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34 We're not of the world which faded the way we're not of the night, the children of day 234.
We're not of the world.
We've taken the world away.
Technology, that one, God love God. I continue to tell us our starving of the truth, where it's where it's where it's raining, where strangers thunders on their own heads and we have to have a little bit of a little alone.
Uh.
Ah, shall I pray to sail our guardian, and how to God we are on behalf of.
Life.
I'll scream by praying deeper I'm alone from Thailand before I go.
After Friday, my day was so proud of my life, but it's raining down the road now.
In my opinion, I love you.
Lord, save it for my operation.
It's more.
Than anything leaving me.
And soon shall we enter our all problems widening.
The ground beginning crying, growing.
And fall along with them and fall over and further around and the background. Remember now they need to give you all the Lord's Lord beating the eye and the blindness and the blind singles representation is not good proof will be the end of the end of the tune of it to be.
We get very far into the address to Philadelphia this morning.
And exposed. We should start with the eighth verse. Would that be about right?
Revelation 3 and verse 8.
Our Revelation chapter 3 reading from verse 8 down to the end of verse 13.
I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee, have no man can shut it, for thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word, and has not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not but to lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, 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. Behold, I can quickly hold that.
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 through Jerusalem.
Which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. He didn't have an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit says under the churches.
00:05:11
We already mentioned the open door, or perhaps as you should read more accurately, and opened door. That is, the Lord has opened it in connection with the fact that the Lord opens and no man shuts and shuts and no man opens.
But it's very significant.
I think it's said to every assembly here in Revelation 2 and three.
I know that it works.
Sometimes said in a positive way, sometimes in a negative way, but here I believe it's in a positive way. I know thy works.
It's very, very comforting and real, a real encouragement in these last days if you're really seeking to please the Lord. The pathway is not going to be very popular, and sad to say, it won't always be popular with others that profess the name of Christ, even other true believers.
If we really want to do as it says there in verse one follow him that is holy and him that is true.
We may well find that we're misunderstood. We may well find that we are not very popular.
But we'll have to be content with the one who says, I know thy works.
In that connection, I'd just like to read a verse from Second Timothy 2 That I believe bears on this.
Second Timothy 2 and verse 8.
And I'm going to read it the way it is in the Darby translation because there's a very slight difference here in the King James. It says, remember that Jesus Christ of the sea of David was raised from the dead, according to my gospel. And it's always good to remember the resurrection, But I don't believe that Timothy needs to be needed to be reminded so much that the Lord rose from the dead.
The J&D reads.
Remember Jesus Christ of the seed of David, raised from the dead? According to my gospel, that is the Lord Jesus as far as this world was concerned, we could say, speaking reverently, his life looked as if it were a total failure, didn't it? He got absolutely nothing in this world. He was rejected even by his own followers, rejected by the very nation that.
He had come to save, misunderstood even by, as we say, those that knew him, betrayed by one of his own followers, and eventually cast out and crucified, totally rejected. We would say that life was a failure.
A clear Apostle Paul could have thought the same because in the.
1St chapter of this same official He has to say all day which are in Asia be turned away from me. We thank the Lord that all Paul's laborers weren't in Asia. But at the same time, it must have been very difficult for him to look back on a life of probably unparalleled service to the Lord, and then to find many of those with whom he had labored turning their back on.
Where shall we say is the reward for a light?
Live for the Lord. It may have to wait till the glory. The Lord Jesus, if we could say it reverently, had to wait for resurrection in order to see order to see the fruit of his sufferings. Paul will have to wait for a coming day to see that reward for living a faithful life for the Lord. And you and I may find ourselves in the same position. And so we're reminded here.
I.
Know thy words. We may have to be content with that, as, uh, our brother Ted brought before us this morning, and it's very good. According to the same chapter of Second Timothy. There will always be the wit then, until the Lord comes. I don't believe we'll ever have to go it alone, so to speak, but we may have to be content to wait until the glory to get the approval and the reward for being faithful to the Lord.
00:10:08
OK.
Uh-huh.
I'd just like to, uh, ask a question that I may, and that is each of these, umm.
Each of these pistols is a seven assembly. It starts off for his address to the Angel of the.
The assembly and wherever and that was somebody to clarify what is referred to by in terms of angels or the account.
Well, there have been.
Different process to that, and we don't want to be too dogmatic about it, but it seems from the way it is presented here that it would bring before us those who, uh, uh, well, let's put it this way, Those whom the Lord would look to as being responsible, uh, particularly in an assembly. On the other hand, we don't want to carry that thought too far because that doesn't let the rest of us, as it were, off the hook.
Carry the thought of those in a position of eldership and responsibility.
To an extreme and you end up with potpourri where a hierarchy simply says this is the way it is and this is what you do and those underneath obey. The New Testament doesn't teach that. Carry the thought in the other direction. To an extreme and you end up with every man doing that which is right in his own eyes. Both are wrong, aren't they? God has given authority in the church. He's given responsibility.
And so he looks for those in responsibility as to the character of things that they have allowed within the sphere that God has committed to them. And that's a principle that works throughout the Word of God, whether it's a master.
Over servants, whether it is parents in the home, whatever it might be, if there is serious disorder and confusion within a sphere of authority, God looks to those whom He has placed in positions of responsibility.
As to what they have allowed there and so I I would suggest that thought. I don't know. What do you think, Stan? Do you have any thought on it? No, that's what my thought was too. I would have a good verse in that connection, I think in Hebrews 13 and verse 17.
It says there obey them that have the rule over you or the guide over you. I think it could read and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account. So they that must give account are those who have the responsibility in the assembly. So there's, as you say, there's authority, isn't there in the assembly. And we should be willing to submit ourselves, uh, one to another.
Hmm.
Do you agree with that, brother Ted?
That's, uh, what I've thought over over the years and in, in various, uh, settings. I would, uh.
Just umm, read Mr. Darby's note on the word umm. It's found actually in a different verse.
And, uh, but what he says of this, read what he says. Umm, and that is the meaning, I believe of quote, Angel, the symbolic quote representative of the assembly seen in those.
Responsible in it.
Which indeed all really are as as you alluded to, hence the and to you, and to you each and the rest. So he sees it as symbolic of those who would bring bring the word of God to the assembly.
00:15:08
Oftentimes in Scripture, in the Old Testament, the angels were messenger.
I'm just thinking what it says in Second Peter or First Peter chapter 5 verse 5.
And, umm.
Likewise, the younger submit yourselves out onto the elder or those that have the guidelines suppose nay all of you, uh, be subject for umm, the subject, uh, one to another and be close with humility for God resistance and proud and give grace to the humble. And I was just thinking of the responsibility of those who have the guide over us. They're much, much more responsible than.
Those who are under the guide.
Hmm. And so their accountability to God is uh, so, so much greater. And, uh.
They, uh, have the guide over us then.
Where to submit but also there's to submit.
To us, and we're all the submit to one another, not just, uh, submit to one authority, but all of us have to submit each other to ourselves.
So.
Those in a position of responsibility are not infallible, are they? And we can't use that, as we said earlier, as an excuse to go wrong. And I had a brother once call me in very strong words that the Saints would only learn to submit to elders. There'd never be any divisions anymore.
Well, I respectfully suggest that that is not quite true.
Sometimes.
The elders can be in the room, and sometimes it needs others to turn to the Word of God and bring it before them. That's recognized in Paul's ministry, too. He says. Receive not an accusation against an elder, but in the mouth of two or three witnesses. But it could be that it would happen that way.
Rebuke not an elder sharply. That's the Darby translation. But nevertheless, there might need to be a review. And so the Word of God is so beautifully balanced in the mouth, and it's striking in that 5th chapter of First Peter that the 1St 4 verses are involved in telling the elders how to carry out their responsibility and with what character they should do it. Showing, I believe, that there is that which would commend itself and that which might not.
So the word of God is is very beautiful.
Directions.
Yeah, I was just noticing those versus, umm, brother Bill that in that, uh, fifth chapter procedure and I think it's worth reading them.
Because it brings out what uh.
What?
First Peter, five and one, the elders which are among you. I absorb who I'm also an elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.
See the flock of God.
Taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly. Not for filthy liquor, but have already mined neither of them words over God's characters, but being examples to the plot.
So it seems to me that the elders are being, uh, exported here by a theater to.
To, uh, feed.
The floor rather than to rule or being words over them.
Umm and I.
They suggest that if we.
If the those who are in a place of responsibility.
Our exercise before the Lord about feeding the assembly and being an example, for example, to them, to the rest of the assembly, then things will go as they should. MMM. And there might not be.
00:20:03
Uh, there might not be those situations that sadly result in division. MMM.
And, uh, when it says the samples to the block, I heard one brother one say that, uh, it's like, do you like a, a head sheet?
Rather than being like a shepherd.
So you know the the reef sheet would take the lead to do what?
To follow the shepherd. So umm, you can't. A shepherd really can't be an example to the flock, right?
Get down on all fours and so on. So, uh, you gotta realize that you're just, you're just the sheep too. And, uh, take the lead to follow the Lord, not rule over some of the language in the King James, as we know, was because of the context in which it was written.
Umm and they were trying to maintain that that structure rule, but the Lord said you know it shall not be so among you. He said this is the way they have authority in the world, right is.
Fair enough, though I can't think of the scripture, but he says but it shall not be so among you.
Those that are are going to be uh, uh.
Uh, the in the lead you have to be what is we should look at that Saint Matthews.
If you know that the, the, uh, those who rule over the nation.
Exercise authority over them.
You know someone else where that is?
It's important because the Lord said it shall not be so upon you. And that was a word right from the Lord on this very issue of rule.
Well, we don't want, I don't want to take up the plenty of the masks. Good brother. What's that? Matthew 20? Is it in Matthew 20?
Verse 25 Right Exactly.
You know, they would, they too would just ask us to be put in certain positions and that's a naturally what we desire, you know, in our ambitions is to have position, be recognized as having position and so on.
Umm, so he speaks to that, that tendency in our flesh to want to be in a position of authority and so on. And he says, umm.
Verse 25 You know that the Princess of the Gentiles exercised dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them, but it shall not be so among you.
But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister or your servant.
And whosoever will be chief among you, let them be your servant.
So.
And then he he sets himself as an example.
And it's interesting because there's a scripture that says that he's going to come forth in service. I mean, what's it going to be like to have the Lord come out and.
Service, I mean, what will that do to pride in any ambition for position. But you know, in our day we don't have apostles to a point elders and it's even questionable when when the apostle appointed Aldous in each city whether that was a public thing. I mean, there is no there's no reason to assume he set them up in front of the assembly and said these are your elders. I rather would think he went to them individually or or collected a few and laid the responsibility for the care of the assembly on them.
What good would it do to set them up in front of the assembly?
And and ordained them, so to speak. I believe he he went to them in private and and laid the responsibility because that is really what is seen in the New Testament for for elders and overseers is responsibility. And when he says to Timothy that one that desires that he says what desires a good position.
He says no. He says desires a good work.
So, uh, but in our day, we, we don't have an apostle to a point. And so we who take responsibility do what we rise up.
To take responsibility.
That's the only way it can be. And, uh, if it's done in the right spirit, it's beneficial to the assembly. And those that go on well are those that recognize the benefit of having those who watch over their souls. There's no reason to have a problem. I mean, the, the issue arise when there's someone who wants to have power and authority that causes trouble. And there's no shortage of history of that. And the same thing happens when those who were rebelled.
00:25:30
And usually the rebellion is because they want. So either way, it causes trouble. But if it's more like a family, you just recognize there are those that are ahead of you, there are those you need to take care of. There are those that are on your side. You look at the block on the wall here, you know every block has blocks below, blocks beside, blocks above, and even the ones up at the top have blocks of side. And if you're in the assembly.
And you're not in submission. You know, you should be able right now to sit here and think about those that to whom you're in submission. And if you're not in submission, if you can't think of those for whom you are in submission, you've got a problem.
You've got a problem because if you're really built up in an assembly.
You're in submission, I'm in submission. I know I'm in submission. So I contain them right now. So we all should realize that it is, uh, brother builder, uh, Herman brought out it, it really doesn't say the submissive submit to one another. I mean, in a way that would be very practical, but the thought is to be clothed with humility and, and in a sense to submit. I mean, there may be times when even a young brother has the Lord's mind. I need to recognize that.
But in a general way, there is this stance and authority in the assembly, in the it's not profitable for anyone to be.
Trying to rebel or kick against that. Hmm if it actually was apparently there's a verse in umm in Acts chapter 20 which is in sheds a lot of light on this. That's chapter 20 verse 28. It says take heed therefore unto yourselves until all the Plaza over the which the Holy Ghost needs to overseers repeat the Church of God, which he had purchased with his own blood.
So that's the important part of the business.
Right in it in uh, Mr. Darby's translation says among whom?
Not over whom? Over which, but among whom?
The Lord has placed all the elders and the overseers among flock. They're sheep too.
And it's the Holy Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit that has from that verse, I take it that has.
LED those brothers to.
Take on your responsibility of being, of doing that work as as that's my life, that's the work.
If not.
It's not, uh, the assembly deciding we're going to make brother so and so the elder.
After God leading one another to take on that responsibility and again here in that verse that, uh, Ruth has pointed it and it's defeat the Church of God. And it also reminds us that he the word himself has purchased it with his own letter belongs to him, not not to us. Yes.
In the, in the Old Testament, you know, is, is very interesting. Uh, picture there when there was rebellion against Moses, the Lord told them, you remember to take the staff. He, he had all the, the rebels take their staff and they took errands rod and they, they put them in the temple, right?
And, uh, and Aaron's rod butted, but you notice it goes on to say that it, it was, it sprouted almonds. Well, almonds are food. And I've always enjoyed the fact that really, God, uh.
UMM identifies authority among these people by those who feed and nourish.
That's the that's the sign of of real authority. Hmm.
Well, going on with the rest of the verse, it says thou hast a little strength.
And it's kept my word and not denied my name.
This does not mean.
00:30:00
I do not believe that the Philadelphian has a little strength and those who are perhaps not walking so faithfully.
Have much strength. We don't want to be critical of anyone, and we're thankful for everything in this world that names the name of Christ.
But at the same time sometimes in being faithful to the Lord.
We may.
And I confess that I have occasionally done it myself, cast envious eyes at the amount of work that is being done by some large Christian organizations in this world.
I'll never forget what our late brother I say. Our late brother Harry Hay has been gone for over 50 years. So kind of dates on us, but I remember his staying in an address.
He said, brethren, do you think in a coming day that the Lord is going to say to me, well, you were just a little bit too careful to follow my word. You should have sidestepped it a little bit from time to time and you could have done far more work for me and been far more use as a believer in the world. He said, do you think the Lord will ever say that in the coming day? You know he will know the Lord values our obedience now as we've been hearing.
It has to be done in the right spirit, not in a slave issue, adherence to some kind of a legal standard that we have set up. That's not the thought, but the character of the one that the Lord approves of here and whom He says has a little strength. It's not in comparison with that which is around us, but rather in comparison with what God gave at the beginning.
What did God give at the beginning? Marvelous blessing. Thousands saved at one preaching of the gospel.
Tremendous unity among believers. Were there problems? Yes there were, but there was the power of the Spirit of God manifested there to deal with them.
You and I can't expect to bring that back again. We can't expect to see the power of Pentecost and the condition of things in the early church duplicated today. And to think that we're going to do it is to be unintelligent as to the mind of God. God doesn't work that way. Everything that God has ever set up has failed. And when it has failed, God never restores it to his original state, but he does permit.
Those who wish to be faithful, to answer to everything that he gave right at the beginning, that's what if we could name a name in the Old Testament, Hezekiah sought to do. That's what they sought to do in Ezra and Nehemiah's time. They sought to go back to what God gave at the beginning and to give expression to it. And that is what I believe is entailed in the thought of a little strength. It's not having the power of Pentecost.
It's not competing with what may be done, uh, uh, shall we say, in an organized way among others, but it's rather seeking, as it says here in the end of the verse, to keep His word and not deny His name. The Lord values that, and I say that to you and to me, each one. That is a paramount importance in these last days. Somebody made the remark this morning that we can get our eyes on others.
And if we can do that, Satan's got a wedge in the door and he can persuade us. Well, because of this and that and the other thing, I can do that which is contrary to the word of God, because after all, well, everything's in confusion and we can't expect to see things done properly.
The confusion is here, the failure is here, and we're part of it. But God would not tell us to keep His word. The Lord Jesus would not tell us not to deny his name if it were impossible to do so.
I'd like to say one more thing too. On the question of denying his name, someone might say quite legitimately, I don't know any true believer that would deny the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:35:14
Yes there may be a Peter who under the pressure of circumstances and not walking with the Lord and being taken up with perhaps a certain amount of pride in his own uh faithfulness that denied the Lord with oaths and curses even there might be a Bishop cranmer back in the 1500s.
Who, under the pressure and threat of death by being burned at the stake, denied the Lord temporarily?
But he regretted that, went back and was faithful to the Lord and endured that kind of a death. I don't believe any true believer could deny the Lord from his heart, but denying his name I would just suggest.
You have that verse back in the Psalms that was magnified. Thy word above all thy name.
And without wanting to go into a long explanation of that, I believe we find in the Word of God that the name of Christ is not. If we could say it reverently, just to me it embodies everything that is in connection with that name. He is the eternal Word having John 17. Thy word is truth, and so to deny His name means to deny that vital truth which is connected with His name.
We can say that we value his name, but if I am deliberately and willfully not working in that which I know to be connected with that flex name, am I right in saying that I'm denying his name? What would you say, Dave? Is that right? That's right.
I was just thinking of some, uh, 119.
Psalm 119 and.
I was just thinking about how David, uh, you know, he, uh, hurt the one of the police, the Lord and, uh.
Umm.
Verse 128.
Therefore I assume all my two steps concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way and umm.
You know that, uh.
David hated every false leg and, uh, this Psalm here, it has 176 verses and, uh, 174 of them versus extol the virtues of God's will and, uh.
I don't know which tube that don't excel the virtually a little bit worse, but it's just so lovely as a Psalm and.
It's so edifying.
And, and I was just thinking of Second Samuel.
I saw the second kings.
I just had some questions to ask about this concerning.
Talking about and.
That Kings chapter 4.
And of course we know that Elijah has such a lovely picture of the Lord and, uh.
They need God's salvation.
But anyway, uh, verse 38. Umm.
And he lastly came to games to build all. Now Gilgal is a place where we know that, uh, they had to go back after, uh, to put the Knights in the West. That's when they're first circumcised. And it's a lifelong, umm, state of soul to be in repentance always, you know, and we have to score accounts and we, no one will do something wrong. We have to go to work about it. And then to our brother and we offended them in any way.
But, uh, Gilgal was the place of humility, you know, And every time that they didn't go to Gilda, they suffered defeat, no matter how many men were against such a little army. But anyway.
He likes the game again to go, go, And there was a third of the Millennium, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto his servant, set on the great pot, and seated the pottage for the sons of the prophets.
00:40:05
And one went out into the field together herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild wards, his flat full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage. For they knew that they're not. So they poured out for their men to eat. And it came to pass as they were eating our bodies, that they cried out. That they cried out and said, Oh, thou man of God.
There is dirt in the pot and they could not eat their but, he said.
Then, uh, bring meal and he cast the pot and he said, uh, pour out for the people and they that they may eat and there was no harm or evil thing in the pot and, uh.
Verse 42 And there came a man from bail, Shalisha, and uh, brought man of God bread of the first groups, 20 loaves of garlic, full of ears of corn and hustera. And he said, Give unto the people.
That they may eat. And the serves are as we're just talking about price. There we came to serve, and his servator said, What should I set before and hundred men? And said again, Give the people that they may be so. Thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof, or those they should be well satisfied, I suppose, to say. So He said it before them, and they did eat.
Unless there are beautiful things there according to the word of of the Lord.
I'm just wondering what the great thought would be. I asked the Lord and uh, the answer. I got this.
I trust it was from the Lord. The great thought would be great house.
But, umm, you know, there's all kinds of, uh, things in here which would be too lengthy to pick up the content, but it's a good portion of scriptures are, especially in these last days when we.
Things are getting so deceitful everywhere.
Especially Psalm 119.
You you can see a clearer picture of the world and his will.
Thank you.
Well, there could be many different meditations on this scripture.
I suppose as you say, Bill, if we get bogged down in it, we'll spend the rest of this meeting on it. But I just mentioned a couple of things, perhaps. Uh, uh, again, it's what I have enjoyed and that is that there was a dearth in the land. And sometimes there can be a dearth among the people of God in spite of the fact that we are, if we could say it, in the right place. As you said, they were in Guildhall and it was a place of self judgment. Although don't forget, there were two guilds in Israel, not just one.
Hilgall and second things too, is not the Gilgal on the Bank of the Jordan. Uh, but anyway, just for what it's worth, uh, but uh, at any rate, it's not critical. They were in the right place, but there was a dirt in the land. But Elijah had faith that the great pot could be brought out. You might have said, bring a little one. There isn't much to put in it, but when Christ is before us, we don't have to be concerned about that.
But there was always the work of the devil and this poor man that went out and gathered these wild gourds, he didn't realize what they were. And it's noticeable that he shred them into the pot. And when you shred something, sometimes it's hard to recognize what it was originally. So nobody picked up on it until they started to eat it. And that's the way the devil does with bad teaching and bad doctrine today. He shreds it in. He doesn't bring it in one big lump or people would immediately recognize it, but he shreds it in.
And the antidote was the meal.
And I just suggest this very quick thought because I don't think we should spend a lot of time on it. But the meal would speak of Christ in manhood, the perfection of Christ. God revealed in Christ in manhood is the antidote to the evil that the devil brings in, because Christ is revealed in the word of God as that precious truth.
But what happens? They're still hungry, people are still hungry and they have to wait for the man from bail Shalisha. And what does he bring? Bread are the first fruit. Speaking of Christ in resurrection and.
00:45:10
I would suggest that Christ in his perfect manhood. Now I don't want to carry that thought too far, but Christ as he was revealed down here and all that He was.
Is the antidote to that bad doctrine that was shredded into the pot. But they were still hungry. And the believer today that seeks to feed only on Christ and manhood will still be hungry because our new life is connected not with the Christ in this world, but with a risen Christ in glory. They weren't filled until, typically speaking, they fed on a risen Christ in glory.
And so when the man from veil, Shalisha.
Brought those lobes apart.
It wasn't only that everyone was filled, there were leftovers.
You and I will never exhaust all that. There is an arisen Christ in glory, not for all eternity. I just suggest that as a brief thought. As I say, there are other things that could be connected with this.
Maybe just to add to that, umm in connection once we had earlier with oversight.
Had both from Peter and from the apostle bringing before the elders in Acts and Robert brought out that what characterized good oversight was food. Hmm. Well, in the fortunately just had there you have the the man from bail Shalisha. He comes with two things.
One, it's body load that's good for the present.
And they came from they, they came from the corn. But then he brings corn as well. And that's food for later on. And So what characterizes good oversight is giving nourishment to the people of God, something for the present, but also giving something that they can chew on a little bit later. Excellent.
Well, going back now to Revelation 3.
Verse 9.
Is a solemn verse that I.
Suggested, sometimes misunderstood, and the language is extremely strong. I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not but to lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Right from the very beginning of the Church's history.
Judaizing principles were the bane of the church, weren't they? If we could say it kindly, those things.
Dogged Paul's footsteps wherever he went.
Sad to say, it was the Jews that generally resisted the gospel. Yes, sometimes the Gentiles did too, but the Jews generally resisted the preaching of the gospel. And then even after people were saved, it was Judaizing principles.
That were constantly a problem, but going back to a system of law, the going back eventually to beautiful buildings, to a ritualist, a ritualistic form of service, and all of those things that had characterized Judaism later on. It was musical instruments and beautiful music and singing, robes, images, everything that God had given them in the Old Testament and eventually done away with.
And yet.
They're still with us today.
And I would suggest that.
There are those today, even dear believers, who, figuratively speaking, are saying they're Jews for two reasons #1.
All the principles of Judaism have been imported into Christianity.
And what is even more significant, although it's nothing new, but it's taken off in the last few years in so-called reformed or covenant theology. It has been a way of thinking among believers that says we have to straighten the world out, we have to reform the world, We have to bring everything into line so that God's Kingdom can be set up. And therefore we ought to be involved in politics, we ought to be out there dealing with.
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All the evil in the world. And that has become very, very popular. I say again, it's nothing new. It goes back 500 years, but it's become very, very strong and very, very forceful in the last 25 or 30 years.
God says you're saying you're Jews, but you're not. The Jews were given the mandate to go out with the sword and deal with unbelievers. They were given the mandate to straighten out the world. But that isn't what you and I are told to do. There will be a day when we will reign with Christ. The Corinthians tried to do it ahead of time. And Paul has to say, now you're rich, now you're full. Your brain is things without us.
Paul says I would to God ye did reign, that we might reign with you. I want to reign too, but you're going ahead of the time.
Christ is absent, Christ is hidden, and you and I in that way are not to be in this world as anything but ambassadors.
And I would suggest that that whole principle is bringing in.
But the saying that they're Jews but are not but do lie.
And God uses very strong language. He calls it a synagogue of Satan. Why is that? What would you say? How could he talk like that? How could you apply that term if we can say it possibly even to those who are true believers, not for the believers themselves, but for the system. We want to be clear on that. A synagogue of Satan, Why?
Because Satan knows that if he can get the believer today.
To give up this heavenly calling, to use the words of another. When the church loses the sense of its heavenly calling, humanly speaking, it loses everything. And it happened, as we said earlier, in the time of Constantine, it looked like a good thing on the surface. Believers, suddenly, instead of being persecuted, we're in positions of authority and responsibility. Why not? We can govern the world on Christian principles.
But when the believer tries to work with the world to straighten it out, the world can never work on Christian principles. The believer has to come down to the world to work on its principles, and the church loses its testimony. And that's what happened in the dark ages, and it's happening today among dear believers who are in many cases with a very, very good motive and perhaps even with a good conscience, not understanding the heavenly calling of the church.
Really seeking and throwing all their energy into trying to straighten this world out and John says by the Spirit of God that is the synagogue of Satan, not because.
God identifies those people with Satan, but it's a work of Satan to drag the church down from a sense of the heavenly college and to get it involved in trying to straighten out the world.
I'm having trouble finding it, but when Paul wrote the book of Galatians, he referred to the persuasion of the Judaizers. He said this persuasion is not of him who calls me.
Well, if it's not of the Lord, then it's got to be of the other source, right?
So the synagogue of Satan, I mean, I think what that speaks to is that Satan is the teacher.
And, uh, you know, and, and, and he was stirring up the Judaizers.
Probably without them knowing or understanding it, but being influenced by Satan to persecute the name of the Lord and to persecute his work, to persecute his people. And, and uh, and it's an opposition to the work of Christ. Religion in general is always that way. And, uh, five and eight, brother, what's that? Five and eight relations. So you, I mean, you have that first mentioned with Sardis in chapter 2.
And, umm.
I assume during that period the the suffering of of the insurance is not only from without, but from Judaizers within as well. But then you get here to Philadelphia and.
Know that, uh, it's those who would come apart from what man is built and come apart from the confusion and to be gathered simply for the Lord's name. We're suffering persecution by that system, which really was Judaism in a, with a, with a Christian label, as you say.
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They worship, you know, I've, I've always wondered why they worship it and cause them to worship at your feet, but that's because they're going to be seated with the Lord. They're not going to be worshipping the Saints, but the Saints will be seated there with the Lord. So when they and the Lord will show his favor to us, right, because we'll be seated there with him. And so they won't be, so they will be worshipping would be worshipping at the overcomers feet. They wouldn't be worshipping the overcomer.
So you know.
Are we right in saying that if the Lord gives by his maxless grace, anyone to adopt Philadelphian character?
They won't be there in the coming days saying to someone who perhaps didn't see I told you so, no.
It'll be all the glory to Christ, won't it? But God will, I believe, manifest what had His approval. And in that sense, I believe there will be a sense of loss. And we get that in First Corinthians 3. If I have deliberately and willfully turn my back on what I knew the Word of God taught. If I have willfully turned my back on that which I knew to honor and glorify the Lord in order to have some kind of a place or position in this world.
In order even to do what I felt was more work for the Lord.
I believe there will be in my soul a sense of loss in that day, and the Lord will say, I want you to know, Bill, what I approved of, even though you at that time thought that perhaps it wasn't worth paying attention to.
It's a very, very strong current in this world today, though so-called reformed, her covenant theology growing by leaps and bounds. And as I say again, we are not here to be critical of anyone, but only to sound a warning because that whole spirit can be so persuasive and it looks so good after all. Here you, you should be voting for the man that is going to stand up for Christian principles. You should be voting for the man that will be more favorable to Christianity.
And we can be thankful for it. I can still remember in India when the Congress Party that is presently in power in India won the last election in India. This would, oh boy, it's probably 10 years ago now. And.
Brother V Israel, now with the Lord called me from India. Well, we almost, we hardly needed the telephone wire. Uh, he was almost shouting at the other end of the line. My brother Bill, the Congress power won the election. Well, he was so thankful because he knew it would mean less persecution and more liberty for believers. We can be thankful for that. I thank the Lord almost every day for Stephen Harper, even though I know he has to compromise but.
I trust and I believe that he is the Lords and I thank God for him, but at the same time.
He's having a rough time trying to maintain his Christian principles, the whole tide of things going the other way. And I believe you and I are to stay out of that arena, aren't we? We're to follow our rejected Christ. We have a heavenly calling. And our character here is that of an ambassador. And we'll be far more effective in this world, have far more clout, if I could say it, by acting as an ambassador.
Than by trying to jump into the arena and straighten things out.
The ambassador.
From Canada, uh, in Washington doesn't vote in American election, so.
One or the other way around.
Would you go up on Capitol Hill and get involved in a big demonstration if there were one? I don't think we'd do that either. We shouldn't.
Thank you.
And it's beautiful to see the expression here of the Lord.
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Uh, at the end of verse nine and to know that I have loved thee.
That in no way implies.
Implies that the Lord loves anyone of his children anymore than another.
I don't know whether it's an irreverent connection, but in John chapter 10 we don't need to turn to it. The Lord Jesus says, therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again? We might say, could the Father love the Son any more than he did in a past eternity? Could you measure the love of.
God the Father for his beloved Son, and say that he now loved him more.
I don't believe we can make that statement but.
The Lord Jesus coming into this world as man and submitting to the death of the cross, giving up his life that he might take it again.
Gave the father a fresh motive for that love that wasn't there before.
And in that sense, I believe.
If you and I are faithful to the Lord here in a day when it is very difficult and it's going to get more difficult. And I, I say it kindly to some of you young people because you're facing challenges and opposition and things that some of us in our generation never had to face. Whether Stan and I, if he won't mind my saying this, we're kind of reminiscing a little back a couple of days ago and saying how different the world was since we went to public school and high school.
And what a change there has come. And you're going to have a rougher time than some of us ever have.
The Lord says there is going to be a special reward if you are willing to remain faithful to me in spite of all the opposition and in spite of everything that's going on around you.
I sort of enjoy brother Bill connecting his expression has kept my word in the eighth verse and then the tenth verse, because thou hast kept the word of my patience. If you connect that with John 14.
The Lord Jesus there says in the 23rd verse.
Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man loved me, he will keep my words. And uh, it's often been pointed out that, umm, it says in the 21St verse, he that has my commandments and keeps them, he, it is the love of me. So there are certain things the Lord has more or less told what he would like us to do. And uh, we, we take it as sort of a command. But then there are other things that, uh, perhaps he hasn't made very plain, but.
If we're close to him, we'll understand his mind. And he says there, if a man loved me, he will keep my words. And so I think it's nice in our chapter here where it says, thou hast kept my word. How do we keep it? By keeping close to him and, uh, enjoying his love. And then we'll keep his word and the word of his patience. And I suppose, uh, the word of his patience could be connected with, umm, the 2nd Thessalonians chapter.
UH-3.
Just a a verse there. Second Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 5.
The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ. So perhaps his patience here in our chapter would be connected with his coming because it says you're the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ.
Just suggest that.
And it is patience in the day in which we live. I believe the word of His patience would bring before us that the dispensation of grace has gone on for almost 2000 years already. And it was the proper hope of the believer at any time in the history of the Church to expect the Lord at any moment. But now, as we see ourselves nearing the end, it's hard to see. Things go on and on, and it's hard to see.
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The tide of evil rising in the world, there's a real temptation to get in there and try and straighten it out because the believer having a new nature, the the life of Christ, the unrighteousness, the lack of reverence for the Lord himself, the open floating of the authority of God's word.
It it gets to us, perhaps in a way that we say we've got to do something about this, this is going just too far.
Well, in one sense, it's good to feel that way. It's good to remember that there is a day coming when the Lord will come, and during the Millennium righteousness will reign, but not until then. But at the same time, keeping His word now is the word of His patience, isn't it? And we need patience simply to go on in a pathway of obedience, even though we see the.
Tide of evil and the confusion and difficulty in the world just rising higher and higher.
We see that in David in the 73rd Psalm. He saw all the wickedness, and he saw that all the wicked seem to be in the top of the heap and doing well, almost upset him. Then he said, I went into the presence of the Lord, and I understood their end. The Lord will speak.
Is there a time up?
301.
Reading verse three, The Thorn and the Pistol.
Around us may grow. We would not lie down, even on roses below.
Yeah, it's not our portion we seek not arrest. So we find them forever where Jesus is left 301.
Grass get not here.
When I wanna play ground movement is strong.