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172.
Umm.
Shall we pray?
Father, we just thanked he again.
For thy gift, for thy beloved Son, Lord Jesus, and the blessed privilege that we have to be and Thy very presence this morning, Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus, we just looked at thee, and we consider some of the scriptures that were read this morning prayer meeting, lifting up, holding hands without wrath and doubting the Lord that we ask the blessing of these we consider.
The portion in thy word that we lift up thy hands, as it were, asking in faith.
Blessed thy word, Lord Jesus, and to bless us too for that which is needful. And we just look for thee too, Lord of the flesh may be kept in the place of death. And that thy Spirit may not will have free liberty, that that, that it may not be quenched in any way, that that will be able to use whosoever thou wilt to bless. So we just thank Thee, Lord Jesus, for bringing us together in this way.
And blessing us 'cause we know that that delights to bless. So we're just thank thee again and looking for a blessing this morning. And I press precious and worthy name Lord Jesus, Amen.
President, I wonder if we could, uh, consider perhaps, uh, Revelation Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Umm, I know we only have three reading meetings, but, umm, if we took up two?
Of the uh.
Assemblies in the first reading meeting and then a couple more and then maybe try to get 3IN. Maybe in the last meeting we might be able to cover much of the subject of Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3. We know that it's really the Lord himself addressing the seven churches and they're typical of the entire of the testimony in the umm, the, the Christian era. And so right from Ephesus down to Laodicea.
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He addresses each assembly and those things that were of concern to him and those in connection with Philadelphia. He doesn't have anything to say that's critical of Philadelphia, but it was the work of God, no doubt, that began in the 1827 and that sort of thing, that era. But.
It's important for us to know what era we live in, the time that we live in, and we're living right in the last days.
And we need to know it, we need to feel it. We need to feel, umm, how the Lord feels in connection with the testimony that he's raised up in these last days. So I just suggest perhaps that we could read maybe chapter 2 This morning and then continue on if it's the Lord's will.
Revelation chapter 2.
Angel of the Church of Ephesus rite these things, said he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works and thy labor.
And my patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars, and has borne and has patience, and for my name's sake has labored and has not fainted. Nevertheless I have someone against thee, because thou hast left my first love. Remember therefore from once thou art fallen, and repent and do the 1St works, or else I will accomplish a deep quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place, except our pen.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit saith under the churches to him that overcoming will I give him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. And unto the Angel of the Church in Smyrna Wright these things saith the 1St and the last, which was dead and is alive, I know by works and tribulation.
And poverty, but thou art rich. And I know the blasphemy of them, which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation. 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. It doesn't happen here. Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh.
Shall not be heard of the second death.
And to the Angel of the Church in Pergamus rite these things, saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seed is, and that. And thou hold this fast my name, and has not denied my faith, even in those days where an Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you, where Satan's law.
But I have a few things against the because thou hast there then that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to each thing sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So has thou also then, that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, Which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear with the Spirit sand under the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a whitestone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. And unto the Angel of the church in Thyatira right these things say, as the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works.
To be more than the first, notwithstanding I have a few things against it. Because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which call for self a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants, to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. I gave her space for repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into her bed, and then that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their peace.
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And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and parts. And I will give unto everyone of you, according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest of Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden but that which ye have already. Hold fast till I come.
And he that overcometh and keepeth my words works unto the end. To Him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my father.
And I will give him the Morning Star, either half an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said under the church.
So there are three main divisions to the book of the revelation and it's really the revelation of Jesus Christ as we have in the first verse that says chapter one and verse one, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to show unto his servants the thing, things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his Angel unto his servant John. And so it's really the revelation of Jesus Christ. And the Lord has desired that in the church period. One of the things that would characterize.
Christianity is intelligent as to God's purposes in the earth and the intelligence as to the reality of the testimony that God has raised up to his precious name. And, uh, uh, those that would recognize his authority and recognize the value of the person and the work of Christ and, umm, that testimony would be, uh, visible in the earth. And so the first chapter presents to us really a picture of the judge.
It's, uh, an introduction, perhaps the first, uh, three or four verses. And then you have the judge presented and, uh, how, umm, in all of his glory and all of his strength, umm, and his righteousness, he will come and cleanse the earth and righteousness, He'll cleanse the earth by judgment. But then in verse chapter 2, you have the second division of the book, chapter two and three. It's the church period. And the history of the church is given to us there. God knew right from the beginning.
What the testimony would be like and what would characterize it at different stages and different eras. And we're right at the end of the church period in the latest scene era. We're just about to hear the voice of the Lord calling us home. But it's a wonderful thing to be able to, uh, trace the history of the church and to be able to, uh, learn something of the ways of God in each of those periods of time as he dealt with men in that testimony. And then you have the last.
Division from Chapter 4, perhaps that right to the end and.
Really, uh, takes up the judgments and how God will act in this earth. And, uh, men may think that they can act in independence of God and to walk in God's earth and conduct themselves in, in, umm, defiance of the authority of God and in lawlessness. But God is going to bring every sin into judgment and every sin and act of disobedience is going to be brought into judgment. And so here we have this, uh, testimony and, uh, as we have in chapter 2.
And throughout the book, many symbols are brought before us. And so it's a book filled with symbology and the Lord is delighted to use those symbols to communicate the truth to us. And they're the same symbols, often times that are used in the Old Testament as well. So it's not new symbols that we find in the New Testament, but the same ones. And so he begins under the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, right? And so this first symbol really would be characteristic of those, uh, indicative of those that are.
In oversight, perhaps in the assembly at Ephesus at the very beginning of the church period, those that were the most responsible, those that had received the most light as to Christian truth, and that epistle to the Ephesians had been written by Paul. Now you have the 2nd Epistle to the Ephesians, as it were, and it's written by the Lord Himself to the assembly in Ephesus.
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Our brother this morning read in Acts chapter 20. It might be good to reread some of what he read. Acts chapter 20 and verse 36.
And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with the mall.
And they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, soaring most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship. Well, Acts chapter 20 takes up, uh, this, uh, little assembly and emphasis and how Paul had addressed them. Uh, and he had addressed the elders of the church. It says in verse 17 from my lead as he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them, and we have his address there and how he instructed them. And, uh, the instruction is given because the Apostolic era was going to end. And, uh, Paul was raised up of God just as Joshua was raised up, that the enemy might be, uh, held at Bay and that the enemy was going to seek to destroy the new testimony of the Christian era. He was going to seek to, uh, corrupt it and return the Saints aside. And the apostles were used particularly at the beginning of the church period.
To guard and to protect the Saints, as it were, and to warn and, umm, to instruct them and so on. But here in Acts chapter 20, the, there's a little picture given to us that the apostle Apostolic age was, uh, coming to an end. And here you have in Revelation chapter 2, perhaps, uh, umm, you know, the circa is probably the era around 100, uh, 8000, sixty or 170.
That era and you have the Lord Himself now beginning.
To address the state of things in the testimony and it's indicative of the whole of the testimony, not only the assembly at Ephesus, but here he addresses the whole and the one thing that he has to say, as we often think of in chapter 2 and verse 4. Here. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love and the Lord knew that to outwardly things looked pretty good.
It looked like the affections were still, umm, preserved for the Lord. It looked like there was a, a real devotion to Christ and service that says umm, uh, in verse 3 dollars born and has patience for my name's sake has labored and has not fainted. So it looked like there was real devotion to Christ. But really what he wanted most was the heart. My son, give me thine heart and the one thing that he wanted more than anything else and that he wants from you and I.
Is our devotion, our hearts affections? And if he doesn't have your heart's affections, he doesn't have mine. He doesn't have what he wants in the Christian era. He wants your heart's affections. He wants to feel that he is the most important one, the relationship that we most value in life. He wants to feel the affections of his people. And so he felt it when the affections grew cold. And Ephesus means amiable.
Oh, it's lovely, uh, that Christian era that as the church was being formed, a bride for the Christ.
Members of his body, why, it was something exceedingly precious to him, and it still is. It's amiable to Him. All of God loves his people. The Lord Jesus died for us and loved us even unto death. And if there's one thing that he wants more in the day that we live in more than anything else is to have your affections in mind.
When we look at the verses that Brother Robert read in uh again in Acts 20.
We can see, I believe, that the that the leaving of their first love had a.
They almost already started even back then.
Inverse, uh, in October.
20 uh 8/31 He had given the method specific warning. Paul had given him a specific warning box. 20 and 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flocks over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to be the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
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There was the basis of of the whole of God's work in in forming the assembly.
That the word Jesus had purchased.
The curse his bride with his own blood.
And the Holy Spirit was working to.
In the in the church to lay on the hearts of of.
One, uh, one vitro to to make them overseers. It says here to feed the Church of God, not to be not to be somebody important, but to to feed the Church of God on the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he goes on to say, I know verse 29. I know this, that after my departing shall grieve as wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
And also even of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things.
Draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone of everyone night and day with tears.
The enemy Satan does not want to see.
First thing is going on happily together with their eyes on the Lord.
And the All warns them here that even of their own, of their own selves, there would be men that would arise.
They draw by disciples not to look at the Lord, but to follow them after themselves.
And so we see in the verses that Robert read in, uh, in verse 36 and 37 and 38.
That they were already sorrowing more for the fact that they wouldn't see Poles facing the game.
Then they were concerned about.
The direction they would be taking after after this, it seems as though they were.
More concerned about Paul than about the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
And that's the danger I believe, brother.
That we have, that we can get our eyes even on faithful men of God.
More than on the Word, Jesus Christ Himself. And I believe that's why in Revelation 2 we have that warning from the Lord himself, who walks in the midst of the assemblies that you have left your first love.
Their eyes, they were doing all the right things here in verse 2, but not really for the right reasons, not really out of love and devotion for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
We need to take these warnings and these things that are written here as a warning to ourselves today.
Revelation is the, uh, the, uh, book that takes up how the Lord Jesus is going to.
Take possession of that which is his by right that he won on Calvary's cross, and he's going to come back and he's going to cleanse that which he's going to take in judgment. But Peter says judgment must begin at the House of God. And there's a principle in Scripture that I take care of my own house first before I take care of any other business. And it's true with the Lord Jesus too. He's going to take care of his own house first.
Before he goes on to take care of the rest of the business of this book.
In in chapter one and verse three, blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy. The whole book is prophetic. Even the addresses to the seven churches, they have a present application at any time in the history of the Saints of God. You'll find all of these conditions present, but they also have a prophetic character to them as well. And why does God give prophecy? Why do prophets come on the scene?
He raises up profits in the time of the failure of God's people.
That's when prophecy comes in. Why? Because He shows what he's going to judge, what is displeasing to himself, that those who desire to go on for the Lord can be separate from what he's going to judge and what displeases him. And really, if we can think of that book in this way, it's bringing out what He's going to judge. But what for you and me, that we would be separate from it now and we'd be a more holy people for His name right now in light of what he's going to judge.
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And here especially when he deals with his own House of what he's looking for and what's pleasing to him and what is dishonouring to him, and to be an overcomer, to be separate and from that which would displease him.
I was thinking too of of first love and you know, it's the very root of what springs forth and full bloom and Laodicea having left first love results in.
The nauseous condition that the Lord finds and Laodicea.
And what is first love?
Uh, sometimes we perhaps think of it as that love which is first seen when they, uh, uh, the Lord brings a, a man and a woman together and they fall in love. Think of that first love. But you know, it's not exactly first in time. It's not first in the sense of being first in time. It's first in the sense that it has no other object than one person. And so first love isn't necessarily that which is first in time in a believer's life.
But what develops and deepens as time goes on and every other object is eclipsed and the believers life in Christ alone.
Is there that's first love, and how does it manifest itself in a believer's life?
First love, having Christ only as its object rises up to every exercise that the Lord places before my soul and your soul from his precious word. I'd like to just look at, uh, the Song of Solomon in the 5th chapter, just to apply a little bit from that chapter and, and, uh, to first love.
Song of Solomon chapter 5 and verse 2.
I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved. That knock is sang open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, For my head is filled with dew.
And the locks with the drops of the night. And she replies in verse three, I have put off my coat.
How shall I put it on?
I have washed my feet. How shall I defile them?
And so there she is. She's in bed and she's sleeping.
I sleep and she says my heart waketh. She's asleep. She's at rest, content, but her conscience isn't she. I sleep, but my heart waketh. There's something troubling her. She can't really get a full, deep breath. The conscience is a little picture of the conscience active. And so when he comes and seeks a response from her heart, as her brother was speaking about the response of the heart that the Lord's looking for.
She doesn't respond and she says I've, I've put off my coat, I'm in bed. You know, when we're in bed, we're at rest. We have peace. Well, I have peace with God. I'm saved. Uh, I'm on my way to heaven and uh, I'm fit for glory and my sins have been forgiven, all washed away in the precious blood of Christ. Uh, leave me alone. Don't bother me. Uh, let me go live my life how I want now. Uh, I've taken care of the important thing.
And she says.
My, my feet are washed. I'm not walking in the Broad Rd. anymore. Uh.
I'm walking in the narrow path, maybe even in the assembly, and everything's OK, you know?
But she doesn't rise up in response to his voice. And you know, we can be in the same condition in the assembly, at peace with God in that sense, undefiled feet. And still the heart doesn't respond really and truly to the Lord. There is just this, uh, lying in the bed, so to speak. And the exercise is presented to our souls, and we pick up the word and we read it and we say.
Oh, how I put off my code. I can't get out of I that's too hard to do for the Lord. I can't do that. Maybe another time come back some other time. You know we say to the word of God. Well, her response comes when she sees his hand by the whole of the door in verse four and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open.
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To my beloved in my hands doth with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, while the hands speak of service.
Well, those hands, that of his, he came into this world the eternal Son of God, and became a man. And he had hands and has hands just like yours and mine, and those hands are employed in a service of love. And what was the response of that to that service of love? They pierced those hands. They pierced those hands.
And she sees those hands, as it were. And that's what we need is a glimpse of those hands that came in service of love to us. They're pierced for us. And she responds, and what happens speaks of her hands. Now her hands respond in like kind in service. But as our brother spoke, we can have all kinds of service, but not the right motives behind it, not it being Christ in a response to his love, but now there's service.
Her hands drop with myrrh. It's our service in response to love. Now there's first love that is, so to speak, the motivation of what she's doing, and I think first love is really that.
It's rising up in response. Devoted this to him, to every every exercise that he would place before our hearts from his precious word.
If you just look at one verse and.
First John, chapter 4.
And verse 19, first John 4 and 19, the verse that I'm sure we all know we love him because He first loved us.
We love him because he first loved us.
That is, that is really where first love begins, I believe.
Is to realize, uh and and remember.
Daily that he first loved us.
It all starts with Him. I wouldn't have any love for the Lord Jesus or for anyone else if I wasn't, if I didn't think about.
His love for me, not that is the main person love, his love for for me. And the more I'm occupied with that I'm thinking of of him and his love.
Then I will have the love for him that I should have and it that will that will that should direct everything that I do.
So the 1St works in verse five would be works that are motivated by love with Christ's holy as the object. It's not that they were lacking in works, but He wanted them to do the 1St works works back when their heart was holy for Him.
Like just just look at Luke's Gospel Chapter 9 and Justice. Read a couple of verses there.
It's UMM in connection with the Lord having the first place.
It's Luke Chapter 9 and verse. Let's read verse 58. Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my Father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou, and preach the Kingdom of God. And another said also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back his fit.
For the Kingdom of God. So we have this little statement that's used just a very few times, me first in Scripture. And often times that's really what hinders us in our spiritual life and in our the outflow of our affections for Christ. It's me first and we live in an age where it's me first. And it's sad to say the affections that the Lord desires, the devotion that he desires of your heart and mind often times.
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And he gets the last place, he gets the leftovers, he doesn't get the 1St place. And then in all things, he might have the preeminence, that's what he wants, the 1St place. But how often in my own life I feel it is the affections don't flow forth because I've looked after my own things first. And then I'm too tired perhaps, and, uh, too worn out to give him the place that he really desires. And so this is what happens in connection with.
First love giving him the 1St place is something else comes in, the heart is divided and uh, our brother, uh, Robert Muir brought before us in Acts chapter 20, uh, some of what would take place and I believe you have umm, umm, a little bit of it, uh, ministered on in Philippians chapter 2 in connection with what took place in Ephesus and umm.
The instruction that's given there in Philippians chapter 2 is very instructive for us as well, he says in verse 2.
Umm, Philippians 2 verse two, fulfill ye my joy that you may, that ye be like minded, having the same love being of 1 accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory. That word vain glory means self ambition and uh, self promotion. Let nothing be done for self promotion, but in loneliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And so the Lord Jesus is presented.
That's the perfect model in that aspect of things that he sought to the will of his father and everything I do always those things that please my Father, and so giving the Lord the 1St place.
Was and not seeking a place for myself among the people of God in the workplace, in the family, whatever it might be, we need to be very careful. It's a weed that grows very quickly. If we desire to have a place of prominence in any sphere, it's always Christ that we want to exalt. God's going to exalt Christ in the glorious scene above. He's going to be in the midst in every eye that says in chapter one and verse, uh, seven, every eye shall see him.
It's going to be Christ.
The eternal scene is a Christ centered scene and God desires that the testimony, the Christian testimony, now be a Christ centered testimony.
Scripture in Jeremiah the 2nd chapter.
Jeremiah, chapter 2.
We have a similar difficulty with the people of God.
Can you find in this portion in Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 13?
The Lord says, for my people have committed 2 evils.
They have forsaken me.
1000 They haven't forgotten me, but they have forsaken me, the thousands of living waters, and give them those cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Well, in the chapter that's before us.
We have this situation with those deficits.
Whereas we've had brought before us, there was work and there was labor and there was patience.
We don't read that they'd have. They'd forgotten their first love, but they had left it.
I remember before I was married, there was an older brother that came to me.
At the time it meant something to me, but it means quite a bit more to me now.
And my wife might labor ever so diligently in the home. She might work ever so hard.
And she might be patient.
But if she doesn't love me.
00:40:01
And that's what affected the heart of the Lord in the time of Jeremiah. And that's what we have here in our chapter. Robert, you brought that before us, the thought of the affections that the Lord desires. And here we don't find that they've forgotten the love of the Lord, but they had actively left it. And when there is difficulty in my life, if there's sin and there's failure in my life, what it is?
It's an indication of something that is much deeper.
And it's an indication that I have left my first love. That's a solemn thing as I consider the sin in my life and I consider the many failures in my in my life, they are an indication of something that's deeper. And it's an indication of me having left my first love.
Verse 6 is a commendation, isn't it? It says, But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
Which I also hate. While they were zealous for the Lord, they were zealous for the glory of the Lord in some measure. And you and I can be zealous for the glory of the Lord in some measure as well.
But that didn't fill the, what was missing, uh, but the Lord appreciated it. And so isn't it the kindness of the Lord to give them this letter, this encouragement, this, uh, stirring up. And the Lord desires to stir you and I up. It's because he loves us. It's not because he's, uh, trying to make things difficult for us in any way. No, He loves us enough to write to us and to exercise our souls to stir us up. And his brother was reading and the Song of Solomon, how he sought to stir.
The affections of that one by putting his hand out by the hole in the, by the lock of the door and umm, the Lord knows how to stir your heart up in mind. And uh, the devotion of heart or the, umm, I should say, the zealousness was something that he appreciated it, but it didn't fill the hole. It didn't fill what he really wanted. And so we have here this, uh, call it says he that happened here. Let him hear what the spirit saith under the churches.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
And so there was that encouragement to the overcomer that they would, uh, have that, uh, sense of, uh, his, uh, presence and that they would, uh, in a future day, umm, be in the paradise, in the garden of delight with the Lord and, uh, they would have communion with himself. And so God desires that even though it's a day of ruin, a day of failure, and why we might, umm, just be, exercise our souls in our own souls as to how cold we are in our souls ourselves.
We may see it more in others, but the Lord values the overcomer. And if there is an affection that flows out from your heart or mine in the day of the weakness that we live in, why He appreciates it, and there's going to be communion with the Lord. He's going to.
Reward that communion. He's going to give us a sense of his delight as we walk in his presence.
When she we might say, when she.
Got honest with herself.
I have their repentance of, uh, ignoring the Lord.
When we saw her.
When she went to seek him.
Not at all fair, my love. There is no spot. Indeed, he sees us as the fairest among women.
Who loved the church and gave himself poor and sorrow in the past eternity.
And desired it.
Astonishingly enough that Umm wonders. His work is so at all fair, my love. There's no spot in the and he desires to have us.
00:45:09
And we too stay in bed and ignore him at times to ourselves.
What's the time I'm getting at is she's asked, What is thy beloved more than another? And she can answer.
She answers with great detail.
You know, she's been occupied with him. She has seemed so much about him.
She goes into this detailed description of him.
And one thing about C.
Speaking the Lord, finding the Lord, being occupied with him.
As you desire that anything inconsistent with him he let go of.
Judged.
What do we find when we when we seek Him and find Him? Don't we find one dwelling in the light that no man can approach, unto which no man has been?
Don't we find the one that dwells in the high and holy place with him also as a humble contract?
The high and lofty one. What I'm getting at is what we find when we seek the Lord is a holy 1A Pure 1A. Righteous 1A just one, yes, a loving 1A Merciful 1.
Now John puts.
Characteristics of God before us in two ways. God is light and God is love. And you find all his attributes, you might say, listed under one of those categories, light and love. And the first thing you bring before us is so interesting and the apostle of love.
Says This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you that God is light.
And in him, there's no darkness at all.
So the apostle of love, the one who loved his love so much and brings his love before us so much.
Was.
Fully aware of that of His light, His Holiness, His purity, His truth.
And our beloved is the High Alafia, one of the Holy One, and as we seek him and find him and.
You might say invite him as the Lord Jesus said he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
It can be gone.
Result is that there's you know conforming there is conforming more to this image that's just simply the result then we might say that testimony is the result of occupation with him. But just to point out that.
And so much this inconsistent with him will be letting go of will be judging.
Letting go of it, it was one of the beauties of the recovery.
The Saints came together, especially those men. We all know their names, Sisters too, but they were enamored with him. If they were asked what, what is thy beloved more than another, they could answer.
And they and they sought to judge and let go of everything inconsistent with him.
And so they were conforming to heaven.
As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
And it's and it's contrary to nature.
Contrary to nature, uh.
Sometimes the believer, if they're really occupied with Christ and trying to go on with Him, and they're contrary to nature anyway.
I'm not saying we don't have natural relationships we have to take up with and so on. Those are important, but in their own personal time, what they're occupying them is the heavenly one. And if that's what they're occupied with competing on, that's what will be in their lives. That's what will be in their home. Not with any of this life, this world or something. So often just to just to point that out too, that first love wants everything inconsistent with him.
To be, uh, to be let go of, To be gone.
Solomon chapter 5 verse two. I noticed in Mr. Darby's translation the first part of that verse, it says I slept but my heart was awake. But we read the King James. It almost sounds like her, her heart could have been asleep and it woke up those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Even though we have lost our first love, it affects you for him is still there. So our heart.
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Is, in a sense, always awake.
In that sense.
Paul may have been afraid of that danger in Ephesus. I mean, he says to the Ephesians in the first epistle to Ephesus. He warns them.
This in chapter 5 of Ephesus. Ephesians 14. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and the Christ shall give thee light. See that as ye walk circumspectly, and so on.
You know all knew his own heart. He knew how easily things can become mechanical.
We may see the truth and and, uh, develop good habits and kind of fall asleep.
Go forward getting that word to the Ephesians. I mean. Second, the 2nd of this may not have been written.
If they heated that.
Chapter one and verse six tells us that he has made us kings and priests, or a Kingdom of priests unto God and his Father. To him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. And so one of the things that characterizes the Church period is that we're all priests.
And we're suitable as those that are the priests to, uh, OfferUp sacrifices of praise and Thanksgiving to God. I think that's, umm, Hebrews chapter 13 brings that out very nicely.
In UMM chapter 13 and verse 15 by Him. Therefore, let us offer sacrifices of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks.
To his name. And so that ought to be characteristic of everyone of us when we come into the presence of the Lord at the assembly meetings, whether sisters or brothers, The brothers give their praise and Thanksgiving. The worship of our hearts is audible in the presence of God. But uh, the sisters ought to come. It says, let no man come. Umm, empty. They weren't to come into the presence of the Lord empty. They were to be feeding upon Christ and, uh.
Eating of the manna on a daily basis, and then when they came into the presence of the Lord, there would be something for him.
He wanted the fruit himself. He wanted to enjoy the sweetness of having his people.
In his presence. And there were those that were the deeds of Nicolaitans, uh, I believe Nico means to rule and umm, the rule of over the people. And so there were those that, uh, wanted a place of prominence among their brethren and a rule among the people of God. And they usurped the place of the Spirit of God. And he wasn't getting his place. He wasn't getting the fruit. And, uh, they suppressed the priesthood among the Saints of God.
Wasn't it lovely, brethren, the privilege that we have in the Christian era?
To bring our fruit, the Thanksgiving, the praise of our hearts, our hearts, our lips in the presence of the Lord continually, that there wouldn't be a break in it at all, that the communion might be maintained, that he might have his portion. Well, they saw that this was wrong in Ephesus. They saw it. They hated the the deeds.
That the Nicolaitans had done, perhaps Speaking of the Lady, the clergy coming in, that tendency of the people of God to get lazy in their own souls.
And not to give to the Lord what He really desired and then to let the work fall upon others. It speaks to my own heart, ought to speak to every one of us. Are we feeding on Christ daily? Are we seeking something of the beauty of Christ, something of the preciousness of the person and the work of our Savior every day? Something that I can enjoy in my own soul and maybe share with someone else? But if we're occupied with that less than one on a daily basis.
Then when we come into His presence, why there be something that would flow forth from our hearts. And so we ought to be those that are brothers. I speak to everyone of us. You know, we get into a state of soul where we just like to let someone else do it. Just let someone else take part in the assembly meetings. Let someone else do it. But oh, how the Lord delights to bless just a little thing done for him, a little word said for him. And I just encourage the young brothers here. You know, there was a man that worked for Brother Hammer. His name was, uh, Ralph Koskin. He was an old Finlander and he never got his English quite right.
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And uh, you may be afraid to say something, it ought to be done in the fear of God. Let, if any man speak, let him speak of the oracles of God. But, umm, there needs to be, there comes a time when we, uh, as young men perhaps, uh, take a wife and become more responsible in the assembly and so on. And we need to begin to exercise our priesthood in an audible way, perhaps take gospel meeting, whatever it might be. Sunday school work is a good place to start.
But this man, Ralph Koskin used to say this. What man he works, he makes the mistake. What man he no work, he no make the mistake.
What man he works, he makes the mistake. What man he no work, he no make the mistake?
You're going to make mistakes, you're going to fumble a little bit. You're going to start a hymn or try to start a hymn. It's not going to start right. You may refer to the wrong versus scripture, uh, the wrong reference, whatever it might be, you'll stumble. And the Lord is going to teach us time and again that we're only men, that we're priests of God, but we're not perfect as we utter our utterances in his presence. But what a privilege it is to be exercised and to exercise our priesthood in his presence. Well, the.
These brethren and EF Ephesus saw that the clergy was the wrong thing and they saw it to, uh, deal with it in faithfulness to the Lord. So there were some things that he appreciated, but as we said before, what he wanted was the first place in their hearts and the affections. Well, maybe we may we'd be exercise every one of us about this.
The beginning of the church's history there was a, uh, a failure, sin that has uh.
It was really characteristic.
Of that which was to come, uh, later on and really fully developed in the church's history. And it's the, uh, sin of Ananias and Sapphira. They lied to the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God had been sent down from an ascended Christ. And uh, uh, formed of that company of believers in that upper room, uh, united them together to their head in heaven and formed the body of Christ here in this earth.
The Spirit of God was here present, and the Church was his habitation.
And he was personally present there to conduct all that took place in the assembly. And when Ananias and Sapphira lied, uh, Peter says and, and uh, he, he puts it in the light that it should be put, he said, you've lied to the Holy Ghost. What they did in their action, uh, and God characterizes an act by its tendency in the scripture.
Umm was not just to lie to Peter was really to deny, uh, that there was the Spirit of God had even come. If they really felt and knew that he had come, would they have lied?
You know, would we if, if, uh, uh.
The Spirit of God, if we could see him visibly, would we? Would we lie? God who knows and sees all things. But in their lie they really denied what had taken place in Pentecost, that the Spirit of God was even there. And Peter calls it what it is. They fell down dead. They fell down dead. That was in a day of freshness and power of the Spirit of God. Today he's very grieved because of the failure of the church and sin.
And so there's much that denies the presence of the Spirit of God here, but he bears with it. He bears with it, umm, that sin became characteristic of the failure of the professing Church of God in this world. And our brother touched on the Nicolaitans and earlier it says, uh, that they had tried them that were apostles, said they were apostles and were not and has found them liars. Paul calls them false apostles in Second Corinthians.
And then we have the Nicolaitans and their deeds which they hate, as our brother brought out. Their name seems to indicate those who would take a place of authority, uh, among the people of God. And in Jude chapter four, I think we get them, uh, characterized or Jude verse 4, where there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.
And denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus.
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Christ and so there are those who come in to that sphere of profession having an outward way tasted of grace, they turn around and deny it. Not only that, they take advantage of it. And, uh, so both of those things I believe are coupled together, that denial of the present, uh, presence of the Spirit of God in the assembly and setting up man's order in contrast to the order that the Spirit of God would.
Established in the assembly, putting in man's ideas, man's uh, uh, agendas and uh, coupled with the teaching of turning the grace of God into a license for sin.
That love just covers it all. And since we're saved by grace, aren't we free to just do what we want to do? And many doctrines that come out of that kind of a basis of teaching those things have really become characteristic of the profession of Christianity in this world. And so we see them in their roots and emphasis. We get them a little more full blown later on. We come to verse 15. So hast thou?
Also them that hold the doctrine, the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate so in Ephesus.
They hated the deeds. They tried those who made pretensions.
To be Lords over God's flock and refuse them. But we see the beginning of Satan's efforts in that way to displace the place that the Spirit of God had in the assembly. And it is the characteristic sin of the church, the church's history here in this earth. And it's really embodied in the clerical system. Seeing seen full blown. And that, uh, popish, uh, order of things that we see, uh, coming from Rome. And the Vatican will, will take that up, Lord willing, as we come to Thyatira.
But I just want to mention that we see it in its roots with Ephesus. The Lord saw it and he, he points it out. But He knew, even though that they had refused it, that they hated those deeds. Yet the inroads are being made. And so when we come to the next church, we see what he uses to arrest the progress of what He saw taking place in Ephesus as well as.
What he used to seek to recall them to their first love, and that is the allowed persecution.
Might just say in chapter 2 here, umm, we have the Lord presented in different characters, uh, different, umm, ways in chapter 2, verse one, it's uh, the one that, uh, holdeth the seven stars in his right hand. The whole of the testimony was umm, and those that were responsible for guiding the a star is used to guide umm, in uh, navigation in the oceans and so on. And umm.
So those that were raised up of God were really in his hands, as it were, and he, he was the one who walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. So he's seen as the one who is, uh, right in the midst of his people and knows what's going on and, umm, upholds those that seek to guide in the assembly. And then in chapter 2 and verse 8IN connection with Smyrna, it's the one who is the 1St and the last, which was dead and is alive.
And so he's the resurrected one that's presented to them there. And then in Pergamus verse 12, he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. And so his, uh, word had uh, been given up. Some of his, uh, the truth of God in connection with the truth of the word of God was give being given up. And so he's characterized by one that has the sharp sword with two edges. And then in verse 18, in connection with Thyatiris, the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire in his feet.
Are like fine brass. And so as the evil progresses, you see the, umm, character of what he sees. His eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet like brass. Nothing escapes his eye and he's firm in his, uh, course in his path and, uh, he desires us to walk in righteousness.
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16 in the appendix.
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Nsnoise.
We commend ourselves.
Our loving God and our Father, we thank thee for the preciousness of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, and we thank thee for thy love. Lord Jesus, thou friend unfailing. We think of how my word tells us even in that epistle to the.
Ephesians Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with washing of water by the Word, That he might present it to himself. A glorious church.
Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
We thank Thee, our God and our Father, for such a Savior, for such an object before our souls this morning that Thou was presented to us, and we think of how allow us to given us Thy word to just stir us up.
And awareness too is necessary but to stir us up. And blessed Savior, we own this morning our coldness of heart, and how distracted, so easily distracted we are. And yet Thou knowest our hearts. Blessed Saviour, we long to give thee.
The first place in our lives we long to give thee that first love.
We long to give the the affections of our hearts in the scene that does everything it can to deaden the affections and to divide the heart. And so we just thank Thee for Thy precious word. We pray that by the power of the Spirit that the Thy Word might have free course and be glorified, that there might be fruit for Thee as a result. With a of our time being together here, these few precious hours together, we thank the our God and our Father for all of Thy love and for the provision here. We pray for Thy continued care and keeping in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.