Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Over God and our Father.
You'll feel the joy. Realize that we're living in the day of grace.
When you think of grace.
Through the lines of that, this reveals the heart of God who delights.
In giving that which.
Is from the largeness of his bosom of love, and we rejoice that he is at full liberty. We show grace because of the great sacrifice made that Calvary without his Give thy beloved Son, Lord Jesus.
00:05:07
And where he laid down his mind the judgment of God, that God indeed might be glorified.
Will this work for God?
And this work also.
Has met our need.
So now, because we were redeemed, we live in hope and anticipation.
The glorious moment, Lord Jesus, as we've been singing, and thou shall come, and thou shalt call us.
That is the reading to be with thyself there and the glory.
The moment that will be.
But then we think of the reigning day, Lord Jesus.
But thou shall come forth as.
The Clemente, King of kings.
Lord of Lords.
I think of that glorious day, and my glory shall be manifested.
Lisa come.
With thee to reign, Lord Jesus, what lies before us?
And we take it in.
Now we're here and we're in the school of God.
We're going to take up thy precious word.
And whom I'd hear thy voice?
To direct us in, this line might be lived out.
In the light of that glorious woman, that all shall be set right.
Lord God and our Father, we just bow humbly.
Because it's grace.
But we deserve nothing. But how great thou art.
So we vow and Thanksgiving we bow to worship and praise and thy blessed precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Let me continue on with two.
Very nice. Verse five or something.
Chapter 2 and verse 5.
You know the age of women, teaching the younger ones to be discreet, change keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemy. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded, and all things showing thyself a pattern of good works in doctrine, showing on corruptness, gravity, sincerity.
Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not furlining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
For the grace of God that bring us salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity.
00:10:04
And purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. But no man despise me.
I think it's important to notice that in verse 5, the point isn't that you lock the woman in the house and not let her out.
That's not the point here. When it's his keepers of home, at home, it's really the thought is taking care of homework, diligent in homework. In other words, the house isn't the sufferer and.
I know some have built on the usual rendering we have of that to make it almost appear that the sisters should be locked up in her house and not allowed out.
But I don't think that's the point at all here. But there is to be a diligence in homework.
Things are to be attended to and taken care of at home and.
I suppose the there's almost an appropriate connected today with with being a woman who takes care of her house. There's almost a mockery of that idea. Let me say to the young sisters that are here, you can't do anything better.
Then take care of your house and be a homemaker and.
Being the governor of the state of New Jersey, as we just added lady governor and a very capable lady governor.
Is not nearly so important.
As a Christian woman, maintaining a home for the Lord, bringing up her children for the Lord, providing a place for her husband to feel encouraged and and helped along the way, Now is that enslaving or is it liberating? I think it's liberating.
Setting an example for the younger women, that's the .1 of the big issues really. Because young the young women need someone who has a good reputation to set examples.
In being homemakers.
There to be a guard too, as to evil coming into that home. And it's remarkable. We were Speaking of doctrine this morning. Sound doctrine. And when you come to Second John, where there's a warning against those who would come and bring unsound teaching into the home, come to your door and present those things that are false, who is the epistle written to? It's written to a sister. And we can be thankful for wives that have that discernment that when one comes to the to the home.
To present something that's contrary to the scriptures, contrary to the person and work of Christ, that they have the discretion to guard the home and keep that and keep those things out. And I might say this too, that it's often the mother, the wife of the home that sets a tone on a daily basis.
True that the husband is the head of the home, he's to take the responsibility for the headship. He's too responsible to get out the word of God and read it in the home, make sure there's a time of prayer and so on. Some interesting that when you have in the Old Testament the kings of Israel as their chronicle is given, it's often the mother's name that is mentioned. And then whether that king did good or evil in the sight of the Lord because her influence in the home was directly responsible with how that king turned out, whether he was a good king in Israel or an evil king in Israel.
And so it's a wonderful thing for a sister to have this place. We've been talking a lot about sisters. It's good to realize that it's Christianity that gave a woman a wonderful place. Women sometimes have stepped out of that place, thinking that Christianity and the principles of Scripture are too constricting, too confining. But when you trace through the word of God, you find that Christianity gave women a place even above what they had in Judaism. And some of us have been to heathen lands.
And when you go to a heathen land, you find that Christianity gives a place of women, a wonderful place, a place beyond anything they enjoy under any heathen or false religion. And so it is this, Brother **** said, a very wonderful place. But it is the sphere in which God has placed that sister, the sisters. And when they seek by the grace of God to carry out their responsibility in that place, that I believe, God uses it in blessing not only to themselves but to their families and to others.
00:15:34
We had mentioned this morning regarding the order.
In which God has placed each of us to function in responsibility.
And when this order is maintained?
It's so that the word of God should not be spoken against. It's when we fail in these responsibilities that we incur the criticism and judgment of others, but the whole purpose of maintaining the order that God has set, whether it's for us older ones, or for the younger men and the younger sisters and older sisters. It is in order that the word of God might be respected and not spoken evenly against.
I believe in the whole is a place where.
Learn something of the love of God.
And especially the Christian home. I wasn't brought up.
In a home where they knew the Lord and I was brought up in a foster home. So perhaps I didn't know very much about love in the sense that.
There was no outward show of love or affection, or to hug one another. But in the Christian home, as we've already heard of, these were to be taught to love their husbands, to love their children. You think of being in a home where there is that love shown, and love is giving. That's what love is.
Love makes his sacrifice in the home.
You think of God's love and the sacrifice he made to provide salvation for us, the cross. We think of love, you know, as something that.
You perform in a way that's not really making any sacrifice, but love makes the sacrifice, and so that love that's in the home is going to spread to the assembly.
And as India is only to where we learn.
And we are taught to love one another. Well, this is so important in the Christian home in these days that we're living in these are dark thieves, and the world is filled with hatred and envy and all of those things we need, we need brethren.
That show of affection one for another instead of finding fault with everything.
We need to have hearts stirred by the love of God, whether it's in the home or in the assembly.
There was a series of books came out a few years ago. I don't know if they're still in print. I have a tendency to think books stay in print forever, and I'm thankful that John Kaiser keeps me informed that they, you know, 20 years ago it went out of print. I asked John for something a couple days ago and he told me today. I went out of Prince 20 years ago, but this book was called Martin Luther Had a Wife.
And it was charming to read that book and see something about her.
Catherine Funbora, I guess her name was, and what a tremendous influence she had in that in that home. She made the home what it was. You tend to think of Martin Luther, but you forget the fact that he had a wife and it was just a series of sketches like that. I I think there was another one.
Is the opposite way and said Harry features, so had a husband and it sketched the the spouses of.
Somewhat well known people, and you began to realize how important was the spouse in the life of that person. And I just would encourage our young sisters not to think that, well, that's the end now. I'm not, I'm not going to be the governor of Illinois or whatever. And then so life is over. But to realize that you have a tremendous effect.
00:20:21
In the home in which you are.
I was talking to a young lady a little while ago that I've known for some years and I hadn't known that she wasn't teaching anymore and she told me no, I'm at home and I thought, what a wonderful thing, a privilege for her to be at home and to be able to guide that home. That's the best thing you can do, is to guide them.
It's I think that scripture is used for that. She is to guide the home. She guides it. She makes the direction in which that house goes. Think of what was it Susanna Wesley that was the mother of John and Charles West. What an influence that woman had and you could think of many, many others. Think of Samuels Mother Hannah. What a what a wonderful person.
She was and.
Just just enjoy that thought, young sister. That nobody's trying to restrict you or put you in a cage or or lock you up so that you don't have to, can't develop whatever the Lord is giving you to do this. What you do in your home, sister, that, that.
Makes it possible for her husband to function in the place that the Lord has given him. Her place is going to be highly rewarded by the Lord in the coming day. So we need to, I think we need to put more emphasis on that, but.
The men aren't the ones to put the emphasis on it. Who is to do it?
Others keep the family together. That's it. And it's the mother, the older women that are to pass that on and get that message across to the younger women.
And don't don't be taken in by all the the feminist literature that's out there. The feminist literature. Forgive me for saying anything, but it's garbage, and what you need to do is to get God's viewpoint of it. And you'll find how highly important is a woman's position who is seeking to govern her family for the Lord, guiding her home for the Lord.
Making sure that that home goes on in a godly way.
You can ruin a home. We've known of cases where men, I think John Wesley himself had the most. From what I remember reading, he had one of the most unhappy homes that you could possibly have and it didn't help his ministry at all.
Where he made the mistake of getting up, I guess on in the church after the his fellow people told him that he should have a wife. He got up and announced his engagement before he even talked to her.
Announcement from the pulpit.
She learned about it listening to him. That started off wrong right there, didn't it? But young sister and and older sisters foster that in the younger sisters, what we need is mothers in Israel, we need women who will step up to the place God has given them. I hope.
I love Barbie and I won't mind my saying this, but you know, everybody knows Bob, Tony and and I went down to go to Bamba one time and.
I watched Bob come in and.
Lean over and say to Barbrianna, you got to stretch the meal a little bit today.
I've invited the guys who are working on the meeting room to come for lunch.
And there wasn't a bit of complaint.
Maybe in Dexter, in her heart, I don't know. But she did it in such a nice way and we all had plenty to eat.
God honors that kind of a.
A willingness to provide the environment.
In which a family can mature my mother I will always, until the day I'm called home, to be with the Lord. I will honor the memory of my mother and the things that she did to drain us and teach us and and to provide a place for my father where he could function in his place in the assembly. So it's important.
00:25:20
It's one of the most important things you could ever do.
Let me make a practical comment.
To young married couples.
Don't get yourselves in the position.
Where you both have to work in order to pay the mortgage and make expenses.
Take a Take a simple dwelling where the father, the husband, the responsible one his earnings can pay the bills.
And Mother stayed calling.
The the effort of Satan is to get the.
Father and the mother out of the house, into the workplace, and then the children get turned over to you don't know who.
That's of the safety. That's the state. It's not just garbage, it's satanic. It's really an effort of safety to attack the very foundation of society. And where is it? It's in home. It's in the hope. And he says if I can just get the woman into the workplace and I will have succeeded. He's done that since World War 2, when the women had to be called in to make the munitions and all that.
They got into the workplace and once they got into it, they've never gotten out of it and it goes back to that.
But that's that's where we are. What is a young Christian family to do? Don't get yourself so loaded with expenses that you both have to work.
Outside of the home, that's just a bit of, I believe, sound advice.
Just in that regard too, I might say to those of us who are husbands, that we need to allow our wives to function in the sphere that God has put them. And I have been grieved sometimes in visiting in Christian homes to find that the husband sometimes doesn't let the wife function in that sphere that God has given them. For instance, if you come into my house, you won't find I try to run the kitchen.
Disaster. You wouldn't want to eat there if I did, but I'm just saying I'm not trying to be funny. But brethren, sometimes I think some of these difficulties. We look at the woman and we say, well, she stepped out of her place or she's not doing what she should. But perhaps the reason is we as brothers haven't allowed her to function. I've enjoyed a little contrast in two instances in the life of Abraham and Sarah, because as as men we are heads of our home and a just another little site. Sometimes I go into a home and I see a little motto.
Over the kitchen table that says Christ is the head of this home. That sounds pious, brethren, but it's not the truth of God. The man is the head of the home. Christ is the head of the man. The man is the head of the home. And as such, we need to be exercised to carry out our responsibility. But there's two instances in the life of Abraham and Sarah that I think give us a nice balance. Because there was an occasion where Abraham listened to Sarah and he didn't exercise his headship and it got him into a lot of trouble. In fact, the people of God today over in the Middle Eastern.
Because Abraham listened to Sarah on that occasion, I say, he did not exercise his headship. But you come just a few chapters over, and there's a remarkable statement made. It says, hearken unto the voice of Sarah, thy wife, in all that she sat unto thee. Because there came a point in their marriage. When Sarah had more discernment in a situation than Abraham had, wasn't a question of his headship, but it was a question of her discernment. And the Lord told Abraham that he ought to listen.
To what his wife had to say. Brothers, that's a good word for us. It's a good word for my own soul. I'm thankful sometimes for a wife who has more discernment, sees more clearly through a situation, or more quickly than I do. And I believe we have the word of God to exhort us, to stop and to listen and to weigh what our wives have to say in those situations. And we never want to relinquish our headship. I don't mean that. But we can be thankful for wives and mothers.
00:30:06
God gives that godly discernment to in the case of another case, in the case of Abraham and Sarah, when those three random kings.
And Abraham said it to Sarah. Quick may ready quickly 3 measures of fine meals needed and make cakes upon the heart and so on. Which sort of bears out what my brother **** was saying.
Get something ready in the heart and I don't know what you did well then afterwards we read about it says that when they said on the awareness of my wife and he said behold in the tent.
That was her sphere.
When it comes to the younger men in verse 6.
I move on because I think we can Brothers can go on and talk about women's problems and what they need to do all afternoon and I don't think the citizens appreciate that usually, but I've appreciated what's been said. But verse 6IN regard to the younger men is one thing, one exhortation to be.
Discreet, but then he gives the real secret to helping the younger men, he says.
Make you be a pattern. You be a pattern.
And there's nothing more important.
In my estimation, that a pattern that shows us what to do.
It's easy to talk about what to do and we could go on and we could spend the whole afternoon telling people what to do, but where can we be patterns?
And I think that's what God wants us to do.
The older ones to be patterned to the younger ones, but in a very special way. This man who was given the wonderful responsibility of these exhortations about things that go along with sound doctrine, He was above everything else, to show himself a pattern or an example of good works. And may the Lord help us to do that, to be an example.
Into younger ones.
I think if you think in your back in your own life, you'll probably cherish the memory of some brother or sister who was a pattern to you of what a believer should do and what he should be and how to operate in their lives. And I thank the Lord for those patterns that I've had in my life.
Count Zinzendorf wrote a little poem about his mother.
In which he called her a pattern of faith.
A pattern of faith. When you think of Tom Jinzenburg as wonderful to think of the things he did, what a wonderful how he was wonderfully used in the Lord. I say, mother, I think it was his grandmother. Excuse me, but he called her pattern of faith. Pattern of faith I listened yesterday to to.
Barbie Cannon and and her sister talking about their grandmother and and it was delightful to hear.
Not a good example from their grandmother, and it was encouraging to hear that I didn't know her, but I I wished I did. And there are lots of people like that. Think of one and think of the effect it's had in your life and then be a pattern to someone else of what to do. It's easy to talk about what to do. It's a lot harder to be an example or a pattern.
How is a young man supposed to know these things? Let's get down to basic scriptural facts.
The 6th, the 7th and the 8th verse. A young man is not going and neither will I or anyone else.
Know anything apart from the Word of God? That's where we learn it. That's where we get the truth. That's where we get the doctrine. That's where we know what God wants is by studying the Word of God.
In practical things, there's a lot of things that we do and say and could do and say that may be a help. But if we want to get to the real godly facts, here's where we find it in our hand this afternoon, the word of God.
And we're not going to learn anything apart from it. What man says sounds good. It may be good when it comes to mathematics or how to make money, but when it comes to obeying the word of God, you've got to know the word of God to do it. And if you don't know the word of God, how are you going to know anything about doctrine? How are you going to know how to have sound speech? It's the word of God, and I'd like to encourage every young person in this room to read the Bible.
00:35:28
Read it. Read it. Read it. Don't stop.
And the proof of our love.
Disobedience.
And what are you going to obey this?
Good doctor, this sound, doctor.
We can talk a lot, but it doesn't mean much. But when we do, the doers of the word not here only.
The sound doctor.
Referred to the doctrine that came out in the Church.
In its practice in the first chapter where it appears the second of Acts, they continued steadfastly in the apostle doctrine, fellowship, and breaking the bread and prayer. Now obedience. Know the word leading and obeyed. That's a proof of love, and it will bring happiness. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them. Practical things are.
Right here to do us.
Hello, John 14. How it's borne out to us. The Lord said that he loved me.
Keep my commandments.
That's very straightforward.
It strikes home to me anyway. He loved me.
Keep my commandments as he kept his Father's commandments, because he delighted in the will of God.
How could you have quoted that verse if you hadn't read it?
Right, right. You have to read the word of God. If you want to know what God's mind is, you're going to have to go to his book and learn about it.
Rather eat it more than once, brother. Yes, more than once, a brother once said. You don't learn the way of God by osmosis, you'll learn it by reading his word.
And that's there's not a better method in which we can follow what God wants than to read His Word and find out what he wants. We're not going to learn it any other way but by reading His Word and following Him. And in the Word, God not only teaches by doctrine or precept, but he also teaches by example. We've been talking about examples and how we remember those in our lifetime who have been examples to us, and it says whose faith follow. But when you read the word of God, read these stories, the histories of men and women and young people that God has recorded.
He's recorded these histories, and not just their faith, but sometimes their failures, and he's recorded them to teach us. My brother was saying sometimes we don't perhaps have a good role model in our own lives. Perhaps there's some here. And you weren't brought up in a Christian home. You didn't have Christian parents. You weren't brought up in the assembly. You didn't know those older brothers that some of us remember while we were growing up. But God has given us wonderful examples in his word. And these examples are to teach us. But if we don't read them.
And familiarize ourselves with them. We're not. They're not going to be brought home to us at times when we need them. And made a blessing. When the Lord Jesus spoke to the disciples in the upper room, he brought many things before them, and then he spoke of the Spirit. It says, Who will bring all things to your remembrance that I have spoken to you. In other words, they listen to what the Lord Jesus said. And then he said, when the spirits come, he'll bring these things to your remembrance and make them good to you.
But if we don't read it, the spirit can't bring to our mind, to our remembered something we don't need. He's the remembered Sir. And when I was younger, I read some of these stories and I heard them at meeting. I heard them read in the family, reading at the table. And I didn't understand these stories. I didn't understand why different ones in the Old Testament went through different circumstances and why their stories were given to us. But I'm thankful that I was familiarized with them.
And now, as I've got a little older, the Lord often brings those stories back to me when I'm going through some difficulty, some circumstance. He brings those stories back to you and shows you the faith and the failures of these individuals and how they acted in the situation, whether they acted wisely or unwisely. He shows us the blessedness of obedience to the word of God. He shows us the folly of disobeying you. You want to know whether it's young, whether it's profitable for young people to sow wild oats.
00:40:19
You don't have to go out and sell them to find out. Just read the word of God. He shows us those who sowed to the flesh, they reap to the flesh corruption. But read these stories. Familiarize yourself with them as well as, of course, as Brother Dave has been bringing before us, the doctrines and principles of the New Testament. We need those too. But we need the illustrations that help us to understand what we have in the New Testament. Maybe you won't understand it at the time, but read it. Read it over and over and over again and you'll find the Lord will buy the Spirit, bring it back, and make it a blessing.
In Daniel chapter 6.
Speaking of examples, I believe it ties right in with what we have in our chapter Daniel, Chapter 6.
In verse three it says Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and Princess because an excellent spirit was in him and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Now we're going to get some problems because there's a lot of envy and and people who don't like that idea that he'd be put over the whole realm. Verse four then the presidents and Princess sought to find occasion against Daniel.
Concerning the Kingdom.
But they could find none occasion or fault.
And as much as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then, said these men, we shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. I read that sometimes, and I I have to tell you, I read it with tears, because I think.
I wish that were true of me, that the only thing they could find about me that was wrong had to do with my relationship with the Lord. That is, that I was a Christian. And so.
That exhorts us to the very thing that we have in our chapter, which says.
That we're to live in such a way.
Verse eight that he was opposed.
Might be ashamed having nothing to say again.
Is that possible?
I think we've known Christians as such as that. They live in upright life and they live in such a way that nobody can bring in any accusation against them. What a sweet Saber that is. What a blessing it is.
And what an honor to the Lord Jesus, whose precious name is called upon us.
Because sure is anything. If they find something in us, they're going to blame the Lord.
They're going to say, oh, that's that's a Christian. I don't want to beat 1.
Have you ever heard people say that? That's a Christian? I don't want to be one talking about us. And it happens sometimes.
We want to live in such a way as Daniel did, with that excellent spirit, in such a way that they could not fight anything against him. Does that mean that Daniel never did anything wrong?
When Daniel was taken prisoner, he was probably a teenager.
And it says of him that he purposed in his heart, and that's why many years later you find him honoring God.
In every circumstance and under every condition. When it says that, when Daniel knew that the Declaration had been written and signed, it says he prayed three times a day as he did a four time, it didn't change him one bit. And it's because he had purposed in his heart when he was a teenager to serve the true and living God. And I'll tell you this.
That for everyone in this room, That's true of everyone in this room. If we purpose in our hearts to serve God and obey Him, we're going to prosper just like Daniel, then we may not become millionaires. That's not the thought. But God will see to it that we do prosper if and nothing else in our soul. Amen. When God writes to young men in First John Two, it is because the word of God.
00:45:23
Abiding in them had made them strong. Well, how does the word of God abide in one by his daily.
Regular taking it in.
I've written unto you, young men, because you're strong, and the word of God abides in you the Lord Jesus Christ said in John chapter 15 and verse 7. If you abided me in my word, abides in you, you shall ask what you will, and it should be done unto you and my Father. So here we have the power to overcome the world, which we're exhorted to not love the world, not the world, and so forth in that second chapter.
John But if we take the word of God in and we obey the word of God, then we have power to overcome the world, and we have power with God. To Ashworth. We will and will be done into us, because we're asking according to His mind, Where do we get his mind? In the Word. So read and and and meditate upon the word of God and take it in. Tell us we have been exhorted many times before the Word of God forms our thoughts, and then we can pray intelligently according to the mind of God, and he will honor what we ask.
We don't know for sure, but it almost seems the way that the apostle addresses Titus in verse six and seven, that he was perhaps a young man himself.
And I do think that it is really remarkable that in youth those who have the most influence are other young men. And I say, choose your companions carefully. Ask yourself.
Are they leading me in the right direction? I looked back in my youth. I can think particularly of one young man that steered me in the right direction at a crucial time. God used him.
In bringing me in the right direction, I don't know where I would have been if it wouldn't have been that instrument that God used, that God does use young men.
Somebody has pointed out with the Lord, Jesus was relatively young, 30 years of age when he went out into public ministry. And the disciples too, they were probably some, most of them relatively young. And so it's young men that are examples that what a blessing to have an example like Timothy heritage.
There's the Scripture abounds with beautiful examples to follow in Scripture.
And with Daniel, it was his purpose of heart that we read out, particularly in the first chapter. But because of his faithfulness, he was a blessing to his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It's true that later on they had to stand the test themselves, because we're all tested individually, and when it was in connection with the fiery furnace, Daniel wasn't there to answer for them. But no doubt it had been the faith and testimony and the.
Encouragement of Daniel that so strengthened those three young men that when the test came for themselves they were able to stand. And David, I believe it was said, I am a companion of all them that fear thee and that keep Thy precepts. Is that true of each one of us? Can we honestly say that we seek our companionship with those that fear the Lord and seek to walk in his truth? I think what Bob says is a very good word for not just for those of us who are those who are younger.
But those of us who are a little farther along, middle-aged, and we need and for our families to seek, who do we have in our homes? Is it those who seek to who are an encouragement and a blessing to us? Is that those who seek the honor and glory of God and his Son, the Lord Jesus? If it is, it will be a blessing not only to us, but it will be a blessing in our home as well.
Interesting that when Stephen was stoned.
Those that were throwing the stone laid down their clothes at a young man's feet. His name was Saul. Later on he writes of himself in First Timothy.
00:50:06
1.
Verse 15 This is a faithful thing, and worthy of all expectation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Howbeit will this 'cause I obtain mercy? That in me first, also me first? Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, fought for a pattern.
To them which should hereafter believe on him if we want a pattern, just like a pole after he was saved.
He's a patent.
So when Paul wrote to Timothy as a young man, he admonished him to not let any despises you, but to be a pattern or a model be an example. In these very things that the apostle is exhorting, Titus can teach the young men, and I'm amazed at how similar are the attributes to which Titus was exhorted to teach the young men.
How much they resemble the attributes of the old men who were to be brave and so forth. And so that's exactly the thing that should be communicated to the young. And here is Timothy, a young man being admonished to not behave in any way so as others to think I'll of him in order that he might be a pattern and and word and in teaching. And finally it says that give thyself.
Until I come give thyself A tense to read it. Doubtless I have some reference to public reading, but.
We cannot overemphasize the value of reading for ourselves the word of God on a daily basis.
As a young person.
Often get influenced by others easily. So when we look at some, for example, we should be careful as well. As a young person, do we see others in ourselves? But more so do we talk about others often. And that's the problem as we have here. We have been exalted for the parents, for the women, for the age. And perhaps, maybe there is a lesson here for us too, that often we're so occupied with other people's problems.
And we'll reflect that onto our young people. So we have to be careful of who we talk about. You know, sometimes as parents, when we talk about a certain brother in front of our children, we'll find that that will reflect on them, on how they behave on other people. So we have to be an example that way. I'd like to turn to a verse here in John's Gospel.
The last chapter of John's Gospel.
John chapter 21 Dear Peter was occupied with someone elses problem and let's take a look at his question and then we'll take a look at what the Lord answer is for him. Verse 20. Peter turning about see as a disciple whom Jesus loved following which also lean on his press that suffer and said Lord which is he that betrayeth thee. Peter was quite occupied with that and it was interesting to see that.
Up to this point, it looks like they still do not know who betrayed the Lord. And you know, I can identify with that because often we like to know when something goes wrong, who did it. We're so occupied with that and perhaps use the word got him. Now I want to clarify this. I spoke on this one time and a sister called me afterwards saying are you talking about me? So I want to clarify that I'm not speaking against anyone in particular, but in here the Lord in verse 22 gave him a nice answer that I have.
That I've been enjoying verse 22 Jesus saith and to him and.
Sorry, verse yes. Verse 22 Says, if I will not be tarry till I come, What is that today? What is that to thee? Here's the answer. Follow about me rather than be occupied. We have instructions here to follow. We have been told here to have sober mind, to to have some doctrine, sound speech and so on. In fact sovereignty.
00:55:00
So we need to not look at anyone else but the follow after Our Blessed Lord with His word.
As we move on, we get servants brought before us, and we're bond men. And it isn't said to any of the others, but to the servants that they have the privilege of adorning the doctrine.
Perhaps we just say a brief word about adorning. It's decorating it and making it look good, isn't it? If you're doing something and a servant who is faithful.
Has the privilege of adorning or making the doctrine look good instead of bad.
That's a sobering thought. Some of the things that are said here in regard to them are very important, but I noticed the first thing is to be subject to their masters. That word master there is despot. But where did we get our word despot from? They might not always be a very easy person to work for.
Where to be subject to, they may be very despotic in their way of handling us.
But to be subject to them adorns the doctrine.
I can tell you that I've had some bosses in my life that are very difficult to listen to them and do what they said.
But to do what they said.
Is the way of adorning the doctrine, making the doctrine look good.
I just mentioned that I love it because I think that we sometimes, in this day and age, we get the idea that a kind of rebellion or doing other than what we're told to do is right. It's not right if we're told to do something wrong that is contrary to the word of God. The principle is we obey God rather than man. But leaving that aside.
Because you think that isn't the right way to do it. There's no reason not to be subject to your matter. The one who's told you what to do and you make yourself acceptable in everything. Not answering back, not game, saying when's the last time you you.
Answered back into your boss, the person who had authority to tell you to do something. That doesn't mean that you can't respectfully suggest something to him. That's not the point here, but it's kind of a back talk.
And and back talk is something that perhaps I'm very conscious of it because my father dealt with it very severely in the home. He didn't permit it. And I many a time I had my mouth smacked for backtalk. I had a tendency to do that.
Again, saying we're back talking is a serious thing. The Lord is telling us here. You're not going to adorn the doctrine if you do that.
Then this is not purloining.
Not robbing.
The Master.
I read an article the other day that the thievery and American business of paper clips and stationery and and four point pens and things has an enormous price on it to industry. When's the last time someone stuck to two pens in our pocket, came over and worked with them because we needed it at all? That's purlining, isn't it?
Actually, the definition of purloining is using in others as though it were your own.
Which is of course dealing in that sense, but it has the sense of not realizing the propriety of.
Personal property, The right thoughts toward the employers things taking them as ones own or ones own purpose use.
There's an interesting.
In that.
Ninth verse and to please them well in all things.
That's the part that you need the grace of God to do.
During the Millennium, there's going to be thousands that are going to feign obedience, and they're going to obey on the surface and externally that king of kings, but they do not obey in the heart. And this verse here says, and that they and to please them well, in all things, that's bowing to their word, not just.
01:00:08
Out outside. That said, yes, I'll do it, then go outside and swear it.
That's absolute falling to the bosses will. And you know that's the that's the path of pleasure. And during the Millennium the ones that are blessed are the ones that bow to the Lord's will and not do it, feigning obedience. And so it takes the grace of God to do this. You know, you you go out there and you have a bad boss. You can't do it except you get on your knees and do it. And when we do that, it's actually service to the Lord.
Because I think it's in Ephesians and Colossians. When he writes to those who were slaves or servants to ungodly masters, he tells them not to do it with eye service of men as men pleasers, but in singleness apart as unto the Lord. And he tells them that if they do that, then they'll receive a reward because they serve the Lord. Christ, Those servants might have wondered. Those slaves might have wondered, well, how can I serve the Lord? I've got to get up every morning and go and work for an ungodly man. He doesn't appreciate me.
He sometimes abuses his authority, but the Apostle says, you submit, you do it as unto the Lord. And maybe the Lord will use that even in the salvation of your ungodly master. But nevertheless doing it unto the doing it as unto the Lord, it was actually service to the Lord, and they would get a reward. And so these things are very practical. But brethren is a great movement today to teach us to rebel against every level of authority.
With young people going to school, I'm impressed that not only is rebellion against authority practice today, it's always been practiced from eating on down. But the difference today is rebellion against authority is not just practiced, it's preached and propagated and it's ingrained in our young people. I I'm appalled at how subconsciously our young people have this ingrained in them. Be careful. Let's all of us guard against this rebellion against authority on every level, whether it's.
In governmental authority, whether it's authority in the workplace, whether it's authority in the home, children to their parents, husbands and wives. If we don't recognize that authority, then this is going to seep into the assembly and we're not going to recognize the authority that God has invested in the assembly.
We have to remember too, that these servants were really slaves in those times. Often they never had liberty to be on their own. And yet, as has been mentioned, Paul says to them, in Colossians it is ye serve the Lord Christ. They were servants of the Lord. Sometimes I think we use that term designating just certain ones who may travel about.
Brethren, everyone is a servant of the Lord. We serve the Lord Christ. It's interesting to me in South America some time to go talking to a brother, and he mentioned to me how he felt led to go back and get a secular job because he found more liberty in giving the gospel than he did when he was involved in publishing work of gospel literature.
And the reason was that people, he said, would ask me, what is your work? And he said, well, I'm working in some gospel literature. And he said he could just see that when he said that they just tuned him out. Here's a man that doesn't live in the real world, but there are those if you can. If you say, well, I'm a Carpenter or I'm some other job, here's a man that lives in the real world.
And he says, I can see immediately that they listen on a far better level. So, dear brethren, you that have jobs with some company.
Do it heartily as to the Lord, you can adorn the doctrine in a way that others may not be able to do. You have an advantage in that position, and you are serving the Lord Christ.
Adorned means to.
Add to something that is already attractive not to make something.
01:05:00
That is not attractive. Try to make it look good. But adorning is to add beauty, and the doctrine here, as we know, is the word and the Christian life, and we are to add to that beauty by our line.
The opposite is that the word of God be blasphemy by our conduct and what God has joined together, let not man put asunder doctrine and practice. God has joined them together and if we separate them, it's to our loss.
And so.
Where it wasn't practiced, the word of God is not adorned, It's blasphemed.
And that's the opposite of adorning it.
Giving weight to it in the fact that it's real and livable. And when people look at a life that has been subjected to the word of God, they seem the blessedness of it and the fruitfulness of it, and in that way it's adorned.
What a marvelous privilege to be able to do that.
Say, Brother Barry. It's something that's already a beautiful thing, but you add to it what a privilege God has given us to do that, to be able to adorn his doctrine. And if we live according to the word of God, that's exactly what we do. What a marvelous privilege God has given us.
I would like to just have you consider when you read Titus and see where the word of God is carried out. Because in our minds where Bob has talked about serving the Lord, and in our minds that's passing out tracks or preaching the gospel or whatever. But you need Timothy and Titus both, and you will see.
The service of the Lord is.
Taking care of for a mother to love her children and take care of them and doing the voice and changing his diapers and the and the men and Titus were to learn how to go to work and provide for their families and this kind of thing. And even the younger are taught to take care of those who are related to them, who are older and have.
Physical needs that the assembly wouldn't have to do that, and you'll see that the word of God applies to every facet of your life.
And you don't have to go anywhere to adorn the doctrine of God. You don't have to become anything that you're not already to do it. And we lose sight of this sometime, and we become dissatisfied at work. And we think, well, if I could just get rid of this job, maybe I could have some little work for the Lord. Well, we've had instructions with the service. You've got some little work for the Lord right there.
In submission to your master at work and showing him that you obey the word of God and you're subject to the Lord your Savior, and that's the work of the Lord for you at that point in your life.
We we have, we have to be careful because.
Christianity is everyday life, and we don't have to go anywhere to please the Lord. And I'm not discouraging anyone from any special calling that God might be calling them to, but I'm just encouraging you to where you are right now. You can adorn the doctrine of God and no matter what relationship you are in, a special call in life in the scripture was the result of one busy occupied with the little that God had put in their hands and where He had placed them.
When he called the disciples, what were they doing? Why there were some who were mending their Nets. They were busy at their employment. It didn't seem like a very must have seemed like a very mundane job. They might have complained about their Nets being broken, but there they were busy doing what what they had been given to do. Matthew was collecting taxes at the receipt of customs and I. My point is they were busy with what the the little sphere that they had because they that are faithful in that which is least.
01:10:08
Are faithful also in much, and we see this in Business Today. Men set up a business or a corporation.
And you go to work for them. You don't usually start at the top. No, They start you down near the bottom and they prove you. And if you're faithful in what they give you to do and they find out you're honest and a hard worker while you move up through that corporation. Now would God run something more careless than humans? No. And so this is the way it is. And I've noticed that the young people who stay after the team meeting and put away the tables and turn the chairs for the afternoon meeting, or the young sisters who stay in the kitchen and wash the cutlery afterwards.
They are the ones that God is going to use in a perhaps a larger sphere later on. The young people who just kind of drift outside and stand around talking and never realize that there's a floor to be swept and things to be done and in books to be put out why God isn't going to use that them in greater service. And so if we're faithful in the little spirit that God has placed us, maybe it's a very mundane job at the office. Maybe it's, as you say, Brother Henry standing at the kitchen sink. Maybe it's taking care of the children. But do that faithfully, a service unto the Lord.
And if we're faithful in that, then the Lord may put something else in our hands. We had a clergyman one time.
Come and and take his place at the Lord's table with us in Chatham, and he had been a minister for some time and trained in it and.
We were talking one night about.
When the Lord was more pleasing to the Father.
Whether it was in the years in the Carpenter shop.
Or when he was in public ministry and brother Roy Hoover said that he felt, I believe correctly.
That he was equally pleasing to the father, whether in the carpenter's job or in public ministry. The man was very upset because he had been trained and thought that he was in a superior position to those who worked in in Carpenter jobs. And I've always thought about that lesson that.
The Lord Jesus was equally pleasing to the Father. When did God open the heavens and say, This is my beloved Son, and whom I am well pleased?
The first time.
He had just set out on public ministry. It was that whole pathway that was pleasing to God and I believe it went up as as as brother Don was bringing before us before in the afternoon meeting it was.
It was all of it went up as God is a sweet savor. So I think we need to correct our thinking sometimes if we we fall into a thought of clergy and laity without realizing it, sometimes the man who is.
Loading fish or the man who is.
Sweeping floors or whatever can be just as pleasing to God as the man who goes down to South American preaches the gospel. The right Brother Bob? Exactly.
Just think of the Lord Jesus has been the majority of his first 30 years in a carpentership that that makes me marvel, brother.
What was that person doing here? Was God Incarnate? Where was he spending all that time?
Carpenter, Chef. What's he doing in the Carpenter shop?
Making furniture, I suppose. Making things that are useful.
Subject in the first years to his parents. What a, what an example, what a blessing. What a, a, a.
A sign of approval that God puts on physical labor? That's done hardly as to the Lord.
And if that's done that way, brethren, the.
Testimony that results is tremendous. I think it's more from those that have secular jobs, to tell you the truth. Not saying that it's not important to go out and minister the word that has its place to me, but let's not set one above another. They're both equally important.
01:15:05
Equally important, in John 829, he says, the Father have not left me alone. I'll catch these words, for I do always.
Those things that please him, whether he was at the Carpenter shop, whether he was in public ministry, whatever he did, was pleasing to the Father. He was doing his will. I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.
And he did it perfectly, didn't he? And to finish his work, he finished, yes. I was just going to add to that about.
The time he was the most pleasing to the Father was when he was forsaken of God on the cross. There he was accomplishing the will of God in the face of divine wrath against sin. Never was the Father more delighted in him than when he was making atonement.
Then he said it's finished. Yes, it was all over there. When he was 12 years old, he was doing the following. Yes isn't a marvelous thing to realize.
This one who did the will of God.
Who walked in this world and now has gone into the glory?
Is given to each of us that are born again the same light.
That he lived out here in this world. He gave to us eternal life. And it's only that light that can manifest the glories of this person. Eternal life. I give unto them eternal life.
And he said to.
Timothy lay hold of your life, you say? Well, Timothy didn't have eternal life. Did he have to lay hold on? Timothy had eternal life the same as we have, but he had to lay hold of them. He had to manifest that he had such a life. Think of it. And God's given us a spirit. God the Holy Spirit is the divine person living in our bodies.
And he's given to us the word of God.
And He's given to us himself as the object for our hearts. Brethren is where we're coming from. We're not going to produce something in the flesh.
For the glory of God.
But it's where we are. We are the children of God. We have divine life. We have the word of God. We have the Spirit of God. We have the object to fill our hearts, the Lord Jesus. And we have the hope before us. One day we're going to be with him and like him.
And as all the grace of God.
That's what we have in that 11Th verse, isn't it? For the grace of God, and I'll read it the way it should be, that bringeth salvation to every man. Now that's that's pure, unadulterated grace. He brings it to everybody. It's true that it has appeared, but he brings the grace to everybody. And then the next two verses, of course, we've already gone through them teaching us, and that's what we were doing this afternoon from the word of God learning from it.
And what you just said.
Looking for that blessed hope.
That's when he comes to take us to be with himself and the glorious appearing, that's when he comes back with you and me. And we're going to love that we're going to love is appearing. We're to anticipate the day when Jesus Christ will reign in power. This is not the reigning time. This is the suffering time for the church as we go through this world. But there's going to be the raining time. Think of it. And there's a crown for all those that love his appearance.
You have the thought of being with him there in the glory. You know, the Rapture just takes us there.
Then it's the glory.
All that's attached to that glorious person, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The law of Moses was given not to all men, but to Israel.
But the grace of God has appeared to all nations. Black and white, red and yellow, doesn't matter what's your color, what's your nationality is where you live in the world. Grace of God has appeared. Bring salvation to all men. And it's not limited like Judaism was. Judaism was an enclosure, a fenced in nation. But Christianity is a world.
01:20:28
God so loved the world He gave his only begotten Son all men.
Let's not in any way narrow that in.
There's a growing.
Revival of.
False teaching with regard to salvation that would limit.
The accessibility of salvation to the elect, That's Calvinism, isn't it? Right? Actually, I don't know whether Calvin is really as responsible as people make him for that, but that's not the point. The point is there's a tendency, A tendency to limit it.
We had a young man who worked for us when we had a limousine company who told me.
With great conviction when it said God so loved the world that was the elect.
And the salvation was only available to the elect. God doesn't say that. I believe in election with all my heart by the way, and I praise God for election. I'm thankful for it. I realized that if it weren't for that, I'd be a lost and help bound center at this moment. But.
God provided a salvation for all. John Beg used to tell us that there are 6 words we must remember all may.
That's the wonderful provision that God made. What we have here, salvation for all men, has appeared. The work that the Lord Jesus did on the cross was sufficient to save anyone who would come to him.
The second is none will. That's the awful truth of the depravity of our hearts and the and the that none of us would of our own accord.
Received the blessed salvation. And then the last two words were some shall, That is, God has determined that some will believe all, they none will, some shall.
But anything that limits the grace of God is arrogant. Amen. Whether it be the restoration of an erring St. or the salvation of a lost Sinner. Anything that limits the grace of God and says he's committed as sin, so serious that he's outside of the reach of the grace of God. Consider that very serious heiress. Let's let's look at what God says about our state.
Right now.
And in the future, in first John?
Chapter 4.
Verse 17.
Says herein is our love or love with us.
Made perfect that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. That's the most wonderful statement already it says as he is up there.
As he is up there, of course, this is in connection with judgment especially.
But as He is, so are we in this world. We're down here in the world. We're saved. Just as much as the Lord is up there. Perfect as to judgment, His judgment is passed. As to judgment, my judgment is passed. As to judgment. Your judgment is passed. The grace of God, that bringeth salvation to all, has appeared.
That the perfect salvation. Now let's look at.
First, John 3.
And verse two and I think it brings the new body in here.
For dark it says this first John 3 verse 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God?
Right now, and it does not yet appear what we shall be we've got to wait for something.
01:25:06
But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is, but already as he is. Are we in this world as the salvation? Except for the body? We're waiting for that. And when he appears, we'll have that new body too. What comfort these verses bring to you.
Our time is up, but I'd like to just add a word or two. Clem. Yeah, and he's surely beyond judgment, but he's basking in all the glory of God and the love of God, didn't we say?
Are we? And she is. So are we. And we were singing in that first hymn. Whom grace has brought shall glory bring, and grace it brought shall glory bring. That's where we're headed, to the glory.
Want to think of the The Thief on the Cross?
All the key he went into Paradigm just as perfect as the Lord.
It also is just as perfect as the Son of God, Lord. You want the Lord into paradise through the work of Christ, except for his body, Right, Brother Clement? Yeah.
#195 #195.
We stand.
01:30:53
For Jesus the Bee.