Open—Bill Prost
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Well, I I hesitate to get up but.
I'd like to add a little bit to what our brother Michelle brought out if we could turn to Second Timothy chapter 2, the chapter which, if the Lord leaves us here, we would expect to take up tomorrow, Lord willing.
And read one verse.
Second Timothy, chapter 2 and verse 15.
Study to show thyself approved unto God.
A Workman that needeth not to be ashamed.
Rightly dividing the word of truth.
Or, as I believe the JND translation reads, cutting in a straight line the word of truth.
Yesterday in the last reading, the second reading, and I appreciated it, there was some emphasis laid on that verse.
And again, I'm quoting it the way the dark will. We'll look at it. It's right here in our our first chapter, verse thirteen of two Timothy hold fast the form of sound words. Or it could read have an outline of sound words. And there was, and I agree with it, some emphasis laid on the importance when we're young.
Of looking into the Word of God in a real way.
Getting an outline of every book in the Bible. Understanding how scripture comes together and fits together. That is of.
Real importance, no question about it. And I would say that to the young people here today, the sisters as well as the brothers.
Quite a few years ago now, when I was in university, the assembly in which I was at that time hosted a Bible conference every year, and as was their custom, when the letter of invitation had been drawn up, it was read to the assembly before being sent out.
I well remember the acute embarrassment of some of the and there were some well taught brothers in that assembly when an older sister came up after it had been read to the assembly and quietly pointed out a rather glaring unscriptural expression in the letter that had blown by all of those brothers.
She done her reading too. That was good.
I won't name any names, but that really happened.
It is important to have an outline of sound words.
But what we would like to emphasize equally well is this. There are two ways of reading the Word of God.
One is what we have already mentioned, that is to read it to get the scope of scripture and as was.
Emphasized yesterday especially to have an outline of Paul's teaching. I appreciated someone that made reference to the verse in the second chapter here. It's verse 7 and it could read.
Second, Timothy, two and seven, consider what I say.
Referring to Paul and the Lord give the understanding in all things, because Paul gives us the truth of the assembly in which all is displayed. He completed the word of God. That's in Colossians.
No new revelation after Paul.
Wrote yes. Others like John may have filled in some details and we appreciate that, but no new truth.
It is important to have that.
00:05:02
But there's another way, That is, I suggest, equally important to read the Word of God, and that is to read it as if it were speaking directly to my own heart, not so much in order that I might learn the scope of Scripture, but that I might learn to know.
The Lord Himself.
We don't need to turn to it. It's in Philippians 3. But Paul says that I may know about him. No, that I may know him.
And what a difference that makes in our lives, because when we know Him, there is the sense in our souls of that relationship with the Lord which is the present enjoyment of those things in our hearts.
Again, I say I don't want in any way to take away from what.
Was said yesterday.
But let me mention a story, and others will probably recognize the source of this story. Many years ago, and I mean many years ago, back in the 1800s, there was a young brother who had some really what I would call tough questions about the Word of God.
He went by a letter, writing, of course, directly to an older brother in whom he had real confidence and who, I might say, was very, very capable of answering his questions.
But after about the 3rd letter.
The senior brother answered the questions, but then at the end he said, Brother, from the tone of your letters and how you have written, may I make a comment? I strongly suspect that you have been studying your Bible too much and not reading it enough.
Well, how do we get that?
Quite a few years ago again, but not quite back in the 1800s, but it was long before my time, I was told that in a reading meeting where there was a well taught brother by the name of Walter Potter.
A brother raised the question and made the comment about studying the Bible.
And Brother Potter apparently answered, Well, the Scripture doesn't use the term studying the Bible.
I gather that Brother Potter could be a little abrupt at times. And when a young brother who took offense at that statement spoke up and said, well, Brother Potter, what are we to study?
I'm not saying this was right. I really am not. Who am I to criticize Walter Potter? But I'm not saying it was right. The answer was rather abrupt. Study to be quiet.
Ouch, but that was a pretty good put down.
Again, I'm not suggesting that was right, but what the brother in the 1800s and what Brother Potter were seeking to get through was that.
Equally as important as getting the scope of Scripture, I need to read it directly. And in this I really appreciated what our brother Ron said at the beginning of the meeting in his prayer. Now we are waiting for the Lord in this meeting to speak to us.
And so I merely make this suggestion to each one of us that when we pick up the word of God, yes, there is a place to read it for scope.
There is a place to pick up our written ministry in order to understand the ways of God.
But there is also a very important place to read the word of God, because I am in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a member of His body. I am part of His bride. As Brother Michelle was bringing before us, we are going to spend.
All eternity with Him.
What a precious thing that is.
00:10:04
Some time ago.
I picked up a book that I still have at home.
And it was, still is, of course, the letters of a man by the name of Samuel Rutherford.
Now Samuel Rutherford lived back in the 17th century. He died in 1661.
And I have no doubt that he did not know much of the precious truth which most here in this room not only know, but hold dear.
No, the Lord had not yet raised up those who brought back to us the precious truth of the assembly, who brought back to us the preciousness of Pauls ministry and what the church really is, and the true scope of all that God is doing for the honor and glory of His beloved Son.
But to read the letters that that dear man wrote, oh, the preciousness of Christ that shines out pretty much from every page, and the enjoyment of Christ in which he lived. Did he have as much intelligence as many here in this room? No, he did not. But what he had was the enjoyment of Christ in his heart.
Excuse me for a minute.
I have nothing against this bottle of water, but there are other another someone else may come up.
The enjoyment of Christ in his heart and.
And I will say this, and I don't want it to be misunderstood. A mere knowledge of the truth will not keep me. It will not keep me.
And if I can be blunt about it, some of us had to learn that the hard way.
Some of us, including myself, had to learn that the hard way, that a mere knowledge of scriptural principles, a mere knowledge of the truth. Now which one of us has a perfect knowledge of it? But a mere knowledge of the truth will not keep us. What will keep us? Nearness to Christ.
Many years ago.
I sat under the ministry of our late brother Harry Hayhoe. There are still some here that remember him, but he's been with the Lord well over 50 years.
Getting closer to 60 years than 50 years.
It's not too well known, but his father was full time in the work of the Lord. He was a real evangelist.
No one apparently, and I of course never knew him. He's been with the Lord over 100 years now, but he was apparently known as the red bearded evangelist.
But he missed the path in a division back in the late 1800s.
There was a dear brother who was used of the Lord to help him out and set him straight, and he was restored.
Sometime later.
In the early 1900s, another sad difficulty among brethren.
Was looming on the horizon.
It was.
More in Europe than in North America at that time, but of course North America eventually felt it and had to deal with it.
And apparently Harry Hayhoe is a young man in his 20s, or perhaps at the very most in his early 30s. No, he would have been in his 20s, approached his father with the earnest question.
Father.
Which way are we going to go? What are we going to do? Now? I don't like to talk about division. We trust that no one here ever has to go through another one, that the Lord will come.
But we merely make some comments we trust that are pertinent.
To reading the word of God.
Father, what are we going to do? Which way are we going to go?
And his father didn't immediately say, well, brother, this, well, son, this scripture applies here. And this is that. And that's the other thing. So there's the way we go. Not that I say that would have been wrong, but he didn't do that.
00:15:08
His answer was rather interesting, he said. Son, at this point, I don't know.
But he said when the time comes that we have to make a decision.
Let us take care and make sure that we are near enough to the Shepherd to hear His voice.
And if I could use a common expression, He landed on his feet.
Both the same time I gather.
And this came from our dear brother Armstead Barry.
Who told me personally that in that same division, he very nearly missed the path himself and would have had it not been for an older brother who helped him out.
He said it was being bandied about among various ones. Well, which way will this one go and which way will that one go? What do you think this brother will do, naming various?
Leading brothers among those gathered to the Lord's name at that time. And of course various comments were made and someone mentioned the name of a dear brother.
Who is long since with the Lord?
Which way do you think he'll go?
Someone paid him, but I would consider the highest compliment, although intending it as perhaps a little on the derogatory side.
Someone said, oh, he'll just pray his way through it as usual.
What a compliment.
What a compliment.
He prayed his way through it.
And he too landed on his feet, if I could say that expression.
Why? Because they knew so much? No.
Because they read the word of God as if the Lord were speaking directly to them, and because they walked with the Lord. And so I say again, I want to leave room for someone else, because Scripture says two or three.
But let's remember that in reading the Word of God, there are two important and I am not suggesting that one is more important than the other.
Two important ways to approach the Word of God. One is to have a good form, a good outline of sound words. And Paul stresses that to Timothy because there was a danger of those sound words being lost, and there is that danger today. Very much so.
But Paul also says, Study to show thyself approved unto God.
I need to be approved unto God and I can only get that by reading His word in the other way to help me with my Christian pathway, to reveal Christ to me and to draw near to Him so that I in my own self.
Find myself approved unto God. Not that I put that label on myself, but I seek to be approved unto God. And then at the same time, how needful to be cutting in a straight line the word of truth.