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Can we sing 127?
127.
Oh bless God.
Now we look to the Lord.
God and Father, we thank you for that home that is awaiting us.
Thank thee for the hope of soon being with them like my son.
But we are currently in the wilderness yet.
Waiting that shout while we're here. We need instruction. Direction from my word.
Exercise of heart by Thy Spirit. And we pray that as we open my word one more time, there can be blessing.
00:05:05
For each of us as we consider those gifts that are given for the purpose of building up by dear people.
Providing that which is needful, you think of that scripture that reminds us that we then that are strong up to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves or even Christ, please, not himself. So we ask thy help that as we think of these things, and if we have been given some gift that we're aware of that we might use it for the blessing and benefit of others. We pray there might be that unfeigned love that we read about in that chapter.
That's demonstrated between us as thy dear people. So we ask this, Ask thy blessing.
My nice spirit, as we open my word again one more time, we pray, giving thanks, Lord Jesus and my precious name, Amen.
Romans chapter 12. Would you think that starting perhaps at verse 9?
Romans, chapter 12.
9.
Let love be without the simulation.
And more, that which is evil cleave that which is good.
Behind the affection 1 to another with brotherly love.
In honor of referring one another.
Not slothful in business. Fervented spirit serving the Lord.
Rejoicing in hope.
Patient and tribulation continuing instant in prayer distributing to the necessity of Saints given to hospital. Bless them which persecute you. Bless and curse not.
Rejoice.
Rejoice and weep with them, that we.
Be in the same mind, one toward another.
Mind not my things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Recompense to no man, evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as life in you, live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, For it is written, Bend is his mind. I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore, if by an enemy hunger feed him, If he thirst, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt keep coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
For the last portion we had, we took up some of those gifts that have been given.
To us as individuals.
In verse 6 and he mentioned there I believe 7 gifts. So prophecy is one in verse six in the middle of verse 6.
Verse 7, Ministry or service and the end of verse 7, teaching.
And then in verse 8, the 4th one is exhortation.
And then giving in verse 8, the middle of verse. And then he that rule us or leads, that's the 6th 1:00 and then he that showeth mercy.
So 7 and really a picture of completeness. It's no doubt another one of these lists that the apostle gives us, not all inclusive. There are other gifts than some of the other officials you mentioned some of those gifts.
But here, now he he has 13 individual little exhortation to stir up the Saints to live in a practical way.
Up to the to live consistently with the truth that they are Christians and that they have.
Responsibility for God and they have been given the power they have the capacity to do these things that they walk in the spirit. And so the first one is in verse 9 is an exhortation to love without any pretense and then in the second one in the verse is to have more that which is evil.
Third one is to cleave to that which is good.
At verse 10, the 4th one to be kindly affection.
To one another, and then the fifth one to honor and honor preferring one another. The 7th 1 fervent in spirit.
00:10:09
In the eighth one and verse 11, serving the Lord, verse 12, rejoicing in hope.
Patient in tribulation, that's the 10th, 111Th is continuing instant in prayer and then verse 13.
The 12Th 1. Distributing to the necessity of the Saints.
Then the last one, the 13th, 1:00.
The hospitality. So it's a real.
Exercise.
For us, there are those things that are perhaps more.
A little easier for us to do than others, but there were exhorted to live in this way, this characteristic, to display the moral features of Christ in our practical walk. And so Paul and George in this way.
Maybe that someone knows the distinctions, but their love is mentioned twice here. It says love without. Let love be without the simulation. I think this is agape love and so love for our brethren and unpretentious love that loves them. And it's really a decided thing. I decide that I'm going to love my brethren because Christ loved them and gave himself for them. But then.
To be kind, the affection 1 to another in verse 10 really speaks of the love that.
What you say is Philly or love is to seek the companionship and the fellowship of those that belong to Christ. What better companionship do we have than those that have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ that seek to please the Lord and to walk in obedience to the truth of God? You have a better companion.
And so it's necessary for us to have that exercise to seek out.
Brethren that desire that and to walk with them.
Yeah, there's actually the three main terms that are used in the New Testament for love here, because really in verse 10, the brotherly love is Vallejo, isn't it? The kindly affection is actually, if I remember right, it's a cog term that includes filet O, but it's filet O stargate, which is another word that's used, and I think it's only used here, but it's a little different thought. And there's another expression that's used in the Old Testament. The word is ahave.
Which is more the romantic love? But I felt that I think we have a beautiful illustration of these four terms of love in the book of Ruth.
In the first chapter we have what corresponds to agape love, which is a love of commitment. And again, that's how we can love without the simulation. We don't use that word, New translation says.
Love Unchained? Well, we understand that.
Our love to one another shouldn't just be a plastic smile. It shouldn't be that we avoid one another when we come to meeting. It's love that's unfamed. It's real. Why? Because it's the love that God had for us. Agape love. It's the love of commitment. If I put the Lord first.
Then I'll have that love for my brethren as well. It's a God by love. I remember Eric Smith telling the story about that once and it's like I've never forgotten it, he said. There was two brothers down in Bolivia that didn't get along with one another.
And so.
Time came when the one brother was on his deathbed and the other brothers felt bad about that, knew they hadn't got along very well. So he went to that brother on his deathbed, he said brother.
Anything I can do for you? Well, he was not going to live very long, so maybe that was an easy request and rather thought a second. And he said, there's one thing you can do for me, brother. Take this pillow, this feather pillow and walk outside. Open it up and spread it up the feathers and the wind.
Oh brother, I'd be glad to do that for you.
So I went and did that. He came back and said, brother, I did that. It's all scattered all over. He said now do one more thing for me if you would go out and pick up all those feathers.
Well, he was saying that the time had been lost, wasn't he? Let's remember that, brother.
Love. Let's love one another with an unfeigned love. It only comes first. As we've been saying in these meetings, the moral is a result of the spiritual.
00:15:08
There must be that love of commitment first, as we love, as Christ loved us. So that's the first chapter of Ruth. She cleaves to her mother-in-law, doesn't she? The second chapter she mixes with those others that were there in the in Bethlehem.
She mixes with the other woman and so on. It's a beautiful illustration of brotherly love.
The love she found that she didn't know, and the land where she was born in Moab.
There was that love and affection. There were those that drew the water out the young men. There were those that were the harvesters. There was the man that was set over the over the harvesters. There was Boaz, there was the other maidens that were there were gleaning as well. There was real love shown to her. That's filet of love, isn't it? And that's a beautiful thing. And that's what we have here, brotherly love.
Love 1 to another. That's where the word Philadelphia comes from is the City of Brotherly Love.
But then in the third chapter of Ruth, there's something a little different, and we might say it's romantic love.
Naomi wanted something better for her daughter-in-law and she knew that the law allowed for it. So she instructs her according to the law of the land. And there is that affection that grows between the two. And Ruth finds out not only that she wants Boaz, but she finds out that Boaz wants her too.
As his wife. And that's really the word as it's been explained to me that it's called a haba. I think it's the noun if I remember right, it's the word that's commonly used in the Song of Solomon. It's what we might call romantic love. So the love of commitment. We have brotherly love, we have romantic love. That's not in the New Testament and I'm not sure why, but it's a common word and you look in the and the importance is in the explanation of the of the Hebrew word it's.
Speaks particularly of that intense love between a husband and wife. It's a little broader than that, but that's the particular meaning. That's what we have in the third chapter of Ruth, but in the 4th chapter of Ruth, I think what we have here in verse 10.
Be kindly affection. That's the word store gate again. I think it's actually Philo store gate, which is a compound word, but.
It's the it's the love of rest.
I'm not getting the exact thought there, but in the 4th chapter of Ruth. Let me double check here. In the 4th chapter of Ruth.
She becomes the wife of Boaz.
And she becomes a mother in Israel, which is a beautiful thing.
Get the exact expression.
Well, it's rest secured. It's the love of, we might say family. Not getting the exact word I had in mind, but I thought I had a note on it. But it's that love. Somebody said it's like like like an old shoe or it's like going home and you don't have to knock on the door. You just walk right in. You're home now.
And that's the final stage of love. So be kindly affection. We're really close to one another.
Is the thought here we really care for one another.
And that's what Ruth finds. In fact, it's interesting that finally in that 4th chapter, at least once, Ruth is no longer called Ruth, the Moabitess, she's called Ruth. She becomes a mother in Israel. And as we know, she comes into the royal line of Israel. And as we know, even later, she comes into the royal mind of the Lord Jesus himself. So there's four aspects of love, a love of commitment.
Their love of friendship or brotherly love, romantic love in the third chapter. And then rest is secure. Or she becomes a blessing to others. It's a more stable type of love, the love of belonging. That's the term I was looking for. She's no longer a stranger. She's no longer roots of all about us. Ultimately, she's Ruth, Ruth in the royal mind of Israel. How much more blessing could there be?
And that's what we have here. Be kindly affectionate 1 to another. So we have the three expressions that we have in the New Testament for love in these two verses. And there's a nice progression there.
00:20:08
Brother John, you referred to the better better translation of verse 11. Maybe you can help us on that again.
As to you.
And zealousness and.
Develop a zealousness revoltedness and just not supporting it exactly the thought was as.
Being zealous.
And devoted it's not the problem that secular.
Business here.
But it still works work that we could get.
The energetic and zealous and those things which.
We do for the war we shouldn't be neglecting or to have hardest to.
Attempts.
Might be good to read it in the new translation. It says as to diligent zealousness, not slothful.
In spirit bourbon.
And so.
There is to be not only the work done, not only.
Nothing without the simulation, but what we're to do as we do unto the Lord in the power of the Spirit, we're to do with the right attitude, and so to do it heartily.
To do it with zealousness and if we're going to do anything for the Lord.
It's something that needs to be done in the right spirit. I believe that the restaurant spirit.
It's good. It's possible to do the right thing, but not in the right spirit.
Too often the Lord gets our leftovers, doesn't it?
And the point here is that you should be first. He deserves the first place.
Sometimes we say, well we've worked hard, I'm too tired to go to meeting, but maybe if we planned our day a little better, we made going to meeting and being with our brethren and prayer and over the Word of God together.
Object of our day? Well then we plan our day a little differently, maybe not get so worn out so we could be at meeting.
That the thought, John, you know, I was also saying that we're not told to show feel your love for the unsaved.
You could get there.
Compromising principles in that.
Caught up with their worldly ways and so we don't feel that Billy old law that's between brethren, but not truly unsafe and so my copy of.
The divine love that is in the heart of God, for that the brother of the night is more emotion than it's the different characters you know.
Thing of a verse from the song of Deborah Barrett and Judges chapter 6 about the tribe of Reuben when it came time for battle.
A singing this song and they say why bodhisattva among the sheepfolds to hear the bleedings of the fox.
For the divisions of Reuben.
There were great searchings of heart.
For great impressions apart so.
Might say diligent zealousness, but awfulness. They never got up and did what their hearts were impressed about. In other words, they realized they should be going out and helping and they knew it was the right thing to do and they were convicted about that, but just never got around to doing it. And that's the same with us. We can be very convicted about things and then.
You know, other things come in. We never really get around to carrying out what the Lord laid on our heart.
It's like building the wall of Jerusalem and some of them put their neck to it and others were slothful and didn't care too much about it. But we didn't do a better job.
I think we get a.
Verse Brother John in Acts 4.
To back up what you were saying.
Acts 4 and 23.
That the dissection that says being let go, they went to their own company.
So after work is finished like you were referring to.
00:25:04
Where? Where do we go?
We want to be with the words people. Or do we want to hang out with the people we work with all day?
You know, and this is so important, some of us that are older, we try to counsel the young people, don't we? And I know the young people sometimes say there's not much for them in the meetings, but we need to be careful about the kind of career we choose. Certainly. Do we want to choose a career that's going to take all my time and all my energy? So they don't have any time or energy left for the Lord and his people. That's not a good thing, is it? So I really, really.
Encourage the young people to consider that.
When we get to the end of our life.
Stand at the judgment seat of Christ. It's not going to be How successful were you at your career?
It's going to be.
Did we do that which the Lord placed us here to do? And that takes spiritual energy. And it takes special spiritual energy in a way to see a day, doesn't it? Because the way to see is characterized by Luke warmness. Don't care, can't get out of my bed. Don't want to hide our candle under a bed. That's what that means, doesn't it?
Easy to be lazy. We're all prone to it, but the other danger is we get taken up with all these other things that occupy all of our time and we don't have any time and energy left to the Lord. How many people we've known that have been that way? And it's a temptation for all of us. But I speak especially for the young people. Choose a career that doesn't have to be. The world will tell you to do something that takes all your energy and.
And and amplifies all your skills.
To the Max. But that's not necessarily God's way at all. In fact, it's contrary to what we're reading here. If it consumes all my energy, what about my family? What about the Lord's things? Do you remember? When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that's what's going to be important. Only what's done for Christ will last.
And it takes it takes real.
Waiting on the Lord.
To know what kind of a job you should be applying for because there are so many corporations these days that you can work for.
That will be very glad for you this 24/7 working for them.
Via cell phones and.
All the devices we have to be on call all the time.
And it's a kind of a balance in a way, because we are to do our jobs well when we're in the workplace as a, as a testimony to the Lord.
But not to the point where as you say.
It displaces what this time that we should be spending with the Lord, with the word people and with our founders, which are very important.
So it takes a little discernment and, and getting down on our knees, I believe and asking the Lord, is this really the drug that you want me to do or is it going to drag me down and, and not in that respect.
It's an individual exercise, isn't it? An older brother, some of you know, again that he said to me years ago, he said, I pray to the Lord when I was a young man that I might have work to do, that I would be able to provide for my family and I would be able to work half the day and then the other half of the day I could use that day, that part of the day for the Lord and for the Lord's things.
And the Lord gave him.
The answer to his prayer?
And what prophet is being?
Individual exercise God always honors and delights to honor.
When he is given the first place.
Love is the motive spring, so that comes first.
That as to individual exercise, just like to encourage you if the Lord brings something before you to do.
And and puts a burden on your heart. Don't stop and get all your brother together. Say we need to do this.
And we need to get stirred up and and about this thing or that thing.
It'll just never happen. The Lord put it on your heart, go do it. Maybe somebody else will see that and Lord will put that on their heart too and join in with you. It seems like sometimes there's a burden that gets on the heart and then we got to stop and it's got to be a group effort.
00:30:16
I don't think that's the way these scriptures are presenting it to us. It's laid on your heart. Go do it. Go do it.
And the Lord can enlarge it, bless it, bring others and let him do that. But sometimes I think things get stopped in their tracks because, oh, it's got to be a group effort, but nobody else has exercised.
Oh well, you know, and out the window it goes.
Well, there's another aspect of that too, and I know a brother that was exercised about going to help out at Bible Truth Publishers.
He had recently retired and had some time on his hands and had some abilities.
On a practical line and he wanted to go there and be a help.
But for some reason there were health issues or there was this or there was that and he wasn't interested in the group helping him. But somehow or another, over the years, things kind of waned a little bit and waned a little. And I talked to him probably 4-6 years after I first heard about his exercise and I said.
See, brother, you never ended up at BT, Honey said. You know what he said?
I think I missed the Lord's mind and I should have gone.
But something hindered me, multiple things maybe. So we need to be careful as well that if the Lord's put something on our heart, we don't lose that exercise through this slothfulness that we've been talking about. Because it's a real thing. I mean, it's exercises work. That's what you go to the gym to do. You go to the gym to exercise. But we need to do that in a spiritual way too. And we can say there's a lion in the streets or whatever, and I can't go today. And we can do that with our spiritual exercise as well and say, well, you know, there's this or well, there's that. And well, maybe I didn't really understand the Lord's mill, right, or whatever.
But if the Lord puts something on your heart, just really be before Him about it, because there's a good chance He's leading you into something that He would really like you to do. So it's important not to get distracted and miss out. I just feel so bad for that brother, but it's too late now.
You can't take up that exercise at this point. Would you say that you could connect it to Romans chapter 12 here? Verse one, Present your body as a living sacrifice.
Holy. You know, a sacrifice. We didn't say it, but define it a little earlier, but a sacrifice is taking something that is very exceedingly valuable, very precious to you.
And taking it and offering it to another.
Without any strings attached. And so oftentimes we get strings attached and it's the sacrifice doesn't occur. But you know, the Lord Jesus offered himself a sacrifice to God.
No screens attached.
The sacrifice was made. What blessing has poured forth as a result? And so he decided to do a little bit of something for the Lord. It's going to be a sacrifice. You're going to have to trade your own time, whatever it might be. There's a cost, there's a price you pay. But dog values will sacrifices.
And so he speaks of this rejoicing and hoping.
And to have a hope before us, I think it's a little bit different than the new translation, he says, as regards hope rejoicing.
So we have a future hope. We have a hope oftentimes in the New Testament is a deferred certainty. It's something that's going to occur.
Rejoicing and hope we ought to be looking forward.
And being thankful that we can look forward and have the right view of things.
The right view of what the end of all things is. So our hope ought to be in Christ and in his. The activities that He allows us to be engaged in and rejoice in that hope.
Share a little exercise and I know Mr. Garvey's translation is slightly different.
Verse 10 and honor preferring one another and I don't want to step on anybody's toes when I'm saying this.
00:35:06
Being ladies and gentlemen in the meeting is the right thing.
It's the right thing to be courteous.
And all of those things.
But when we sat down to remember, the Lord and His death were at the Lord's table as members of His body.
We partake of that loaf and that and that cup as members of his body. We sat next to our husbands and wives. That's appropriate.
But when I get below and take some, I partake as a member of the body of Christ. I pass it to the next member of the body of Christ next to me.
What I think we do is we end up bringing the husband and wife relationship into a place that doesn't belong. And you see the cup of loaf passing back and forth between husbands and wives because the husband wants to make sure his wife has it first because he wants to pay her honor.
But that's not what it's being spoken up here.
And so we bring that relationship that's natural into the remembrance of the Lord.
And so we see especially at conference time where there's quite a few of us.
My husband, you know, gets the cup, he passes it to his wife, she passes it back to him, and then he passes it on beyond her. And it's quite a bit of back and forth to accomplish making sure husbands honor their wives. But I don't think that has any place. And remember, it's the Lord. We're here as members of his body when we remember him, not as husbands and wives. And so we want to prefer one another. But if I prefer one member of the body of Christ before me and giving her the loaf first or the cup first, even though it comes to me, comes to me next. And I probably should prefer all the rest of the members of the body price before me and make sure everybody has them before I have it.
And I hope, I hope you can take me in a right way. I don't mean to be legal or posing some sort of an ordinance, but just something I've noticed. I wonder if we've sort of slipped away from the sense that we're here gathered as members of the body of Christ when we remember the Lord.
Not as husbands and wives. I think that's absolutely correct. Just if I agree with that, I don't think that's what it's speaking about here.
We can honor each other above ourselves. We should be doing that in other ways.
Not trying to put ourselves first.
That husband wife relationships are not entering to the order and the emblems are possible.
And it is helpful to see this first in the new translation. I realize this is moving back a little bit, but it says as to honor each taking the lead and paying it. And we cannot do that unless that which was touched on earlier as as far as the Divine love being exercised and then the brotherly love being exercised, you cannot do that.
Take take the lead and showing honor to others unless there is that proper exercise of love.
But it's an interesting thing observing rather than that love each other, perhaps in a in a reading meeting or or perhaps in where there's a meeting for ministry.
And if there is that true desire?
To take the lead in showing honors to others. Perhaps one gets up and they speak for a little longer than they expected. There was more on their heart perhaps and and another perhaps had something on their heart and they just you know what that's really nice with that brother had to share and it's not Oh, that brother missed the Lord's mind and and and just oh, what a mess and you know I had something I want to know each taking the lead and showing honor to the other and so when there's when there's that genuine.
Love, or rather not love of Christ, when we sit down and we see that brother for whom Christ died, and then when we just, we like our brethren, there's that brotherly love and just we, we want to be with them. We want to see them going on for the Lord. And there's that, that genuine care. And we can take that lead in showing the honor each to the other.
And it that there's that that part of the verse that you're on me that by days, maybe as the days of heaven upon earth. And when there is that.
That proper exercise in the body of Christ, it's a very, very sweet thing.
Just these, these verses, they're not just, you know, just check off a bucket list. They're attributes of Christ that will be worked out in each one of our lives. And when they are, it's a beautiful thing.
00:40:06
Yeah, I think that's the emphasis of that verse, is to each taking the lead and honoring one another. That's really the emphasis, isn't it? We're not very good at that.
But moving on here, verse 13 is pretty, doesn't need a lot of exposition.
Distributing to the necessity of Saints given the hospitality.
And then verse 14 is the result of agape love, isn't it? John was speaking about before bless them which persecute you bless and curse not well that can only be done with agape love, can it? But then the next verse is filet O love rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that that weep speaking especially of.
Federal believers, no doubt.
And then be of the same mind, one toward another. What's that mean?
Harmony of relationship that's been said doesn't mean that we always agree in everything and we never have differences of thought, but as a rule we want to work together.
And come to a common understanding and be encouragers, be as we're members of one body, and be a help and an encouragement to one another.
I've enjoyed the thought in connection with hospitality here, that it's the last exhortation on the list.
But it won't really take place unless the others are really paid attention to. Rather high coop in this little book on little outline of the book of Ruth, he says. You know the kind words are so scarce among us, you think they cost $10 a piece.
And so it it starts with kind words to one another.
And to express our love that, and not with the simulation, not to pretense, but to speak kind words and to mean them. And the apostle Paul was a master of.
Commending others and just honoring them before himself, you might say. He says. I was thinking that even in Romans chapter 16 he speaks of the quill and Priscilla.
And he mentioned Priscilla first here. So I take it that she was really the one that took the lead in this incident.
He said the Greek Priscilla and Aquila might help her in Christ Jesus. Here's a couple, he says. They're my helpers. They give them honor for helping. You don't know what they did, but they sure helped. It says in verse four who have for my life laid down their own necks. Was that an honor?
Because you never heard about this.
But I'm going to tell you that there was an occasion when these two people laid down their necks, and my I was going to take it. The enemy was going to get me. They laid down their own necks, under whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches. The Gentiles likewise treat the church that is in their house. I thought the letter of combination this morning that was read was very nice. There was something that could be commended that was of this dear sister that.
Just touched the heart.
But these brethren have noticed wasn't that she's flawless, but there was something of Christ that they saw and they appreciated it. And so if we could just see that. And then if we're given the hospitality, have that tendency and brethren, we're giving it up that it seems it's difficult to have the different ones in the home. At times we get busy and it's fall again in the Hebrews chapter 13, he says.
Forget not hospitality. I can't remember what this term is here, but.
Chapter 13.
And he says be not forgetful in verse 2, Be not forgetful to entertainment, to entertain strangers, or be not forgetful of hospitality.
For thereby some have entertained angels unawares. So it's possible to get so busy and so wrapped up in life. And the enemy has used busyness in life, so that we don't have our brethren in the home.
Take of our food, our resources, and minister to our brethren in our homes.
Have a little time over the word.
And be refreshed together. And then there's really that expression of love to our brethren. So it's quite striking to me that it's right at the end of these exhortations, the last one. And it's not going to happen at the 1St 12 didn't happen.
From verse 14 down, he's really speaking to those that are in the outside of the Christian testimony. Perhaps when you think bless them which persecute you, bless the church. Not unbeliever may not have an appreciation for how a Christian conducts himself, and he may want the Christian to cheat and to do some things that are not above board.
00:45:23
But the believer may be persecuted and we may face it a little more as we come down to the end of the day of grace. But he's speaking here and giving instruction, practical instruction, that we might live as much as possible. Verse 18 As much as life, and you live peaceably with all men.
And so the spirit and our conduct our interface with those in the world.
Needs to be reflective of the character of Christ as well.
Upper 16 is still among brethren, isn't it? And perhaps verse 15. So there's a little question as to where that ends.
But be able to say mind one toward another. I think that's what our brethren, isn't it? We're not going to be the same mind with worldly people and then mind not high things, but.
Not condescend. That's not a very good word, is it? It's really the new translation I believe is Go along with men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits. In other words, the Christian looks out for those that are in low estate, whether they're poor or whether they're needy of some way. The Christian has a concern for those people. Hitler tried to get rid of them all, didn't they? He didn't want anybody who was disabled and he. My wife had some relatives that.
Had a mental breakdown and all of a sudden.
The brown shirts or black shirts, whatever they were, came along and said well, we want to take them to to a certain place.
And her grandfather said, well, next we're going to get a death certificate. And that's exactly what happened. So Hitler didn't have any time for people that were weak. But the Christian is the lookout for those that are weak, isn't it? Go along with men of low estate.
Verse 16.
Being of the same mind, one toward another.
Doesn't have to go along with.
Uh, Ephesians 4, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.
If you and I are not of the same mind.
I've had something.
In the Lord's things or or.
I'm not of the same mind with other brothers in my local assembly. We better get down on our knees and ask the Lord for His mind to show us all His mind.
And we remember being in Peru when I was teaching school down there and that.
What I got to know, dear brother.
Your Honor, very well.
You were from the upper class.
Of the Peruvian society.
The banker And in Peru, it's not normal for people from that to the level of society.
To mix with those before the city of Lima and.
The the.
The indigent. But you know, when Brother Valderrama was at conferences and mixed with the the poor freely, he helped them, He ate with that.
That was not according to Peruvian society, but I thought it was a beautiful example of going along with the Lord.
I think that really fits the translation and.
Verse 16 have the same respect one for another, not minding type things. We all have different stations.
In life, naturally speaking and.
In the society we live in, because of democratic principles, things tend to get more level perhaps than when Paul wrote this. But the same thing can come in and.
Because I'm in a different station in life than somebody else, Maybe I think I'm too good to.
Go along that in common fellowship with someone that's kind of lower level socially than where I'm at, and that can happen among believers.
00:50:13
Even those who are wealthy enough to use their money for the Lord's things, but kind of form a little group of the wealthy brother and they, they're doing things for the Lord, but they golf together, they fellowship together. They because they're all on a certain level.
And it's really a device of kind of a thing in the end.
God always looks out for the underdog, doesn't he? If we can see today, James tells us not to have respect one to another because a man comes in a gay clothing or whatever and you have respect to them. It goes back into the Old Testament where you have in Leviticus 19 about when you reach the harvest of your land. I shall not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the leanings of thy harvest.
Thou shalt not glean thy vine vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard. Thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger. There are people more disadvantaged than we are. And as I said in my prayer at the beginning, we then that are strong not to bear the infirmities of the weak. What if the Lord Jesus had to come here and taken us up?
Where would we be?
But he came here, set aside his glory to come.
And save the likes of us. And yet we tend, like Steve was saying, to make these distinctions among ourselves. And we have some that we feel comfortable with and some that are maybe a little below us, we think. But that's not the way the Lord Jesus was. It says to the poor the gospel was pregnant. And may that be our exercise, the poor of the flock.
Need our help?
I suppose we could apply this spiritually to, couldn't we?
Some perhaps aren't as advanced as others, but.
The Lord had a heart for each one.
And the proof in First John.
Chapter 5. By this we know that we love the children of God. I'll start at verse one. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him to begat love with him also.
That is begotten of Him. Well, that's a good thought too, isn't it? So the Lord loves all his people equally in that sense, doesn't He?
The Lord with perfect example in this He did most of his work in Galilee and so you might say in the working class of the nation, Judah and Benjamin, and so the learned, the centers of learning and centers of religion.
Political center really was.
Jerusalem, the military center with Caesarea. But those poor fishermen.
There were those that had faith and those that followed him and he called them from among those working class. There were some. We know Matthew was a tax collector. Perhaps he was educated. We know that Paul was very well educated and perhaps the most educated Jew at the time where he he was no sloth that way.
But here he is writing and Speaking of the truth that we are members of the body of Christ, and there is no.
1St and 2nd and 3rd class as it were. We're all members of the body of Christ, and he desired that the Saints would go on and not reflect the.
Strata of the society that our brothers been Speaking of.
I have to learn a lesson in covetousness.
As you know, Brother Jim was in the assembly where I go.
And I was covetousness of the clothes anymore.
Made so strange, but it's something that bothered me.
I was jealous that he had the latest suit, the latest tied, the vest, the shoes, etcetera, etcetera and I was coming to someone, I thought, oh, must be nice to have money to wear those nice clothes.
But you know, I had to wear a heart. Listen, just before Jim passed away, I heard through the Grapevine.
That Sudbury in the United States.
00:55:01
Every year.
Supplied it with its clothes.
I had to swallow a pill.
At Bitter Pill.
Of being covered just to think of this brother who I was jealous of his clothes of all things, and get to find out.
There's some family in the United States every year.
Make sure that he had good clothes. That was a hard, hard focus fall.
I'm going to.
But I believe verse 17 to 21 That it does go out then our our relationship with the world.
As believers recompense that no man evil for evil.
Hard to do sometimes, isn't it? Somebody treats us badly, we want to treat it badly. Back nature. But this is Christianity.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Sometimes I've heard it said of Christian people that are have been at the Lord's Table. She couldn't believe a word they said or that they had defrauded people. That's a horrible thing, isn't it? It's obvious here. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
So there is a public testimony to how we conduct ourselves in our work and in our neighborhood as to how we provide for our own, and the neighbors are watching.
I can remember that when we live in Ohio, there was neighbors across the road and they came over after we had a group of young people over at our house several times. They would come on a Saturday, sometimes on a large day afternoon, and so on.
And the neighbor came walking over. He says, boy, those are unusual in young people. Says none of them are burning up the streets with the rubber. You know, they're not drag racing and they're they're they're they're so they're polite to one another and and that there's no.
Yelling and chasing one another on the streets.
These are different young people.
And so the comments were made that these are real Christian young people. These are not just young people going to church. These are real and young Christian young people. So the world is watching. And so they're watching as to how you provide for your family and how I provide and the priorities that we have to provide for our own.
So the natural selfish man, he would take the best for himself and then he gives the leftovers to his wife, where he gives the leftovers to others and so on. But it's quite interesting here that the Spirit of God records that provides things honest in the sight of Paul.
So you are being watched.
The whole idea of the retaliation is very.
Severely reprimanded here, isn't it Because we're not? We're not. So tendency of the heart keeping cold with fire on their head.
Will be doing them a kindness.
And the effect of leading them.
To self judgment about.
The what they have done for you, the injury perhaps they have.
Perpetrated.
It's not demanding our rights and holding an unforgiving spirit looking for the first opportunity to do that. Personal Congress, certainly a test of our spiritual state.
Yeah, I think that's important, John. It's I think that's really the best understanding of this verse, isn't it? That heaping coals on somebody's head is really the thought is that we want to reach their conscience. How do you heat coals on somebody's head? Well, if they're unkind to you, you show them a kindness.
Perhaps that'll reach their conscience. We might read it on the surface a little differently than that, but I think that's the real point here.
The Christian has never looked at, is, and never has the place of judgment. The Lord has the place of judgment in the Old Testament. They have the place of judgment. But the Christian is never to judge the world as such, that is, in a physical way.
And so that fits in with what we have here. That's how we heap coals of fire in somebody's head and how that's why the church thrives.
In times of martyrdom, isn't it because you read about those martyrs and we should all be familiar with stories and histories of martyrs and it's just heartrending sometimes, but on the other hand.
01:00:13
How, how is it saying, saying go that the the ashes of the Saints or the fertilizer of the church not getting it quite right, but it's true, isn't it? In times of extreme persecution, the church grows because they have heat, those coals of fire.
How could people, how could people be so steadfast in the face of such tortures and give up their lives?
We're told in the early days of the church that when the when the Romans were persecuting the church that the young ladies would put on their wedding garments and go into the Coliseum and be torn apart by the by the lions. But they realized they were soon to be in the Lord's presence.
Many, many other stories could be told.
Many, many other times and but they heat coals of fire on the heads of their persecutors and they turn became Christians themselves.
I wonder if there's a little allusion to here with this heaping pools of fire is that's a blacksmith has coals of fire.
In this furnace and he heats them up and heats them up and he puts a piece of steel in there and that's how you soften the steel up as you heat it up real hot, red hot, white hot, and then it becomes soft and malleable and you can beat it and put it into a different shape and so.
If we feed our enemy.
There are those that are opposed to the truth, those that are opposed to Christianity, those that are opposed to the assembly, those that are opposed to Christian criminals. And if we do them kindness, show them kindness. It's like heating up the coals when you got a hard conscience that's opposed to Christ, opposed to the things of God, and you're heating it up and heating it up and heating it up and it becomes softer and softer and softer.
And so then it becomes formed or formable perhaps by the Spirit of God. And so that shall keep coals of fire, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. And so that's God's principle. He doesn't. The principle of man is 5 for an eye true, true for truth and vengeance. The Lord said even in the Old Testament, it's an Old Testament passage that's being forwarded. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.
I will repay. You wouldn't be able to properly judge the matter. I wouldn't be able to properly judge the matter, and I wouldn't be able to properly recompense an error or a hatred towards the name of Christ or the person of Christ. We wouldn't. We don't have that capacity at the present time to not have responsibilities. So leave it to the Lord. He knows exactly.
He knows the heart, he knows the motive behind what was done and he has the ability.
To exact vengeance. Stephen knew this. He said Paul, he said to the Lord, He said, Lord lay not this sin to their charge.
What did Paul hear?
He heard that. I believe he heard it. Lord lay not this sin to their charge, he said. It's a sin of ignorance.
About a year later, Saul was saved.
Isn't that better than the praying and seeking the harm of others? That's not Christianity. And so he heaped the cold upon the fire. The hardened conscience of that man saw, and it took a year to soften the conscience, soften, soften things up enough. And the Lord quickened that man, saved his soul.
And we're not just making up an interpretation here, are we? We're looking at the context.
In the context in verse 19 is very plain, dearly beloved, avenged not yourselves, but rather give place under wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. That's a quotation from the book of Deuteronomy. The Lord will exact vengeance in his perfect time, but it's not for the Christian. Therefore, verse 20.
Define enemy hunger, feed him, and so on. If he thirsts, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
So it's not a question of sticking it to them, which it might be thought if you just read that verse by itself in isolation, but what we're doing is looking at it in its context, and it's very plain then what the meaning becomes, isn't it?
01:05:04
It's a nice example of that.
In the second king 6 and the times of Elijah, the prophet of grace and.
Swear that the Army of the Bands of Syria surround the city, remember?
And the young man looks at what are we going to do and likes to praise Lord, opens his eyes and he sees the angels of the Lord. And then Elisha praise another prayer. He says, ask the Lord, just smite them with blindness.
And then he goes out and he, he says to whoever's leaving this band of soldiers, the second king six, he says this is not the way.
Neither is this the city. Follow me.
And I will bring you to the man whom you seek. But he let them to Samaria. And then when they get into the middle of the enemy territory, for them in the middle of Samaria, he prays that the Lord had opened their eyes. And all they see they're surrounded. They had surrounded the city. Now they were surrounded. And what is the king of Israel say? Verse 21? The king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw that my father, shall I smite them? Shall I smite them?
You know he was ready to.
Exact vengeance and Elijah, that prophet of grace.
Rebukes that and he says.
Thou shalt not smite them what thou smite those who now is taking captive with thy sword and with thy bow. Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he exceeds it, says He prepared great provision for them, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away.
And they went to their master. Here's a lovely part of it. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
What a beautiful change you know it was.
That malleable iron, so to speak, because our brother brought out and overcoming evil was good, and those bands came to know them into that land. If he had smitten them, there'd have been another band right behind the first one.
But this really overcame the evil.
Look good.
So the Christian is never seen in judgment on the world. Even when the Lord appears while we're identified with him, He's the one who has the sword. The Christian the Church has never seen is judging the world.
In a physical way.
Because we are the recipients of grace, and that's the character of Christianity. Now, Israel will, that's a different story, and the Lord will. But the Christian is never seen as executing judgment on the world.
We'll come with him when he exercises judgment, will be with him, will be the part of that army that is seen in the clouds.
Of let's read it in Revelation chapter 19. We're not going to partake. We're not going to be active. You might say it's he's going to be the one that says.
Let's just for the sake of time, verse 13.
Verse 12. His eyes were as a flame of fire. On his head were many crowns. Revelation 1912. And he had a name written that no man knew but himself, and he was clothed with Buster dipped in blood. And his name is called the word of God in the armies which were in heaven.
Him upon white horses, closed in fine linen, white and clean. So those are the redeemed.
And so they're on white horses, clothes and fine linen and white and clean, but the sword goes out of his mouth, and so he exercises judgment. But he does tell us another passage, that knowing not that you shall judge angels, there is. We have a higher place, an Angel, in that we're part of the new creation race, and we have a higher place of dignity and honor before God and higher place of responsibility before God than the angels do.
So we will judge angels, but that's administratively, that's administrative because there's elect angels and angels itself. They don't need anything. It's simply administrative.
In this past meeting that we've had before us, we've had these different characteristics explained and that's necessary for us to understand these different points. We're not going to be able to do something that we don't understand.
01:10:08
But I, I believe for this to really have a have an impression on our hearts. If we individually, we go back and just trace through the gospels and we'll just trace through the Lords life, we will see these things beautifully illustrated. And I, I believe almost every single one of these points will be able to see.
Very, very beautifully illustrated in the Lord's life. So just thinking of that verse in in Peter, Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps and that's that's what will have the effect on our hearts and on our souls here this this afternoon. We know these things Now are we going to be like the slothful man and not roast that which we're taking hunting or are we going to all of these things out?
And in company with the Lord, let it have that effect on our hearts.
Should we sing 200 and 56256?
Praise the Savior.
Receiving.
Then we shall be where we will be.
That we shall be. In life we shall be.
Things alone.
Good shall and shall be.
In our own.
Also 276.
276.
So just read one verse just before we close the Malachi chapter three. We don't.
But verse 10 says bringing all the ties into the storehouse.
That there may be neat.
In my house.
Approve me now here with say it's the word quote if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing.
That there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Lord is very graciously allowed us to meet our expenses. We're very thankful to the Lord and very thankful for your generosity, your kindness to us. We appreciate it.
Let's get. Thanks.
God and our Father, we thank thee for the ministry of Thy word. We thank You for the.
Evidence of the use of the.
The gifts in the assembly and the.
Where does this be expounded? We thank you for the food from heaven, the meat for our souls, and we thank you too for Thy kind provision.
Course in connection with the financial needs of this assembly.
And this conference I was being very gracious to us these many years. We thank people for it. We think of how those told us and Haggai, the silver and the gold is mine, said the Lord. And so we accepted this from myself and the evident token of my love and grace and favor, So we asking for thy blessing on the remainder of our time.
And we thank you, too, for the meal that we're just about to have. We pray that the fellowship might be sweet, and that we might have thoughts of my love and grace. Pray for our brethren that are traveling. We ask thee for thy mercies, our God, that each one might arise safely, according to my mind, to their homes. So we ask it to give thanks to the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.