Address—Jim Hyland
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
89 And which one? The blue one. OK.
Nsnoise.
Nsnoise.
All right. I'd like to also sing him out of the little flock, 200 and 10210.
00:05:24
And it was.
Everybody.
'S pride.
Go ahead with these charts that we've been looking at. We looked at the first two charts yesterday and we spoke a little bit of our position and responsibility as being here in this world, but not of it. But now I want to go on and look at the next circle, and that is the circle that is labeled the great house. And if you will turn to your third chart in your set, you'll see, and I might just say this, that these are just illustrations, these circles.
Perhaps they don't convey the complete thought, but they're just circles that perhaps will help us to picture and understand a little bit clearer our position and responsibility in these different spheres that we are taking up. Because as we said yesterday, if we don't understand our position, what God has brought us into, or where we we are in these different spheres and at different time frames in our history, then we're not going to be able to act and react.
In a proper way, as those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
So we want to talk a little bit about what is labeled the Great House And to get this we'll go first of all to second to First Timothy just to get a little contrast, and then we'll go to second Timothy where he takes up this subject. But before we go to Second Timothy, I want to read in first Timothy chapter 3.
First Timothy chapter 3 and verse 14.
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Now when we go on to the next circle, we're going to speak of the church.
And here I read in one Timothy, because in one Timothy the church is brought before us as the House of God. Not the great house that we're going to notice in notice in the second Epistle, but it simply brought before us as the House of God. Those of you who were here last year will perhaps remember that we had a series of charts on the church, and we took up various aspects of the Church of God, and one of the aspects we took up was the aspect of the Church of God as the House of God.
And in each aspect that the church is brought before us in the New Testament, there is again responsibility and reaction connected with it. And what we learn from this verse, these verses we read here, is that when it comes to the House of God, it has to do with our responsibility as to the truth of God and our behavior as being part of the House of God. How thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God.
00:10:24
And when it talks, when it says behave ourselves in the House of God, it's not just talking about how we behave or act when we come to meeting.
It's a far broader statement than that, because if we were to go over to the book of Hebrews, chapter 3 and verse six, we won't turn to it, but in chapter 3 of Hebrews and verse 6.
It tells us that we are the House of God. We are in the House of God, and we are part of the House of God. Whether we are at meeting, whether we are in our own homes, whether we are at work, whether we are at the mall, wherever we are, we are the House of God. We're the building of God. We'll talk about that a little bit, too, but we are the House of God, which means that there is a behavior, a conduct that is in keeping.
With being the House of God, no matter where we are. Now, don't misunderstand me. There is a conduct that is in keeping with the special privilege of coming collectively into the presence of the Lord. Whether it's for breaking a bread, whether it's for assembly, prayer, ministry of the Word. We need to be conscious that we're coming collectively into the presence of God or presence of the Lord Jesus on Lord's Day morning, or whenever else. There are times scheduled where the assembly is together as gathered to the Lord's name, but nevertheless.
What Paul was telling Timothy here is there is a conduct, there's a behavior that is in keeping with each believer being part of the House of God. Now having said that, now we want to go to the second epistle and we're going to read in the second chapter, Second Timothy, chapter 2.
Just a little helpful comment before I read this and comment specifically on our subject.
When I was a young person, an older brother made a comment in a meeting that I never forgot and it's helped me to understand the difference between 1St and 2nd epistles. We know that some of the epistles are have a first and a second like Corinthians like Timothy, Thessalonians and so on. You know there's even the 2nd epistle to the Ephesians, not written by the same person, penned by the same person. But we have Paul writing to the Ephesians.
And then John writes another epistle to the Ephesians in Revelation chapter 2. That's really the 2nd Epistle to the Ephesians. And I say that because Second Epistles, and this is the comment that was helpful to me. Second Epistles always denote days of weakness and failure. In the first epistle you have set before the Saints of God that which is according to God's mind and the truth of God that.
He desires that we would walk in and then when we come to the second epistle we find that it always has to do with some failure in keeping or walking in the truth that is brought in before us in the first epistle. So just as an example, in Ephesians you have wonderful truth as to the heavenly calling of the believer, our position we're seeing in Christ, we're chosen before the foundation of the world.
There's wonderful truths as to our position and responsibility brought before us.
But when you come to the second epistle of Ephesians in Revelation chapter 2, why they left their first love, and in fact so much so that they had everything in order. They were either even in Ephesus able to to detect the false apostles, but they had started on a course of things that I believe collectively the Church has never recovered from. It's possible and we should be in the individually in the enjoyment of first love, but as far as historically, the Church has never collectively.
Returned to that So second epistles always denote days of failure and days of weakness, and it's no different with this second epistle of Timothy. And I think you'll see this as we read some scriptures and comment on it. So Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 19. Nevertheless, the foundation of God stand ashore, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
00:15:11
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord.
Out of a pure heart. So we see very quickly here he's introduced the subject of the Great House. Because what has happened between First Timothy and Second Timothy is that in the course of time, the professing Christian testimony has become a mixture of those who are really saved, those who are part of the true Church of God, the House of God, and those who simply make a profession.
Those who say they are real, but they are not, You know, there are many people today who are going to go to a place of Christian worship. They may sing some hymns, they may say or recite prayers. They may listen to the word of God read. They may say some wonderful things. But whether they are believers, true believers, true children of God or not, as he says here, the Lord knoweth them that are His. So in this circle on our chart, I've drawn A dotted line down the middle. I've put reality that's real believers on one side.
And profession? That's those that take the name of Christ in one way or another.
But they may not be truly saved. The reason I put a dotted line and not a solid line is again, and I I know these are just perhaps not clear illustrations, but the point is that it isn't always distinguishable. And what Paul was telling Timothy is you can't always distinguish who is real and who is not. You know, in one of the parables the Lord told, He told about, wait, that that is the seed being sown.
He told about seed falling in different ways on different types of ground.
And there was seed that fell on Stony ground. And it's when the disciples asked what it meant, he said it was those that Anon with joy receive the word, and they sprung up. And there were leaves, and it looked good. It looked like there was reality. But when the sun came out and circumstances were brought to bear on those leaves, they withered and and wilted away. Why? Because there was no root. There was nothing under the soil. The root would speak of true repentance, and there had been no true repentance.
Like again, it all looked good on the surface. You couldn't tell initially which plants had root and which ones didn't. But circumstances were eventually brought to bear because the Lord knows them that are his. And there are many believers that I have had to say are many. I'm sorry, there are many who have professed Christianity, and I have had to say to myself, I can't judge.
But the Lord knows them that are His. There are those who've made a good start, and they've.
Perhaps gone into things that you say are where they really believers or not. Well, again, only the Lord knows. And so in a great house, not just the House of God. But it's a broader sphere of things. It's what we sometimes call Christendom professing Christianity, and often one is brought into the great house through baptism. You know, when a person is baptized.
They take the name of Christ in an outward way, but it has nothing to do.
With what is inward Now having said that, it is wonderful when a person is saved like the Ethiopian eunuch that they want to take the name of Jesus outwardly. God always gives us a way that we can give expression to what's in our hearts. But I am afraid that there are many who have had the name of Christ placed on them outwardly. They're part of professing Christianity, they're part of the Great House, but there's no reality inwardly.
What makes a person a child of God is the fact that they have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior. There's been repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and their sins are gone and they're washed in the in the blood of Christ. And so there's this great house. Now. He uses this illustration of a great house here with different vessels, different containers.
00:20:28
Now most of you have had an opportunity to help with the dishes in the kitchen. And if you haven't yet, believe me, you still will. And so you realize that there are vessels that have been put out to serve the various meals, vessels of different sizes, vessels that are made with different things and vessels that are used in different ways. You know, the ladies have used vessels.
That you never saw this side of the kitchen. They weren't put on the table because they were vessels that were used for cooking, for holding things in the kitchen that were then transferred to another vessel before they were put on the table and so on. And the point of this passage is this not so much what the vessel is made of now There are vessels, as he says, of wood and of earth and of gold and of silver.
But what makes a vessel here useful?
Is not so much what it's made of, but how clean it is, the fact that it's been sent, cleansed and sanctified. So what makes the vessels out in the kitchen, in the dining room useful is not necessarily what they're made out of, but whether they've been washed, whether they're clean or not. Because all the vessels we've used this weekend in this facility are not all made from the same thing.
There's been pots and pans made of aluminum or iron. There's been.
Cups and and plates and bowls that are made of porcelain. There's been paper cups and Styrofoam cups. There's been glass pots that hold the coffee. What made those vessels useful, what they were made out of? No, now what they were made out of made them useful for various things. We didn't try to serve fruit in a coffee pot. We didn't try to cook oatmeal.
In one of the the in a wooden bowl. No, you'd have a problem if you did that. But again, what, and I want to stress this, what made the vessels useful was their their cleanness. Now you think about you who've done dishes. You think about this. When I was a boy, we used to have to do the dishes and let me illustrate it this way and see if I get it right. So on one side of the counter there's a pile of dirty dishes, just like The Dirty dishes were pushed through the window here.
And then someone, myself or my sister would stand at the sink and wash those dishes.
And then put them back with The Dirty dishes.
Not a chance. If we did that, those dishes would not be ready to be used again. No, When the dishes were washed, they were set aside or sanctified, and to be sanctified is simply to be set apart. And so they were sanctified in the dish rack on the other side of the sink. And often that's where I stood, to dry them and put them away. And once those dishes were washed.
And set apart, they were ready to be used for the preparation or the service of the next meal. And I believe this young people, that what we learn here is that every one of us have a different capacity and a different use. But every one of us can be useful in the service of God. Even in this mixture of profession and reality, even in the great House, we can all be useful in the service of God.
Only in the measure in which there is personal cleanliness and sanctification. I'm not talking about being cleansed from our sins. That took takes place once and for all. You know, in the Old Testament, when the priest served, the first thing that had to happen is they had to come to the door of the Tabernacle and they had to be washed all over and the blood had to be applied. But that never happened again.
But what they did have to do from day-to-day and time and time again, was to come to the labor that held the water. And they had to wash their hands and their feet because they picked up in their service for the Lord. And as they moved around the wilderness, they picked up the defilements of the wilderness. And the things that that soiled their hands and feet had to be washed probably many times a day. And so it's the washing of water by the word, and it's separation from that which is evil.
00:25:33
If you and I go on.
With that which is not according to the holiness of God, we're not going to be prepared.
To every good work, what prepares us is personal holiness and and sanctification, and so we're to flee. That which is is, is unholy. So if you notice verse 21, if a man therefore purge himself from these, from what? It's not a question again of the gold and silver being real and the wood and the earth being not real. I don't believe that the point of this passage is it's.
Separation from that which defiles its separation from E from evil. You know a wooden salad bowl is just as useful in its capacity as an aluminum pot.
A a crystal goblet and a a Styrofoam cup or a or a ceramic mug are both just as useful, but in their proper capacity, and so it's not a question again of what the vessel is made of.
But is it clean? Is it pure? And so I want to encourage us as we leave here. You know, it's wonderful to be here at camp, to be all together, to enjoy fellowship. We've been separated from the world to a certain degree. But when we go back home, if we want to be useful vessels, it says be clean, that they're the vessels of the Lord. Everyone of us that know the Lord Jesus are a vessel of for, for, for the for the Lord. Now just say this too before we pass on. I don't believe in scripture. We are ever.
Ju uh. We ever have a scripture that would teach us to separate from true believers?
OK, think about that and then I'll qualify it. We never have a scripture that would encourage us or tell us to separate from true believers. However, we are to separate from that which is evil. And if that means there are true believers I cannot go on in full fellowship with, then I have to be, let's say so be it. If there are vessels I cannot go on in fellowship with because of defilement.
Then so be it. And so that I believe that's the point.
Of this, of this passage, So one thing that makes us in the great House of profession and reality, one thing that makes us useful is separation from evil, personal purity in our lives. But there is also something else that makes us useful, and I want to go on to the third chapter now.
Chapter 3 and verse 14.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of.
Knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures.
Which are able to make the wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. So in the chapter before we have separation from evil that makes the vessel sanctified and meet for the master's use, prepared the good work. But here we have something else.
Now you'll notice that the apostle in exhorting Timothy in this epistle and where we began reading here in this 14th verse.
It's very individual, and that's another characteristic of second epistles, and it's a it's characteristic of the last days. The last days in Scripture are always characterized by individual faithfulness, and God desires that there would be individual faithfulness. Now, there is a collective side of things too that goes on to the end, and we'll speak of that probably in our next meeting this afternoon.
00:30:03
But nevertheless, there's always the exhortation. When there's a mixture of profession and reality, there's a lot of stuff that's introduced that isn't according to the mind of God. It's a question of individuality. You know, it's interesting that when the Lord Jesus came into this world, there was a great deal, as we said yesterday, that was wanting in the sacrifices, the feasts that had been set up in the Old Testament, the rites and ceremonies of the temple and God's order of things laid down for.
His earthly people, Israel, the Jews. But you know that it's very beautiful to see.
That in the Gospels, when the Lord Jesus came, there were individuals who were going on faithfully.
Not many, but there were a few commended. There was Anna and Simeon. There was Zacharias and Elizabeth. There was Joseph and Mary and others because it says there were others who looked for redemption in Israel. But there were those individuals, You know, there was a lot of things they could have criticized. There was a lot of things wanting, but there they were at God's center. They were at Jerusalem, they were at the Temple, and they were going on faithfully.
And God valued that. And God rewarded them and gave them each a special blessing.
In connection with his coming and and and so on. But here we find, so here we find it's to the individual. Now what I want to point out is again in the chapter before, it's separation from evil that makes us useful. Here in this chapter, it's more the positive side of things. It's the truth of God. It's going on walking in a day of ruin in a day of weakness, in a day of giving up of the truth. It's to individually walk in faithfulness.
According to that which has been established and given at the beginning, you know, there's a question raised in the Psalms. I believe it's Psalm 11 and verse three. It says if the foundation be shaken, what can the are destroyed? What can the righteous do? But we we we didn't pay particular attention, but we we read in the chapter before. In the second chapter the foundation of God stands ashore. You know, no matter how unfaithful we are to the truth of God.
That does not change the truth of God, the foundation truth that was laid at the beginning.
That truth hasn't changed. It stands sure the the the answer to the question if the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Is this the foundation of God standeth? Sure, having this seal, the Lord knows them that are His. And having said that, then we, like Timothy, can go on in that which has been laid down for us at the beginning. Don't look for something new.
Don't look for some new twist to the truth now. It is true, as we have said in these meetings, that we have to have discernment of the times. And there are applications of scripture that perhaps we see more clearly than perhaps brethren of a past of past times. But that doesn't change the meaning and interpretation of scripture. That doesn't in any way take away from the foundation principles. And if they don't change?
Then we can go back and continue in that which we have received from the beginning. So he says, Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. Who did Timothy learn the truth from? He learned it from the Apostle Paul. Now I know he had a godly grandmother and a godly mother, but the truth of Christianity he had learned from the apostle Paul. And Paul says what I've given to you from the Lord.
That hasn't changed, even though, between first Timothy and second Timothy.
There has been a change as far as the outward side of things. It was the House of God and the.
First epistle thought, which was just reality. Now, outwardly it's become this great house with this mixture.
Of profession and reality. But he says go back and act on the on the truth. And then he says all scripture is given by inspiration of God that is not just.
00:35:02
The.
Paul's ministry, but the Old Testament, the other writers, there are actually 8 New Testament writers as well as the Old Testament writers. He says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable and that's why.
If we're going to be useful vessels in the day in which we live, we must have all scripture. We must read our Bibles. You know what? I find it helpful to read a little bit in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, and to some to compare. And sometimes there's books in the Old Testament that go with the New Testament books, for instance, numbers, which brings before us the wilderness journey of the children of Israel.
That's a nice book to read with Philippians, because Philippians is, as we sometimes say, the wilderness book. We're still here in this world on our way to glory, with the goal that Paul was pressing toward before us, Joshua, where they go in to possess the land, a picture of our heavenly blessings and inheritance. It's a good book to read with Ephesians. And so there are books that go together well, but we need all the scripture because we need the Old Testament illustrations and figures and types and foreshadows.
But we'll never understand those unless we have the New Testament doctrines and principles.
Perhaps some of you have heard me use this illustration before, but I'll repeat it. You know, those who know me best know that I'm absolutely useless when it comes to building anything or putting anything together with my hands. Give me something to memorize or write, but don't give me something that I have to figure out.
And sometimes, especially after we were first married, we would buy some furniture or some cabinet or something and it had to be put together. I try to avoid buying something that says on the box.
Some assembly required or if it tells me that they they will put it together for an extra $25, I'm it's it's well worth it. But let me give you this illustration. After we were married, I bought a bookcase and I was ready to prove myself as a new groom. And so I got this bookcase all spread out, all the pieces spread out, the wood and the hardware and everything, and I'm struggling with it and I'm mopping my brow and I get this all together because I'm I'm reading that in 12 easy steps. It goes like this.
And I get it all together. I get the Masonite nailed on the back and I went to put the pegs in for the shelves and the holes were on the outside. The whole bookcase was put together backwards. And Faye came along and turned the page and said, why don't you look at the illustration? It'll help you to understand the 12 easy steps. Now God has given us both. He's given us the illustrations in the Old Testament that help us to understand the principles in the New Testament. So it's like the written instructions in the New Testament, but the illustrations are given to us in the Old Testament.
So he says here all scripture is given by inspiration of God. And then notice verse 17, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. So in the chapter before again separation from evil, personal purity makes prepares us for service for Christ. But we also have to have with personal purity and piety, we also have to have the Scripture. You'll never be able to be thoroughly furnished unto all good work.
Unless you know the scriptures and act upon them.
You know, if we act on some of the scriptures, we'll be prepared unto some good work.
But God wants it more than that. Let me give you a little illustration of story. It's a true story.
There was a young man some years ago and he exercised.
A number of his fellow believers that he knew at work, I believe it was He exercised them about the truth of being gathered to the Lord's name, and he even brought them to a place in his city where this truth was practically acted upon. But you know they were all turned aside. You know why? Because he didn't act upon the truth himself. He came there from week to week, but he was not at the Lord's table. He did not remember the Lord from week to week.
00:40:00
And his friend said, how can he believe this if he isn't acting upon it himself? You see, he wasn't prepared unto every good work. How can a believer that's never been baptized speak of baptism to a new convert and seek to exercise them about baptism if they haven't acted on the truth of it themselves as it is brought before us in Scripture? You see, they're not prepared.
Unto every good work. Now we're not going to turn to it. But before we pass on to the next chart, I just want to use another illustration.
If you were to go back to the 22nd chapter of Luke, you would find there that.
When the disciples were told to go and prepare the Passover for the Lord and for his disciples to eat it on the Passover night, they were given very specific instructions. First of all, they were to enter into the city. Now a city in Scripture generally speaks to us, not always remember the context we talked about yesterday, but generally speaking, a city in scripture speaks to us of this world.
In its confusion without God.
The first mention of a city is Cain. Cain. After he had refused, he sinned and refused to repent, he went out from the presence of the Lord and built a city. We find that after the flood they came to the plain of Shinar and they said, let us build us a city and a tower that will reach to heaven. And it became Babylon again. It's the world in its confusion without God. And so the disciples were told to go into the city.
Just as we are still in this world, as we spoke of yesterday, we're in a place of confusion. But not only were they to go into the city, but they were to go into a certain house. We're gonna liken that house for our purposes this morning to what we've been Speaking of, the Great House, because it was more than just going into the house. When they got to the house, they were not to choose any room, just any room in the house.
Or any other company of Jews that they wanted to associate with that night know when they got to the house they were told to go upstairs and to to to prepare the Passover in a specific room that had been appointed. They might have got to the house and said, you know, the room doesn't have to be so large. There's only going to be a handful of us tonight and we don't need such a large room.
Why do we need to have it upstairs? It'd be a lot easier to have it on the ground floor. They might have decided, you know, there's another group of of God fearing Jews and they're going to keep the Passover in this room if they had chosen any other room in the house, if they had chosen any other company in that house. And I don't want to read more in description than there, but there may have been other very God fearing Jews keeping the Passover in other rooms of the house that night. But if they had chose any other room or any other company.
They could have kept the Passover, that's true, but they would have missed the company of the Lord Jesus. There was only one room in that house where collectively he sat down with his apostles in the midst of his apostles. And I know that it was particularly the Passover supper that was in view there. But the Lord also knew that that was the very spot where he was going to take a loaf and a cup and introduce what we refer to as the Lord's Supper, set aside the Passover supper and introduce that which is in our.
Privilege and will be our privilege.
In a little while this morning if the Lord leaves us here, so again there needs to be that separation.
From that which is not according to the mind of God, if we're going to be useful vessels in the great House of reality and profession. And there needs to be an understanding and an acting on the truth of God if we're going to be prepared to every good work. So that's the great house. Now let's just introduce the next chart in the few minutes that are left to us this morning.
I believe that those of us who were here last year had in our set of charts on the Church.
A very similar chart, if not the same as chart #4. So this will be a little review. You know, they they say in the education system there are three Rs to learning review, review, review. And certainly that's true when it comes to the scripture, you know, there are a number of writers who bring that out. Just give you an example. Peter said. I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things.
00:45:18
Though you know them and you're walking in the present truth, Peter said. Even though you know the truth, and even though you're acting on it, I'm gonna remind you again and again, Paul said to the Philippians, to write the same things unto you. To me is not grievous, and for you it is safe. So we need to go over these things again and again, because they do slip and we forget them. And the enemy's right there too, to distract us from the truth that we have once heard.
And enjoy. So we need to be reminded. Now you'll notice on this chart then this number four, there are two circles. If we were able to physically separate these two circles on the chart, we would have what we find in the Old Testament. That is, we found in find in the Old Testament that with the call of Abraham there became 2 distinct companies on earth.
God called Abraham, and because of Abraham S faith and obedience to the word of the Lord.
And coming out from ur the Cal days, God said that he would build of him a great nation.
And he made Abraham the depository of of a number of promises and blessings. And that nation, as we well know, was the nation of Israel. And so up until Christianity, up until the day of Pentecost on Earth, there were two distinct companies. There were the Jews and the Gentiles. Now let's see this from scripture by going to Ephesians Chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 11.
Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh.
Who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands that at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world. I'm gonna stop there for the moment, because this just brings.
Confirms what we've just said. So he's writing to Gentiles here. The Ephesians were Gentiles. They had not been born.
Inside the nation of Israel. So in the Old Testament, it was by birth.
Up until Christianity, you were born either inside the circle of blessing, you were born a Jew or you were born a Gentile. Now I know in the Old Testament there were some individuals who were brought into blessing by faith and by grace, like Rahab the Harlot, Ruth the Moabitess, and so on. But generally speaking, you were within or you were without. And it was because of the family that you were born in into the nation that you were. You were the nationality that you were born into.
So the Apostle Paul in writing to the Ephesians, he reminds them.
That there was a time before they were saved, that they were outside the circle of blessing. They were without hope and without God in in the world. But now let's go on and see what he says. In verse 13 he introduces a but but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off, that's Gentiles. They were afar off. They were not part of God's purposes in the old. In the Old Testament they had no approach to God.
That is nationally.
But he says that you, you who are sometimes we're a far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Now you'll notice on the chart I've brought these two circles together in the middle there's a football shaped segment and I put the Church of God in that and I put a little cross there to the side because we never want to forget that we are members of the Church of God, whether we were born a Jew or a Gentile.
We now are members of the Church of God based solely on the work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary's cross. It is only because the Lord Jesus died and shed his blood as he says to these Gentile believers in Ephesus. He says to them, you're made nigh by the blood of Christ. It is the fact that the Lord Jesus died and shed His precious blood on Calvary's cross that we can come now.
00:50:29
And be part of the Church of God, and a Jew has to come now in the same way.
You know it was a struggle in the early days of Christianity, and you see this in the Acts and in some of the apostles writings. It was hard on the one hand for a Jew to accept the fact that having been the nation of blessing for so many generations now, the Gentiles could be brought into that same sphere of blessing. Very difficult for them to realize this. And there was a conflict too with the Gentiles.
Being brought in because, as he says here, there was a time when they were at enmity with one another, the Jew and the Gentile. In the Old Testament, they were diametrically opposed to one another. They were, as he says here, at enmity, but now because of the work of Calvary, because of a work of grace, because of the Spirit of God, these two.
Two entities, if I can put it that way, that were once at enmity with one another, are brought together in Christianity in perfect harmony and peace. Positionally, he is our peace when he's talking about He is our peace here. It's not so much the thought of peace in our own souls that results in the work of Calvary and being justified and so on, but it's peace between these two.
Diametrically opposed entities that existed before Christianity and now, and you see it so beautifully in the in the New Testament, when those things were taken care of in the presence of the Lord, and the Spirit of God came in and grace was exercised. Why, you see beautiful harmony and beautiful peace, you know, in the early Acts, in the in the early Christianity, in the Acts.
The Jews wanted to circumcise the Gentiles. They wanted to make Jews out of the Gentiles. And you know, the apostles and the elders, they got together and they discussed the matter, and the Lord came in, and by the Spirit of God they were given direction.
And just read the 15th chapter of Acts when it's brought before the assembly as to the decision that was made in the presence of the Lord and as a result of the work of the Spirit of God. Why? There's no discussion really about it. There's no hashing it and rehashing. It is beautiful harmony. And that would be true in all our interactions with one another if there was that true looking to the Lord and bowing to the Spirit of God and the headship of Christ in our lives. Now go to 1St Corinthians chapter 10.
In Speaking of the church, we're only going to give some very basic, a very basic outline. We can't speak too long of it, because this evening we want this afternoon we want to take up some other aspects of things on the 5th and 6th chart. But just notice to confirm what we're saying in First Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 32 give none offense neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God.
So when Paul wrote to the Corinthians here after the day of of Pentecost and the church was formed on Earth, he recognizes that there are no longer just two groups of people on earth. Not no longer are there just those two circles, the Gentile in one and the Jew and the other. But now he recognizes that there's a third entity and that is the Church of God. So we wanna make it very clear that the Church of God.
Is made-up of saved Jews and saved Gentiles. A Jew and a Gentile have to come in the same way now to receive the blessing and to be part of the Church of God. Hard as it was for a Jew to accept this in the early days of Christianity, it was wonderful for a Gentile to hear that they could be saved by faith in the Lord Jesus based on the work of the of the Lord on the cross.
00:55:09
Tremendous truth to think that those who were afar off are now brought in to this place of blessing. And so there are there are three categories here, The Jew, the Gentile, and the Church of God. You know, we talk about saved Jews and saved Gentiles. Perhaps it's not quite accurate because when a Jew is saved and a Gentile is saved, they become members of the Church of God, members of the Body of Christ.
Where I break bread in Smith's falls gather at the low assembly gathered to the Lord's name. There was he's with the Lord now there was a brother in fellowship there and he was raised a Jew. He was a Jew by birth name was Howard Schechter And Howard was saved as a young man and came to know the truth of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. I like I believe everybody else in Smith falls who was get has been gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
And still is, by the grace of God, I believe was born a Gentile. But when we sat down together at the Lord's table to break bread, we really didn't break bread as a saved Jew and a saved Gentile. No, we broke bread as members of the body of Christ. And so we have the Gentile, the Jew, the Gentile. But now we have this new entity formed the day of Pentecost. Now let's make it very clear.
That the Church was born. The Church began on the day of Pentecost, and not a moment before.
We were to go to Acts chapter 2, and we took it up at some length last year. So for the sake of time we'll just mention a couple of things before we close this morning. But when we go back to Acts chapter two, we find there were about 120 believers who after the Lord Jesus went back to heaven in res in resurrection and ascension. They were waiting in the upper room as they had been instructed to do, and on the day of Pentecost the Spirit of God descended and there was what is called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
And the church was formed. Not only did the Spirit of God come to dwell each individual believer, but the Spirit of God came to to dwell collectively in the Church of God and to link each individual believer by the Spirit of God with one another as well as with their head in heaven.
We never want to forget that that's the head of the body is in heaven. We get that in the book of Colossians. We get it in the book of Ephesians.
And so we're linked together by the Spirit of God.
To our head in heaven, with the Spirit of God dwelling collectively.
In the church, you know, I've heard people say the thief on the cross was the first member of the Church of God.
That is not true. The thief on the cross was the first one who had absolute confirmation.
From the Lord Jesus himself as to where he was going when he left this world.
But remember, the thief on the cross was long in paradise with the Lord before the Church of God.
Was formed. Now there will be many companies in heaven. There will be the Old Testament Saints. There will be children who died before the age of responsibility. They'll be of course the angelic Company and so on. And there will also be the Church of God and the Church of God formed on the day of Pentecost. Is has been added to and and continues to grow in this way. Just in closing, go to Acts Chapter 2 to the end of the chapter.
And just see this for yourself. So the Church of God has been formed.
On the day of Pentecost, brought before us very clearly in the first part of this chapter. And then it says at the end of the chapter.
Just the last part of verse 47 and the Lord added to the church daily.
Such as should be saved, and that is still going on. When someone gets saved today, they are added to the Church of God. They become, as we get in in Peter, a living stone in the Church of God. They're put into the building that God is building, the spiritual building, the spiritual house that God is building.
Those stones are added and you'll find as you go through the Book of the Acts that there is only one church formed and there is only one true church today. You know, when we approach some of the towns and cities that we come from. If you were to come to Smith Falls, where I live, you'd see one of these famous signs. The Churches of Smith Falls welcome you. Why does it say that? Well, it began long ago with, sad to say, many divisions coming in and people having different opinions and so on.
01:00:31
As to how to meet and where to meet. But in Scripture we find only one church, and the Spirit of God in the book of the Acts is very careful to guard this truth. I realize on the day of Pentecost when the church was formed, it was only formed of Jews, but later on in the 8th chapter when the Samaritans are brought in, they are added to that which was already established on the day of Pentecost.
It went right back to what had happened in the Upper Room later on in the 10th chapter, when the Gentiles are brought in through Peter's instrumentality in the House of Cornelius. It goes right back to what had been formed. And on the day of Pentecost, there's no such thing as a Jewish and a Gentile church or a Samaritan church, and there's no such thing as a Jewish hyphen Gentile church or Jewish hyphen, Samaritan hyphen Gentile church.
No, it all goes back to what took place on the day of Pentecost. There is one church I know. Sometimes it speaks like in when he writes to the Saints in Galatia, he says the churches of Galatia. Why? Because there was more than Galatia was a province, and there were different towns and cities within that province where there were believers meeting the church, which is in my house. What does that mean? It's where believers met. There was a home open for the believers to come where they could meet for breaking of bread, prayer and ministry. Acts 12 You have Mary.
The mother of John Mark opening her home for the assembly, prayer, meeting, and so on. But as far as what we have in the access to the Church of God, there is one church on earth and we'll notice it again in Ephesians chapter 4. God looks down and no matter how broken up things are, no matter how fragmented, no matter how confused things are from our standpoint and outwardly speaking, God says there is one body.
Nothing will ever change that because the unity of the Church was never committed to you and to me that is safe in the hand of God and the hand of the Lord Jesus. On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against him.