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And to soften our hearts to thyself.
And to draw all our reflections in a special way under the.
May it be?
True to our of each other that we will shun unholiness.
From all untruths to flee.
The time of our sojourn is so brief, our Father.
We desire communion with thyself for the rest of the journey.
In a very warm and special way.
That the world may see that light in US which reflects the glory of Thy will. Beloved Son, our Lord and Savior.
Our friend Jesus.
Now, our father, we look to thee for the meeting that's before us.
That it may be refreshing, as the other meetings have been to us.
Bringing Christ.
To us consciously.
Making thyself extremely real to our hearts.
Help us, Father, Help us to see Jesus.
And him only.
Precious Savior, we commit this meeting into Thy hands, trusting the Spirit have liberty and Jesus precious name. Amen.
I suggest we go on with the.
Anyone has thoughts?
Regard to Philadelphia, Feel free.
Revelation chapter 3 and verse 13. Even half a year let him hear what the Spirit set under the churches, and unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans right. These things set the Amen, the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would that thou Wert cold or hot.
So then, because thou art Luke, warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, And knowest not that thou art meant wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich and white, raiment, that thou mayest be clothed.
And that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with I salve.
Thou mayest see as many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him, and will Sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame. And I'm sat down with my father in his throne. He that hath an ear let him hear.
What? The Spirit said unto the churches.
And.
I'd like to make just a practical comment or two, particularly for those of us who are younger and for those of us who have families in connection with this 13th verse where we begin. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And I just like to make an application because God still has a message for us brethren collectively. And I know the assembly doesn't teach, but it's in the assembly we learned as taught by the Spirit of God.
00:05:27
The assembly, as we were reminded earlier, is to be the pillar and ground of the truth. And I believe that God has given us in a very wonderful way ministry in the assembly. And I really believe, brethren, that we need to avail ourselves of this and of this in the day in which we live. It's a wonderful privilege to be able to sit under the sound of the word of God in the way that God has given us in the Scriptures, because I believe that, as I say.
There's a message for us collectively. He still delights to speak to us in the assembly. And when ministry is taken up in the assembly, we receive a balance because there are many who will put a man at the front, and they may get one part of the truth, they may get one aspect of the truth. But when truth is taken up in the assembly, if the spirit of God is given liberty, there's a balance. Because if I bring out something that's not correct.
The Spirit of God by another can correct it. If a brother brings out something, that's one aspect of the truth by the spirit of God, another can balance that. Some can bring out the doctrinal principles, others can make a practical application. Another can take the same scripture and apply it in the gospel. And so we need to avail ourselves of ministry in the assembly that we get that balance, and especially brethren in the day in which we live, when it's the collective aspect of things that is being given up.
There's two great lines of truth in the Scripture. One is our individual position and responsibility before God.
And when you have that line of things taken up, then there's always a comparable truth connected with the collective side of things.
And that's the side of the truth that I fear is being given up in the days in which we live. And so we need to have the word of God before us, like we've had this weekend. But also, brethren, when we go home to our home assembly to avail ourselves of the privilege of sitting under the sound of God in the assembly. And I think of what it says about Ephraim, it says Ephraim, is a cake not turned. And if you put a cake on the griddle and don't turn it, you know that it gets too well done on one side.
And not enough on the other. And those who do not avail themselves of ministry in the assembly. Sometimes they're like that because we're extremists by nature. But I believe God has given us a precious provision in the assembly. And for those of us who have young children, I never realized till I had children of my own just how much they get out of what is taken up in the assembly. We need to be exercised that there would be that which would be for the children.
And for those of us who are younger, but nevertheless, sometimes we feel perhaps our children aren't listening. They're fidgeting around and they're not getting anything out of it. But you listen to your children afterwards, and you'll find out that they get much more out of the ministry in the assembly than we ever imagined. And so I just say to those of us who have families, we need to bring our families to the assembly meetings. We need to have them under the sound of ministry. And we need brethren to have an open ear as the spirit of God is given liberty in the assembly.
That we might seek to learn what he has to say to us and to go over those precious fundamental principles of Christianity that he has given us in His word, and especially in the day in which we live when these things are being given up and undermined.
And with that, that in the second chapter of John, There the question is raised in connection with the good wine.
The good wine was not served at the first, but all enjoyed what was served. But then at the end there was that good wine and I believe as you say if we are exercises to the balance of the ministry, that from the youngest to the oldest will be able to identify it. Now it says the good wine. I wonder if we make a mistake to say the best.
So they didn't lay at a sea in days. I believe it's God's desire to feed us richly and to fill our hearts with that good wine, that joy, that will endure forever. I think we need to be careful too, because when we go back to our home assembly, perhaps sometimes the tendency in our hearts is to say, well, there isn't much real gift in the local assembly, and the word of God is taken up in perhaps ever so feeble away.
00:10:26
But, brethren, one of the things that grieved Jehovah very much when Israel was in the wilderness was that they despised the simple manner that God gave them. And I say to my own heart, I need to be careful not to despise the simple manner that God gives in the local assembly. Perhaps it is in a feeble way, but I believe if we came together and read the portion of Scripture, and perhaps very little is said on it, I believe that there can be a tremendous blessing.
And that God still delights to feed his people in the assembly despite our weakness. Because the Word of God hasn't changed. He hasn't changed. And the Spirit of God can still take the things of Christ and make them good to our souls.
There's another real danger connected to what our brother has just said, relative to the lack of gift and the weakness with which the Word of God is handled on the local level. If you go to the Book of Numbers, you see that Miriam and Aaron murmured against Moses.
If you go to the four, that's in the 12Th chapter. If you go to the 14th chapter, you see.
Entire congregation was murmuring. So if there is a spirit of discontent in my heart with that which God has raised up locally.
It's very infectious and has to be judged immediately or will fall into that horrible situation recorded in the 12Th of Hebrews, that the lame will be turned out of the way and many will become defiled thereby. A murmuring spirit is an infectious thing.
And it spreads from one to another very rapidly, so that where it is Moses and Aaron and Miriam in chapter 12.
The entire congregation in chapter 14 and then God has to deal with in a very public way. So we need to guard against, not.
Esteeming whatever God allows to develop locally in the way of opening up the word and how, regardless of the weakness in which it's handled.
Is there not a danger?
Of looking to someone.
Who may well be gifted, and yet we must remember it is the Spirit of God.
That in the midst and would take the things of Christ, and show them unto us.
And the Spirit of God can use.
Whoever he chooses.
We are not dependent on some gifted brother being there.
It all goes back to the Lord who is the Word. When we get right teaching and hear John by the Spirit was getting the word and giving it. And so when it says he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear What the Spirit says to the churches, goes back to what came from Christ himself through John. But when the Lord was here in the gospel.
He mentioned hear and understand when he was talking, and his doctrine, of course, was perfect and good, in contrast to what the Pharisees were teaching for doctrine, the commandments of men. So we got to take heed what we hear, Paul could say.
Those things which thou hast.
Received and learned and seen and heard and heard and seen in me do.
Then he wrote to Timothy, I think we referred to it yesterday in chapter 314. Continue down the things which thou hast learned, and has been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them. So we going to get light, We're going to get the truth. It's going to be the words that Christ ministers. It's written out in the New Testament by the apostles and prophets.
And there is a blessing just for reading this book.
But I would like to notice that in the difference between.
Philadelphia and Laodicea. It seems to me that in Philadelphia.
00:15:02
The Lord is on the inside, and in Laodicea he's on the outside. Isn't that a sad condition?
But he still talks about himself, so he begins to talk about himself and says.
These things, saith the Amen. Well, that's the ultimate, that's the last word. Let's go back to.
One Corinthians chapter.
Two Corinthians chapter one.
Where we get the promises of God, and God hasn't forgotten his promises.
He's going to take up the promises concerning the Earth with his.
Earthly people.
But he's getting a heavenly people now.
But.
What it says about the promises in First Corinthians 120 is this.
All the promises of God in him, there it is in Christ.
Are yay. That's all positive. There's nothing that ever can stop.
One of God's promises from being fulfilled and in him Amen. So be it. Under the glory of God by us. So he talks about says I am the Amen these things say at the Amen. Then I think somebody remarked about the faith will untrue witness here.
When unfaithfulness was so pronounced.
In the Witness here at Laodicea, he can say about himself, the faithful and true witness.
Then he says the beginning of the creation of God. Now I think the creation of God is in contrast to the first creation, which was marred and spoiled by sin. When God had finished the first creation and put man on it, he said it's very good.
And God knows something. It is good and very good, but the enemy got into that old creation and spoiled it. But God lets it go on.
Now he is beginning a new race, and that's what we have in the beginning of the creation of God is.
The head of the new race.
It's the second man.
It's the last Adam and we see him.
In resurrection standing in John 20.
There is the beginning of the creation of God.
And it's the creation of God, because it will never, ever be run. Satan can't get into that city we've been talking about.
The walls are exceeding high. It's just a superlative way of saying, well, Satan won't get in there.
This creation of God will never, ever be ruined. Now we come into that creation.
So it says in Two Corinthians 5 of him, that's of God.
Are ye in Christ Jesus?
I will have to read that.
Maybe I'm not getting that right. I'm quoting a wrong version?
Let's see.
Yeah, Clemson got it. It's the 517 Second Corinthians 517. Therefore, if any man that's me be in Christ, he is a new creation. That's what it says, really, in the in another translation, there is a new creation.
We're in that creation too, in Christ, and we're going to get the new body like His body of glory too.
But what a comfort there is. That is therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. There is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. Now that's the character the Lord presents himself when he talks to this last phase.
Of the church and laid a sea.
It's Christ and resurrection, isn't it? The beginning of the creation of God, new creation.
The old creation is judged in the cross of Christ before God is judged. Now it's still going on, but the before God, the old creationist is judged, and we had part in the old creation, but we too belong to that new creation. If any man be in Christ, he is he is a new creature and new creation. All things have become new, all things have passed away, and all things have become new.
The last link, the last link that we have with the old creation really before God are these bodies of ours. And when we get those new bodies, will the Lord Jesus comes and utters that assembling shout and everyone we're going to get those new, those bodies just like his own body. And then our last link with the old creation will be gone forever.
00:20:23
What about the old nature, The old flesh?
You're going to take that along with you? No. That link will be broken too, won't it? It's all gone, yeah.
As we say then in the layer of seal that we have those that make a profession of Christianity, but in reality they're walking in the old nature.
Contrast Christ is the beginning of the creation of the new creation.
They are still walking in the old creation.
In First Corinthians chapter 3, where the seed of Laodiceanism was sown in division amongst the people of God, the apostle Paul charged the Saints are ye not carnal and walk as men.
What we are reading in this chapter relative to the church in the end of its history, is the fruit of that noxious weed that was sown in its full blown fruition. It is the church walking as men conducting the business of God's house on a purely natural basis, as our brother has just said.
The truth of the utter ruin of the of man. The other ruin of man was unknown to many and many. A dear child of God who has served the Lord like a man. Like John Wesley, he served the Lord for years, and God used him.
But he never did he. No, really the truth that the old, that the the old man is ruined. And there's.
And that that enemy in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. So there is the constant tendency on the part of someone. And as you're saying, is it not true that there is a continual desire to rehabilitate the old man? The old man is gone on the death of Christ.
To but to rehabilitate the old man, and to give him a place, give still, give him a place which doesn't exist before God.
It was mentioned this morning in connection with the meaning of the name Philadelphia, but I believe the name Laodicea has a significance in its meaning too, because it means the rights of the people and brethren, isn't that what we see around us today in these closing moments of the churches history? Human rights and rebellion against authority are not just practice today. They've been practiced from the Garden of Eden down, but we see how full blown that concept has become.
And human rights is glorified and preached today. It's ingrained in our children from the very earliest days of their schooling that nobody is to tell them what to do. But I think we need to be careful as gathered to the Lord's name, because whatever spirit characterizes the world in any age eventually affects the Lord's people. And brethren, we need to remember that the assembly is not a democracy. It's interesting that in Laodicea the headship of Christ is brought out in connection.
With the new creation, because he's head over all things to the church, which is his body and brethren, he just doesn't want the 1St place. He wants the only place that in all things he might have the preeminence. And when there's some situation arises in the assembly, is it the majority that decides these difficulty? That's the way many in Christendom operate. They take a vote and the majority decides the situation.
Is that the way it is to be with those who profess to be at the Lord's table? Brethren, His authority must be owned and maintained. He must have the supreme authority. And where are we going to get that direction? It's from His word. As we said this morning, he's magnified his word above his name. And so we need to be careful that the spirit of the age, the rights of the people and the people on every hand, and nations asserting their rights, wanting their independence. We need to be careful that that spirit of things does not seep in amongst the Lord's people, because submission is always the key to happiness.
00:25:03
In any sphere of our Christian life, whether it's children to their parents, whether it's in connection with the relationship of wives and husbands, whether it's servants to masters, whether it's to governmental authority and to the supreme authority, the Lord himself, I say submission is always the key to happiness.
You're Speaking of the two dangers of weather plain deer did.
When was it Around 1820? Or was it even before that, that it was clear from the Word of God that man had two natures? That the people from the Reformation know that?
Individuals may have, may have had. I don't. I don't believe though that I.
I can't. I really am not the best one to answer that question.
Well, I know that today there's in Christendom on the whole amongst our brethren and the systems of men. They're ignorant of the two natures.
Like you said, next one what Jim was mentioning.
The tendency toward human rights and.
Democracy and rebellion, I think we have to say, Brother Jim, I think you'll agree with me.
That not only do we have to watch for that, but I really believe we have to confess that it has entered amongst us. We need to confess it before the Lord.
And I really believe it is because.
There is a lack of focusing on the glory and the perfection of the person of our Lord Jesus we live in a day of.
Humanism.
Where man is the center of everything man is the center of.
Everyone's thoughts. That's the way children are taught in school. It's not God, the reference point any longer. It's man fact so much as it becoming the reference point that many people.
The doctrine of humanism is saying that I am God. I determine my future. I'll say where I want to go.
That's humanism and that has affected.
The Christian testimony, more than we like to realize it, has affected us, brethren, and we need to confess it before the Lord and own it. But what really comes to my own soul is the importance, brethren. What is the remedy? For this is to seek in our own souls, to set Christ before our dear brethren, in all his glory, in all his beauty.
When we see the magnitude of the glory of his person, what place do I have?
In relation to it all.
Can I ever talk about my rights?
When I see the Lord Jesus who had every right.
Lay down all his rights and go to the cross to save. How can I dare to talk about my rights? It's because man has become so prominent a figure that this evil has come in to the professing church and we need to set Christ before our souls. And the more he is set forward, the more I really believe.
We will correspondently have our right position.
We are just zeros, brethren, nothing more. There's a big one up front, and that's what counts, that what's, that's what gives all the value brethren. Not the zeros, just the one in front.
Wonderful teaching, I believe, on what we're hearing in Philippians 3.
That brings in both the warning.
And the very blessed position.
A being before God in worship.
It is rather simple. Philippians 3 and verse two says beware of dogs. That's a shameless evil.
That rips and tears the poor sheep. Beware of evil workers. That's false doctrine. There's plenty of that out there. But then the next thing is beware of the concession. And that's what you're talking about. It's rules and regulations. It's trying to fix up the old nature.
00:30:05
And God won't have it. We've got to beware of all these things. They can get into our hearts because we.
Do you have that old nature? And we like to think, I can do something, but there's no fixing up of that. There is the cutting arm. And so it says we are the circumcision, those who have locked off the flash. And then three things which worship God in the Spirit by the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and then it's sealed up, have no confidence in the flesh. The flesh provided nothing. We have a hard time learning that.
There was one word of caution that we need to keep in mind when we think of laodicea.
And what has been referred to a number of times in the ministry that we've had before us relative to the ruin of the testimony, and that is that we're getting descriptions and these epistles of the entire Church of God. And when we speak of judgment beginning at the House of God, we are referring to the outward testimony of the church as a light bearer in the world.
And so when we see of the ruin, we are Speaking of the complete failure of the assembly as a whole.
To reflect the marvelous glory of Christ, and the righteousness of Christ, and the love of Christ, and the grace that came by Jesus Christ. All of this was ruined at the very outset, and what we are seeing in Laodicea and these preceding.
Groups or assemblies to which these letters were addressed is the.
Dribbling down of the stream after the stream has been dammed up.
The stream was damned and the water stopped flowing when.
The assembly of Ephesus left his first love and where, as we just heard this afternoon, the heart is not right, there is going to be failure. And So what we are talking about is the history of the drawing up of the stream after the water of blessing has been shut off. And so when we refer to Laodicea into the ruin, we're talking about the whole Church of God. Now we did have a wonderful presentation.
Of reprieve that God granted in this Philadelphian Assembly.
But even there, beloved, that little company that God called out.
Only had a place in the whole that is drying up as a witness for Christ in the world.
So when we come to Laodicea, it becomes a very nauseous thing that the entire.
The Assembly of God has so failed in its fervor of representing Christ, in its failure to take Christ into its bosom, and it's opening its heart to the world so that as a witness for Christ in the world, it is entirely false witness in contrast to the faithful and true witness that we have brought before us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It gives a wrong impression. It's saying that the world's way of sectarianism is great.
That this principle of clergy and all of this theology and humanism that we've heard about, they're saying this is right.
As a false witness. And so when we were Speaking of the ruined beloved, we were speaking about his failure to represent Christ and to reflect Christ to the world.
Don't you think the character that we're living in is very manifest in?
Verses 15.
And 16.
Lukewarmness. Indifference. Oh, it doesn't matter. You can go where you want to go.
You can have your idea. You can have your thought. We all serve the same God. That's the character that's taught so openly in so many places. The best thing you can do is go out and start a new church. Never do we find such a thing in Scripture.
Indifference. It doesn't matter. Just do what you want to do. You ever run into that kind of thing? It's all over. That's what's nauseous to Christ. It's not the word of God at all.
There's one word I.
Like to add to what you just said, and that is, it's not only indifference to Christ, it is that, but it's the insensibility to the state of being indifferent. As you say, they're saying this is the way it ought to be done. Insensible.
00:35:12
You see that in the book of Malachi?
Because they're where the prophet comes and warns them and speaks faithfully to them as to their condition. When he brings these things very faithfully before them, one by one they always answer by saying, Wherein have we done this? So even when, as you say, they were rebuked for what they were were carrying on with and with their indifference and that which they had allowed that was not of God, there was complete insensitivity to the fact that they were going on with these things.
And it's remarkable that he uses this expression, lukewarmness. Here I don't want to go too far with applications, but up where I come from, in Canada we appreciate a cup of nice hot tea, particularly in the middle of the afternoon. And when I visit my dear brethren in the South, that usually they serve iced tea and both are delicious and refreshing. But to me there's nothing more repulsive than a cup of lukewarm tea. It's good hot and it's good cold.
But it's nauseous when it's lukewarm, and so he uses this expression to show how nauseous and repulsive this indifference and insensitivity is to himself.
We get faithfulness throughout the course of the Lord Jesus, and one thing that was faithful in the Lord Jesus walk was that though he would eat with the Pharisees, he could touch the lepers, He could heal the blind. We don't see him having any contact other than with the Sadducees other than when they came to him and they came against him. There is a tendency in Laodiceanism, Lukewarmness.
Latituditarianism to be indifferent.
With regard to separation from evil, on ecclesiastical grounds, we're talking about the grounds of separation because there have been those that have left the ground of the truth. They now oppose the ground of the truth, and we can't really walk with them. And yet they want, well, we're brethren too. We love the Lord. And then there's a tendency, well, we have to be friendly and kind to one another. There's separation from evil requires us to be devoted to the person of Christ, and it has to be weighed in my heart.
Before him, the Lord Jesus.
What is faithfulness to Christ requires me to be separated.
Even when it comes to natural ties, even when it comes to dear, dear friends that I love very much, because they won't, not with a repose themselves to the one who is faithful by leaving where he is in the midst.
Just like pass on a statement that was conveyed as to the last four of the churches, that each one comes out of the previous church. And I think that's an important point. And it's an important point to realize that Laodicea comes out of Philadelphia, that the rejection of Philadelphian truth really the enraptured heart with Christ.
The Like we have the midnight crying. Matthew 25 That's Behold the Bridegroom. In Mr. Darby's translation is not Behold the bridegroom comment, but behold the bridegroom Christ.
Meant everything to them. Now I I would just like to say the first two of the churches, thy tyrants, artists were our identifiable bodies. The last two we have moral characters.
And brother and I would just like to say I agree and concur with the statements that have been made. But I think there is a danger in each heart to say that I am rich and increased goods and have need of nothing. The spirit of self, of self in each heart is something that Christ finds nauseous and.
We have spoken, Brother Henry referred to the those that have left and there is was a a judgment of God on the assemblies. But if you'll excuse me there has been a judgement on.
Us who have remained in the place where the Lord has said his name, and we need to have a sensibility of that as well.
00:40:02
That we would have that individual communion with Christ, though I might Sup with him and he with me. That we would have. That I trust you'll excuse me, but I I just really fear sometimes that because this is a pervasive spirit, there is a side to lay to see. It is materialism. It is a Christ Jesus, not of the Bible. It's a Jesus of the world.
It's a Jesus that the New Age movement can embrace, but not the Jesus of the Bible. That's one aspect of Laodicea. It is also a moral state, and he says to buy gold and ISAB. There's discernment needed. And I think it's striking if you reflect on the fact that Sampson, as a fallen Nazarite, had his eyes put out. There was a lack of discernment and he had his eyes put out.
And yet God comes in our hearts. It's the servant saith in his heart, while Lord delayeth his coming. It's in our hearts where the.
Corruption of self, of the pride of place, the pride that we have.
Found ourselves in the place where the Lord has said his name? No, It is as much a work of the spirit of God to gather a soul as it is to save a soul. We have a responsibility, and we need to act on it and walk before God. But if you'll excuse me, there is, I think, a danger of thinking of Laodicea is out there in the systems of men and Laodicea. You and I could be gathered to the Lord's name and be as much a laodicean as someone sitting.
In a system of matter.
Chapter 4 that may well bear on what we're talking of.
Ezra 4 and verse one. Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity build of the temple under the Lord God of Israel, then they came to the rubble and to the chief of the Father.
And said unto them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God as ye do.
And we do sacrifice unto him, since the days of Isarhat and king of Asher, which brought us up, hit her.
There was that temptation to allow these others.
To come in and build with them, but there had to be separation.
And the Spirit of God tells us they were the adversaries. Now to go on but the rubble.
And Joshua and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God, but we ourselves together will build under the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weaken the hands of the people of Judah, and trouble them in buildings.
There needs to be entire separation from anything that is tainted with the world.
Here are these were adversaries. They weren't true invites at all, they professed to me, but they weren't. They were not true infra lights.
If they wanted to merge with them when that didn't work, well, we'll just weaken them. Good morning, Lord.
Most interesting if you go back to where those adversaries claim their origin and look where the King of Assyria transplanted them from.
All five places have a very very.
Degenerative origin every the meaning of every name is is a bad influence.
Will the Lord ever God out of his mouth?
The warning here, it isn't done yet. We'll be gone when this takes place. Don't you think so?
Out of the mouth of the Lord, as I understand it from what I've been taught by my brethren, is the rejection of the assembly as His witness in the world, very much along the same line that Israel was rejected as His witness in the world if we turn to the 11Th of Romans.
00:45:08
What word of warning do we get that if he who spared not the natural branches?
Well, let's turn back to Romans 11 and look at that, because I'm not doing a good job of memory here.
But this is exactly what.
We're reading in our chapter of the Spewing out of the mouth is in Romans 11 verse.
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, that's Israel rejected.
As a witness of God in the world and the responsibility of government turned over to the Gentiles.
And thou, being the wild olive tree, is the assembly.
Principally of Gentiles grafted in among them.
And with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree. That's the blessing that came to the Gentiles when God set Israel aside and took up the gospel of His grace to call out the assembly for his name.
Boast not against the branches, But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee thou will say Then the branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off.
Thou standest by faith, be not high minded, but fear. For if God spared not the Brattle branches, take heed, lest he also spare not leave. So really what we are looking at in our chapter is the assemblies as a whole being so unfaithful in its witness, as a representation of Christ in the assembly, that it has to be rejected as that witness.
And then God turns again to Israel and takes them up, as we know He will after the church is raptured. So the spewing out is not a matter of the rejection of individuals, certainly not, but it is the witness, being so unfaithful that it can no longer be owned as God's witness in the world. And so he comes and takes what is himself out of it, and leaves the rest to go on, so that the apostasy may be developed in the man of sin revealed.
To come in in the 25th verse. That's the very end of the age. And then so all Israel shall be saved. Then he brings them in the blessing again. So the judgments in the next part of the book from chapter 6 on compare in my thinking to the spewing out of his mouth of false Christendom. It's a nauseous thing to him. She gets a horrible judgment. Chapter 17 and 18.
There may be a thought in Ezekiel 10.
And verse 18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house and sit over the cherry of hims.
We find there not to read the chapter The Glory of the Lord departing from the temple.
And gradually with over the city and then up over the mountain, it leaves Israel. But then in Ezekiel 43.
Verse one after he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east, and behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east.
So we find there the glory returning to Israel.
And that's what we have in Romans 11.
Israel will be restored, that is the remnant, but we never find the church is restored to her original place. We're simply taking the glory.
The heavenly.
Entity and gets that glory and her witness on the earth is gone and the Ruin comes out and is judged. The Book of Esther takes that up too, doesn't it?
And the Gentiles didn't show their glory. Vashti was removed and Esther was put in her place. That's the bringing in of the the the Jews, Israel into blessing in the coming millennial age. And we'll have our part in the heavenly side of that Kingdom.
Oh last, fortunately, God will deliver me and preserve unto his heavenly Kingdom. All is going to be on the heavenly side of the Kingdom. You and I are too. So that's that heavenly city that we read about.
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Chapter 21 Well, that's a Long Ways from Laodicea.
Gentiles blessed during the Millennium, and I think it's good to see on this basis because it's the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in which God said, I will give you the Gentiles for an inheritance. We're part of that right now because the church is pretty much a Gentile figure, and here it is. We'll get to be ushered into that blessing on the heavenly side. But right now he's speaking to us on our hearts about the lay of the secret.
Oh, what about that?
Principle. I've heard you preach on Elijah.
And the verse.
How long halt he between two opinions? If the Lord be God, serve him. If they'll serve him. Now that's that's gospel preaching. But here the Lord says, I want to know how far we can come and find a parallel. I would that thy works were I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would work cold overhaul. I think we heard a good explanation of that. And possibly we're not getting the same thing in.
That case of Elijah, But there he says. How long holds he between two opinions? Do you think we ought to halt between our opinions of who we're going to serve today? We've got some work to say on that, Bob.
Definitely not.
And.
It's Laodiceanism. Is is just that, isn't it? It's it's neither one nor the other.
What Jim had to say is worth considering and I think is beautiful. I have wondered too if cold or hot. Cold means definitely against Christ and hot for Christ.
That.
I'm not sure that I can say definitely which it is, but instead of being in that intermediate undefined territory, the Lord says I would that thou Wert cold or hot.
He would prefer other than being lukewarm.
Coldness.
Or hotness, but not lukewarmness. There's more hope for one who is cold than there is the one who is Luke warm, right? You can reach somebody perhaps that's cold easier than you can somebody that's indifferent and lukewarm.
Lack of definition between cold and hot. If one is cold, he is against Christ.
If he's hot, he's for him. But where there is not, where there's neither, then the testimony goes out as an uncertain sound. But there's no uncertain sound with a cold mind, he said. I don't have anything to do with it. As we heard yesterday, you'd rather have Iowa than heaven. That's cold. So the danger is giving an uncertain sound and giving a false witness to the world.
Is there not a far greater danger?
Drawing others away.
When they're that lukewarmness, that profession with no actual reality, I believe there is first they'll leave somebody that refuses Christ completely alone.
And they may not like those that are out note for Christ, but they'll go along and be drawn away with those that are lukewarm.
Would you say, Brother Bob, that in the thought of the warmness we could bring in neutrality? And if so, perhaps you could give us a word on that?
Go ahead, Jim. Well, I I'm just thinking of it in this connection because I don't believe you'll find in scripture neutrality and Christianity. It's one or the other. Just read the book of Proverbs. In that connection, things are righteous or unrighteous. It's good or it's evil, it's right or it's wrong. And I believe in Christianity. There's no neutrality with God and those who seek to take a neutral position.
I don't believe can ever find scripture to justify it. I'd like to hear what some others have to say on that.
00:55:06
Another thing that impresses me is that while there is this indifference as to the person of the Lord Jesus, his glory, really like you say, when he is presented in the right way, there is no place for neutrality. Either you're for or you're against. There is no ground to stand on in between. There absolutely is not, but that's the way that the enemy is combating.
The true Christian witness in the day we live in is by that indifference. You believe that way, Jim? OK, it's fine. I have my own ideas and anything goes. Your idea is as good as mine, brethren. It's not my idea. It's not your idea. We have to lay those things completely aside. It's Christ's precious word that must be supreme.
In our lives, it's something that goes right along with that attitude of indifference to Christ.
Is the self approving?
Judgment that Laodicea makes of itself.
Self complacency, brethren. This is something that really hits home to my own soul, and I think we need to let the light of scripture really search us here. Self complacency because thou sayest they are making their own judgment of where they are.
O brethren, may the Lord spare us. Thou sayest I am rich, I am increased with goods. I have need of nothing. This is their own estimation of what they are, and it's pretty good what they think of themselves. May the Lord deliver us from this attitude, brother, especially as it relates to the truth of being gathered to the Lords name.
Thank God, I truly believe that there is a place, as has been clearly stated in these meetings.
Where we can gather to his precious name. But brethren, may the Lord give us, in speaking about that not to speak in a in a way that makes us self complacent.
May it be always as we speak of it, that it leaves us in exercise of soul as to what is due to the glory of his name.
That's the true effect of proper ministry, not.
Ever to make a self complacent, but to exercise the heart.
Times 2 we feel that we are going to be a help to our brethren by taking a neutral position. But I've enjoyed in connection with Joshua when he addressed the people of God he said choose you this day whom you shall serve. But he didn't stop there. He said, But As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. He made that statement before the people of God had an opportunity to respond to the 1St to the 1St admonition. But he said as it were whatever the people that you do, whatever the people of God do, I'm going to take a firm stand and follow the Lord.
And sometimes I fear that we feel in taking a neutral position, we're going to help two parties that seem to be at a variance. But Brethren, a double minded man, is unstable in all his ways. And as I look at my dear older brethren, I have appreciated those who have taken a real stand. As the people of God go through trials and difficulties and tests collectively, those who take a real stand there are tremendous blessing.
And an encouragement. And in the world, the principle in business is that you're always an arbitrator. And those of us who have been in business can appreciate this a little bit perhaps because in business, you're always trying to bring two parties to an agreement. You're trying to keep the office staff happy with the warehouse staff and the salesman happy with the customer and so on. And to do that, you have to bring two parties to a compromise to the lowest common denominator.
But, brethren, we need to be careful that we don't introduce those principles amongst the Lord's people and in the assembly. Because I say again, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. And I fear that those who have done that have been little or no help to the people of God. And God honors those who will take a stand in a day of ruin in a day of weakness. We'll take a stand when the test comes. And just like Daniel, he took that stand at the very beginning.
01:00:14
And it was a tremendous blessing and encouragement to his three friends.
We're told to buy the truth and sell it not And here in verse 18 it says, I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire. Here is the remedy for this neutral position that we might feel or be infected with.
Gold right in the fire is certainly.
Righteousness gotten from the one who gives it.
Oh, says, not having my own righteousness.
Which is with the law. But that which is of Christ, we've got to have that righteousness to be in the right place, and we should know that we're there.
And then there's riches in that place, because we have the person.
Divine When we have that divine righteousness, then that produces practical righteousness. Doesn't know, yes.
Personal pronouns to which the Lord referred to himself so many times to Philadelphia. Where do we notice that this righteousness comes from?
By me so it is as we are occupied with Christ.
Who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. There is the source where we can recover or be spared from the noxious weed of laodiceanism in our own hearts. In the midst of the gathered few, it's by of me. Righteousness dried in the fire. He went through the fire, didn't he? He bore the judgment of God.
And is at the right hand of God. What does he say in John chapter 16?
Righteousness. Because I go to the Father. There is where we see righteousness at the right hand of God. Serve God in faithfulness and obedience. Walk independence and submission to God. It ends up in the glory. So it's by of me. Righteousness right in the fire.
What's the thought of buying? How can you buy righteousness?
By web.
Yes.
Oh ye the thirst, come ye to the waters.
Saying Can you buy wine and milk without money and without price? No one.
So it's it isn't that It's bought with, not with money. But it's a transaction, isn't it? It's a it's a it's a spiritual transaction.
Let us go forth therefore unto him without the count bearing his reproach. These are things that are part of the price, I believe, of the gold buying the gold of Me.
We have the verse by the truth and sell it not.
I believe that bears out what her brother just said. There's going to be a price to pay. If we're going to seek to follow Christ as we should, there will be a price to pay. But he is indeed the righteousness.
Last year, I've heard several times.
Kind of an analysis.
To explain a little bit of what happened to us amongst us.
And is concerning buying the truth. We have been a little bit relaxed in teaching the truth and practicing it.
And God has looked at us.
And a generation must come up.
The poo apparently hadn't bought the truth.
I hope I'm right saying this, and it certainly has taken place and the Lord, as it were looking down, says.
I'm going to make them buy the truth.
And when you buy the truth, you have to pay for it, and bearing his reproach.
Is a part of it and suffering persecution and getting these things.
Into the mind and into the harvest Henry brought before us, and living in them and living Christ is buying the truth. What do you say to us, Henry? You've got something good to say.
01:05:13
And I was thinking of what Brother Don was seeking to bring before our hearts and.
We realize in our soul that Laodicea.
Was an assembly that Paul had great conflict for.
I believe in its origin. It answered every bit to Philadelphia.
But as time went on, you know there in Colossians, Paul says read the letter from.
Colossi, that from Laodicea. That probably was the Epistle to the Ephesians. They were unquestionably, I believe, in a very good state of soul, one that would probably be indistinguishable.
From Philadelphia.
But here in our verses it isn't Philadelphia, it's Laodicea. And it has come out of Laodicea, I think of Saul when he is there. And in Getty with David.
All that that experience of Saul did because he said I am an increase with goods and I don't have need of anything he had acquired for himself. Everything.
All that experience that Ingetti did for him was to have his garment removed and the nakedness of his shame exposed to all.
Now I would like us to think of this goal tried with fire in respect to.
Responsibility for that is what you have. I don't think we should introduce the thought of eternal life. I think in the sense of Laodicean and the warning here in each of the churches it says Let if any man have ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith not to the church.
But to the churches. Everyone of these seven assemblies has a word for us as believers. And there is an aspect of our life that I, as a believer and an assembly that had a good beginning, formed by God, can be spewed out of Christ's mouth as a lamb bearer or a star. The star and the lamps. They don't have life.
We've known a brethren.
We've come under and Brother Buchanan and you who are older, remember the stories. And I don't remember the names of who went to visit them. But he said. The brother said, don't pray for me. It's a sin unto death. The Lord is going to Take Me Home. The assemblies that we knew once somewhat prosperous assemblies are gone from the face of the earth. All seven of these assemblies are gone from Asia.
God has removed the Candlestick, but in First Corinthians chapter 3.
There's verse 12, and it's speaking about what we are doing in this position as being identified with the House of God, the Assembly of God.
Now if any man build upon this foundation goal.
That's gold tried with fire.
Notice if he builds of the other material. It says in the end of verse 13 for the fire shall try every man's work. What sort it is? Well, I believe the gold.
Is already tried with fire. It's been proven acceptable to God and a life ordered and in subjection to the word of God, whose heart is attached to Christ. He's going to build on this foundation with gold that has already been tried with fire. But it's going to cost us to do that. And we don't want to build wood and stubble because when this day a fire comes.
01:10:04
It's going to manifest that we didn't have the gold, We weren't building with the gold, so I would just offer those few thoughts.
After a revelation in that coming day when umm, we have had.
1St Corinthians 3 as past, And then we are at the marriage supper of the Lamb, verse 8 of Revelation 19 Speaking of the Well, verse seven, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him.
For the marriage of the lamb has come, and his wife had made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, or the fine linen is the righteousness says should be the righteous deeds of the Saints. I believe that.
That we're sending up, as it were today, material for that garment individually and collectively and the so.
The righteousness, the righteous deeds of the Saints is what God is taking cognizance of in the present day for the coming garments of the wedding garments.
Wonder if there is something in Laodicea following right on we have for Philadelphia in Second Timothy 2. Timothy has said, said to Timothy the same commit vow to faithful man who shall be able to teach others. Also, I think of a passage in Deuteronomy 11 Speaking of Israel, but I believe it can apply to us.
Deuteronomy 11 and verse 18. Therefore shall ye lay up these by words in your heart.
And in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. Believe that's for me, and ye shall teach them your children. Speaking of them, when thou sinnest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou lie us down, and when thou risest up, there it is for my family.
And thou shalt write them upon the doorpost of thine house.
And upon thy gates that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children.
In the land which the Lord, swear unto your fathers to give them as the days of heaven.
Upon the Earth. Now we find the sequel to it in Judges.
Believe it's Chapter 2.
Judges 2 and verse.
Seven And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua.
All the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord.
That he did for Israel now in verse 10. And also all our generation were gathered under their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
Oh, do we not have a responsibility to faithfully pass all these precious truths?
That are very entrusted to us. If there had been painful of in carrying out Deuteronomy 11, how could a generist arise, which do not the Lord to speak to my own heart?
19 first before we brought out.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.
Then exhortation Be zealous, therefore, and repent.
That fit into our picture today.
01:15:01
Does the Lord love us?
Is he rebuking us?
Really exercise my own heart and conscience before God.
That is, that when we go back and see the same history of Israel in the Old Testament, we see a moral history that has its parallel to the history of Christianity in the earth. It has its parallel to what we see in the history of the seven churches as an expression or picture of the history of the church. And that is.
In Ezra's day, there was a restoration.
Not the total, but there was a restoration of the people of God to again be in the land, to be in and occupy the city of Jerusalem, and to have the sacrifices in the temple for them. But there's declension from that point on to the end of the history of the people of God, and it came out of not Israel, not those that were they them.
Others, etc. But it was from within that that declension came. And so Ezra Day is a high point, but if you go to Nehemiah Day it drops down and there's no longer that affection for the Lord Jehovah that caused the people to respond to the Lord without rules and regulations to maintain an outward thing. And so Nehemiah has to come in.
To try and maintain things, and he does so. But the heart isn't what it was. And the saddest to me book in the whole of the Old Testament is written to that remnant of people. It was the remnant that came back, and it's in its Malachi. It wasn't written to Israel. It wasn't written to others. It was written to those that were restored and had enjoyed the tremendous value of that place.
But every generation thereafter it came down until it came to Malachi's day and to the point where the Lord opens it up and he says, I love you.
But what was the response? The insensitivity to their state was so bad that they say we're in hast thou loved us? And so the Lord here to Malachi, or I mean to those who Laodicea, has to repeat the same exhortation. And to me there's a solemn warning in it for his brethren to be careful to take to heart what's said in Laodicea, and avoid for our own benefit.
What may be true in its place?
But for our benefit, we need to be careful not to just apply this to the word they as if it was someone else that needed this word of exhortation. I think it's Brother Potter who said lukewarmness is a heart divided between Christ and the world. I'll repeat that. It's weighed on my soul tremendously. Lukewarmness is a heart.
Divided.
Between Christ and the world. And what's being exposed here is the state of the heart.
He saw their hearts, and he saw in their hearts that which had been Philadelphian. Tremendous it was. But it was now linked with the old man, the world. And so when the Lord introduces something and he tells his own character.
To each of the seven churches. And then he judges the state based against that. And so it was the beginning of the creation of God. And what had happened, They were now bringing in their hearts the world and mixing it with Christ. And the consequence was a lukewarmness. There was a tendency for us to want to have the broad things of the world.
And enjoy our place before God on the Lord's day. And it's nauseous to the Lords. We can't. We want to have the entertainment of the world. We want to have the good things of the world, the things that Christ at the cross died. Because Adam, or I should say Cain, after he had sinned, he went out from the presence of the Lord and tried to make this world a pleasant place to live in.
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And that's what happens when the spirit of Philadelphia becomes Laodicea. That is, the heart wants something of the world. It wants Christ as well. And the two mixed together produce a Luke warm heart. And the Lord says, I can't have that as a testimony for me in the earth. And so it's the final state of the church, and I believe it springs out of the working of God's grace.
To restore to his people the truth as to his place and position.
But then when there isn't the maintenance of it, when the when that place of his having a place on our breast is not there, then our Philadelphian desires really become a Laodicean state.
168.