Address—C. Hendricks
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Jesus our Lord, thou Morningstar how well we know thy name. Jesus the Lord the crucified in glory still the same.
Someone raised that tune for this 124.
Turn with me again to Ephesians 6, please.
Ephesians chapter 6.
I'm going to read again from verse 10.
Finding my brethren be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
But we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.
Against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand the evil day, and have him done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darks of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints. And for me the utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly.
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As I thought to speak, we were noticing last night that the Apostle commences this section with finally my brethren. This is his final word to the Saints at Ephesus. He had set before them the wonders, the blessedness of their position in Christ in the 1St 3 chapters, and all the blessings that are ours blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.
In Christ Jesus, we set that all before them, individually and collectively.
And then in chapters 4-5 and six he speaks of three spheres in which the Christian Wasps the sphere of the assembly, the sphere of the world, and the sphere of the of the family. And he now concludes by saying, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. He's about to discuss the warfare that we are in the enemy.
That we are engaged with and the character of the enemy, he is a wily foe. He is one that will attack us and seek to get us to act inconsistently with the position that we've been set in in Christ, risen and glorified in anyone or all three of or any two of those 3 spheres, The assembly, the world, the family.
And in order to combat him effectively, we need a whole armor of God. And so he says in verse 11 put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the vows of the devil. And then in verse 12 he describes the conflict and those with whom we are wrestling. It's not an earthly, it's not a carnal conflict, but it's a it's a heavenly conflict, and it's with spiritual powers of wickedness in the heavenness against the all the Satan's hosts.
And against all the powers of darkness.
We can see as we look around us and Christendom tonight, how successful the enemy has been to divide and scatter the flock connections with the first sphere. Where the cardinal truth is, there is one body and we see hundreds of bodies, hundreds of bodies throughout Christendom, all calling themselves and content to do so by different names. It's been very successful in getting the Christian community not to give true expression to the truth that there is one body.
And how successful he's been in the business world, where Christians often adopt the same principles in their business activities and in their dealings with others that the world adopts. And how successful he's been oftentimes in the family where he has come in and where there is disunity, in subjection family where the woman is the lead.
Is not a family that is patterned according to the truth of God. It cannot be two heads. And God has said that the man is the head. The woman has a very, very vital and important place in carrying out the plan of God. But it's not in taking the lead, but it's really in the place of subjection and in the place of the family where she raises children and leads.
According to the to the word of God. But there's only one head in the family unit, and that's command. But where you see that that order violated is violated all the time in the world and sometimes even in the assembly. Even among Christians, I should say you do not find.
A family that's going on according to the truth of God. And so we have the first thing that's mentioned in verse 14 is stand, therefore.
Having your loins skirt about about with truth, with truth, and and I mentioned yesterday there's one cardinal verse that we want to have before us. It's in chapter 4, verses 20 and 21. You have not so learned Christ.
He's just described the Gentiles and how they walk, and he said it shall be that ye have heard him.
And you have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus.
Truth as it is from Jesus. And so we have all these truths that we're going to be looking at, that we were looking at a little bit last night, all related to Him. He Him who is the truth, He is the truth. When he was asked, Who art thou, He said altogether that which I speak to thee, even the same that I said unto you from the beginning, He was and is the truth, and so the truth is in Jesus.
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We might look at, we might look at a few.
Passages that bring together these first two bits of the armor. Having your lines gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness the lines girded, speaks of the position of service. All of our service should be according to the truth of God, and we seek to serve the Lord.
And.
The family circle is a place of great service to the Lord, and the woman has a place in service just as the man does. And it's it's every bit as important. We cannot have a happy family where either one is not fulfilling their God-given responsibility. And it's it's it's a it's a precious thing the the truth of the assembly being the bride of Christ.
As unfolded in those last verses of chapter 5, elevate marriage to a position that never had before, where the husband is a type of Christ and the woman, the wife is the type of the assembly. And as the assembly is subject unto Christ, so that the wives be for their husbands in everything. And husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
The the truth.
Of the assembly being subject to Christ, and Christ being the head of the assembly is is set forth in a Christian marriage. So it elevates this Christianity elevates the woman into a place that she never never had before, even in Judaism, a place of tremendous privilege and responsibility.
As being the in the position that sets forth the bride of Christ, that which is the the chiefest object of the Lorde affections. In fact, if you read in the last in the first chapter of Ephesians the last verse, that's such an important verse we want to read it.
Verse 22.
God having exalted the Lord Jesus far above verse 21 all principality and power and might and dominion.
Name not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and he got to put all things under his feet. He gave him to be the head over all things to the Church. Harry's not presented as being the head of the church, but head over all things to the Church.
And she is called, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all.
The first woman that was created was created from the side, from the rib of Adam, and so when he saw her he said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. You should be called woman, for she was taken out of the man. She was made for him to be his helper, to be alongside of him, to be his support and his stay, to stand by him, to support him, and he is to shelter her, to protect her, and to lead and to guide her.
As the head of the family, he without her is incomplete, and so the Christ without the assembly is incomplete. She is the fullness, the completeness of him, that Philip Allen, all he and his person fills everything, fills the universe. Yet he would in one sense he would be incomplete without his bribe alongside of him. And so it is with men. It's not good for men to be alone. So God created the woman to be by him with him his support.
His health, and not the head, but to be alongside of him as one that is loved by him, the special object of his heart. Well, marriage has been elevated by Christianity in the position that it never, never had before.
Now let's look at let's look at a sound in connection with some of these precious truths of Psalm 11.
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Psalm 11.
I'll quickly read the Psalm, and the Lord put I might trust. I'll say to my soul, please, a birth to your mountain. Below the wicked bend their bow. They make ready their arrow upon the string that they may privilege. Shoot at the upright in the heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold his eyelids. Try the children of men. The Lord tryeth the righteous but the wicked. In him that loveth violence is so hated. Upon the wicked he shall reign snares fire and brimstone and horrible Tempest.
This should be the portion of their cup. Now notice verse seven or the righteous Lord.
Loveth righteousness his countenance shall thou behold the the upright.
Again chapter Psalm 15.
Well the Psalmist asked the question, Lord, who shall abide in thy Tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backlighteth not with the tongue, or doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor, and whose eyes a vile person is contempt. But he honored them to fear the Lord. He that swearth to his own heart, and changes not he that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved. These verses the righteous Lord loveth righteousness. And so we're told in in Ephesians 6 to put on the breastplate of righteousness. They have all of our dealings being righteousness with one another. What is righteousness? And there he's talking about practical righteousness. Practical righteousness is is conducting ourselves consistently with the position that replaced him to conduct ourselves consistently.
With respect to others according to the position that we occupy, we are set here as children of God, redeemed ones saved out of this world, and to walk righteously is to walk consistently with that position. We are separated people. A Christian that is walking hand in hand with the world is not walking the path of righteousness because is not walking consistently with the truth of God, allowing skirted about with truth.
The Lord Jesus prayed in John 17. He said they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. In John 15 he says if he were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hated you. We're not insured about with truth to realize who we are. We cannot walk as a Christian and we don't understand what a Christian is. We don't understand what Christianity is all about. Christianity is identification and association and unity with a divine person who is now a man and he's glorified on high. He's been cast out.
Of this world and set and set it not down here and reject it. And we're identified with him. We're passing through this scene as strangers and pilgrims. Our home is on high where heavenly people as is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly. And as is the earthly such are they also been earthly. We were once earthlings, we were once those that minded earthly things. But now we have found a truer game. Now we belong to the man who's now in the glory.
That blessed one.
And to walk down here in righteousness, to represent him properly, to do the right thing in these three spheres that we're talking about, the sphere of the assembly, the sphere of the world, and the sphere of the family, conduct ourselves consistently with the relationship in which he set us. It's even in one place, And I think I thought of this today, meditating upon this in in Second Corinthians, chapter 5. Excuse me, Chapter 8.
Well, that's really chapter 92 Corinthians Chapter 9. I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but in chapters 8 and 9, the 2nd Corinthians, the Apostle Paul deals with the subject of Christian giving, the grace of giving. And he ends in in Chapter 9, verse 15. He says thanks the other God for his unspeakable gift. He is a great giver. We can never out give him. He's given all he could give.
In the gift of his Son, and again in 2nd Corinthians 8, verse nine, we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. Ajith through his poverty might be made rich, might be rich, He gave himself, He came down and became poor, that we might be rich. Well, in this very portion he talks about giving. It says in verse seven of Chapter 9, every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give that grudgingly, or necessity for God loveth the cheerful giver.
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And God and God is able to make all grace abounded toward you, That ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. Notice now, as it is written, He has dispersed abroad, He had given to the poor. His righteousness remaineth forever. Now he that ministereth seed to the Tsar, both minister Brent for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness.
Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness which causes it through us Thanksgiving to God. Notice how he uses righteousness a few times there in connection with the grace of giving.
Righteousness is acting consistently with the position in which he has set us. He's put us into a place of blessing by sovereign grace. He has given us all that he could give. He couldn't give us more. He's given us his son, the diary of his bosom. Now the only righteous response, the only proper response to that is to give and to give and to give to to be a an exponent down here in this world.
Of God to manifest his character, the Lord Jesus gave himself for us, and God has given his son. And so the very grace of giving is called righteousness, fruits of righteousness. Another thought in connection with that in Ephesians 4 that we were looking at at the end of the chapter it says.
Let all bitterness verse 31 and wrath and anger and clamor.
And evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be a kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake or literally even as God in Christ have forgiven you that word. Forgiven means to show grace to God has shown grace to us, He has forgiven us. And if you go back to Matthew 18 connection with this thought, I'm linking this with the thought of righteousness.
How often we can act towards others, considering how God has acted towards us. God has given to us when we were bankrupt, when we were without any ability to pay our way, any ability to to meet our need God gave.
All that would meet our needs. And so it is appropriate. It is fruit of righteousness for us to respond in kind. And so with the thought of forgiveness. Notice in the end of Matthew 18 he gives this this story. Verse 23, Therefore is the Kingdom of heaven likened unto his servant, a certain king, which would take account of his servants, And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him 10,000 talents.
He had not to pay. His Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children had all that he hadn't came up to be made. The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loose him, and forgave him the devil. But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him 100 pence, And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying pain he did. The oldest and his fellow servant fell down.
At his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not. But he went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. Some of his fellow servants saw what was done. They were very sorry, and came and told him to the Lord All it was done. Then his Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirously should us not. Thou also have compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee. Would that not be the right thing to do? If you're forgiven 10,000 talents, and someone comes to you with a cube paltry pence, that he owes you, and you insist that he pays you, would it not be the right thing to extend forgiveness?
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To the one that owes you so much less than you had owed, to the one that had extended forgiveness to you, that would be the right thing to do, wouldn't you? That would be righteousness. But all he was called wicked servant, the very opposite of righteousness. He was a wicked servant because he didn't have that. That the spirit of forgiveness and that spirit of grace and that spirit of giving, that should be in the heart every one of us.
There are these moral features that are found in the precious life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The truth as it is in Jesus, or we should you should feed upon him. We should meditate upon him and relate all the truths that we're considering to Him.
The one that when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself into the hands of him that judges righteously.
I was just meditating the other day, the Lord Jesus at the Last Supper. They were all reclining a table and it was it was common practice that the first one to have arrived would be the one that would assume the responsibility of making all the guests comfortable by going around and washing their feet.
There wasn't anyone to do that this time. And so the Lord himself, without saying anything, he takes a towel in the basin. He gets at the feet of the disciples.
He washes their feet.
And that was before.
They were at the table. That was right at the beginning. Judas was there and it just struck me. The Lord Jesus, the Lord of glory, washed due to speed.
Judas, the one who betrayed him, who kissed.
He was there. He went out in the middle of the feast before the Lord instituted the supper. But He was there for the Passover part, and to think of the way the Lord Jesus dealt with him, even when he came to betray him. Friends, deliver this style. The Son of Man who traced out the Son of Man with a kiss, all the love that was in his heart. He did everything that was possible to do the game to win Judas's heart.
But it was not winnable, and he was like this wicked servant. Here I did not know forgiveness, and he was most miserable. Well here. What is the attitude now of God the Father toward those that do not extend forgiveness when they've been forgiven so much?
His Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors to eat till he should fail. It was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you with he from your hearts forgive not everyone.
His brother in the trespasses, that's the government of the father and his family. Sometimes when there is not blessing in a person's life, it can be traced back to an unforgiving spirit. I remember an assembly once was in a in a bad state of soul. Everyone felt it. They didn't know it was wrong, and they were.
They were. They were looking to the Lord. There were those that felt it keenly, but no one knew what was wrong.
In one low upstate morning as the basket was passed around.
It was passed to the to the wealthiest man in the town and he went to place his offering in the basket and he missed the basket and it was a coin and it rolled on the floor and then across the floor here a man that was a millionaire, a multi millionaire and he was just putting in a little coin in the collection. He was guilty of covetousness while he was dealt with.
He was dealt with because of his covetousness, and the weight that had been on that meeting lifted, And there was liberty again, and there was blessing again. Sometimes there will be a weight that is upon us, an assembly, and they don't know why and they don't know what the cause is or who is it to blame, but they can cry to the Lord. The Lord is ahead, and He is the one that will reveal in such a case. There are other cases where.
Families are loggerheads with one another rather than won't speak to one another in the same meeting. And there is not the spirit of forgiveness. There's not the spirit that ought to characterize us. God has forgiven me 10,000 talents. Who am I to withhold forgiveness to one that may only a few pence. Well, these are important principles. The Lord Jesus on the cross looking down upon those that had nailed him there, his persecutors.
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It's tormentors, totally unjust, totally unrighteous, wicked men. And he says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Is that spirit characterized my heart? Does it characterize our hearts as those who are the recipients of infinite grace, which reach down to pick up a Wretch like me and to set me among Princess, and has set me on the road to glory? Forgive me all my sins, cleanse me from all my iniquities.
Set me on the Heavenwood Rd. Who am I there to refuse to extend forgiveness to one that comes to me and says I repent? Forgive me, I'm sorry for what I've done. I tell you to be in a position of refusing that put you in a very, very puts us in a very serious position. God will set his face against us if that is our state, and it will hinder blessing.
First, Peter 117 If you call on the Father, who without respective persons judge it according to the work of each past and kind of your so journey here in fear, fear of displeasing him.
Here, acting inconsistently with the position in which he set us. I love the little sticker that I've seen on some cars. It says forgiven, forgiven. And that is what's true of every one of us. We are a forgiven, A forgiving people, and what ought to characterize us is the grace that characterized him. Remember the woman in John 8?
These these self-righteous hypocrites, these Pharisees brought this woman taken in adultery in the very act master and Moses commanded that such should be stoned upon her to the very act. What say is thou? And he's stooping down, wrote with his finger on the ground.
And continued to ask him, and he lifted himself up, and he said he that is without cinema, without his first passage. And then he stooped down and wrote with his finger on the ground again. And being convicted from the oldest to the least, they left. And the Lord was left alone in the presence of that woman. She and he only alone have no man condemned thee, no landlord. And then he says those blessed words, Neither do I condemn thee.
Cannot come to condemn the world, but to save the world. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And here was a woman that was broken before him. He had committed a grievous sin and wasn't here to condemn the world. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing to them their trespasses. And have committed unto us the word of reconciliation We have the privilege of.
Of ministering the word of reconciliation, the ministry of reconciliation to those roundabouts. And if we are hard and austere and unforgiving and unyielding, we are misrepresenting him. We are not. We do not have on the breastplate of righteousness. We're not acting consistently with the grace that the sentence of relationship with God himself and forgiveness, 10,000 talents.
If we do not have a forgiven spirit well enough on that point, let's go back to Ephesians 6.
Stand therefore, verse 14, having your loins heard about with truth.
And having on the breastplate of righteousness, let's turn back to Isaiah 32.
The verses I'm about to read apply to the Millennium.
But they ought to be true of the assembly.
Verse one and two. Isaiah 32. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and Princess shall rule in judgment, and a man shall be as in hiding place from the wind, and a covered from The Tempest as rivers of water, in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock and weary land. And then verse 17 And the work. This is the verse I wanted. The work of righteousness shall be peace.
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And the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance for governor in that day, it ought to be so in the Assembly.
The work of righteousness shall be peace, says in Second Timothy 2, describing the great house. There are gold and silver vessels, wooden and earth, and some to water, and some to dishonor. It says, if one shall have perched himself from these vessels to dishonor and separate himself from them, he should be a vessel to honor, sanctified lead for the master's use. And then he says, the youthful lusts follow righteousness, faith, love, peace.
Pretend they're calling the Lord out of pure heart. Righteousness is first do the right thing. Depart from iniquity. Let everyone that name is the name of the Lord depart from iniquity and follow righteousness, faith, love and then peace is the end result. And that's what we have here. The work of righteousness shall be peace.
And righteousness and.
Effective righteousness, quietness and assurance forever turn back to the 85th Psalm in this connection. And I was noticing this the other day in reading it, and it was very precious to my soul. In Psalm 85, verse 10, we often apply this to the cross. It's really a millennial Psalm. Again it says mercy and truth are meant together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
You see, if there's really righteousness, I don't mean self righteousness, I don't mean insisting on my way of doing things, but really righteousness, consistency of conduct in accordance with the position, the truth of God that has set me in a relationship with himself as a child of God. If there's true righteousness upheld and maintained, it will result in peace. And here it says mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousness and look down from heaven. Yay, the Lord shall give that which is good, and our land shall yield her increase. Notice the last verse, Righteousness shall go before him and shall set us in the way of.
Is steps we want to be set, do we not? In the way of our Lord Jesus steps Righteousness, has set us in relationship with himself and sets us in the way of His steps. How precious. Well, I know these sounds and some of these scriptures we're looking at have a millennial picture to them, but let's turn one more to the 122nd sound which brings before us.
Jerusalem and Jerusalem is a picture of the assembly. It's the place where the Lord has placed his name. And that's what the assembly is today in this present dispensation in 122nd sound. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was the place where the Lord had set his name. Jerusalem means the dwelling in peace.
Dying in peace, Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together, that speaks of unity.
Whether the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord under the testimony of Israel, that's his presence there. The testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the name of the Lord that his name is there, He has placed his name there.
For there are set Thrones of judgment, the Thrones of the House of David. Righteousness is executed there. Judgment is executed there. His honor, his glory is maintained there. Discipline is exercised there.
And then it says, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Jerusalem here representing the assembly. Every local assembly ought to be a little miniature Jerusalem dwelling in peace, where righteousness characterizes the assembly. That is, they do the right thing, that all the actions that are taken in the assembly are according to holiness and truth in Ephesians 4. And the verses right afterwards speaks of the truth as it is in Jesus, it says.
Our old man.
It says put off. You're having put off the old man with his deeds and being renewed in the spirit of your mind. And you're having put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. The new man, which is Christ, is created in righteousness and true holiness, holiness of truth, literally holiness of truth.
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So there you have the Newman with his loins girded about with truth and the wrestling righteousness on. And that's the way the new man is created to represent him. And the the end result of that action and all that goes on in Jerusalem is peace. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
We should never introduce into the assembly anything that would disturb the peace of the Saints.
Unless it is for the glory necessary, for the glory of God. Unless it's necessary for the glory of God. But there are many things that are not of a fundamental character, fundamental nature, that should not be introduced to disturb the peace of the Saints.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. That's a prayer that we ought to be praying every day when we think of the assembly where we live. We live here in Pelo. I live in Lawrenceville. We ought to be praying for the peace of the assembly where we live and all over the world. The enemy is the is the destroyer, and if he could have his way, he would destroy us. He would remove every last trace of testimony.
To the name of the Lord Jesus. If he could pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they should prosper that long. They do love the assembly. Do you love the place where the Lord has set His name? Is Is that where your affections are? Is that where your your, your? Is that where your life revolves around? Where the Lord is in the midst of His own, you pray for the peace of that place.
Peace be within my walls and prosperity within my palaces. Every assembly ought to be a place where the Saints can grow and prosper and are fed. And it's a place of peace. It's not a place where it's not a place characterized by legal criticism and and and hard, unforgiving spirits. It's a place where the grace of God is in every heart operating.
And leading us into mutual confidence in one another and going on together in peace, in peace.
That's part of the honorable our feet. The next thing that's mentioned, our feet shod in Ephesians 6 with the preparation of the gospel of peace, of peace wherever we go. We ought to exude the atmosphere of peace. We ought not to be a troublemaker. We ought not to be those that.
If we would speak of moving to another place, they would.
They are happy because wherever we tend to go, there's trouble. We ought to be men of peace. Blessed are the peacemakers. The Lord Jesus said they should be called the children of God.
Well, he goes on to say in verse 8, For my brethren and companions sakes, I will now say, peace be within thee. For my brethren and companion sakes, because of the House of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good.
Because the House of the Lord is there, Jerusalem. That's where the Lord has said his name. It's because the Lord is here, the Lord Himself is here. He is the Prince of peace. When he first appeared to his own after his resurrection, he showed him his hands in his side and said peace.
Be up to you, Ephesians 2 He is our peace who have made both 1 broken down the middle wall of partition between us, Jew and Gentile, and brought us into this one body, this one Newman, so making peace.
Is what I want to characterize our pathway going back to Ephesians 6 now?
We've had the girdle of truth.
All our.
Conduct ought to be according to the truth of the word of God. And in order for us to know that, of course we have to know this this book. We have to know where to go. We have to know the Blessed Book, so that our loins could be girded with truth.
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Young brothers especially, I speak to you this evening. Study the word of God when you're young.
You, you, you, your minds are are supple and able to take it in and to retain it when you're young. When you get older, you forget so quickly what you've read just a short time ago, how important to be in the world and to read these precious the precious ministry, the legacy that has been left us. We happen to be in a company of Christians.
That have the greatest legacy of truth that has ever been left to any Christian company from the day of Pentecost till now. I say that without any fear of contradiction. I I read some number of the modern day writers and they are epitome in comparison with the brethren who wrote 100 years ago.
And the truths that were unfolding precious crews of Christ and His church. Read that ministry along with your Bible to be a real help in the assembly. To seek the good of the Saints, to be a blessing in the assembly they seek to be going on keeping the world out and going on in the path of separation for the glory of Christ. Down here your mind skirt about with the truth.
He is the truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness. Christ who is our righteousness, He is the righteous 1.
Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the one, the Prince of Peace. He is the one that has made peace. Your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Turn back to Romans Chapter 12 for a moment, please. Chapter 12 of Romans. You see this theme all the way through the Epistles.
Verse 17 Romans 12 Recompense to no man evil, for evil provide things honest in the sight of all men. That's having on the breastplate of righteousness, isn't it? And it could be possible, as much as lieth in you. Live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves. Don't be men of war, Don't be men retaliating an evil deed done to you with another evil deed done to the other. Avenge not yourself, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if I'm enemy hunger feed him.
If he thirst, give him drink, or in so doing thou shalt keep coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. It would be possible, as much as life in you. Live peaceably with all men. Don't ever be the one that begins a fight an argument.
Do that in the assembly. Live peaceably. Amen of peace. Do that in the world. Do that in your home.
Be a peacemaker. You know what? Immense, immense blessing will flow from it in the 13th chapter.
Verse 12.
The night is far spent, the days at hand.
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Now we've we've been reading in Ephesians 6 about putting on the whole armor of God, and here he caught. He called, speaks of the armor as the armor of light.
And all these truths that we're talking about are truths of the light.
The loins girded about with truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That doesn't just mean that wherever we go we ought to be carrying the gospel. It certainly includes that. But it means that wherever we go, we ought to be manifesting peace. We have to be bringing peace into our circumstances. We ought not to be Rawlers, not to be strikers, not to be contentious.
Not to be quarrelsome. Not to be slanderers, backbiders, whisperers, evil speakers, these are all sowing discord. This is not peace. This is just the opposite of peace.
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This is falling right into the hands of the enemy.
I will feed Shah with the preparation of the gospel of peace. When you are used to carry a message which will sow discord or do an action which will divide brother from brother or sister from sister. No. So this is the arm of light. We are in the light. We are light in the Lord. What is children of light? The fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
Again, we have a righteousness of truth. You have this armor that is mentioned in Ephesians 6 all the way through the New Testament, over and over again, all the way through the Old Testament.
All of these precious characteristics that were true of him when he was here below.
He was the great peacemaker was America, the Blessed Lord himself.
Came to make peace by the blood of his cross. And so it says, cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. But as well honestly, as in the day, not in rioting and dark drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put you on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Well, in Ephesians six were to put on the whole arm of God, and here were to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And when we put all that armor on, we had him on, don't we? Because that armor speaks in him. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith. And we'll see that in a moment as we take up faith and the helmet of salvation and so on, all these precious truths that we have as our armor, our characteristics of himself.
As it is in Jesus chapter 14.
Chapter 14.
Verse 15.
If I'd rather be grieved with thy meat, now walk us thou not charitably. Now walk us not according to love. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Look not then your good be evil spoken of. Notice, for the Kingdom of God is not needing drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. These are the moral characteristics of the Kingdom of God.
Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. This was this was his pathway pathway of righteousness. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness.
And he was the one that always manifested the truth. He always revealed the Father in all that he did. For that he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Verse 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace. And things were with one may edify another for me to try not the work of God.
Let us follow after the things which make for peace, Chapter 15, verse one. We then, that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak not to please ourselves.
Let everyone of us please his neighbor for his good, to edification, for even Christ. Please not himself. He didn't please himself. We're to walk as he walked. The righteous thing for us, the consistent thing for us to do is to live his life. He's given it to us to be lived out.
And so we are not complete ourselves.
Let's go back to Ephesians 6.
And then it says above all.
Well, verse 15 Again your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
We ought to carry the gospel of peace not only in our words, not only to preach the gospel to the lost, distribute tracks, give the word here and there, but our whole demeanor, our whole pathway, ought to be a pathway of peace, good news and peace. We ought to be the exponents in our persons of this truth that we're seeking to present. So it's how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
And to go on together in peace. And then he says in verse 16 above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, you turn to Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12, following the Faith chapter, which is Chapter 11.
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It says in Hebrews 12, verse one. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses referring to these Old Testament worthies that he's just spoken about, let us lay aside every week.
And the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience for race that is set before us. Endurance. The part of patience here is endurance. It's a long distance race. It's not a Sprint. We're not on a Sprint, but we're running the race. That's going to take quite a while to get through. So it's to run with endurance, the race for the set before us. And what's the object? Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the word our shouldn't be there. It's not our faith, but it's He's the beginner and completer of the path of faith.
He is the one that ran the course ahead of us. He ran the path of faith before we did, and he kept his eye on the gold ahead of him, who, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand and the throne of God.
He ran the course perfectly. He is the one that is set before us as who is now on high notice, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, the beginner and completer of the path of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God for considering him, consider him again the truth, as it is in Jesus.
Where the shield of faith, when the enemy comes with his fiery darks to try to get us to question all kinds of things, maybe question things in the Bible, maybe there are passages someone has brought a passage to us that we don't understand. It seems to be contradictory to another and our faith is in danger of being shaken in the in the word of God. Or possibly trial has come into our life and it appears that that God is forsaking us.
And we know that's not true, he says. I will never leave the ignore for safety. Now faith lays hold upon those promises. Faith believes those promises. Faith reaches out and and grabs onto those promises and says, no matter what my circumstances may look like, no matter how contrary to some of the truths that I find in the word of God my circumstances may seem to be, I believe God. That's fake. I believe God. And so, as the expiring dark, so the wicked one are thrown to at us, trying to get us to question God's interest in us, His care for us, His love for us.
His compassion for us?
The shield of faith wards off those fiery ducks, those suggestions from the enemy to cause us to doubt him, and to question his goodness or his concern or his love. For me, the shield of faith towards these are.
The Lord Jesus went through this pathway down here, and he walked the path of faith. He ran the path of faith. And he had a joy set before him to be back with the Father and to have you and me with him someday, to be with himself on time. And so again we relate that truth back to him who was the one who ran, of course, perfectly before us. And he's Where does it end? Where does it end?
It ends in the building. Consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest he be worried and faint in your mind You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against him. You haven't been martyred, you haven't had to pay with your life, Paul says. He says you have forgotten the expectation which speaketh unto you is unto children, My son, despise not thou to chasing on the Lord, while faith will now have reducing him, or whom the Lord loveth, he chased them.
And scourgeth every son whom he received. I remember 2 boys were fighting in the front of a house, And the father came out, and he laid hold upon one of the boys, and he gave him a spanking. And another man who'd been watching it, said, Sir, it was the other boy's fault. And the father said that made me so. But this boy is my son, and I have taught him not to fight, and so I'm dealing with him, not with the other boy whom the Lord loveth. He chastened it. And so if he deals with us, it's the proof that he loves us.
That he takes the time to discipline us. It may not seem very pleasant at the time, no chastening, for the pleasant seemed to be joyous but grievous. But afterward deal with the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercising their life, and he doesn't. We might be partakers of His Holiness, And without holiness no man should see the Lord. He's going to have us there, and he's going to have us there in a fixed state of soul. So he puts us sometimes through the fire, and that's the proof of this law, that's the proof of his life whom the Lord loveth.
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In chasing them back to Ephesians 6.
I spent too much time on some of these, so.
Time is running out.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, I would suggest that you study the whole 11Th chapter of Hebrews, and you'll see those those worthies of faith, those men of the Old Testament, that through faith.
Live for the glory of God. And it says there without faith it is impossible to please God. And in Second Thessalonians it says all men have no faith. I just think there are men that go through this world. They don't have any faith. They don't know what it is to believe in God, but to believe God, to trust God, you have confidence in God. What a precious, what a precious gift this is. It's a gift.
God has given us to believe it's not something we can credit ourselves with. It's given us the the, the faith that it enables us to make hold upon the precious faith that He's given to us. But we leave him and trust him to have that shield of faith to ward off all the fiery Darcy of the wicked one, as he would seek to interject doubts and questions and.
Impuning to God that which is, we know from the word of God, not true of Him. He does love us, and though we may not be able to explain all of our circumstances, now we interpret them in life of the love that was demonstrated in the cross and all its fullness force. Then he goes on to say verse 17, Take the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation. Salvation I believe. Here is the thought of the.
Well, we know we have salvation now. Salvation is in three tenses. We are saved. We are being saved, and we shall be saved. We are saved. We have the salvation of our souls. Right now we know we're in a subtle relationship with God. Our sins are forgiven. We're gone to justify before God. We're reconciled with His. We're being saved from all the difficulties of the way, all the trials of the wilderness. And one day we shall be saved.
It's not our sword. It's not our sword. Sometimes you'll hear someone say, well, have you brought your sword today? No. It's the sword of the Spirit. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Let me give this illustration.
Please forgive me going over just a little close as quickly as I can. This one finish this.
It's like, I heard this illustration in the conference once and I thought it was so good. Some of you may have heard it. It's like an apothecary shop person comes in and he's got a prescription written by his doctor needs this medication, and the pharmacist takes it, looks it over, and sees what ingredients have to be mixed in order to fulfill this prescription. He turns around. He goes on a shelf which just filled with all kinds of bottles, various kinds, and you'll pick this one and this one and this one, and then you'll mix it up.
According to the percentage it should be in, and the prescription is fulfilled, well, we ought to be like that, that shelf, with our bottles completely filled. We ought to be so acquainted with the word of God, that when the Spirit of God needs a scripture in order to meet a certain circumstance or certain condition in the assembly, or a certain difficulty that may have arisen in our family or in our business, whatever sphere we're in the Spirit of, God can take that scripture and bring it to our memory and enable us to act upon it.
That's the sword of the Spirit. It's his sword. But we have to have the shells filled. We have to be stole in the word of God, that the the everything is filled and the Spirit of God can then take whatever is needed for the particular occasion. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God and the last, the last part of the armor is prayer. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.
It's the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. And our prayer is in the Spirit. The Spirit of God will never lead us to pray contrary to the Word. He has inspired this book, he has indicted it, and he never leads us to pray contrary to the Word of God. So we pray in the Spirit, praying we always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. I should say that all these weapons, all these disarmament, I should say.
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Is defensive except the sword of the Spirit. That's offensive and prayer. Prayer is offensive in the sense too. So we have these last two that that reach out and lay hold upon the power that is in God. He's lost to the word of God and prayer, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints. Now it's good when we pray that we pray for all the Saints, we embrace them in our affectionate affections and our prayers.
And then that we be specific. And for me Paul says, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in Barnes, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. So Paul says, pray for all the Saints, and also pray for me. We ought to have certain specific thoughts in our prayers, right specifically for certain individuals. That's very appropriate.
And also to pray for all the Saints. Our prayers should embrace the whole company of God's redeemed once, many of whom we do not know. And we may not even meet many of them when we're here. But we can certainly embrace them in our prayers as being fellow members of the one body well to close. Finally, he says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put on the whole arm of God.
That you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil. And having done all to stand, May God give us to put that armor out, to meditate upon it, become more acquainted with it, to study Him who is the one that exemplifies all these precious truths that we've been looking at, and hold them as the truth is in Jesus.
Let's close by seeing #130.
With Christ starting begins the Lord of truth and love. When He had purged our sins, He took his seat above 130.
With Christ, our pain begins to work.
When he has worked ourselves.