Address—D. Andersen
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The fruit of the wisdom love divine peculiar unto thee #330.
What grace I want?
To.
Glory all.
Your God. No. Don't breathe.
Right now.
Start crying.
Fire.
Oh, really great.
Thy.
Womb we see.
Ah, withdrawal in law.
Marie Brown.
Shall be.
We. We.
I'm in that long.
Thy.
1.
Shall we ask for God's blessing?
Our gracious God, our Father, we thank thee tonight for the thoughts that we have been singing in this hymn.
We thank dear God, our Father, for thy great and wonderful provision for us, Eternal provision.
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To be joined to the Lord Jesus Christ forever.
And to reign with him, and to enjoy him through all eternity.
We thank Thee, our God, our Father.
For blessing us in Christ Jesus, blessing us with all spiritual blessings in him in the heavenlies heavenly blessings.
We thank Thee, our God, our Father, for Thy Holy Spirit who has come down to join us to the Lord Jesus Christ to be His forever.
We acknowledge the Blessed Lord Jesus, the head of the Church.
And we pray that thou give us grace to be subject to thee.
We own our failure. We own the failure of the Church. And what a ruin it's in.
What we praise that thou give us grace for the little violent remains for the church here upon earth to go on faithfully with thee.
Until thou just come.
Now, our Father, as to the meditations, tonight we trust that thou guide and direct us, and undertake for us.
Give us a needed grace and mercy to help us in this time. We pray for blessing on all who are here. We ask the Lord Jesus to give us a blessing to speak to our hearts and stir us up. We need it. We need to be encouraged to to be filled with joy. Thinking of things concerning Thyself, Blessed Lord, and our relationship to Thee, our God our Father, We ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
For a few simple thoughts, we might turn to Genesis Chapter 2.
It's there.
That we find out what God is thinking.
About Christ and the Church.
What were his thoughts in the beginning?
God had sought.
From before the foundation of the world.
An eternity past.
And we learn of those thoughts that God had in his counsels concerning Christ and the Church.
And what a wonderful thing.
To live in a time like this, the time of the Church.
What grace we find ourselves under.
And enjoy that we should be born and live in a time like this.
The time of the Church's history.
And even in the very end of the Church's history here on earth.
We realized when we read the truth concerning the Church that the Church has fallen into great ruin.
That is, outwardly speaking, as far as God is concerned.
The body is still intact.
Yes, he knows every member of the body of Christ.
He knows who have been saved and who are joined to that body, joined to Christ himself.
Knows us all, and it's a wonderful privilege to be part of that body that belongs to Christ.
Genesis chapter 2 and verse 18.
And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone.
I will make him and help me for him, or a companion fit for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But.
For Adam there was not found and helped meet for him.
A companion fit for him was not found.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept.
And he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh Instead. There are.
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And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be 1 flesh.
That was the beginning of the marriage relationship.
In the human family.
And there are many of these things.
Some of these things that come out.
In most wedding ceremonies.
And we've had that pretty much before us, the last days.
But notice in verse 18.
God has something to say.
Just think of that.
God had something to say.
The Lord God Jehovah God said it is not good.
That the man should be alone.
Was he thinking about Adam? Of course he was. But he was thinking further than that.
It was looking forward to that day.
4000 years or so.
Down the history of this world. Down the history of man in this world.
God was thinking about his own Son who would become a man.
And here we have a type.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Adam was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the Lord Jesus Christ was included in this.
God did not want his Son as man to be alone.
That's why he came into this world and took upon himself.
Manhood.
Came in the form of flesh, body of flesh.
That he might get from amongst men.
A companion for himself.
It was not good for him to be alone. Aren't you thankful tonight?
That he was not left alone. That you've been picked up?
By God-given to the Lord Jesus Christ to be part of that which is the companion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Which is the assembly of the Church, the Body of Christ.
How do you become a member of the body of Christ?
Well, it tells us very plainly in Scripture.
That when we believe we're sealed by the Holy Ghost.
And despite the Holy Ghost that were added to Christ, this comes out time and again.
And it says in the 6th chapter of First Corinthians 1 spirit with the Lord.
One spirit with the law.
We can be joined to Christ be 1 Spirit with Him.
We own him as head to the church, head over all things.
We own him as the one who has the right and authority over us.
To whom we are to submit.
The Church is expected to submit to Christ.
And along with that, Christ loved the church and gave himself part. What a love.
And when we think on the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for us, the more we meditate on it.
The more we feel constrained just to yield ourselves to him, to let him have his way with us.
We like to have our own way. There is that in us and we like to have our own way.
We have a nature that's naturally rebellious.
Doesn't want to believe God. Doesn't want to submit to God.
But God has given us a new life and a new nature that wants to obey, that wants to be subject, that does respect the Lord Jesus and honor the Lord Jesus and the new life and nature gives expression to itself in love toward the Lord Jesus.
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Sometimes I get the feeling that we know so much of this with our brains.
But do we know it with our heart?
Have we really entered into it in our souls?
That Christ loved the church and gave himself for well, we get that prefigured right here, but we have here.
In this second chapter of Genesis.
God's desire to make a companion for the man. Well, who was the man? Adam? He was alone, and you notice as you read down here.
That he gave names to all the creatures.
Adam gave names to all cattle, to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field, and he was overlooking them, looking over every one of them, and he knew every one of them. And he gave a name to every kind of creature there was.
And then it says there was.
There was not found.
There was not found a companion fit for Adam.
Does that tell you he was looking for one?
I believe it does. That word found, he couldn't find one. He couldn't find one. What about the Lord Jesus when he came into this world?
Could he find one?
All had sinned and come short of the glory of God, none righteous, no, not one, not one fit for him.
Not one fit for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Was there a time when we were not fit for him? Of course there was lost.
Undone in our sins.
Not fit for the Lord Jesus Christ.
And if there is anyone here in this room tonight?
That has not had to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. And you have not seen that he came into this world to die for sinners and that you were that Sinner.
That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Just think of the glory that will be with the Lord Jesus Christ and everyone who is still in his sins is coming short of that glory. He'll not be there.
And if you want to be sure being there.
Just bow your heart as well as your head and your hope, being and on to the Lord Jesus Christ your Sinner, on to God that you're a lost Sinner. Take the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.
And you'll be saved.
And you'll be one.
Of that which will be the companion of the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity, that great assembly, the body of Christ.
You'll be part of that, and you'll be in the company of the Lord Jesus Christ forever, and you'll share in that glory that is associated with him in his glory.
Especially when he's reigning over this world, the Lord is going to reign here where he was rejected.
He will rule the nations with a rod of iron, but he will be a time of glory. God will be glorifying him because the Lord Jesus Christ glorified God in his death.
When we go on here in this second chapter.
He was looking for a companion.
Didn't find any.
It doesn't tell us anything about the disappointments of Adam.
But it does tell us what God was doing for him.
Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam.
Adam had a desire for a companion and it would cost him something.
To have a companion.
And you notice that?
When Adam is put into a deep sleep.
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God, as it were, performs an operation on him.
He slept.
While he was asleep, God opened up his side and took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh instead thereof.
Now that's very simple and plain, isn't it? We can understand that.
Those of us who know anything about surgery, we can see what God was doing there.
Taking out a rib.
What did he want with that rib?
Well, Adam.
Had to go into that deep sleep.
They called it anesthetics today.
Put them to sleep.
God did that, but what does it point to? It points to the Lord Jesus Christ going into death.
Actual death.
He was in death hanging upon the cross.
That soldier with a spear pierced his side.
I'm sure just about the area where the rib was taken out.
And what came out of the sight of the Lord Jesus?
Blood and water.
That was a foundational thing that came out of that side just like this that came out of the side of Adam was a foundational thing because it says.
The rib which the Lord God had taken from man.
Lady Woman.
The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, says.
He built up a woman on the rib that that was taken out of the sight of Adam.
Was the foundation for his companion for the making of a companion.
And that which has come out of the sight of the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation.
Let's not forget it. There is a tendency to forget it.
Sometimes in the gospel.
Very little, if any, is said about the blood, or even mentioned, but it's foundational. Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission, no forgiveness, no salvation, no redemption.
And the water for cleansing.
The blood is for expiation, that is to take care of the sins, the penalty of sins.
The water is for cleansing. The two things came out of the sight of the Lord Jesus.
That which atones for our souls, that which is the foundation for Redemption's work.
And that which is the foundation for the complete cleaning up of the Sinner.
Let's not forget it.
You see what God had in mind. You could just see and read between the lines here.
About the Lord Jesus Christ who came into this world as a man.
And laid down his life.
Went into that sleep of death.
And his side opened up.
To give us that foundation for the building of everyone of us.
Into the Body of Christ the Church.
The Church today, the Assembly, the body of Christ, is His companion.
And let us think of that.
While we're thinking about the Lord Jesus Christ, while we're going on through this world as as members of the body of Christ as saved once, think about that.
That he came into this world and laid down his life, that he might have us for his companions.
Did he suffer? We don't know how much he suffered.
But we can read some words about it in the Psalms and the prophetic scriptures.
We can also read the facts of it in the New Testament.
My God. My God.
Why hast thou forsaken me?
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Suffered.
Untold suffering, Isaiah 53 tells us.
We, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord God laid upon him, the Lord Jesus, the iniquity of us all.
And that's what caused him to cry out, because he was suffering under the judgment of God.
For our sins.
Can you listen to it and think about it, and be callous toward it? Impossible. The Spirit of God comes to work in your soul. It makes you realize, if it took, that what a wretched Sinner I must have been.
That the Son of God become man must suffer for me.
And I believe everyone of us.
Who puts faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has to come to see that.
It's not just making an empty profession of the Lord Jesus Christ, no.
It's a very real thing. The spirit of God working in your soul makes you see Jesus hanging there and across.
For whom? For me? For me?
And when you have that experience with the Lord Jesus, you'll see the same thing.
Oh, this is what we need to see this and have the experience of it in our own souls.
Well, it goes on here to tell us more.
He brought her unto the man.
What a day that was for Adam.
He rose. He was alive again now.
And it came the moment that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
And he walked here in this world after he arose from the dead.
40 days. Then he went to glory.
Ten days after that.
The Apostles were empowered by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit came down.
First of all, united those 120 or so in the Upper room, as we have recorded in the first part of the acts.
The Holy Spirit came down and filled them, took over.
And they preached with power, and on that day of Pentecost.
When they were preaching Christ.
They preached that they should repent.
Be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus He was they were preaching to Jews who had rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.
If they wanted to be saved, they would have to repent of that the way they treated God and the way they treated the Lord Jesus Christ, and bow to baptism in his name.
And it's that very safe that brings Jews into reproach with their.
Peers with their relatives today.
A Jew repents.
Cease that he is Christ, is the Messiah, and has died for their sins, and they bow before him and and confess the name of the Lord in baptism.
Baptized in his name, owning him as their savior and Messiah.
Their outcasts.
It's hard for them.
But there were about 3000 that day.
That did that. They bowed before God. They owned the Lord Jesus.
As their Messiah and Savior Lord in Christ, as Peter says.
God has made that same Jesus whom he crucified both Lord and Christ.
And they bowed to it.
They bow to it.
Brought her unto the man that was the beginning of bringing.
The Bride to the Lord Jesus Christ, God working in the hearts of them by His Spirit when the gospel was preached, they were saved. They were sealed by the Spirit of God when they believed, and they were joined to those 120 who already had received the Holy Spirit. And so there were about 3120 at that day in the body of Christ, all belonging in a special way to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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What a day that was. What a day it was for the Lord.
The bride was being brought to the Lord Jesus like this bride was brought to Adam.
And brought her unto the man. Just think of what a wonderful thing it is for us.
To have the Spirit of God work in our souls and put Christ before us as the gospel is preached and we bow to him, accept Him as Savior, believe in him. The Spirit of God comes to dwell in our hearts, and we're added to the Lord Jesus Christ and become part of that whole company that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.
No wonder it speaks of joy in heaven over 1 Sinner that repents.
Have you ever had?
Heaven rejoice over you because you have repented of Adam looking at his companion.
And oh, I'm sure he's thankful.
Thankful to God for that companion.
What a wonderful joining together there is right there.
What a wonderful Union.
She was born of his bone and flesh of his flesh.
This is an example of what takes place when any of us has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Spirit of God comes into our hearts and we are joined to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we find out.
That it's true what it says in the New Testament, that we are bone of his bone.
Flesh of His flesh we partake of His nature, we partake of His flesh, and His bones were joined to Him.
Now there's a mystery connected with that.
We can't understand it. No, we can't. But it is so plain and simple in Scripture, we can believe it.
For bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh.
Now what does he say? She shall be called woman.
Because she was taken out of.
Man.
She must be called Isha because she was taken out of ish.
The same word.
She had the same name as Adam.
Not two names.
Now if this were realized in Christendom, you wouldn't see all of these names blazing across the front of church buildings. so-called all kinds of names. People taking all kinds of names.
Do you suppose that Adam would be satisfied to have any other name given to his wife?
She must have his name now. It's confirmed over in chapter 5 of Genesis.
About this verse two Genesis chapter 5 and verse 2 male and female created to them and blessed them and called their name what Adam their name.
Well, you can see why, even to this day.
That when two are brought together in wedlock, they're called by one name. But whose name? The name of the man.
Well, I'm glad every time I see that because there have been attempts to get away from it.
And that is really sort of symbolic of what's going on in Christendom.
Christians trying to get away from the name of Christ, not being satisfied with that name.
Now if you who have wives and you might be away for some time like I used to be traveling around and you come back whole.
And you find that your wife has taken another name. What kind of feelings would you have?
What would you be thinking?
Oh, you would be thinking about something has happened here and what has happened that she should be going by another name, some kind of unfaithfulness. You could have all kinds of thoughts. Well, now what about the Lord Jesus when he looks down here and sees Christians taking all kinds of names, Religious names?
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Church names. Whatever you might call them. What does he think? I'm short pains his heart. I'm sure he's grieved. Evenness. We would be grieved when we come home and find that our wife has taken another name.
Oh, let's seek grace to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's so much unfaithfulness to him today.
There's been spiritual fornication going on with this system, with that system and the other system.
We need grace to go on to the end and faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ going on with him until he comes to take us home.
Therefore shall a man leave his father, and mother shall cleave unto his wife, They shall be 1 flesh. Now look, there is emphasis put here upon cleaving. But who is to do the cleaving? The man.
And it points to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is cleaving to us and will never give us up.
No man is going to be able to pluck us out of his hand.
And the Father which gave us to him.
Is also holding us with His hands. So they're the two hands, the hand of the Lord and the hand of the Father keeping us.
Cleaving to us, he will not let us go. I suppose This is why Paul and Barnabas exhorted some when they went around to visit them again. They believed and had begun their church assembly activities, and they were exhorted to cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart.
And when we think about his cleaving to us and will never let us go, how do we feel about it?
It makes us feel we want to cleave to him what we find. We're weak, we're helpless, but we look to the Lord for grace, strength to cleave to him until he comes to take us home.
Let's look at another scripture over the New Testament now.
One Corinthians.
Chapter 12.
I don't know that we'll be able to finish all of this, but let's start with verse 12 of First Corinthians 12.
1 Corinthians 12/12.
For as the body is 1 and has many members.
And all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also is Christ.
Now there's a volume of things in that verse.
Why was Paul writing this to the Corinthians?
They were developing a divided condition in the assembly of Corinth.
Puffed up for one person against another, following men. Some say we belong to Paul, some say we belong to Peter, some say we belong to Paulus. And then there were those, the worst of all who said we're the ones who belong to Christ, intimating that the rest didn't belong to Christ. We better not say that.
All who believe and have received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, they're joined with the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. They belong to Christ. All belong to Christ. No matter where they're found in this world today, they belong to Christ. And we should recognize that. And we do recognize it if we have any intelligence at all when we see that loaf on the table on Lord's Day Morning, because that loaf when it's their whole.
It speaks of the whole body of Christ.
One loaf. One body, one body, one loaf. That's what the loaf is symbolic of, the one body.
And of course, when we break it, it symbolizes the body of Christ, the real body of Christ that suffered.
For us that bore our sins and suffered.
But we also partake of that loaf.
And there is in that loaf.
Something for every member of the Body of Christ. They're all represented there.
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We have a portion of that loaf.
We have to remember that and it not only represents us.
But all who were saved all around us.
They're seen in that loaf by God, and we should see them in that loaf.
But the point is, on Lord's Day morning, they're not here at the Lord's Table to eat the Lord's Supper, to take their portion as a member of the body of Christ.
Are we thankful that we're here tonight?
Are we thankful that in some measure we may see these things and enjoy them? We are thankful but all the condition of the Church?
Is so sad and even.
Amongst the gathered Saints, we have nothing to boast of. We need to humble ourselves.
Because we're sadly lacking in many ways.
And we just need to ask the Lord to help us, help us first of all to judge ourselves and to humble ourselves, and then to lay hold upon His grace that we might be what He wants us to be in a practical way, as members of the body of Christ.
For the body is 1. He's telling these Corinthians and as many members and all the members of that one body being many of one body.
Not two bodies. Not four bodies.
As was intimated in those scriptures that referred to being followers of men.
No.
They had something to learn, and God has given us.
These epistles that we might learn them too.
And it's not enough just for us to attend the reading meeting, which is really good. And it's in the reading meeting that we have the opportunity to learn and that God has a chance by His spirit, to teach us and to make us see things there in the book and to understand them.
And if we miss a reading meeting?
We're missing something that God wants to bring before us.
I know sometimes it's not possible to be, but sometimes we can grow careless and forget about the reading meeting and think, well, it's not so important. It's not as important as the morning meeting. Well, any meeting where the Lord is present in the midst is an important meeting. And if we're here, to feed upon the Word and to get instruction from the Word and to let the Spirit of God just.
Make help us to see it and to bring it right out and pop at us, as it were.
I've sat in this meeting, many reading meetings, and it really amazed me. But God by His spirit would let me see in his words and how it would just pop as it were right out of the page.
What a blessing it is to be at the meeting where the word of God is read and let us come with dependence upon God, and that the Spirit of God might have liberty to teach us. And sometimes we come with a grieved spirit. The Holy Spirit is grieved. How can he help us? How can He teach us? He wants to occupy us with that sin or whatever it is that's hindering us and judge it that we might come here with a with a clean heart.
And a clear conscience to listen to what he has to tell us.
And when the brother speaks, let us not think that.
He is a brother to listen to, or he is a brother to listen to. Let's go back further. It's God pleasing to use that brother to bring out something in the power of the Spirit of God. You see, sometimes we can get so far away from whatever are the fundamentals of a reading, meeting or meeting together or being together, members of the body of Christ that is pitiful, but oh, there's reality to it.
The spirit of God can can help us.
But now it's ends with four words. He is so also is Christ.
That point going way back into Genesis.
There you have Adam. Now he has a companion, and they're one.
Bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh, and there one.
And there they stand. So also is Adam.
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There they are.
The two of them so also is Adam.
Now you look at those who've been saved, who are part of the assembly, the body of Christ.
And you see Christ there with it, and there they are joined to Christ.
So also is Christ.
The whole body named Christ, just like that hole joining there in Genesis, was named Adam.
To stay covered by the name, we have the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His name is put on.
Us. We are really joined to him.
Part of him and there's no way.
That we could have one name and he could have another name. It's that one name. Christ. The two here all the body. So also is Christ.
Now it tells us about some of the members.
Of the body here, and the Apostle Paul uses the figure of a human body.
To illustrate some things about the body of 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 one spirit.
Now he's telling us in that verse how we became one body and joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit. And if you go into the book of the Acts, you'll find that when more were saved, they were added. Added to what? Added to Christ. You read it further along in the chapters. There were so many saved. They were added to Christ over a little further. So many were saved. They were added to Christ. How? By the Holy Spirit baptizing them all together, joining them to Christ. Because every time sinners are saved, they're sealed by the Spirit. They're joined to other members of the body of Christ and joined the Christ up there in the glory. He's the head.
And we down here the body of the members.
This is the figure we're getting put before us here. And so here the Holy Spirit is brought in and He continues to operate. He continues to work. For the body is not one member, but many. We have to remember that.
Not one member, but many.
And sometimes in groups of Christians.
All over the world, there's one man standing up front.
And acting as though he's the whole body. But it says here he's not. It's not. The body is not one member, but many.
I have to remember that.
You think about the brothers.
To partake of the Reading meeting.
Well, they perhaps have their place. That's because that's what we're reading in this portion, that every member has some place, some some work to do, and every member's not gifted the same way or given the same job to do, and one is not more important than the other.
When I was translating the scriptures into the native language in the Congo, I had to learn that.
That I was no more important than any other member of the body of Christ.
And I had to throw away that title I had, which was title Reverend.
I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't. I didn't want it.
I was convicted about putting me a level above all the rest of the members of the body of Christ. No, that's not it. But we all have different gifts, we all have different offices, we all have different things to do, and we need to learn from the Lord himself. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? That was one of the first things that the Apostle Paul said when he was still saw when he was converted. Lord, what will thou have me to do?
And he was shown by the law what he used to do.
And the Lord could show us too, they said. To work in the gospel is the work in ministry? Is the work in an office? Is the work in some other work. Each one of us has to be before the Lord. About this, Lord, what would thou have me to do?
If the foot shall say, because I'm not the hand, I'm not of the bodies, and therefore not of the body.
Now it's a foot.
And the hand that are brought before us.
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If the foot shall say, because I'm not the hand, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?
You see, here's the hand and here's the foot. Well, the foot is down here. And what's it doing? Well, it's just burying some of the weight of the body. But the foot can look up here and see the hand doing all kinds of wonderful things, and maybe there's jealousy there. Oh, I'm down here out of sight, carrying a burden. That hand is just up there and doing everything. And the foot.
Says because I'm not the hand, I'm not of the body.
If there's a jealousy there, if there's an envy there.
If you just say I'm not of the body, can you get out of the body that way?
Can you get rid of your responsibility that way?
You have to recognize the hand must be recognized as helping.
Body. All the members going on together helping one another. Well, again it says if the year shall say, because I'm not the I, I'm not of the body. Is it therefore not of the body? Now it's a controversy between the ear and the eye.
You says.
Because I'm not the I, well, the ears to one side.
And the eye is out here in front. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not.
Nevertheless, there's some kind of a controversy going on between the ear and the eye.
And so the ear says because I'm not the eye, I'm not of the body.
I'd like to be around there in front.
Where the eye is and justice, because I can't be there, I'm not over the body.
Well, if you have, you're in a different position or a different place from another brother or sister. Is that reason enough to say I'm not of the body?
Oh, I think this is bringing before us how easy it is for envy and strife to come in and make us dissatisfied with one another and really looking down on one another. May the Lord give us grace.
But we must see that everyone has his work as his place in the body.
And then we can get along.
When you might think about the hand too and.
And the.
And the eye. For instance, if you sit down at a table full of good food, the eye can see it.
But can the eye partake of it? No. The eye needs the hand.
To take it and put it to the mouth.
The eye needs to hand in a similar way. We all need one another. We can't get along without one another.
Well, I wouldn't want to do without my hand.
Who you want to do without some brother or some sister?
Even when you go to the wash base to wash your hands, really wash them. You have to stand on this.
Those hands need one another. If you just had one hand, how would you get your hand washed?
Oh, it's a lot more difficult.
May the Lord give us grace to see these simple things and how we need one another and we can't do without one another.
If they but now God has set verse 18 but now God has set the members, everyone of them, in the body.
As it pleased the members of the body? No as it pleased him.
As it pleased him, the one who wants to use them, the one who wants to use us.
God has set the members, everyone of them, in the body.
As it has pleased him.
So whatever position we have, whatever gift we have.
We're there because it pleases God for us to be there in that position.
And doesn't that bring before us?
That one important thing.
That if we can do things to please the law.
That is it. That's really what we want.
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Do all things to please the law. Do all things for his glory.
May the Lord help us to just settle down and want to please him.
To please the Lord who is the head of the Church.
To please God who has done all of this and arranged it all.
Now there's one last thing here.
In verse 21 we've already gone over the eye, about the eye in the hand. Now it's again here, Now again the head to the feet. I have no need of you.
The head cannot say to the feet. I don't have the topmost part, and the head who's that? Christ cannot say to the lowest member. I don't need you.
Now when I first saw that, it really touched my heart.
Christ needs the foot, which means He needs everyone of us. He needs us all.
So let us ask the Lord Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
Lord, what was thou hast me to do?
And the Lord will show us.
And we'll all fit together when we all want to do what the Lord wants us to do.
And if we want to please him and do things for his honor and his glory, he'll just bring us all together and we'll work together for his honor and his glory.
Oh, we see these things, the Word, and we see our responsibilities. Let us ask the Lord for grace.
To fulfill what?
What he wants us to do.
To take that place and take the responsibility of the places.
That his policy may the Lord give us grace to go on.
With one another, with the law as members of one body.
Remembering we're joined to Christ the head and the glory, and soon we're all going to be there around the Lord Jesus Christ in the glory. And all of this old thing, the flesh, the old nature is going to be gone. All the hindrance is gone, being full of liberty to serve the Lord.
For all eternity.
May the Lord give us grace to go on until he comes.