble, lowly man, wasn't he? It's not what we're taught in the schools. It's not what we're taught in the life about us. It's difficult.
But I believe it is attainable. And the final word is it's a matter of faith. It's a matter of faith. Do you believe God when he says it, that he will take care of it? That we committed to him, that we don't have to do it?
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we know we're justified on the principle of faith, but I think it's more than that, because the moment we believed it was on the principle of faith. But if we want peace with God every day, we've got to live by faith. We've got to live by faith. We've got to trust God's promises. We all deplore the sad state of things and we feel the weight of it. And we can. I can even, I've said this myself. And perhaps God is doing a sifting work. Perhaps he's cleaning his house before the Lord Jesus comes.
00:30:03
That doesn't remove our responsibility one bit. For years I've heard, you know, we should all humble ourselves and we should all take that low place, but I think we're seeing the fruit of the lack of that right now. So I'd like to conclude by just saying that we, each one, are responsible.
To fulfill Our Calling and Our Calling is just to read the verses two and three of chapter 4.
Go on with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.
Yesterday.
About a rule spoke on the subject of Communion.
Today about a Jager spoke of practical.
Applications of the truth of the body of Christ.
And what a wonderful truth it is that we are.
Members in the body of Christ.
I thought that perhaps some thoughts on the House of God.
Might be appropriate.
This time we know that the Church.
Is seen as the body of Christ.
As the bride of Christ.
The House of God.
And the Lamb stand.
And also as a city.
We find that especially in Revelation the city.
At the scene as the bride of Christ, the city is seen as the bride of Christ in the eternal state. The emphasis is on that city being the bride of Christ and when it comes to the millennial reign of Christ on the earth at a scene as a city.
But it's so important, Beloved, that we see the truth in the Word of God, of the Church being the House of God.
I'm afraid, beloved, that we many times in our thoughts about the Church.
Are too self-centered. We're thinking of ourselves, of our own blessing and forget.
That the church is the House of God where he dwells.
And that this is God's desire.
From way back before the world was.
That he would have a place where he would live, where he would dwell amongst a redeemed people. Let's turn to Exodus.
Chapter 15.
About it done yesterday pointed out that even in the Garden of Eden.
The desire of God is clearly seen that he wants to have communion.
That he wants to have fellowship with his creatures.
But we do not have.
The thought in Scripture of him dwelling amongst men until we have redemption, and this we see in Exodus Chapter 15.
Verse 13.
Thou in thy mercy hast LED forth the people which thou hast redeemed.
Thou hast guided them in thy strength and to thy holy habitation. Notice holy habitation.
Verse 17 Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in in the sanctuary, O Lord.
Which thy hands have established.
This is the first time in the Word of God that we read about.
God dwelling in the midst of his people.
00:35:03
Because we have seen in this book previously that God delivered in the most wonderful way His earthly people. They had their birthday as a nation in connection with their deliverance from Egypt.
They were delivered.
From the guilt.
From the penalty of sin by being sheltered behind their blood.
But they were also delivered from the power of the enemy in the Red Sea, both a picture of the death of Christ, and it is now.
After this is beautifully portrayed in this book that we have that wonderful truth.
That God dwells in the midst of his people, and it is seen already.
As if it is an accomplished fact.
They hadn't reached that place yet.
But there was number doubt.
That that is where God would lead them. It's already seen as an accomplished fact. Now let's turn to the New Testament.
Where we have scriptures about the House of God.
Ephesians chapter 2.
Verse 19.
Now, therefore.
Yeah, no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God. And I build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the buildings fitly framed together, groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord.
In whom ye also are builded together.
On habitation of God through the Spirit, turn also please to first Peter 2.
Wils Ford.
To whom coming as unto a living stone this allowed indeed of men.
But chosen of God, and precious He also.
As lively stone or living stones are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
If we have impulse writings and also in Peter's writings, the truth brought out that we as believers.
Are built into a spiritual house.
And that's the dwelling place of God.
And one of the tremendous privileges that we have as being in that house is.
That God receives something from us.
And that is that we offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
We should think of that more beloved.
That when we come together.
That we should have something to bring.
Bring to God, bring to the Lord Jesus, bring to the Father.
How ungrateful we are many times.
And it is manifested by how little we have to bring.
And to give to God who has done so much for us.
Have you ever thought of there is a desire in the heart of God that can only be satisfied by a redeemed people? God seeks such, the Father seeks such to worship him.
And he appreciates any measure of appreciation in the heart of any of his own, of what he has done and what he has given us in the person of the Lord Jesus. This is really what worship is all about, that we bring to God, that which we have seen.
Of the Lord Jesus, of the work that he has done. And there is nothing to bring, beloved, if we are not occupied with these things, if we do not, as it were, put into our baskets the first fruits.
00:40:11
So that we have something to bring to God.
We show our grateful appreciation in doing it. And what a privilege that we can satisfy as believers the desire that God has to receive from His people worship and adoration and see a response in our hearts to that which he has done for us in the person of the Lord Jesus. There are too many, far too many silent priests beloved.
Amongst.
Those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
And you know we are all.
Praised when the truth of the body of Christ is brought before us.
It's a question primarily of edification and encouragement and comfort.
That we be exercised individually. How we can contribute to the encouragement.
And edification of our fellow Members.
That's the primary thought.
But when we come together.
To remember the Lord Jesus and when we worship in spirit and in truth to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices.
The fruit of our lips.
You know, we have to have something to bring.
And we are all priests. It's not a question of the exercise of gift. That's the fact when we consider the body of Christ.
If I have not received a gift.
To use for the edification of the Saints. I can't contribute towards the edification of the Saints.
But I don't need any gift. Neither do you, to avail yourself of the privilege of coming before God as a priest. And you know what? It doesn't matter how well phrased.
Your appreciation is.
What counts, really, is that.
That what you bring?
Comes really from your heart that you really appreciate it and you're in the good of it. God doesn't want well phrased, learned, repetitious statements.
What he wants is that that which we bring to him, May it ever be so little really comes from the heart.
And he's looking for that in everyone of us.
You know what an encouragement we find in the fact that an isolate could not only come as a worshipper if it was able to bring a Bullock.
If he was poor and only could bring a pigeon, that's.
All that he was expected to bring, and that pigeon spoke as much of Christ to God as a bullet.
And, beloved, we need to avail ourselves of our priestly privileges.
Otherwise we lose it.
Privileges neglected will be lost.
You know, when we come to a conference.
It doesn't need to be those same brethren that open up the scriptures to us that participate in the breaking of bread. As a matter of fact, I will believe it would be much better if they would take a backseat and let those who do not have as much of ability to expose or expound the scriptures. I should say let them.
Avail themselves of their priestly privilege and OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
I don't mean to say by that, Beloved, that we should not be exercised, that what we bring is intelligent worship.
But don't be discouraged and because of fear that you might make a statement which is not quite correct that therefore you better don't participate.
What is a wonderful encouragement to me is that the Lord Jesus is the minister of the sanctuary. As our high priest, he is not only there to assist us in our wilderness journey, he is also the minister of the sanctuary and he is only the minister of the sanctuary with that heavenly worship.
00:45:19
Of his people today he can't be that in connection with his earthly people, because he can't be a priest on earth. But he is the minister of the sanctuary to assist us in our feeble efforts. And all that we bring to him and to God goes through him. And he, as it were, skims off that which is not intelligent, that which is not accurate, and only that goes to God which.
Is according to the mind and heart of God, so be encouraged.
You know the crops and the fetters.
With the birds had to be left, had to be taken off. That which speaks of undigested food, and of that which men would glory in. There has no place in the worship of God's people.
But let's not neglect A priestly privilege prayer, of course.
Is also connected with our priestly privileges.
But you know, we have also in connection with the House of God.
Saying that is his house, a holy habitation.
We have in the word of God, brought before us the responsibility that holiness becometh thine house for God forever.
Paul writes to Timothy.
That he should know how to behave himself in the House of God, which is the pillar.
And ground of the truth.
Holiness.
Becomes those who.
Avail themselves of the privilege of drawing nigh as worshippers.
To God.
And to worship in the Spirit, in spirit, and in truth.
I believe beloved, allow me to say this.
That I believe.
We many times bring in the truth of the body of Christ when we should bring in the truth of the House of God.
It is not the function of the body of Christ to exercise discipline.
We cannot put out anybody out of the body.
Discipline and order oversight in the church.
Is connected with the house aspect of the church.
And let me also say.
At oversight is a local responsibility.
A brother who has a gift.
As we have mentioned in Ephesians chapter 4.
These gifts are gifts to the church.
And they exercised their gift wherever the Lord leads them to exercise it.
And that might also be in connection with teaching and instruction and shepherding, since shepherds shepherding is one of the gifts mentioned there in Ephesians 4 for the whole body, the universal aspect of it, if you would refuse.
Any brother to exercise their gift, even as to difficult matters in any assembly, if it is strictly to bring the light of the word of God before the Saints, and we would refuse that we would deny the truth of the body of Christ.
But if these individuals?
Would.
Attempt to act.
In the character of local.
Assembly Administration.
Acting contrary to the word of God.
They would act presumptuously.
Because only an apostle, you know. We know that an apostle was an office as well as a gift.
Only an apostle could deal with matters in every church, and could even deal with the church itself, as Paul clearly indicates in First Corinthians, because of the fact that he had Apostolic authority. And anybody who would today try to involve himself in an administrative way in the matters of a local assembly, presumptuously takes the place of an apostle that would only be becoming.
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For an apostle to take.
So I believe, Beloved, the House of God.
The order for discipline and maintaining order.
In the House of God is a local responsibility. We see how the Lord in grace can come in.
And use the gifts that he has given to the whole body.
To be a help in any matter.
But there is a distinction. Is it not to exercise a gift or to act as an overseer?
We can only be an overseer in one assembly, and that is our local assembly.
Now in connection with the Church being.
A light in this world.
A light bearer, A Candlestick or a lamp stand. It's a better word. What a wonderful.
Picture that is, of the church also.
We know that we have failed in all of our responsibilities.
We fail in the way we carry out practically the truth of the body of Christ.
And we have failed in the way we have maintained order in the House of God.
And we also have failed in the way.
We have been light in this world. Isn't that a tremendous statement in Ephesians when the Apostle Paul says?
That once we were darkness, but now we are light in the Lord.
Not only that we once were in the dark, we were darkness, but now a light in the Lord and you know.
The Lord Jesus very definitely spoke in the Gospels of that responsibility to be individually alike for him in this world. But we are also to be a light for Him collectively, and I believe if we are not exercised about being a light for Him individually, we cannot be.
That collectively, and I believe this is where everything breaks down, whether it is in connection with the aspect of the Church as the body of Christ or our responsibility in the House of God.
The reason that we fail in all of these things is because we individually fail in our lives.
To practice that truth, I'm not only a member in the body of Christ when I come to the Assembly meetings.
I'm a member in the body of Christ, 24 hours a day and every day of the week.
I'm not only to be concerned about fellow members in the body of Christ when I come to the assembly, I'm supposed to be exercised about that every day.
I'm only mentioning that to show that we're failing individually and that's why we're so poorly carrying it out collectively. And so it is with delight being a light for the Lord in this Dark World.
The Lord Jesus was dead light when he was here, but he's gone.
And he has left us here to be a light. You know, we can hide that light under the bushel, or we can hide it under the couch.
The bushel, I believe, would speak of our business dealings and the couch speaks of our conveniences and luxuries.
And when our brother Bob was saying, I wholeheartedly re echo that we have to try to live simply.
You know because.
We get so pampered.
And outright sissies.
By paying so much attention to luxuries and conveniences and so on.
And it interferes with our being lives for the Lord. My mother used to tell me that when she grew up in Germany, they had a little farm and they had a work like slaves there. They didn't have any machinery. They had to cut the grass by hand and work like slaves. Then on Lord's Day they sometimes had to walk. Would you mind 5 hours to go to a meeting?
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And you know, they had to walk five hours back too to get home.
If their heart wouldn't have been in the right place, they wouldn't have done that.
We have air conditioned cars nowadays.
And we sit in meeting rooms that are air conditioned, comfortable chairs. But Bob can tell you in Bolivia, those sayings, they don't even have chairs. You know, they have a board resting on some pieces of lumber, dirt floors.
We are getting pampered, beloved, and it affects our life, our light for the Lord Jesus.
These comforts and conveniences meet so much that we allow them to interfere in our usefulness in our testimony for the Lord Jesus and we cannot separate a business dealings.
From a Christian life.
Whatever we do, the Word of God tells us in Word or in deed to all in the name of the Lord Jesus. It simply means to it all for Him.
Do it all for him. There's a brother out West.
He makes a meager living by being a custodian and he's very much exercised to learn to speak Russian so that he can be a help to the Russian people.
I believe he is very diligent in doing it.
Commendable.
May the Lord help us, but now as to the House of God, beloved.
There is something that we have to understand, and that is that in the early days of the Church.
You find that the members of the body of Christ also made-up the House of God.
They were coextensive as people have used the term, but then as time went on.
Paul's material came into the house. They couldn't come into the body of Christ.
But empty profession entered.
And.
The condition became such.
That the House that is presented in First Timothy as in Order becomes a great house.
And our vessels to honor and vessels to dishonor.
And while we do not leave that house.
You don't leave the Christian profession.
Because of the condition of things, we have to separate within that House.
It's just like with the truth of the body of Christ. We recognize, as our brother **** has said, every true child of God as a member in the body of Christ.
And I feel many times guilty that I don't more miss my fellow believers, my members, fellow members in the body of Christ. You know, if I would feel this more the way the Lord feels it, I would miss every member that is not walking practically in the truth. We could benefit from them if they would walk.
In that truth, but we are not.
Prevented from practicing that truth of the body of Christ.
In a limited way with those who practically take that place and position today, and I believe that is the difference between the unity of the body of Christ and the unity of the Spirit. I believe the unity of the Spirit is that which practically gives expression to the truth of the body of Christ.
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That would not be consistent with keeping the unity of the Spirit if that unity would compromise the truth of the person of the Lord Jesus or any of the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
And so, while we miss our brethren, and I hope we do, the truth of the body of Christ is still the order for our coming together.
Just because somebody has lost one of his extremities, that is, one of his arms or his legs, he can still function.
I've made prosthesis for a man who lost both of his legs and one arm.
And he was still able to function until he got to be so old that even if he would have had all of his extremities, he would have ended up in a wheelchair anyway.
But we can function, and our exercise and should be exercised to function when we come together as believers, as members in the body of Christ.
But many.
Are dormant many who take that position and meet on the ground of the one body.
Are not useful, not because the Lord hasn't given them anything, because there are other interests.
Priorities are not straight.
I believe we ought to look at a Christian life and responsibility as.
The reasons for us being still in this scene.
Sure, we have to work and make the living. It's like this one, brother.
When he was asked what's your occupation?
He said. I'm waiting for the Lord Jesus to come.
And in the mean time, I repair shoes.
You know, even Paul was a tent maker.
And he provided for his own needs and for the needs of those with him. We need more tent makers.
Instead of anytime that somebody wants to do something for the Lord, he expects the Saints to support him.
I'm not saying that the scripture isn't plain to teach.
And it does teach that we have a responsibility that those who minister to us, minister to us the spiritual things, that we ministered, the carnal things.
And we do not muzzle the mouth of the arts, but we need more tent makers, beloved especially in our day and age. But as it is in the body of Christ, so is it in the House of God.
We are not able, in the day in which we live, to maintain God's order in the House of God as we see it in Second Timothy.
But we can within that House, within the Christian profession.
Separate from iniquity.
We separate from that which is contrary to the word of God, And unfortunately that also robs me of the practical fellowship of those who are not willing to separate from iniquity. And we have to see that, beloved, because if we do not see that the truth of the body of Christ.
While recognizing that every true believer is a member in the body of Christ, I cannot practice that truth.
Fully with every believer because.
Of their disobedience.
To the word of God, or that which they are associated with. But what a pleasure it is to meet a fellow believer in the lab where I'm working and finishing my working days now on my left.
There is a believer.
He loved the Lord Jesus.
I tell you, I'm glad there is at least one.
There who knows the Lord Jesus.
And we have opportunity every once in a while to speak about the things of the Lord. And he has asked questions on certain things. What a privilege it is. But we realize, do we not very soon this kind of fellowship.
Is limited when it comes to practicing the truth of the assembly.
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We limit it very much.
You can have personal contact, but as far as assembly truth, if we would receive all those who are truly members in the body of Christ and ignore their associations, not only their own doctrine and their own practices, but also their associations, we would deny the truth of Scripture. But second Timothy very plainly teaches is that a person is not only disqualified by his own.
Teaching by his own morale, but also by his associations.
Associations with evil defile.
Remember that beloved in a day of ruin in which we live.
The first principle of unity is separation.
From evil.
That's the first principle.
It's grace alone that can enable us to practically carry it out. But again, beloved, what a privilege it is to be part of the Church of God.
That God in his grace looked down upon me.
Or may I put it this way, upon any of us in the eternity past, before there was anything he said. I want dead one and dead one, and that one to be my son, my child, to be part of the bride of Christ. What a privilege that is beloved to be part of the bride of Christ. The body of Christ speaks of unity.
The bride of Christ speaks of nearness, a place of affection.
That we have and that we are so closely united to the Lord Jesus.
That we are His bride for all eternity. We are already in that privileged position now will be for all eternity. And you know when you look at that bride.
Presented there in Revelation.
But is already for 1000 years at least.
Up there with the Lord Jesus.
When the bride is presented, it's still in bridal beauty as a bride adorned for her husband, you know, here in this life.
You know when we get married, people speak of the honeymoon, and the honeymoon sooner or later comes to an end. But it is not that way when the church for all eternity.
It will be that freshness, this newness.
This intimate, blessed relationship with the Lord Jesus and the fact that He picked us out, that He picked you and me out, when we consider where He found us, what our lives were like, when His great reached us and brought us to himself, isn't that marvelous? And when we think of who that person is, that is our bridegroom.
It's the Lord of Glory.
The air of all things.
To whom the Father has given everything.
And who as much as says I don't want to enjoy it without having my bride there with me?
And in bringing my bride into that blessing, I myself.
We'll enjoy it. What grace has been shown to us. Our hearts ought to be warmed.
By the tremendous privileges that we have as Saints of God.
And how sad that many of the Saints of God are so much occupied with all kinds of things which.
Are really not of any concern to our Father and to our Savior at the present time.
Wasting their energies in lost causes and so on instead of.
Using their energies to enter into that which.
Is ours in the Lord Jesus, and to hopefully come to not only see the truth of God, these various things upon which we have touched, but also find grace to walk in these things, to practice these things.
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We are miserable failure, but we will never hopefully come to the point that we say because we have failed so many times, we're going to throw in the towel.
The Lord wants us to be exercised and to if He points out anything in my life, in your life, in our assembly life, that is not in keeping with His thoughts and His will for us, that we will judge it.
So that there might be a bright testimony for him, a bright light, and that we might be in a state of soul that we can.
Bring to him that which he so longs to see and to receive from his own beloved. Let us be less self-centered and think more of the Lord Jesus having his portion in his people and even in giving him that place of headship practically in the assembly.
Let us think more of what he gets out of our lives.
Out of our individual lives. Out of our collective lives and how much light we.
Let shine for him in this Dark World you know this is the only time.
That we can really function as members in the body of Christ while we're still here on earth. The body of Christ always at all times refers to those who are living members on earth at any given time in the churches history.
And there in the eternal state.
You know, and that city as we indicated.
And it is a question of the eternal state.
The point is emphasized that we are the bride, but when it is a question of.
The millennial glory.
The city is stressed because we have part in the government.
Of this earth, and there's still need for government.
During the millennial time, but it is not needed in the eternal state.
Righteousness will dwell in that eternal state, but presently beloved, those of us who make up that House of God.
The dwelling place of God by the Spirit, the holy Habitation, We have a responsibility to be exercised that it is consistent.
And according to the mind and will of the one that dwelt in that house.
He is holy holiness becometh thine House of God forever.
We have about 5 knots. I would like to just bring a very simple portion before us in a short time.
Our brother opening this meeting spoke about something that is very important to us. I want to turn to Genesis Chapter 2.
Seventh verse.
And the Lord God for man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Man became a living soul.
3rd chapter.
The end of the 19th verse.
For out of it lest thou taken, that's out of the ground.
For dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.
Turn to.
That very popular Washington this afternoon, Philippians.
Chapter 2.
Verse 8.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself.
Became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
And another portion I've had this afternoon.
First Peter.
5th chapter.
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5th verse, First Peter 5:00 and 5:00.
Starting in the verse? Yeah, all of you.
Be subject 1 to another.
And be clothed with humility.
For God resisteth the proud, giveth grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God.
That he may exalt to you in due time.
I was in the.
Bible truth portion. I didn't buy anything but some through a book. I noticed a comment by one of our.
Very old esteemed brother and he made the comment in this letter to someone that.
That the Lord would keep him humble. That we might be humble.
I believe there's a difference between.
The Lord having to humble us.
And the Lord keeping us humble.
I believe this brother and saying what he did.
Was a result of being in communion, in fellowship with God that he maintained a humble state.
And there is that where I become self exalted loud and then there's another way to be home.
That isn't what you're Speaking of. Well.
Now another portion, another first one return, but we want to turn to and that's in job. We're all familiar with that as well.
Bill 42.
Verse 6.
When the Lord was done dealing with Job, Job says, Wherefore I bore myself.
And repent, and dust and ashes.
Does anyone know here what humble means?
I might have looked in the dictionary.
My brother and at home may have heard this before.
You look that up.
And along the description of humble, it speaks of humus.
How many know what humans is?
I'm sure the farmers do.
Humus is that which is refuse scattered upon the ground.
That after it's left there long enough, it becomes useful.
And it isn't always the crop refuse that is out there.
There is other refuse that is carried out there and spread and mingled at the soil.
That it might become municipal rather, and that's humus.
That is related with humble.
I believe we have no concept of what humility is.
We talk about it, but if we're going to put it in practice.
We got to know what humbleness is. They talk about meetings of humility.
I asked the brother not too long ago, I said. I've heard other questions and some have said, well, what is the meaning of humility?
He didn't have an answer.
Well, I'm going to subscribe, and certainly it may not be right, but I believe perhaps one application is every time I meet a brother, it's so if I don't act, if I act right, it's a meeting of humility because I'm going to esteem that brother better than myself. And that's scriptural, isn't it? I esteem my brother better than myself. That's the meaning of humility. Sometimes we talk about humility and we have supposed meetings of humility and it becomes a vain show.
Because that's what plan is. He's again showing them.
So if I meet a brother and I esteem him better myself, that's familiar. And if we have a lot of those meetings, we're going to have a lot of humility and brother and we're going to be happy because in new time, the Lord's going to exalt the humble. When is that exaltation?
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It's not far off, is it?
Well, infinite. Just one more thought, perhaps in regard to the soil that is humans in it.
You know there are some farmers, and I see one over here to the left. He knows what you stir up the soil and when you get the ground properly prepared, you like to have it relatively smooth.
But what do you call that parts of the soil that is above the smoothness?
That's a clog.
That's a clog. No use for a clod. Other times a claw doesn't have a lot of humans in it because it isn't workable.
Rather, we need to be humble now, humans in the soil.
Is a wonderful thing.
It nurtures.
It nurtures it ease.
Am I feeding my brother that he might be higher than myself?
Or we might also think the Lord himself, that he became a corner wheat that fell into the ground and it died, but it brought forth fruit. Now I don't. I don't mean to misrepresent anything, but when we have a horn of wheat in the ground, and if it's going to grow, it needs humus, it needs food, and that humus is the food.
We have here in these portions just the compilation of Dust and humility, brethren. They go together.
If we're going to be in our true place as Saints, God, we're going to be the dust. We're going to be humble, We're going to feed our brethren and brethren, I'm sure when we see that through your or my part.
A sister or a brother has been helped.
That's all the exaltation we need. May we be truly humble.
Can we sing 18 in the Appendix 18 in the back of the book?
And.
This is all right. Now here I am.
I'm creating you.