Open—A.M. Barry
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Problem. There are just a few thoughts on my heart.
That I feel the Lord would have me bring before us.
And the subject I feel laid on my heart as this.
Individual faithfulness.
In a day of ruin.
Or you might inquire what I mean by a day of ruin.
Well, I simply mean this, that when God has set up something on the earth.
And man has spoiled it through his failure.
Well, I then had looked at in that way.
You know, God first set up Israel as a nation on the earth.
He brought them into that good and promised land.
And gave them every privilege. He gave them his sanctuary. He gave them his priesthood.
And we find that.
They turn to the idols of the heathen.
They corrupted the land. They defiled his sanctuary.
And they broke his law until at last God had to take that people, scatter them out of their land.
Well, there we see the time of ruin.
And you'll find if you trace the history of the children of Israel in the Old Testament.
That the time of ruin was the very time when individual faithfulness shone out in its brightest way.
We could speak of the time when Israel were divided into two warring people.
10 tribes and two tribes.
Well, at that very time you have such men raised up as Elijah and then later Elisha. Well, there was individual faithfulness.
At a time when God's people had.
Departed from.
The privileges.
He had bestowed upon them.
But we learn a lesson in Elijah that is well for us to remember.
In connection with individual faithfulness, there is a danger of legality.
And of getting into the spirit of a light when he said that, as though he was the only faithful one that God had left in Israel, he said they are broken down 9 altars, and I alone am left.
Lord reminded Elijah that he had 7000 that had not bowed the need to bail.
So, and bringing before our hearts, beloved, this subject that I felt laid on my heart individual faithfulness. May we not get the thought that we're the only ones, the only faithful ones.
That God has.
Among his people.
Well now after Israel had so sadly failed.
That they actually crucified their own Messiah, put him to the shameful death of the cross.
And it was a religious leaders of that very nation.
How that condemned him to that death.
Then God begins anew work on the earth.
When the Lord has risen and gone back to the Father, He sends the Holy Spirit down into this world.
And the Holy Spirit has been here in this world ever since.
Marvelous, wonderful subject to consider that God the Holy Spirit.
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Who is just as truly God as the Father, God the Son.
Is actually here in this world dwelling in believers.
And what has engaged God's Holy Spirit?
Is the gathering out of a people?
To Christ himself.
So instead of a nation, we have a people scattered all over the world.
That take the name, the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But we love it. That very people.
On whom the name of Christ rests.
Have fallen into just as grave, and I could say even worse, failure.
Than Israel as a nation.
We see what we speak of now as the Church of God on earth.
And I'm considering it in its widest, broadest application.
We fear today in terrible and awful ruin.
Now when we think of the way the Church began.
When they were all together and had all things common, and no man called anything his own.
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of Christ.
What a glorious day that was in the history of the Church of God.
But it has been often said and rightly said that whatever has been committed to the hands of man, he has made a total and dismal failure of.
And the Church is no exception. Of course I'm not speaking now of the Church.
That Christ builds.
And as it's now seen in his counsels, A glorious church, it will be without spot or wrinkle soon in glory. But I'm looking at the whole testimony that takes the name of Christ on the earth.
And beloved when we consider the church in that way, or we might call it Christendom or Christianity.
It has become an even greater failure.
Than Israel in their day, For it has been often said that the corruption of the best thing is the worst thing.
Nothing is so wonderful, so marvelous, as the Church of God, to think of a people called out of this world to confess Christ as Lord and to take the name of Christ upon them.
Turning to the ways and the conduct and the corruption.
With guilty Evil World, so terrible has been the downfall of what is called Christendom.
That given the infidel historian made this remark, he said the annals of Christianity are the annals of hell.
The very solemn accusation, isn't it? But when you read Church history and trace down that which is set here.
As a vessel of testimony for Christ on the earth, and see what terrible failure is coming has come in.
Its most solemnizing, indeed.
Well, and considering this subject, beloved.
The Second Epistle of Timothy comes before me.
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Now again I'll mention the.
Subject was on my heart.
And that is individual faithfulness.
In a day of ruin.
And now, in the early days, we were Speaking of following Pentecost. There was no need of an epistle like Second Timothy to be written. It was after failure had come in.
Among those that confess the name of Christ.
And we can be thankful, beloved Saints that God permitted failure to come into.
The professing church before the apostles were off of the sea, so that we have full instruction.
Guidance and help in this very time of ruin of which we're Speaking of.
Now when Paul was writing to Timothy on the first Epistle that he wrote him the First Epistle of Timothy.
He could speak of the Church as the House of God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
And you get in that epistle.
Order in the House of God, Timothy was told. How we used to behave himself.
Things were in order when he writes that epistle, but it's a solemn thing how quickly failure can come in.
Among those who hold the truth.
For when we come to the second Epistle of Timothy.
You will find that the church, instead of being looked at as a house in order, it's looked at as a great house where there are vessels of wood in the earth and some to honor and some to dishonor.
So as the subject of this epistle is what I had on my heart to bring before us, and that is individual faithfulness.
In a time of ruin.
How different the conditions were now and even when Paul was carrying the gospel from 1 Country to another, and the spirit of God was mightily working in the conversion of sinners, now he has to write to Timothy in the first chapter of this epistle.
The 15th verse he says for thou knowest that all they which are in Asia.
Be turned away from me.
When you consider Asia, that province where Paul was so mightily used, you know when he was.
Holding forth in the House of the school of 1 Tyrannus, it says that all they which were in Asia heard the word of the Lord. Just think of it. The whole province heard the word of the Lord.
And emphasis was the.
Was the capital of that province. And when Paul even was a prisoner at Rome, he wrote them a letter and gave them the very highest truths that you'll find in the word speaks of being raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
But here he says all day in Asia.
Are turned away from me.
All that doesn't mean that they had given up Christ, but they had given up the special ministry of the apostle Paul that had made him a prisoner. Or it was Paul's faithfulness and maintaining that you and Gentile were no longer separated.
If if he had been satisfied to just make the Christian testimony a certain branch of Judaism.
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It would have been acceptable to the world because Judaism was recognized as a religious system. The world understood and accepted, but when he brought in the wonderful truth of the heavenly calling.
That we're not of this world and there are there are no, there's no middle wall between Jew and Gentile. That's all broken down. All one in Christ Jesus, that wonderful mystery.
That's when Paul was made a prisoner at Rome.
And as time went on, even at Ephesus.
His separate walk.
And a testimony that separated Christians from every phase of this world system became something.
Something that they refused.
And they actually deserted the apostle from whom they had received.
The truth of God.
Over a terrible what sad failure had come in.
Well, now, Timothy, a servant of Christ, is receiving instructions for a day like that.
Well, we noticed one thing in the in the.
First chapter in the eighth verse.
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
Nor of Maine as a prisoner, but be thou art partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.
According to the power of God.
Rather than in a day of ruin, let's not be slack at all in connection with the outgoing of the glorious gospel of the grace of God. But if it's a gospel according to the mind of God, the gospel as Paul speaks of it, it will carry its afflictions and its persecutions with it.
It will not be a popular gospel. It will not be a social gospel to make the world better.
But it will be the gospel that separates from this world.
For Paul says in connection with his preaching, that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.
But unto us that are saved, it is the power of God, you know, when the gospel of the Kingdom goes on.
Out after the church is gone, it will not be the preaching of the cross, because that will be a gospel that will prepare the world to receive its king and to set up a Kingdom here on earth. But now the gospel carries with it the character of what brings reproach and separation from this world, that is, if it's preached according to the mind of God.
Whenever we all look at a little at the second chapter.
Where we get special instructions to Timothy, and as we said before, it's individual faithfulness.
In the time of Ruin.
So he says, Thou therefore, my son, the first verse, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
That's the first instruction. Be strong in the grace.
Other than the grace that's in ourselves, we may be very gracious and affable and kind and considerate. That's not what he's sitting before us.
And telling Timothy to be strong in it's the grace.
In Christ Jesus.
Well, beloved, how we need to trace the pathway of our Blessed Lord to learn more of the grace of our Lord Jesus, who though He were rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich.
I remember that the grace we see in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Is not a grace. That's at the expense of holiness.
John in Speaking of that blessed one, he says that the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
There was a perfect blending of grace and truth.
We either lean one way.
Or the other ourselves we may be over gracious and neglect holiness.
Or we may become legal and neglect grace.
Blessed it is to trace the pathway.
All that one in here is gracious life of service in this world. When the Lord spoke so plainly there in the synagogue at Nazareth about how the gospel would go beyond their their people, they took him up and were ready to throw him headlong over the hill on which their city was built, Lord quietly passed on.
Carrying his mission of grace elsewhere and in the 9th chapter.
Of John where they took up stones to cast at him or the 8th chapter last verse we find the Lord passed by and as he passed by he saw a man that was blind from his mother's womb and the Lord sent it to the pool of Siloam and his eyes were opened.
Thank God of his mission all through that whole land.
Healing the lepers.
And cleansing the lepers, healing the sick, and raising the dead never recall that he refused.
Oh beloved, in a day of ruin, may there be that individual faithfulness in going on like our blessed Lord.
In his mission of Grace.
In this sad and guilty world.
Then he says in the second verse.
The things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same, commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
I believe this verse is very important because it gives us the way that the Spirit of God would perpetuate.
The truth of God.
Instead of a Bible school.
The way that the Spirit of God has instructed us.
First it comes the truth comes through and inspired source like the Apostle Paul.
And he communicated that to his.
His beloved Timothy. And he was to commit that to faithful man who should teach others also. That's the way the truth of God is maintained.
That is, we pass it on from one generation to another. The older ones teach the younger and the younger ones teach the next generation that is coming on. No thought of taking a Bible course or?
Or an education that's simply giving out.
The truths and communicating those truths to others, and especially here. And that's what is important to faithful men who shall teach others also.
However beloved, we see how Timothy was encouraged to not give up the gospel testimony.
He's also encouraged not to give up the work among the people of God.
And I believe, beloved, as we go on, whether it may be in our local assemblies.
When we're encouraging those that have a heart to for Christ.
To strengthen them and to encourage them to go on.
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In this evil day that we're living in, I believe that is a very special service for Christ, of course, where there is an exceptional call to go out.
And for one to spend his time serving the Lord, I believe that that is one of the special fields of service that we need to consider.
Committing the truths that we possess, our beloved. When we think of the precious things that have been before us in these meetings, we surely do not want to keep them to ourselves.
We want our brethren to enjoy them, and especially where we find maybe a young brother or young sister coming along that have a desire after the things of Christ. Do all you can to strengthen their hands and to encourage them to go on.
There's individual faithfulness, beloved, and then we get further down in the chapter.
Where he says about this great house in the 20th verse.
There are not only vessels of gold, and of silver, but 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 honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
I'll just say this, that in this portion there's nothing about assembly discipline. Here again, our remark is the individual pathway of a servant of Christ.
And the testimony has become such that they're not only vessels of honor, but there are vessels of dishonor, and Timothy is told to separate from these vessels of dishonor.
Now if one is in a man made system.
Such as we see in Christendom, it's very clear.
What this scripture would teach us is to separate himself.
From that which is contrary to God's word.
Although it may cost him a lot.
I knew, dear brother, that he and his wife were breaking bread together in a small town.
And the preacher in the town would come over to the Bible readings of this brother. He just delighted in the ministry he was receiving. But he said one day to this brother, I think I can do more good to remain.
In the place where I am.
That if I go out well, I'm going to cut myself off from.
From service.
This brother just called his attention to this.
If a man therefore purged, or really purged, by separating himself from these, the vessels of dishonor.
He shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use. And here's what he set before him, and prepared unto every good work.
Or don't be concerned if there's any here that are in the system of man that's contrary to God's word. And you think you can carry on the work of the Lord better by remaining in what you know is contrary to the Scripture.
Be afraid as to God giving your abundance of service.
Never forget years ago in Ottawa visiting with Brother Tracy in a home, and sister made very much the same remark, said she thought they could do so much more by staying where they were. Brother Tracy had a rather a weak and squeaky voice. And I'll never forget the way he answered them, he said. Cease to do evil, I'll not imitate it.
Because I don't like to cause a smile for it, but to imitate him. But he has ceased to do evil, learn to do well. Well, that's a very important principle. Is it? To go on where they were was evil because it was something that was contrary to God's word. But when we look into this farther into this subject.
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We find that.
It's not just something ecclesiastical.
That is to come out of a man made system.
For he goes on in the 22nd verse to say, flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Now it's the company that he speaks of here. How are those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart?
And beloved, that may cut.
Very closely, even into our own ranks.
It doesn't say to go on with those that are breaking bread, but those that are calling on the Lord.
Out of a pure heart.
So there's no thought here, whatever of.
Separating from the truth of God.
And I think we should be warned. Sometimes we have seen dear, useful brothers.
That God so grieved over the state of things among the gathered Saints that they just withdrew and separated.
And I never knew a case of that kind that didn't end up a tragedy.
Brothers that could have been most useful had isolated themselves, and then they were too proud to judge themselves and ever return honourable. And don't leave the place where the Lord has put his name, even though there's so much that grieves the heart in what we see around us.
Well then, the word here is flee. Also youthful lust. Oh, they are youthful us. And I'm sure we could consider this and ask our own hearts the question, is there a youthful lust that I'm harboring? If so, you're going to hinder a blessing in your soul. You're going to leave yourself liable to the.
Subtleties of Satan.
But we're to follow righteousness.
As uprightness among men, faith going on in the path of the truth, charity.
And with them that call on the Lord.
Out of a pure heart.
I'm sure those who will call on the Lord of the pure heart are going on in obedience to His word.
And I believe too that.
That they are indeed seeking to please their blessed Lord couldn't be a pure heart that was divided.
Going on with what is contrary to his will.
There's one thing, beloved, that is a danger for us all, and I take the warning for myself as well as Speaking of it for others.
And that is of talking one language when we're with our brethren in the meetings.
And then talking an entirely different language when we're with people of the world.
Using the very slang the world uses.
What a danger that is. That can't be a pure heart, can it? And anything that is covered up and not thoroughly judged is not partaking of a pure heart. Well, that's our company, beloved, and I believe that.
That it can be felt more, that it can be expressed in words. We all know that when we're in company with one who is truly separated and following with a pure heart, the Lord, we feel something that we couldn't describe, something that's very blessed indeed.
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Well, now we we live in.
In a day when?
There have been those that are gathered to the Lord's name, come out from the systems of men, and gather to the person of Christ.
And, beloved, there is much failure coming among us.
And I want to just say this because there have been things written admonishing the young sisters. And I think the young brothers need to be admonished too. For some of their ways of dressing are just perhaps as unbecoming as the young sisters. And some of the older brothers and sisters too are can cater to ways that are certainly dishonouring to the Lord. But I'm sure that we find unless the heart is right.
It makes a little change, regardless of how much.
Warning and admonition, there is but oh, what I want to press upon our hearts, beloved, at this time.
Is individual faithfulness.
In a time of ruin.
Our each one here can act before the Lord and set an example.
To others it will let the matter now surely of individual faithfulness.
And one thinks that this time of Daniel, you know Daniel found the very company that we read of here when he.
He would not defile himself whether the King's meat he found three companions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
And they go on together for many, many years. A bright testimony. And at the end of the life of Daniel, he was given wonderful visions. One time an Angel came down and visited him. You know what? The way he addressed him.
Old man, greatly beloved.
Now think of how he was beloved up in heaven. There was a man that was.
Faithful in separation going on with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
All there were those that hated him, succeeded in having him thrown into the den of lions to get rid of him.
Well, about the thoughts of heaven.
O man, greatly beloved, and I'll say in conclusion, beloved Saints, this parting word, which do we prefer to be recognized above as whole, greatly beloved, because we're going on with those that call on the Lord, with a pure heart, a testimony in the midst of all a corruption, and what is contrary to the word of God around us.
Or we would rather have the applause and approval of others in this world, or even of careless Christians. It must be one thing or the other.
Which do we desire to have, that in the heaven above us to be recognized as, oh man greatly belonged? Which will it be?