Toledo Conference: 1974
Table of Contents
The Cost of Following Christ
Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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General Meetings, Toledo, November 1974. Address by Gordon Hayhoe.
316.
We are by Christ redeemed the cost, His precious blood be nothing by our souls esteemed like this great good, where the vast world our own with all its varied star, and thou, Lord Jesus, word unknown, we still were poor 316.
Cry straight.
Back.
Our souls are the same like.
The spray.
25, right? We're graduating.
Lah operation.
Whoever. Crystal. Almost.
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Shall we ask the Lord?
Isaiah Chapter 8.
And the sixth verse.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and could return also to Galatians, Chapter 2.
Galatians, chapter 2.
And the 20th verse.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Well, do young people what I had on my heart this afternoon?
Was to speak about the cost by which we have been redeemed, to speak a little of the cost of following Christ, and then to that there is a cost in not following him when we consider what he has done for us. And the reason I have read these first scriptures is because it brings before us the person who has brought us, bought us at so great a cost.
Now there is another verse that I might mention, and that is that verse in First Corinthians chapter 6. It says ye are bought with a price. All what a wonderful thing it is when we think of this person who has bought us. You know, there's a tendency in the world today to go on in utter independence of God, but you and I are dependent creatures. We have received our life from God.
And as it was said to Belshazzar long ago, the God in whom thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified? And Paul too, speaking to the philosophers on Mars Hill, he said, in him we live.
And move and have our being, you know, we'd like to go on, perhaps independently of God.
It's so natural to our human hearts. In fact, it's something that develops in us as we get older. If we're not watchful, that is the spirit of independence. We know how a child, as soon as it can walk, how it likes to go out on its own, push away mother's hand and walk by itself, gets a little older and goes to school. And the child comes home very pleased that he can now tell his mother something that he has learned apart from his parents.
A little older, he begins to earn his own living, and he can say to his father and mother why I've got my own money now. And then a little farther. I can make my own plans. I have my own home. It's my life, all dear young people. And May God grant that as we consider these things, we may realize we are not your own. You are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
And in your spirits, which are gods, and you know, it's not a difficult path, it's a very blessed path. In fact, this is being acknowledged in some ways, Although men are leaning upon man instead of upon the Lord in school, there are more counselors and guidance teachers continually. And why is this? If we're independent creatures, why is it necessary to have a guidance teacher?
Why have counselors, if we're independent, always say, but we need a little bit of help?
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Yes, that's true. Do we acknowledge it and think that the only source of help is from man and then to I suppose there are more psychiatrists than ever before. And why is this? Well, people are becoming more and more confused about life and what it's all about, and they're trying to find the answers. But the point is, are they turning to God? And what do I wish to bring before you, dear young people?
And it's a very blessed thing to learn it when we're young. That is the marvelous, wonderful resource we have in our creator. It says, remember now, thy creator, in the days of my youth, before the evil days come and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them. Why wait until troubles come and overwhelm you? Why not right here in the bloom of youth?
Turn to the Lord and find what a resource you have in him. And has me proved his love. Our brother read to us this morning from Proverbs chapter 8. And there we see God as the Creator God in his Son, and when all the foundations of the earth were laid, his delights were with the sons of men. And I love to think as we gaze upon the wonders of God's creation.
As we think of the blessings of health and all the things that can be enjoyed in a land like this, who was it provided? All these things? It was a creator God. It was one who cared for you. And who cared for me has given you and I life and breath and all things. And more than this, when we spoil this world, he showed that he still had an interest in US. He didn't want to have the joys of having alone.
I've enjoyed that verse where when the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, it says when the time came that he should be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. What is the force of this? First the time came that he should be received up? Oh well, he had so perfectly glorified God, his Father in every step of his pathway that he could have gone back to heaven in his own right.
He could have gone back and had the joys of heaven alone, because he was worthy, and those gates would open to him that the King of Glory might come in. But oh, he would have had the joys of heaven alone. And who did he want to have there? He wanted you. He wanted you. And what for? Because he wanted to share all the joys of heaven with you, And he will find more delight.
In that eternal day, in your blessing, then you and I will find in being there.
There's a little song that says He and I, in that bright glory, 1 deep joy, shall share mine to be forever with him. His that I am there. And so if I can speak in this way, I want you to hear young people to make a better acquaintance with this wonderful person, the one whose name is mentioned here unto us. A child is born. Yes, there was one born into this world.
Different from any other child because every other child born into this world was born in sin.
But he was born, He was born, as we're told about Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. God come down a heavenly stranger love to sinners to proclaim. So it says unto us, a child is born. And there as Simeon looked at that babe and took him up in his arms, he said, Lord, now let us thou thy servant, depart in peace.
Mine eyes have seen thy salvation, and dear young person, you will never have peace in your pathway.
You'll never have that wonderful joy that you're entitled to if you don't know that blessed one. If you haven't, as it were, taken him to yourself. All I trust you've taken him as your savior. About that you might see that he wants to be more than just your savior. He wants to be everything to you. And isn't this verse a lovely unto us? A child is born. Unto us, a son doesn't say is born but is given.
Why? Well, it was God's Son that was given. God so loved the world that He gave. His only begotten Son truly was born a child, but from all eternity he was the Son, and the Son was given. Yes, God's beloved Son came down here in order that, as the little hymn says, dwells in that bosom, knoweth all in that bosom lies, and came to earth to make it known that we might share His joys.
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And the government shall be upon his shoulder. Well, we're living in days when.
Wise men, concerned man, are wondering what is going to happen. His government going to crumble. Are we going to see a complete breakdown? Well, there's one who can set everything right and he's going to set everything right, but he can carry the government upon his shoulder. Just one shoulder is enough.
To manage all difficulties of government, and the problems multiply continually. But here's one that beef of Bethlehem Manger. That one The eternal Son of God. He can and he will carry the government upon his shoulder another day. But he's doing something more wonderful right now. He's carrying the lambs upon his shoulders. Oh, have you been?
Brought to him.
Is there a young person here that's not saved and you've never yet received the Lord Jesus?
Oh, I beseech you this afternoon. He wants to take you up and place you upon his shoulders of strength, carry you upon his heart of love, and carry you all the way home. He wants to do that the government was upon, is upon his shoulder about the lamb is placed, as we're told in the 15th of Luke. He picked up that lost sheep, and he carried it upon his shoulders.
Rejoicing, rejoicing all the joy of his heart in having one brought to himself. How do you know that place of security? Are you rejoicing in that? Well, I say again, we'd like to bring before you something of the glory of this person. His name shall be called Wonderful. We all love that little chorus that we sing. His name is wonderful.
And all how it brings before us as something of the glory, how that person.
I remember one of the brothers telling us about our lake a good many years ago, that someone was visiting from Europe. And he didn't know the English language too well, but he noticed how often they used the word wonderful was a wonderful day. It was wonderful food, it was wonderful soup, it was wonderful just about everything. And he said in his broken English, he said, don't you have some word that belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Well, he said. I was quite struck by that expression. And it is very interesting, friends, and that I don't believe that the word wonderful is associated with anything else but the Lord himself and the work that He does. Oh, how blessed of them. His name is wonderful. He's a wonderful savior. He can save the violence. That doesn't matter how far you have sunk in sin, how far you have got away.
How much you have disappointed your parents, how much you have got away from him, perhaps into things that they don't, they don't know about, but you know only too well in your own heart. Well, I tell you, he's a wonderful savior. He's able to save the violence. He's able to bring such to himself. But he's more than that. He's a wonderful friend. Friends of this world often disappoint us.
I'm sure we have all said at times, well, who can you trust? Because you've told some friends something and he disappointed you. He let you down all that. There's one, a wonderful friend of that little song. What a friend we have in Jesus.
All our sins and griefs to bear sometime perhaps you've gone to an earthly friend. You've tried to unburden your heart.
And then that friend has disappointed you. But all you can go to the Lord, and you can unburden your heart. He invites us in these words. Pour out your heart before him is not a lovely expression. Pour out your heart before him. All those things that are bothering you right now, those things that seem so insurmountable, and you say nobody knows. No one understands my inner feelings.
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Perhaps there isn't a human, but there's one whose name is wonderful. Wonderful friend. Yeah, he's wonderful in everything we've been having in our meetings, all his. He's wonderful as a gathering center. What a wonderful thing that we can be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that wonderful? The person who says heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him.
And to think that he would deign to be in our midst, like he did to the disciples of old, and showed them his hands and his side, and said, Peace be unto you, Oh, his name is wonderful. And then Counselor.
All life is full of problems. We often don't know what to do, but his name is Counselor because he knows everything ahead of time. As someone has said, prophecy is history written ahead of time. And the one who can foretell the future of this world and who could tell things that were going to happen to the prophets of old. Doesn't he know your future and mine?
Doesn't he know what's just around the corner in life for us? Doesn't he know everything that's ahead? Yes, he does. And he can be. And he wants to be your counselor. He wants you to turn to him and find that he is acquainted with all your ways. As it says in the 139 Sam, Whither shall I flee from thy presence? There's not a thought in my mind. But no law, Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
All he knows everything. And his name is Counselor. Oh, you say? Well, I've often asked him, and he doesn't reveal things to me. Well, just let me suggest this one little verse to you. In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path. Notice that little word all you know, Sometimes we have a big problem and we go to the Lord and we want the answer.
But there's a great many other things in life that we really don't want His answer. We prefer our own choice. We've made our own decision and we're going to go our own way. But some big decision that we think might affect our happiness?
We come to the Lord. We want to know His mind well. He says In all thy ways acknowledge him. That speaks to my heart.
Are we just looking up to him and acknowledging him in all our ways and saying, Lord, I don't want to make one single move in life. He's interested in your friends. He's interested in the food that you eat. I've always enjoyed the fact that when the Lord visited Abraham at his tent, even described the meal.
And said that the food was tender and good. Told about the trouble of preparation. He's interested in everything and he's interested in your friends. He's interested in every single decision of your life. And his name is Counselor.
And who is he? The mighty God. Sometimes we can give counsel to another person, but we can't work things out for them. We can suggest that they do something, but we just can't work it out. And we say this would be a good idea, but I don't know whether it'll workout. But here's one whose name is Counselor, and he's the Mighty God. He's in control of everything. There isn't a single heart.
In the universe that he isn't able to move, it says he fashions the hearts of all. And when it says that I believe it's the 32nd Psalm, he fashions their hearts now. That is, the hearts of people are controlled by the Lord, and he can make some people friendly to us or otherwise. And so the one who is wonderful, the one who is counselor.
Is the Mighty God, the Mighty God? And then it says the Everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity? The Father of eternity. There isn't a thing in the past that he doesn't know. There isn't a thing in the future that's going to happen that he doesn't know all about. The whole thing is all completed in his counsels and purposes, and that's the one to whom we go or can go for counsel.
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Oh, what a wonderful person that says all dear young people Again, I say I want to make a better acquaintance with him, don't you? Oh, you say, if I could find an earthly friend that was anything like what this is describing why, he would surely be my best friend. Well, this one wants to be your best friend. He's living. He's not a dead Christ.
Living Christ, he says, I am he that liveth and became dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.
Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. Yes, he is a living savior and he's interested in you. And then it says the Prince of peace. All he's going to make everything work out all right in the end. Isn't this blessed Sunday is going to reign as Prince of Peace?
And I love to look forward to that time when, just like the Queen of Sheba, when she came to King Solomon, she had a great many hard questions, questions for whom she could find no, for which she could find no answer. But when she came to Solomon, she asked him all the hard questions and it says there was nothing hid from him that he told her not. And I like to look forward. There are hard questions in my life.
Brought perhaps through hard questions in yours. And you say, why doesn't the Lord answer to them for me now? Well, he doesn't always promise to do this. There are some things that just aren't explained in this life. How about he's going to give us the answer to all these questions? And what about the answers? Were they very frustrating and disappointing when she found out the answers? Oh no, when she found out the answer, she said the half has not been told me.
Thou exceed us the fame that I heard. Happy are these thy men, and happy are these thy servants that stand continually before thee. Sometime to our hard questions the answer may seem unpleasant about when he explains them all in another day. Why, we're going to be like the Queen of Sheba. Oh, dear young people, can we trust him now? Can we trust him now? You may have heard me comment before, but perhaps it bears repeating.
That I love to read Romans 8 verse 28 and 29 together.
We all know Romans 8 and 28, I think it says, For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose. And what is the next verse for whom he did foreknow? He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. Well, you notice the preposition 4 there commencing that 29th verse. Why does that come in?
While I like to just illustrate it like this, did you ever start to read a storybook and you came to a very sad chapter and you just couldn't figure out how it would ever work out? There was such sadness that the tears ran down your face as you read the chapter. At last, you couldn't contain yourself anymore and you turned over to the end of the book. What did you do that for? Well, you wanted to see how the story ended and if it ended all right.
You could read that sad chapter with confidence, and when you read the 28th chat verse, the 8th of Romans, don't forget to read the 29th. God knew just how inquisitive we were and how we want to know how things would ever work out for good. So he tells us the end of the story. He says you're going to be conformed to the image of his son and he's working this out in your life and mine, and he wants us to have that confidence in him.
And this person, I say, is so wonderful. And how much did he think of us?
I know some wonderful people, but maybe they don't think I'm very wonderful. They don't think so much about me. You know, even though I think they're wonderful, not. This isn't the way it is. This person who is so wonderful, he also thinks a great deal of me. He thinks so much of me that he loved me.
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And he gave himself for me. His love couldn't give more.
And would not give less. Oh, isn't that wonderful? Isn't it very blessed? And so when you think of this person so wonderful, he doesn't want you to think of him as someone who is a God afar off, a God who just doesn't have any personal interest in you. But now it reduces it down to personal pronoun in that lovely verse in Galatians 2 That we read.
The Son of God.
Who loved me and gave himself for me? John called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. But he didn't have any monopoly on that because the scripture tells us having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them under the end. What was the difference with John? Well, he just knew it and enjoyed it, that's all. And it's true of you dear young person, the Son of God loved you.
And he gave himself for you, if you know him as your savior, and he has an interest in you. And so the commencement of that verse in Galatians 2 is I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I. But Christ liveth in me. And that is when we realize the glory of this wonderful person, when we realize that he loved us and gave himself for us. What about self?
Where the self come in here? Well, Paul says I am crucified with Christ. He said I see in that place where he displayed his love in such a wonderful way. I see the end of old Paul. I see that he's come to an end there. And he said I am crucified with Christ. But he said I'm still living. But he said Christ lives in me. Oh isn't this blessed that Christ lives in you?
That Christ lives in me and that in our hearts now.
The very blessed Savior lives there, and that you and I can rejoice in the company of this one and our pathway. Here it's often been remarked we're not going to have a different new life when we get to heaven. We already possess the life of Christ. We already possess the life that's suited to heaven.
And I just like to think that when we get to heaven, we're going to say, well, at last we're in our element. At last we're in the place where we always wanted to be and where we can totally relax. You know the feeling when you get home, you take off your shoes and you feel this is home. I can relax now. I'm sort of tired. It's been difficult talking to people, but now I can just relax. That's what heaven's going to be.
Heaven's going to be home, and we're not going to be strangers there. We possess the life that's suited to us.
And the person we're talking about is the person whose presence fills that lamb. And that's what will make heaven heaven to us and dear young people. We we can know this now, We can enjoy it now. Enoch walked with God in a difficult day. And my desire for myself and for you is that we might know something of walking in his company here. Now I would like to say something about the cost and if you would turn with me to.
Galatians or to 1St Corinthians 6. I'd just like to read that verse that I read.
Galatians, chapter 6.
Verse 19.
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are gods, which also turn with me to lamentations. That's immediately following Jeremiah.
Lamentations, Chapter One.
Verse 12.
Is it nothing to you? All ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me. Wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger from above, hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevailed against them. He has spread a net for my feet. He hath turned me back, and hath made me desolate and faint all day.
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The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand. They are wreathed and come up upon my neck. He hath made my strength to fall. The Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.
And would you turn with me also to the Gospel of Luke and the 22nd chapter?
Luke 22 and verse 41.
And he was withdrawn from them about a stones cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood.
Falling down to the ground.
Well, as I said, I wanted to speak to you of the glory of this person who had bought us. And these verses perhaps bring before us in some little way the cost of our redemption, the cost of our redemption. We first of all think of the person, if I received a gift, we'll say from the President or from the Queen of England. Why, this would be very wonderful that such a gift came from a person like that.
But if I realized that the cost was great, why I would value it the more? And so, when we think of what it costs the Lord Jesus to make us His very own, surely our hearts feel a debt of gratitude.
And in the passage speaking prophetically of his sufferings in Lamentation chapter one.
He calls attention and asks, is it nothing to you all ye that pass by? I wonder how much it means to us. Have we really stopped your young people to consider what it costs the Lord Jesus to make us his very own? You know, he could create this world by just speaking. It says he speak and it was done, He commanded, and it stood fast. It only took the word of his mouth.
To create this universe, this whole vast system of stars, and this earth in which we live, the heavens and the earth.
He just spoke. But to save one soul, to fit for one soul, for heaven cost him the agony of those hours on Calvary's cross when he was made sin for us. And oh, when we think of the Lord Jesus Speaking of this and the sorrow, was there ever any sorrow like his? And we ever think of anything comparable to what the Lord Jesus went through?
When he suffered there for our sins, the very anticipation of it in the Garden of Gethsemane caused him to sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground, and there upon the cross, that cry that wrung out from the darkness. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Thank God, we'll never fully know.
What it meant to him to bear all the judgment, It's impossible for us to enter into it, because all solemn thought of those who die without Christ, those who die in their sins, will have to drink the cup of judgment for their sins, and they'll never be able to exhaust it. Those who die in their sins will never, through an endless eternity, be able to honor those 3 words. It is finished.
Now they will never be able to say that, but for you and for me.
There was one upon Calvary's cross who so completely exhausted all the judgment due to our sins, that he could say it is finished. Oh, what a wonderful thing, What a cost, I say. And the anticipation of it causes it were him to sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
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Perhaps there's been some trouble in your life and you say I just broke out in a sweat. But all nothing compares to what the Lord Jesus went through in his holy soul in that garden of Gethsemane. Nothing compares to what he endured when he was forsaken of God there upon the cross.
Dear young people, that was the cost. Can we hesitate someone through a little?
Catalog in our door and there was some jewelry there. One of the pieces of jewelry, I believe it was a necklace was valued and being offered for sale for $30,000. We thought, what a tremendous price for a necklace. And if anyone received a necklace that cost that much, what would you think of the person that was willing to spend that much on you?
In order to give you a necklace. But all dear young people we have been redeemed at a tremendous price. And it says in First Corinthians 7 he are bought with a price. Be not the servants of men. Are you a slave to your friends?
Are you afraid to say no to those friends of yours? You'd rather say no to the Lord Jesus?
Then say no to your friends. You'd rather say no to him because he's up there and you can't see the look in his blessed face when you say no to him. But you know what? One of your friends would frown and would call you foolish. And so rather than say no to your friend, you say no to the Lord Jesus.
Oh, when we think of the cost, I say again, let's meditate a little on the cost. This morning we were gathered for the express purpose.
Remembering the cause, the Lord Jesus didn't want us to forget it, and he himself instituted the Feast of Remembrance so that we wouldn't forget the cost of our redemption. It didn't move my heart like it should. I would desire that it would move my heart more, but surely it did move our hearts some. This morning, as we saw that bread broken, we particular that cup and we realized that it was just a symbol.
What He went through, when He bore our sins in his own body, on the tree, when He shed His precious Blood to put away our sins, we are by Christ redeemed the cost His precious Blood. And I appeal to you, dear young people.
To consider the cost, as my father used to often say, if the love of Christ doesn't constrain our hearts to live to please him, nothing else will.
Nothing else. Well, I could stand here and tell you all the things that are our duties as Christians, and it wouldn't move your heart or mine either, unless we realize how that the Lord Jesus has a claim of love upon us. He's paid the price, and the price is far, far beyond our comprehension. I can't dwell upon it because I might add some words to God's blessed holy book, but I just ask you.
To just sit for a few moments and think of what the Lord Jesus went through.
Because he loved you, and because he wanted you to be his companion there in the glory forever. And then hear him say to you how this very afternoon he are not your own. He are bought with a price. And the Spirit of God has come to indwell your body to make sure, if I can use that expression, how, that the work that he has begun will be completed, and that you will be up there beyond all sorrow and sin and misery in his presence.
To enjoy forever the fullness of that work that he has accomplished, because his love won't have its rest until he has us and all the redeemed, a little hymn says.
Nor I alone, thy loved ones all complete around thee, there in glory there shall meet. And may the Lord cause us to meditate a little on the cost to him. How could we turn to a couple of scriptures about the cost to us?
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In Luke.
Chapter 14.
Luke, Chapter 14.
Verse 26 If any man come unto me and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren and sisters, yeah, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciples.
And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me, he cannot be my disciple.
For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down 1St, and counteth the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it? Lest haply after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all it behold it begin to mock him saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. For what king going to make war against another sitteth not down 1St, and consulteth whether he be able with 10,000 to meet him that cometh against him with 20,000?
Or else, whether the other, while the other is yet a great way off. He sendeth an ambassador and desireth conditions of peace.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsake, if not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Now let's turn over to Hebrews chapter 10.
Verse 32.
But call to remembrance the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst you were made a gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst she became companions of them which were so used. For ye had compassion of me and my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves.
That you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance, cast not away. Therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward for ye of need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, he might receive the promise for yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.
Well, perhaps in these two were passages we have brought before us the cost of following Christ. I call your attention to the fact that it doesn't say you can't be saved. It says he cannot be my disciple, and a disciple is a follower.
There are those who are trusting in Christ as their Savior. Something like Lot, He had a saved soul but a lost life.
But the Lord wants us, as we consider what it cost him to and make us His very own, to think about that it's going to cost us something to be identified with a rejected Christ here in this world. And the Lord Jesus never set before His disciples an easy path. Over and over again He warned them that they would be despised, that they would be rejected, that they would be set aside.
But they would be put in prison and that some of them would be put to death. For Christ's sake and dear young people, it's a great mistake for us to think that if we accept Christ as our savior, that we're promised an easy path. We are promised a path of joy and peace, but we're not promised that it's going to be an easy path. And if prices are ascending everywhere in this world and everything that we go to buy, I believe we could say there's something else.
That is ascending to It's going to cost more to follow Christ. It's going to cost more to follow Christ. As the end approaches, as the darkness comes in and the true character of this world comes out in its opposition to Christ, it's going to cost us something to be followers of him. And so the Lord Jesus spoke very faithfully. You say, didn't he use a strong word, hate. Yes, he used a very strong word.
And he wanted us to see that sometimes we are going to be misunderstood even by those who were nearest and dearest to us one time when Samson, and had one who was very dear to him. And yet, because he was called to be a Nazarite, he wouldn't tell her the secret between his soul and God. She said, You don't love me, you hate me.
00:50:20
Yes, She didn't understand what the what was that secret between his soul and God? And, you know, sometimes if we're really going to follow Christ, there has to be a secret between our souls and God, which we have to be content that perhaps others may not understand, perhaps those that we love may not understand either. And the Lord Jesus spoke very faithfully here about what it was going to cost to follow him.
Or does that mean that he is robbing us of joy? Oh no. The joy of his company is the most marvelous thing on earth. The Lord Jesus, the law. He was the man of sorrows, rejoiced in spirit. Why did he rejoice in spirit? All because he found in his Father's will a path that was one of peace. He said. The good pleasure of thy will, O God, is my delight.
And so it's quite interesting here that he tells us to sit down and count the cost. You know, there's some young people. And because they get with a group of young people and you have a good time and maybe you get together for a weekend and you just have a wonderful time of fellowship. And so you think, well, I'm going to follow Christ. Well, it's very nice to have a good time with the young people. It's a good time when we're singing together and when we're enjoying the things of the Lord together.
But remember, if that is what is sustaining your Christian life, it's going to break down. It's going to break down because that'll never keep you in the day of adversity and in the day of trouble. You and I as Christians need to count the cost. Dear young people, it's not always going to be gathering for skates and sings and all this kind of thing. It's going to be sometimes suffering, being persecuted.
Being misunderstood, missing a promotion in the office, missing some friend that seems very nice, but he doesn't or she doesn't want to follow Christ. And so you say the Lord Jesus must be first in my life. He must have the first place.
And so the Lord Jesus tells them here, sit down and count the cost. And when he says here, whosoever does not bear his cross, in the 27th verse of the 14th of Luke, he doesn't say my cross, He says his cross.
That is, your life is different from mine, and my life is different from yours. You have things to bear in life that I don't have to bear. Perhaps I don't understand.
When Ezekiel was sent to prophecy to the ones by the river Chibar, it tells us that he sat where they sat for seven days before he said a word. Some of us are too prone to say what other people have done, should do when we've never have been in their position, we've never sat where they sat. But here we find that when Ezekiel was sent, he sat where they sat. And you have across the bear. I have a cross to bear.
And you know what it is.
And I know perhaps what mine is. And perhaps you think yours is more difficult. Perhaps I think mine is more difficult. But remember, dear young people, it's the cross that He gives. Yes, the Lord is the one, and He gives us just what He sees, is needful for training us in our Christian pathway, as someone has said, the dross to consume and the gold to refine.
And that thing that you think is holding you back, maybe the very best thing in your Christian life. The Lord may have allowed that, and he has a purpose of love in it, but he wants you to count the cost. He wants you to take up your cross and follow him to say, well, whatever he plans in my life, whatever he orders in my life, I take it from him and see grace to say.
Even so, Father foresaw, it seemed good in thy sight.
00:55:00
Because as it goes on to say that if not, if we don't count the cost, then we might start and not be able to finish and we bring dishonor and how often we have seen young people. And because they have just gone along with others in a somewhat easy path. And then when the testing time came, they had never counted the cost and they turned back.
And I would encourage you, dear young people, we're here in these meetings and we're having a fine time for three days. We have many such opportunities to get together. But when you go back to your own little meeting, it may not be just like this. Perhaps there aren't other young people.
Perhaps there are people that seem to snub you a little bit. There are. You say there's nothing going on. And I don't feel that anybody understands. It's easy here by older, young people. Count the cost. It's going to cost something. But what did it cost the Lord Jesus to buy you, to redeem you and me? What did it cost him? Did he have an easy path?
Was the bearing of the cross an easy thing for him? But he loved you and he loved me enough.
To pay the price in full. When he came to the point that he could have had the joys of heaven alone, he said No, I wanted John and I want Mary up there, and I'm going to pay the price to have them there. Dear young person, are you and I going to pay the price to have his approval in our lives, to have his well done?
Oh, if so, it's well worthwhile.
In that coming day, to see the smile on his blessed face.
He says, well done as the little him says, for how will recompense his smile, the sufferings of this little while. Well, you say, I don't like to be misunderstood. It's far harder than you think. Well, he acquiesced us with this situation in Hebrews 10 and he tells us that there were people that were made of gazing stock by reproaches and offences. They became companions of others.
I've heard young people say, well, you don't like to be a gazing stock. You don't like to be misunderstood. No, neither do I. It's awfully hard. But my savior was made a gazing stock. They put him up there on the cross and they spit in his face. They crowned him with thorns. They mocked him. They put on him a scarlet robe and they made him a gazing stock. And Paul said you may be made a gazing stock too.
But he said, Cast not away. Therefore your confidence which hath great recompensive reward. Dear young people, may the Lord encourage you to go on, Don't give up, It's only a little while. And he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Oh, when he comes again and you see his face and see how he valued those little things that you and I could do for him, oh, how well repaid we will be. And he's done so much more for us. He's not going to forget anything that you've done for him. He'll manifest and reward it in that day. But now, just one more. Let us turn to first Peter Chapter one.
First Peter, chapter one and verse.
17 verse 16.
Now perhaps I should begin at the 14th verse as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. And if you call him the Father, who without respect of persons judge it according to every man's work, passed the time of your saw journey here in fear.
Well, I mentioned that I just wanted to say a few words about the cost of not following Christ. And in this passage, what does it mean past the time of your side yearning here in fear? What are we to fear? We certainly don't fear the future. We know we're going to be with Christ and that eternal happiness of His presence a dear young people. There is a cost in not following Christ.
01:00:16
There is a cost. There is such a thing as the government of God and I've often said.
A Christian can be the happiest person on earth, or he can be the most miserable.
A young person, after he was saved, an older brother said to him. In these words, he said, The Lord has saved you. You might as well make the best of what he's done for you, because you'll never be able to enjoy the world again in the same way.
You are spoiled for the world, dear young people. You may go back into the world.
You may try the former lusts, the things that you enjoyed in your unconverted days.
But remember, you're in a different position now. You're one of God's children, and whom the Lord loveth. He chased us, and He paid the price that we might be his. It costs something to follow him, but shall I say, it costs far more to go your own way.
It costs far more. And what did I mean when I say a Christian can be the most miserable If he loses the joy of the Lord, and he can't have the joy of the world, what has he got? He can't enjoy the world and he's not enjoying the Lord. There's only one thing for him that is to get back to the Lord, to get back to him. And so I just want to warn you that there is a government of God, dear young people, and.
God tells us in His word about Lot that we mentioned a moment a moment ago.
Lot was a saved man. Lord is going to be in glory, and no true child of God can ever be lost because the price has been paid by the Lord Jesus. But Lot had a lost life. He had a saved soul, but a lost life. And dear young people, as I look into your faces, I desire that you wouldn't have a lost life, that you would have a life that would be preserved and brought out to praise and honor and glory.
At the revelation of Jesus Christ, there is such a thing as losing your life. There is such a thing as coming under the governmental ways of God and the tears and sorrows of many dear children of God who chose their own way. Oh, what sorrow it often brings, Oh, May God grant, as you're in the formative years, as it was pointed out yesterday, the decisions that are often made at times like this.
How far reaching they are. May it be your desire to think of what the Lord Jesus paid for you.
And to look up and say, Lord Jesus, I want to follow thee, dear Mr. Darby made this comment. He said the path of the Christian is worthwhile. If it were 1000 times harder than it is. And I say it's surely true. And no one whoever came to the end of the path was ever sorry that he followed Christ. But now is the time in your youth before you do those things.
That will bring sorrow into your life, that will bring loss into your life. May God grant that the love of Christ may constrain your heart and mine, that we may live not unto ourselves but unto him.
The Gathering Center
Address—P.L. Johnson
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General Meetings, Toledo, November 1974, addressed by Paul Johnson.
174.
174.
186.
Jesus of thee, we mare with fire.
New and living food.
And satisfied our hearts desire and life is in thy Blood #186.
It's also.
We've ever been there was.
00:05:27
I.
Crying.
Oh.
Wow.
To the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18 to that familiar verse.
Already brought before us in these meetings, Matthew 18.
And verse 20.
Far where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Just want to read this one verse at this time as we shall be turning to other verses from the Lord willing.
This verse was brought before us and I feel very.
Accurately explained.
As to the context here where we have the Lord Jesus in the midst of the two or three.
Not only there to bless, but there to give authority to that which is carried out in his name.
You remember in the 16th chapter of this Gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks about building when he says I will build my church. And we know of course that that began on the day of Pentecost. There is a sense in which that is still in construction. We know that as each one is saved and added to that structure.
It grows unto an holy temple in the Lord. But also we can say that the church was.
Established and set up here in this world on the day of Pentecost as the habitation of God through the Spirit, so that we can say the Church has been built in that sense already set up.
But here in the verse that we have read, in verse 20, we do not have the thought of building now, but we have the thought of gathering.
And I would like to suggest.
That what the Lord had before him here is what has taken place in the course of the Church of the history.
By the course of the history of the Church, that while it was established on the day of Pentecost and set up, is the habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ruin and failure having come in and scattering, now we have the thought of gathering where two or three are gathered.
For, you'll notice earlier in this chapter.
When speaking about.
A case of discipline.
In verse 17, if you neglect to hear them, tell it under the church or the assembly.
00:10:05
Well, we know that the day in which we live.
The assembly, in its broadest character and its universal character, is including all believers.
Is not gathered and no one in any particular locality can say they are the church.
To the exclusion of others.
So, one might say.
Well, how can this verse be carried out? Tell it unto the church or assembly. And it seems to me that in verse 19 the Lord Jesus Christ makes provision for the day in which we live, a day of ruin, and scattering that there can still be that authority.
To carry out discipline and to carry out his affairs in his name.
And with his authority, even if it be only the two or three. For in verse 19 you'll notice how it starts. He says again, I say unto you, he had already spoken to them about what to do in the event of one who was not recovered by the visit of the individual or taking others. He said, tell it under the assembly. Now he says again, as if to say I have a further word to say.
But there might come a time when one might be able, might have to say, well, where is the assembly?
He says if two of you shall agree, he brings it right down to two of you. And it might be that in a locality where each one of us come from, we cannot say that all true believers are gathered with us. It might be that we cannot say we are the assembly as constituting every believer in that community, but we can say that we are of the assembly.
Two or three who are of the assembly and exercise as to.
The truth of the assembly, the truth of the one body, Christ his head, and seeking to walk in the light of the assembly, gathering unto his name, he says, Where two or three are gathered together under my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Well, it wasn't my thought to go into detail on this particular verse, but I wanted to start off with this particular thought that here we have brought before us the person.
Who is in the midst of the two or three, who are of the assembly, not constituting the whole assembly, but walking in the light of it?
And finding him his name as the gathering center, where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I the person in the midst of them. And I'm not going to repeat what was said, but I think the explanation was given very accurately in regard to the fact that the Lord is with his people everywhere, but this particular verse refers to those.
Gathered to his name alone, where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I.
In the midst of them, but I would like to say this in a practical way, especially for some of the younger ones.
Reference was made in the meetings that we have had not only in the readings, but I believe in an address of brother gave. Reference was made as to those who profess to be gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But they meet on independent ground and they act on the ground of independent assemblies, and it was pointed out how that.
There might be a case of discipline in one assembly and this person go to another and be received. What I'd like to say this that that isn't always the case, that it works. And I mentioned that because a person said to me, he says, you know, I was once with those that were referred to by in these meetings that we have had. And as a rule, if a man was put out or a woman or anyone was put out, say for immorality or drunkenness in one gathering.
They were not received in the others either because they didn't believe in breaking bread with drunkards and immoral persons. And that's generally true. But the difference I would say to young persons is this, that those who meet on independent ground, it may be that they would not receive a person put out of another meeting, but they're not receiving them is on the ground that they concur in the judgment.
00:15:29
That is, they say, we agree with what that meeting has done. We agree that if that person had been here in our midst, we would have put him out too. It's on the basis of agreement. But the truth of the word of God is this, the Church being one there being one body, and the Lord acting in authority in the midst. It isn't so much that we go into the matter to determine whether or not we agree with what has been done.
But we recognize the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the two or three gathered under his name. I mean by that. If a person is under discipline in one gathering, he is under discipline in all of the gatherings and fellowship, not necessarily because everyone everywhere agrees, but on the principle of the one body.
And on the principle of the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the midst of the two or three gathered unto His name. Now of course we know there is always a resource. There's always a resource for failure. It may be that those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be erroneous or maybe an error in their judgment, but the recourse is looking to the Lord, not acting.
In independency.
Well, here I believe we have brought before us in Matthew 1820. But where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I. It's the person in the midst. And I believe this should be before us.
That even though it's a gathering of only two or three, the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst, and not just looking at the persons there, but to realize the presence of that person to give authority to their acts taken in his name. And as I say, if it has not been according to the mind of God, and according to the Spirit of God according to the word of God, we know there is resource in looking to the Lord.
And the Lord will come in, and the Lord will make it manifest. But the the answer to what one might consider to be erroneous judgment is not independency. But now, beloved, what I had especially upon my heart, is this. We're going to turn. I'm not going into great detail, but just a little outline of three other occasions of the Lord Jesus in the midst, the person of the Lord Jesus in the midst.
Here we can say that he is. What is emphasized is the person who is in the midst, and he's there to bless and to give authority. But now turn to the 20th chapter of John's Gospel.
John, Chapter 20.
And we want to look at some occasions of the Lord Jesus in the midst as bringing before us what should exercise.
Each one of us in our localities.
As those who are gathered.
Together under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I take it?
And at least that is the exercise I have before me, to speak to those who do come from the various localities where they are gathered together under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and taking that ground.
I feel that there is there are certain things that should characterize us.
We should have certain exercises in regard to that, for God would not have us to merely assume a position.
And to boast in a position.
To glory in a position without any exercise.
As to what belongs to those who would be in that position now in John 20 and verse 19.
00:20:06
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you, Here we have again the Lord Jesus in the midst.
Here, I submit that it's not so much the emphasis upon the person there. Am I in Matthew 1820 emphasizing the person there? Am I in the midst?
Here what is emphasized seems to be the position that the disciples occupied.
What is emphasized here is the position they are assembled.
The doors are shut.
And they're assembled with the door shut for fear of the Jews. And then Jesus comes and stands in the midst. Well, as I say, we take the ground as those.
Gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Will hear.
I believe we have brought before us the position in regard to the camp.
In regard to the religious atmosphere, that's all about us.
But notice again in this verse 19 the doors were shut and it's in regard to the Jews.
Now we find in the Gospel of John the Jews referred to repeatedly.
The Pharisees, of course, were mentioned in Sadducees. But the Jews? That expression, the Jews it brings before us, we might say.
The religious man it brings before us man religiously. The Jews religious man. Now the doors were shut.
And you'll notice it's in the plural. It doesn't say the door, but the doors.
And I think that would suggest the fact.
That each one of us individually in our own local gatherings.
Need to be exercised.
That it would not be through me or you as an individual, that the religiousness of the camp roundabout is introduced into the position of those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know the place that the Lord takes is outside the camp and the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Wherefore, let us go forth unto him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.
And here we see, literally, that's where these disciples are assembled.
For fear of the Jews, the religious man is excluded. Religion is excluded. I don't mean necessarily.
False religion, but religion that that in which man can glory. The religious man is excluded by these doors being shut. First of all, I'd like to point out.
Too that the disciples were assembled, that is they they had come together.
And we come together, beloved, as those who are members of the body of Christ, as those who have been gathered by the Spirit of God unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we want to be exercised that the doors are shut on the religious man, that that which is merely religious be not introduced into our midst. Sometimes I find that they are beloved Saints.
To the Lord's name, and they would never consider going into a theater.
He would never consider going to places of amusement. They certainly wouldn't go consider going to places of debasement, but when it comes to something religious.
Something that is very entertainingly religious. There's a temptation and perhaps even an inclination to go along with that and to enjoy it. And I believe, Beloved, that God would have us as gathered together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with the person in the midst, to realize that our position is outside the camp and the doors are shut so that that which is merely religious round about us. And there is much that is religious.
00:25:17
There is much that appeals to the flesh in a religious way and can be very attractive.
And can be very deceiving because it is associated with the name of Christ.
But it's merely religion and appeals to the religious instincts.
We know, of course, that many of the so-called holidays or feast days that are observed in the professing Church was an effort to attach the name of Christ to the religious instincts of men and individuals who were already observing these days in their various religions and in order to to make them, or you might say, encourage them.
To accept Christianity and make Christianity attractive by the name of Christ was attached to many of these days that were purely heathen. There's a lot of religion round about us and here we see the position of those gathered under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is with the doors shut. And dear young people I would say that it's your responsibility as well as the older.
The older wants to see that the doors are shut.
May it not be through me or you as an individual that enter anything is introduced from the religious world, roundabout that that would not be in in consonance with the position of those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now turn to Luke's Gospel, chapter 24.
Again, we have the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst.
Verse 36 I'm not going into the context of these various.
Occasions, but to give an outline in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst.
Verse 36 And as they thus speak, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be unto you.
Well, we know that the effect was that here they were affrighted and they thought they had seen a spirit.
Now verse 41 And while they yet believe not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here? Have you hear any meat?
I'm sure that we understand that this word meet here literally means food. Literally translated. Have you anything here to eat?
The Lord is in the midst.
And now he raises a very searching question, we might say to those who are gathered unto his name, with himself in the in the midst. Have you hear anything to eat? Beloved, I've been exercised about this while we.
Can take the ground, and I believe God would have us to do so as those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have felt that it's a very poor thing.
If it is so that there is not food available for those so gathered, so that one has to go elsewhere to find food for his soul, this should be an exercise in each one of our gatherings where we are. Have you hear any meat or food Is there that provided in our gatherings that will be food.
For the souls of those who are there, is there food that would even be an attraction to those roundabout?
Could it be said that they will find in our midst ministry and food for their souls that they couldn't find anywhere else?
Well, one might say we don't have many great gifts. Well, that's true. One might say most of the gifts seem to be outside in the camp.
00:30:00
We had before us in Ephesians 4 the special gifts of evangelists.
Pastors and teachers.
And I do believe that these are special gifts.
That Christ gives to the Church.
It isn't open to everyone.
While one might be evangelistic in his spirit and seek souls individually in an evangelistic way, it could not be said that each one of us or every one of us are evangelists. He gave some evangelists to the church. He gave some pastors and teachers. That's true.
But in the 12Th chapter of 1 Corinthians we have there what is spoken of as the manifestations of the Spirit. And there it is said that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all. And also in Ephesians 4 in our reading we had unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Now what I'm saying is this.
That while we may not have great gifts, and while many of the gifts might be.
Outside of those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, where there is an exercise in reading the word of God, in the presence of God, and meditating on the word of God, and a dependence upon the Spirit of God, and a diligence in the things of God. There will be food provided for those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he says, have you hear any meat or any food, There will be food found.
There will be food there for the young. There will be that which will lead them on in the path of faith and faithfulness. There will be food for the older ones.
We can depend, and we can count upon the Spirit of God to furnish what is needed for the blessing of His people, even in a day of ruin and failure. It is not necessary that we have all the gifts with us. It isn't necessary that we have great gifts.
And I submit to you that you read 1St Corinthians 12 and that light not that we have the miraculous gifts mentioned there.
For you see First Corinthians 12.
Gives to us the furnishings.
Of the house in Ephesians 4 we have the permanent gifts. We might say that which is a part of the structure of the house that Christ has built or is building. But in First Corinthians 12 we have the furnishings of the house. Now there was a time when those furnishings were very elaborate, and there were great gifts of healings and miracles and wonders. Well, in a day of ruin and failure we know it would not be in keeping.
With the character of God to have elaborate furnishings, the furnishings are going to be less elaborate, but nonetheless the Spirit of God will furnish what is needed for the souls of His people for their welfare and their blessing, even in a day of ruin and failure where there is diligence.
Where there's an exercise, where there's a reading of the word of God, meditation and prayer. Now I do appreciate beloved brother and the fact that life is very busy these days and the majority are occupied with a livelihood and many raising of a family, and I know that time is limited.
And This is why I'm going to suggest, beloved, that since time is limited, that we utilize the time that we do have to the best of it best advantage by reading not only the word of God, but the best available ministry. I would suggest to young brothers as well as older ones I know who have learned this for themselves, to read the word of God.
Consecutively.
To read it continuously, to read it prayerfully and I would suggest to that you read the synopsis of Mr. Darby along with it.
And if one is going on in this way in the reading of the word of God, and in the presence of God and meditating upon it, then we will find that there will be food available in our gatherings. And when the Lord said, have you hear any meat? Yes, there will be, there will be ministry.
00:35:07
There will be food, something available for the growth and blessing of the Saints. Now turn to the first chapter of Revelation.
We might say that in Luke 24 we have.
Provision.
What is provided for those gathered?
In Matthew 18 we have the person.
In John 20 we have the position outside the camp with the door shut, the religious man excluded, and in Luke 24 we have that provision for those who gathered food.
And an exercise that there might be food. Now in Revelation chapter one we have John in verse 10. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet.
Verse 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and being turned I saw 7 golden candlesticks, or lampstands, And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like under the son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and gird about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire.
And his feet like a defined brass, as if they burned in a furnace. And his voice is the sound of many waters. Now here we have the Lord Jesus in the midst.
He's in the midst here not to give authority. He's not here in the midst.
Speaking peace and blessing, or even as food for his people. For after all, when we speak of food for the Saints of God, Christ is the food for His people, food for the young as well As for the older. But here we have the Lord Jesus in the midst.
Taken in account and evaluating everything that is going on in the midst.
He is there in the character of one who is discerning the.
And I believe, Beloved brethren, we need to need to see the Lord Jesus in the midst in this character too, that in our gatherings, two or three, or whether it be larger number, whatever it be, gathered together unto His name with himself in the midst, as we have spoken earlier in their other characters in the midst. That we might see Him in this way, too, is the one who observes, the one who discerns, the one who weighs everything.
The one who is taking account of everything.
The one with whom we have to do. But I want you to notice that he's in the midst. Verse 13.
Of the seven lampstands.
And these lampstands are spoken of in verse 12 as gold and lampstands.
And what does this bring before us? These lampstands no doubt speak of the assemblies. It speaks of the local gatherings. It speaks of those little gatherings of the two or three gathered unto his worthy name.
And.
While of course, as I said in the beginning, no local gathering of Saints can claim to be the Church in its entirety as being gathered on the ground of the one body walking in the light of the truth of the assembly, they can take that place, of being the assembly in that place.
As long as we understand, of course, that there are those who are members of the body of Christ not with us.
And yet, I do believe that we can take that position of being the assembly in the place. Now for a moment, keep your place in Revelation, but turn back to Second Chronicles chapter. I believe it's 35.
And I want to explain what I mean about being the assembly.
In the place.
And yet recognizing that there are others not gathered who belong to the assembly in its broadest sense. But we wouldn't want to take any other ground. In other words, the point I'm making is this. We want to recognize that where two or three are gathered together under my name with himself in the midst, that it's not just a miscellaneous gathering or group of Christians.
00:40:20
But it is something that God himself has established and divine, the Golden Lampstand. Now in Chapter 35 of Second Chronicles we have the keeping of a Passover in the days of Josiah. We know that in this time the Kingdom was divided, the 10 tribes had been carried away in rebellion under Jeroboam, and only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained.
That the divine center in Jerusalem, and not only that, but there had been failure. Many things had come in even as a divine center in the days of Josiah. There was a time of of division and scattering. But when Josiah found written in the word that it was the mind of God, the observance of the Passover, he says, Now we're going to observe that Passover.
Because it's something that has been given to the people of God, the children of Israel, and we know that many were invited.
They didn't all come. Notice verse 17.
And the children of Israel that were present kept the Passover. I want you to notice those words carefully. The children of Israel that were present now, those who kept the Passover there did not constitute the whole nation of Israel, but they didn't take any other name than the children of Israel.
Though they were only really a fragment, A remnant, yet they took the ground of being the children of Israel that were present, that is, those who are there, and I believe that in that sense, in the various localities where there are two or three gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, while they do not constitute the assembly in its entirety, we might say, we can say that they are the assembly, those of the assembly who are present.
Those who are there, those who are walking in the light of it. And so it is not that we farm a sack, a denomination, a group we gather on the ground of the one body walking in the light of the truth of the assembly which God has established. That's the thought of the golden lampstands. It's something that God has set up, God has established the assembly, and the Lord Jesus is here in the midst.
Of those who are on that ground. And he's observing and discerning all that takes place when after you kept your place in Revelation.
I want to point out the effect that this had upon John, for I believe that it would speak to us.
As to how this should affect us, when we see the Lord Jesus in the midst is the one to whom we're responsible and the one who takes note of everything. Verse 17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.
Now we know that Mary sat at his feet and listened to his word.
Well, if we're sitting at His feet and listening to His word, there's going to be food provided for those gathered. But here we find one at His feet as dead. I believe this speaks of self judgment, loneliness and self judgment, beloved brethren, and as those who gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus with the person in the midst.
And in that position outside the camp, with the doors shut, excluding the religious man, food provided for his Saints, Christ as food for his Saints. What will preserve us, and only what will preserve us, is in the attitude of John here to be his at his feet, as dead as we had in our readings with loneliness and meekness.
That loneliness that would be at his feet, and in that spirit of self judgment, being at his feet as dead. And if we see that the Lord is in the midst, observing what we say, what we do, how we carry on, and all that goes on among those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when we recognize that I believe it will lead us.
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To be as it were at his feet and self judgment, lest we might allow the flesh in me are in you to spoil the testimony, to stumble, or to hinder or dishonor the Lord the Lord Jesus in the midst here with his eyes as a flame of fire, as the Son of man, and in that spirit of judgment. And it leads John to take that place at his feet as one dead. So beloved, I thought is we've had so much before us in connection with.
The Lord Jesus in the midst.
I just thought of these. These are various aspects.
Of the person in Matthew 1820, there am I in the midst and the position outside the camp with the door shut.
The religious man excluded, and the provision for our souls, the food that is provided for our blessing and growth, and then for our preservation and protection, to be at his feet in a spirit of self judgment.
Three Questions
Ephesians 4:1-4
Reading
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General Meeting, Toledo.
November 1974 first reading meeting.
Like thee, O Lord, how wondrous.
Lord Jesus, all thy members are a life designed to them and given inheritance of heaven, Him #67.
Like video.
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When I sold the road to suggest.
In accordance with my brother, the fault of Ephesians.
The 4th chapter of Ephesians.
Or.
I have therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you, that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, 1 Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God, and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
Done to everyone of us had given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Work for you. So when you set it up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
That he ascended. What is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Be the defendant of the same author that ascended up far above all heaven, that he might fill all things.
And he gave some apostles and some prophets, and some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.
For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, shall we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, under the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried apart with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness.
Whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
For speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him and all things which is ahead, and even Christ, from whom the whole body joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplier, according to the effect you are working in a measure of every part, make it increase of the body under the edifying of itself in love.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord that he henceforth walk not, as other Gentiles, in the vanity of their mind have any understanding darken, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their hearts.
Coping past feeling have given themselves over into lasciviousness to work, all in cleanness and greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
But you put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful left, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God has created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherever putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, where we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.
In the stole stealed no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands, a thing which is good that he may have to give to him that need of.
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Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good for the use of edifying, that it may minister grace under the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed under the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking they put away from you with all knowledge.
A very kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake has forgiven you.
Mark brethren that.
This epistle can be divided into two sections.
From the chapter 4 until the end has to do with their state.
Whereas the first.
3 chapters have to do with our standing.
I think we are all agreed concerning that the 1St 3 chapters deal with our standings.
The last three and Chapter 4 begins. This section deals with our state and with a great deal of difference, of course.
When we speak of our standing, it just means this that we.
As God's dear children, we stand before him in all the perfections of his beloved Son. Is not the spot, not the stain? That's our standing, our position?
Of course, state as you know.
Marries and is.
Governed, shall we say, by one word or two words, Communion and the keeping of salt accounts for the Lord. But I just make that as a suggestion for the beginning of this chapter.
Could you say, Brother Smith, that this chapter really begins with what you get at the end of the fourth chapter about?
Keep walking worthy of the vocation because the apostle has brought 2 truths before us. That is the body of Christ.
That our brother Anderson was bringing before us and also the House of God.
Each part of the church has its blessing and carries its responsibility with it. So now the the third chapter comes in as a parenthesis.
Developing the mystery that was given to the Apostles Paul.
And then as we're going back to those thoughts.
In the second chapter where told to walk worthy.
Of the vocation wherewith we are called.
And the apostle uses something.
To touch the hearts of the Saints, that is, the prisoner of the Lord.
Why was Paul a prisoner at Rome when he wrote his pages? Because he maintained maintained the truth of the one body that you and Gentile were no longer separated. The middle wall of partition was broken down to making himself of 1 Newman and so making peace.
If Paul had gone on, satisfying the Jews at their position was the same as ever. They were the chosen people. The Gentiles were just outcasts, could only come in in blessing in connection with the Jew. He would never have been made a prisoner. It was his stand for this very truth that.
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He asked.
Presenting to us that made him the prisoner of the Lord.
Now listen by touching to our hearts. He doesn't say the prisoner of Nero, which in a way was true, but he goes beyond near all the emperor, and he recognizes the hand of God.
In permitting him to spend four years in prison.
Lastly, the two years there at Rome.
So that he accepts his circumstances from the Lord, and now as the one who was a prisoner.
Because of this mystery, he beseeches.
Those to whom he is writing to walk worthy.
Of this calling wherewith ye are called.
Focusing Brother Barry that it says here.
To walk worthy of the vocation. That's one.
Well, what shall we say? Wouldn't that look back to all the councils of God in grace?
Concerning his children and with the ability to thus war, we would think so. But there is one thing, beloved, that we do notice in the reading of the Scriptures that the standards of God is never lowered, no matter how low we may become spiritually.
This is something that we noticed during the years in our little service for Christ.
That the standard of God is never lowered.
Now this is so important.
Concerning these things, most surely beloved believed among us.
God's standard is never, never Lord.
And.
We are to walk worthy, therefore, of the vocation.
Perhaps another brother has a better meaning to it than that.
But it seems so that.
All God's counsels in grace.
Concerning us.
We are to walk accordingly.
That's a big challenge to my own heart and to all of our hearts, we are sure.
But.
It's possible. And then in the I was noticing in Colossians one and 10.
We are to walk worthy of the Lord.
The Lord in this chapters walk worthy of the vocation.
But in Colossians one and tennis World War worthy of the Lord. And if you look in first Thessalonians 2, there's no need to bother unless you like. I think it's verse 12 We ought to walk worthy of God. What a challenge to our hearts this afternoon, beloved, to walk firstly, worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.
To walk worthy of the Lord and to walk worthy of God.
Surely this is a challenge to my own heart and to all our hearts this afternoon.
Seems to me that the subject you have suggested is right in line.
With the address to the young people.
Or Brother Anderson was bringing before us the truth of Christ and the Church wonderful truth and what was brought out in connection with Adam.
The rib taken from his side was very precious.
Bringing out the deep affections of our Lord and Savior and connection with His love for the Church that He would He would give himself. He loved the Church and gave himself for it. And now it's so important for those in these days when there's so much that.
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Scatters and divides and.
Causes distress among God's people to get clearly the truth as it was brought out that there is one body.
As we are told here in this chapter, but what is also important is that we are to walk worthy.
We are to walk consistently.
Not inconsistently. Not compromising this important truth of Christ and the Church.
In Colossians chapter 3.
Verse 15.
We read these words and let the peace of God. I believe it should read Christ rule in your heart to the which also your call in one body.
And be thankful one body calling. Well, when we come to realize more of what it means to be in the one body, certainly will seek grace from God that the peace of Christ might rule in our hearts that we should not.
Forget that the Church is precious to Christ and that we should not do anything.
That might upset it, or disturb it, or scatter the members of the body of Christ here and there.
Were called in one body.
And she need to seek grace that the peace of God or Christ.
Should rule in our hearts.
Well, these are not mere words, are they?
And how how little we enter into them.
We go back to the beginning when we see what God established.
But God established on the day of Pentecost. There we see the beginning of the Church of God on earth, don't we? And then as the as the Samaritans and as the Gentiles were brought in, we see how the Spirit of God maintained that oneness, and saw that Jew and Samaritan and Gentile, or were maintained in that a blessed place.
Being members of the one body, as we look around and christen them today, we see how that there are national churches. The Church of God as it's exposed to its expression has been so lost in Christendom. But it's very important that we see that every blood bought soul indwelled by the Spirit of God is a member of the Body of Christ and if everyone was exercised.
Walking worthy of that vocation, that is, recognizing that truth, that they have been made members of that one body.
There would be an exercise as to how there could be an expression of it, that is, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Well, I'm sure that when we think of this, we realize what the confusion is in Christendom, and what a great responsibility it is in Christendom today to seek to bear a testimony to this truth. Now, this is what humbles us, and this is what ought to exercise us.
And we see in this chapter first of all those exhortations as to being members of the body of Christ.
Then we find in the latter part of the chapter, the practical side of it in our own personal lives, how we act with one another, Because we might profess the truth that is spoken of here. But if we don't walk in the practical side of it in our own lives and our individual attitudes toward one another, how often the expression of it is spoiled. So we really have both brought before us.
The collective thing in endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace.
And then the personal side of it in our own lives as to our feelings toward one another and our attitudes toward one another. It's a very comprehensive chapter and also the marvelous provision that has been made because.
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Christ as the head of the body, loving His members.
Has gone up on high, and has provided those gifts not to exalt themselves about that they might be used for this purpose, the edifying of the Saints, and for till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the perfect man, and then how each member has a part in connection with this.
As we consider the chapter as a whole, there's so much to exercise us and to give us to see what a privilege it is, as well as responsibility to seek to recognize this truth in these last days.
Quite a surprise, what they dear brother. He's now with the Lord.
He said to me, Brother Smith, I'm doing my very best to keep the unity of the body.
Realize that, dear brother. I don't think you'll get along very well with that, because it's already kept.
God looks after that, always says I believe I made a mistake. I should have said, to give diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in that uniting bond of peace. Well, he was. He was quite sincere, possibly for a long time. That dear brother was trying to keep the unity of the body. Brethren, we can't keep the unity that's already kept. God looks after this.
We are enjoying upon is to keep the unity of the Spirit, give diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in that bond of peace. Well, he's with the Lord and I often think of that dear man. He was really sincere about that, but he was on the wrong Rd.
Oh, the way we're to keep it is brought before us in the second verse.
With all loneliness and meekness.
With long-suffering for bearing one another in love.
Our dear old brother Potter. The last time I visited him when after he'd had a stroke that eventually took him home, as I batting goodbye, the tears were flowing down his face.
He says keep low. Be content to be nothing rather than what? A exhortation from a godly man who had walked in the truth so many years, right on the Borderlands of the glory, giving a young man advice like that. Keep low, be content to be nothing.
Well, Satan can't do anything with one who is content to be nothing, because if he's nothing, what kind of use can Satan make of him? Because the enemy can only operate through the flesh which exhausts.
The man, even the man that maybe God is seeking to use.
I remember reading as a young man, Brother Barry, a statement made by Mr. Darby.
I think I can quote it correctly. Men called of God into his service go forth from a place of strength.
Realizing their own nothingness.
Well, that impressed me. There was Mr. Darby.
One of the most learned men of his day, a barrister, a lawyer and well taught in so many ways.
That he could make a statement like that. It humbled me and I got on my knees. This was before I went to Bolivia and I said, Lord Jesus, I want to be that just nothing, just nothing.
Oh, yes.
I remember Brother Kohler put his hand on my shoulder a good many years ago. I had just stepped off the platform in Des Moines at a conference after a gospel meeting, and I guess he knew that the dangers.
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And he put his hand on my shoulders and he said, Albert, let's keep our heads bowed down and our hearts lifted up.
That was all, he said. But Oh my, it just it rung in my ears for a long time and I hope I'll not forget it.
But he didn't say this is something you need. I remember his words so well. Let's keep as though he was saying that he felt the need of it too. Let's keep our heads bowed down and our hearts lifted up, because we do, by the grace of God, have such abundant cause to lift up our hearts when we think of what a vocation is ours and how very richly we're blessed and therefore.
What a tremendous challenge this ought to have to everyone of us. I'm sure we've noticed that many a time in scripture when the most precious truth has been revealed to us. We very promptly come across this word. Therefore, after the heart of God has been so revealed in Romans, we read. I beseech you, therefore, by the compassion of God that He presents your bodies.
The very wonder of God's compassion, revealed to us when we were so far off, and so terribly guilty, should not simply be something that we receive and thank him for it, And then it has no further effect. I beseech you, therefore.
And so the same thing here, when the revelation of what has been our portion, our vocation, is presented to us again, we find the exhortation eyes. Therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech to that is, it's not simply the truth that we are to read about or hear about and understand and then go on our way, but therefore.
Such a revelation of God hearts should have an effect upon us again in 2nd Corinthians 5, after the wonderful.
Unfolding of the truth of the believers portion when he falls asleep. When it's made known to us, we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor immediately the truth is established. The first thought is wherefore we labor not in order to obtain this, or in order to maintain it once we possess it.
But in grateful facts to the one who's done so much for us, it abounds in Scripture. And I believe that it's so very, very pointed right here.
If there was a name today in the early church or at the Apostle, brings this before the Saints of Ephesus, If there was, that needs be in that day.
What's the present time in respect to this second verse of our chapter?
And so anything to skip over this verse?
We enjoy verse one and verse 3.
But how about verse 2 from that in a practical way that is not the apostle by the Spirit of God, bringing before us the Spirit of Christ.
Christ himself as the object, as we have in the.
Second verse of the next chapter.
And walk and love, even as Christ also hath loved us and asked heaven himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling Savior. And so Christ has brought before us as an example the connection with our water and that vocation which we're called to.
I suppose the reason that comes in here is because.
In all the associations of man they come together voluntarily, that is, they link themselves with a group of people with whom they wish to be associated About. When we have learned the truth that the Spirit of God is here gathering out a bride for Christ, then we have nothing to do with who the Spirit of God may choose to be a member of the body of Christ.
And so as we find in the assembly.
There are many who are brought in. They are brought by the work of the Spirit of God to receive Christ as their savior. They're indwelled by the Spirit and made members of that one body. And as we're told in Corinthians, you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. Now that is, there were all kinds. Some had very, very sad backgrounds in the Corinthian assembly.
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Well, for these all to go on together happily in the unity of the Spirit would require a great deal of lawliness and meekness and long-suffering. Now in Christendom we know that many Christians associate themselves with a group because they like the group, or they like the preacher, or they feel that the group is doing a good work. But if you and I, brethren, have been truly gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're not there because of the people. We're not there because we think that they're doing a great work, because we're often very faulty, very lazy as to our efforts and the things of God, not because we all have the same natural callings.
About God by His Spirit has saved us and revealed to us this precious truth. And I believe that in this day, as our brother mentioned in his prayer of independence, it requires more of this loneliness and meekness and long-suffering to go on together in the unity of the Spirit. I believe it's a very, very needed exhortation because the whole character of this day.
Is every person for himself to look after our own interests? But if we're going to go on happily and walk in that path that God is marked out in His word, it's going to require more of this loneliness and meekness and long-suffering and forbearing one another in love. But isn't it blessed to know that the supply of grace is unlimited? He give us more grace.
And I'm sure it's needed, and it's going to be needed more and more. But all what a privilege, as we think of the nearness of the Lords return to seek to give expression to the truth and that there is one body. How do we learn?
This meekness and loneliness.
Let's turn to Matthew 11.
Verse 29.
Matthew 1129 The Blessed Lord.
Left heavens glory became a man.
Walked in this scene as a man, he said. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.
Learn of me.
For I am meek and lowly in heart.
Think of it. Who's saying this? The Lord of glory? The Lord Jesus Christ from heaven.
But he took his place as a man down here.
And he says, Learn of me, fry me, and lowly and hot, take my yoke upon you. That means to be yoked together with him. It means going on together with him.
And surely that's the only way we can learn this meekness and loneliness is to go on with him and communion with him, keeping in touch with him, keeping close to him.
Learn of me, he says.
You know how we need to meditate more on the person of Christ? Be occupied with him.
Yes, it's nice to be occupied with him in the glory, and we should be, but I believe it's good for us.
To be occupied with him as he walked down here, and we can learn something for for ourselves, and in this particular case, we can learn something in connection with endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit with all lowliness and meekness.
Well, the Blessed Lord.
Never took any offense. I believe that's meekness.
And he never gave any offense that loneliness. The two things go together. Not taking offense, Forgiving offense.
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And all how we need to learn this lesson Northwest. There are times though the Lord said, when the Lord spoke faithfully, they came and said, No, it's thou not that the Pharisees were offended for this saying. And I believe that there are times when the truth of God offends. But we have to be faithful. We should never give personal offense. The Lord never did that, but we sometimes we are to minister the truth.
Even the law, it's like the sharp edge and it speaks to our consciences and we afterwards are brought to self judgment and thank God for it.
I remember one time I was on the bus going through Detroit.
This man sitting by me, it had a hymn book. And I looked over at the hymn book and I saw the word Jesus. I put my finger on it. I said, do you know that one as your savior?
I replied. I certainly do, he said. You believe you can be saved and lost again?
I said, the Lord says my sheep hear my voice. I know them, they follow me and they shall never perish. He said. Amen. Now he says, what church do you belong to? Well, I gave you a little of the truth of what the church was. Well, he says, I belong to the church that John the Baptist organized. Well it needs to be broke to unity of the Spirit.
I couldn't go on and agree with him and that which he spoke of US human organization.
So we can only go as far with souls as they're willing to submit to the truth of the Word. When I showed him the what the Lord said in the 16th of Matthew upon this rock I will build my church.
I said if I pointed to that vacant lot and said someday I will build a house on that lot. When you begin to look for the roof and the chimney, well, there were two ladies. You said, you hear what that man said, that he goes by the word of God. And after I got off the bus, they got off the same bus. They were quite impressed, you know, by just the thought of going entirely by the word of God, so.
We never know. Sometimes people are listening over our shoulders and they got they got something for their souls out of that conversation.
For a moment of the question of the one body which is the ground of the assembly brethren.
A question was asked in a reading Why does Satan?
Hate so bitterly the truth of the one body.
Well, the reply was quite good.
Because it draws the Saints close to Christ.
And consequently close to one another. Well, that was a good answer, I thought, by their brother.
Because it draws the same close to Christ and consequently close to one another. Now take for instance this large group of dear Saints.
When I was a young man it wasn't very unusual to have 1000 people sitting in.
It wasn't unusual, but I didn't know 1/4 of those people.
But here?
What moves among God's dear people? And they say, Brother Smith, how are you? How are you, everybody? We seem to know one another.
Consequently, there here is the great danger of getting intimate rather intimate.
Isn't it true that filing a big congregation, they just come in and deposit their little kittens in a box and then go out? You'll never see them anymore until the next Sunday?
Here we are, knit together in the bonds of love, beloved. Now we know one another.
And we also know what God is, too.
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And that's something to know what God is and we know one another.
And consequently, there's always the danger of little frictions coming. So this is a special word for us with all loneliness.
And meekness with long-suffering we are to tolerate one another.
We don't worry about wrong doctrine. You don't hear wrong doctrine being taught by the Lords, dear gathered Saints.
But you do find certain frictions which come, possibly because of our acquaintance with one another, so intimacy.
So here is a little word for us to take care, lest we become so intimate that we become a little tending to discuss things, and sometimes get a little unsanctified, perhaps about it. But here is with all loneliness. May I just read something that I wrote in Spanish years ago, and I'm going to just put it in the English that Mister Darby comments, If you don't mind. I'd read this to you, brother.
We need to watch ourselves list after having been preserved from the corruption of this age.
By the very precious truths revealed to us in our weakness, we should be taken in the net of presumption.
These are things which God can never recognize or tolerate, since we are called to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Now I wrote that out into Spanish and also in the Inca tongue, and now I think I'm quoting it correctly, reading it to you in English. Well.
We sometimes presume we get caught in the net of presumption and we we become a kind of leader, rather. And that's very dangerous, isn't it? Because we know one another so well, we allow them to become leaders unless we watch out.
We're nothing, brethren. We're just poor sinners saved by the grace of God. So we are required to be very lowly about it.
Take a low place.
I wonder if we could say that loneliness is taking a low place and meekness is not resenting it when we're put in a low place. And that really tests us because it's easy for us to make expressions of loneliness say I'm nothing, I'm a poor failing thing, but how do I feel when my brethren say I'm a poor failing thing? That's an entirely different matter. But they're linked together here and with the precious savior here in this world.
As our brother brought before us, he was meek and lowly in heart. How often we find he was put down, but he always sought the glory of his Father. If it was a personal insult, we find the Lord always submitted, but he always stood for the glory of his Father, and whenever he was dishonored, the Lord spoke very, very faithfully to those who sought to.
Dishonor his Father's, and then to how he finds.
That He could say I am among you as He that serve us. The disciples were quarreling over who should be the greatest, but the Lord was among them, as He that serves. So what an example He was for us. And surely, as it's been remarked, this is what we need so much in these days. And I'm sure that if we bear this in mind by then it's going to be much easier to carry out what is in the third verse.
So often when we think of ourselves and how it's going to affect ourselves by then we put that first instead of what is pleasing to the Lord and for his glory. But if there is that Spirit described in the second verse, then it's not the unity of brethren, but it's the unity of the Spirit. For the Spirit of God has united us to Christ.
And I believe we could save rather than if we're all LED of the spirit, we would all think the same thing.
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But how often self comes in and asserts itself, and the result is we're not of the same mind. And it's not trying to force ourselves to be of the same mind, but to be submissive to the leading of the Spirit, as through his word. And that's what brings to oneness of mind, isn't it? It's really the uniting bond of peace, isn't it, That peace among the Saints that unites.
Their hearts together and by the Spirit.
In connection with what is pleasing to the Lord and according to His word.
I believe that's very important. The brother just said to me just before these meetings began, how he was speaking to a Christian with whom he was working and spoke of some doctrine in which there was a difference, a very important doctrine in connection with the sinless humanity of the Lord. And this person spoke about, well, we just all have to love one another, and kind of doctrine wasn't so important as love.
But let us remember, brethren, that it's not divine love if it's not according to truth. It says in John's epistle. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. And there is no such thing as divine love operating contrary to the truth of God. And so it's founded upon the truth of God. And so I believe it's important in these days.
Were often accused of not showing love, but we must put the truth of God in the honor of Christ first.
In the second verse I suppose we could say that we have mentioned what is the fruit of the Spirit, because I noticed some of these things are mentioned over in Galatians chapter 5 verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, Peace, long-suffering.
Gentleness and I believe gentleness would come in here, perhaps under loneliness, goodness, faith and meekness temperance.
Well, it would seem that here we have the fruit of the Spirit. And so surely This is why it's needed that we might, with earnestness, endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. This is what the Spirit produces, the meekness, the loneliness, the long-suffering forbearing one another in love. And it means that we must be going on.
In communion with the Lord.
In self judgment that the Spirit of God might be free to produce these things in US, and as soon as we get into the flesh in any case, even though it's it's standing for the truth which we should. Yet if we do it in a fleshly way, it's not according to the fruit of the Spirit, but the fruit of the Spirit would want us to do it in in meekness and loneliness, with long-suffering for bearing one another in love.
Well, that's the way the Lord was. There was number fleshliness in him, and when he took a stand for the truth, it was not in that spirit that we take some time, but it was by the Spirit and the power of the Spirit. You remember, he was anointed with the Spirit, and he was walking through this scene in the power of the Spirit and all how we need that too, to walk here in the power of the Spirit. We not only have life, but we have the power, that new life which is the Holy Spirit.
And if we are going on in self judgment, not grieving the Spirit of God, then we will be able to manifest these these things which are mentioned as the fruit of the Spirit. We have mentioned the grieving of the Holy Spirit at the end of the chapter which brings before us how careful we need to be about that grieving the Spirit of God and if the Spirit who dwells in us is grieved.
Then he's knocked in a position.
Where he can bring forth these fruits in our lives. Oh how we need to have a tender conscience and go on in self judgment, communion with the Lord. And of course that's part of keeping low too, isn't it?
Well, you get farther on in the chapter, but speaking the truth and love?
00:55:01
May grow up onto him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. So even if it's necessary to stand for the truth, it should be always with a deep love for the one that might need a word of correction or a word of admonition.
Ever to be spoken and a hasty out and a severe wind for the rust and Gillies to say that the tone of our voice often makes a great difference. The same thing said in a general, kind, considerate tone of voice might produce an entirely different result if it was spoken and the harsh and severe way.
I've heard an expression used.
As to a certain situation where the truth was on one side and the Holy Spirit on the other side, have you heard something like that, Brother Barry? Well, I read that and and the brother.
I'm trying to think of the name.
Yes, I read it and one of his writings that there could be a case where the truth was on one side and the spirit of God was on the other side. I asked brother Clifford Brown about that one time. He mentioned a certain truth. He said I believe that is the truth of God, but he said if I went to a certain brother that disagrees with me and got him.
Stirred up and the flesh stirred up in him and started him sending out letters, and then I sent out letters opposing him, he said. I believe I could keep on until I close the division or but he said the Spirit of God wouldn't be with me.
There's a word, Let your moderation be known to all men. Where we've translated that, I hope it's correct yielding this, let your yielding this be known.
Told me Know how many problems would be solved, beloved, if that were so. Not to the failing of the truth, of course, but how wonderful it is to see a brother who can lift his yieldingness below.
Could we say that there are certain things that our foundation truths all that we must stand for, and that is, for instance, the person and the work of Christ must be carefully guarded? And so there was much that Paul desired in connection with the Corinthian Saints, and he desired that these things would be set in order, and he bore with them in love.
And he took notice of all that there was that was of Christ in them, and sought to instruct them, even says after setting before them some things in First Corinthians 11. And the rest will I set an order when I come. And let us remember, brethren, that we all are, shall I say, come short in some measure of laying hold of the truth of God, and if it was necessary that we all were full grown children of God.
Then there wouldn't be any babes and young men and fathers. And so this is always true. And if we force the point beyond when it's something that is a matter of growth and that is not a question of the foundations of the truth, it might be as our brother said.
The truth of God would be one thing, and the Spirit of God might be opposed to our pressing that.
To upset and disturb the Saints. But now when we come to the Galatian epistle, they were seeking to put the Saints of God under law, to be justified by law keeping. And the apostle doesn't begin by any words of commendation at all.
He begins immediately by showing them that it was another gospel and that he must be firm and faithful. In fact, going even to the point where he said I stand in doubt of you because what they were teaching was attacking the foundations of the faith of the.
01:00:02
Of the faith. And so we have to distinguish this. The Assembly of God is the pillar and ground of the truth.
The truth of God is to be maintained. The assembly doesn't teach, but it is taught and is responsible, to hold fast the faithful word, to speak it in truth and love indeed, But shall I say, as it's been remarked by another separation from evil is God's principle of unity. But we must not confuse this with that bearing with one another.
And remembering what Paul said to the Philippians, he said, where two we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. And if in anything he be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
I was just speaking while we were away on this last visit of A to a couple, and they had been associated with another group of Christians. And they had some different thoughts in connection with baptism. And this disturbed them very much that there were some that didn't see eye to eye with them. And when they were desirous of taking their place among the gathered Saints, why this was a great hindrance to them.
And.
This person was relating how.
They mentioned it to a brother who was visiting. What are we going to do because we don't see eye to eye with some of the brethren in this matter. Oh, this brother, It was Brother Christensen of Woodbridge. Oh, he said. I can answer that very simply. And he turned the Philippians Chapter 3 and he said, and if in anything he be otherwise minded.
God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, Let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Well, they took their place at the Lord's table, realized that we could go on together, not all seeing exactly the same about every detail of the truth, and have gone on happily ever since. Well, that was what has been spoke about, I believe.
But if anyone wants to.
Deny the finished work of Christ or the deity of Christ. Why, We couldn't go on with that for a moment. Now, that is, that is fundamental. That is the very foundation on this rock I will build my church. I suppose very often when questions like this come up, we get involved with personalities instead of thinking about the principles that are involved in the case.
And so often, I believe it's been the case in the divisions of brethren that states got occupied with persons instead of thinking about the principles involved. And this is, this is sad. And this is, I think, where the meekness and loneliness comes in. It's in connection with persons, as we have been reminded. But when it comes to principles of the word of God, of truth, we must stand for them.
Must acknowledge them before God and before one another before the Lord in the assembly.
But I believe we must be careful of getting occupied with personalities, and that can be very, very dangerous. And I believe in most cases we're division that come in. The Saints have got gotten occupied with persons, and whether the persons were wrong or right, they followed persons, instead of viewing to the principle the truth of the word of God.
The appraisals before the Apostle Apostle in Acts 20.
I'm 1St 19 taking to the.
He's an elder. He's thinking about serving.
Well, no doubt applying her to the Apostle Paul, but in in other respects we are all serving.
And verse 19.
Serving the Lord with all humility.
Of mine.
And with many tears.
Prices bought performances as the examples the supreme example in our chapter and also the 5th chapter, but here the Apostle Paul.
01:05:07
Knowing the breakup was about to take place.
He could say to these appeasing outers. He had served the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears.
The Apostle Paul was one that could shed tears all of the.
Condition of the various assemblies and the inroads of the enemy. I'm not quite sure if I understand the difference between the meekness and the loneliness. I noticed in Matthew 1129 the meekness comes before the loneliness, whereas in our chapter the loneliness is before the meekness.
Well, can we say that we have to learn to take the low place? We're naturally proud creatures, and we have to learn to take the low place and then to submit if someone puts us in that place. But with the Lord Jesus, he he didn't in that way have to learn it. He was the one that was no robbery. For him to be equal with God, every insult that he ever received was undeserved.
And so there was that meekness and then there was that perfect loneliness because of the place that he had taken. But I think it's the other way. With us, we have to learn loneliness and the Lord has to teach us. That is something I believe, that we learn in his company. That is, a person might think himself a very good musician, but if he got in the company of a very world renowned musician.
Probably wouldn't be very hard for him to be humble in the presence of that person because he would realize how small he was in in his presence. And it's impossible for us to be proud if we're really in the presence of God, being consciously in His presence. We don't have to try to be humble. We are humble because we're in His presence.
Going on now to the 4th, 1St.
Is that a marvelous thing to consider, that after all the that the enemy has?
Fought and seeking to scatter the Saints and divide them, and to have thousands of different.
Countries professing to be the Church. That is just as true today as when the apostle penned these were there is.
One body. Now we need. We need to see this.
That what God establishes, He establishes.
In a divine way. And nothing can alter it. Nothing can change it. The when what God has set up is committed to the responsibility of man, he always brings in failure and disorder and corruption.
So we can think of the church today.
All over the world, God has his children.
And all that are saved are members of one body.
Although they Mary never heard the truth of what it means to be gathered to the Lords name alone, yet it's just as true for those as it is for those who listen to Brother Andersons address and accepted it.
That we are one body and nothing will ever change that truth.
And so, brethren, the ground on which we gather have gathered to the Lords name, We're gathered on the ground of the one body.
The Lord found the table is the expression of the truth of the one body.
The clock speaks of two things. It speaks of the holy sinless body of our Savior in which He bore our sins there forsaken of God on the cross. And it also speaks of the one body, the Church, so that when we break bread, we break bread with one loaf.
01:10:03
Whereas in Preston done my wife tells me when she was in system, they had it all broken up and to little pieces. The very way they took the Lords supper was an expression of the divided state, that is, as to its outward testimony in this world that it's all broken up. But our privilege is to remember the Lord around the loaf that tells us.
That though there's only two or three gathered on that ground, yet we're remembering the Lord as though all God's children the world over were gathered in the same way around the same person.
That verse becomes very, very precious when the numbers are very, very few. We, being many, are one body. It's a very lovely thing to look at that loaf and to realize that it doesn't represent simply a little company that may be gathered on that occasion in that place, but that it does represent everyone of God's beloved one. And I like that verse particularly.
When the numbers are very few, we've been many.
R1 law.
Well, these are emphatic statements, aren't they? There is one body. Nothing can ever change this, and it has been formed by the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And in Scripture it is always looked at as those who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God here upon earth. The body is always looked at as being here upon earth.
Because it says if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it.
So that there is a testimony to that here upon the earth as we gather it, as it's just been remarked.
And then it says and one Spirit. Well, this also helps to make the first part more clear, because it's the Spirit of God gathering to give expression to something else, and that we are members of the one body and gathered around this blessed person who is in the midst the Lord Jesus Christ. This is something that every Christian on earth should ask. If I am submissive to the leading of the Spirit, will he lead me to something else but to be gathered according to his words?
As a member of the body of Christ, to give expression to this blessed truth, that there is one body.
In Matthew 1820, it says where two or three are gathered, are gathered. Well, that's past intense.
It shows that there is somebody acting on the ones that are gathered. Who is it? Well, it's brought by his Spirit acting, drawing them together around the Lord Jesus Christ. They are gathered by God, working by His Spirit unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as our brothers can see, the Spirit could not gather to any other center.
But to Christ, not to any other name but the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we must be clear about this. And I believe God is merciful to us to help us to reemphasize these fundamental truths among us. Because I'm sure that as generation after generation grows up, we need it, and we don't have to apologize for going over these truths.
And there's only one divine sailor for the people of God.
A cousin of mine said that he thought that any group of Christians that gathered us, we gather that they were, they were gathered as much in the Lord's name and on divine ground as the others said. Suppose there's two companies beating in falls very near each other in the same town.
I said does the Spirit of God lead some of the children of God to this meeting and some of the children of God to this other meeting? I said if he does, then he's contradicting his own words for speaking about division. His answer is is Christ divided?
01:15:14
So then price is divided. Now we don't want to.
Who lost at all? And say that we're the only ones that are gathered on divine ground. But, brethren, we need to maintain that truth at all costs and not give up that truth. And if anyone can show me that I'm not meeting them in the place where the Lord has put His name in this gathering on his own together, on the ground of the one body, I want to be shown that place.
But until someone can show me with an open Bible that I'm in the wrong position, I contend and trust for the grace of God to go on in that place and be kept in that place.
Though it may be in a place of much weakness and feebleness, yet that truth is of all importance, that there is a divine center to which the Spirit of God is gathering the children of God.
There is one Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. How do I know that?
By the Word of God.
There is only one center of gathering the Lord Jesus Christ. How do I know that? By the word of God. The Word of God is what settles it.
Yeah, that's very important, brother. The assembly is not the truth.
That may stop or something, but it's not the truth. The word of God is the truth.
But he supports the truth, doesn't it, brother? The assembly is the pillar and ground of the truth. It guards it. It keeps it. And their brother just mentioned the important matter.
That it does not teach. It is taught well. That is important, Brother Gordon. It is taught. What is it being taught? But we do know that the ground.
Of the one body is the one body. Truth is the ground of the assembly. The authority there, beloved, is the presence of the presence of the Lord Jesus in the midst.
And His Holy Spirit there to guide the practice, there should be holiness of life.
Well, these are important truths, and I'm sure it doesn't hurt to repeat them.
I believe we could say too, that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in the professing House of Christendom. The difference in being spiritually gathered is that we give the Spirit of God His place. But on the day of Pentecost the Spirit of God came down and not only indwelled the body of every believer, but filled all the house where they were sitting and as we have in the second chapter of this epistle.
It says that we are builded together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit.
So that is true in Christendom. The Spirit of God is here. He's gathering out a bride for Christ. Now there are many groups of Christians who, not recognizing His presence collectively, that they have an arraigned service.
And some man is appointed to carry on that service that is, a denial of the presence of the Spirit of God.
But I I just wanted to say that it's not only among the gathered Saints that the Spirit of God is present. The only difference is that if we are scripturally gathered, why we recognize His presence and seek to be led by His Spirit and taught by His Spirit. And that is our desire as our brother, Barry remarked. And that is the desire I trust of each one of our hearts.
To know what the word of God teaches to be gathered as members of the body of Christ, and to see that the Spirit of God could not be gathering in division, He must gather to Christ. I just mentioned that because the Spirit of God dwells in the house, and all those in Christendom are responsible to recognize His presence whether they do or not.
01:20:00
And that's the reason, I'm sure that many groups of Christians.
That lead together have a deep and precious sense of the Lord's love and and truly remember his death. And so we could say that they enjoy the Lord's supper. And brother Potter said he enjoyed the Lord suffer before he ever knew about people being gathered to the Lord's name alone. I can say the same thing as to the remembrance of the Lord.
I enjoyed that, even though it was partaking of a broken cracker.
I enjoyed that nevertheless, that is the remembrance of the Lord. But the other truth connected with them, large supper in the large table. I knew nothing of that.
We often hear questions raised by some of the young and older.
Respect to diverse Matthew 1820.
In the Northwest, a short time ago in the Bible class, the Lord's Day Morning.
A question was raised by a young brother.
How come that various denominations claim Matthew 1820?
Man-made organizations. That is, while I was waiting for a local brother to answer. But they didn't answer, so I spoke up.
And whether if you're going to claim Matthew 1820, you're going to claim also Ephesians 4 and many other scriptures, well, that sounds the question.
You cannot isolate Matthew 1820.
Because it goes along with all the other truths that the apostle brings before us in that respect.
Could we sing #209?
For 206, I'm sorry, 206.
Oh Lord, we know it matters not our streets. The song may be no heart, but it is a spirit. Thought makes melody to thee.
Oh Lord.
You go How are you doing? How are you?
Ephesians 4:4-11
Reading
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General meeting, Toledo, November 1974. Second reading meeting.
Number 169 has been given out 169.
Lord, we can see my.
Heart.
You on with the portion in Ephesians chapter 4.
So we start reading from verse 4 to get the connection.
Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 4.
00:05:08
There is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.
One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
But unto everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
For his when he set it up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts under man.
Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Either descended to the same author that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
Then he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Shall we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, under the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.
Sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie and wait to deceive by speaking the truth and love, may grow up into him in all things which is ahead. Even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplier, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, make an increase of the body under the edifying of itself in love.
This I say therefore in testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not, as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who are being passed feeling, have given themselves over under lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be, that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
That you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God has created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherever putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, where we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.
Let in the stool steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands, the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communications proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the use of edifying, that it may minister grace under the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby years sealed under the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you.
There's a point in connection with what we were Speaking of yesterday.
That perhaps should be clarified. A brother was speaking with me about it, and it's in connection with the spirit of God being in the house.
And the Lord Jesus Christ being the center of those who are gathered to its crisis name.
And to distinguish between the two.
There is a tendency on the part of some and I have run across it myself.
00:10:02
That if you speak of the Presence of the Holy Spirit in the House everywhere in Christendom.
They take it to mean that the Lord Jesus Christ is there.
But I believe we must distinguish between the presence of the Spirit of God and the presence of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the assembly.
Now we know that the Spirit is present in the house, and all Christians can benefit from His presence if they would. But as our brother Gordon brought out yesterday, they do not give him the place that belongs to him in the house.
But the Lord Jesus Christ is present only.
Where Saints are gathered together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is only present there.
Now the Holy Spirit has a work to do in the assembly, and that is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he is always pointing to Christ if its savior or if it's the center of gathering. The Holy Spirit is pointing to him to exalt him.
And so when we're thinking of the Holy Spirit present in the assembly, it doesn't mean that the Lord Jesus Christ is there.
We must distinguish between the two. The Holy Spirit is there to take of the things of Christ and show them to us. But the Lord Jesus Christ is there for us to worship and adore. We do not worship the Holy Spirit. We do not pray to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who leads us in prayer. Jude speaks of praying in the Holy Ghost and as we pray in the Holy Ghost.
Were led by the Spirit of God in our prayers. If it's praise, the Holy Spirit is the one that leads us in our praise. He's the one that fills our hearts to give thanks and praise to the Lord. But there is also this that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst of the gathered ones.
And he leads the praises of the assembly. But.
We must distinguish between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Lord Jesus. And because the Holy Spirit is in the house, does not mean that the Lord Jesus is present everywhere.
Is that right? Of course. When we speak about divine persons, we have to speak very reverently and carefully, because God is omnipresent.
And so in the 28th chapter of Matthew we find that there was an appointed place where the Lord Jesus appointed that his disciples should meet him. And when they came to that place, it says, they saw him and worshipped him. But then when they were leaving that appointed place, the Lord Jesus said, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.
And so if there is a sense in which the Lord is present with his own individually, and that is true of every believer regardless of his association. But the thought brethren in Matthew chapter 18 is the thought of the Lords authority.
And if you read the context in Matthew 18, you'll see just as in Jerusalem.
There was the place where the Lord chose to put his name, and there were two particular things connected with that. It was the House of prayer, showing that God delighted to bless his people, and to find that mentioned in Matthew 18, where it says, if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done of that for them of my Father, which is in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my name.
There am I in the meds. And then the second thing was authority. And Deuteronomy 17 shows us that when there was a matter that was too difficult that was carried to that place, there was authority there to settle it. That same point is mentioned in Matthew chapter 18, where it speaks about binding and losing so that the thought of the Lord being in the midst in Matthew 18.
And in the thought of those who are scripturally gathered is the thought of the Lord's presence to bless, and the Lords authority in connection with that which is done there. But it is true, of course, that every believer enjoys the Lords presence, individually, in some measure at least. But we distinguish in this way. I might mention too, that the two passages that bring before us about the.
00:15:30
Spirit of God, being in the house are in Acts chapter 2 On the Descent of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It says that there appeared unto them cloven tongues as a fire, and sat upon each of them.
And also fill the house where they were sitting now if you turn to 1St Corinthians 3.
You'll find it again brought before us there. First Corinthians chapter 3.
It goes back to going back to the ninth verse. For we are laborers together with God. We are God's husbandry. We are God's building. And then it says in the 10th verse, according to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation.
And another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, Now the 15th verse, if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss.
But he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire. Know ye not, that ye are the temple of God?
And that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you if any man defile the temple of God.
Him shall God destroy, or the temple of God is holy? Which temple ye are? So we see here that in this passage man is looked at as being a builder working together with God, and there are three classes of builders here There is a a saved man with good work, and that abides. There's a save man with poor work.
And my work is burned up, but he himself is saved. But then there is someone who defiles the temple of God.
And we know that it's quite possible, and has taken place, that right into the very professing house where the spirit of God dwells. There have been evil doctrines introduced that attacked the person and the work of Christ. Where were they introduced? Into the very house where the Spirit of God dwells. Because when man is looked upon as a builder, he is building into that which is of God.
Money may be building in wood hand stubble. There's going to be a manifestation, and the solemnity of it is that it was introduced into where the Spirit of God dwells. Just like in the Old Testament, to bring an idol into the temple of God was a much more serious thing than setting it up someplace else. And so the Spirit of God does dwell in the professing house. And let me say that what distinguishes this present dispensation from any other?
Is the presence of the Spirit of God on earth as a divine person?
He was not here as a divine person. A lawyer was operative before, but on the day of Pentecost he came down. When the Church is taken, the Spirit of God leaves, but he is still the operative after the Church is gone and souls will be saved during the tribulation period, so that we have to remember to take the truth in the way that the Spirit of God presents it to us.
And so if I were to say to a person who is not scripturally gathered, well, the Spirit of God is not there, why, That's not really the way the scripture presents it. I can say you don't recognize the presence of the Spirit. So I would. And Speaking of being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, I believe that we can say that when we are scripturally gathered, He Himself is the center. His presence is on his authority, is owned.
00:20:15
But an individual might say, well, I enjoyed the Lord's presence even in the wrong position. Well, as an individual he can enjoy it driving his car, he can enjoy it in his home, and he can enjoy the Lords presence where wherever he is in the measure in which there is personal communion.
But again I say, when we speak of Divine persons, we have to be very careful the way we put things, and that we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means. I make these remarks because there are many dear young people that are sort of confused when we speak about.
Than leaving the Lord's presence. And they say, well, it isn't the Lord with every believer, but we need to distinguish between that which is brought before us as to God's, shall I say the presence of the Lord Jesus enjoyed collectively, and his presence individually, and the presence of the Spirit of God here upon earth in the House of professing Christendom and given his proper place.
Among those scripturally gathered to his precious name, Well, the subject you have been bringing before us, Brother Carol, is really the subject of the 4th and 5th verses of our chapter 10. You read the fourth verse. There is one body and one spirit. Even as you're called in one hope of your calling, everything in that circle is vital.
Because.
They're speaking about the body, and there's not a member in the body of Christ that's not a true believer.
Then we get in the first first fifth verse, 1 Lord, one faith, one baptism. Well, there you go, into the circle.
That has to do with men's responsibility that you are bringing before us in the third chapter.
First Corinthians.
Where man is the builder. So in that circle there may be wood, hay, and stubble, as well as gold, silver, and precious stones. 1 Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Their multitudes, as we well know all over our Christmas, that have been baptized.
And yet were never born again. So when you come to the fifth verse, you have a much wider circle than what you have in the fourth verse. And then the sixth verse we get a still wider circle, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all.
And in you all that's coming back to the 1St circle, those who are the members of the body of Christ, and that takes in every human being world over for God.
As Father, in this view of things, is above all and through all.
That is, God is working the world over to bring souls.
To their knowledge of his love. And when a soul knows God, loudness then revealed to him through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. For there's no divine life in this world except God is the life of Christ.
Born again is to have the very life and nature of Christ, and so we find in this.
In this view of things, this widest circle taking in the whole world, every individual in the world.
And through all and in you all, that is those who are the Lords in that circle are seeking to reach through God's grace, because God is working and the midst of sinners everywhere.
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All over this sad world and seeking to bring the light of the gospel to some for a lost center. So I'm sure our brother Smith, sitting across from me, knows something of carrying the.
The gospel to those in that wider circle down in South America.
It occurs to me an incident in Bolivia. A missionary appeared to our brother Tilly. Tillies is a man of 70 years of age and been gathered for many years.
And this missionary said to him, Brother, tell you, you're just a few here.
Why don't you link up with us?
We are thousands in the States and Canada.
And then you've looked at this young man of about 22 years of age, just recently gone there, and he said, dear brother, can you have any more of the Lord Jesus with your thousands? And then we have with our twos and threes, and he quoted that verse where two or three are gathered together.
Really, it's Unto my name, which would exclude every other name. Of course, that little word in the Greek would exclude it. Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, they're mine in the midst will. Needless to say, the missionary had nothing to say. Can you have any more of the Lord Jesus in your thousands? And we have with our twos and threes.
Well, that was a very interesting answer.
Brethren, Christ is everything in the presence of God.
This is a basic thing that's come on home to my heart so much Christ is everything in the presence of God. So here we are, brought back face to face with what he means to the Father.
Sure, we have to be careful in the distinguishing between what our brothers just brought out. Well, it's a very, very sacred thing, isn't it, to even talk of this.
We're dealing with the triune God well.
I haven't been much more to say about that.
I just like to say this in connection with what our brother Bridge Cross said yesterday at the Bible, reading that many other groups of Christians will say, well, we are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But again, I say it's a question of authority of this country probably has a representative down in Peru, but he doesn't just take the name of the United States himself, He has to have authority to use that name.
And so if we just say that any group of Christians who is pleased to take that name can therefore claim his presence, it is really a denial of the meaning of that verse. We have to have scriptural authority to use his name.
Therefore we must be scripturally gathered before we can use that verse. And that is a very searching and humbling thing to us, and yet a very blessed thing to think about. Here upon earth there can be those who are doubted according to truth, or a testimony to the truth of the place that Christ occupies as head of the body and that we are members of his body.
Gathered according to His word, and therefore His authority for our gathering.
I think this is very important because as someone has said that if two or three are gathered and they just use his name, they can claim that promise. But that isn't the thought in the verse, Brethren, we are gathered because he is there. If a few people together came together and we said now we can claim the Lord's promise. That's not the thought in the verse. We are gathered because of his presence.
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It's his presence that is the gathering center. He just like two or three people coming into a room and saying, now we can claim to have a certain person with us, but it'd be quite another thing if the person was in the room and you went there because the person was in the room. And this is the thing for us to see how that the Lord is gathering people around himself. And I believe it's beautifully brought out in this.
Fourth verse, there is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling.
Shall we use the illustration about David? David was God's rightful king. There were a few that recognized that he was God's rightful king and were gathered to him in the time of his rejection. They didn't go because it was a pleasing company.
Because it wasn't a very pleasing company, but they were gathered to David and that's what was their cause for going out to The Cave of Dalam. But there was a hope to their calling too. David was in another day to be proclaimed as king over the whole 12 tribes.
Look forward to that time and all during the period of his rejection.
And they rejoiced that there was a time when God was going to honor that rejected man.
As king over all Israel, brethren, that's the hope of Our Calling. That was the thought in the little hymn that we had in the opening. Here We have a blessed prospect. Here are a few hundred of us gathered here this morning. But what a vast company it will be when the whole company of those who will be part of that glorious bride presented to Christ, we'll all be there. That's the hope of Our Calling. That's what we're looking forward to.
Now we acknowledge the truth that there is one body.
We acknowledge that the Spirit is gathering to him about when the Lord Jesus comes. I believe we can say the Spirit will complete His work and bring that company. Just as the servant brought the bride and presented her to Isaac, saw the Spirit will complete the work and present the bride as that which is so dear to his heart to occupy that place of nearness to him and perfection for all eternity.
Just one more.
Thought that came to mind in connection where the subject of the Lord in the midst, and being gathered to His name, where the assurance that He keeps His word, there am I in the midst of them we find that the Colossians Saints were spoken to about not holding the head.
Now let's remember, when we're gathered to the Lord's name alone, that he is the glorified head of the body.
And the guidance in the assembly is by the head, and it isn't just.
The thought of waiting on the Spirit to sort of give us.
An inspiration or an urge to proceed with any part we take, but it's waiting on the head in glory to direct by the Spirit. And if we're occupied with him, he does guide by the Spirit, and the sisters are have their place in connection with this as much as the brothers.
Who are the ones that the Lord has instructed to to be to offer the praises of the assembly, or to give out the hymns? They may be so occupied with the Lord that the that the Lord will direct a brother to? Maybe a hymn, a scripture that is just sewage.
To the character of the worship.
But I do think that's important because in prison down there it becomes more or less just a matter of waiting on the spirit or saying the spirit is moving them to do this or that, but for those who have the truth are gathered to the Lords name alone.
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It's important to remember that we're to be occupied, not with the spirits work in us as to how he is impressing us with various thoughts or feelings, but we're to be occupied where that blessed one. And I believe if there was more occupation with himself, that we would see more of the direct guidance of the spirit of God.
It was an interesting point brought to my notice by one of the first converts in Bolivia. He was a professor in the university.
And he grew in grace. He's with the Lord. He went home at the age of 76 years with the Lord, and he was translating the scriptures. He was a Greek scholar in Hebrew, of course.
And he said, Brother Smith, I want to draw your attention to 1 little word.
Concerning gathered in the land, I said, What is it, brother? He said all the sex gather in the name, but they're not gathered unto the name, I said, Well how explain it then he said. That little word just EIS ice gives you the thought that it's unto. Well, I said, what's the difference? He said. Of course, if you're gathered unto the name of Christ, then every other name is excluded, brother.
That's how he put it immediately in his way, you know, every other name is excluded. Then he went on to say, why do we, why do we meet as we do?
Clearly says We are gathered unto the Lord's name.
There we by the grace of God, give the Holy Spirit perfect liberty to take of the things of Christ and reveal them to us, he said. Is that so? In the sex, He said absolutely no. Are there not children of God there? He said. Of course there are. But does the Holy Spirit have perfect liberty?
There as you're gathered unto the Lord's name, of course you do you have liberty, the Spirit of God.
Himself has give you liberty to worship. And then he said there's another point. He said, Hebrews 1313. We seek by the grace of God to fulfill that. Let us go forth unto him outside the camp.
Well, we know what that means, bearing his reproach. This is the Third Point. And then another point. He says we believe that the body is what? Well, some of these are some of his notes. I jotted down my Bible before he went away home, and I really took notice of it, that little word unto.
Well, we might not feel quite convinced as that dear brother was. He's a scholar with the Greek, and he says that word makes all the difference. We gathered in the name or unto the name of Christ. This is important.
Connection with giving the Spirit is placed. Perhaps we should mention that there is an exhortation in First Thessalonians 5 Quench not the Spirit. And even though we are scripturally gathered, and know that we should give the Spirit of God his place, it is possible for us to hinder the activity of the Spirit of God, And this is something that ought to exercise us.
And so the apostle, writing to the assembly there at Thessalonica, says, Quench not the Spirit. And there could be a state of things among the Saints of God, which hinders the Spirit of God during that blessed work that he delights to do, to take of the things of Christ and show them unto us. And I believe, if we are before the Lord, we are exercised when we see that.
Perhaps it's something in ourselves individually. Perhaps it's something that's been allowed in our lives and it hinders. I'm sure we have all felt it sometimes that there seemed to be perhaps a cloud when we come together. Maybe there has been something in us that has not been judged. The spirit of God is there. In fact, the very presence of the cloud is the evidence of his presence.
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That is, how can he lead our souls in happy liberty if there is something allowed that's grieving to him?
I just mentioned this because.
We speak of the Spirit having perfect liberty. That is the.
Way it should be about each of us should be exercised, and I'm sure many of us are exercised in our own assemblies as to what help or hindrance we may be. As to that liberty of the Spirit among those gathered to His name, would you say that?
Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby you sealed under the day of redemption is more individual.
Whereas quenching off the Spirit is more collective. Of course, if we are allowing something in our lives that isn't judged, that may be a hindrance to the free liberty of the Spirit and guiding in connection with the praise.
And worship are the one whose death we have come together to remember on Lord's Day Morning. I remember quite a few years ago, Father, mentioning, and I think Gordon will remember it of an occasion when on a Lord's Day Morning meeting there was such a very evident sense of the lack of that liberty that has been spoken of, it was very, very evident that the liberty was not there.
And at the close of the meeting, instead of everyone going home, they just sat there with bowed heads. And finally they got down on their knees and waited on the Lord and one brother. Finally rose and he said, brethren, I have been the Jonah this morning. He said I transacted a business deal during the week that left me with a bad conscience. And I haven't said it right nor owned it to the Lord. And he said I believe it has been on my account that the Spirit has been quenched this morning.
And I remember when Father told us a story. He said sons would to God, that there were still such a sense of the liberty and of the quenching, of the Spirit still among us. Isn't it embarrassing? Isn't it humbling to discover that there has been something?
Shall I say unrevealed in the Assembly, and it comes to light, and you realize that surely the Spirit of God, if we were in a right state.
Would have made us aware of this and it comes to light and we realized that it had been hidden there for quite a while. And I feel that there is that danger with us that we have become, shall I say, so accustomed to the normal procedure of a Lords day morning meeting that we can just carry on whether the spirit is quenched or not. And it's a searching thing to read a verse like that. In fact I have wondered. Perhaps I don't see it correctly, but.
The two consecutive verses here quench not the Spirit, on the one hand, despise not prophesying on the other.
That is, if the Spirit of God is free, and perhaps there is a word of prophesying led to the Spirit, we're not to despise it. Perhaps it.
Searches us out a bit and we don't like the tone of it very well, particularly if it comes from a local brother perhaps if it's a brother A from a far away place or a brother B from some far away place.
Will gladly listen to his words of prophecy. But when some local brother led the spirit may give a word, We are exhorted in the one verse not to quench the spirit, and perhaps in the next verse. When the spirit is free and the word of prophecy is presented to us, we're not to despise it. Would that be perhaps the thought in the next verse? The whole 3 verses go together there. The verse preceding is prove all things.
Not the spirit despise, not prophesying. So we have to prove all things and the way we prove it is by the words. And then there's a sense how the Spirit being hindered and that's why it says quench, not the Spirit. Then maybe there is something that would correct that state of things.
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Are we ready to receive that when it is given? Or as you say, do we look at the brother instead of receiving the word is from the Lord. I believe this is all very important for us, because we need to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and it's a blessed thing to know what it is to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. But we also have to remember that the Lord said to Israel.
You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore will I punish you.
Now that is, the very fact that the Lord allows these things to be felt among us is because of his presence, and that he wants to bless. And there's something that grieves his heart, and we ought to feel us.
The beloved of a spiritual awakening among us.
Undoubtedly. And our brothers mentioned concerns something concerning David. Now would you mind if I turn back to that A moment to First Chronicles 12?
At verse 16.
This came to my mind, Brother Gordon, when you spoke of David. And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold on to David Will. He were the these were the followers of Saul. These were not one with with David in the first instance, but there's something here that spiritual rakening takes place and down in verse.
18 And the spirit came upon their mass side, who was teeth of the captains. And he said, Mine are we David? Thine are we David?
Oh, how it demands A loyalty to the precious Savior. Beloved, thine are we, David, and on thy side thou son of Jesse, Peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers.
For thy God help of thee. Then David received them and made them captains of the Band. Now later on, if you don't mind me going on a little.
Verse 31 and of the half tribe of Manasseh 18,000 which were expressed by name to come and make David king.
And of the children of Kisaka, which were men that had understanding of the time to know what Israel ought to do.
The heads of them were 200, and all their brethren were their commandments.
Now in verse 33 of Zebulun such as went forth to battle.
Expert in war and with all it, with all instruments of war. 50,000 which could keep rain, keep rank. This is something that is needed today, Beloved, keeping rank, they will not have a double heart. Many dear souls are turned aside because they find that we are not as sincere and not as keen to make mention of these blessed truths that we are contemplating.
And they they don't feel that there's a very great interest in our own souls concerning these matters now in verse 38. And these men of war that could keep rain came with the perfect heart.
Oh, how God would not have his.
Purposes interrupted by natural ties. Oh, how sad that is. These men of war that could keep ranked came with a perfect heart.
To Hebrew and to make David king over all Israel and all the rest of the Israel were of one heart to make David king.
Isn't this a wonderful portion Just to is what is wrong with me that I cannot by my testimony attract a poor soul outside in the camp?
Is there something so cold in my life that they're not attracted to my savior? Not to me, but to my savior. Well, I often rebuke myself when I read this portion. Breath. One heart. One heart. A perfect heart.
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This would attract souls to Christ. Oh, may our life and testimony beloved be such that such would attract Christ.
I thank God today for losing much of the blessed truth of being gathered by the Holy Spirit.
We're talking about being gathered by that divine power, Holy Spirit, but.
In a practical way.
Do we realize the truth of that Scripture or that expression gathered by the Holy Spirit that is the Holy Spirit, the Divine Gatherer?
As is brought out yesterday and afternoon.
The Holy Spirit, the Divine Gatherer gathering.
The Lords people around himself.
And occupying us with Christ.
Who does not speak of himself, He brings Christ before us.
And at at the close of the Lord's Day morning meeting, if we realize this blessed truth.
We will spend the week with that thought, that on a special occasion on Lord's Day morning, to remember the Lord in death, and I am gathered by the Spirit of God.
And that should speak to my heart and conscience, and for my walking ways through the week, so that on the coming Lord's Day morning.
The Holy Spirit will be free, not only amongst one or two or three, but others who give out a hymn of praise to offer Thanksgiving or whatever it may be even in ministry, when I believe we have have him at at some measure at least, lost the sense on the truth of being gathered, gathered by the Spirit of God.
We're not gathered unto a name, or in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ unto.
And they we realize that truth, and until as we come together, as has already made reference to.
Recognizing the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst and that power and authority as we have in First Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse four in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ye are gathered together with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Recognizing his authority in the midst. Is that right?
Right. We're mentioning brother from about ministry.
And this is what follows, isn't it? Beginning with the seventh verse? But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Now as the Apostle proceeds with this subject, he takes up the special gift, but before he takes up the the gifts that are mentioned in the.
The the 11Th verse.
He says that unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. The grace is really the gift.
And God gives to everyone of His children a major in which they can serve Him and be useful in connection with.
Blessing in the Assembly.
So it doesn't in this case necessarily refer to the gift to preach or teach or minister the word. But we can all be useful and helpful, and God has qualified each one for some little service.
If we're seeking to do His will and to act for His glory, the Lord will show us in some way that we can be a help and a blessing in the assembly where we live, And it may be just as simple a matter as being always at all the meetings.
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And to come with a desired to en enjoy the things of the Lord.
And with everything judge that would hinder our enjoyment of His presence. The faithfulness of being at every meeting is one of the greatest encouragements, especially in small gatherings that we could almost consider.
We hear this statement sometimes. They are the regulars remember being in a meeting and it was a young sister there.
There are very few of the young people that were present at this Reading meeting, but a brother said of this certain sister. She's one of our regulars. She's always there. Well, that was a great encouragement to the whole assembly.
I was thinking it might be helpful just to mention why this comes in in the 4th, 5th and 6th verses.
It's connected with what follows. It's really the sphere of the activity of the work of God. An ascended Christ has gone up on high. He has given gifts to proclaim the great victory that he has won, just as when there was a victory won through.
Through Barrack and Deborah, then the message comes back for the blessing of all Israel, that they have been delivered. From Cicero, the one who held them in captivity was now himself taken captive, and he was slain, and they were set free. Well, I believe we could say that we have the three spheres of the operation of these gifts that have been spoken of.
We have the one body.
We have a circle of profession and then we have the Hall of Mankind. And then in what follows we have the gifts and the Evangelist, pastors and teachers. I think this is all very beautiful in its context because we need to understand our position here in this world. Isn't it marvelous brethren? There's been a great victory won. Satan is the God and Prince of this world.
But he's been defeated. There was one who went to the cross, who led captivity, captive, who's gone up on high, and who's going to proclaim the victory that has been won. Why, it's those who have been redeemed with a precious blood of Christ. Now they have the privilege.
And each one of us in our measure have some part in this testimony that is rendered among those who are gathered as members of the body of Christ in the vast circle of professing Christendom, and in the whole world at large. And so I just mentioned this, because it's very precious to my heart to see the context in which all this is brought in. And I've enjoyed that seventh verse unto everyone of us is given grace according to the measure.
Of the gift of Christ looked upon as a gift given. And now we might say, well, that's a very difficult work. Well, the Lord will never call any to any work that He doesn't give grace to proform. If He has placed some in a small assembly, he has placed some in a difficult spot or in a part of the land where there's persecution. Isn't it lovely to see that whatever the Lord calls us to do?
He gives grace to do it, and what is sometimes said, we should never ask ourselves, am I able to do this work? But has the Lord called me to do it? And if the Lord has called me to do it, he'll supply all the grace that's needed to do it.
And this is a very blessed encouragement for us, just like the Levites were brought to Aaron, and he appointed to everyone his service and his burden, and then he was able to perform that as something that was given to him. And wouldn't it be a lovely thing if every one of us?
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Who belong to the Lord here this morning would remember that an ascended Christ has given us a place in the body.
Are we fulfilling that place? As our brother Barry remarked, it might be by our presence at the meeting. It might be in speaking to a neighbor. It might be that the Lord sending some to another land, but He gives each one some part to do in this vast circle.
Where he is proclaiming that victory that has been won. And we're, as the Apostle Paul said, we're being LED in triumph in this world a triumph has been won. And he said, now thanks be unto God who leads us in triumph in every place and makes manifest the Savior of His knowledge by us in every place. Isn't our place here in this world most blessed? And yet what a responsibility, oh may the Lord give us to see this place.
And each one of us to discover what the Lord has for us to do, and to seek, as under the head, to fulfill and occupy that place by the grace he supplies.
There's just another thought that we shouldn't pass, and it says that he that ascended is as he also that descended first into the lower parts of the earth, while it's a grand and marvelous and amazing thing.
To consider the marvelous victory that.
That our Blessed Lord has accomplished leading captivity captive, the one that killed us in His chains, setting us free now to go on and have service here below. But the Spirit of God says, I want you to remember that that one seated up there is the one that went down into the lowest depth of humiliation.
And for yourself descended first into the lower parts of the earth. I just take that as I mean the most humblest.
Most humiliating place that any man ever took in the scene.
Lower parts of the earth all beloved, we have a glorified Christ.
But let's look back and think, what procedures are taking that place on high that he went down into the very dust of death, and he was.
Crucified and insulted there on Calvary, and now it isn't our yet sharing the full glorious when we are with Him.
Like him and have seen above, we not only go out as victorious.
Warriors, as it were.
Carrying the victory into the enemies realm. But we are at the same time to share his rejection, the rejection of the one that went down into the lower parts of the earth.
In order that he might ascend into that scene where he is now seated. Remember a brother close using this illustration in speaking about.
Our diverse in Hebrews 13 going forth unto him without the camp bearing his reproach, he said, If you want to fly your arrow high, you must draw your bowstring low.
That is, the lower we go, the higher we ascend. And the one who has gone, the Lord couldn't go any lower, For Philippians 2 speaks Speaking of his death, it should read, and that the death of the cross it wasn't a death of someone who was honored in his death. Sometimes men you know have been.
Put up as, more or less honored. Preferred to be shot as.
A spy than to be hanged as an enemy, that he said, and that the death of the cross, though the one who has gone the lowest, and the humiliation and death and suffering force, is the one that fills the highest place in glory at this moment.
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And beloved, if we desire in some leisure to share that place of exaltation with our place, below is the place that Philippians I mean. Hebrews 13 gives us a bearing hair reproach, and as the Lord instructed His disciples, he says to take up the cross.
And follow me when Speaking of the cross speaks of that rejection, that humiliation that is connected with the Lords sufferings that he endured when he made purgation for our sins. So glad that you and Brother Gordon have made these nice comments on these verses, because a young person asked me, Brother Smith, what's the meaning?
Of he led captivity captive, and I'm sure that one listening to that now will be very convinced it was so we turned back to the 5th of judges.
Concerning what their brother mentioned, which is so important. A week. A week. That's verse 12 if you don't mind me. Just going over it because of the person who asked the question. Awake. Awake. Deborah Awake. Awake. Utter a song.
Arise, Barack, and leave thy captivity, and leave thy captivity captive. Thou son of Abinoem.
I'm sure you've explained that on the garden, but isn't it wonderful that being returned from delivering the captives of Israel according to this and LED captive those who had LED them captive? And isn't this the work of the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus? And this was also asked to, and I'm so glad of your comment, brother, He that descended this person said Where?
Will, all I could say is there is the death of the cross and.
Or saying it's the same also that ascendant exalted to the right hand of God. What a wonderful truth we have been dealing with this morning. We're thankful for these comments, Bell.
I'd say here that some have connected this with first Peter 3, and perhaps we should look at it because.
There's quite a bit of misunderstanding, I think, about the Lord descending into the lower parts of the earth. First Peter, chapter 3.
Verse 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for us the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, by which also he went and preached under the spirits in prison.
Which sometimes were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing for in few that is 8 souls were saved by water.
You turn back to first Peter one. I think it helps to explain this passage. First Peter chapter one and verse 11.
Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify?
When it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that you follow. Hear what he is speaking about is that it was the spirit of Christ in Noah that preached to those who were living before the flood, and now they are spirits in prison. If you look at the 4th chapter and the sixth verse, I think you'll see this.
1St the 4th chapter in the fifth verse, who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead? Or for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit? Now it isn't telling us in this passage that the gospel was preached to them when they are dead, but it was preached to them while there were men in the flesh.
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But now they're dead. Now their spirits are in prison, and they rejected the spirit of Christ in North, who proclaimed to them about coming judgment and the provision that God made through the ark. And the result is that now having heard the gospel that through Noah.
By the spirit of Christ they are now spirits in prison there now is the 4th chapter says they're dead. So he is telling me that believers here and this epistle that just as these people rejected the spirit of Christ in Noah, saw the world too was rejecting the spirit of Steven said he stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears he to always resist the Spirit of God as your Father's dead. So do ye.
So they were resisting the spirit too.
And the only ones who believed in the time of Noah were eight souls and they were brought into the ark. And what he is really saying is don't be discouraged if there's only a small company. There were only eight in the days of Noah, and why should you expect that there would be a vast number? The important thing is that those who got into the ark came out while the others were judged. And now he said Christ has gone up on high.
He is there. Angels and authorities and powers are made subject to him.
And he says by baptism a person takes their place as being identified with him. Said Don't be ashamed, even if you're persecuted and misunderstood, because you have identified yourself with the one who has won the victory.
Now gone up on high, and that is the same way in which it is used in our chapter, that is our brother, Barry remarked. The Lord was rejected. He was crucified, He went into death. He was buried. Christ died for our sins. He was buried. But where is he now? Oh, he's up on high in the highest place and he is proclaiming his victory. And so there the message is now going out to men in the flesh, those who are alive.
But if they die in their sins, they will be spirits in prison awaiting a coming judgment. I mentioned this because there's no thought in Scripture that the Lord went down and preached to people that were in prison and brought them out of that prison. In the Old Testament, when they die, they died in faith. The interval between death and resurrection was not revealed in the Old Testament, so the Old Testament doesn't speak of them being with Christ, which is far better.
And the first person who knew where he was going at death, while the thief on the cross, when the Lord said, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Today it is the common minds of every Christian who is taught by the spirit of God that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But again I say there there's no thought in this passage or in Peter, that the Lord went down and took some spirits out of the place of the departed ones.
It is only the reference to the victory that he has won, and his descending into death itself that he might rise triumphant over it.
You remember the account of of Samson where he was kept in in the city in Gaza.
In judgment 16 verse two it says and it was told, the Gazites say Samson is come, hit her and they compressed him in and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city and were quiet all the night saying in the morning when it is day we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight and arose at midnight and took the doors of the gate of the city.
And the two posts and went away with them barnall, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top one hill that is before Hebrew. But actually Samson was captive there in that city. But he took what was holding him captive. He took it away.
All the Blessed Lord has brought a great victory. It isn't as is talked in some places in Christendom that the Lord LED a host of captives.
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No, that isn't the point. What was holding back, what was holding in captivity was taken away. The Lord brought a great victory when he arose from the dead.
We get the Lord sending up on high, We get His taking his seat on high. But here is might say superlative, It says He ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. That is the Lord He has descended.
The higher he asked him. So it doesn't stop where the mere fact, wonderful facts are, not diminishing it in the least that he ascended up, took his seat at the right hand of God.
But that he has ascended far above all heaven, that he might feel all things and the Lord while we see at the present time.
The universe filled with creation glory. Someday the whole universe must be filled with redemptions, glory, the far greater glory than even the wonders and marvels.
Creation, for that was our greater work than even the making of worlds.
When he on the cross.
I suffered for our sins.
Or the awful load of our guilts is all stark and solemn hours, and all that one and is in the highest heavens, and God will see to it that His glory as the Redeemer is going to fill this whole universe in God's time, in God's way, according to His purposes.
I think it's very lovely to that. The Scripture speaks of His having passed into the heavens, and through the heavens, and far above all heavens, and it is in connection with the latter statement. It seems to me to be concerning His beloved Church, and His provision and care for His Church. So the place of supreme exaltation seems to be in connection with the glorious wonder of the Church and the provision that He has made for it far above all happens.
Thank you, brother. Hey, that's still certainly very, very precious. And then.
Follows we get the Lord having ascended as a victorious one who has led captivity captive. Then he ascends.
Gifts, and the very realm of the enemy that he has defeated, so that the gifts that follow. And he gave some apostles and some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Now we need to observe that the gifts.
The Lord.
Sends into the enemy ranks here.
Is not the same as we find the Lord calling out the 12 apostles when he was here and sending them out with a mission that he gave them. But here it says the ascended Head of the body, the Church, that he is sending out the gifts.
I would take is that while the Lord called out the 12 apostles, they were called out in another way, in a special way, not confining the call to just the 12.
Into the realm of the enemy after he has been glorified on high, because we know that they were not only the 12 apostles, but Paul was an apostle.
And there were others that were apostles.
And you say that the 1St. 2 The apostles and prophets were the ones who laid the foundation. He turned back to the second chapter of Ephesians. Here we have this brought before us.
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Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 20.
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
How have you turned to Romans 16? We have some further mention about this too.
For Romans 16 and verse 25.
Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God.
Made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. Now could we also turn to 1St Corinthians 3?
First Corinthians chapter 3.
And verse 10.
According to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another build up there upon thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth there upon. The reason I turn to these three scriptures is because we see that the apostles and prophets were the ones who laid the foundation of Christianity.
And now the foundation has been laid. Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ? There are not in that sense apostles and prophets today. The foundation has been laid, and we have preserved to us in the scriptures.
And particularly in the New Testament, the foundations of Christianity. And it's most important, as we have been noticing, that the responsibility of the church is to be the pillar and ground or support of the truth.
We have evangelists, pastors and teachers who seek to spread the glad tidings, to give out the truth, to encourage the Saints to walk in the truth, but nothing in this day can be added to the foundation.
There is no new revelation of truth beyond what is written. It's by the scriptures of the prophets, by the foundation that has already been laid, and now all we are doing is seeking to build upon this foundation. I mentioned this because we have the promise of the continuance of these gifts, but in the first two it's preserved to us through the written word, and the last three it's by the act of energy of the Spirit of God.
Who has raised up and the ascended Christ on high?
Has given the gifts to the Church who would bring these precious things before us and encourage us to walk in those things that have been made known, They continued steadfastly, and the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers.
#4 in the appendix.
Let's see, Barbara.
Ephesians 4:11-16
Reading
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General Meetings, Toledo, November 1974. Third reading meeting.
165.
Head of the Church triumphant, we joyfully adore Thee to love. Here my members here would sing like those in glory. We lift our hearts and voices in blessed anticipation and cry aloud, and give to God the praise of our salvation. 165.
God.
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I would think about the 11Th verse.
Professional to the Ephesians, Chapter 4.
Verse 11.
And he gave some apostles and some prophets, and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers.
For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, under the measure of the statue of the fullness of Christ.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, or the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie and wait to deceive.
For speaking the truth and love may grow up into Him and all things which is ahead, And even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplier, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, and to the edifying of itself in love.
This I say therefore in testify in the Lord, that he henceforth walk not his other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darken the alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness and with greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ. If so be, that you have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man.
Which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which after God has created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor where we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.
Let Ms. Dole steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands, a thing that is good, that it may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace into the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
That all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking they put away from you with all malice, and be a kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even if God were Christ sake hath forgiven you.
President, that there are prophets that.
Foretell.
Prophets that foretell. But in the New Testament, same testament, there are prophets that foretell. Now we notice this in our translation work.
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And this is a very important matter, brethren, because the most humble brother.
Can pronounce upon the word.
Now I've been a missionary away from the the homeland so long I do notice a difference between.
The activity of the Saints in these countries and in Latin America.
We know that we have liberty but not license.
But let us be very careful not to form a hierarchy. A hierarchy.
There are dear brethren who never open their mouths.
And one feels sad because we know that they have the ability to do so, whether to give out a hymn or to pray and even take part in the ministry.
Of the world, and so a poor.
Humble Christian walking in communion with the Lord can foretell, and this is the New Testament.
Setting here in the New Testament.
They fought pale, so that it gives brethren liberty to those who will not take too many liberties, but who can with the blessing and the unction of the Spirit of God.
Give a good word concerning the truth. Will I just mention that, by the way?
We sought to teach the native Christians that while there is liberty, there's no license, but they are able.
To pronounce upon the word, and I suppose the most delightful ministry that I know of in South America is the ministry of our old chief.
Mercy, who's been at the table since he was 15 years of age. He's an old Gray haired man.
He has three daughters in fellowship and their husbands are in fellowship. It's a good testimony.
To hear that poor old Indian stand up and give a talk from the word of God is an inspiration.
Because he'll he'll speak Spanish too, but he'll speak in the Indian tongue. And the last word I heard, he stood up. It was on the coming of Christ and he said, brethren, may I just say a word?
And he gave a talk on the coming of the Lord and the coming with the Saints in that day of judgment. And I'll never forget. Well, he was able Brandon to foretell.
And this is something that does really concern me as an old man.
There are so many very able brethren among us who whose voice we don't hear.
And I think, brethren, we are exercised about it. Those of us who are accustomed to speak, I do hope that I'm not offending anybody.
But I believe it's something we ought to think of. This is the question of forth telling here, am I right?
You are distinguished. Would you not, Brother Smith The prophets here in this chapter and the prophets of the 14th chapter of First Corinthians, but you're calling attention to is more the 14th chapter of First Corinthians.
That is, let your prophet speak two or three, and let the other judge, and he that prophecy I speaketh on the men the edification, exhortation, and comfort, whereas in this chapter.
He says he gave some apostles and some prophets.
They are also mentioned, as Brother Hale showed us in the in the end of the second chapter of Ephesians, as the foundation built upon the foundation of apostles and prophecies, and what you said about it not being the Old Testament.
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Important to notice and why are we so confidently say it's not the Old Testament prophets that are in view here in connection with the laying of the foundation is because the apostles perceived the prophets. It says it doesn't say prophets and apostles, but apostles and prophets so that the apostles and prophets belong entirely.
To the church dispensation and they have laid the foundation, and now they we get the gifts that will continue on through the dispensation, that is the evangelist, the pastors, and the teachers. They continue on until we come onto a perfect man, onto the major, the stature, the fullness of Christ.
And that enables us to seek also that the gifts given in the 12Th chapter First Corinthians.
Are the gifts of the Spirit, and there are among those gifts you get the gift of healing, the gift of tongues, the interpretation of tongues, and so on. You can see that those gifts were specially for the introduction of the Christian testimony.
And we're not intended to continue on through the dispensation, whereas the gifts mentioned in this chapter are definitely.
To continue or it would not say, until we come onto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. For that could only be when we're like Christ and glory, and he has come and the church is caught up to heaven.
So it's precious to see that these three gifts.
Are to continue on to the end. Thank you, brother. That's good. Yes, thank you.
I'd like a little light on.
The fact is that the gifts given by the Holy Spirit in the 12Th of First Corinthians.
Are limited. We hear so much these days saying that these gifts are not limited and would it be out of place if someone could just show us from the scriptures how that these gifts had their place in that early time?
But that now they have been.
Superseded by these ones that we have here from an ascended Christ.
Well, I believe if you turn to 1St Corinthians 14.
1St Corinthians 14 and verse 21.
In the law it is written with men of other tongues, and other lips will I speak unto this people, and yet for all that they will not hear me say of the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. But prophesying serveth not for them that believe not.
But for them which believe could return also to acts.
Acts Chapter 5.
And the 12Th verse, and by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch, and of the rest Durst no man join himself to them, but the people magnified them, and believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes both of men and women.
In so much that they brought forth the second of the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing.
00:20:06
Passing by might over shadow some of them, there came also a multitude out of the cities roundabout under Jerusalem, bringing sick folks and then that were which were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed everyone.
And perhaps one more passage in Hebrews chapter 6.
Hebrews Chapter 6.
Verse 4.
For it is impossible for those which were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world are of the age to come.
The reason I've read these scriptures is to show, as we have in Corinthians, the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom. The Lord Jesus had been rejected by that very nation, and now it was necessary that a testimony should be given in his resurrection of who it was whom they had crucified. And so the gift of tongues was a very special sign to them.
In the Old Testament, for anyone to be blessed from the nations, he had to be identified with Israel, and just like the Queen of Sheba or Naman, they came up to God's land, and God was only known in Israel. The Lord, in sending out his disciples, said that He only sent them not into the cities of the Samaritans or into any of the ways of the Gentiles.
But to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. So it wasn't necessary that there should be the gift of tongues then, because the message was not to every nation.
Virtually one had to become a Jew or a Jewish proselyte, or an Israelite, perhaps, in order that he might be blessed. But now there was something new in Christianity, and the message was to go out, as the Lord said, going into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
So what a testimony it was to that nation, as we have in First Corinthians 14, that the Lord was now going to reach out beyond the limits of Israel. And those at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost are introduced to this marvelous fact by the by. It says they heard every man in their own tongue wherein they were born the wonderful works of God. So they saw that God was about to do something new.
And it ought to have been, as Corinthians tells us, a testimony to them.
Of what God was introducing, and, as our brother remarked, a sign for the introduction.
Now the other thing in connection with healing. In the millennial age, when the Lord Jesus takes his place as the rightful king, why it tells us the inhabitant shall not say in that day I am sick and there will be healing that will brought to the earth. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And what blessing will come? Well it was introduced to show them that the one whom they had.
Crucified was their real Messiah.
The one who would have brought in that Kingdom blessing if they had only received him.
And indeed, Peter gave them that opportunity. If they would repent, that he would, God would send Jesus and bring in the times of restitution of all things. And So what a testimony was given to them of what God was able to do in the blessing of the nation, in removing sickness and in bringing in the blessing of the Gentile. But now this testimony was rejected.
And as it has been remarked, there was number no promise that these gifts would continue, and indeed they were particularly assigned to Israel. And Israel as a nation has now been set aside. And the reason I read the passage in Hebrews chapter 6 is to show.
That those signs were powers of the age to come, and the reason I read the passage in Acts is to show that.
When they came to be healed, there was #1 went away disappointed. It says they were healed. Everyone now, those who profess to have these things today do not have them in the way that they're brought before us in the book of the Acts at all.
00:25:17
In their healing campaigns, many, many go away disappointed, are not healed at all, and bring dishonor on the name of the Lord because they expected to be healed and were not. And then too, all these people who professed the gift of tongues, first of all, it's not assigned to those that believe not. They accept it as a sign to themselves that they have the Holy Spirit and they don't have it in the way that we find in the Scripture.
For they're not able to send out missionaries without sending them to learn the languages. They certainly didn't have to go and learn the languages here in the in the second chapter of Acts. But all these people who profess to have these gifts today fall short as to the healing, and also fall short as to the use of tongues as it's brought before us in the scripture. And then the last and saddest thing of it all to me is.
That all this sort of thing is associated with so much false doctrine. Now God gave the word and gave the signs to confirm his word, but if these signs confirm anything, they confirm false doctrine because what I have found most of these groups.
Are not clear as to the work of Christ. They teach 1 can be saved and lost. Many of them are not clear as to the person of Christ to his sinless humanity. They don't understand the true liberty of the Spirit in the assembly, nor being gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
Their women form a very active part in connection with the testimony, instead of taking the place of silence, so the signs that they profess to have.
Are not according to Scripture, nor are they associated with obedience to the Word of God.
And I think all this ought to be a voice to us. And as I say, there was number promise that these would continue.
In fact, it's losing sight of the real purpose for which they were given to expect them to still exist today.
There's another scripture in connection with this that's been helped to me too, and it's in Hebrews as well, the second chapter.
Verses 3:00 and 4:00.
And.
The testimony process has been said, so went out first to Israel, to the Jews. And it seems that this is what the writer of Hebrews has before him. He says, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord? Will I take that when he was here on earth? And then it says, and was confirmed unto us.
By them that heard him. For those that heard the Lord, they passed the word on, and they passed it on to these. And I suppose we read some of that in the book of the Acts, how it was passed on to these others.
And then it says God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his old will. Now notice it says in verse 3. And I point this out in connection what has been stated already, that the signs were connected with the introduction, and it says here, and was confirmed unto us.
That is, the word spoken was confirmed, not is being confirmed, but was or it really should read, has been confirmed unto us, which indicates that even when the book of Hebrews was written.
These signs were not in use anymore. They weren't needed anymore. Because when the word of God, the truth of God has been confirmed. Do you need it confirmed over and over again? No. God gave these signs in the beginning for that, and then it was confirmed.
We're off this question, if you wouldn't mind me making an observation.
00:30:00
I have had a great deal to do with this particular section of Christendom in Bolivia.
They've appeared among six of the assemblies of Saints gathered to the Lord's name on the border between Chile and Bolivia.
Well, on this occasion.
There was a gentleman in one of those meetings. I never go near those meetings. Neither do our brethren. But he went.
And it was. Suddenly a man sprang to his feet and began to speak a kind of gibberish.
So there was a long pause.
At last this gentleman got up and said he would interpret, but he was very sorry that he couldn't give it in their language because this man was talking filth.
Now he actually spoke a dialect where this man had been a missionary in China for 25 years.
But this man was speaking filth.
Now, brethren, we have to be very careful to discern between these spirits.
Is this the work of the Holy Spirit? Indeed, it's not.
And now there was a lady in there, and she happened to be an English lady.
And she was mixed up in this tongues business.
And she fled from it.
Quizzed absolutely, and later was asked for a place at the table, and was gathered. So the Lord's name. Oh brethren, let us be very careful.
My brother Hale was singing, saying this morning about the apostles and prophets having laid the foundation when they built this.
School. They didn't run the foundation up to the ceiling, did they? When the foundation is laid, its slave. While we have no more apostles and prophets as they had at the beginning of the church period, yet we do have their writings, and that's what we're holding in our hands and how important and valuable and how necessary it is if we're going to go along.
According to the mind of God, to be acquainted with what the apostles and prophets have revealed to us in the written word. But now we do have the three gifts that follow.
The evangelist and the pastor and the teacher. The evangelist goes out into the world and brings the material.
Into the assembly and then the pastor and teacher.
They are very closely connected.
If pastors and teachers.
Or their work is within the assembly.
To build up and to instruct and to establish those that have accepted the Savior.
I think we have something of an illustration of that in the certain Samaritan. Where did he take the man that he found half dead on the roadside? Put him on his own base? That's very precious, the very strength that carried the one who is a type of Christ, who has a strength that carries a man that is now taken up.
The wounds bound up, but he takes him to the end.
And leave them in the care of the host.
Is a figure of the Holy Spirit.
So that when one is saved, if one is seeking to follow the mind of the Lord, he wants to see that.
That newborn soul brought into the place where he will receive the right instruction to establish.
And to lead him on in the things of the Lord.
00:35:04
So just to go out where the gospel without any thought of leading souls to the place where the Lord has put His name. I doubt if that is according to the truth that we have here in this portion.
I suppose we could look at it under the figure of of a building as we have brought before us here in the Scripture, the building of God.
If a man wants to build a house.
Well, he knows that there must be a woodsman.
Or a lumberjack. Some of them are called way back in the woods, cutting down the trees, and they're brought to the sawmill.
Logs are brought to the sawmill to be sought into boards and the boards are prepared.
For the building, well, that perhaps answers to the evangelist. He goes out with the gospel and preaches the gospel in the power of the Spirit of God. And souls in a sense are cut down, made to see their sinful lost condition, and they accept the Lord, Jesus Christ, the Savior, and then they're ready to be used in the building. Well, when these boards are brought together, then.
To the site where the building is to be built, there is the Carpenter and he takes these these boards and he works there on that building and inside of the building and he is putting the building together.
Well, perhaps that's sort of a figure of the thing that we see here. The evangelist is the woodsman, the pastor and the teachers, they're the ones that work inside. The Woodsman works outside. But he, he's careful to see to it that it's all brought to to the place where the building is to be built and to be made part of the building, to be brought inside, as it were, and then the pastor and the teacher.
Takes care of them there. Well, it's so important in this day to see that what our brother Barry has been Speaking of is the thing that we ought to make important in our exercises As to doing gospel work and getting sold together, there's so much of what is going on today under the heading of of evangelistic work, gospel work, just going out to preach the gospel.
And the souls do get saved. We thank God for that, because the word is preached. But still we think of those dear souls that are saved. They're just left there. They're left to flounder. And there's nobody. It seems, to lead them on, to show them where the end is, where the building of God is, where God is gathering by his spirit souls together around the Lord Jesus Christ.
They are not there. Oh, how important it is for us to have her feel a responsibility in this connection. And I suppose every one of us, in a more or less measure, can do the work of an of an evangelist or we can do the work of a pastor or teacher. I don't see that they have to have some special great gift for that.
I'm sure that there there are numbers in here that have have some exercise.
About the salvation of souls. That's why our young men go out on the street corners to preach the gospel. That's why they go out with tracks. It's God by his spirit exercising their souls in this direction. And then there are those that know the truth even amongst the the young ones. They will seek to lead them to the assembly, bring them to the meetings where they can be built up in their faith, and maybe after a while take their place at the Lord's table.
We all are workers together, as we brought out this morning.
Remember hearing Brother H rules say that we couldn't say that we're one of these gifts, but we can do a little of the work of these gifts. And when we think of the many meetings that are represented here, how important that is isn't just to sit down and say, well we'll wait till some gifted brother comes along to instruct us that they should search the word and and in every little assembly there can be the exercise of what we read of here.
00:40:19
Seeking to win souls for Christ and in the little meetings.
To to.
Search the word, and to learn the meetings of the truth that are contained in the word, and then to be watching over as a shepherd the and caring for the little flock in every little assembly that can be carried on.
But of course, when we consider the gifts that are brought before us here, it isn't the subject of exercising of gifts, so to speak. It's the men who are called evangelists are or the pastor or the teacher are the gifts, and as such are the are gifts for the whole body of Christ.
We see a little example of that in in connection with Phillip. Phillip was doing a humble service in Jerusalem of looking after the money for the widows. And after the persecution that arose over Steven when they were scattered abroad, Philip went down to a city of Samaria and preached grace under them. Well, he did the little work there.
In Jerusalem, well.
And then here he gained to himself a good degree and great boldness in the things of Christ. Are not quoting the passage from first sympathy exactly, but that is the thought. And if one is to be called out, to definitely spend his time and go out and serve the Lord while the Lord.
Calls out such in a special way.
For that purpose.
Pastor is not singularly hears plural and it reminds me of a missionary who came to one of the Indian centers that's been established for years. There are not many in fellowship about poverty.
And he said, Who's your pastor here?
That's where the chief lives there.
He said we are five brothers, we are five. Well, he said this must be a pretty rich assembly to maintain 5 pastors. Yes, he says. He says there's one there, and one there and one over there and another another there, he said. And we look after the sheep, we look out to the sheep.
But as you see, the pastor didn't. He didn't combine all the gifts. There were three. In Christendom, where the word pastor is used in connection with a man, he is expected to be the evangelist, pastor and teacher all in one person, or as in the scriptural order of things, they were distinct and separate gifts, weren't they? I don't say that a person might not have more than one.
But I believe it's important for us to see that the man himself being a gift. We think of Charles Stanley. Well, there we think of a man who was an evangelist. We think of Mr. J and Darby, and we think of a man that was a teacher. And I believe that the Ascended Christ has given those gifts to the church and that those are distinctive gifts, so that whenever a person has been.
Raised up of God to fill that particular place as our brother, Barry said.
He is responsible under the Lordship of Christ to use that gift not only in one locality but for the whole church. And it's a particular gift, and we have seen ones that were very, very lovely and telling out the gospel.
But we didn't recognize, perhaps had the gift of a teacher. The assembled Christ has fitted each for his place in the body of Christ. I wonder if we could turn to Acts 11. And I think we see the whole 3 brought before us there. Acts Chapter 11.
00:45:06
And verse 20.
And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake under the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus, And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord.
Them tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church, which was a Jerusalem.
And they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch, who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.
And much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul. And when he had brought him, found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. I think this is very lovely, because we have here the forming of.
The assembly at Antioch and how it took place.
Here were those who went out, and they were gospel preachers, and they went and they preached the gospel, and their desire was that these who had preached the gospel I might be led on. Now we find the happy unity of the Spirit that we were talking about in the earlier part of our chapter. And those at Jerusalem saw what was going on in Antioch, and they didn't leave that little company who had been saved without any care.
Instead they sat down, one who was fitted. He wasn't particularly a teacher, but he was a pastor, and we find that his work, as we're told here, it says he was glad and exhorted them all. With purpose of heart. They would cleave unto the Lord, and for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people was added under the Lord.
Now we don't read about Barnabas teaching, but he certainly encouraged these young believers to continue on to go on for the Lord.
And I believe that he fulfilled the position of a pastor, but he didn't feel capable as to teaching them. And so he sought out Saul, and Saul was brought down there. And he has spoken of in the scripture as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and Verity. So now the teacher comes down and many meetings are held for a whole year. And these young believers who had first been saved.
And had been encouraged to go on for the Lord and now established in the truth. And this assembly at Antioch now becomes a very happy assembly. As we read on in the book of the Acts, we find how God blessed the work. And in the 13th chapter there were many prophets and teachers in that assembly. But here we have how it began. And brethren, this is God's plan in Christianity.
Brought before us in doctrine in our chapter, but in its practical working, I believe it's set before us in the Acts, and I think it's very beautiful and anyone who goes out with the gospel and souls are saved, then it becomes the responsibility of the assembly that is near to follow up that work in order that the unity of the Spirit might be maintained, and then in happy fellowship with the Saints of God gathered elsewhere.
There is an assembly in fellowship gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
I'm sure Brother Smith won't mind my telling a little incident in the early years of the gospel tent work we were pretty well limiting ourselves to to preaching the gospel, and there were quite a number that got saved.
So one time I invited Brother Smith to come with me on one of our visits to.
The Nova Scotia and we went from a little different little towns and we gathered together folks in the in the cottage meetings, so.
00:50:07
At one of these meetings, I invited Brother Smith to take the meeting.
So he went right ahead and launched into a talk to believers on the ground of gathering. Well, I, in my inexperience, I thought, oh, my, this brother is just going to ruin the work here. These people are going to be all upset and they're going to be turned aside and it's just going to spoil it all. And so when it was finished, I said to Brother Smith, why did you speak along those lines?
So Brother Smith said, well, they need food. Aren't these babes in Christ that have been saved? And he said we need to go out right on and present the truth. Well, it was the beginning of a of a real change in the in the gospel work and it was the beginning of the establishing of the Saints of these ones that had been saved. And so that now in Nova Scotia, half all those are at the Lord's table have been.
Saved or gathered through the the work of the tent and that was really the beginning of the change.
It did bring about a great deal of reproach. The numbers dropped right down, but it was the beginning of the establishing of those who were the Lords.
Don't you think, brethren, that in these last days when the things are so weak that?
It's something similar to the state of things when Paul wrote the 2nd Epistle to Timothy and must tell him to do the work of an evangelist, and he was to preach the Word the instant in season and out of season.
We don't find the wide open.
Doors to the gospel that once existed, we find assemblies here and there, and so those who go about must seek to fill in whatever character of need there may be among the little gatherings, whether it be the preach the gospel, give a word of exhortation, or give teaching to seek to establish.
'Cause that are gathered to the Lord's name.
In the early days, why, of course evangelists went out and and maybe entirely new fields and many were brought in just like they were at Antioch. And then the pastor and Barnabas and then the teacher and Paul came along and established them that we live in days of great declension and.
Maybe it's something like Paul telling Timothy, who might have been more of a teacher than an evangelist, to do the work of an evangelist.
You don't misunderstand me. I was talking to brother.
To a brother Dex, Brother Jackson, about this and he told me how a sister came to him and said, Brother Jackson, you were a pastor of a large congregation, weren't you in Atlanta, 1000 knots.
He said. Yes, dear sister, but the Lord forgave me.
This is the point I'm trying to make, brethren. I understand perfectly what we're getting at, but let some of the Saints get LED away with this idea that.
That so and so can be a an official pastor.
And gradually go over again into sectarian practice and principle. We're trying to get the younger Christians here to beware.
Of this matter, that's all but Jackson, he said. He said, Yes, dear sister, that is true, but the Lord forgave me.
The portion of scripture here is the answer to why those who are called the Lord servants go about from place to place. They don't stay in one place and become.
Pastor of a church, but they are pastors or teachers or evangelists or whatever they might be.
Of the Church, the body of Christ, therefore the whole body, not just for one local situation.
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Even among those who do devote their time to the Lords work. We should always bear this in mind, though, that a brother, even though he has devoted his time to the Lord's work, may not be able to fulfill these three functions. He may be only fitted to be an evangelist. We thank God if he goes about our brother Willie Martin, whom some of us recall.
And he limited himself to the gospel, and the Lord blessed him as he sought to give out the gospel, and many souls were saved. But we know that he didn't attempt to be a teacher. He didn't feel fitted for that. And we mustn't think that because a person has devoted himself to the service of the Lord, now that he is able to fulfill 3 things here, he may only be able to fulfill one. But we thank God if he has recognized his call.
And the Brethren have fellowship with him in the call and recognize what has been given.
Well, when we go on with our subject here, it says in the 12Th verse, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
We see first the work that individual the perfecting of the Saints, and then we have the edifying of the body of Christ.
So that there are two ways that.
The the gifts are used in connection with the blessings.
Among God's people, the first thought is for the perfecting of the Saints. That is, each St. individually needs to be taught to establish.
Get hold of a grasp of the truth and to understand the meaning of the various parts of the word and and then he can be a help to his brother. But then there is definitely the the.
The.
Edifying of the body of Christ there is collective.
And perhaps someone would give us just why it comes in between there the two, the work of the ministry.
I notice in the new translation that there is a semi colon after the first statement for the perfecting of the Saints. Seems to me that that is separated from the other two.
That it goes farther, wouldn't you say?
Looking on into eternity.
I have wondered if it was a work of the spirit to prepare.
Though there are certain ones to carry on the work of the Lord, and so that there is that preparing others to.
Help their brother. Is that thought there?
Nice thought. We have that in second Timothy 2, don't we?
Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2.
And the things which thou hast heard of Maine, among many witnesses the same commit thou a faithful man, who shall be able to teach others also. That is, there is not the establishment of a Bible college, or something of that nature.
But any who have been raised up of God, then they're to pass on the truth. And here we have 4 generations, don't we?
That is, Paul committed it to Timothy. Timothy was to commit it to faithful man, and these faithful men were to teach others also. Now that's God's way, that the truth is to be handed on, as it were, now that which has become dear and precious to us.
And which we have sought to walk him. Now we pass it on to others, seek to establish them not only for the perfecting of their own souls and the things of God, but so, as you said, that they might carry on this work after the others are gone.
01:00:12
And then it says for the edifying of the body of Christ, and it's still we all come. That is, this would continue in under the headship of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith. And that is really the object of ministry. If ministry is to build up a certain church group or something like them, it is wrong as we had in the beginnings of our meetings.
We seek to do is to bring out what the body of Christ really is.
And that those who are members of the body of Christ might endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And any effort that is made to build up a party or a group is contrary to the real truth of God. We are to give out that which is for the whole Church, and those who follow the leading of the Spirit will be led together to give expression to it. And it's very blessed the way it's brought before us here.
Under the perfect man and under the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. For in learning truth it's always learning more about Christ. In fact, one is sometimes made the comment that we can make a simple test of any doctrine that is presented by asking does this exalt man, or does it exalt Christ? The truth of God always exalts Christ, for the work of the Spirit is.
He shall glorify me, he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
I remember when I was translating.
The Epistles to Timothy I came across this verse that our brothers referred to in Second Timothy 2.
And I saw from that that I had a responsibility.
To pass on truth to those native Christians.
It was not the thought.
Came to me this way. It's not God's thought.
That the missionary should stay on and on and on and on.
And be the teacher all the time? No, the truth should be passed on to the native Christians, and then perhaps after a while, the missionary can leave and go elsewhere, and they continue on in dependence upon the Lord. Well, these were, I suppose, as I look back, upsetting things. For me it was changing the pattern altogether in connection with doing the Lord's work.
But there was in all simplicity in the scripture, and what could I do but bow before?
Journey Brother Dan was 450 miles on foot.
Among Indians.
And we went from place to place, four of us, the first converts.
And we came over and over the place in those places. Every year we would spend 8 weeks visiting them. And that is why the work has prospered in Bolivia. There are weaknesses, of course, but that's why the work has prospered.
Sometimes we were stoned out, but we would go back again, you know, and they'd say here he comes again.
Here it comes again. Well, by the repeating of those visits round and round today there are a number of assemblies fall. The first visit was very fruitless and very difficult. The second was justice, fruitless and difficult, but the third visit round.
For God saved and a little nucleus was formed. Then they they began to spread the news too. And so year by year, there were little groups formed here and there, right round and all around the state. It's a good thing. It's a good thing. What is the thought of the unity of faith?
Is that mean that all see alike as to the truth of the word?
01:05:01
There's a great deal of differences there, brother, between you and me And then Unity.
I was thinking that you tie the cat 2 cats tails together. You'll have union, but you wouldn't have very much unity there.
So there is a great deal of difference between union and unity. Now in Bolivia we have the problem of the ecumenical movement.
And it's quite a trial for the Saints. I would ask prayer well.
They're always talking about the unity of their spirits.
How dangerous that is. And you'll see that everywhere, even in the street cars and in the buses.
They would even quote portion of the of John 17 though it's it's the unity of these spirit, isn't it?
Your faith is often used as the truth, of course, not merely truth that can be learned intellectually.
So is spoken of as the faith that was once delivered to the Saints. That is, if it is the faith as the truth of God is.
At what is held?
In communion with God in the soul.
Has has brought in the soul and brought the Sinner into the position of divine life.
And the Spirit of God, if he has his way among the Saints, is always seeking to bring the Saints to see alike in the in the things of God.
Is there a thought here?
That the glory is set before us.
As as the standard, the final standard. But while we're on the way, there should be exercise about these things that we have in this verse in verse 13.
Yes, that's the object of all ministry. You know, the way some Christians speak. It is as though the Spirit of God condoned the idea that some should have one thought and some should have another, and the things of God. Well, now it's true. We have all much to learn, and we're all, shall I say, failing things. And I trust growing in the things of God. But the object of ministry is the unity of the faith.
And so Paul spoke about I have kept the faith, and as our brother remarked in Jude, earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the Saints, so that if there is submission in our minds to the truth of God, he will lead us together, just like the spokes of a wheel. The closer they get to the center, the closer they are together. And so this is very precious to us, and it's nice to connect it with the verse in Isaiah that speaks of the time.
When they'll see eye to eye, well, that's the way it's going to be. We're not going to have different thoughts about the truth of God when we get home to glory. And why? Well, because the Spirit of God will be unhindered there and taking of the things of Christ and showing them to us.
But down here in this world there are two hindrances, the infirmity of the flesh.
Now that is our natural infirmities and weaknesses. And then to the opposition of the flesh, that nature within us, that even in us as Christians might oppose the truth of God when we're not willing to walk in it.
And then you get the knowledge of the Son of God, and that's what.
True ministry is ever occupying us with giving us.
Acquaintance with the one that God himself is finding his delight in the knowledge of the Son of God, and then on to a perfect man, of full grown man, under the measure of the fullness of Christ.
Will never be at Maine until we're like Christ and glory, will it? But?
God is instructing us, never gives us a thought that isn't in keeping with the fullness of His blessing.
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Yeah, it's really what we will possess in glory that he's tried seeking to bring us into the blessing and enjoyment of in our souls down here.
We see something of that in Colossians chapter one and Paul's desire for the Saints at Colossi. Colossians Chapter One and verse 27.
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Whom we preach warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. For unto I also labor striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
So his desire was that the Gentile believers might solely hold of the truth, and that the truth would solely hold of them.
That he could, as a Workman, present them perfect in Christ Jesus.
Next verse of the following chapter he said. For I would let you know what great conflict is really combat. I have for you and for them that Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my fate in the place. Sure there was much prayer in the apostles life in connection with what you were just bringing before us. He was much in prayer in fact.
Fact he was combating the enemy who was seeking to.
To work there at cards by bringing in philosophy and vain deceit.
I.
Now that's why we have the warnings and what follows here. Isn't it in this 14th verse?
The new translation is quite striking in this verse. I just read it the way it is and they new translation of the 14th verse.
In order that we may be no longer babes tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men, in unprincipled cunning, with a view to systematize error.
But holding the truth in love so we can see that the work of the enemy is to build up schools of thought and systems which would rob us of the truth of God. And we find that all about us. There are great systems which are founded upon such things as denying the security of the believer, teaching that Christ could sin, and all such things as this build up and.
Very often many true Christians entangled with them, working even among them.
And what are the gifts given? What is the purpose for which the gifts are given? Well, just like the ones who came back from the victory that was won over Cicero, what were they telling the people as they returned while they were telling of the great victory that had been won?
A person who had held them in captivity was dead, and Israel were now set free. And isn't it lovely that in proclaiming the truth we're actually announcing the fullness of the victory that Christ has won and the enemy doesn't want us to know that? Just as if he might hinder some of the people there in Israel from knowing that sister was really dead, perhaps he might rise up against them again.
But what a privilege it was to tell him that he was dead and the victory was there, and they could enjoy the fruits of that victory. And isn't a privilege, brethren, that we can announce in Christendom the whole truth of God, all the blessed fullness of that work? All How many dear Christians we meet who don't understand the truth of the security of the believer? The two natures are wandering around looking for a a group of Christians that they think are pretty nice with whom they can be associated.
And instead of learning the simple and blessed truth of God's word, and resting in it, and enjoying it as the liberty that has been won for us, well, the gifts have been given to announce all these blessed things, so that souls would be in the full enjoyment of that which is ours because of this victory.
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I just wonder if we think of how many young people are present here if they appreciate the fact that their.
Place where they hear the whole truth of God.
Not mixed in any way where this systematized error, that as you were reading it from the new translation, what a wonderful thing it is, dear young friends, to thank the Lord in His grace has brought you into a place where you can hear the whole truth of God.
For I believe that in the assembly is the only place where all the truth of God can be taught, and that has to do with the unity of faith, doesn't it? I knew a dear man. He was really a bright Christian. His grandfather has been gathered years ago and he wanted to see all Christians together. So he bought a place and fixed it up for a meeting and.
Invited everybody to come in and they're going to all go on together. Well, some, you know, held the eternal security. The believers, others denied eternal security. And there was all kinds of different beliefs. Well, it wasn't long before they got to quarreling among themselves and the whole thing came to naughty. But how does the spirit of God gather? He gathers to the person of Christ.
Where the truth of God is maintained in health, and so that there is found there that unity of faith and this instruction that we speak of.
We've opened so often, rejoiced Brother Barry that the Holy Spirit himself never leads country to this blessed book. This is a wonderful fact.
Glorious effect. The Holy Spirit never leads, brethren, contrary to the word of God.
Never. And this is a beginner wonderful beginning, that expression the sleight of men brings before us that there are those.
That will bring out doctrines and teachings that are air, but bring them out in such a way as to deceive the children of God. And this is a solemn thing, that there are those that will do that today, and they're on every hand.
And I believe it's a warning to us that we should beware of them, be in touch with the Lord, in communion with Him, so that we might have discernment that we might see when these things are put out and we shouldn't be listening to them. Now, it's possible to listen to the radio and and even pick up literature that has error in it, and it's put forth in such a way that perhaps we can't ordinarily see that it's error.
Or evil teaching. Well, I I believe the best thing to do is to leave all of this kind of thing alone because it can't be trusted, because it may have been put out by someone like it speaks of here that is characterized by the slight of men that he sees.
He is actively engaged in fooling people and deceiving them if this is sad and if the work of the enemy.
Not what we have in the second Epistle to Timothy in the third chapter, in connection with Janice and Cambrie.
Satanic power.
And dressed up in limitation of counterfeit may look very real.
Letters of Satan.
Because of an attack, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is there yet time, dear brethren, to speak a little bit of the 15th verse of especially thinking of the first phrase of the 15th verse?
Speaking the truth in love.
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Nice to notice in the new translation it says, but holding the truth in love.
So if if we are holding it in love, we'll speak it in love, that is.
If we see someone that we truly love, that's being entangled in something that's going to rob their soul, why We don't take a superior position. But we seek their deliverance, don't we? We seek their good. And we have to remember that the only effective way in which we can help souls.
Is that we love them. If we take a position of being superior or better, why will only arouse the flesh in them, and perhaps the flesh will be acting in us too.
But if we seek to exalt Christ and think of His love to the Church.
How much he loves his people, how much it grieves his heart like Paul and Colossians, where we notice there he was an actual.
Conflict or agony? Because the Saints were not enjoying the blessed liberty that was, that might be theirs to enjoy. And so I'm sure that we need this.
We see in Israel that they did have the place where the Lord had chosen to put his name there.
But the Lord was grieved because some were haughty, because of his holy mountain. And as we speak of these things, it's a blessed, precious thing that God has made the truth known to us. But when we think of how we fail to respond to us, respond to what it surely should humble us.
And we should speak it with a desire for the blessing of others, but also in great humility, but in love for their souls, that they might be brought into the full blessedness of that which God would have them to enjoy in Christ.
I believe the burden of the epistles of John can be summed up in this way. Truth in love and love in truth. Would you not think that would be the burden of the epistles of John? Truth and love ministered and love in truth.
Family growth is brought before us.
Growing up into him or unto him in all things, which is the head? Even Christ. That is, the more one is going on in communion with Christ, the more the spiritual growth will be manifest. They are getting nearer and nearer all the time towards.
The glorified head and glory.
Could we just say in connection with this 15 verse, which I think is so important because he's been Speaking of those gifts that an ascended Christ has given and how the truth should be ministered. But now in the 16th verse, it seems that he returns to what has been said in the seventh verse unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
So now the 16th verse we have that which every joint supplier and how we could sit in these meetings and enjoy some of the precious things which God would reveal to us through His word. But how often a little unkind thought or a little unkind action can spoil the blessing that could come. And it may be that just like in our human body, we partake of a good meal.
The food is good, we really enjoy it, but our body is not functioning as it should and the result is it doesn't do us the good that it should. And afterwards, even though the food was so good, we still haven't profited by it, We may be sick.
Well, how this speaks to each one of our hearts and the part that as individuals we can contribute in God's assembly for the edifying of itself in love. And it surely speaks to each one of our hearts. Because how often we know that with all the precious truth that has been revealed to us, little things come in, and the joints and bands are not carrying the nourishment to the members of the body as it should be.
And the result is there is a loss to all concerned. There's something here that I believe we can gather from the last two verses we're considering that life and truth go together. That is, I have heard.
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In in system that living the Christian life is what's important, but how can you live the Christian life? How can you grow up?
Into him and all things apart from the truth, there must be a feeding upon the truth of God.
In communion with the Lord himself, there must be meditation upon the word of God. I suppose that's what's implied in holding it, not just having a head knowledge of it, but having it lay hold upon us in an inward way so that it forms our lives Now. Truth, the truth of God, is not simply so much information, but it should be for the formation of a spiritual life.
It should be for Christian growth. I don't believe we can separate truth from life. And so it's so important that we should be reading the word of God privately and collectively, meditating upon it that it might become part of us, so that the growth will be real Christian growth.
There is a tendency in crystal today sleep much about love, and there's the ecumenical spirit which pervades everything. But this first exhorts us to speak the truth in law. It isn't just that we gloss over error, that we pass over that which is wrong and not according to the will of God, but it's being truthful in love. The second verse was ignored to.
Prepare one, another involved.
But here it is to be truthful, involved, and how important that is in a day when the truth means within us.
172.
Christ and the Church
Address—D. Andersen
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.
General Meetings, Toledo, November 1974, Addressed by Dan Anderson.
Word afford and in connection with that him, Before we sing it, I want to read one portion of scripture in First Corinthians.
Chapter 6.
Verse 17.
He that is joined unto the Lord is 1 Spirit.
210.
One Spirit.
With.
All.
It seems that.
The Lord has.
Laid it upon my heart.
To talk with you, dear young people.
About Christ and the Church.
Now this is a large subject.
And we'll be able to touch upon only a few things, I'm sure.
But if we can carry with us away from this meeting one important thought in connection with Christ and the Church.
00:05:04
It will not have been in vain to be here.
Now the speaker does not profess to know everything about Christ in the church.
But I do thank God for the little bit that he has showed me.
I suppose it started way back years ago.
When the Lord began to exercise my soul about separation.
I saw things going on in denominational circles.
That disturbed me.
And there came a point when I was still a young man.
In college.
To take a stand for Christ and his truth.
To take a stand against doctrinal evil and moral evil.
That I saw was allowed to go on in the circles.
Where I was.
It wasn't easy to take that stand.
But I believe God by his grace, enabled me to do it.
I didn't realize at that time that God was beginning a work in me.
In connection with the truth of Christ and the Church.
But God knows how to teach us.
And God knew where to begin.
Well, I was exercised about separation, but the kind of separation that I entered into at that time was only.
Separation from 1 sect to another one.
But God had begun it.
And as he led me on, I began to see other things I remember.
One time being in Chicago.
And I attended.
I attended a big denominational convention in the Coliseum in Chicago.
And the Lord put me through some exercise there.
That was good for me.
I saw one man get on the platform.
And he gave a good sound gospel message.
But there were two speakers that afternoon.
And the next one got on the platform.
And actually, by what he said, he tore down everything that the other one had said.
It was not the truth.
And I wondered at that time how it could be that from the same platform?
And under the heading of the same denomination.
We could get.
Truth and error from the same platform and seemingly nobody said anything or did anything about it.
It wasn't until years later over in the Belgian Congo.
When the Lord began to show me something of the truth of the one body.
And membership of the one Body, and headship of Christ of the body it was until then.
That I began to realize why there could be a condition like that where evil and truth.
Could stand alongside one another in a convention like that.
The particular denomination I was connected with had forged principle, the independency of churches. Every church was independent of every other church.
And so I found that sometimes in a fundamental, godly church.
They might find their preacher was teaching error. They promptly dismissed him.
But what I saw happen over and over again was that this particular one, or particular ones who were dismissed from one church, they were hired by the next church.
Why? Because there was not an acting upon the fact that we are one body.
They had not seen that blessed truth.
00:10:00
They had not seen that if a man was dismissed in one place, he should be considered dismissed everywhere.
I became deeply exercised about that, especially when I began to see the truth of the one body and that our responsibility was to act as members of one body.
There is one body and one spirit we read in Ephesians chapter 4.
There is one body and one spirit.
Well, it took some time before I came out into more light, but oh, I thank God for those years.
In Africa, as it were in the backside of the desert.
Having God speak to me and show me from his own precious words something.
Of the truth of Christ and the Church.
Now let us turn to 1St Corinthians chapter 12.
Verse 12 For as the body is 1 and half many members, and all the members of that one body being many or one body, so also is Christ.
For by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into or of 1 Spirit.
Paul writes to the Ephesians There is one body and one spirit here. We have the same thing, don't we? But something added.
Whereas the body is 1 Speaking of the human body, and the Apostle Paul uses the human body as an illustration of the body of Christ.
And when we're Speaking of Christ and the Church, Christ and the Church are the one Body.
Christ is the head and we the body, and all of us members.
Of that one body together with Christ are viewed as the body, and here in this portion of Scripture.
It says so also is Christ.
Christ and the Church together are one, and it has a name.
And the name of it is Christ.
That's all we know. We belong to Christ. Join to the Lord one spirit with the Lord.
And we have his name. What a privilege to have his name. And how wonderful to see that there's no confusion in Scripture about this.
Not confusion like we see in Christendom. Different ones, different groups having different names.
We have only one name, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is what the Lord was referring to when he said, Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Do we reverence that name? Do we make much of that name? Does that name mean anything to us?
What a name, The name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That name which is above every name, and when it speaks of the name which is above every name, it's the name of Jesus. But at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.
Now there may be some young people here this afternoon who have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. They have not confessed him as Lord. They haven't bowed to the name of Jesus. Now is the time for that.
Now is the time to bow to the name of the Lord Jesus. Don't wait because every knee should bow. Every knee will have to bow to the name of Jesus, whether now or in the future, whether now or at the Great White throne.
And those who bow at the Great White Throne will find that it only means their doom, because it will be too late to benefit by bowing.
It means that they bow and receive the judgment from the Lord. Oh what a solemn thing. Oh bow to the name of Jesus now, confess him as Lord now.
00:15:00
But I believe most of the young people here this afternoon have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
When you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Was it sort of a formal thing with you?
A routine thing.
Or did you have the assurance in your soul that by faith?
And the Lord Jesus Christ, you received eternal life and the forgiveness of your sin.
And wasn't an experience which caused you to bow before the Lord, the name of Jesus? Anonymous law?
Well, I believe that there are those who have really bowed to the name of Jesus.
And He is your Lord. Perhaps there are others that haven't really entered into what it is to have Jesus as Lord.
You can enter into it now, and if you haven't entered into it, ask the Lord by His grace that you might enter into this, because it's so important to own Jesus as Lord.
The Lord of your life.
One Spirit.
With the law he that is joined to the Lord is 1 Spirit. Why does it say that? Why doesn't it say join to Christ? Because that is true. Well there in that particular scripture it says join to the law.
And I believe when we enter into being joined to the Lord, what it means to be joined to him.
Will bow to him as our Lord.
Now we have here brought before us the illustration of a human body, whereas the body is 1 and have many members.
And all the members of that one body that is human body being many are one body.
Everyone of us.
Has a body a human body.
It has a head.
And it has members.
But the whole is spoken of as the body.
There we have a picture of Christ and the Church, the body, the body of Christ.
The body of Christ has a head, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The saved ones are members of that body, and all together they form the one body together with Christ the head to whom they're joined.
Now it says in that verse of scripture in First Corinthians 6 he that is joined unto the Lord.
Is 1 spirit.
Here in this scripture it tells us for one by one spirit.
Are we all baptized into one body? We find that the Holy Spirit.
Acts in connection with joining us to Christ, the head of the body.
You say you're saved.
What does it mean to be saved?
Well, it's a little different from having life.
Leavers in the Old Testament had life. They were children of God.
But it couldn't really be said that they were saved because they did not have the Holy Spirit.
And they had not been joined to Christ.
And they were not united to Christ in the heavenlies as we are, and blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in him.
You say you're saved. You have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and accepted him as your savior.
And you are conscious of the fact that your sins are forgiven and that you have eternal life.
You call God your Father.
The Holy Spirit has come to dwell in your heart.
And it's that Holy Spirit that has joined you through the Lord Jesus Christ ahead in the glory.
Not only that, but that Holy Spirit has joined you to every other one who is saved.
And as the Holy Spirit joining us to Christ and joining us to one another.
That makes US1 body. Surely This is why it says there is one body.
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And one spirit.
The One Spirit. The Holy Spirit.
Would occupy us with Christ. The gospel is preached. The Spirit of God is at work.
To impress your soul with the fact that you need the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.
He is the one that's come into this world to convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
And He is the one that makes you see that you need the Lord Jesus Christ, that you need His sacrifice on Calvary. You need His precious blood to wash your sins away.
The Holy Spirit is the one who is at work, and I trust that the Spirit of God might be free to work.
In these meetings, in the gospel meetings, In the reading meetings, in the ministry of the Word.
In such a way that we will be really impressed and helped and encouraged.
And that we might grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Oh, what a work the Spirit of God did on the day of Pentecost when he came down.
And he baptized all those believers there in that upper room into one body.
And join them to the Lord Jesus Christ who had gone to glory.
And that was the day that the body, the Church of God, was formed.
Here on Earth.
Those 120 believers in that upper room were all joined together into one unit. They had not been that way before. They had been individual believers, individual children of God.
But they had not been joined together into one unit.
Nor had they been joined by the Spirit of God to Christ in glory.
But that's what took place on that day, the day of Pentecost.
Now I'm sure that most of you here have heard these things before, but.
There's always the chance that some have not heard it, and it's like with the gospel.
I don't believe it's in vain to go over and over again.
Because we have a tendency to forget these wonderful truths.
And some of the things that go on in Christendom, and even among ourselves, tells me.
That.
These truths are being forgotten. We may have them in a certain way in our heads.
We may have been exposed to them intellectually.
But all what's needed is for them to get hold of our hearts.
And to get down into our feet.
That we might have Truth in Boots, as one late brother expressed it, Truth in Boots.
It's not enough simply to talk about the one body, that we're members of one body and we're responsible to act as one body.
But we must see it for ourselves, each one individually.
That we have responsibility to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
To act as members of one body.
Now getting back to the illustration we have here of a human body the.
You know very well.
Why? You have the different members of the body? They're all necessary because this is an expression we get further down in this chapter, verse 22. Nay, much more. Those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. All the members of the body are necessary.
And maybe a man has lost his right arm.
Or his right hand.
As long as he had two hands, he could easily wash his hands, one washing the other.
But now he doesn't have a hand over here and he has just one hand. How is he going to wash this hand? It becomes increasingly difficult, doesn't it, to wash that one hand? How can it wash itself? How is he going to get it washed?
All the hands need each other.
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And as you sit and meditate upon this, you can see how the different parts of the body need each other.
How about the person that doesn't have any hands?
And he sits down to a nice supper. How is he going to eat it?
How is he going to eat it?
The hands serve the head serve the mouth.
And the more feeble members are necessary.
And I noticed down here in verse 21.
The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee.
The eye.
Cannot say to the hand I don't need you.
What when you if you get a piece of dirt?
Into your eyes and if you didn't have a hand.
How would you attempt to get it out?
And if you didn't have a hand you wanted to shield your eye from the sun, how would you do it?
Well, these are just simple things, but I think we need it simply to impress upon us how needful the various members of the human body are. But what's the Apostle Paul teaching us?
How necessary the members of Christ body are.
The members of the one body.
You need me and I need you.
We need one another.
All that we might see this, all that we might feel it, and I trust that the Spirit of God will bring home to our hearts.
Something of what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ, to be part of Christ and the Church.
It tells us here.
So also is Christ. In verse 12 so also is Christ.
Been telling us about the human body. It's one has many members, but all those members are one body.
Being many are one body.
So also is Christ. That's a mystical body. That's the new man that Paul speaks of in Ephesians chapter two, made-up of Jew and Gentile believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Newman, the Mystical Man, One Body, the Mystic Body, the Body of Christ, Christ in the Church.
So also is Christ.
Oh, I trust that we might get a vision of that this afternoon.
To see what it is to be members one of another part of that one body, and to be joined to Christ the head and the glory.
Now notice further in that 21St verse.
Nor again the head.
Through the feet. I have no need of you when I first saw that.
When that came home to me with power.
It moved me.
The head. Who's the head? Christ.
He cannot say to the feet the lowest member. I have no need of these.
The Lord Jesus Christ needs everyone of his members, everyone of the members of his body. He needs them. He needs you.
You, dear child of God, dear young person, who knows the Lord is your savior, concealed by the Spirit of God, joined to Christ.
And joined to all other believers. He needs you. Christ needs you.
Now if you were looking.
At the context of that verse in First Corinthians 6 that I read.
You would notice there that it speaks about being joined to a harlot.
Dear young people.
The harlots, often in Scripture, speaks of or symbolic of the false systems of religion.
If we're joined to these things, we're not true to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think of a man who's married.
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And he joins himself with a harlot. Is he true to his wife? No. You say that that's infidelity.
But when it comes into the spiritual realm, so often we act in a similar way. We act on the same principle. We're careless about, but we're joined to.
What we get linked up with, what we're associated with.
This is being true to Christ.
Oh, I trust.
But we might see something in the Scripture that will really stir us up.
And want us, make us want to be true and faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Just think of all he has done for us. Christ loved the church and gave himself for.
Christ loved the Church and gave himself for.
Speaking of the truth of Christ and the Church, we actually find it all the way through Scripture.
However, we didn't know it was in the Old Testament until we had the New Testament revelation through the Apostle Paul. Nor we didn't know it was there in the Old Testament. It was hidden there. In a sense, it tells us in Ephesians chapter three that it was hidden in God because the truth of Christ in the church was a mystery or secret thing, or it was a hidden thing hidden in God, hidden in the counsels of God.
He hadn't revealed it in the Old Testament.
But when you come to such a scripture like we have in chapter 2 of Genesis.
Where it speaks of Adam and Eve, and how Eve was formed and given to Adam.
We find out that that's a type of Christ and the church.
In fact, the Apostle Paul, if you turn to Ephesians chapter four or five.
Ephesians chapter 5.
You'll find that the Apostle Paul makes, reference or quotes a scripture that's found in that second chapter of Genesis.
Ephesians chapter 5.
31.
And I'll read verse 30 with it.
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Can you think of anything more intimate than that when we're joined to Christ?
We are made members of his body, of His flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife.
And they too shall be 1 Flesh. That is a quotation from Genesis, the second chapter. Well, what does this mean? It means that the Apostle Paul, by the Spirit of God, is taking that chapter back there, and he's connecting it with this truth of the church that He's bringing before us.
He's really saying Adam and Eve are a type of Christ and the Church.
And then there are other types in the Old Testament.
You think of Isaac and Rebecca.
Type of Christ and the Church.
And Joseph down there in Egypt, taking a gentile bride, Asana.
And there are others.
This truth was hidden in God.
And God was keeping it.
In his counsel.
But God, saying it reverently, was so full of this precious truth.
This precious thing.
He was so full.
Of this precious thing, that Christ his Son was going to have a bride, that he must tell it out.
Not so that men could see it or understand it.
But for his own enjoyment. And so he pictured Christ and the Church.
And Adam and Eve.
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I believe this tells us how wonderful this truth was as far as God was concerned.
But there was a time for it to be revealed, and God didn't reveal it before time. God knows just when to do things.
And oh, what a day it was when God could open up his heart.
And tell us about Christ and his church about Christ.
And you and me, all of us together, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, this was a wonderful day for God when he could give this revelation.
And it came through Paul's servant Paul.
In Christendom generally.
The epistles of the Apostle Paul are not read.
And this is one reason why this blessed truth is not more known than it is in fact. In some places, it's unknown altogether. In many places they read only the Gospels, if they read any of the New Testament.
I realized that when I first began to see the truth.
I found out that if I had to learn the truth concerning Christ in the church, I'd have to get into the Epistles.
I translated the Gospel of John into the native tongue in Africa, and I got many good things from that. If this from that gospel.
Oh God, used it to speak to my soul. Then I remember when I translated.
The Epistles to the Corinthians.
God began to speak to me more.
This truth is here. I didn't know it before, but it was in the word of God, and God was showing it to me.
Then our translated Ephesians.
The Lord kept showing me more and more until I realized.
I could not stay with denominationalism anymore.
There was only one body, and I wanted to acknowledge that I belong to that and that alone.
And was joined to Christ the head and the glory. I had no human head.
Well, this went on until I finally wanted to find those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ on the ground of the one body.
The first ones I came in contact with were some who professed to be gathered, professed to be brethren, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What I found as I went on with them and learned more of their principles and ways.
That they were really not gathered on the ground of the one body. They were gathered on the ground of independent churches.
And that is what I had left when I left the denomination the ground of independent churches.
And I found myself on the same ground with these who profess to be gathered.
On the ground of independent churches.
And they would give out that doctrine right in their meetings. When they were pressed to it, I questioned them and they said, yes, we're gathered on the ground of independent churches.
Because I had put before them in a certain meeting.
When we were reading in the book of the Acts, and very seldom they had reading meetings in those independent assemblies.
And most of you will recognize that I'm Speaking of those who are commonly known as open brethren.
Rather speak of them as independent.
Brethren or independent assemblies because that's the ground they take.
So I put before them a case.
I said we'll take, for example that in one assembly.
They become exercised about a certain one in their midst who's going on with iniquity.
Going on instead, I didn't specify any respect particular scene.
But I said this assembly becomes exercised about putting them away from among them, this putting this person away from among themselves.
And they put him away.
This particular person goes over to an adjoining community where there's another assembly that's supposed to be in fellowship with them.
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And they are acquainted with the facts of the case. Know what this assembly has done in putting him away? He goes over there, and he wants to break bread with him.
What are they to do with him?
The responsible Brethren there in that meeting were loath to say anything.
Finally, one of them.
Became the mouthpiece for the rest of them.
And he said when that man goes over there.
They can do what they like with him.
Every assembly is in independent of every other assembly. If they want to receive him, that's that's up to them.
It was like a bombshell.
I knew I was in the wrong place.
I've been looking to the Lord to show me.
Seen these principles at work?
And I was afraid that that's the kind of thing I was connected with, but I didn't want to leave there if the Lord really was there in the midst.
And we were gathered on the ground of the truth. I didn't want to leave, but there and then I saw, no, the Lord can't be there.
They're not on the ground of the one body. They're not really gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're not subject to His authority in their midst.
I can't go on with them any long.
Well, it was really a sad day because there were many dear brethren there, there.
Amongst those assemblies.
But I couldn't go on with them. I tried to help some of them and they were. Some of them were exercised.
But they never moved. They thought more of brethren than they did of the Lord. And this is 1 principle that we'll have to learn dear young people.
To think more of the Lord than a brethren. To honor the Lord, To put him first. What does the Lord want? What does the Lord say?
Or that we might bow to him as law.
Well, the Apostle Paul goes on here in Ephesians chapter 5 and after he has made this quotation from Genesis chapter 2.
He says in verse 32. This is a great mystery.
But I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
He has just finished quoting that portion of Scripture in connection with Adam and Eve.
And then he says this is a great mystery.
But I speak concerning Christ and the Church. You see how he by this is giving us warrant to go back to the book of Genesis and use Adam and Eve as a type of Christ in the Church.
And if you study that, we might turn back there for the little while that's left.
And notice.
Some things in connection with Adam and Eve.
Genesis Chapter 2.
And what the apostle Paul is quoting in that chapter is verse 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be 1 flesh.
You see how the New Testament in the Old Testament are linked together. It's this way time and again.
And what a thrilling meditation and study it is to just go back and forth.
New Testament to the Old Testament Old Testament to the New Testament. They're constantly linked together.
And once you see a few of these things, you see, well, it's one book. It has one author.
Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
All. There are many who have attempted to read the word of God.
With man's wisdom, with man's eyes.
And they've seen only a jumble.
But when the Spirit of God helps you to read the word of God, meditate upon us. You see how it all dovetails together.
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Marvel to see how it's all linked together in the Old Testament. You get the figures, especially in the Pentateuch.
What's the Pentateuch? The five books of Moses? What are the five books of Moses?
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy in some Bibles.
In some languages into which the Bible is translated, you will find that Genesis is called the first book of Moses.
Exodus is called the second book of Moses and so on 3rd book of Moses, 4th book of Moses, 5th book of Moses, the Pentateuch, 5 books in that really one book.
God used Moses by his Holy Spirit to write that book.
And don't let anybody tell you anything else. There will be those who will be trying to tell you something else.
But when I see how in the New Testament the Lord Jesus Christ himself, when he was here on earth, quoting from the Old Testament and from Moses, he quotes from there, and he puts his shield of approval upon the whole thing. And then in the revelation from the Lord to the Apostle Paul again we see the Lord putting his seal of approval upon the Old Testament as the word of God.
This is one thing. The linking of it together shows us the design of God. God is behind it. No one else could ever have put a book together like this, written by men of different temperaments and different ways of life and so on. And you would think you would get a hodgepodge, but it isn't.
It's all cunningly put together by God himself with the Spirit of God. Move these men to write. Isn't it marvelous?
Oh, let's have more confidence in this word. Let us trust it. It's God's word, and let us have our lives ordered by.
Let's look at this second chapter of Genesis.
It says here in verse 18 the Lord God said it is not good that the man should be alone.
Don't you see now what God is talking about?
He's talking about the man Christ Jesus. All true. He was talking about Adam as well.
But can't you see in that that Adam now is merely a type of the Lord Jesus?
God did not want his beloved Son as man to be alone. It's true that when he came into this world, he was alone.
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from him. Nobody wanted anything to do with him. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
All alone.
Why? Because there was #1 here like Christ.
He was one-of-a-kind.
The human race was another kind. All had sinned and come short of the glory of God. A fallen race, earthly race.
The Lord Jesus Christ was a heavenly 1 The heavenly mind, and he stood alone here in this scene.
But he was looking for companions.
Just like we find Adam here.
God says I will make Him and help me for him.
I don't know if you told Adam this or not.
But nevertheless we find that.
Adam was doing the work and he named all the creatures and.
And in verse 20 it says, And Adam gave names to all cattle into the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam now watch this language there was not found.
And help meet for him.
Who's looking for a help meet?
Who was looking for companion, it would seem from this?
Adam was looking for a companion, but there wasn't any.
The Blessed Lord Jesus came down into this world and he was looking for companions.
But there wasn't any.
The companion had to be made. The companion had to be formed. The companion had to be shaped.
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That was the only way the Lord Jesus could get a companion.
That's why the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus you must be born again.
You'll never be fit for heaven. You'll never be fit for the heavenly man until you're born again.
Our work has to be done.
But isn't there note of sadness here? There was not found and helped meet for him. Adam looking didn't find one.
I suppose there would be those who would think, well, if he looked at the monkey or the ape, he could find one.
But no, it didn't make any difference what the creature was. It wasn't suitable.
Why? Because Adam in that creation stood alone.
And all the animal creation was of a different order.
He was of the heavenly order as Christ. Yes, he's a type of the heavenly one. He was above the animal creation. Adam was the Adam the creation. The creature was down here on this level. Adam was up on a higher level.
And it wasn't possible to get a companion from that lower level of creation.
It wasn't possible for the Lord Jesus Christ to find a companion from the lower level.
Of the sinful race of mind.
That's why I had to go to the cross and die.
So that's what we get pictured down here now in the next.
The Lord God caused the deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
What a lovely picture.
Of that verse Christ loved the Church and gave himself for.
Christ loved the church and gave himself heart. Look at Adam going into a deep sleep.
I don't know if God told Adam what he was going to do.
But we don't need to know that.
But there's one thing about it.
Adam submitted to what God did.
And he slept that deep sleep.
But a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ going into death, laying down his life.
Voluntarily laying it down, he says. I'll lay down my life that I might take it again.
Why did he do that?
For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shape.
Well, one of the joys set before him surely was that he was going to have a bride. He was going to get a companion out of going into that deep sleep of death.
Laying down his life and his precious blood was shed there at Calvary.
And what came out of that open side?
Yes, the blood in the water came out.
But that came out from that open side dock which is the foundation of the building of the church.
Like this rib that came out of Adam's side was the foundation for the building of a companion for Adam.
In the Septuagint version.
Of this particular verse it says he built.
Up a woman on the rib.
Which emphasizes the fact that.
That rib was the foundation for the building of the woman. What came out of the sight of the Lord Jesus Christ His Precious Blood and the water is the foundation.
For the building of the church.
And then we think about the love that was poured out.
It was a rib taken from the side of Adam.
The place of the affection. The place of love.
And when you transfer this to the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see him hanging there on Calvary's cross?
You see that spear piercing aside, and out came the blood in the water.
Oh, you can see the love, the Lord Jesus Christ being poured out upon us. Poor wretched sinners.
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He poured out his love.
On the church.
And there is one thing sure.
About those who are saved, who are members of the body of Christ. They've been loved.
They have been loved with a love that's supreme and there's no love like it.
You know what happens.
When you and I get saved.
The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. That same love is shed abroad there. We love him because he first loved us.
Have you seen the love of the Lord Jesus Christ poured out upon you their Calvary?
Surely it must do something to your soul to see it.
How stirring it is?
And think about his love poured out upon us, and we didn't deserve a bit of it.
By grace are you saved through faith and not not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should force.
Oh, what? Love. Christ loved the church.
And gave himself for, pictured here in Adam.
The fact of it in Christ.
What a lesson to get from this second chapter of Genesis.
How thankful we should be that God did not keep this blessed truth hidden.
Knowing the truth, the Revelation in the New Testament, we can go back and we can get some precious things.
From these types and shadows in the Old Testament.
And then it says in the end of verse 22, and brought her unto the man.
Oh, what a day that must have been for Adam.
To see that companion, that woman, Eve.
Brought to him.
Now God didn't call her Eve. It was Adam that called her Eve, because she's the mother of all living.
Actually is because Adam had faith in God that even though sin had come in and brought in ruin.
This companion of his was to be the mother of all living, not of all dying.
And we get a precious prophecy in connection.
With all of this too, after the ruin has come in.
But all that it did must have been for Adam to have that companion.
What a day it is for the Lord Jesus Christ when a soul gets saved and is made part of his body.
Of his church.
And we're brought to Christ.
Given to him.
And oh, what about that moment when we're caught up to meet the Lord in the air? And then we'll be acknowledged by him.
As his wife, the wife of the Lamb given to him to be his for all eternity.
What a moment of joy for him.
And his joy will be. Our joy will be associated with him in his joy. Are you looking forward to it? I am.
Looking forward to being with him, to being if officially presented to himself in the glory. There's his wife and the wife. The term wife means relationship. It signifies relationship. And we're going to be in in relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ in a special way, forever.
Now notice in verse 23.
She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man.
Now woman and man are virtually the same word. I understand that the one is feminine, the other masculine, but really they have the same name and it's borne out in chapter 5, which says he called their name Adam.
He called their name Adam.
What is Christ in the Church called? So also is Christ.
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May the Lord help you, dear young people.
To meditate further on this, we've just touched on the high spots, perhaps just here and there.
But I trust it might stir you to read for yourselves and meditate for yourselves, and pray over the word of God. Get into the Lord's presence.
And let him make these things more precious to you, and may he make them more precious to all of us.
Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today and Forever
Address—A.C. Hayhoe
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.
Willis, turn with me, please, to the dispersal to the Hebrews.
1.
Hebrews chapter one, verse one.
God full at Sunday Times and in divers manners.
Faith in time passed under the Father by the prophets, half in these last days.
Spoken unto us by His Son.
Whom he hath appointed all of all things.
By whom also he made the world.
Within the brightness of His glory and the expressed inadvertent person.
And that folding all things by the word of this power, when he had by himself.
Heard our thing, sat down on the light hand of a majesty on I.
Can I please do that third verse over again? And I would like your eye to rest slowly on these wonderful, thrilling words as we read them. Who be the brightness of His glory.
When the express image of his person.
End up holding all in by the word of his power when he had by himself.
Heard our sins stop down on the right hand of the majesty on high.
Don't you find a thrill in your soul if you leave those words?
The person of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and drive it in such wonderful languages.
When someone is in love very dearly, it is wrong with your soul resources. And when I read these words, I think I am reading a description of my favorite, the one who loved me, who died for me.
My soul overflows as I read them. It's so exhausting.
The one who not only created all things, but uphold all things when he had by himself.
Through our city now, this is a young people meeting. It's not recorded as a young believers meeting a young people's needs.
And I feel applauded and the responsibilities I stand here.
To emphasize.
The fact that unless you know the Lord Jesus Christ or your favorite, you don't even have those right to express the words of this word when he's found by himself.
First, our sins all if you look around this company that's not your name. Can you buy the branch of God, get your inflation that's wonderful.
That glorious statement. Can you say yes, thank God?
My sin is, before we go on a Friday, my friend, will you just personally answer that question?
Our skin I can stand here and say mind, Thank God and many another before they can stay in mind. Also thank God the loving friend. Can you say the same?
I feel a particular burden with boys and girls and young people growing up in a Christian home where this person is love and reverence and the person and the name of the Lord, Egypt Christ is honored and frequently referred to.
And perhaps you cannot get there. My sin. We love and died for Sydney.
People ever heard taken away. The work is done. She has ascended. She is seated now at the right hand of the majesty of all. The work will never be repeated. Nothing can ever be added to it.
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And it's a joy to many of us to say ours in man also.
Please beloved friends, is this is not true. Don't even wait till the gospel meeting tonight, right now in this young people's address as you look at those two words.
All sins allow it to speak to your heart, allow it to hurt your deeply. And if you can't faithfully and joyfully say thank God, I sit in whisper then beloved friends, don't wait another moment, don't wait another moment. Right now is the moment to accept.
The one who loved and died for him. The one who said his precious blood just goes out silky way this season now as you're very old.
No, because you know him about crazy when we read a verse like this and find our souls cuts and stirred with the wonder of it all out turned this process broken fine more of Christ to warm our heart to direct our footsteps and to brighten the hope of that his life before turn please now to the last chapter of Hebrews Hebrews chapter.
13 verse seven. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God.
Whose faith follows considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ.
The same yesterday.
And today?
And forever.
I believe you and I know that the efficiency of sea breed was ripping particularly.
To those who had been so long accustomed to a form of religion that was God-given, and that before their very eyes could be pointed to with a matter of spiritual pride.
On BBC social points to one thing after another, but not through a God filled Hebrew would look upon with gladness and response and the Lord Jesus Christ in chapter after chapter is presented in glorious contrast to all that it would naturally be. Glory then, and demonstrated to be so much better.
There's everything that formerly had been known among them, but one by one all is set aside. In chapter one we find angels resisted before Adam was created. Angels and all three officially find one thing after him after another compared or contrasted with the person of our Lord Jesus Christ until we come down to.
And we find ourselves getting pretty close to the very present time here. There is a reminder that we are to recall those.
Who have the those who have the rule over you, taking the lead among you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, Now the only beloved young people. When I was one of the young people, which I guess was quite a while ago, I, I used to wonder why.
I wouldn't have someone a little closer to our own age stand up to address the young people. Why do they always pick on someone?
Oh, to talk to young people and I think I know how you feel as you sit there and be someone who is very far removed from being one of.
But I want to tell you this.
At this very word I shift my soul about that which I experienced as a young soul and as a young man. It was a privilege, so I suppose I didn't realize or appreciate it as I should have. It was a privilege for which I now thank God with all my heart.
But I was able to sit and listen to a faithful voices of those who had known and loved and followed the Lord Jesus Christ through many years. And they stood up and presented to us from the word of God. That's what they hoped and prayed would be outside.
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To our footsteps they presented to us the person.
Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, and I knew very well, as I listened to them, it was not simply a truth of doctrine that they had followed. Through this book you see the lighting of faithful men. I knew when I stood up to speak that they were Speaking of that which was very, very real to them.
They had affected their entire life, which had given to them.
Of hope, which was shining brightly made. So this is hope, I say. I thank God for that memory, most of them.
And they think I thought of the youth are now with the Lord.
But I'm called upon here to remember. I'm called upon here to remember that fifth day ministry and to follow their faith.
Let me just emphasize that because I know very well beloved young people, as you look at those of us who are not young anymore, you can see inconsistency, you can see failure. You can't see that the things that we stay and are always demonstrated in our welcome testimony. But I noticed this too when I was a young fellow and I was just pointed out to my father.
I used to say that he does this or he does that, and I thought I had a pretty good loser.
Permission for a little divergent on my part and my father would always come back with this first son, this, this, this as he's faithful, not his failures follow. I could stop the failures and I'm quite sure you can see, but the word of God says to faith follow. That was a good word and I needed it very, very much.
The failure seemed greater than the face to me.
But now that those dear men of God are gone, I thank God I forgot you that this may at that time have been to me to have been inconsistency of failures. I tell you I can remember the face and I thank God for it. But notice, please that goes on to say, considering the end of their conversation, Jesus Christ.
Is saying yesterday and today and forever.
The goal and object and purpose of their life. What was it? Was it to make money? Was it to gain a reputation and it becomes popular in this world? I had a business world or the religious world. I believe that this would put before us that this ought to be and with the measure I trusted.
We own the goal, the object of yours, conversation, your life.
My father told me that not long after he started in business in Toronto.
Is he the letter something to do with the business he was operating? And the very first sentence in the letter was this. You are in business for the same reason we are. We make money.
Just that one something. He laid the letter down and found his head and asked God that it might not be so. You are in business for that letter for the same reason we are to make money.
Considering the end of our conversation, Jesus Christ.
The same yesterday and today and forever really do love a young brother in Christ, Young sister in Christ. I tell you right now, he's just there. There's someone who's looking at you and who loves you. Would love to put him to cowardly, strong and knows all about every perfect and every plan in your life.
And I can tell you this, that in a measuring which this is truly in that matter, you will have a happy life with the blessing of the Lord upon you. In what measure could it be said of you or of me? The end of our conversation being displayed this day yesterday.
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And today and forever. I was particularly to speak of this age first.
In this place the same yesterday.
You know what he looks like, we are reminded, as we find in the language of the season one. But before ever the foundations of the earth were laid, you and I were chosen in him. Let's turn back to that, shall we please in chapter one?
Verse 3.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as these past chosen our favorite journey.
For the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself.
According to the Good pleasure as well. Isn't that thrilling? Isn't that marvelous?
Be forever. The foundations of the earth were laid. Once in a while you leave an account that is supposed to date for history from the origin of this world, this universe, far, far back into the distance. When I read it, I smile a bit at their very dogmatic statement. And yet when I read what they have to say.
I saved myself before ever it all began in me, all about me and he said his love upon me, he throws me. It's not marvelous, chosen and Hindi for the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him any love.
How marvelous that is. It could be said of angels, holy and without blame before him. But those two added words that apply to you and that apply to me should fill our hearts. Feel her flow in love.
In love.
He wanted you, he chose you, and as we were reminded yesterday, we needed you. Well, that sounds a little too strong.
He needed you. I believe it's good to. I believe it's true. He doesn't believe me, nor does he leave me as a servant to be his bidding. That is our very, very wonderful privilege.
He was supposed to see himself in everything but this one thing. He needed objects upon which to be so. The affection of his loving heart. He can get along without me as far as service is concerned.
It's nearly 32. We can't get along without me. As far as a lot of the large heart is concerned, He leads me. Heaven would not be complete without me. Just imagine making mistakes like that. But it's true. The heart of the Lord Jesus was set upon me. He loved me. He told me He paid the price for me.
He received me and my dearly beloved young brother and young sister in fight. If there's anything calculated to steal your heart and affect your whole life as this.
If you were chosen before heaven, a foundation of the earth were laid because he loved you so much, He loved you so much.
Madam, who destinated after the adoption of school in the city, to be involved in the court that lavishly that is referred to as yesterday.
He chose after the adopted children. Now I enjoy the fact that there are two ways in which we can become part of a household. We're spoken of in a season 2 of Being of a Household of God.
And there are two ways that are not in which someone can become.
You can be part of that household by birth or by adoption, and I believe it would be right to say that each has a special prevalence.
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The one born into a family can look at his father and say I shared a very life and nature of this man.
My father, but that God cannot say. And my father wanted me and chose me. A child born their family cannot stay there, but an adopted God can look at his father and say he wanted me.
And it's so late. But the adopted 5 cannot stay. And I shared a life and nature of my father that is not so. In which manner did you and I become part of the household of God? Both. Both blood. Isn't it marvelous? You, my dear brother, and you, my dear sister, are part of a household of God.
Part of our TV's family by choice, by adoption.
By birth you and I have been born again, born to the very family of God. And so as we look back is in his you spoken about to say yesterday. We see that love which shows us before ever the foundation of the earth were made. We see that love that brought from the course of glory down in this world.
To accomplish the mighty work of redemption.
What door don't need to set you and me free from the bonds that held us after? Far more than that, my friend. Far more than that.
He chose me and he redeemed it unto himself. You remember that when God made policy Israel in the 5th Director, he spoke our delivering them out of the burden and the ******* of the Egyptians. And then he said, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm with great judgment, and I will take you to leave for a people.
Glad and wondrous thoughts He shows you He loves you from that past eternity He came to this world, beloved friend.
It ordered that food affectionately satisfied in the redeeming of your soul. Through himself you belong to Him, and by His mouthless place. So they are. Is this a ******* or is this a delight?
It surely could be a delight to every one of us.
Believable, I suppose it should fiercely be full and that Paul is deployment of this researcher and I wonder sometimes, you know as Paul wrote these words, Jesus Christ the same yesterday.
He knew full well the love that had been from a past eternity. He is the one who was inspired to write that message in a season. But I wonder sometimes too, if he looks back to his own boyhood and reached.
You remember the time when the ones were about to stone, season to death, laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man. A young man.
Named Storm the first weapon to the feet.
Of the apocalypse. The first time I see our mansion is surrounded by the garment of those who are about to put speed into death because he loved and confessed the name of Jesus.
Oh, I tell you, when Paul looks back upon that, he must have marveled with delight in aberration. I belong of the one who looked upon him in such a condition, and redeemed him, and redeemed those beautiful truth to walk in the path that would be to the glory of God. Dear young brother, dear young sister, who loves you, You know he did.
He loves you long before you had your being. You know that's true.
He came to this world and paid the budget price of revenge before you. You know that's true. Does he not now have a claim over you? So with your heart and mind should gladly immediately and eagerly respond? Will it not go with solidarity when he discovered the wonder that one?
Is very mainly despised and his followers who persecuted when he discovered the wonder of that Percy.
The love that was shined down upon him, oh, over the life of that man.
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Dear young brother, dear young sister, this ought to have any stress between life. It ought to have an effect upon mine. The fact that when I look back, when you look back, you can see as far back as you wish to look, the love of him who is the same yesterday and now the same.
Today, glorious plastic, wondrous reality, the One who loves you and gave himself for you is the one who now lives. The love of brother and sister now lives for you and for me. The God of Israel did not leave his people out of the ******* of Egypt.
Leaving on a bank for the Red Sea and tell them not away off. One day they will land disclosed with milk and honey and I'll meet you when we get there.
Not for one moment. That's not the kind of God that Israel had, and that's not the kind of failure that you and I have. You have, I have a favor in love with stronger than death. One who went to the cross of Calvary, into the depth of darkness there in order that he might be used to himself. And now.
He lives for you of Rhonda in the glory.
Will soon be the C2 That you get greatly home more than that.
We want to, and we want me to have a life filled with His richest blessing and filled with joy and happiness.
Now I wonder, I wonder if you were able to ask me this question, what would your answer and mine be as he looked at this very moment in your heart? The one who loved you, the one who died for you, the one who lived for you, the one who was the same yesterday and is the same today.
And all those plans and purposes of yours are making it open before him. He knows all about them. He knows all about them. There is nothing hidden there that is not already known to him.
BB I kneel down in his presence, look up to him with the future before and ask him beloved young people, ask him to formulate those plans for us, to guide us and direct us before ever we make those plans.
Oh, what a Princess and wonderful things would be if this was so with each and every one of us.
We have our own motives. I greatly fear we make our own plans. I doubt not. And then perhaps then perhaps feel that we have done all that as a Christian is required of us is a dominant uneven. Ask the Lord to bless those plans. Oh, as I look around at you, dear young brothers and dear young sisters and realize that.
Leave us here, still, ever so many, to show you that you must face, and perhaps you're facing them right here. Make those decisions, beloved young brother and sister. Make those to be on your knees, conscious of the eye of him.
Who was the same yesterday in a classic eternal wonder of his love. And he wants to bless thee, You know that. He wants you to be happy, you know that. Who was interested otherwise more than those? It was the voice of the country. It brought up so many into this world. And that voice is not spilled today. That voice whispered in.
When that voice whispers in my ear, suggesting to you and suggesting to me that the pathway of obedience to the Word of God, the pathway of following a regressive failure, is going to be one of these 50 Times Now. Nothing we're going to miss a great deal of pleasant. Not for the love of young people, not so.
Easy to say yesterday. The love of talking about stop reading is the same love that looks down upon you today.
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And want to stand by you and guide you step by step and influence the forming of those plans and the making of those decisions.
I feel it very much because.
I I must confess that I pray to the personal experience of making certain decisions right at conference time, which I've never regretted.
It was at a conference in Ottawa.
Years ago.
But I bowed my knees and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior.
And for the season, I've never regretted.
It was at a conference in Toronto years ago.
When I first enjoyed the privilege of remembering my Lord Jesus.
In death many years ago by Sanchez for that decision.
And the friendship and the bonds of marriage for which I thank him.
Were formulated and decided right here at a conference just like this. Not as large as this, I know, but I want to look out upon you young people and see you here together.
I wonder what they say. Is that being made? I wonder what plans are being formulated.
Don't leave them out.
Don't leave him out.
He loved him. He died for you, He lived for you.
And He will guide you. It's your only love.
I'll say it again, he will guide you.
If you only let him. But he looks into this part of mind, he looks into that part of yours, and he can see and deserve. Master, we very often can't be there in ourselves.
Can you get down on your knees with the plans that are right now before you and lay them all out before the net?
He remembered how he submitted with those who were journeying toward America and said to them what my conversation there is that we have one with another.
You can give them an advance warning and he is going to accompany them.
I wonder if he tapped any of us on the shoulder. May I say it with all residents as we walk along and convert together? And he suddenly appeared beside us and said, what manner of conversation are these? If you have one with another? Would we hang our heads with embarrassment?
What would be the topic of our conversation? They were experienced with truth, but I believe their conversation concerns themselves, even though there was a misconception involved. Bill, we beloved young people presently at this conference. May God grant that our conversation, even between the meetings maybe such as would cause us no embarrassment if the Lord Jesus appeared beside you and said what manner of conversations?
And when the Lord appeared at the tent door of Aben and cherished, there wasn't any hustle and bustle to rearrange things. In that sense. A high bitter cover up there. Who was immediately at home?
Able himself and I, I speak to you because I love you. To young people, I want you to be happy and I want your pathway to be a happy one.
I can only say that, but I hurt me.
And recall the happiness of those that I had known over the years would walk in the light of this perfect book. They loved it.
They delighted in its pages, they bowed to his message. And did they find the path miserable and now and difficult and restricting? Did they look stuck on it as they were disappointed in what had been blocked? Not for one moment, Not for one moment.
These amazing sugar you need to me and you will buy know that they never has been a man or a woman. It lives to please God, but walks according to the light of this classic book that ever looks back upon it and said oh how much I've made not for one moment. We dear young people still have it before you have it before you ask the Lord to leave it to you.
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And if you will continue to say I doubt.
I believe with all my heart that we're going home soon. All the more reason why the one who is the same yesterday and today and forever should have that to clean place in this part of mine and they're not part of yours.
You know, even as I think of this, I go back to the reference the governments that were laid at the feet of all of charges that young man and now.
He has started out on that race. He has decided to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. He has been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, and the object of his life is to live to plead the one who has redeemed him.
And those feet are found on a journey forward.
Working towards the door from time to time. He was in prison and those people put fast in the stock. It wasn't a very easy thing. It wasn't a popular one or a day move on, as the world might call it. But you and I know very well, as you read the writings of this year, man of God, that wherever he was, in whatever circumstances he might be found.
He rejoices.
In the Lord and I cannot look out at your beloved young people and promise you it is you will follow the Lord Jesus Christ if you will allow him who is the same yesterday and today and forever to be the one before you at all cards. I cannot promise you.
The kind of life that will be popular in this world and unsure of this world.
We mentioned a few weeks ago to a group of young people in Toronto what seems to me to be rather remarkable.
A group of tourists were going through an art gallery.
On the wall.
Painting called The Light of the World, a picture of the Lord Beaver painted by Home and Hunt.
And the guide who is taking it forth, they stopped in front of that picture and commented that they were exceedingly glad to have that picture in the collection, that the price paid was, if I remember the figure correctly, 120,000 dollars, $120,000 paid for that beautiful painting in the army among the poorest.
Was a Christian man.
Are you still looking at the painting for some time? And then he turned to those who were still family by and he said, ladies and gentlemen.
The original Light of the World was sold for 30 pieces of silver.
Not remarkable to sometimes he himself the light of the world.
Soul unwanted for 30 piece of service and a Painting of the light of the World for $120,000. I say that beyond you because I don't want to leave you in a false impression, but if you follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we're going to find everyone part of you on the back, no?
Will not be popular in this world.
It will be a happy life while you're here, and it will be a practice not only for eternity that you, Emma Savior, will share together. Did you know that He whose memory is infallible? I told her your sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Did you know also that he who is insoluble in his memory has told us that's so sweet to him is the thought and purpose of those who love the Lord, that he writes it down in a book of remembrance?
One way that heal the Lord is often one to another and the Lord farce and then hated and the book of remembrance was written before him for them appeared the Lord and that thought upon his name. All beloved young people. It's being written down. What for? I like things down because if I don't, I'm sure to forget, but that's not why he writes this down.
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He writes it down because it seems so much to him.
But it's a joy to see it before his very eyes. No, I believe the day is coming when he's going to show up to you where it was written down. But it meant so much to him to see you down there on your knees, expressing your thanks to him and laying your life before him that he might guide you step by step.
That he and his almighty wife might be emotive. That would direct your heart.
But now the last statement and forever.
And forever he hate love reaches back in about past eternity where we can't fathom it.
Be His love was displayed so fully when He went to the cross and bowed his head under the waves and billows of God's grass and judgment. He loved to you and me, He who now lives up there in the glory with a personal interest in you. He looks at you this moment. He knows you by name.
All about you.
We know all about the plans that you have made and who wants, who wants to bring happiness and blessing into your life? But then I turn and look ahead. And what do we see as we look ahead? The same forever.
Becoming beloved be welcome for my daily coming very very soon and not only is he going to pick you in the upper.
Is that a happy prospecting it up to be up to the Do you find yourself laying your head on your pillow at night and say Even so calm Lord Jesus, even if it's been a good day.
I say that because there was a brother in the Ottawa meeting who was a businessman.
He had his own business and he was honest enough to tell us.
And a little nervous sadness. He said, you know, some days when I turn the seed in my business premises and leave for the night, I look up and say, Even so come, Lord Jesus, that those are the days when business hasn't been very good. But he said, I'm ashamed to have to admit that quite often I've locked the door and walked away without that statement because things are going quite well.
He was honest in that remark.
I think we all have to hang our heads and admit the same thing, but it need not be so, and it ought not to be so.
Let me illustrate for a moment.
It is now my privilege most of the time to travel with my wife, but for about 15 years I traveled alone.
And I know in the middle of a real Canadian winter, you might perhaps find me out in California visiting my dear brethren out there. Now suppose I had been out there and a person has been a case absent from home for maybe 6-7, eight weeks and to come along to me and say, when are you going back to Smith Falls? Do you think I would say, well.
I like it out here. There's bright sunshine and everything is so much more pleasant than back in the middle of a Canadian winter. That's why I think maybe I'll stay here till about.
May or May, June. Would I say that? Would it take some adversity, some problems and make me want to be back home since Miss Falls? What do you think Was if it made me want to be interested?
Because of the affection of my heart and I'm not the least bit of failure, but it's no matter how slightly the circumstances might be where I was temporarily waiting. The prospector heading toward home, as always, is 3.
Beloved young people with bright prospects all around you and look up and say Even so calm, Lord Jesus.
If not, he knows how to Connie so far sexy. I wonder if they're being tarnished while they're generally right now. I wonder if I travel around whether the future that a while ago may have looked still rosy is beginning to look water safety water Dusty isn't his hand is in his hand that wants us to look up to one heart and one voice and say Even so calm Lord Peter.
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Or he's not only coming to take you and me out of it, He's coming to take us to himself. All you know He turned a revelation. 19 what they found. But we find that the marriage of the love, the glorious, eternal confirmation of that life that stirred in his heart away back in the yesterday of his love.
That love that has been demonstrated in giving himself.
Living for you and for me, hour by hour, day by day. And that love that awaits the moment they love it. Young people, when he's going to call you and me at last home to be with himself. What a prospect. And not only are we going to be called home and United Kingdom as an eternal bribe.
To enjoy the wonder of the love that never will end.
And we're going to appear with him in glory. Think this is a very wonderful fact. He has redeemed us and we're going to appear with him in glory. Oh, what a faithful life. I've had few young people. I just wish to present to you the person of.
My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, be the same yesterday.
And today?
And whatever you're not going to be able to live over again one day of your life, you're not going to be able to add a taste to the rest of your life. It's going to come to an end and I believe very, very soon, and it shall come and it is going to be reviewed.
It is going to be easy. My life, yes, your life, yes, it will be you.
In view of them being loved so much, dearly beloved young people, can we not from this day forward, on our knees before Him, is that He may be the object and delight that fills our days with Latin, and that He may guide you in the decisions that are even now before you?
Don't think you can make them in secret. You can't. You cannot.
Make one decision in Facebook. Who knows who loves you? I want to speak very discreetly because I know there's a case recorder going on over there, but I wish to tell you the truth that really has.
Thank you very much.
I must decide this pretty carefully.
Someone came to me quite a while back, quite a while back.
A very glowing plan, a very elaborate plan that is going to make a good change in the life of himself and his family is going to remove him far from where he was living at the time. He was tremendously enthused about the advantages of natural advantages of his great plan he had.
We came to leave and make it known.
And I had a feeling as he unfolded it all through, that he had made these plans without being down on his knees before the Lord. And I begged him to bring all this before the Lord.
One time later, he came back to me looking very, very downtown. He said, you know those plans that I had and I said, yes, I remember them very well. How is it all progressing? Well, he said, I just got so far and then the door was closed right in my face and I can't go any further with those plans. And I've gone so far. I don't know how to turn back. What shall I do?
And I said, well brother, I need him very well. You must understand that when you hear my answers.
I said, brother, you have two sources. You can either stand up that closed door and thank God for closing it because there's something down that road and you find a shelter you can't, even though you can't see it. Or this is your alternative. You combine your stubborn head against that door long enough and the Lord may open it up until you get down the road and find out for yourself what it is inside a shelter yourself.
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I don't think you like those words.
And he chose the life he did. And the door reopened and he got awakened heart and flutter today.
I love him, but he's a very sad, disillusioned, broken heart of man. The love of young people, how how we would hold ourselves and how much joy we bring to him.
If you need those friends and I knew in his presence, realizing that the prospects that this world could be for us. We only leave the disappointment or please let me take time off the clothes by reference to this one glorious verse in establishment. Let us go forth, therefore, unto him.
Without the chance bearing his respect, is he not worthy?
This remarkably, this will begin with an open heaven and an extended glorified Christ described in such wonderful language when we have everything that a man might country and glory inside the way before our work late, until at last we have a personal friend who is the same yesterday and today and parade yesterday he.
The day he loves you, feel that love will abide for all the therapies.
And then we come to those tender words that I hope will fill your heart of mine. Let us go for sample. I'm 16 without the camp.
Very good, you know, if we would have turned back to the 19th of John will find these words.
Please burn this cross.
14 I'm not really marketing.
If you have read the topic, you could see him standing there, mosques with a purple rose, whirling the chronic sword, if the claw hadn't been laid upon his back. He stands out and looks out, and there, Yonder outside the walls of Jerusalem, is a peel called Calvary. But he knew what was going to take place.
Is remediation that was before him.
And then he bowed, and he sees that process on his back and beloved.
It's thought of me, it's thought of you, he said there, Nick Fox, he went forth in the professor, and then when it's all counted, he said to you and me, and says, let us go. For therefore unto him, what would you think of me?
If I looked at him going forth for me in 19 fourth.
His words inviting me to go forth and I said no to that. I didn't want to report. I wanted the temporary popularity.
And liberty and whatnot that you might think.
To be part of the pathway that would not go for to him. He loved young people. Just let me leave adversely, take it home, meditate upon it and may it be a blessing in your life. Jesus Christ the same yesterday.
And today, and forever.
1 Timothy 1:16