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What is?
Your life.
Oh my.
God.
We all belongs to God.
Divine right here.
00:05:47
Our loving God and Father, we again thank Thee for bringing us together here and for this meeting. Now we're about to open Thy word.
We asked that there might be of waiting on thee and everything that's said, especially that Thou would direct to the portion that we should take up, at least for this reading, perhaps for more. And that we may ever remember in the Speaking of the truth, that there are so many young people and children here, that we may be simple and direct and speak faithfully of Thy word.
That those who are desirous of learning may learn.
There would be an incentive to learn.
And so we ask thy blessing that each one of us may be attentive, help us to keep alert and to learn without have us to learn as the word is brought before us. And so we just thank thee for all this and, and, and the precious name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
That's all it is. It's up to my brethren. But I'm in a I'm in an assembly now that is out of the way for news and I don't hear things till I get to other assemblies. I read the bulletin boards, find out what's going on, but I didn't get an invitation to this conference. So I called Ruben, found out. I knew it was near the time the president forgives the Turkey, but I didn't know when it would be. So anyway.
I'm here.
And I looked for the first time on the invitation at Columbus, OH and I noticed there was only one verse.
Quoted in that invitation, and that's been on my mind ever since.
And the Lord, I feel, would like to have us take advantage of that verse. It's Ephesians. I'm sorry. It's Revelation 311 and I'm going to read it. Revelation 311.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. You know that's a real verse they put on that invitation.
Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man takes thy crown. I want to turn to 2nd Corinthians.
Chapter.
Let's see Second Corinthians.
And I'm going to find it here. It's false statement of A.
Thank you, Corinthians.
Where he said there's a crown, I think it's Corinthians, a crown waiting for me and not I only, but for all them that love is appearing. Anybody going to help on that?
Thank you. Sorry.
It's a senior moment, but.
I'll get there second, Timothy.
Foreign aid, thank you.
This is the verse that came to mind too. Two Timothy 4:00 and 8:00.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me in that day, and not to me only, but also, but on to all them also that love His appearing first, His coming. Brethren, we're all looking for that.
But do we love His appearing with us in this place when he seeks to reign and take His rightful place? That's the wonderful moment. Well, back to this point. This is what came to mind. And it will still be Revelation 3. That's the crown I believe that we're going to receive. And back to Revelation. I'll be quick.
00:10:17
So.
This is my thought, I just leave it with you.
It has come to my mind that both Philadelphia Truth and Laodicea Warning are needed today. I really feel it. And so we could look to this portion. I suggest three, beginning with six and to the end. But there's five meetings.
And so I doubt it will take the five meetings to go through this. I would suggest chapter five complete if there's time. You mean three, don't you? Five, I said 3/6 to the end. And if there's time, five complete. That's my suggestion.
Revelation 5.
Yeah, but you wanted Revelation 3/6 to the end.
Verse six, Should I go over it again?
Hours to the end of Revelation 3 and then if they're time 5.
Why don't we read the whole of chapter 3 that includes Sardis two? Or don't you want to start there?
Well, I didn't want to, but you can.
I'll evaluate that if you want it, but I don't think it's needed.
We know there's Protestantism and there's Catholicism, but this is what we need. Philadelphia ground.
Will have a crown. I really feel this, but they may be wrong.
So we start in chapter 3, verse 76.
6.
Up to my brethren, I I'm ready for anything. Why don't you read it? I'd be glad to.
Revelation 3, verse 6.
He that hath an ear.
Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, by the way.
I was parked in a lot coming this way, and next to me was a Hummer. Not a sign on it, just five men. And I was parked next to them and I asked them if they liked that Hummer. I shouldn't take much time. They love it. 9500 I said I couldn't love something like that. OK, Then they asked me, they noticed the signs and they asked me what church I belong to. And I said, if you're a believer, I belong to the same church you're in.
They were Baptists.
Of course, it starts a discussion and they quoted some verses here, believe it or not, to support their position. Paul went around establishing churches. They said, I said, I'm sorry, but the translation that's correct says assemblies.
No churches. So that's enough of that. We had our He was a Baptist and a nice fellow, you know. But I said assemblies. What did he call those churches if he established them all over?
He couldn't answer that.
He didn't know they were assemblies in Ephesians and assemblies. Well enough of that, but here we are.
6.
I don't want to take too much time. I will come under the Oh, sorry. He that overcometh. And the same shall know. Oh yeah, And to the Angel of the church family in Philadelphia, right these things sayeth. He that is holy, he that is true. He that hath the key of David. He that openeth. And no man shutteth. And shuteth. And no man openeth. I know thy works.
Behold, I've set before thee.
And opened the door where no man can shut it. For Thou hast the little strength, and has kept my word, and has not denied my name. Behold, I will make of them, make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not.
But do lie, behold, I will make them to come and pay homage before thy feet. Right translation, and to know that I have loved thee because thou hast kept the word of my patience. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
00:15:27
Behold, I come quickly.
Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Pardon me, him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem.
Cometh down out of heaven.
From my God, and I will write upon Him my new name.
He's at half an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit say is under the assemblies or churches and under the Angel of the Church of the Laodice of Laodicea, right?
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the of the creation of God. I know thy works, and that thou are neither cold nor hot. I would that thou work cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot.
I will feel thee out of my mouth, because I'll say it. I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And no, it's not that thou art.
Wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked, I counsel thee to buy of me gold Tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.
And with and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine eyes with I sails, that thou mayest see as many as I love. I rebuke and chase it. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door. Knock.
If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him.
And we'll stop with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throat, even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
I.
In chapter one.
Verse 19 We read right to things which thou hast seen.
And to things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. I think that's a key to what we have in this book.
What he had seen is the person of the blessed Lord in chapter one.
The Ancient of Days and then that which is is what we have in these seven churches. It's a prophetic picture of the Christian testimony from Pentecost until the Lord comes to take us home and our brothers exercise is especially to pick up these two last churches.
And what we have to be on our guard against beloved Saints is that we don't think that we are Philadelphia.
Mr. Darby said if we say that we are Philadelphia, that proves that we allow this year I'm rich and increased with goods. There's nothing wrong of desiring to be a Philadelphian, but I do believe that this movement began before so-called brethren came into existence, the Philadelphian movement. All you have to do is read your hymn books.
00:20:20
And look who wrote some of these beautiful hymns that we enjoyed. They were written after the Reformation, some of them even before. But I'm saying is Saints came into the enjoyment of two way beyond what was given to the reformers. Sardis is not the Reformation. Sardis is Protestantism, that which developed.
When the Reformation was allowed to be used for political purposes, that's why you have that. They have the name that they are.
Alive but are dead. Name that thou art live in but are dead. And so you have Protestantism in Sardis, but I believe the Philadelphia movement began before.
The Lord raised our brethren. I do believe it is part of that movement, but we better be careful that we do not in a sectarian way, speak of ourselves as Philadelphia. And what about the rest? Those who live before the Lord raised our brethren, who came into a fuller understanding of truth and, like I say, read the hymns and look who wrote them and when they were written.
Beautiful. The Lord let Saints after the Reformation into a fuller understanding of Christian truth without raising up the reformers who gave us the truth of justification by faith and established the supremacy of the Scriptures. What else could have been recovered? The supremacy of the Scriptures is the basis for it.
And the Lord could lead Saints on beyond what the reformers enjoyed. We very much appreciate what God did to the reformers.
Thank him for it, but there were others raised up afterwards that came into a full understanding of scriptural truth, and we ought to be exercised.
These testes, Sardis, Tayatya, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, go on to the end because the coming of the Lord is spoken of in all four, so we ought to be exercised to be a Philadelphian.
To be personally characterized by what is characteristic of a Philadelphian without making presumptuous claims.
The Lord is not limited to believers, nor to those on Philadelphia ground.
Right here, he'll use who we will so check in the hymns in the back is not always the answer. Who wrote them? He'll use them as he used Nebuchadnezzar, he used the devil, he'll use who he will. But I'm talking on this portion about the desire and the whole brethren that were on Philadelphia ground. I didn't say we are Philadelphia. I never would be an awful thing, wouldn't it? Pride. But we are hoping to be on Philadelphia ground.
And that's all I say. He said nothing against the Philadelphia Saints, did he? No, Only commendation. We seek that because we want to please our Lord. Isn't that the whole purpose of our being here? To please our Lord?
If it isn't, we're wrong. That's it. Only two things did he ask of Philadelphia, and only two things he asked of gathered Saints today. Not that were Philadelphia, but he says keep my word and not deny my name. That's not too much, is it? But that's everything to our Father. Everything.
The way the Lord presents Himself to Philadelphia.
Not taken from the first chapter.
It's what he is morally, He that is holy, he that is true, holy one and true, and he that hath the key of David, He opens, and no one can shut, and shuts and no one can open. And when the time came, for there was a time in the history of the Church.
00:25:16
Philadelphia.
When it was time that all the truth should be brought out, I believe that was in the 1800s. And it wasn't just Mr. Darby that he was the instrument, Yes, but wherever he went, there were little groups that were meeting outside of the systems of men and they saw that there was deadness there and and they just gathered out.
According to the light that they had from Scripture, when you say Philadelphia and ground, I would rather say it's the same thing. The equivalent is scriptural ground because what he commends to of the Philadelphia is how has kept my word. And when we keep his word, we are on scriptural ground. Are we, if you talk about scriptural ground or a Philadelphian ground? But the Philadelphia means brotherly love.
But it isn't about the brethren or the assembly so much. It's about him. He that is holy, he that is true, he presents himself according to his moral qualities. He that hath the key of David. That of course is, is more administrative and governmental. But.
It it's to this assembly that that the whole truth is.
Committed and upheld. And he doesn't find any fault with the second one from the first, which is Smyrna time of great persecution. And he doesn't find any fault with Philadelphia, but he doesn't find anything good about Laodicea, just the opposite. In Philadelphia, Christ is everything. In Laodicea, S is everything. And it's that's the difference between the two.
And we see.
Umm.
Never, I can't. I always read these signs in these schools and you read some of them and they are self-centered. You can do it if you set your mind to it. While the Bible says that it can be done if He does it, all things are through Him. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, not because I have the power in myself, but it's Christ that gives me that power.
And that's Philadelphia and anytime we make anything of ourselves.
We are in our spirits and our thoughts off of Philadelphian ground.
Philadelphia Brown makes everything of Christ and Laodicea. We get down to Laodicean ground, or the Laodicean State, when we get occupied with ourselves. I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. Now knowest not that thou art miserable and poor, and blind and naked. What an indictment against Laodicea. What is Laodicea means? It means the people's rights. That's the meaning of the word. And Philadelphia means brotherly love.
And the way we show true brotherly love to one another is to be Christ like, isn't it?
Have Christ everything, and that's the difference between these two assemblies.
Brotherly love, how do you know your faith? The Lord gives us tests, many tests, proofs I should say, that we're saved and dwelt by the Spirit of God. But the one I love is in first John chapter 4, maybe 5, but I'd buckle and turn to it. You know, hereby we know.
We passed from death of the life. Why we love the brethren. That's a test. God gives it to us. I just love brethren. Don't you go around in every place I go There's brethren doesn't matter if it's overseas or here Canada, United States doesn't matter brethren and I think that's precious. But notice in 7th verse he that is holy and true. Let's for Philadelphia ground.
That's it. That's the ground of it. What did he say to Laodicea? Let me look He that is the Amen and truth. That's different.
00:30:00
That's his command. God commands all now everywhere to repent. Amen. All things that are promised us by God are Amen in Christ.
Let's see are yay in Christ and Amen. All right, but so this why, holy brethren, we are holy people.
Lord said, be the holy as I am holy.
That's the highest thing you can do, where priests will be. So Lords Day, don't you cherish that privilege to be a priest? Not just a priest, but a holy priest. The Lord's Day, we couldn't be at the table if you weren't.
I think it's so precious, this portion on Philadelphia.
And I'm not trying to say we're Philadelphia. I know it's always brought up. No one thinks that. I never heard any brother in the Lord think that, nor say it. I have. Well, you're different tonight.
Well, there are those that are ignorant and might have made such ignorant claims, but humility behaves us and the emphasis is not even on us being holy. That's true. He is the Holy One and we are associated with the One that is holy and is true. And we better keep that in mind if we want to be a true testimony today.
We better keep in mind that we are associated with the one that is holy and is true. That's why holiness becometh mine house thine House of God forever and in our day that is being ignored. You know this unconditional love business.
Suggests to throw your arms around anybody, no matter how they live and how they carry on. That's not what we learn.
From the scriptures and we have to always consider that He is the standard for holiness and He is the holy and the truth, and in grace we are associated with Him.
The Delta love, brotherly love gives us a perspective from the Lord because it's his love. He says love me, we love each other how he's loved us, but we love the brethren, which are the brethren that he loved or he loves all these things. That includes all my brothers and sisters wherever they are in the denominations too. And that will give us large hearts, wouldn't it? So that gives us a scope for who we should love. That's all those that are redeemed of the Lord, They're our presidents of the Lord.
What he says in this very chapter as to not denying His name and keeping His word, and that will bring the restrictions in as to who we can go with and have fellowship with. So they are a company of those Saints that are loved of the Lord that have the privilege.
Of being gathered to his name and not to be Philadelphia, but to be responsible to act in that character. And I was thinking brother referred to Psalm 133 this morning. I think this is a good verse for us who feel the Lord wants us to be together around himself. It sends Psalm 133, the first verse.
It says, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. So of those that are the Lords, the Lord has brought us to dwell together.
It's good and pleasant, and I just like to suggest this thought, brethren.
It's good for us, whatever happens, to dwell together, because when we dwell together, if there's flesh in you, there's flesh in me. There's things that need to be addressed. You're going to help me and I'm going to help you. It might not be pleasant, but it's good. But if we dwell together in unity, that's pleasant because those things that need to be judged and are going on together are addressed because we're in the presence of the Lord and these things have no place between us or in His presence. So we'll have this.
The completeness of this verse, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
I just mentioned a brother, but I think that's a beautiful portion. I like the last two versions of that especially, but that's that's the fruit of it both for the Lord and for us. But at any rate, the brother said the holiness is Christ and not us. But you know, the Lord did say in first Peter one, I think 20 be thou holy as I am holy. And I think that means us. And I think, brethren, we don't think of that enough.
00:35:10
In one Corinthians 11, there's only two verses that let me know this is very important, verse 28 and 29.
But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lorde body. You know, brethren, before you come to that table, and I'm speaking to myself.
Have it out with God and with your brother to her sister. If they're that involved with your failure, don't come with that on your conscience.
To remember the Lord, He is holy. And Philadelphia does mean brotherly love, you know, Take care of it right away. Don't quench the Spirit.
The word holy is the same word that's translated St.
Paul and the other writers writes to the Saints at Corinth and so on. The holy ones when the when Satan owned him and the demons, thou art the holy one of God. That could have been translated the Saint of God. It's the same word. So we are all holy positionally and then we're to walk according to that. I wanted to read a couple verses. One is in John 14.
Where the Lord is speaking and he says, But that the world may know that I love the Father, even as the Father gave me commandment, Even so I do so. The proof of love is obedience. He proved His love for the Father by doing what the Father told him to do. He did it perfectly. And he says of us, this is my commandment.
That she loved one another as I have loved you.
How do we prove that love to one another in first John 5 verse 2? By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. So if we say we love God and walk in disobedience.
That is not love to God. That's not true love, is it? It's false.
If we really love Him, we will obey Him. The Lord proved His love to the Father by obeying Him in perfection as a man. And that's how we prove it to our brethren. Not going along with them if they're in a wrong path, but showing them from the Word, the path that God has marked out. If you are in, if I am in, if we are in the path that God has marked out for us in His Word.
Then the way we show that is by obedience to Him and not by departing from it.
By walking in that. And that's how we show our love to our brethren, isn't it?
You can even apply that.
To family living and to relationship of children and parents.
How do you prove that you love God, that you love your parents? By obeying your parents. Children obey your parents. That's the order that God has established. And in obeying your parents, you're obeying God. And you prove that you love not only your parents, that you love God. Children are in the audience here. Notice this.
You prove that you love God.
And if you love your parents by being obedient to your parents, what a privilege it is to grow up in a Christian home. I did grow up in a Christian home. My grandparents were already devout Christians. What a privilege that is. But what responsibility you know? Don't ignore this. Avail yourself of the privilege and open your heart to what?
00:40:07
You hear and what you're exposed to.
And it will be a blessing for you. And it's so much more wonderful to never drift into the world, to be saved early in life and they never learn to love this wicked, evil world.
And the grace of God can accomplish that in each society.
I think that's an important principle for the Heinz in first John four and verse 20.
It says for man's sake, I love God and hateth his brother. He's a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And I, I thought of that as a, as a principle you could put obey in there. If a child doesn't learn to obey his parents whom he can see, how will he ever learn to obey God whom he cannot see? And that's certainly a word for parents to see to it that.
They they instill obedience.
In their children.
When we say we love the brethren, we don't mean.
The brethren that aren't going on, we don't mean that we we love what they're doing. We love them in spite of what they're doing. Don't forget that we all fail often. Thank God they still love me. But there's some that have Satan has taken mighty advantage of. But we don't stop loving them as a brother in Christ or a sister in Christ.
We pray for it and we take every advantage to help them come back. God would have that always. But that isn't the same love. I mean, we love them, but not like what they're doing. Let's never forget that principle. We can't help loving them.
That's the thought even when the need of discipline arises. But it isn't a family or in the assembly.
Hopefully it is love that prompts the parents to discipline the child. He that hates his son spares the rat, the scripture says. So it's necessary that discipline be exercised in the family and to be exercised amongst the Saints. And this is God's order and hopefully it will be in love. I know that it is dangerous.
For a father to lose control of himself in disciplining the child in anger, you know, But love ought to be the motive. And when I look back upon raising children, we had a number of them, 10.
One thing that I think I could have improved on would be that if I needed to or when I needed to discipline my child, sit down with that child.
And bring the scriptures before the child, what the scriptures teach, and what scripture they had violated, to exercise them, not only by punishment, but also by the Word of God. And love ought to be the motive. Even when it comes to discipline. You know the flesh comes in.
Unfortunately, too often.
And that foils things you know, and brings across the wrong message. But the Lord can give grace.
That we even learn by the mistakes that we make sometimes perhaps, and that we can learn to do it in a more scriptural way.
Father Chuck mentioned that.
Holy and St. are very close in the root word. Yeah, they are the same. Yeah. And we often call ourselves. We like to Christians, don't we? Or believers or brother or sister or brethren. We love those names. How often do you consider yourself a St. We don't often do that. Say it, isn't it? I'm Saint Paul. I don't care what you think of me. I'm St. Bob.
And you know what Satan means? I think the best way to show you would be number six, and I won't say much on it, only one or two things. But number six, a Nazarite, he's holy. We love them with the same love I love you with. But we in my family, seven children, I love them all.
00:45:13
But I don't like some of the things they do, they don't like some of the things I do, and so on. But that's another subject, that's another matter. We mustn't confuse what we are in Christ and with what we are practically in our lives. To sanctify and to sanctify all of one, we read in Hebrews chapter 2. Sanctification and holiness are interchangeable words.
You know, so the sanctifier and the sanctified are all of one. One in holiness. You know, we stand before God.
As perfectly as his son.
Through the work of Christ, that's what we are positionally but.
Why do we need to be chastised as children in order that we might become partaker of His Holiness? Practically, You know, that's why God the Father has to chastise us. Child training, It's not punishment for much, but dealing with us as with children, to bring us practically into position what we are positionally in the sight of God.
And he has a lot of work to do in US, doesn't he? We have to admit that there's a lot of work that he still has to do. And he wants us all to be just like his son. That is his purpose, that we be conformed into the image of his son. You know, when we were standing, We will be standing before him in that coming day.
Previously all just like his son, like a brother has said he had one son and he loved him so much and he said I'm going to make many just like him fill heaven with them. The grace of God has brought that about positionally two of us already. But what a wonderful thing that will be when we stand there only according to what the grace of God has made us to be in the flesh be gone.
You know, and we'll be brought into full conformity to his Son, even outwardly, you know, receive a body like unto his body of glory, and then we will spend eternity with the one that loved us and gave himself for us. That's the first thing that's mentioned in verse seven. These things saith He that is holy, and he's made-up the same way.
Holy He that is true, and we should always speak truth with our neighbor. We shouldn't be characterized by lying or falsehood or misrepresentation of facts. He was the true one, the holy One, and true our hearts in thee confide. But then it says he that hath the key of David. What's meant by that?
He that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth. There's a key he's talking about. That key opens, that key shuts. And what's it? What's it referring to?
The King's treasury, right? I like that. That's good.
There came a time in the history of the church for all these precious things that had been lost through the ecclesiastical rubble of the the the church world to be brought out. And he opens it and he brings it out. And that's what we enjoy.
You think that it includes too the the full revelation of the partition between what belongs to Israel and the Church, dispensational truth absolutely very important recovery of those that that translated the King James did not understand dispensational truth.
They talk about the headings in the Old Testament over psalms and prophets, the church this and the church that. The church didn't even exist then, didn't exist until the day of Pentecost when the Spirit came down. Isn't it true that that that's what the recovery of the truth began with?
That Saints got an insight into prophetic scripture and then they wondered what about?
00:50:01
What fits in in the between?
At the present time, he's obviously not dealing with Israel.
That became clear and Daniel's 70th week will pick up again with their people. So actually that is what the Lord exercised Saints about and then the truth of the Church was fully recovered and we can be thankful that we live at this time when that has been recovered. The question now is, have you laid hold of it?
That's a challenge.
For everyone of us to lay hold of what God in His grace has recovered.
Not intellectually only.
But let it penetrate into your heart, into your very being. The truth of God has given us to form our character, our very being. And if we understand our heavenly calling and to position that we have been brought into the position of the church today as pilgrims and strangers and all, what an effect that we'll have on our lives practically. I remember 1 Lord's Day morning at home.
Every hymn we sang in our worship and praise of the Lord was written by a sister, Mary Boley, and she was a member of the Church of England, I believe. I couldn't believe the light. I can't. The light that she had, the understanding that she had. You would be almost positive you'd say, well, she was definitely was with brethren, but she wasn't in spirit. She was, but not physically.
Godly or sister, I don't know.
That every hymn we sang was one of our hymns. No, And she wasn't gathered to the Lord's name. Amazing. Well, the key of David have a thought too, of of governmental power and authority. He's going to sit on the throne of his father, David.
And.
Taking the key of David, he's the one to whom all power has been committed in heaven and earth. And when it came time for the truth to be recovered, he opens all the doors. And really, in the lands where we've seen the recovery of the truth, there's really been no governmental opposition, so to speak, against the truth. We've been free to meet, to be gathered to the Lord's name and to meet in the way that we do, and for the truth to be spread.
In the end of Paul's life, it says there in the end of Axe, he dwelt for two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came to him. No man forbidding. And in this time of the recovery of the truth, I'm saying generally speaking.
There has been no one to forbid those who are seeking Paul, those who are seeking that which Paul would represent to us in the Scripture. Paul's doctrine, that which the Spirit of God is exhorted through by the Lord Jesus, is exhorting Philadelphia to hold fast to.
New Testament truth. There hasn't been opposition to those who wanted Paul, who wanted to lay hold of that truth.
That prophesied in Isaiah 22. Yeah, go ahead.
Isaiah 22 and.
Verse 20.
Come to pass in that day that I will call my servant Eli again, the son of Al Qaeda, and I will fold him with thy robe and strengthen him with thy girdle, and will commit thy government into his hands. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to the House of Judah, and the key of the House of David. What I lay upon his shoulder. So he shall open, and none shall shut, and he shall shut and also open, and I will fasten him as a nail in a short place, and he shall be.
For a glorious throne to his Father's house, and they shall hang upon him all the glory of his Father's house.
This was a type, isn't it, of the Lord Jesus? Yes. In connection with that, those verses and what Steve said, I want to add, I've been asked how long will we be allowed to meet like we do now, like when we do now that the government that's over us allows us to meet like this. The answer to that is as long as he who has the key of David keeps the door open, as long as he keeps the door open for us.
We'll be able to meet this way if he shuts the door. We can't. And in some countries, he shut the door. You look at Turkey, you look at Asia Minor, that's where the apostle Paul did all his laborers and all the churches in Asia Minor. And they've been, they've been shot.
00:55:14
And it's Islam there in that country. He said to Ephesus, he will remove the Candlestick. He's done that in those parts of the world. But how long will it be in this country until he would remove the Candlestick here? If this country keeps going the way it's going, it may not be very long. We don't know because we are. How long is God going to allow us to spit in the face of the Son of God? I when I say us, I'm talking about America.
And Canada and Western Europe, how long is he going to allow that where all these precious truths that we took, we were talking about in Philadelphia have been recovered and now man has turned his back on that in England, 6% of the people in England even go to a church.
And many of those don't even go to a Bible believing church. How many are really in the truth? Well, it's just such a small number. It's set. And that's where the truth was recovered. And we're Jim Hyland told me this and it it struck me.
That Europe is worse than Canada, which is worse than the United States.
In moral departure, moral depravity and bringing in things would have just against the word of God. It's it's blatantly right out the open in Europe and pretty much so in Canada, not quite as much and not near as much in the United States. When President Bush was elected to president, I said I got on my knees and thank the Lord you haven't completely given up on the United States yet. The fact that there was a man there.
There is a man there. You couldn't even consider that in Canada or Europe that fears God. That is a true believer.
And yesterday he went to Iraq. He was 2 1/2 hours in Iraq silently. How he ever got in and got out without being discovered is protection of God. And he talked to the troops and came back and even ate with them. The the supreme commander of the armed forces, he was trying to assure them.
That they were back being backed by the United States government, well, that's all in the political realm. We're not in that.
But that was big news yesterday. Big news indeed.
Well, it's important, I believe, to have all this in our souls, because it's a real encouragement to us, isn't it?
I've enjoyed the scriptures that our brother Michelle read from Isaiah 22 because there it refers to a man by the name of Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. And he too lived in a difficult day. He lived in a day when Israel was failing. He lived in a day when God was having to deal with them governmentally. He lived in a day when it was very difficult for him to follow the Lord. But the Lord gives him that tremendous encouragement.
And points him to the one whom, as it says, has the key of David. What does that say? Everything that we have had before us the treasure House of God as to the truth, if we could use the expression, the vision of God's ways with man, where everything is displayed from 1 eternity to the next. And as our brother Chuck has said, the power of God in ordering everything as to circumstances in this world.
I don't believe that we will ever have truth given to us in the word of God. That I have to say, because of the condition of things in this world, I can't act on it. No, I believe that this is the force of this here, that if God has given to you and to me a recovery of that precious truth that he gave at the beginning of the church's history, there is one who has all power, who says.
And I will make a way for you to be able to walk in the good of it and express that practically all the way to the Lords coming. Well, as their brother Chuck has pointed out, there are countries where that at the moment is very, very difficult. And yet God makes a way. He makes a way for dear brethren to gather to the Lord's name in a country like Bhutan, where they are frankly and totally forbidden by law to do so, they do it anyway.
01:00:02
And I know they do it in Muslim lands and in other places where if the government could get hold of them, they would stop it. But they can't stop it. Their brethren meeting in India gathered to the Lords name and many other Christians were not centering out those gathered to the Lords name.
There are faithful believers around this world, faithful believers in Communist China, to the light that God has given them. What's holding them up? What's helping them? He that opens the door and no man can shut it, well, he can shut the door too, and no man can open it.
But it's a wonderful encouragement to us, and I believe we can take this to heart, that he that has the key of David is over everything. Not visibly, not openly, that waits for a coming day, but he's doing it behind the scenes for us even now, isn't he?
Go ahead. Just listening to a statement the other day made by her brother, beloved brother AC Brown.
He said that the breaking of bread meeting.
Is God's primary institution in this world. I thought that was a wonderful statement. That is the door that is open to us, beloved brethren. We often think of it as a door of service in evangelism, and that may be true in keeping with the glory and honor of the Lord Jesus Christ in his person and work to go out with the gospel, but is a wonderful thing, is it not?
To think of coming together by the Holy Spirit gathered around the Lord Jesus Christ through that open door that He has kept open for us and remembering Him. And to think of it as God's primary institution, if we could use that word in this world and to be part of it. What a wonderful blessing it is. Is there any greater privilege that we have on the face of this earth than to answer to His request? This due in remembrance of me.
And justice to say a word concerning.
The love that was brought before us, the importance of love. Perhaps one of the most important words in Scripture is love. And that's why the Lord said this new commandment have I given unto you that ye love one another. Very important. And love covers a multitude of sins. But her brother brought before us many years ago something I never forgot.
He said. What is the primary fact that unifies believers today if we were to ask that question in circles all around us?
The Saints and the believers would say love, love unifies, love is what brings us together. Love covers a multitude of sins and they would misuse that scripture perhaps.
But is that the primary unifying factor that brings the Lord's people together by the Holy Spirit? No, he said. It is separation from evil.
Separation from evil, Let him that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Brethren, that is not a popular thing. And that is what happened in the Philadelphian period is the Saints begin to see the necessity, not showing love and just going on with their brethren in places where there were doctrines that were held that were inappropriate. But it was separation from evil. And they came out by the Holy Spirit gathered to the precious name of the of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Into a clean place where He is in the midst. There is a place not far from where I live.
That there are about 5 or 6000 members in a church.
That got together recently for revival, and they had a speaker from various institutions to show this kind of love that covers a multitude of sins, as they say. Even though they differed in doctrines and different practices, they all came together to express love. That is the ecumenical spirit all around us today, and it's going to grow perhaps into, as our brother AC Brown used to say, the United Church of Christ.
And we know what it says in Revelation chapter 18 concerning that the religious Babylon. And that's what will be left behind. Of course, many faithful brethren in circles like that that don't know what we know, beloved brethren, that we have been taught by our fathers through the Holy Spirit. But I just say that love is important, but never to cover the doctrines that are inappropriate and discordant with the truth of God's Word.
01:05:14
And Scripture gives us both, doesn't it, Brother Dave? And I think it's important to see that, if I may be so bold as to mention this, but back in his early life, a brother back in the 1800s wrote an article, Separation from Evil, God's Principle of Unity. And some years later another brother ran the article in a periodical thinking it was very good, which of course it was.
And the author of the article.
Noticed it there, and having had his maturity, or rather his thoughts and other, how shall I put it, his spiritual maturity had increased by the time. And so he wrote in to the editor of the paper without identifying himself. I think the editor knew who he was and he said, Mr. Editor, you have admitted a paper to your journal, which I find, and I think the words he used were one sided.
And then he wrote another article, Grace, the Power of Unity and Gathering. You can read them. They're available today right at the end of volume one of JD writings. And we need both. One is -1 is +1 without the other will not do. Separation from evil without the emphasis on grace and love will produce sectarianism and harshness.
And all the rest of it. Love without the separation from evil will produce looseness and indifference to Christ. Both are wrong because both are one sided. We need both. And I know, Brother Dave, you'd thoroughly agree with that.
Well, I never felt I could give a definition of the key of David. I still don't. But of essence, I know what it is. The same with eternal life. There's no definition that it works, but in essence, I know what it is to know God is Father and Jesus Christ as Lord. You have it. That's a definition of of eternal life. Now as far as the key, I think it's the Lord.
Is Nokia David David had faith no matter what happened to him. He never lost faith in the Lord and I do believe that's the key faith today in the one who's able doesn't matter the situation we're in. That isn't the point. The key of David is this I would that my joy be in you and your joy be full. That's the key of David.
You know, it didn't matter what it was. What is the joy that the Lord has? And He wants us to have Hebrews 12/2 who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross? What joy could He have in that awful cross?
Doing the father's will, that's the key of David.
I said, well, I've always felt I know the time is up, but.
Having spoken of love and grace.
I like to suggest that in our prayers we do not just pray for the gathered Saints.
That we pray for all the Saints. Sometimes our prayers concentrate on the gathered Saints.
I think at the bottom of it there is a wrong thought. We are falling short of God's thoughts concerning His people. He ought to pray for all the things, and we are to love all the Saints, and when you meet one.
That loves the Lord. What a joy it is. We are the same family.
Brothers and sisters in Christ #264.
264.
01:10:01
I know, I say all day, we.
Feel.
Like last night.
Lord, Father and I.
Loving God our Father, we thank Thee for what we have had before us this morning.
Surely, our God, it humbles us that we have been privileged to live in a day when thou, Lord Jesus has used that key to open unto us.
All those treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
We thank Thee for this blessed Savior. We owe Him before Thee how little we avail ourselves of all that Thou hast given to us.
But we thankfully.
That Thou canst open a door and no man can shut. And we pray that that door may remain open to us until Thou dost come. We pray for our own part, that there might be the heartfelt wish in our hearts to follow after Him that is holy, Him that is true, to keep thy word and not deny Thy name. To hold that fast which we may have.
For our God and Father, we commend it all to thee.
Knowing that the power is not in ourselves, but that Thou would direct our hearts and our eyes to that Blessed One.
And not to us. So we pray for thy blessing upon us and upon Thy word that has been given out, and give thanks in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.