Address—Steve Stewart
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We start our meeting this afternoon by singing hymn #9999.
On Christ salvation.
Uh-huh.
But I am not a lot. Oh 1 hundred 500.
Oh, oh, oh.
Three.
And everything.
Right.
Just look to our God and Father for his help.
I'd like to start to have on my heart this afternoon from the Gospel of John in the first chapter.
Young brother.
Spoke in fellowship meeting recently that I was at and he took up from.
First chronicles chapter 12 The men who came to David and how there were those that understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do, and there were those who could walk and step with their brethren and keep rank and.
He expressed a concern, uh, how he felt many of his peers, uh, seemed to lack that understanding of the times and lack direction for their souls and to understand why they are where they are and where they are. And you know, as I thought about that, this line of things came before me.
Sometimes questions come up.
And we'd like to answer them connection with the truth of God. But there's no foundation to lay the answer upon.
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And so there are questions in connection with where you are. Dear young brother. Dear young sister.
Here in this meeting perhaps is gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I would like to answer, but we need to lay a foundation first, otherwise there's nothing to lay that answer upon. And so we're going to go back, back, back to the beginning, as John said, that which is from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have looked upon in our hands of handle to the word of life.
That life was manifest and we have seen it and in the Gospel of John chapter one, picking up from verse 31.
John Baptist says. And I knew him not.
But that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John Baer records saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him, and I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him the same as he which baptizeth.
With the Holy Ghost and I saw.
And their record that this is the Son of God. Now let's just turn over and pick up another verse in chapter 3.
Chapter 3 and verse 34.
For he whom God has sent speaketh the words of God. For God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. One more verse in the Gospel of John, chapter 6.
John 6, verse 27.
Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you, for him hath God the Father sealed.
There at the river Jordan, the Lord Jesus.
God Incarnate, the Son of Man come into this, or Son of God come into this world, become Son of Man.
Made flesh and dwelt among us. He came to the river Jordan. And there were those who were had come repenting of their sins, waiting for the appearance of the Messiah that John had said would shortly appear on the scene. And there he comes, There he comes. It says in the Scripture, John did no miracle.
He didn't need to because what he prophesied of immediately took place. The Lord Jesus, of whom he was the forerunner, came on that scene and when John baptized him, says he saw, as we read, the Spirit of God descending. And that shape of a dove, well, what does a dove speak of?
Often used as a symbol of peace. But you know when scripture speaks of purity and you remember that dove that Noah sent out of the window of the ark?
And it didn't find any place for the sole of its foot because there were nothing but dead carcasses floating on the water. The waters hadn't receded and it came back to the ark.
Finally it returned no more after his Senate was at the third or fourth time, because it had a place that could land. It had a place for the sole of its feet all 4000 years. And the Spirit of God came at times upon men and moved them, and holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Spirit of God, and gave us the inspired Scriptures. But the Spirit came and He went.
And he never took up his abode in any one of them.
Though he moved them 4000 years, the Spirit of God found no place, so to say, as he could rest the sole of his foot like that dove that went out of Noah's ark. Till this day at the Jordan River there was a man, and for the spotlessness and holiness of his person, the Spirit of God could take up his abode and that holy man.
The Spirit of God descended down, and it abode upon him.
And he gave the Spirit of God, not by measure unto him, not to come and to go, but he took up his dwelling place in that beautiful, spotless Lamb of God.
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He was sealed by God the Father with the Spirit for your blessing and for vine to become the bread of heaven, that he might give his life for this world. And all that the Lord did as he went through this scene was in the power of the Spirit of God. Great is the mystery of godliness. Paul writes to Timothy. God was manifest in flesh scene of angels.
Justified in the Spirit all that He did in His holy pathway.
Was in the power of the Spirit of God in Romans one we read declared to be the Son of God with power.
By the spirit of holiness. By the resurrection of the dead.
But he went into that for us.
And by that same spirit, by the eternal Spirit, he offered himself without spot to God.
What about after his death? He was raised from the death. He was raised from the death from death by the Glory Father. Let's read in Acts chapter one after he was raised.
Acts 1.
Verse one, the former treatise I've made or Theophilus of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up. After that He, through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles, and he had chosen.
To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs.
Being seen of them 40 days, and Speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God, and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith He, Ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days.
Hence.
There is the Lord Jesus with his own in resurrection, and it says through the Holy Ghost He gave commandments unto them. Raised from the dead, not yet glorified, He still was indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
And he tells them that they were to remain in Jerusalem, for they would be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days from that time. And then the Lord was received back up into glory. He went up in the cloud into heaven. And then we come to chapter 2 of Acts. And it says in verse one, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind.
And it filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as a fire, and it sat on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And so that moment came. The baptism of the Holy Ghost took place. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost. They were accused as they went out to preach of being.
Filled with wine and not the spirit. And Peter explained that that was not the case. And he does that by taking up.
In verse 30 that the Lord Jesus has was the one.
Who God had sent and who he would raise up to sit on David's throne.
Now verse 31, seeing this before, speak of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell or in the grave, neither is flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Wherefore therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this.
Which ye now see and hear.
When the Lord Jesus was received up into the glory and took His place at the right hand of the majesty on high, He entered into a glorified state, not only now in resurrection, but glorified.
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And there in the glory, in that glorified state, God the Father gave to him the Spirit of God.
Which he sent down.
On that day of Pentecost.
And baptize those believers.
The first time the Lord Jesus was given the Spirit of God, it was for the holiness.
Of his person, the second time he was given the Spirit of God was in glory.
Because of the perfection of his finished work and the consequence of his glorifying God at Calvary's cross and in John Chapter 7 we read that he spoke of the Spirit which was not yet sent because that Jesus was not yet glorified. But upon his being glorified, God the Father gave him the Holy Spirit the second time.
And he sent him down, and he baptized those.
Believers.
They didn't know it at the moment.
But something had happened on that day of Pentecost when they were baptized with the Holy Ghost, that they found out later.
I don't think Satan was so slow to apprehend what had taken place on that day, and he began immediately.
Set about.
To destroy what God was doing. But let's read from 1 Corinthians 12 to find out what it was that took place on that day.
1St Corinthians 12.
And.
Verse 12 For as the body is one and half many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have all.
Been all made to drink into one spirit, for the body is not one member.
Buck Many This was what took place on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent down and baptized those believers. They were baptized into one body, all made to drink into one Spirit.
And that baptism of the Holy Spirit formed this entity in this world, the body of Christ.
Now the Lord Jesus we read in Ephesians was raised up, seated in heavenly places, made head over all things to the church, which is His body. There he was head in heaven, and here below was his body. Oh, Satan had made every effort to get rid of the Lord Jesus Christ. He finally got man to put him on a cross.
And there he laid down his head on his own breast, dismissed his spirit.
And they put his body in a grave. All good riddance. And I'm sure is what the enemy thought all in That wonderful first day of the week came. And he rose from the dead. There he is again. There he is again. I thought I got rid of them.
And then he went back up to heaven. Well, good riddance, He can stay up there, got rid of him. And then the day of Pentecost comes, and there he is again.
And the members of his body here in this earth, oh, Satan realized it right away. And he set about to destroy in any way he could what had taken place on the day of Pentecost. All just like you have a head and a body, and your body acts in direction from its head. And in your body anyone can see displayed what's going on in your head. And so it is.
Body of Christ here in this earth, receiving direction from the head, Christ is displayed the last thing Satan wanted.
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But here he was again, and the members of his body here in this world.
I don't think, as I say, the believers realize that right away, but I think Satan did. Let's we're going to come back to First Corinthians. I want to look at a verse in Ephesians chapter one.
Ephesians, chapter one.
Verse 13 And whom he also trusted. After that he heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. And whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. This is the order the gospel of salvation comes to the soul.
And where there is faith and belief in the gospel.
The Holy Spirit then seals that work.
Now let's connect that with First Corinthians chapter 6.
Not only does he feel that work.
But as well as sealing it, he takes up his abode in the Believer.
1St Corinthians 6 and verse 19 What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own for your bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body. And then looking at verse 17, But he that is joined unto the Lord is 1 Spirit.
Just like your body.
And in your body you have a soul and a spirit, the spirit of a man, and it pervades your whole body from one end to the other.
So the Holy Spirit indwelling that glorified man in heaven, sent down to indwell the believers here below, has united every believer.
To their head in heaven he that is joined to the Lord is 1 Spirit, and there is one Spirit of God that pervades the whole body of Christ, that it might act in perfect direction from its head in heaven, that Christ might be displayed.
In this world. And that's what took place on the day of Pentecost.
I'm going to turn over to averse. We quoted already Ephesians 1.
Verse 22 and have put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all the church which is his body, is his perfect complement, just like we have in Genesis.
God brought Eve to Adam. She was his perfect compliment.
He was not complete without her. Christ, the glorified man in heaven would not be complete without his body, his Bride, His Church. This word church I think many know, and if you don't ought to be rather translated assembly. It literally strictly means called out ones called out once.
The assembly which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth.
All in all.
This is what the assembly is.
This is how the assembly was formed, and that's why it's precious to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was to be a vessel of testimony for Him in this world. It was to be the pillar and ground of the truth in this world. That truth was Christ Himself at the same time the object of her faith.
That which she confessed before this world, the foundation upon which she was built.
His witness in this world.
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I'd like to.
Move on a little bit and just look at a verse in Galatians 1.
Relations 1.
Verse two and all the brethren.
Which are with me unto the churches or assemblies of Galatia.
And then let's turn back again to 1St Corinthians 12.
There is one church, and we read in Ephesians 4 there is one body.
But that one body of composed of all believers, united to Christ in heaven by the Holy Spirit.
Is manifested in different local places.
And so the apostle speaks of assemblies in Galatia, and here in First Corinthians 12 he brings out a truth that.
In those various localities.
Where the there were various assemblies, the truth of the assembly, the one body of Christ, was expressed in that location.
Let's look at the verse First Corinthians 12.
And verse.
27.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
He's writing to the Corinthians.
He says Ye are the body of Christ.
Was every member of the body of Christ in Corinth only?
Of course not. Paul was writing from Ephesus. He was a member of the body of Christ.
There's no way really to translate this verse that it works in English. I don't know about French. Maybe it's better, but it could re really should read this way. Ye are body of Christ. Drop the the the would make it specifically just at Corinth E our body of Christ. We speak that way all the time.
In a different senses.
Up in Rome, NY, they have.
Uh, uh, Army base. United States Army base. And if you drove by that, you'd see a sign that says United States Army is the whole United States Army in Rome, NY. Of course not.
But it's still the United States Army in Rome, NY, and everything that's true of the United States Army should be true there in all its order, its discipline, its rules, its ranks, and so on.
It's the United States Army in that locality. And again, all that's true of the army should be displayed there. Uh, body of Christ, you have that character. You have body character. You are the local expression in Corinth of the one body of Christ. Not that they were exclusively the one body of Christ, but they were in that locality of expression. And so it was.
Every local assembly, the assemblies in Galatia, as we noticed in Galatians, local expressions of that one body, and all that should be true of the body of Christ should be true there and that locality. One more thing.
Chapter 14 of First Corinthians.
Verse 23. If therefore the whole assembly be come together in one place. Verse 34. Let your women keep silence in the assemblies. Chapter 11.
Verse 18 for first of all, when you come together in the assembly.
There is such a thing as a meeting of the assembly.
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It's expressed in different localities and the assembly meets together.
It meets together.
What is the purpose of it meeting together?
And on what basis does it meet together? On what basis do those members of are those members of the body gathered together?
A little further, in Chapter 11, the apostle gives them instructions as to the Lord's Supper. That's the central thing. That's the main thing that the assembly does when it meets together.
As it has the Lord's Supper.
And Paul gives its order. It's the remembrance of the Lord that loaf.
Giving thanks for and broken, doing that in remembrance of him, of the Lord Jesus and the cup as well, and we show the Lord's death.
But there's another reason. This is the central thing that the assembly does.
When gathered together and let's look at chapter 10 to see that.
Again, it's connected with the loaf and the cup.
Chapter 10 and verse 16. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? When we give thanks for that cup and pass it around on Lord's Day morning, we are expressing fellowship, communion with, we are in hearty agreement with, and we are in the enjoyment of and have come under the blessing of the precious shed blood.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ that has washed us from every stain of sin we own were under the shelter of that block.
The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? When we break that bread and partake of it, we are owning. We have come under the value of the body of Christ offered once for all on Calvary's cross and all of the efficacy.
Of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on that cross. We've come under the good and blessing of it, and we are in fellowship with that. And then he adds an additional thought in verse 17. For we being many are one brand and one body, for we are all partakers of that one brand.
The other thing that the assembly does.
When gathered together and the Lord's Supper is there on the Lord's table and partaken of together, we show His death, but we all, and we express our fellowship and communion with His sacrifice on the cross. We also give expression to the truth of what we are.
We being many members.
Our one body, and in all of us, partaking together of one loaf, we express the truth that we are the Assembly of God.
That we are one body. That we are united to Christ and glory.
And we are part of that one body, and that there is one body composed of every believer in this world.
The loaf on the table reminds us.
Of that one body. But you know, if we just set the loaf on the table.
And.
Looked at it and we sang the Lord's praises and gave thanks and we went home. Two things would not have happened. We would not have remembered the Lord.
Because that's in partaking of a broken law and.
Partaking of that cup, and we would not have given expression to the truth that there is one body. Yes, that unbroken loaf reminds us of the one body, but it is in the partaking each one.
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Partaking together of one loaf that we give expression to this truth. There is one body, you know, early brethren and seek and kind of wrestling with us a little bit thought well, if we break the loaf then and it reminds us of the the one body of Christ, then we're breaking the unity of the body. So well, what what do we got? Well, let's just pass it around everybody take their own piece.
Mr. Darby said Ballot tried that, it didn't work.
No, it's in the breaking, partaking together of the broken law.
That we actually give expression to the truth that we are one.
That we are one.
And so this is the central thing that the assembly does when it meets together.
It is giving ex not only remembering Lord, but giving expression to the fact that we are all members of one body. So let's come back to that question. What is the basis?
On which the assembly meets, what is the ground upon which it meets? It meets on the ground on the basis of the truth that there is one body.
That is the only basis, the only ground given in the Word of God for the assembly to meet together.
The assembly meets on the ground that there is one body composed of many believers, united to a glorified man in heaven.
There is no other ground.
Of gathering.
For the Church of God in this world, Scripture knows none other.
Let's turn over and.
Gather another thought.
Matthew.
Chapter 18.
Matthew is the gospel that introduces us for the first time in the New Testament to that word assembly upon this rock. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16, I will build my assembly. It's in contradistinction to Exodus 12, the assembly of the congregation in the wilderness. There was an Old Testament assembly of Israel.
But in Matthew you get that Old Testament assembly, or the remnants of it rejecting the promised Messiah. And so this is the very appropriate gospel.
For that new assembly to be introduced in the gospel that takes up the rejection of their Messiah by that old assembly. No, he's going to build something new. He's going to build something new, and it's upon the foundation of himself, gone into death, risen triumphant over death.
The gates of hell, he says, shall not prevail against it. And so as the Lord unfolds, as we get Matthew unfolding the truths of the Kingdom of heaven.
The assembly, the truth of the assembly is woven into that and in Matthew 18 where we get the truth of taking care of personal trespass rather between brother.
In the Kingdom we find that he set such a high esteem upon this assembly that he makes it the very highest Court of Appeals in the Kingdom.
And then Matthew 18.
If a brother and a brother can't settle their difference, we're not going to go into that detail. He says in verse 16. But if he will not hear thee, and take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church, unto the assembly. But if he neglect to hear the assembly, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and republican.
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is, which is in heaven. For it's a connecting word. For where two or three are gathered together in My name.
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There am I in the midst of them.
And so they could bring this matter to the assembly, the highest court.
Of appeals.
There was power there, authority. There may be a better word to make decisions. Those decisions would be bound on this earth and bound in heaven. Why?
Because even if it be but two or three meeting in assembly, the Lord was there in the midst, and He was the authority for those decisions.
For where two or three, not for wherever two or three are gathered together. It's not just where two or three Christians happen to meet on a street corner intersection that the Lord is there in the midst. There's some who tell you that.
It's a place that he's Speaking of. It's a spiritual place for where? Where is that where? It's where the assembly is gathered together.
Where two or three are gathered together unto my name.
There am I in the midst of them, And He is the authority for those decisions. You know a better translation of that word too, would be unto. We used to have a thing we did every morning in school when I was a boy. We stood up behind our desks and the American flag was there in the corner of the classroom.
And we put our hand over our hearts and pledge allegiance to the flag, the United States of America. I love doing that. And I said, oh boy.
Could you do that and pledge allegiance to the flag of the USSR? Two, no.
It was implicit that it was to the exclusion of every other flag.
Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, to the exclusion of every other name. There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, and there is none other name than the name of the Lord Jesus Christ given to the Assembly of God to be gathered unto. There is no other worthy name than his.
And his alone.
We have two things. When the assembly is gathered together, is gathered together on this basis.
That there is one body composed of many believers united to Christ in heaven, and the central thing they do is gives expression to that truth.
The second thing is that they are gathered when gathered together in assembly unto the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's turn to 1St Corinthians 5.
Dear young brother.
Your young sister. It's my desire.
Like the apostle Paul said to the Romans to impart unto you some spiritual gift.
To the end that you may be comforted, you may be established, both you and I.
Trust this lay the foundation for your soul, for the truth of God.
Let's turn to 1St Corinthians 5. And probably got there before me.
That's good First Corinthians Five. There we bring together these truths that we have taken up thus far.
There was.
Case of fornication that had come in.
Among the believers there in Corinth, among the assembly, Corinth and the apostle Paul writes to give them directions as to how they are to.
Take care of this before gone.
But we get principles and connection with it that apply to many a much broader sphere.
Verse 3.
Primarily as absent in body, but present and spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we are gathered together.
And my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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To deliver such and one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out there for the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Verse 13 Verse 12. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without Do not ye judge them that are within them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that we could person.
The first thing we wanna notice is that when they came together.
It to deal with this issue.
It was in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was connected with His name here it was the assembly, acting really on the Lord's behalf, gathered unto His name, acting in His name.
To deal with this fee, that had been done.
And there was the power.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the Assembly to take the action that needed to take place. What needed to take place? That evil had come in and it was incumbent upon them to deal with it and to put it out from among themselves.
Because the Lord Jesus was in the midst, God by the Holy Spirit has formed a unity in this world.
Composed of all believers united to Christ in heaven. And we read in Ephesians 2 That the assembly.
Is the habitation of God by the Spirit. And we read in Matthew, where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them.
God's holiness, God in all His Holiness, is incompatible with sin.
And sin must be dealt with all. God may have long patience, and so he did with Corinth, and so he does with us.
To seek to awaken us if we get in a sleepy state like we have in our reading meeting, to call us to repentance, to call us to spiritual exercise and judgment to deal with it. But there was a danger that if they did not respond, they would no longer be the expression of that one body and that locality. They would no longer be an unleavened love.
But they would be defiled. The Lord would not be there anymore.
And so they had, as gathered on the ground of the one body unto the name of the Lord Jesus, there was power to make a decision to and or not make a decision so much but as to act in connection with dealing with sin.
And we get the third principle that I wanted to bring out.
We are gather on the ground that there is one body. We are gathered unto the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone, and we are gathered on this principle of separation from evil.
That is.
The ground on which the assembly is gathered.
In my town.
I grew up in there was a street called Church St.
Maybe there is in your town.
Church St. Although you can imagine what was on Church St.
Well, we have these principles that.
We've looked at in the word of God, Let's go down Church St.
Who meets here?
Who meets here?
Hope I don't offend anything. The Lutheran's. Oh, the Lutheran's.
Well, what's the basis?
Of the Lutherans coming together while that We're all Lutherans, you know.
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I don't think we found the place where the assembly meets because the assemblies gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
The exclusion of every other name.
It's not a matter whether there's nice believers there or not. That's not the point.
Well, this must not be the place.
Let's go down a little bit.
Here's one that doesn't have some man's name on it, just says Independent Community Church.
Hi, Humi's here.
Oh, we have Christians from.
From all over.
What is that? What's your sign out front with? Says Independent Church. What's that mean? Oh, we don't.
We're completely autonomous.
And our church Constitution spells that out. We stand on our own. We're not relying on any other organization. We don't take directions from any other place.
Oh.
Well, I, I heard in this other little place down the street, there was a man in this, uh, situation we have in First Corinthians 5 and they put him out of fellowship.
Well, we're independent.
Umm, we'll set up and we'll, if he comes here, we'll judge that on our own and we'll decide whether we're gonna, we're gonna receive him here or not.
Well, that's not.
That's not the ground of the one body and one head in heaven.
If he's put away down there, wouldn't he be put away everywhere where the assembly meets?
Isn't it the same Lord Jesus in the midst?
Here is there. Isn't it the same head in heaven?
Are the start of independency there. That can't be the assembly. This must not be the place.
We'll go down a little further.
Lock on the door.
Come on in.
Come on, Ann, we, we welcome everyone.
Just come out, you know, just come on in and every man can just judge themselves and then you're welcome to partake of communion here. We don't worry about anybody's situation. You know, scripture says judge not that he be not judged, you know.
And there you see in the congregation that man who was put away for fornication down the street.
And he's partaking there.
All this, don't you know, you're just being judgmental.
And we got a nice preacher here.
You should hear him. Oh, he preached a lovely sermon last night.
He told us of the love of God and what great risk it was to God to send his Son into this world. Why, He could have lost him at any time. He could have sinned, and then he would have been cast off from God forever. What a risk for God to send his Son into this world. Thankfully, he didn't send. Oh, you know, oh.
I don't think this is.
The assembly.
They tolerate evil doctrine and they tolerate evil persons. They're not gathered in separation from evil. This can't be the place.
And go on down the street, here comes a man.
Well, let's ask this fellow where the Assembly meets.
Sir, can you tell us?
Where the assembly meets.
Oh, that's past. This is not the day of the church is gone.
This is a day of individual faithfulness.
Besides that wonderful ideal, the beginning of Pentecost is good for that. You just can't expect that could happen today.
It's you can't get all the Saints together again.
You just pick one of these churches and he's fine. There's things that bother you, don't you know? You just got to some things you got to put up with, you know?
But the scripture says judge not.
Doesn't it, lest she be judged?
Oh, I know you. You're the deceiver of the brethren, you're the discourager of the Saints, and that's your favorite verse, judging on lest ye be judged.
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But you could get mighty discouraged, couldn't you?
I'll let this little door here.
No, no sign. Doesn't look like much.
Go in.
Not too many there, the singing is pretty bad.
But you know, we ask.
And they say you're welcome here as a member of the body of Christ. If you're walking in separation from evil, we'd like to take a little time to get to know you and your testimony before you can remember the Lord here.
We gather on the ground that there is one body and.
Each member of the body of Christ is welcome here, walking in a way worthy of the Lord.
And we don't take a name. You won't see a name hanging out front, so we take no other name than the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
All that man out in the street he said there was no way for.
Assembly to meet together anymore in that way that that was all done.
All that old deceiver is always walking the streets.
Second Timothy.
Second Timothy 2.
I'm going to close with this scripture.
Verse 18. Who, concerning the truth, have erred?
Versus the end of verse 18 and overthrow the faith of some.
Well, that's the enemy's effort. You'd like to overthrow the faith of the Saints of God. My desire, dear young brother, dear young sisters, to give you a foundation.
From the scripture on which your faith can rest.
Nevertheless, the foundation of God.
Stand assure.
Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.
Or we can leave Church Street where it is.
Many lovely believers, the Lord knoweth them that are his, but you and I have a responsibility before God.
Let everyone that name us the name of Christ, or the name of the Lord, depart from iniquity. What is iniquity?
In the context of Timothy, it is man's will intruding into the things of God.
That has resulted in professing Christendom.
Let everyone let name of the name of Christ apart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel, and to honor sanctified and meet for the masters use and prepared unto every good work. Pleas also youthful us, and follow righteousness.
Faith, charity, peace with them.
That call on the Lord out of a pure heart, he started with Speaking of those men of Zebulun that were not of a double heart. They didn't have mixed motives when they came to David. Oh, the apostle says, call on the Lord out of with those that call on, go on with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart, not mixed motives.
Not double minded.
Out of a pure heart.
To intrude on our time to stand and sing 210.
There is a path.
For faith.
Even in this day of the church's ruin, 210.
One spirit will.
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It's on a day and I'm getting a promise.
And so if I saw him followed by thyroid.
And 1005 alike to get his forever in the home. And so we're always going to go home and prepare and we're going to give him a double and we're done with this.
Yeah, absolutely. Swelling drain. Uh-huh. 3007. What I just what I I don't know.
Out of our normal player by 10-4 Oh, oh, oh oh Oh yes it's oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh my God. Together in the world.
Duprey.