Open—R. Thonney, D. Rule
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This afternoon, and perhaps we can start in First Thessalonians chapter 5.
First Thessalonians chapter 5 and beginning with verse 19.
Quench not the Spirit.
Despise, not prophesying.
Prove all things.
Hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Interesting rather than.
Traveling in South America amongst those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus in those parts, one thing that.
Seems to stand out.
Time and again, down there is the insistence.
And make quite a point of it, of giving liberty to the Spirit of God.
In the assembly meetings, and I think that's such an important thing.
Not saying that we don't, brethren, but I think there needs to be.
Probing.
Not only on the part of justice, certain brethren, but on the part of each one.
Present.
What does the liberty of the Spirit mean? What does it mean that we give liberty to the Spirit that we don't?
Quench the spirit.
I think sometimes we have the idea when we speak of the liberty of the spirit that everyone has equal right to take part. That is not what we're talking about.
In fact, I'd like to turn it around a bit to say perhaps no one has any right to take part. The only one who has right to act is the Spirit of God. And if he sees fit to choose a vessel that is sitting there, that vessel ought to give to the Spirit of God liberty to use that vessel.
I say that because it does concern me at times to see in some of our public meetings that it seems like there are many who come with the preconceived idea as they sit down. I'm not going to take any part, I'm just here to listen.
That may be true. Perhaps the Spirit of God will not use you as a vessel, but you should sit down in the assembly meetings with the attitude, Lord, here is an empty vessel. If you want to use me, I want to give the Spirit liberty to use. And I think that's what it means. Quench not the Spirit if I'm going to sit there and say.
I'm not going to open my mouth.
That is quenching the spirit.
And so this goes on here. It says despise, not prophesying. I think there is another thing that is important. Listen to what is said, you may not.
Particularly like a certain vessel that the Lord may raise up to speak a word, but don't despise prophesying.
It may be that vessel that God is going to use to speak a word to you.
Doesn't mean everything that is said may be exactly right. In fact, it goes on to say in verse 21, prove all things. In other words, test it. That's why we have our Bibles open in front of us to see if what is being said squares with the light of Scripture.
And if it doesn't?
Hold fast that which is good, don't hold fast the rest. These are important things. I'd like to turn over to 1St Corinthians chapter 12 in this connection. I say this because I think it is a particular exercise to me to see as they do a little traveling that I do that many times in certain meetings. There are a number of younger brethren coming along, but.
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It seems like they're not exercised to take part. They're not giving the Spirit of God liberty to use them. And I stay down in South America in many parts, brethren, the little gatherings are made-up of younger breath, a lot of younger brethren. And I'm amazed at how God opens up the truth of Scripture through brethren that you might say don't have very much teaching.
That the Spirit of God is there for that purpose to open the scriptures up.
To us, brethren, and if we'll just put ourselves in His hands.
To use us as vessels, you may say I don't have much to offer.
It may not be much you have to offer, but it's what you do with that little bit that you do have to offer.
Sometimes I refer to what happened when the Lord Jesus was going to feed the 5000.
What happened? You know, the Lord Jesus could have produced the food out of nowhere. He could have done that, but he did not choose to do so. He first turned to his disciples and his disciples are zero. They have some ideas, but they really don't have any concrete, anything concrete until Andrew comes up with this little boy. He has a lunch. Only 5 loaves.
Which is really 5 roles and two fishes. That's all he had. That's not much. The Lord Jesus said bring them to me.
And that's what the Lord Jesus used to be till they were suffice 5000 men plus women and children, and they took out 12 baskets full. So that little bit that you think doesn't amount to much. I want to encourage you younger brothers in your home meetings to put it into the Lord's hands, open your mouth and the measure that the Lord gives.
Opportunity.
Speak a word that will be an encouragement. You don't know how encouraging it is to have younger brethren open their mouth in prayer, in praise as well for perhaps a question, how often a little question and reading meeting helps open up a scripture in a way that you may not have realized could happen. It's giving the Spirit.
Liberty, brethren, I think it's.
Important. Let's go to the First Corinthians chapter 12. I drink to read the first few verses of the chapter.
In this connection now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led. Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, and there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh All in all. Verse 7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all.
4/21 is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith, by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing, by the same Spirit, to another working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another, discerning of spirits, to another, diverse kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the self same Spirit.
Dividing to every man severally as he will. Whereas the body is one and half many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also Christ. For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit.
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Quite a bit said in these verses. We've read about the Spirit of God in verse 13.
Specifically tells us the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to unite believers into one body. And so you and I profess your young people to gather on that ground that there is one body. There is no other ground that Scripture contemplates but that ground of the one body, because that one Spirit has bonded us.
Has united us. Has baptized all believers.
Into one body. That's all that God recognizes.
He doesn't recognize diverse bodies. When we look at the public testimony in the world around, sometimes I say if we bring a heathen from some heathen land to the United States.
And he looked around at those people that call themselves Christians. Would he ever get the idea that there's only one body of Christians?
I don't think he would. Why? Because the public testimony is in ruins.
But the truth remains, it says here in verse 12.
For as the body is 1 doesn't say as the body should be one. Remember meeting a sister down in Bolivia?
Makes the practice, sad to say, of going from one place to another to another, where there are believers, true believers in the Lord Jesus.
And she said to me one time she was visiting her home. Brother, we should all be one.
I said to her sister, It's not that we all should be one.
The truth is, we all are one. We're just not acting like it.
We're all divided up, but there is a ground that God recognizes. And what is that ground?
One body isn't this wonderful? And by that spirit we are baptized into one body, and by that same spirit we are to be guided. And how many things of life?
In all things, He is here to guide us. Whether it's a matter of our individual lives, whether it's a matter of meeting together, it is the Spirit of God that is to guide us.
And if he's going to guide you and if he's going to guide me, is God the Spirit going to be the author of division in guiding us in diverse areas that are not in fellowship together? To say that would be to say that the Spirit of God is the author of division. Cannot say that, brethren. Spirit of God, there's a unity there.
Back, we're told in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 3.
To be solicitous in keeping the unity of the spirit in the bond.
Of peace. And I want to get back to hear these verses, these first verses of the chapter.
Because I think it is a serious thing. So we contemplate in those circles.
So-called Christian circles today that there are many different spirits at play and they're not many of them are not of God. And I think we have some tests here as to telling which spirits are of God and which are not.
He says here in verse one concerning spiritual and you'll notice the word gifts is in italics. It's not in the original. I think the thought is concerning spiritual manifestations. Brethren, I would not have you ignorant. I think that's the way Mr. Darby puts it in his translation.
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It's not so much the question of spiritual gifts here, but the manifestation of the Spirit.
In the body of Christ.
And he says in verse two, you know that you were Gentiles carried away into these dumb idols even as you were led. In other words, in their unsaved life they were used to.
Being idolatrous and behind those idols were evil spirits, demons.
And it's a well known fact in many heathen countries that people who don't know anything of the name of Jesus speak in tongues by the power of spirits. It's a very common phenomena, phenomenon, even lands.
There are spirits at play and it is scary to see the spirits that are at play in so-called Christian circles.
Brethren, I think it is important for us to stop and to test ourselves about this matter in the presence of the Lord. What is the test that the apostle Paul gives here? Verse three I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus a curse, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord.
But by the Holy Ghost. In other words, the Spirit of God is always going to glorify the Lord Jesus.
Anything that does not glorify the Lord Jesus.
Is not the Spirit of God's Word?
The Apostle Paul could say we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. In other words, Pauls message wasn't to present himself, to set himself forward.
It was to set the Lord Jesus forward. Brethren, is that our purpose when we come together?
In public meetings is that those that come together would see.
Jesus.
Isn't that nice, that request that those Greeks had for Philip?
When they came up at the feast, they said to Philip, Sir, we would see Jesus. I think that's so nice to think about. We come together in public meetings. What is it? I I must say, rather than I think this is something that we need to be challenged about You young people, you older ones too. We need it, brethren, to realize that when we come together in public meetings to get our eyes on.
On to the Lord Jesus.
It's so easy to look at one brother and another brother. Oh this nice brother is with us tonight, going to have a nice meeting and we getting our eyes off The Fountainhead. A blessing and onto a mere means, a mere vessel.
That's quenching the Spirit. Let's not do that, brethren. There's too much of that. I am convicted that goes on and it does not help. We need to all sit down here consciously in the presence of the Lord Jesus and allow the Spirit of God liberty to use us if He so chooses.
As a vessel to speak his mind for a moment, may the Lord help us to be exercised about it. They're so easily a tendency of getting our eyes on human vessels.
To forget we are in the presence of the Lord of glory.
The one who is the God of the universe.
How can any brother, as gifted as he may be compared with the glory of God's beloved Son? It cannot be. The Lord Jesus outshines them all, and God is jealous, brother, for the glory of His Son. You remember on the Mount of Transfiguration what took place.
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I know you all know the story, but I'm going to go over it briefly.
How there was Peter and James and John, and Jesus was transfigured before them. His face shone as the sun, His garments were white and blistering.
And with him in glory appeared Moses in the light.
And those two or those 3 disciples had never seen Moses and Elijah. It must have been a very interesting thing for them. They'd heard so much about Moses and Elijah. And there they are, talking with Jesus right there. Tremendous. But what they didn't realize is they were getting their eyes off the central figure and onto some mere servant servants who were fallible, who made mistakes.
In their lives.
And Peter, it says he didn't know what he was saying.
You know, sometimes we get our mouth in gear before we really know what we're seeing. And that's what happened to Peter. You get your eyes off the Lord and get your mountain gear. It's kind of dangerous what comes out sometimes, but that's what happened. And Peter makes a suggestion. He says, Lord, it's good for us to be here. Let us make 3 tabernacles, one for thee, but the Lord first.
But then one for Moses and one for your life.
What he didn't realize is he's putting the Lord Jesus on the same plane with two mere servants.
And God immediately brought in his glory cloud, and those two servants disappeared from view. There was a voice out of the cloud that said, This is my beloved Son, hear ye him. And they fell on their faces, as we might well fall on our faces in the presence of the Lord Jesus, brethren.
And when they lifted up their heads, when they lifted up their eyes again to look, they saw no one saved Jesus.
Brethren, what a lesson that is for us all. Who of us ranks anything in the presence of the Lord Jesus?
Impossible that it be that way, but I really believe it is in the measure that we get our eyes on brethren that we quench the Spirit, brethren.
Thank God for gifted brethren that have been a help to us. Thank God for them. I'm not.
The rate berating them in any way, thank God for them, but I say we need to be careful not to get our eyes on them, but to put our eyes consciously on the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord help us in this. Brethren, remember being in a certain place in Peru one time, mountains of Peru, a little mining town called a lot of coaching.
And they got their early in the Lord's Day morning. They were going to probably break bread about, if I remember right, about 11:00. And the meetings were held in a brother's home. And there are new believers down there. You have to make allowance for quite a bit, brother. But I got to the door of the brother's house. Oh, brother, good to see you. Wait a minute. I'm going to go call all the brethren. Wait a minute, brother, isn't this Lord's Day morning?
Aren't they going to be coming for the meeting? Oh yeah, yeah. But I'm going to go call them all. I said don't call anybody, brother. Let's see how many come because the Lord Jesus is here.
Sometimes we can turn out pretty good when there's a visiting brother.
But do we all turn out as well when there's no visiting brother? Are we guilty of treating of visiting brother with more respect with our presence than we do the glorious person of the Son of God who is always with us and you come together?
Just some things I think we need to be stirred about, brother, and I know you know these things.
But I want to stir your hearts. I think it's so important that we challenge our hearts as to what spirit there is with us. And so we have those two tests in verse 3. But I want to mention.
Another test that the Lord gave one time. Actually, it wasn't exactly that he gave the test, but the disciples were tested constantly in the Lord's presence.
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One of the disciples said to the Lord Jesus, We saw one casting out demons in thy name, and we forbade him, and the Lord Jesus said.
He forbid him not for he that is not against. This is for us.
You know the reason why they forbade him, they gave was He followed, not us. Us was the reference point and that happened so easily, brother. We become the reference instead of God's reference, which is the Lord Jesus Himself. He is the center brother.
Oh I think it's so important to keep those things defined in our souls. Breath. He is the reference point and right in that same portion. I think it's in Luke Chapter 9 that it happens.
That the Lord Jesus is going towards Jerusalem and he sends somebody before him to go into the cities of the Samaritans and.
The Samaritans don't want to receive them because they know he's going towards Jerusalem.
And two of the disciples, I think it's John and James, we're very incensed. They felt that the name of the Lord Jesus had been dishonored by not wanting to receive them. And he said, they said to the Lord, will you have us call forth fire from heaven to consume them as Elijah did? They felt a real zeal for them.
But it was not the right spirit. And I think that's what's.
Important to see that sometimes you can actually have a zeal for the Lord but not have the right spirit. And the Lord had to rebuke them and say you don't know what spirit you are of. Oh brother.
How important it is the spirit we carry in our souls when they come to the assembly meetings together. I just want to encourage you, young people.
To keep a right spirit so important.
Now notice verse 6.
Excuse me, verse 4.
5:00 and 6:00 next 3 verses.
There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit.
There are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh. All in all, we have the whole Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you can say verse six is the Father, it's God. It says there.
Anyhow, it is God that is in operation in the body of Christ.
In the assembly in this. Interesting.
There are differences of gifts, the same spirit, the diversity, and yet the unity is something that is extremely interesting to consider in the body of Christ. And that's what we have here, diversity and unity at the same time. You ever seen one brother that has a specific gift that is exactly the same as another brethren? I don't think he ever will.
They're all different, but it is the same spirit.
And there are differences of administrations or ministries.
Says in the margin of my Bible, but the same Lord, and so the ministry of one.
Differs from another the Apostle Paul was a great man of God.
He desired at one time that Apollos go to Corinth, and Paulus was definitely not of that mind.
But it's beautiful to see the way that Paul and apostas work together.
He didn't force the police to go. Paulus evidently went at another time. But there was differences of administrations, the same Lord, and there are difference, differences, diversities of operations. The way one brother does one thing is not the way another brother does it.
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You have to walk in your own shoes. As our brother was talking to us yesterday, you can't walk in somebody else's shoes. When David was to go out to battle with the Philistines, Saul put his armor on David.
It was all clumsy because it didn't fit. He had to go and what he knew how to use. And so he picks up his sling and his staff and his shepherd's bag, and that's what he goes out to use because that's what he knew how to use.
But the thing that I want to encourage young people is the same time that there are differences, there's unity. In other words, the Spirit of God, there is a unity to his working. And when one brother speaks by the leading of a spirit and speaks after him by the leading of the same spirit, it's not going to be contradictory. It may be corrective, but it will be helpful each one that speaks.
If it's by the leading of the Spirit of God.
It's so important God's people know how to keep ranked.
That's what it speaks about. Some of those soldiers that came to help make David King back in Chronicles, it says they knew how to keep rank. Not one soldier getting way up ahead of the others. No keeping with his fellow soldiers, keeping right. And I think there's something to that, brother. Important to do, to keep praying.
To keep with your brethren, a soldier that gets all of way up ahead thinking he's really making time is going to be a target for the enemy. He's not going to have the backing of his others. The Lord helped us to walk with our breath. There's diversity, but there's unity, and this is extremely important to realize in the operation of the Spirit of God.
In the body of Christ in the assembly, verse 7 now.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to.
Some what does it say right?
Every man to profit with all, not just some brother.
To every man, to prophet with all. Can I speak a little more directly?
Sometimes it.
Pains me a bit.
In the prayer meetings at the conferences.
That it seems that only those.
Who are considered in quotes in the work are the ones who seem to get up and pray.
Brethren, that is going directly back toward the principles of Judaism and mechanics.
The Lord help us to be exercised in His presence.
To be vessels ready for the Spirit's use.
To be ready.
You know that praying and praising the Lord is not a matter of gift at all, it's a matter of being priests.
And every true believer in the Lord Jesus is born into God's family is a holy priest.
Capacitated to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
That's one of the priestly services, not just a certain few and more and more it seems like we're not being exercised along that line of truth. The Lord stir you, brother, and to be exercised about getting your mouth open at least to sit down in the Lord's presence with the attitude Lord, here I am. I want to be ready if you want to use.
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With that attitude.
That will be giving liberty to the Spirit and the sisters too, to be exercised as they sit down here. Perhaps sometimes the sister says well.
Sisters can't take part in public meetings. It doesn't really matter if I doze off or not.
Does it not really matter? It does matter, sisters. Your attitude in sitting down here in public meetings is as much of an effect on the whole tone of the meeting as the attitude of any brother that is sitting there as well.
And I have often noticed in South America especially.
And there are some areas where the sisters seem to have real keen interest.
They sit there and in a public meeting with a keen interest to learn the Word of God. What a wonderful tone it gives to that meeting. They haven't said a word.
They don't need to say a word, but it's their attitude as they sit there and that leaks. The Lord help us, each one to be exercised as we're in the Lord's presence.
And so the Spirit gives to one the word of wisdom into another, a word of knowledge by the same Spirit I'm not going to comment so much on.
These things, it's the manifestations of the Spirit of God amongst us.
And it's evident when the Spirit of God speaks by one speaks by another. The Lord help us not to quench the Spirit.
I want to say another word perhaps.
I should confess that I'm perhaps more guilty of this than quite a few others there in this room. There's another way to quench the spirit, and it's by talking too much.
And perhaps I have more of that problem in a lot of other folks here.
Remember in Mexico one place we were and.
We go around with Ramon Alarcon and.
Few others, and we'd have a reading in the afternoon in this particular place, and we'd have the gospel in the evening.
And in the gospel meeting, Ramon, who is an older brother, usually spoke the gospel 1St and then he gave opportunity for others of us to speak to another brother that was along. He spoke and.
Then it came down to there was opportunity for me, but that particular evening I was dry, I had zero, I had nothing from the Lord.
But I said my brother and they're waiting for me to say something. I'd better get up and say something.
So I forced myself to get up and say something, and I don't remember what I said because it certainly wasn't conspiracy.
But while I was speaking I noticed a young brother get up and go and whisper and Ramon Alarcon's ear and and went back sat down.
And after I was done, why Ramon closed the meeting, the time was over. So after the meeting, Ramon remarked. Sure, too bad. Brother on Hill had something to say tonight, but there wasn't any opportunity for it.
Imagine how I felt, Brother Lord did try to get me to keep my mouth shut, and I'd opened it and I quenched the Spirit in.
Another young brother. I felt extremely battered, but that's another way of quenching the Spirit. The Lord help us, the Lord encourage us in our home meetings. I know that there is a great weakness in many areas.
But if you'll just take what little the Lord gives you, put it into the Lord's hand, place yourself as a vessel, no matter what the weakness, we still have a great God and the Lord Jesus has promised to be with us. His word is a blessing. Just the reading of it. You don't have to explain it so much.
Faith comes by hearing. It doesn't say by explaining the word of God, it comes by hearing.
And hearing by the word of God.
Get the book open. Let the Spirit of God have His liberty to use you in whatever measure He gives. I want to encourage you young people.
Older ones as well.
But the Spirit of God is present, brethren, and we need to be exercised to give him his liberty.
Want no more?
Turn with me for one verse and I believe it's Psalm 32.
Psalm 32.
And especially the last part of verse 8. We'll read the whole verse.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.
I will guide thee with mine eye, or it can be translated. I will guide thee with mine eye upon thee.
We've had something in these meetings together of the fact that.
And the importance of the need to have our eye upon the Lord Jesus.
And to lookout to the harvest as well, to have our eye to the needs.
Of the souls that are around us.
I'd just like to give a word of encouragement to each one of our hearts to know that the Lord Jesus as well as an eye, we are to have our eye upon Himself. But brethren, may our hearts be comforted and encouraged as we go forward.
In the thought that he himself.
In His love to you individually and to me as His eye upon us.
You and I are going to go forth from this place this day and continue on in the journey until the Lord comes for us.
And as we go, He himself is going to trace that path for us. Every moment of every day. His eye will be upon you. He won't slumber, he won't sleep, but He is going to trace the path for you with His eye upon you.
Now there's two ways of enjoying this verse. One is I will guide thee with thine eye.
With mine, I and it's been said it's an important thing if someone's going to guide us by their eye.
It takes two eyes to make contact, and so there's your eye upon himself and his eye upon you. And as you look to him, you will see in Him the guidance that you need for each day of life. And so if we're near him, we will enjoy that. The farther away, as it were, the distance, the greater the distance that we walk from Him, the more difficult perhaps to be able to discern His eye.
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And his direction. But it's in the latter sense that I would like to leave with you more. And that is with mine, I.
Upon the, you know, a father and a mother, they put their eye on a child and they watch it carefully. And if it's going to get itself in danger, the mother or the father will step in and intervene in such a way that the child may be protected. And sometimes a wise parent will allow a child to do something that perhaps it's been told not to do, that it might learn.
Necessary lesson from it, and sometimes our Lord and His perfect wisdom allows that in our lives as well.
That we might learn and needed lesson, but still it's always with the sense of One whose eye is upon us because He loves us and because He's going to see that we are safely cared for until He comes and takes us to himself. He came.
And he gave his life. He suffered that Infinity of suffering.
In our place He redeemed us by his precious blood.
And he is, we are a gift that God has given to him that he values.
And now that you and I belong to him.
He has paid the price for us. He is going to guide us with His eye upon us safely until He comes again and gives that blessed shout and a shout to me of triumph of His own heart, and then His eye is going to look out upon the assembled company of those that He has redeemed.
He's going to look at a vast collection of those that he watched over with his eye upon them.
And the scripture tells us he shall see the fruit.
That garden of fruit he shall see the fruit of the travail.
Of his soul.
And shall be satisfied.
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Much needed that we quench, not the spirit.
As we go on that we are in the current of thy will.
Whether it is to serve or it's to listen. And oh, how needful that is, our Father and our God. And so we pray that we each might have a conscious desire to be in accord with thy mind, to be LED of thy spirit in what we do. And we think too, of the lovely thought that thine eye is upon us.
Through the scene.
What a blessed place is ours and we thank you for it. Every encouragement, our God and Father.
So we asked thee to make these words good to our own souls, each one of us. As we continue in this building path, we thank you in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen. Amen.
There will be refreshments served again, coffee the next room and the next meeting will be at 3:30.