Vestal Conference: 1999
Table of Contents
Titus 1:1-7
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Titus, Chapter one.
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.
And hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie promised before the world began, but half in due time manifested His word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior, to Titus, my own Son, after the common faith.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
So this caused left eye the increase the Tau should set an order the things that are wanting and ordained elders in every city as I had appointed they. Can he be blameless? The husband of one wife having faithful children, not accused of right or unruly. For a Bishop must be blameless as the steward of God, not self will not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker.
Not given to filthy lucre.
But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, separate, holding fast the faithful word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the game's fairest.
But there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers. Especially they have the circumcision.
Whose mouths must be stopped? This avert whole houses teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
One of them sells even a profit of their own, said Lucretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true.
Wherefore reduce them sharply, as they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth. But unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defile.
They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient.
And unto every good work reprobate.
There's a verse in Colossians chapter 2 That.
Would summarize pretty much, uh, what the apostle?
I was thinking of apparently when he wrote the book of Titus Colossians 2.
Uh, and five.
So I'd be absent in the flesh. Am I with you in the spirit?
Are joying and beholding.
Your order.
And the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
We think that the latter, the second part, would be first, steadfast enough to your faith in Christ and your order. But it's not.
When Paul wrote to Timothy, it was.
To teach him the to give him instructions as to.
The teaching of the truth, whereas in Titus was more.
The order to set in order, and so we see all through the epistle.
Of order rather than the doctrine.
I understand that Titus means nurse or rearer Rearer, one who rears. Very interesting thing to note that because as our brother is saying, that joy is what the Paul is seeking to bring out Titus in a very, uh, as we read through here, we see the condition of things where we're not good. They were, they were umm.
Says they were. There are many that were evil beasts, always liars, among many things there that would turn aside. So it's nice to see that Paul writes this to Titus to rear them, or to nurse them, or to bring them to the joy of the Lord.
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He wrote this just before between the two epistles of Timothy.
Before he wrote his last book, which was Second Timothy, this was apparently a year before that. So it's very suitable. Our day in which we live.
Where order is.
Just not considered at all. They're boys and girls at school.
Everything is disorder and no one cares about authority and that.
Order and proper discipline and so on. Kind of a.
A word that nobody bothers about today. But your order. In an assembly. Order is so important. The authority of the Lord vowed to in every detail. The answer is in the assembly as to order.
Thou to the assembly, the Lord in the midst, and that is how He keeps everything in order.
It really flows from that. We have the expression the joy of the Lord will be your strength. And just even thinking of the construction of the Word, it's not the Lord's joy, but it's the joy that flows from owning a large ship of Christ. And the reason why there's so much anxiety in the world today and no real sense of love and security and children and so on in the Word world in general, is that there's disorder and there can be love there, and we've all experienced it, but if there's not order, the love cannot be enjoyed.
And so when things are in confusion.
There's a problem and so I pointed out that Titus addressed these things while there was still umm, if I may put it that way, before things were in the state that we find them in Second Timothy, and we have guidance as to that and they certainly are living in those days. But as those that enjoy the truth of being gathered to the Lord's name there. Nevertheless, this correction to draw us back whether perhaps the departure from these principles.
That's the joy of their soul.
In light of their conscience.
Our understanding and then of course, the sustenance of their hearts. So we find it all here recorded for us in this little epistle of Titus. So how beautiful it is to see, because it's already been said, there's an order. God has an order in his Word, doesn't He? And if we follow that order, if we're aware of it, if we're on to it, if we study it out, we find that there's a real joy. Our souls are are joyful. We have an understanding of the word and our hearts are kept.
By the will and power of God.
Some of these Grecians were at Jerusalem's Pentecost. Weren't they noticing that in the book of Acts, the 1St chapter and verse 10 that come from about Cyrene and there's 11 creations in Arabians? They heard the wonderful works of God. I suppose the gospel was carried back to that little Mediterranean island and the Apostle Paul well knew who to address there.
Because when he wanted to know the state of, uh, sole of the Corinthians, who would be sending me Besides, remember, he found no rest in his spirit there in the Second Corinthians, the 2nd chapter, verse 13, I found out Titus, my brother and umm, finally Titus. Titus does arrive in the 7th chapter of Second Corinthians. And Paul was pretty much discouraged. But when Titus came, it says that he was comforted by the coming of Titus. And so as he said, he had that nurse like spirit, you know, Paul knew who to send, you know, to encourage.
These, uh, believers out in that island, perhaps, uh, their, their behavior was not conforming to the doctrine that they had heard.
We had that in theater first theater that, umm, there was a time when they rocked the will of the Gentiles. What is the difference between the will of the Gentiles and the place of the Jews? The Jew had a law.
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And Paul warned about the condition of the circumcision in this chapter especially they have the circumcision that was but that was the Jew. They had a persist an exact prescribed order according to laws. Now everything was to be conducted. It was a rule and a a.
Down to the minutest detail as to the garments of the priest order and so on that they were to follow. And yet it didn't really require divine light that required obedience.
Required it with without space there was no God took no pleasure in it. But here were the Gentiles saved and they were without law.
And, umm, because the law was committed to the Jew and they were saved, so the tendency was that they would go on a lawless way. But it's righteousness now reigning through grace. And so we see man Gentile brought and the two and the Christian representative of that, uh, lawless being brought into an orderly way before God.
And, uh, very lovely to see how he's taken up with us. Those of us were without hope and without God in the world.
And dealt with us to bring us to do and settle us in a way of life that is pleasing to God.
Now the valid basis and foundation of it is according to the faith of God select and the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness and.
So there's a doctrinal foundation for everything, and that it's the faith of God's elect.
It really has to do with the truth that we have in our hands that will really be the foundation and basis of that and not only that but the acknowledging of that which is after godliness that produces God likeness.
From the court first we learned that.
Titus has been being saved through the Apostle Paul to Titus my own son, after the common faith.
Beautiful words and that follow.
Alright, Mercy.
Piece from the Gospel has revived in the Reformation.
The end of the 17th 1700s.
It was mainly mercy never went beyond mercy. Mercy is God keeping us from getting what we deserve.
And this is Martin Luther never really got beyond that.
Whereas when the truth was brought before the world in 1832.
And the brethren.
Through the Holy Spirit.
Why? Then they learn what the word grace is. Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve.
Mercy is one of our beds and mercy has never referred to in an assembly address to an assembly, only to the individuals of mercy is.
God keeping us from getting what we do deserve.
And grace is giving us heaven what we don't don't deserve. Grace is a wonderful opening up of what is ahead of us in the hope of eternal life. Beautiful.
Open Scripture refers to deferred certainty.
That is something that is certain but has not yet come to pass. We hope for things, and I think we've all heard this adequately explained, but we hope that such and such will happen. And uh, there's a degree of uncertainty, but when God revealed something, it's just deferred certainty. But he's bringing this before their hearts because He wants us to enjoy eternal life now. And so on the 1St chapter of a third chapter of Colossians, he says when Christ, who is our life shall appear, we shall appear with him in glory.
So he wants us to be good in the good of this light.
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And the enjoyment of it now. But how is it that this we came to came? You mentioned that Paul hepatitis was saved for the preaching of Paul. How was that? It was to the preaching of this gospel. And so it was the communication of the truth that brought the gospel before our lost souls and brought us into blessing. And so the epistle starts here with the according to the face of God's elect, acknowledging the truth which is after godliness.
And perhaps it is this lighter that you is trying to bring before them here. It is the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness was to bring them into the practical good of the faith of God collection. So he uses another expression here.
To Titus, my own son, after the common faith.
So could we say this in connection with this expression of common faith, that it is the Spirit of God that has formed every believer into one body, but that what lets us go on in practical fellowship is the acknowledging of the truth of our common state? So if you meet a real believer and they may be in a very bad situation, in a very bad way.
And going on with something with which you couldn't go on with.
You're still a member of the same body. We're still a member of the same body. So what let's just go on practically, is the acknowledging of the truth and umm, this common faith that we have.
Common faith.
Means that it is universal.
And it was designed speaking reverently before the foundation of the world.
In the jewel in the Old Testament, the Jews were never told to go out to them to proselytize, try to get other people in.
Jewish.
The truth of the Old Testament is an illustration.
For the believer for every true believer because every you in the Old Testament, when he was born into the the family, he was a Hebrew just like a person that is born again while we're in the family of God. So we can learn lessons when we realize that all the Old Testament is a picture for us. How they to deliver that is so important for us to realize that.
Not that some might have been.
Through Hebrews and or not, they were many other failures like Saul, but they were all redeemed under the blood of the Lamb.
OK, that's a gospel now is a common it goes out the.
The number four is applicable of it. Of it NE W said it's to all a common.
Truth.
The two of the expression in the second verse in hope of eternal life, as our brother has already been saying that hope is deferred certainty. But when was this promise to us?
Very beautiful here to think of it as to the the believers of this inflation. Of course this is Titus is an individual writing to this individual that he might be able to help and nurse and rear and help the people of God. But just notice in hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began.
Well, do they have, did they have these, uh, these believers that that Paul is writing through to the believers have eternal, I guess they have eternal life. But here eternal life is looked at the end of the pathway when they leave this world because it's promised, the promise of God is made before they were born.
As someone who said that we're going to be in a world that, umm, we were. It was designed for us before we were born.
And it's going to go and continue. It will continue on after we're gone. It will ever be there eternal life. So how beautiful it is to think that it says which God that cannot lie promised before the world again. So I've read in these last in these two or three 2-3 versus two or three. We have in a way the purpose of God here for us, don't we? It's God's purpose that we might be there with him in glory.
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Because it's been said that in verse three, this, this was in God's plan of purpose before the world began. And then in verse three, it says, uh, well, let's read verse two in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began, You're going to go back on his promise. Never. You will never go back on that promise. It's sure. It's just as sure as all We were there already.
As our brother said, us hopefully deferred certainty, but this is according to it says, but bursary, but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching. How did we get this? We heard the word of God preached someone gave us the word and we heard it, But did we know, uh, was this one? Was he aware of all this before time? The gospel? Really, we can't get up and preach the gospel and say well.
Uh, in the purposes of God, his purpose is eternal life, but we have to put man in his responsibility, don't we? That's the responsibility of man. So it says, but half in these due times manifested his word through preaching. The word came, we believed it, and then we find out we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. What a glorious truth this is. And it's brought out here very clearly, which was committed onto me according to the commandment of God our Savior.
Paul says it was commanded to him to preach the gospel to.
Bring this truth before them that God had them in mind before the world began. They didn't know it before, but now they know it.
This is quite an antidote to the disorder that we saw at 3:00, because God had a plan and he's sort of laying out the plan and he's telling us where we fit into that plan. The way you could liken it is sometimes you drive up to a new subdivision and the builder had a plan in mind. He's got plans for roads and so on. And you look at it and it looks just like a great sea of confusion, piles and great piles of earth and and bulldozers working and so on.
And then right out in the middle of somewhere, somebody's building a house and you think, well, what is going on here? They're building a house out in the middle of a field and so on. But they have a view of the builders plan of the end of the thing in view. And if there's just a simple, if I may put it this way, what the world calls a knee jerk reaction to things, there is no order, but God is revealing his plan and his order. And he has a much larger picture that precedes eternity that is from an eternity past. And we are brought into that. And so we're not just trying to, if I may put it this way.
Fixed problems and correct things in the immediate presence with simply a view to the present. But God has a much larger picture in view. And I believe that the apostles trying to communicate that to them and give them a sense of that, that we are part of it. If I may put it, part of a much larger picture of God. And that there's an order state of things to settle it down. Because people will often rush around and they're concerned about maybe things that are not important and get lose sight of what is really important and what God is really trying to accomplish.
We're trying to see a quick solution to a situation and then you see that it's the time passes and the and the, if I can use that, continue with that illustration. The builder carries out his plan in an ordered way, losing sight of the particular annoyances and things that come up that you see this thing developing that he had in his mind. And so in tight and creep, they were very the whole character of creep was that they were living for the present moment.
And so.
At this moment, but when we're dealing with each other, when we're dealing in the assembly, do we have eternity in view or do we just have the present instant moment in view of what, of what we, what we're seeing and, or do we really have God's view? Are we looking at the situation at the top of the rock and to see what God's view of the situation is? And I think that that's why he's bringing this in, is to try to bring a sense or by the Spirit of God to bring a sense of what God is doing here.
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You have that brought out in Colossians chapter one, don't you? In, uh, verse 26, in Colossians one in 26, that even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations.
But now as we manifest to this thing 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. And so all truth exalts Christ, doesn't it? And this is the IT was a mystery. These purposes of God were hidden to Israel and they were revealed now to the Gentiles. These are God's purposes. This is why he was doing what he was doing. This is why the land had to be sacrificed and.
These are the purposes of God. I just make a comment too about the common faith. Sometimes we hear the, the, uh, statement made you have your faith and I'll have mine. And uh, we, we hear somebody say the Christian faith or the Jewish faith. Well, God doesn't see it that way. There's only one faith. And it says that in Ephesians chapter 4.
Verse five there I believe there are seven things from verse 4:00 to 5:00.
4-5 and six. There's only one of them.
There's only in 1St 41 body and one spirit, even if you are called in one hope of your calling, 1 Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. So even the faith that we have exalts Christ. The truth of God would exalt Christ.
Speaking of the purpose of God, I was just looking at Second Timothy chapter one and verse 9 where he speaks there who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling.
Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace.
Which was given us in Christ Jesus.
When before the world began?
What a beautiful thing this is. We're going to go into the presence of the Lord, see the one who knew us before we were born. What a glorious thought thing we have. A God who knows the end from the beginning, who knew me before I was ever born, who knew what I was going to do, who knew what he was going to do, has done it. Just so beautiful when we think of those things and just rejoice in the Lord to know that if you're a believer here, every believer here.
Was known to God before he was ever born.
Can you understand it? You'll never understand it, but you better believe it. Good thing to believe it, isn't it? You never understand it.
That's how we get it, by faith.
He lays the foundation.
Uh, for Titus in the first, really the four, four first four verses and oh, he just lays out the glorious, uh, plan of God from a past eternity. And then he says arthritis. I want you to go, uh, to, uh, Crete, Crete.
Oh, nothing but trouble there. Why send me to creep?
Well, it was the purpose of God through the apostle Paul for this cause. What cause? Oh the glorious foundation that was laid in the 1St 3 verses. You go there and you set in order. Oh water difficult thing and some of us might feel my I've got a hard road to hold as they say.
Well, the Lord is sending you. They're sending each one of us. We all have a.
Purpose that God has in his heart for every one of us here. And if we say, oh, why does God make it so hard? Oh, we read Titus discover why it was in order to set things in order so that they would enjoy the glorious eternal life that is ahead. But they couldn't just when they there was disorder.
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It had to be set in first, set in order, and then he was going to, uh, to teach them or Paul would teach them.
So it's very important, I believe, to do what the Lord sends us to do, and we do it well because he has equipped as far as.
There may be a question about the ordaining of elders, but I think it's quite clear from Paul's charge, the elders and emphasis that it was the Holy Ghost that had made them overseers. And so there was a charge committed to those to keep watch over the flock of God and what they were to keep watch for. And we know from Matthew 13 that good seed was sown, and while men slept at His men and responsibility, the enemy came in.
And he sold chairs in the field that the elders fell asleep. And that's an exercise to those that have oversight in the assembly as to right from the very beginning that grievous wolves came in fearing not to flock. That was ones that were not real believers. But we're just going to take the lab. And then there were perverse men of their own number that were going to rise up to draw away disciples after themselves.
That was the work of an overseer to watch and to keep that sort of thing back. And we've seen that happen, come right in, in among the tanks, that there have been those that have not been real and they've done great damage. And that there are those that have risen up among us that have taken away ones in division. And it's a very serious thing. We can blame them, but there is a responsibility for those that were in a place of oversight to stop that from happening because that was the charge that was committed to them.
Now there's another thing in connection with oversight, and I enjoyed what a brother said. Somebody came.
And they said you have elders at your church, Do you have overseers at your church? That's the way people talk, you know, because among the Gentiles, even the first Lord's Supper there, when the Lord, he said in the Gentiles, you know, they desire to exercise lordship, but it's not going to be that way among you. There's a pecking order in the world, no matter which, where, where you go and there's a certain order and then crave to actually stay lordship. And so you see a great deal about leadership and leading and so on in the world. But it's so lucky so among you. But I enjoyed what a brother said when somebody came into the assembly where they were and he said, where are the overseers? I don't. Do you have overseers here? He said, yes, we have overseers.
He said I don't see them. He said, oh, we take that as a compliment. He said you come here and act up and they'll find out who they are.
And I think that that's really was God's purpose. But you see, it was never in the intention or mind of God that we should pick our leaders, that it was a work of God to do that. And so in this particular case and in the days of the apostles that he sent those that were spiritually qualified to name those. But if it were to be done today.
I don't believe that, uh, that there, there is anyone has authority to do that. And it would be just mischief. And it has been mischief when some have set certain ones up as overseers or leaders or so on, because the flesh craves that. But it's the Holy Ghost, which if they do overseers and you see that by the work that is done, there's a care for the flock of God and, uh, that, uh, as to what was committed, the work that was committed to overseers.
MMM, there's a good verse in the last chapter of Hebrews, Hebrews 13 and verse 17. I think it's good to read in his connection.
To obey them and have the rule over you and submit yourself.
Or they what for your tone?
And they that must give in count, but they may do it with joy if they're not in free.
And that is on property.
So it is the responsibility of an overseer, isn't it? And watch the dispose. It's only thing that's done here and you may not be popular sometimes you seek to do that.
Perfect.
Someone approved everything. It was lost for your soul. I think it must give an account. I think it doesn't love though.
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The overseer wouldn't be responsible for what ha happened to that person. Followers every every one of us here our disciples. If we're following the Lord, we're we're referred to as disciples, but an apostle.
Is another matter. Apostle was one who saw the Lord and Paul was one who could delegate this authority to Titus. But there's no one today that has that authority to delegate anyone. It's good to remember that because that's not according to as we had earlier, which is according to truth, the truth of God, not the truth of God. It's the error of man's ways and his wisdom.
We're built upon the foundation of the apostles and the Prophet and the.
There's no other on this rock. I will build my church. But the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And so we have the apostles and the prophets who wrote the New Testament. All the writers of the New Testament were, were apostles, but they were prophet. And so we're built upon that foundation and the foundation is not laid twice. And so many churches will go back to the church fathers. But umm, if you read the Church Fathers that you find that they were mixed up lots, a whole lot of them. They had very strange ideas. They quickly departed from the apostles teaching. And so we have to get right back to the apostles doctrine.
And we see that and to the question of our gaming, our brother Dan Anderson, as you know, maybe some of many in this room are too young to remember him, but he was, uh, he was an ordained Baptist minister when he was in Africa. And the Lord began to exercise about, about his position. And in Speaking of his ordination, he said they laid their empty hands upon my empty head is that they had no authority to ordain anybody. I don't have the authority to appoint a mayor and vessel.
And, uh, and nobody here has the authority to ordain elders in a, in a local assemblies who are finding out, but the apostles were given the credentials of the apostles. We get that at the beginning of Hebrews with signs and wonders, uh, they were given, uh, identification that they were apostles. They had seen the Lord, that they had the power and authority to do what they did to establish things in the beginning. And once that was passed, we now have the word of God. We have the full instruction from the word of God.
As to how to carry on?
And so you say, well, no elders are ordained. Is there anybody that can do that work? Yes. And that's why we're told that, uh, if a man desires that work, he desires a good work. And so the work can be done without the naming of the position, but the qualifications don't change. And so he lifts qualifications here, and they're not to be taken lightly. And so we see what these qualifications are. They're in the word of God for a reason.
Was that they are to umm, we see this here, that umm, they are to have the husband of one wife to be blameless, the husband of one wife having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly.
I think these things are quite plain.
And so, uh, the, the reason that the household is brought in here is, uh, because, umm.
It is in this natural sphere that we.
Man learns to govern his own children, and then he learns to exercise that authority in the House of God.
Thank you. Good to just turn to Matthew chapter 10 to get the, the, uh, the little Jesus there.
The how he uh, had those 12 disciples and 12 to the 12Th disciples in chapter 10 of masculine verse one when he had called unto him his 12 disciples, he gave them power to cast them out as you feel a little manner of sickness, manner of disease. Now the name of the 12 apostles are these the first time it was called Peter and then go through.
Your name and then in verse five, these 12 Jesus sent forth and commanded them. I believe that the word apostle being sent forth and really sent forth of God. And so, umm, there were those that were false apostles that call themselves apostles and the apostle Paul state and they weren't sent forth of God. They exalted themselves, but these apostles were set up of God that they might exalt Christ and that they might lay the foundation.
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Christianity and so we have these bishops and these elders that are mentioned. A Bishop really is an overseer. Uh, he overseas the administrative affairs perhaps in an assembly and, uh, maintain order in an assembly. Then you have an elder really speaks as one that, umm, is mature in the truth of God. And uh, so he's, uh, perhaps, uh, it does mention those that are, uh, that ought to be respected in a double honor. I can't remember where that scripture is, but.
Uh, those that are a double honor, uh, are those that not only are business overseers in the assembly, but those perhaps that are elders and, uh, mature in the truth of God and can give the truth out to the Saints. And so the Saints are fed and the experience good order. And, uh, so the, really the apostle desires that Titus would set, uh, things in order in this assembly that there might be liberty of the Spirit of God now to take up the things of Christ, to magnify Christ, to, uh, have the heart occupied with the Lord Jesus. But if there's disorder in an assembly.
Or disorder in our homes, or disorder in, uh, other, uh, spheres of responsibility that we, uh, we uh, are in, then there's no peace to experience, uh, uh, for the Spirit of God to take the, the precious things of Christ, to make them precious to us, to occupy us with Christ. And so there has to be that order.
That night that the Spirit of God raises up those in assembly to be overseers and to be elders.
It's the work of the Spirit of God. It's not a work of man. And if we just would recognize that there is a work of the Spirit of God in love and grace to raise up those for the blessing of the Saints, it would be, uh, a blessed thing to go on peace with them.
On the uh, Spirit of God came down on United.
OK. It's changed into one body and the assembly was established. I think it's important for the younger ones to realize this, that this was unique, it was exclusive.
Assembly, gather to the name of the Lord Jesus. Can't be duplicated, OK?
Count of the two gathering centers to Christ. But what is happening, and has happened for a considerable time now, groups of Christians, how can they operate and not gather to the Lord's name? They must. They must have those in authority to make the decisions.
It's either an elder or it's a laboring brother. It's not justifying groups, but there has to be.
Authority to make decisions. Or else a group of Christians get together and they decide on a lot of different points, and when they all agree about that, then they form that group. But if somebody wants to come into it, they must adhere to those ideas and decisions.
So in the assembly the Lord is the Head and.
We vow to his authority, he is final authority in the assembly has that authority very important for you to younger ones to realize that the Lord is in the midst and he is the one that we are the final authority like a Supreme Court, United States and Canada, they are the final judges and when they make that decision, why that's final. The assembly is the same.
And so this Bishop or this overseer, that's really neat, perhaps more correct rendering, must be blameless as the steward of God. I may be a steward of money. You may entrust money to me and I may be careless with it, and therefore you wouldn't trust me with it anymore, or you'd be cautious about trusting me with money. But here the overseer had to be faithful as a steward of God that is has been committed to us, the truth of God, to be faithful with it in its application in the assembly.
And so it is the sphere starts in connection with the home and then it carries on to faithfulness in connection with the truth in the assembly. It's not ours. This is not brethren, truth, brothers have been pointing out this is not our truth. It is the common faith. And so, uh, people say, well, I'm on this and I, our church holds this. Well, it doesn't work that way, but there is a common state, as you say, a group named farming form the rules of their organization.
00:45:28
But what we have is the word of God, and that rules. And so, umm, there has to be faithfulness in the home, but there has to be faithfulness in connection with that truth and not the giving up of it. A steward must be found faithful.
And so in connection, that is why Paul made that exhortation to the elders and Ephesus that they were not to flee, that they were to watch.
Scripture that I was looking for was in First Timothy chapter 5 verse 17.
As the bearing on what you see, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. So oftentimes you have a Bishop, an overseer in the assembly. Maybe he doesn't take an active part in teaching in the assembly, but he is an overseer. He has a sense of God's order and and the purposes of God in connection with his people in heaven. He has oversight in the assembly, but then that same one can also be raised up of God to.
Bring forth a teaching of the truth of God, the doctrine, the teaching of God and the Word, and bring that before the same. Well, then that's a double honor. He's worthy of a double honor in that respect. God makes that clear. I'd say this too about the book that must be blameless as a steward of God. There's some qualifications that are optional, you might say, in some positions of responsibility in this world and perhaps.
Even amongst the Lord's people, but this it says in verse 7, the Bishop must be blindly. There's no option here. He must be language before God before.
That the people of God as well must be, otherwise he's not fitted for that responsibility.
OK, fine, the opposite now. And all the governments of the world.
Could you say that the heads of the government are blameless men in their personal life?
Anything but, but in God's order it is required.
Great stuff. Mischief is caused in the assembly when assembly matters are turned over to the hands of those who do not meet these qualifications.
And we see it time and time again where the advice and oversight is thought of those that do not meet these qualifications.
And this is not to set up a hierarchy, but it is to honor. We may well humble ourselves if we find ourselves, and we may well find ourselves in a situation where there is no one in the assembly that makes these requirements but the Lord. He is the Ancient of Days, and He is he will take that work up in the assembly if there is none there but the pretend to. To put this into the hands of those that are not scripturally qualified to do this work is the very cause of disorder in the assembly.
And that is why we have the precious Word of God to guide us in these things.
Is it in Canada there's something called a Class A mechanic and I cannot hang up a sign and fix cars unless as a mechanic, unless I am licensed by the province of Ontario to do that work. And so it is for the protection. So there's qualifications here. So if a matter comes for to the attention of the assembly is it is really it may. And I say again that we may find ourselves in a situation where no one these qualifications in the assembly and we can take great comfort in the fact that the Lord, he's the Ancient of Days and he will take up and he will do that work. His presence is sufficient.
But to relegate this work to those that are not scripturally qualified is mischief. And it's just as much mischief as it would be for me to take my car to apartment to get fixed. It's, it's, uh, if there was a serious matter. And so God can use weak instruments. So we should not pretend to that which where we're not at. And so it would be far better to go on and just look to the Lord in this situation then to make pretenses to things.
Because brother, so and so is this or that or the other thing. But if we look at these qualifications here, we're going to be guided as God and it will bring about the order that we desire. And so, yeah, I just say this in connection with the younger brothers is that when, uh, there is a scriptural order even as to the age and as to the role in which we take these things. And it does speak in scripture to, of taking the oversight willingly, but not a constraint.
00:50:21
And so there, there is a taking of the oversight in the assembly. It's not seizing control, but there is a pattern here that we are developing for God's good and for the blessing of the same. I'm thinking too, uh, very solemn thing here in verse 7 again.
For a Bishop, or really an overseer, must be blameless as the steward of God. I think you already mentioned that, Neil.
That is required in stewards that a man be found faithful, not successful exactly. You may run into real difficulties and problems trying to be, uh, do that, which is the work of God. But it's, notice it says he's a steward of God and it's been already said to steward stewardship is that which is imparted to us of God. We have it while we're here. We're only stewards of everything we have. We're to use it for him, aren't we? And so.
It's as it says, I was just looking for the verse. It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. So what's good isn't to know that this one, whoever takes this responsibility, is a steward of God and God is holy. Make no mistakes about that. He hasn't changed His Holiness because of His grace.
The 7th versus more or less the negatives of those things that should not be, but how beautiful to see the contrast in the eighth verse, those things that are to characterize.
But but.
Important, but a lover of hospitality.
Caring for those in the assembly that they have needs.
I like to look at the young people and I see sometimes young boys.
Uh, I shouldn't say young boys, young men and.
And I noticed that they're watching for the other young people to help them some ways or to help them in their life studies or so on, their little fathers. And it's so important for the young ones to develop that a lover, it's an ongoing thing, not just loving ones, a lover of hospitality.
The care is seeking out how we can help others.
A lover of good men.
How important that is to see that if you have a problem and if you're in a line of work, don't go to the brother or the sister that's an expert in that. To the most godly brother or sister, your sister, go to a sister that you consider, one who walks close to the Lord, and you'll get a proper answer from God.
The world says, well, go to the experts, but you know.
Lover. Oh good men.
Might be good to take up the, uh, even though the, the things are negative, so to speak in verse 7, they're really very instructive. Umm, we have the, the very next, uh, umm, part of this, the first seven, uh, says not self will, not self will. And really that would bring before our hearts when that, that individual is not seeking, uh, his own glory, his own purposes, his own.
Exaltation, perhaps in the assembly or seeking to impose his will or his desires, his preferences upon St. But rather his, uh, the implication is that he desires to seek the purposes of God. He desires, he has a heart for God and for God's people. He desires to see God people go on in the path of obedience and faithfulness. So it's not his will that he's seeking. He's seeking the Lord's will. And so he brings to the conscience of those that are in a disorderly state.
We're walking just assembly. He brings before their hearts the will of God in connection with a certain a certain situation that arises in the assembly or a certain condition that exists. He brings the will of God before the people. So he doesn't exert his own will. Not uh, nice that the more gifts this qualification that we could recognize those that are overseers by their desire to have us walk in the will of God, the perfect will of God.
00:55:32
She's not too angry and so it's like to avoid negative things that says he angry and sin not let's not the sun go down upon your wrath and.
So there is a place for anger and there is a sense in which the man is not put on that with containers to a woman, is that there is a sense in which it is right to become angry and it's wrong not to become angry in connection with him. And I just like to maybe make two other comments about these negative things that has not given the line. And Peter says excessive wine, but the the new translation says not a wine drinker. And there is perhaps in the in the minds of some young people.
The thought that it's all right to drink wine if you don't drink a lot of it, but.
The instruction in Timothy is very clear that if you require wine for medicinal purposes.
For your stomach sake a little bit, take a little wine provides the infirmities for your stomach's sake. That is proper. But it is not characteristic of a Christian to be a wine drinker. It's not a question of oh, I only drink it with my meal. That's not characteristic of a Christian is to be a wine drinker. And endless mischief has been caused by people opening the door to that sort of thing. The ungodly people at work, they want to ask me, they said you don't drink, do you? And I said, well, and I quoted that first from Scripture. I said to take a little wine for your stomach taken for your oxygen and permanent, but that I have no need for that.
If I did, I trust God would give me wisdom how to do it. I said I do take wine on Sunday morning. They knew what I meant and they said well, I don't take it from my stomach ache and I don't take a little. That's what they said. But I believe that Scripture is clearest to that. Or to be aware of the circumcision to make a login that I know man, it wouldn't break bread because of wine was used in the breaking of bread. But that's not the thought of Scripture, nor is this the thought of Scripture that we should become wine drinkers.
Characterized by that, however moderately we do it.
Mephibosheth
Storms
Three Tables
Titus 1:7-15
Reading
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Hi this is chapter one verse 5 for this call is left on the increase in its attitude set in order the things that are wanting and ordained I'll lose in every city as I had appointed they if any be blameless. The husband of one wife having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
For a Bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God himself will not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast and faithful word, as he had been taught, that he may be able by sound doc in both to exhort and to convince the game Sayers.
Well, there are many unruly and veins, hoppers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped to subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not the filthy Lucas sake.
One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said the Christians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore reviews them sharply, they may be sound in the face of giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth.
Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work and reprobate.
His last verse is helpful to us to understand what he's trying to bring out here and the qualification of those that exercise the role of a Bishop was that there was profession a professor that they know God, but the the words denied that fact and he said being abominable disobedient.
And I'll do every good work, reprobate or the margin reads without judgment.
One of the things we commonly hear today is, well, you can't say or you can't judge and so on. And it is true, we're not to judge motives, but the Lord has set an authority, as we were hearing in this world, to make judgments. It's not a question of infallibility or faultless judgment. But the assembly has been said in this world that there is a place where moral judgments and matters, that things can be and binding judgments be made in this world. The world objects to that. They say you can't say.
But if we open God's precious word, it is unbelief to say we can't say when God has said so. And so the qualifications of the elder then or the overseer then is that they have proven that they are not self willed. And I think that the contrary to self will is disobedient. What goes along with self will is disobedience. It's used to getting your own way. We call children disobedient. We don't call adults disobedient. They're just self will.
And when we're older and we're heads of homes and so on, it's not a question so much of disobedience, but we have a way of ordering life around ourselves so that we get to do our our own way. And so childhood disobedience manifests itself in an adult itself. Will and a brother made this comment that my brother, who is excellent when he doesn't get his own way in care, meeting his evidence that he was never obedient as a child.
Somebody who comes to care meeting and he sucks because he doesn't get his own way.
Is somebody who is never obedient to the child and so I believe that that's what maybe these words are strong but I believe that that's why it exists here in our sixth verse is not being self willed. You know sometimes we get up in the gospel and we scold children very severely and mourn children about the effects of disobedience and then we get older. We think we're immune to that kind of exhortation but it's a very solid thing so that those that exercise.
Oversight in the House of God are not to be, not to be self willed.
00:05:00
Boeing got his anger and you find that, uh, and you see that that was this particularly characteristic of the day in which we live is railing because anger. And if you don't get your own way, then you get mad. And, uh, and that is a characteristic of the way that people behave themselves today. If you, if, uh, I think some of us have this study, that book, the Wizard of Oz in school and he got, tried to get his own way by flattering people and charming people. And when that didn't work, he flew into a rage.
And so those two things get together. It doesn't say not to get angry, it says be angry and cannot let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
Opinion of evil did not change. And so you have one thing that the Lord did at the beginning of his ministry and at the end of his ministry. That was at the beginning of his ministry. And Johnstock, while he turned the money changers out of the temple, he overturned the money changers tables and drove them out. And in Matthew's Gospel, I believe it was at the end of his ministry. And I think that's illustrated about the fact let's not the sun go down upon your raft, is that our opinion of equal is not to change with time.
You have a little picture. God gives us a little picture in Genesis chapter 18 of what is valuable to Him.
You know, one that is uh, uh, an overseer among his people. In chapter 18 of Genesis, in verse 19, he says of Abraham, I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to give justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. So there was a path of obedience and faithfulness in Abraham's life and he said, I know him. So the Lord knows that.
Those that desire to, umm, bring up their children and then nurture and admonition of the Lord. See, we, we sometimes quote that scripture and it's, uh, we, we really don't think about what it says. And the nurture to, to feed our children with Christ, to give them nurturing in the things of God, uh, in their home and, uh, nurture the admonition. And then there's the correction. So there's food, but then there's correction. And the Lord desires this too, of godly Christian parents that desire to bring up their children for the Lord that there might be fruit for the glory of God.
For all eternity, those two things are connected.
As the nurturer side is the positive side, we bring up our children strictly, that's alright, and teach them to obey, but we have to give them that nurture. We have to provide them with something better than what we were saying. No, better not to go there because it's a worldly thing, but we've got to give them something better and we have plenty to give them. And if there is that nurture, the positive side, the children will grow up to know.
That the world says, oh, you don't need to obey your parents. A child that is brought up in a home under the nurture, in other words, they've got something better. They say to themselves, I know, but that my dad or mom and my mom are right. These kids around here, they're not right, but there must be that positive side to nurture, to give them the positive. Then they will say, I know what life is.
Worth living for, and that's Christ.
Get that in the assembly to go through a Hebrews chapter 13. It says they're at the same principle, the same order in verse seven. Remember them which have to rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation or their manner of life. And then a little further on in verse 17. Then you get the Ivanissa obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your soul. So those those two things and that's the godly orders and if there's food for and then there's admonition and if there's fruit for God.
For His glory.
We did that, uh, great, well brought out, uh, umm, in, in the first, uh, Samuel 15 and verse UH-22.
But you said, uh, Neil, I want my own way. I'm gonna have my own way. But what does Samuel say to solve? And Samuel said half the Lord is great delight in Burt Hopkins and sacrifice as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold to obey is better than sacrificing to our country than the Father rounds for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.
00:10:12
And stubbornness, so the inequity and idolatry, because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord.
How solemn it is to think of it. And if we want our own ways, we're really fighting with what we get here.
I think it's important to realize what we put out there in the order there in Hebrews with the word of God first, and it's the obeying second. And so this is not the subject of education of man's conscience to, to, uh, to man and the opinions of men. So it is the word of God. So there's a nurture there.
The the thought is that it that if I don't obey God myself and I'm not subject to the word of God myself.
And I can't really expect it of my children. And that's really what the issue is. And it's not by simply ruling by I'm a criticist way of Gray hair or I'm older than you are, but it really is but the truth of the word of God. And so that is what that is really the word of God has authority. And we we see this later. It's not up to me to set aside the authority of God's word because we're stewards.
It's not up for you if if a brother says you will brother, I think that we should have.
I think we should have the sisters running this thing here in the assembly. It's not up for you to set aside God's Word, is it? Because or I think that such and such should take place. It's not up for, no, no matter how old we are to set aside the authority of God's Word, that the faithful steward himself, a man with a credit manager and a company, he has that faithfully with his company's assets. He's not free to give them away just because he's been placed in that place of stewardship.
And so that's where the commanding comes in is we have, we're, we're to be faithful stewards of what God has committed to us. And then if there's unruliness in connection with keeping that, then, umm, then that's, as you point out, it's a very serious thing.
Isn't it wonderful we have the Lord Jesus throughout the course in Philippians chapter 2 There as one who became obedient, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross when an object for our hearts, if we would be instructed in the word of God by those that would be exercising oversight and bring the word of God to bear upon certain situations.
What a lesson lesson thing that would be that there would be submission and that there would be joy and peace as a result of submission to the Word of God and obedience.
It's remarkable to realize that.
I just on these, all these verses that have been read to us today, he was addressing, he was addressing Gentiles and at least he was being instructed on how to help to bring order amongst a Gentile assembly. And who was he? Well, if he turned just for a moment to uh, to Galatians 2:00 and 3:00.
POC.
But how appropriate it was that Titus would get this instruction.
Galatians 2 and three, but neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek at the Gentile, was compelled to be circumcised.
Well, you would think.
Like Timothy was, Paul consented to his being circumcised, but Titus wasn't. So Titus was a very suited person to speak to these gentiles and say, well, we're not forced to go back to the Jewish traditions. We have got something far, far better. So when each one of us is called to a work.
Second Timothy 213 says of a man therefore purged himself from these, he shall be a vessel on our honor, sanctified in meat for the masters use and prepared.
00:15:07
Until every good work when the Lord gives you a, a, a something to do, you are equipped for it by him. Second Timothy 213 makes that very plain. So what is needed is for us to be in subjection to the word of God and not be going by traditions. And so this would enable.
Tim, uh, Titus to be able.
To bring this message from the Apostle Paul adieu to these people Gentiles.
Is dropping back to the third chapter of Second Timothy just across the page.
Verse 16 One of the three si one of the the three sixteens of Scripture which is good for us to remember.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God.
Our every scripture really.
And is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction in righteous, in righteousness and, and, and instruction and righteousness. Well, Paul's epistles do that, don't they? And especially thinking of his writing to tigers here. But just notice what it says verse 17, that the man of God may be perfect. Now that doesn't mean he's gonna attain to perfection.
But he's fully equipped. We're talking about that between meetings here. Some of us, the, the child of God is fully equipped. How does he get, how do I get equipped to meet, uh, these needs being furnished through the word of God? This is how I get it. I don't get it because of my intelligence or my college degree at all. I get it by the word of God. So it says that every scripture is given by inspiration for us. Wonderful to know, isn't it, that we have in our hands.
God's inspired word, and we can gather this precious thing from it, but what I'm particularly noticing was that the man of God may be perfect or throughly furnished unto every good work. That is all the things that we need to be to be equipped, we find in the Word of God. God equips us for that, for that particular duty or responsibility that we may have as we've been having here being.
Committed to to this, these things by Titus, Paul by Titus. But God has given us all this equipment. Do we need anything further? You don't get it anywhere else. We can only get it from the word of God itself.
Every scripture. So if you go through that, you see there's, there's doctrine that's, that's, umm, uh, wrong. Hebrews we find, uh, reproof is in Galatians, correction is in Corinthians and also instruction in righteousness is in Colossians.
Doctrine is teaching. You say that for the young people to help.
Each time you see that word, Doctor Meekin put in their teaching. So when we're in a reading meeting, it's so important for us to list.
The young people that are listening are going to be blessed.
I've already blessed.
What you said Norman, about, uh, if the Lord wants you to do something, he's going to, uh, supply you with all that you need. And we get that very, very much in Gideon, how he was so tenant and, uh, how he didn't want to go, but yet the Lord told him to go and told him what to do. And even, he even picked out his own transform. Gideon didn't even have to pick out his friends.
The Lord and He has something for us to do.
You look after every detail.
As an indoctrist here, there's several things that are found in in Titus that are found and one of them is doctrine. In verse nine it says Abel by sound doctrine.
Being really solid, uncorrupted doctrine, the teaching of God, uh, the teaching of the apostles held and, and taught, not corrupted and not something that's added to it. So we have sound doctrine in verse nine, and then we have in verse 13 of our chapters found in the faith really means solid in the faith, not one that is easily shaken in the, when the truth is brought before them that, uh, it's, uh, they're found.
00:20:25
Faith, uh, of God. And then it says uh again in chapter 2. Sound speaks out of things which become sound doctrine and sound in the faith in verse 2.
Let me just say two things about not a striker not given, not given to filthy lucre. Umm.
We're not Christians, but we are Gentiles, most of us in this Western Christian world. And the character of the Gentiles to, uh, settle matters is to fight it out in the battlefield.
You know, I kind of chuckled sadly when I saw the headlines that there was peace in hospital. So you see how the Western Christian nation solved the dispute. They went in there with $5 billion worth of bombs and dropped it on a little area of the world. And, uh, when everybody suddenly calmed down afterwards, they called that peace. But that's not the way that we accomplished the work of God, but it, that's our way by nature. Rather said, you know, they have union in Europe, but they don't have unity and.
Those are ancestors. Our recent ancestors killed 75 million of each other on the battlefields of Europe and they've got union, but they don't have unity. That's the way of the Gentiles is to fight things out. And so there's a tendency, you know, to do that. And so this is not a striker or a lover of Sophie, Luke or given the Luther. This is the exact expression there. I think it's important to see this, that umm.
Uh, not given to selfie, Lucas, There's nothing wrong with being rich.
And, umm, we should just read a verse in Timothy in connection with this, where the snare comes for young people and for us, especially when we're heading out in life. I think that, umm.
First nine of First Timothy, chapter 6.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a spare, and then in many foolish and hurtful luck, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil.
With some having which while some coveted after they have erred from the face, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou old man of God, pleading things, and fall after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
The desire to be rich.
Very plain as to what it's gonna lead to. And so I just stated that the Lord entrusts that to those that are able to carry it out. And the ambition to be rich is to cause a great deal of grief among many and four many. But it was given to filthy Lucas. That became their object.
And so I just say that because we shouldn't look down on those that have more than we do. Umm.
That brings with it a special challenges, but that's what it was saying here is that the characteristic of this one was not to be given. But there is a prosperity gospel. I mean, what Scripture instructs us to do is when you hear it, run the other way, please.
Don't run, don't walk when you hear that kind of thing. But God's given some people good heads and business heads and so on, and that's the that's of God.
Mr. Garvey's translation uses the word here.
And find it uh.
Is very umm.
Not seeking gain by base means.
Not seeking gain by base means. And that's really, uh.
00:25:03
We have, the world has its terminology, uh, a get rich quick scheme. And, uh, you know, sometimes we as doesn't, there's no age limit to this. Uh, sometimes the, the world is taken up with, uh, get rich quick schemes and the lottery tickets and everything else that go along with it. But the believer is to be characterized as receiving what he has from the Lord. And so it says in first Corinthians chapter 4, what hast thou that thou hast not received?
So the believer has the.
That would be a steward would be one that would be dependent upon the Lord. He's not trying to get rich quick. Uh, he doesn't have that tendency and he seeks to what he has from the Lord and then thankful to the Lord for what he has. He doesn't reach out and take something that isn't his.
The 17th verse is the admonition, the one who is already.
Great how remarkable the word of God is. It says charge them that are rich, not seeking to be rich as the other verse said in the 10th verse.
Nice here too, that in our verse, in our chapter verse 9, holding fast the faithful word doesn't say this doesn't say holding fast the word. Holding fast the faithful word, whose word was it? It's the word of God, isn't it? God is faithful as we find that in first Timothy and just so beautiful to think of this holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught.
Now all we have to do is we don't wanna talk about it, but think about a few years ago.
What did we find find those that had been taught. Now they soar above their brethren and they go beyond and they dispense with things that they once taught as the truth so that it's not truth anymore as God's word changed. Never, never did and never will. So I just thought of how beautiful it is for us to hold this is this whole fast. Don't don't let it go. Don't let something come along and cause you to say, well, I wonder now I wonder about that.
I question that. Don't question the word of God. Hold it fast as it says. Hold fast the faithful Word as He has been taught.
Now, now comes the responsibility that he may be able.
By sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers sound doctrine that which he has been taught that which was from the word of God a faithful word. So I believe we find here a binding together of that which is of God and this is the thing that will keep us and be and we that we were able to be an encouragement we'll be able to exhort we'll also be able to.
Help those that are especially they have a circumcision of a jewel here and uh, so it will be those that will will be able to help them. Otherwise we will not be able to help them. If I don't consider the word of God myself applying to me, if I'm not holding it, how can I expect to teach someone else or help anyone else? So I believe it's very important. I was thinking over just going over to Ephesians chapter 4 just.
Thinking again of this dispersion and despair, despairing of the truth of God. Just forward to Ephesians 4.
Versus uh, and here's a good word for us.
It's good for the young people, good for all of us.
Ephesians chapter 4, verse 14. That we henceforth be no more children.
To and fro with every win of document by the sleight of men. Cunning craftiness, whereby they lie and wait to deceive, but holding the truth. Verse 15. Not exactly speaking the truth, but holding the truth in love.
May grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
I'm doing the whole body. But you know, I just thought of putting that together with what we have here. Holding fast, a faithful word as he has been taught.
We'll do that seven years, the perfect number, and we get it here in uh, verse 8 and 9A Lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just holy tempered holding thoughts. The faithful word is Southeast 7.
00:30:07
The word sober it means so as to be, uh, so as to be right.
Regarding the translation uses the word discreet there for that word sober. I wonder whether that might give us the, uh, the direction, you know, the Spirit of God would have those that are in a place of oversight to be discreet in connection with the issues that they deal with among the Lord's people sometimes and overseer will have someone come and speak to them about a personal matter perhaps and.
There's a matter that needs to be discussed and taken up, uh, privately and, umm, and even in things of God when perhaps there are times when, uh, we get off on a path of disobedience or worldliness and one of those overseers perhaps sees a disorderly conduct coming in. He goes over and speaks to that one privately. And then maybe he speaks another time privately and he's doing it so that, umm, you know, if there's disobedience, continued disobedience in the, in the pathway, in an assembly, why then the Lord has to come in, perhaps in governmental ways.
Deal with the situation. But here it really speaks to umm, of a woman is sober, discreet. He doesn't broadcast the matter amongst the brother. Why he keeps it quiet. He keeps it between himself and the individual that is involved and he just deals with it quietly. And it's not the character of the Lord and how he deals with it. You know, he spoke to Solomon three times. The first time, umm, I guess I, I'm gonna have a hard time.
Uh, just quoting them. So we'll just turn them real quickly. I think it's First Kings chapter 3, the first time that he speaks to Solomon. And in verse 15, Solomon awoke and behold, it was a dream and he came to Jerusalem.
So the Lord spoke to Solomon that first time, and then he spoke to them another time, a little further on in First Kings. And, uh, he built that house, uh, for the Lord.
And then, umm, the Lord appeared to him after he built the host.
I guess I can't find it here, but uh.
And the third time, yes, it's chapter nine, first Kings, Chapter 9. And uh, verse one, it came to pass when Solomon had finished the building of the House of the Lord and the Lord and the King's house and all Solomon's desire, which was he was pleased to do, that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon. And then you find third time in Chapter 11 That it becomes a public thing, Chapter 11 of 13 and verse nine. And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord's audit Israel, which had appeared unto him twice.
And has commanded him concerning this thing that he should not go after other gods. So God had had a private conversation with Solomon twice about this issue of idolatry and this issue perhaps as the wives that has taken his heart away. But then, you know, the third time through the public thing. And so the overseers discreet, he takes up these issues. He sees that the disorder is creeping into the assembly, uh, perhaps into a family, whatever, and he seeks to correct the matter.
Just briefly privately takes the matter up, but then you know, if it persists, why then the Lord oftentimes makes it a public thing.
Coming back to our chapter in verse 9 just for a minute.
I think it's it might be helpful to see, uh, three things.
In the middle of, uh, the second line of, of uh, verse 9, uh, as he has been taught, uh, being taught, being taught, that's the foundation we need to be taught.
But what's the next thing? Going back to the first part, holding fast the faithful word as the end is taught. The second thing is to be living what we have been taught.
It's one thing to know the Scriptures, but it's another thing to walk in them. And then the third thing is the end of the verse. We're going to be able to help others. John's gospel says He that believeth on me got to have my hand on The Fountainhead. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said out of his belly, has to have an effect on my life and to live it.
00:35:14
Then my other hand is going to go in.
Blessing, uh, seeking for the welfare of others, but I must have my hand to the top and then to live it, and then I'm gonna be able to be used in helpfulness to others.
Oh, close to some I believe, therefore I've spoken. I didn't get that all close to Thomas connection to ministry I believe, therefore have. Yes, yes, that's the order. There has to be a personal laying hold of it first.
Yeah, so they believe you're in connection with the unruly, that there was discipline putting away, Properly speaking, Mr. Darby says it's not discipline at all. If I put my son out of the house and I say you can no longer be in my house, you so corrupted my house that you have distorted and distorted my house. I cannot call you my son and I can't let you come in. I there's nothing more I can do with you that's putting away from a large table.
And properly speaking, that's not discipline at all. But it's admission that all discipline is failed.
But here we have get the plumber, the absorbing, and there's the convincing of the game stayer. And then there was even even here whose mouths must be stopped. It doesn't say you can. It says they must be stopped. And the comment was made recently that there should be as many loosens as there are bindings. But whole set of Timothy have no man like mine is. You will naturally care for your state. But here we see that there are many deceivers in vain talkers.
When I was young, somebody talked about the parable of the prodigal son, and he said we shouldn't really call the parable of the prodigal son's this prodigal son's. There are lots of, but how many fathers are in there like that? And here is the question. There's many deceivers in veins, hawkers, and it's not an optional thing. It says his mouth must be stopped.
To convert whole houses using things which they ought not to for filthy lucrative space or for gaining space. And umm, that's it. There is the injunction there, but they must be stopped. And what it takes, the Assembly has been given very broad powers to deal with that. And it said whatsoever are you buying on Earth?
Is is the power of the assembly to stop that are unlimited?
But it it's not an optional thing here. And so we have we see this in connection with that because it was unruly there from teaching things that were contrary to the doctrine and wanted to let it stray. And so the elders at Ephesus left and then came in and so dared. And we have to look back at what has happened and we have to say, have we fulfilled our responsibility to stop unruly talkers and they have the circumcision? Have we delivered our young people into the hands of those that were unruly and would not?
Would that rebelled against the word of God, and I see that in the Book of Kings, where?
Solomon favored, uh, favored Jeroboam because he was an industrious man who see that maybe we should turn back to that. It's from first king.
Because maybe it leads on with what our brother Robert was saying, what he failed to judge in himself. He kind of turned a blind eye to his own son.
I think it's uh.
After 11/26 11:26.
Umm, yes, it's actually 28. That it it, Well, yeah, 26 you should start there. And Jeroboam, the son of Neba, an appetite of uh, Miradiya, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Deruya, a widow woman even he lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the 'cause that he lifted up his hand against the king Solomon, Phil Milo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David's father.
And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor, and Solomon seen the young man that he was industrious. He made him a ruler over all the charges of the heights of Joseph.
Well, you can see your recipe for disaster.
Solomon knew a Jeroboam was, and yet he thrust him into the very place of ruling over all the House of Joseph when he knew what he was.
00:40:07
And so we have a solemn responsibility in connection with these things. I think we find in the Word of God, the sin of Jeroboam is mentioned 38 times, and it was the sin by which all other sins were measured in the Old Testament of the king, 38 times, I believe you'll find is talking about after the sin of Jeroboam. And we see the beginning of this. Well, Solomon was given wisdom. It wasn't that he lacked the wisdom. God gave him the wisdom to deal with the situation.
And we often say we didn't know what to do, but we did, and we didn't have the moral courage to do it. And so we see here that, uh, what Jeroboam's beginning was. And so he can't give this order to Timothy, to Titus rather, whose mouths must be stopped because then those that are younger are taken away. Whole houses are subverted. And we see their sorrow that is brought in and, uh, into the assembly and into homes because.
There was not a carefulness in connection with these things.
Let me just comment on the last umm, 3, umm, 3 words actually of, uh, verse eight. They have to do in the connection with what you were talking about. Brother Neil, uh, a brother A1 That would be an overseer ought to be, uh, just ought to be fair. We ought to recognize the, the character of one that is umm, has the ability, so to speak, to size up.
A situation and to be fair about it and also to be pious or holy. And this is what perhaps was lacking in Jeroboam. And he was not a pious man. He was industrious in scripture records that he was industrious, but he wasn't characterized as one that was highest and temperate self-control. He needed to have that self-control. And uh, we learned later on that, uh, because Israel to sin because he didn't have.
That conference in his life?
You know, my brother asked me, I think some people know that we're called Tunbridge Well, brethren, because there was a, a division over a little decision that a little country assembly or Tunbridge Wells made over a man named Mr. Strange.
And uh.
I was in a home in France and his young brother, nice young brother, he said, uh, I know that they had to do what they had to do with Tunbridge. Well, so why did they have to do it? So that's a strange question. And then he gave me a perfect outline of why the brethren had to do what they had to do at Conridge. Well, but he said, but if they hadn't done it, then we'd all be together and all happy.
But you see, another brother asked him what took place in Tunbridge. Well, it was a man named Mr. Strange, and we had an open meeting today and he got up.
And you would say things like, all our blessings come from the devil. You know, if, uh, Satan had attempted ease, then there would have been no fall and there would have been no, uh, need for salvation and so on. And so it was just that kind of thing. And what other answer to their answer to that than to say whose mouth must be stopped? But here, thousands of assemblies literally in Europe were swept away in division at the division of Tunbridge Wells because they didn't realize a simple principle that the assembly has authority to deal with this kind of thing.
And, and not even the assembly, but in oversight that these things have to be dealt with. And here's a young man 90 years later scratching his head saying why do they have to do it?
But Paul says in Corinthians put you like man and there is the there is some other influence, if I may say that, but I'm asked not to put on that with pertaining to a woman. We hear the other side of that. But there is the mothering influence and it's wonderful. You know, our wives even how they pack the children's lunch and so on and how they arrange everything and they're very thoughtful how and that's what is increasing in Hebrews and says Hebrews.
And you do it with joy and not with grief. So we can make it a very difficult, very difficult.
Thanks for those that have overseas to oversee but it's a necessary thing and we see the results installments host with Jeroboam that 10 tribes of Israel were taken away in division and to this day to this day that there's still Israel is still divided because of Jeroboam stands. And so as our brothers did. Maybe we don't like to hear that some things we cannot do and the Lord will be will be brought back in the Lord's time.
That he is faithful in his faith.
00:45:00
The results of solving failure and Jeroboam that we read about have perspective to this very day.
At the end of that 12Th verse for the young people again.
That's saying something or teaching something that's going to be popular and.
Therefore, being able to have a bit more money because.
Uh, there's nothing said that it would upset anybody. So the, uh, it says there, uh, for filthy lucre's sake, saying things for the benefit that they might have financially.
At the guarded against that.
I have no pleasure in you saying.
Offering at your hand. So there was in Malachi the remnant day. Those that were ought to be new service to the Lord in the temple, but they wouldn't do it unless they got paid. And so this is something that is to characterize those that are doing the work of oversight or anyone that doesn't work for the Lord. Don't do it for money. It ought to be done. The apostle Paul says that I may preach the gospel of God without the charge.
Why don't you preach it without charge? He wasn't going to take the collection.
Sunday school and here one that is characterized you can identify the character of this one that he served in himself and not serving the Lord.
That he's really wanting that filthy roofer. He's trying to do the Lord's work and using base means serving himself.
We got to do what we do in front of our cheerfully Lord.
The motives. Every action has a motive. Why we do things.
And when we stand before the Lord Jesus.
The Great White Throne, we're going to have all our life reviewed and he's going to show us the motives that we have. And it's very important. I can't judge the motives of others, but the Lord is going to show us why we did those things. So it's it's in important, isn't it, for us to have a pure motive.
What is that motive? To exalt the Lord Jesus Christ?
That should be our motive for every action.
In Revelation.
That is, it's not knowledge, it's a magnitude of power. In Psalm 33, I think that's 331111.
Oh, the thoughts of thy heart.
The entire word of God.
Especially the Old Testament are the thoughts of the of the heart of God. See, it's not intellectual. It's not until you are.
And there are three verses in Proverbs 22 and I would like to briefly.
Do.
522.
August 22/19/2021 Now if you think that this is just a word from Solomon to Jeremiah.
00:50:11
And I submit that we have a very intellectual approach to the scriptures.
But you notice there's a three fold high eye that made known to me. Verse 20 I have written to thee. Verse 21 I may make you know the circle. And then there's a free fall day I admire known to be. I have written today I might make me be. Now say I think this. These are versions like John 316.
I have to realize that the eye is the Lord speaking to our hearts. We have to put our name in there questions and every individual the leader of this debate.
Reader with the right attitude apart.
She's a David. When a visitor comes to the city, I don't know, but in your city they are an honorable visitor comes, they give them the keys to the city. And it really speaks of authority. It's a symbolic thing. And the Lord has the keys of David. He has the keys of it now. He has the keys of authority in this world. And it's a wonderful thing that though Philadelphia had little strength that kept his word and not denied his name, that the Lord still has the King's heart.
In his hand as the rivers of water and he directs the government. And so he's in control of things. We can leave the government with him. Uh, so if somebody higher than the Prime Minister, the president, have you got a problem? Go to the one east and I have to report to. And he's got his hand and his, his heart in his hand. And so the Lord is in control of the governments of this earth. And so we don't need to get down to the level of the world with those things, but we know the one who has the keys of David.
And so it's a wonderful thing there in that first.
So just point this out in connection with Gaines because, umm, it's not just with money, although it's cleaning money. Mr. Darby made a comment when he visited this cotton and he said there's a lot of lovely believers over in North America. He's writing back home, he said. But in the churches there, everything is numbers and money. And I don't think things have changed much in the last 150 years after everything was money and numbers in the churches here. But it says in First Timothy chapter.
This umm.
In connection with this nitrous to allow my application of this first.
That, umm.
Verse five. Her verse Disputings of men, corrupt minds and destitute of the truth. Supposing that gain is godliness from such, withdraw yourselves.
So there was to be withdrawing from these perverse reasonings that if we had 5000 at this conference, it would be evidence that there was more government here. I mean, we are living in the days of the two or three that I've kept my word a little strength. And we shouldn't be looking to either money or numbers as a measure of the Lord's approval, but the word of God. I just say that it's a broader application to this question, but really measures success by money and in the churches they measure success by numbers. But the Lord said we're two or three are gathered together under my name. And it's a question of being faithful, Of course, what has been committed to us, not the numbers that have attracted.
1St 12 is really, uh, an indication of the character of the nation.
One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said Christians are always liars and equal bellies. So sometimes the national characteristics, as you say, umm, everything has to do with dollars and cents, Mr. Harvey said of of these assemblies of North America. Well, the assembly is increased. Why it was known that.
The the national characteristic was lying and evil be slow bellies. They were gluttonous, and so on. This was just the way the nation was and and so.
As a Gentile assembly, the assemblies that were there, Titus was to help to restore the order and to admonish them that they weren't to continue on in the character of that Gentile nation, something that.
00:55:01
You know, we, we speak of the terrible people, we have some image that pops into our minds to speak of French people. We have an image that comes into our minds. And so the Christians here, the Lord said you have something to say.
Our young people today.
Are facing some of the same thing.
Quite the same, the characteristic of so-called Christian lands now is if it feels good, do it. In other words, self indulgence. Well, you're dear young people, you're exposed to that and you need to strengthen yourself in the things, the truth of God in order.
Not to be applying those ideas to Christianity. The Word of God is firm, unchangeable, since it was written. The only divine thing in the whole world is this book, the Word of God. And let's strengthen ourselves, your dear young ones, in order to be able to discern the spirit of the age.
And it's just plunging down faster and faster.
And we need to be using the time to strengthen ourselves because you do young ones that the Lord doesn't come soon. You're going to be facing situations that have never been known before and their only safeguard is to cleave with to Christ with purpose of heart.
I I worked in verse 12 Valley. I've got it written beside my Bible there lazy. You know how I would just see that today is normally just said that people in the world today they don't want to work as long as they can get the welfare or whatever it is. They're hockey to have a job like that. But I guess there's no seniority on that and you don't get bumped off of that so.
They're happy, but we're told as Christians can get out and work.
And it says here that we're going to re reduce them sharply.
For that.
Gabriel.
Had.
Not so. We're seeing gardens tested and.
250 miles off.
Call patients for the old, they're very similar, but we're looking for stimuli. Whatever. He ignored their qualifications for elders and here's qualifications for over here and they're very, very similar. And so it shows that the standard doesn't change because of our natural.
Damage. It's not the next infection. Germany and half Irish.
Natural assembly.
No excuse.
By the door.
To confirm.
Looking into what you want us to do. It's just it's always mentioned to do this, you know?
Talking about this thing that's it is now they've gained as much as I guess, something.
About all that was mentioned before, what happened to Motors, why we do we do what we do is what we do. It is very important because I can say something here are in my home assembly, a small assembly, something for running old games and one around one area to see my reputation or to cover up something that I've done or to for somebody's notice why I should say something to be helpful.
01:00:32
Spirit of God records the 1St 4 words in verse 13. This witness is true. Sometimes accusations are made or insinuation is made that.
Things are in this order and there's someone is plain enough to say what the disorder is and to actually bring scripture before for us and to say this is disorder and it needs to be corrected. It's not according to the mind of God.
I think that is here, this witness is true. So we need often times the natural characteristics that, that, uh, we've been speaking about, uh, the Irish, the German, the French and so on. We all have natural tendencies and perhaps characterized by the Gentile nations, uh, in their, uh, distance from God, their departure from God, but to bring, umm, ourselves into subjections of the word of God.
Is required. But this witness is true. We find that we live in a day of denial.
Because we don't want to admit that we sin, that we made a mistake. Maybe there are there are those that will say, we'll go as far as to say I made a mistake. Well, I'm excited, God, that may be true. That was a mistake. But it's truer to say I think I have sinned. And so then there comes repentance through repentance before God and restoration. And so this is really why they were to be rebuked sharply that they may be sound or solid in faith.
Let's not just say we made a mistake. Let's say we stand before God and on our faces.
Our departure can be restored.
Sometimes we're sorry, but it's we're sorry because we're caught.
That's not repentance.
Somewhere I read that this.
In verse 12, one of themselves, he was a, he was a writer among them years ago. And I understand it was epimetitis back in the 6th century that, uh, now to verify this, I am not going to say I don't, I don't know, but this is what I read that.
E it says who's, uh, who? Subvert or no, One of them sells even a prophet of their own Epimetodus way back in the 6th century.
We see umm.
Said that accretions are always.
Liars, evil beasts and slow bellies. Credit statement, isn't it made by one of their own? If that's a true statement and God takes it up to them. And I was thinking too about evil beasts that he's speaking about a lion or a tiger. No, speaking about man. Man, you know, man without God is nothing more than a beast.
We're told that in the Book of Jude, aren't we? Book of Jude brings that before it was just over that looking. Umm.
And the epistle of Jude.
MMM, uh.
Looking for the verse.
Umm, thinking of first ten right, That's the verse, but uh, well, just dropped back Michael the Archangel in verse 9 when con uh, contending with the devil to he disputed about the body of Moses durst not bring against him a really accusation, but said the Lord rebuke. But these speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute beasts.
01:05:05
In those things they corrupt themselves.
Not talking about lions and tigers, talking about men. And I believe the same thought is brought out here in our epistle of Titus. Evil beast and slow bellies. Sad condition isn't it, for man to get into.
OK, so these two thought would be violence.
The deception and violence.
Violence was at the beginning of the church history.
When Satan was like a roaring lion.
And that was characterized by the man. In the Scriptures, the end of the church period is toward the woman, and the woman is.
A deceptive A picture of the deceptive side that is the hissing serpent. Roaring lion violence, The hissing serpent deception. The man.
Second Timothy, chapter 4, verse 3.
A little light here. Second Timothy 4 and verse 3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own left shall they heat to themselves. Teachers have been itching ears, and and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned on disabled. But watch thou in all things a fable is just a tail or a myth, and so there are good stories.
That are brought in among the Lord's people good stories they sound good, but they're myths they're they're not the truth of God. And so Satan has counterfeit these desires to counterfeit the truth of God and we can be sure that we can be found in the faith by giving heed to the doctrine that that brought out holding fast the faithful word as he had been taught verse 9.
We need to be careful on the watch for for those tables not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn away, that turn from the truth. There is such a thing as a good story, but that's not the truth.
The itching ears are not the speakers, but they're the heroes. We have to be careful what we listen to, and we might have itching ears. In other words, you want to hear oh, something a little bit different or entertaining or so on. We have itching ears and this is the warning against.
Titus 1:15-2:14
Open Mtg. 2
Open—R. Boulard, L. Mayhew, R. Ruga
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Wonder this afternoon, brethren, whether we could turn to Second Samuel?
Just want to read a verse in chapter 4 and verse 4.
Have on my heart to take up just a few thoughts in Chapter 9 in connection with Methodist, but really in connection with God's people. We often use this particular portion of Scripture in the gospel, but it really has some truth for us that would touch our hearts in connection with David.
As a picture of the Lord Jesus there for those of us that are believers, I'll just read in verse chapter 4 and verse four. And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel. And his nurse took him up and fled. And it came to pass as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
Then in chapter 5, we'll just read a couple of verses there in verse 4, David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years in Hebrew, and he reigned over Judah 7 years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned 30 and three years over all Israel and Judah.
And then we're reading Chapter 9, verse one. And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the House of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? And there was of the House of Saul a servant, whose name was Zaiba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he? And the king said, Is there not yet any of the House of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him?
And Zaida said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the House of Makir, the son of Amiel in Lo de Bar. Then King David sent and fetched him out of the House of Make here the son of Amiel from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence.
And David? Said Mephibosheth.
And he answered, Behold thy servant. And David said unto him, Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and we'll restore thee all the land of Saul thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am? And the king called to Ziba, Saul servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertain to Saul, unto his all his house.
Thou therefore and thy sons and thy servants shall kill the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, thy master's son, shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Zaiba had fifteen sons and 20 servants. Then said Zyvon to the king, According to all that my Lord the king hath commanded his servants, so shall thy servant do As for Mephibosheth, said the king.
He shall eat at my table as one of the King's sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah. And all that dwelt in the House of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem.
For he did eat bread, for he did eat continually at the King's table and was lame on both of his feet. And then just one more verse in I think it's chapter 17.
Right at the end of the chapter in verse 27.
Second Samuel 17 and verse 27. And it came to pass, when David was come to May Honeyum, that show by the son of Nahash of Reba, of the children of Ammon, and make here the son of Amio of Lodobar, and Barzillai, the Gileadite of Rogelum brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn.
And beans and lentils and parched pulse, and honey and butter and sheep and cheese of kind for David, and for the people that were with him to eat. For, they said, the people as hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.
00:05:15
Well, you know, we heard, we prayed for a dear young man named Ryan. We prayed for him. He's been afflicted with a disease from the age of five. You know, this thing has come into this world and afflicted the people of God. And so we have this dear young man. And perhaps, you know, we're not told how old Mephibosheth was, but I believe perhaps he was a teenager, perhaps in his late teens. These verses in Second Samuel chapter 5 remind us that David reigned in Hebron.
7 1/2 years.
And so he came and he dwelt in Jerusalem and he took Jerusalem. But we have here a little picture 11 brethren of the grace of God in connection with his people and how his purposes have been purposes of blessing for you and I before we knew the Lord. And so we find that David, it's just a little picture of Christ. You know, David is his name means beloved, beloved he was dearly beloved. He was God's anointed to reign over his people.
He had the heart of God. He was a man after God's own heart, and he was beloved and he had a heart of love for God's people. And you know, he says it shows his love by what he asked. He wanted to show kindness for Jonathan's sake. And so, you know, beloved, it just strikes me that the Lord desires to show kindness to his people. Always, always desire, desires to show kindness and love to His people.
And yet here we have one that is living in the land and doesn't know David, never come face to face with David. And I don't I want don't want to comment on every verse here, but it's I find it very instructive to review the names of these different ones that these different individuals that God mentions by name and what their names mean. Jonathan, you know, means that the Lord gave.
And so Saul had a son. His name means the Lord gave. But you know, Saul means a man of unrestrained desire. We live in a scene where men live with unrestrained desire. It's a wicked world that we live in. And so here was Saul. He had a son.
And his son's name was Jonathan, and he had been slain in battle. He followed his father into battle. And instead of following David, he chose to follow his father, Saul. And he lost his life in a battle. And you know, sometimes I think that this really would give us to speak of would speak of how we can follow those that are naturally close to us in the flesh, natural relatives, and perhaps aren't following in a path of obedience, obedience or faithfulness to the Lord.
And we need to be exercised as to whether or not that's a path to be on. And so sometimes our dear ones, the ones that were closely related to, don't walk in obedience to the Lord. What we have here in verse three that David asked Ziba, is there yet not yet any of the House of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him. And Zyba said unto Jonathan, unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, where is he?
And so this is the heart of God. The Lord desires to have a close relationship with each one of us. He desires our fellowship, beloved, every one of us. He desires a close relationship with each one of us. He desires to hear our voices in prayer. He delights to see our faces.
As as it were at His table, He delights to see us where He is, and so He really He searched for those that He might show our blessing upon.
And he asked, where is he want to ask if, dear ones, is there anyone here that doesn't, that really does know the Lord Jesus as Savior, but isn't walking closely with him? For the Lord desires that Where is he? Where are you in your Christian path today? Are you desiring to fulfill the lust of the flesh? Why, it says here that this man was the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, the son of one that was characterized by unrestrained desire in God's things.
He was unrestrained in his life and we live in that kind of a scene. And so we need to restrain ourselves. We need to exercise self-control and to seek the will of the Lord in our lives that there might be blessing. Well, you know, Saul didn't get the blessing and Jonathan, he did enjoy David's company for a time. But here we find that mysterious. The sun is brought into a position of blessing and favor before David. And so he says, where is he? And then God gives us a real nice clear picture as to where he was. Behold.
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He is in the House of Make here the son of Amiel in Lo Debar.
Know this name make here there's only two times in Scripture I believe that this name is mentioned it's mentioned here and in that verse that I read in chapter 17 and I believe we have here a little picture of a shepherd in Israel perhaps an overseer if you if you take it in that context in connection with Mephibosheth he was looking after Mephibosheth for.
The Lord, as it were, says make your really means that one who sells a salesman, a commercial man, perhaps involved in commercial dealings. But amiel means the people of God. So here was one he was in. Perhaps I don't want to read something into it that isn't there, but perhaps we can.
Get a little thought here from the scriptures that make here the son of Amiel the people of God in loaded bar. Now that place loaded bar means.
A barren place without a pasture. A barren place. So here was Mephibosheth. He was in a barren place. He was in the land.
God's promised land of Canaan that he'd given to his people, but he didn't have that personal relationship with David. He was afraid of David, and he didn't really come into the blessing until just a little later here. But he was preserved in that place with a man called Meek here, the son of Amio in Lodibar.
And I just like the the scripture in in chapter 17 and it gives us a little bit of the character that individual make here. The son of Amio of Lotabar. What did he bring? He brought beds, base and earthen vessels, wheat and barley and flour. He brought all those things. He brought them.
For David, and for the people that were with him to eat. And so he brought it for the sustenance of God's people. He was given to hospitality, or he How much would these items have cost in the day that make here live? They would have cost perhaps a small fortune to bring all of these things. He brought them and freely gave them to David. Oh dear brethren.
Our young people, our children, each one of us, you know, has a desire for hospitality, for fellowship, one with the other, and it's a nice thing, you know, that make here brought this man, this helpless man into his house and showed him the kindness of God and just perhaps spoke to him of David. I don't want to read something into it here that isn't fair, but I I submit for your.
Just as a thought that perhaps he spoke of David.
He gave a little refuge to this man in this scene in the land of Israel. He gave him a refuge, and he fed him in his body. But I trust that he fed him in his soul too, because he had a heart for David and he desired the blessing of God's people. And so it says here that King David sent and fetched him out of the House of Makeir, the son of Amiel from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face.
And did reverence, And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant.
Well, you know, I I think as I read this little portion of scripture of something a brother used to say.
I believe it was Albert Hale. He used to say, brethren, we're all just a bunch of zeros. We're all just a bunch of zeros. Every one of us are nothing. We're a bunch of zeros. You could line us all up from 1 end of the earth to the other and we're all just a bunch of zeros. But with the one in front, that makes a difference. The one is Christ. And so Methodist had a sense of his nothingness before David, and it's a good thing to have a sense of our nothingness before the Lord.
You and I, those of us that know Christ as Savior, are saved by the sovereign grace of God.
The goodness of God and it's his sovereign love. It's nothing to do with ourselves. We have nothing that we can add to the work of Christ in connection with redemption for salvation. Nothing. So we're brought into blessing on the basis of sovereign grace. But then we find a little later on that there's more elements of that grace. It's it speaks of how he's brought to the table, to the King's table. I just want to make a few comments though that.
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Saw or Mephibosheth fell on his face and did reverence. What's a good thing, beloved, to have reverence?
In the presence of the Lord, a very, very good thing to have reverence in the presence of the Lord when we come together like this in a meeting like this, or a reading meeting or a prayer meeting at the breaking of bread, those are assembly meetings were gathered by the Spirit of God to be in the presence of the Lord. And it's a good thing to have a low place. Much mischief is done among the Lord's people by those that seek to exalt themselves. And hear Mephibosheth didn't exalt himself. He didn't come in with pomp and glory into the presence of David.
And say I'm the son of Saul. And he didn't present that position at all. He took a low place. He was nothing. And so he was blessed on the basis of being nothing. Oh, we're just a bunch of big zeros, brethren. But there's a one out in front, the Lord Jesus, the one that desires to have preeminence in all things and that God desires to exalt to have that preeminence. Well, it says here it's very touching, David said.
Mephibosheth.
Mr. Bishop.
He'd never seen David before. How David loved that man. And maybe, you know, you haven't really had that relationship, that close relationship with the Lord Jesus and fallen on your face and humility and said I didn't walk with you the way I should have. All these years I've known that I should be walking close to the Lord, but I haven't. Oh, Mitsubishi came. He saw David for the first time. He fell on his face in humility.
And what does he hear? He hears his name, Mr. Vicious. What love must have come from David's heart? What love? Can you imagine how that word, that name was pronounced? You know that name Mephibosheth means a shameful thing. There are two names that are associated with Mephibosheth. One is Maribel. I think that means an idol breaker. But this one here, Mephibosheth means the shameful thing. And so even though.
We're connected with the fallen creation. We're fallen. We're guilty.
We're part of the fallen creation. God loves us and desires to bring us into blessing. Sovereign grace. Sovereign grace. So what does Mephibosheth say? Behold thy servant.
Oh, there wasn't any pretense here. He said it in truth. Behold thy servant. He said it in humility.
Call those of us that know the Lord Jesus as Savior. It's a nice thing to be able to do something for the Lord. The time will soon be over this. The Lord is coming very shortly. He's going to take us home to be with himself. The time is almost over to do anything for the Lord. But you know, you might say, what could Methodist do for the Lord? What could he do? He was lame on both of his feet. Perhaps a teenager or maybe just a little older. What could he do?
He could be with David. He could keep company with David at the Lord, at the King's table. That's where he could be. Oh, David enjoyed Mephibosheth's company. Every time he looked at Mephibosheth, he must have thought of his love for Jonathan and of some of the things that he and Jonathan had shared together in their circumstances while King Saul was alive and while the king was, perhaps.
Chasing David through the countryside.
Why we find that methibitious reminded David of Jonathan. And so you, dear friends, every one of us, everyone, dear, beloved, remind us of what it cost. It reminds God of what it cost the Lord Jesus to bear our sins in his own body on the tree, to have us near to himself, and to enjoy his company. Well, we find that David in verse seven says unto him, fear not.
Don't be afraid anymore. Don't be afraid. I'll just enjoy the love of God, enjoy the love of David, enjoy the love of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps Methodist had a conscience.
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He had a conscience. He was afraid of David. He knew that he was a son of Saul and he knew that David righteously was the king and that he had no claim to to the throne or to the majesty to the person of David. But he's brought into the position of favor and blessing on on the ground of sovereign grace. Well, it says, I will surely show the kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake. There's four things here.
One, he says, fear not, the second he says, I will surely show thee kindness. And the third thing, I will restore thee all. And the fourth thing, thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. Oh, it's a wonderful thing to be restored to the Lord, to be restored not to be afraid of the Lord anymore. Not only to be saved, but to be brought into the position of blessing as this man.
Was soon to experience.
Thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. Oh, it's not the table of the brethren.
It's not the table of the local assembly, it's the Lord's Table. Oh, it's a privilege to be there at the Lord's table. But here was a man. He was zero. He was a nothing.
And he was brought on the basis of sovereign grace to the King's table. He was brought to the Lord's table, if you will, on the basis of sovereign grace and soul. Those of us here that know the Lord and were gathered to the Lord's name, we enjoy His presence. We enjoy to remember the Lord Jesus and his death in his presence on a Lord's Day morning. Why? We're there because of sovereign grace and the love that is in God's heart, the love in the heart of the Lord Jesus. Not on the part of our goodness at all. Nothing that we can add.
To the work of Christ at all in connection with His desire to bless us. But we can walk in His light.
Well, he had that low place in connection with being able to eat at the table. And verse eight, he bowed himself and said, what is thy servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? And so he had that sense of humility at the Lords table, if you will, at the King's table. He felt his nothingness. Oh, it's a wonderful thing not to exalt ourselves. It's a wonderful thing to just enjoy the Lord Jesus.
Himself, the Person of Christ.
The glory, the majesty, the finished work of that blessed man in his presence and feel are nothingness. What we find here a little later on I'll just read in verse 11, the last part of verse 11 asked for Mephibosheth, said the king, He shall eat at my table as one of the King's sons, as one of the King's sons. Why, that gives us a little bit of a picture of the dignity of his position.
As a son, God says, I think it's in Romans chapter 8, that we're heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Oh, he desires blessing for his own.
As one of the King's sons, so were brought into the family of God and we don't sit at the Lords Table and eat at the Lords Table as lost sinners. Yes, we're lost. We were lost sinners, but we're saved sinners. We sit there in a new position and we enjoy the position, the standing of being sons of God. What dignity.
There was a right given to him of David.
John and verse 12. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah.
God loves to, oh, he just delights to give us these little pictures, these little names. This name Micah means poor and humble.
Mephibosheth, that shameful thing. He had a little boy one day, and he named that boy poor and humble. Well, it's a nice thing when our children come come along with us to the meetings and come into the blessed position as as those that are saved and part of the family of God, to come and sit with their mom and dad on the Lord's Day, perhaps at the meetings like this today. But Micah was going to have to make a decision sooner or later whether or not to follow David, whether or not to have that relationship with David himself.
But it brings us, just gives us a little picture of the character of this young man too. He was poor and humble, but he learned that at home. He didn't learn it at David's table, as it were. He learned it at home. If he learns.
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His to walk with humility with God. He generally learns that at home. Yes, we can learn that in the assembly. We can be instructed in the ways of God and we can be encouraged by our brethren to walk in humility before the Lord.
But sometimes it's learned at home a young son whose name was Micah, and all that dwelt in the House of Ziba, were servants unto Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for yeet continually at the King's table.
And was lame on both his feet. Well dear brethren, I enjoy the what Jerusalem means the the word Salem means peace, perfect and complete nothing that can be added to it. That's what it means peace, peace with God. But Jerusalem means the possession of peace, the possession of peace. And God always said the desire that his people should live in the possession of peace. He wanted them to possess peace and to.
Enjoy the person of the Lord Jesus. That's what God wants for each one of us.
To desire, He desires that we would dwell in Jerusalem. Well, that's a little picture of the assembly. Jerusalem, the possession of peace. There's another little meaning of it. It's the abode of harmony. That's a place where harmony should abide in the assembly. And that's what God had desired for his people. He had desired that Israel would be in their land and that they would have their capital city, so to speak. And the place where the Lord dwelled and had chosen to place His name, there was going to be a possession of peace.
For his people, well beloved Saints, that's where Methibishes lived. That's where he lived. I don't believe when David left Jerusalem in Absalom, Absalom's day, why Mephibosheth stayed in Jerusalem. There he couldn't leave, so to speak. He didn't want to leave. He was. He had found a possession of peace there. He wanted to be there.
And you know.
He waited for David to return.
Even though David was rejected, even though the Lord Jesus is rejected in this world, in this scene, we do have the privilege to come to where He is, where the Lord Jesus is, where he's chosen, to place his name there, and to remember him in his death, and to dwell in harmony with one another in the Lord's presence, in the possession of peace. Well, just a few of these thoughts, dear brethren, may we dwell together in that possession of peace.
In humility.
Realizing that we're nothing, that any blessing that we have from God, the source of all blessing in this scene, the Lord Jesus is all on the basis of grace, sovereign, sovereign grace and love on His part, not ours.
There's three portions of Scripture this afternoon, brother, and I'd like to look at the first one is in Mark chapter 4 and verse 35.
They're well known to us.
Mark chapter 4, verse 35. And the same day, when the even was coming, he set unto them, let us pass over onto the other side. And when they had sent away the bit in multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there was also with him other little ships. And they arose in a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And.
He was in the hinder hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake him, and say unto him, Master Carousel, not that we perish. And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Brethren, we we know this porkened very, very well. But there's some things that have come up to me, and I would like to pass them on.
In verse UH-35.
Uh.
It says let us Passover onto the other side.
Why would you think a loving savior would ask you to come with him through a storm? He knew there was gonna be a storm.
00:30:04
Why would he ask, if you had a friend, would you want to take them through the big storms? And like, would you like to bypass them? But no, he takes them with them. And he also says.
Umm, he was asleep in the boat. He really wasn't.
He was there.
He was control of everything but how these men went out and.
There are rows, a great wind and waves speed into the ship.
And how that affects us today. How many people are going through a storm, a real storm? Maybe you don't have money to provide. Maybe you're sick. There's so many storms that each one of us pass through.
Is Jesus concerned about that storm that he passes you through? Is he concerned? Yes, he is and.
They go back to him and they say Master.
Cares thou not that we're going to perish? How terrible, how awful. And your problem and my problem, if we went to the Lord and said do not care that we we're going to perish, do you not care?
Think of it, brethren, here's the Lord of glory with them, and they speak to Him like that. Is that a reason for you and I to think of? Is it the only time that we ever go to the Lord is when he we're in trouble?
If your child only change you every time you wanted something, you wouldn't have too much of a relationship, would you? But here they come to them and.
And they said, do not care that we perish. And what happens, He arises and he.
Calms the storm.
Whatever your problem might be, he arises and he calms it.
Oh, how wonderful the Savior is.
He calms it.
And I want to read back here and it says in the 36th verse. And there was also other ships, other little ships with them.
I I was just thinking on that. Has something come to me?
You and I have passed through problems and troubles and trials in our life, and he comforts us not just to make us feel good.
But he comforts us that we might comfort others.
And your trial has come into your life. If you take it from the Lord and to the Lord, these other little ships that were in the same storm, they're going to benefit by it. The same storm that was in with this boat. The seas were calm. And how wouldn't it be nice if people could look to you and say, if he could handle that situation that way, I could, if he could do.
It that way.
Instead of letting the flash come in. If we take our problems from the Lord and to the Lord, and in this case here we have brethren, that the Lord arose and he calmed the storm. Now if we go over to John.
Chapter uh.
Excuse me, John chapter.
S6 John Chapter 6 and.
Verse 17. Another well known portion.
Uh, excuse me, chapter verse 15. When John therefore procedures therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a thing, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when Eden was come now his disciples went down under the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum, and it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
00:35:03
And when they had wrote about 5 and 20 or 34 longs, they see Jesus walking on the sea and drawing nigh unto the ship. And they they were afraid, but he said unto them, It is, I be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship, and immediately the ship was up the line. Whether they went. There's some real nice thoughts in this brethren, first of all.
That.
It was dark.
It was dark.
Your troubles have come to you are not always gonna come on a sunny day. They're gonna come to you when you maybe are tired. These two parables were given after the disciples that had a hard day.
And how speaks to you and me. Our troubles don't come when things are always going good.
They're hard and you know.
I can come and comfort you and the problem that you're in and that's my, my duty to do it. But you think that the Lord gives us these problems to be comforted, to comfort us in them. He gives it to us for our own good, for our own good and, uh.
Now they're they're trying to roll.
In this sea, the winds are very, very bad. You know, it doesn't say that he calmed the storm. It doesn't say anything about that storm, what he did. And as I said before, maybe we, you might have problems trying to provide in school. You might have problems. Uh, there's many problems that you could have. And the Lord can come as he did in the first time and he, uh, cleared it up.
But there's some problems that he really can't clear up.
How many of us?
Have lost loved ones.
The Lord.
Can't rectify the problem but he can be with us in it and if we are walking with him.
As as it says, we'll go immediately to the shore if we like. I was just saying I've gone to Chicago a few times and one time I went by train and on the East End of Chicago the.
Houses.
I wouldn't put an animal in some of them. And yet people come out of it. What a terrible part to be in. And yet if you and I were going through in the train and if we were in constant communication with each other, you wouldn't see it. And this is what he's trying to say to us, brethren, that some of the problems right now, he can't carry them out, but he will. He will when we get home. And the last one.
I'd like to speak about Only for a few Minutes is, uh, John 11. We all know this story very well and I'm not going to read it.
But there's one verse that has spoke to me in it.
Umm, we all know very well that.
Mary and Martha had a brother, and he was sick.
You had a problem.
And what happened?
He died.
He was beyond the health of man. Man could not do anything for him now.
And we've got problems some of us have that's beyond the help of man. But this, uh, nineteenth verse is the one I want to, uh, bring it to, to our attention. And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. Oh, how nice it is to be able to comfort each one, comfort each one through our troubles and trials.
It it it.
That that's what we're to do is it's in, uh, second Corinthians chapter one or two that we are to comfort one one another. And how wonderful it is to comfort because, brethren, I have to speak to myself.
Sometimes we see.
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Ones going through troubles and trials.
And what do we say?
Am I ever glad that he got it? He deserved every bit of what he got. I'm happy. Is that comforting, that one?
We think of the.
The two sons, the one that went down into the far country, all we can think of is a man, a young man down in the pigpen.
But you know in each assembly some places there are people, young and old, that are in their souls are down in the pigpen, and if the Lord is speaking to them.
Is it right for us to say I'm glad he got what he got? I'm, I'm happy that he got what he got. We've done it, brethren. You know, you have, you know, comfort and how we need to say that there's more people in the world than me or you.
Dear brother WW Winston, Violin, WI, met him at the conference in.
Des Moines And what did he say?
He had just two weeks ago had lost his wife.
A dear, dear woman. And what I've heard of that dear man.
He was him and his wife were such a testimony to the Lord's people. Such a testimony.
Two weeks ago, I called them up Saturday night.
And I said Winston.
It must. It must be hard to be alone, especially Saturday night.
You said yes, yes it is.
It's very hard.
But he said, you know, I want you to pray for David Gray. He lost his wife a year and a half ago, and he's having a hard time with it.
How that spoke to me, a man that was hurting right to the bottom of his heart, he could think of somebody else. How is we could do it?
Think of somebody else because we've heard it said so many times. I cried when I had no shoes, but when I saw men with no feet. And brethren, I just leave that with you that we will see our brethren, as we said, as I said, there's many, many that have problems that they can't explain. They can't tell anybody else. But let's help us to comfort one another.
We turn for a few remaining moments that we have to one passage in Psalm 78.
I had no intention of saying anything this afternoon, but our brethren have kind of stirred a note in my heart. My voice is not too well. I picked up a cold last weekend, but.
I'd like to just look at part of the verse.
In Psalm 78 and verse 19.
Says yeah, they speak against God, they said. Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
You know, the children of Israel.
Whereas that we're putting God to the test. God had brought them out into the wilderness to test them, to humble them, to prove them, to know what was in their heart, to know whether they would serve the Lord their God or not. The wilderness was a testing place. So Brother Barry is often reminded us, but here they were putting God to the test and they said, can God furnish your table in the wilderness? Well, we know the answer to that question, don't we?
Our brother was bringing before us earlier the fact that God has graciously provided a table in the wilderness. The answer to this question is yes. God can and is more than able to furnish a table in the wilderness. And you don't have to turn to them in time. Forbids turning to the passages that come before me quickly.
00:45:17
But I think of three tables that.
The Lord has furnished us with here in this wilderness, the first of all being.
An individual table in Psalm 23 five it says, thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Isn't that a wonderful thing? You and I, we go out to work from day-to-day, and we intermingle perhaps with very ungodly people and we may.
Like righteous, lot have our souls vexed from day-to-day with the filthy conversation of the wicked. But what a blessed thing in the midst of circumstances such as that, to have a sense that the Lord is with us. Right there Thou prepares the table before me in the presence of my enemies, those who may hate the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who may hate.
You and I.
Because we love that seamless one, the Lord can come in and provide a place of communion and fellowship with Him there, an individual way. Thou preparest the table before me. Well, I think of another table, and I hope that we don't neglect this table, brethren.
In Psalm 128 and verse three, and says, Thy children shall be as olive plants round about thy table, thy wife as a choice line by the sides of thine house. And so we have portrayed for us there the family table.
I say again, I hope, I hope and pray that we don't ever neglect the family table. Someone has well said, someone even this morning alluded to it. The fact that the family table is a place where teachers in the assembly can learn how to communicate with those to whom they're speaking. In other words, if you or I speaking to those of us who are heads of households.
Are going to be of any help to the people of God.
In the local gathering where God by His grace has placed us, where does it start? It starts right at the family table. We gather the children around. We partake of the good food that our wives ably provide for us, put together what a wonderful thing that is. I won't dwell on that. But then, after we parted, partake of the physical food on that table, we put the dishes aside.
And we open a precious word of God.
And we have the privilege of breaking the bread of life to our children there at the family table. What a wonderful thing the circle of blessing says there. Thy children as olive plants round about thy table. Well, won't dwell anymore on that. But then we have lastly in First Corinthians chapter 10.
In verse 21, the only reference in all the word of God.
To, uh, what our brother earlier referred to as the Lord's Table. The Lord's Table.
What a wonderful thing this is, another proof that God has indeed furnished a table for us in the wilderness, not only on an individual way and day-to-day as you and I go out and seek to provide for our own or seek to make a living for ourselves, but also.
We have that blessing of being together as families around the table and then collectively as we are here this afternoon.
As assemblies, actually, representatives of many different assemblies here this afternoon gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord willing, tomorrow, if we're preserved by the grace of God and the Lord Jesus doesn't come, our feet will once again be found speaking reverently beneath the table of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's Table. What a privilege it is to be found.
At the Lord's Table, maybe we could turn quickly. I don't know how much time we have, but just to notice some of the features of the Lord's Table there. Our brother talked earlier about that chapter. That kind of struck a note in my heart. Second Samuel 9.
00:50:19
Turn Quickly, Second Samuel, Chapter 9.
And verse 11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my Lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do.
As for mysterious, that's the king. He shall eat at my table as one of the King's sons.
Verse 13 So Mephibosheth dwelled in Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at the King's table and was lame on both his feet. Well, perhaps our brother already said enough on this passage, but just two features that come before me. First of all, it's the King's table, the Lord Jesus Christ, and several different portions in the New Testament when it comes before me, the First Timothy, chapter 6, he's called the King of kings.
And Lord of Lords alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, and so on. We sit tomorrow morning at the table of the King. It is his table, and it's his supreme prerogative to determine who is found sitting at that table. So if you and I by grace are sitting there tomorrow morning there with the King, as it were, sitting at the head of the table, clothes in his garments of glory and beauty.
Ought there not to be a proper reverence, as our brother already indicated?
A proper frame of mind and my part not to come in a careless way. Certainly the illustrations often been used. The Queen of England were to come and to visit us. How carefully we would dress, how carefully we would be, how careful we would be to observe proper etiquette and manner, and so on.
And so how much more so for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the table of the king, and then to as our brother already indicated. And he says here, he was lame on both of his feet. And so it was a table of grace. Mephibosheth did not belong by right at that table. David had other sons who were born into his family. They belong there, we could say, by right and privilege and being born into his family.
But not Mississippi chef, no, he was there by sovereign grace alone. And so it is good, isn't it, brethren, to be reminded of the fact that if we're found the table, the Lord Jesus Christ tomorrow morning, it is by sovereign grace alone? Well, turn quickly to 1St Kings chapter 10, another table.
That brings out some more features.
These are well known passages, but just to notice quickly first Kings 10 and verse four, and when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom in the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendants of his ministers.
And their apparel and his cup bearers and his ascent by which he went up into the House of the Lord. There was no more spirit in her. And so on. Well, here we have a table of plenty. What a wonderful thing to come to the table, the Lord from week to week. And we have no preconceived agenda, do we? We don't know what theme the meeting may take tomorrow morning if we're found here, Lord willing, at the table. The Lord. We don't know if we're going to.
Perhaps meditate in a special way on the sufferings of Christ, or meditate on the all sufficiency of His precious Name, or meditate on Himself as being the Lamb of God manifest to take away the sins of the world or whatever. There are so many times we come together to worship God as it were, to lift up in a special way the Lord Jesus before God the Father.
Other times we come with praise and Thanksgiving, and so there's so many different forms that sitting at the King's table takes so many things would perhaps be a better word. Uh, a table of plenty. There's so much there to fill and satisfy our hearts. I trust that none of us will ever weary of the table of plenty that we've been called to. Well, also, it says when she saw the sitting of his servants.
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Attendance of his ministers.
Their apparel, his cup bearers, his ascent, a table of order, a table of order. The apostle Paul said in First Corinthians 14, I believe verse 40. Let all things be done decently and in order. Perhaps we already touched on that a little bit. The fact that the king is there and there ought to be a careful.
I can't think of the right word, but a carefulness on our part and how we approach.
And that we do think according to the word of God. Well, there's also a table of communion, wasn't it? For in verse six, she opens her mouth and she speaks to the king, says it was a true report that I heard in my own land of thy axe and of thy wisdom. A table of communion, A table where we can come tomorrow morning and have our hearts filled with Christ, and then we give back what he has given to us. What a wonderful thing that is.
We don't have time, but there are some other tables that come to mind. In Nehemiah chapter 5, somewhere around verse 17, it says there that he had a table and there were, I believe 150 there with him at his table. That would be a remnant table. The fact that we come tomorrow morning to the presence of the Lord, we're only going to be a very small representation of all the believers that I'm sure are here, not only in the town of Binghamton, but.
Maybe in this county and even in the state of New York, just just a little piece, a remnant table. But if you notice there in the MI 5 even there it says that he had a tremendous provision. So even though it was a remnant time, yet it was still a table of plenty as it was back here in first Kings 10. Then over in Song with Solomon chapter one, it says while the king sat at his table, my spike yards in this force the fragrance.
Thereof our brother has already indicated that we come into the presence of the Lord Leviticus. There is a 23. The Lord said that all from 20 years old and upward would appear before the Lord. None shall appear before me empty. Oh, there ought to be an exercise in my heart and in yours. We come into the presence of the Lord to have a full basket that we can give to him.
That he may receive a little bit.
A little fragrant response, a little return from us as we sit at his table. Well then over in Luke chapter 22, I believe, and somewhere around verse 30 it says Lord Jesus says here they which have continued with me, my temptations, and I appoint unto you a Kingdom that you may eat and drink at my table and sit on Thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel and so on. And so when we sit at the table of the Lord Jesus.
It is a table of reward we come to give to the Lord Jesus, but really, we get so much more in return, don't we? What a wonderful thing it is to be found at the table of the Lord Jesus, to have Him get back to us and to be refreshed in our spirits. Well, one more in John chapter 12, it comes before me. Our brother just indicated the need of.
Expressing solace and, uh, care and concern for one another. And here the Lord Jesus came to that household of Mary and Martha and Lazarus and administered just what was needed. Raised Lazarus from the dead. There's Lazarus John chapter 12, the first few verses there. Where is he found? He's sitting with the Lord Jesus at the table. And so the table, the Lord.
At the table of new life resurrection.
That's also a table of glory, isn't it? It says that Mary, she took some ointment of Spicenard very precious and break it and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
And so, maybe so, brethren, Lord willing, tomorrow morning as we come into the holy presence of the Lord Jesus, remember Him at His table.
Titus 1:15-2:14
Reading
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So I do chapter one.
Verse 15. Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defile. They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Chapter 2. But think now the things which become sound doctrine, that the aids men be sober.
Brave, temperate sound in faith and charity and patience.
The aged women likewise that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given too much wine, teachers of good things.
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, and to love their children.
To be discreet and chaste keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands. That the word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded in all things, showing myself a pattern of good works and doctrine, showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sounds, beats that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Exort servants, and to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, But answering again, not purlining, but sowing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should list overly righteously and godly present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.
And purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Oh said that.
Elsewhere, I can't put my finger on the verse.
Uh, all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not convenient or profitable.
So.
Oh, there is a test 15th verse that's the same.
Sock.
Doesn't mean to say that they're in pure things or the bad things are good, but.
Under the pure, if we have clean mines, we're not gonna be occupied with the things that are not clean, but we will be taken up with the things that are worthwhile.
God claims the heart, doesn't he unto the pure. All things are pure. God cleans the heart there. But then in the other part of the verse he said, But under them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Well, we don't have to go far to find that out. We can go, we get go within. We find all this within ourselves, don't we, that we find these things that are contrary to the mind and the will of God?
So I think it's very beautiful as we think of this under the pure, all things are pure. Someone put it once this way.
They said whatever we're looking for, we're gonna find it.
If it's impure, if it's fault, we're gonna find it. If it's pure, we're gonna find that too. But it's.
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God claims the heart in this thought, that all to the pure, all things are pure.
The Lord wants to purify unto himself if he's a special people 1St 14.
See. You know how it looks, man looks out at others.
I think, I think just thinking of it as man. Here of course, again, Paul's writing is the Titus. But he says.
Uh, the UN, uh, but unto them that are defiled, them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure. And that's true. Isn't that a true statement? It isn't. Their own hearts are not pure either.
They need to get into the presence of God. So I think I see here that it says, but even their mind and their conscience is defiled.
It's a sad state to be in, isn't it? In contrast to.
The pure things, the right things, the good things, the night, the things that are pleasing to God.
Philippines Chapter 4.
Sitting here, I believe.
Verse 8. Philippines 4. Verse 8.
Awesome thing. And then finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are on.
What's the other things are just what's the other things are pure? What's the other things are lovely? Whatever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on me and you.
Know secure, all things are cool.
This is where it says unbelieving. It wouldn't be a a Christian that is careless and sometimes not believing, but it it's a a position describing the unsaved. This categorizes them.
Yes, because verse 16 proves that, doesn't it? Verse 16 just proves the fact that what you said, they profess that they know God, but in work they deny Him.
Being abominable, disobedient to every good work, reprobate. That's not a believer, that's for sure.
Because some of it brought out in, uh, Romans chapter 8 and verse seven really, uh, gives us the key to what's being drawn out here and tightest, uh, it says because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither in truth can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. So this is the whole force of the, umm, as you said to Brother Perry in First Corinthians, I think it's chapter 6 there. All things are lawful, but not all things are expedient, no.
Umm, those that are in the flesh cannot please God, and so they do everything to please self. They are serving themselves and what they do, what they think about and what they want to accomplish in life is to their own gratification and to their own for their own pleasure. But the believer, his object is Christ. His object is to exalt Christ, to enjoy Christ, and to magnify the.
Person that's gone delights to honor, and so he delights in that person.
So here we have this the IT doesn't matter what the unbeliever does, you just cannot please God.
But this is for and the good for our conscience, isn't it? If we're Christians, we're in this category. If we're believers in this category. And sometimes we as delivers, are not believing.
Or at least we act as if we're not believing. So it's very important for us to be consistent in our Christian life and everything. Young people at school.
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Same thing applies if you tell somebody else in the class that Jesus is your savior. They're going to watch you all the time. They might not appear to be, but they're going to watch the sea if you're living that life.
And it's so important for us to bear that in mind, not only young ones, but every one of us. Sometimes we're.
On the incomes tax, there's a little bit of.
Curving around a bit, well, all of these things are to be consistent with our the principles of Christianity.
It's good for children going to school and let's go on to work to, uh, turn to Ephesians, put on the whole armor before we start out, hey?
Yeah.
Because it's pretty hard today.
In the business world, they tell me I don't even know about 12 years, but they tell me things that are going on.
They, uh, crookedness as they call it, and terrible. It's growing more and more.
So the young people must be having a task in schools to us. I pray for them a lot. The things that are going on in the school, I've got children going there, but.
Must be terrible hard for them.
It wouldn't be an exhortation if there was a need for it. And so it says in Thessalonians 5th chapter, let us not sleep with those that sleep in the night. There wouldn't be that exhortation if there wasn't a danger that we would. And so there were 10 versions. They all were asleep. Five were real and five were not. And.
But you couldn't tell if you walked by and you saw the five which were real and which weren't. And umm, so that's why I believe there's this expectation here, because the danger was that they take on the general character of the state of things around them. That's what's so dangerous when people talk about the word of God. Well, back in the days of corn, it was like this and that. And the other thing, the word of God stands really out of time in a certain sense, is that it is the word of God and.
For the very present moment that we take it up, but.
Very great games and then we take on the habit and the way for the world around us. Yes. And they, uh, earlier days, uh, in the gospel it says the lower at least, uh, uh, by their fruits you shall know them. Now that doesn't apply today.
But it did apply at that time, it was very obvious.
In some of the countries in the world, when you become a Christian, why is being baptized for the dead? You are a dead person there. Uh, but in our land.
It's, it's, uh, you can all always tell to our shame. So what does it say for today, Second Timothy 2? It says the Lord knoweth them that are his.
We can't tell. Sometimes the Lord knows and then it says that let him that name of the name of the Lord.
Depart from iniquity. As for the conscience of every one of us, depart. Go away from other bad boys and girls.
And for us to keep away from all the things of the world.
Attractive, look good, lots of fun, but they're the world and it's all perishing.
You would say, Brother Barry, though by their fruits you shall know them today the assembly ought to wait on the Lord to see that there's manifest proof.
People profess things and sometimes can put on a very good show, but Joshua didn't wait on the Lord in connection with the Gibeon, but with every outward sign of, of uh, every outward sign that would have led him to believe that what he thought. But he couldn't excuse himself because the Lord knew. The Lord knew that they were imposters. And so, and we shouldn't blame our brothers of gullibility, I may say, is almost an attractive fault in believers. Love thinketh no evil.
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But the brethren, really, if they wait on the Lord, they will see fruit for what is professed. And they ought to, and not to open the gate and tell there's proof that what is the best and, and not just outward signs like the, uh, the tired clothes and the stale bread and so on, but that there was real, not living proof that what was being professed was, was, there was reality behind it. Exactly so.
And so that's why in the next chapter, he goes on.
That but he sells the things which become sound doctrine. And so there's a verse there that's helpful. Evil communications, corrupt good manners is that that doctrine will lead to a bad way of life. Why is it that Christendom has sunk into the moral ways that it has? It's a result of bad doctrine.
And so I think that the, uh, those that come from other parts that.
That they're shocked when they see the moral level to which things are something in in other lands they don't see. Umm, I had a Muslim student from Lebanon. He came to this country which just left shaking his head when he saw the moral level to which this country.
Couldn't believe him, but it's, uh, it's because of the darkness.
My brother at UH Chicago last year, he said UH for about the young people and for each one of us at all times preach Christ and of all ourselves use words.
It's very, very important that we take that in. Our walk is very, very important.
He said, I'll repeat it again at all times preach Christ and if all else fails, use words. We like to do quite a bit of talking, but our actions, they're weighed a lot more sometimes in our words.
So we need to say it again on Saturday of the day.
How thankful we can be.
That we have meetings like this, the reading meeting.
Nice thing that happened yesterday at supper time for other young brother came over to me and he said uh.
Uh, I'd like to ask you a question. And he said you, uh, mentioned, uh, that, uh, the Christians are going to stand before, uh, the great White Throne.
And he was inquiring about that, and I realized that, uh, I had said or used the wrong words. The judgment seat of Christ.
Well, I'm, I'm thankful that the young fellow spoke to me. Uh, I appreciate that. And This is why we can be thankful for a reading meeting that everything that is being said, each one is listening and does that. Is that conforming to the word of God? Does the word of God confirm that? And if not, oh, then somebody is going to.
Speak to us how thankful we are that we have these reading meetings. They aren't common things in other groups because there isn't much agreement, but I really feel that we should be very thankful that we still have reading meetings like this.
I think I know that, yes, the normal I should have brought up, I think, I hope, if I ever.
Say something is wrong and I hope the brother will correct it because I wouldn't want anybody to go on with wrong doctor. No, but, uh, it's a terrible thing.
But these things can be uh.
Correct that and a kind loving way I remember when I was 17.
Going to uh, at home and Willie Martin and the Mr. Farmer said your young brothers come here and you never open your mouth.
And.
00:20:00
I was enjoying this passage where it says.
And as the disciples said, To whom shall we go? For thou hast the words of eternal life. And I have in fear and trembling, my knees knocking, and I said that.
Something about enjoying it now and you remember Mr. Murphy from his Irishman, he didn't hear his hearing was bad.
He's a young brother. The Spirit of God hasn't come yet. They weren't talking in the Holy Spirit.
Uh, you're wrong. So Willie Martin correct me, says he said he didn't say that you can't hear him. I was glad though that he corrected me. I didn't feel bad about it. I used to drive into the meetings and he said to me after the meeting, you want to drive me home. And he said yes, if you ask forgiveness.
But I think these things should be picked up because it's serious and that you.
Or anybody else, they'll do it on purpose and it's good to be, uh, have these things cleared up. Especially if they're strangers in the room.
What's the schedule? And we've got in Acts 17 and verse 11, uh, this is, we've got scripture for exactly what you said. These, these were more noble than those in Thessalonikes and that they received the word with all readiness of mind. Insert the scriptures daily, whether those things were sold.
Very important.
Well, this verse says, speak thou the statements, which becomes sound doctrine. And we have, uh, if we turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 10, we find that there's a tendency that the Spirit of God brings before us, the tendency of our hearts. In verse 12, it says, uh, it's just part way through, uh, some that come in themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves.
And comparing themselves among themselves or not wise. So we find that there is a tendency.
Uh, in our hearts, perhaps to consult with those that sympathize with our position or sympathize with our train of thought or perhaps those of our own age. It says that I was just thinking of uh, Revo in uh, uh, first Kings chapter, uh, I think it's chapter 12. It says, uh, in verse 8, uh, he forsook the council of the old man which they had given him and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him.
And which stood before him, and he said unto them, What counsel give you? And so he consulted with the young men, those that were most likely to sympathize with them. But here the instruction is given in the word of God, that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound, and faith in charity, in patience. And so we find that there ought to be in, uh, a godly order, umm.
That are experienced in the path of faith and experienced in oversight to be able to give, uh, uh, a sound, uh, that the trumpet would give a, a distinct sound that the word of God might be distinctly, umm, uh, presented to those that are walking the path of faith. And so it begins with speech. It begins with conversation.
The speak thou the things which become sound. Doctrine is a responsibility, isn't it? Mm-hmm.
Again, I repeat, the doctrine means teaching sound teaching.
It's so important for us to realize the value of the teaching in the assembly.
And the assembly.
Why does the state speak the things that become sound doctrine? Why does it say teach sound doctrine? Well, the the difficulty is in this environment that they were entitled to stay, is that you've got sound doctrine, but then now suddenly everybody understands the doctrine and you can sit down and discuss the doctrine with the brothers and he's very clear in his doctrine. And then he just sets it aside and goes ahead and does what he wants to anyway. And that's the danger.
And that's why he's going on to stay here is we know what the truth says.
But then we say, oh, but you don't understand. With some making a difference. And now we suddenly take the doctor and we set it aside and we go ahead and we follow our human wisdom. Have you sat down and you said, well, what does the word of God teach? I know that's what it says, but you don't understand. This is a special case. And we set aside the sound doctrine and we plow ahead and follow our own will. Yeah. And so we're to speak to things that that that become sound doctrine, that our application of the doctrine is a connection between the doctrine and the things we're going to say. And so that's why.
00:25:27
Saying now that the older men are to be uh, uh, sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith and charity and impatience. Why sober and grave and temperate? You'll often find that people who are very wise in business and wise in the world suddenly throw everything to the wind and become very reckless in the things of God. And so it's as a stewardess required that we become, we're faithful and that we're faithful with that which is entrusted to us.
And we become careless in the things of God in a way which we would never imagine being with our money or our car or our possession. And so there needs to be a sobriety in connection with these things. Because if you we've done foolish things sometimes some of us, and we regret having done them. But if you, you make a mistake with some natural thing, I mean, there's some recovery. But in the truth of God, these things touch with eternal thing. And so there needs to be sobriety that the issues of life are serious.
And, uh, we can't just throw, say, well, yes, I know the teaching and, and I've learned the teaching since I was a child and throw it all to the wind and, and fall ahead and proceed according to human wisdom. So there has to be sobriety and greatness in connection with these things. And I believe that that's why he's bringing that before them here and temper it because when we're young in youth, there's a youthful energy in connection with things and temperate, you'll learn that.
With experience, how to apply the truth and sometimes you see when there's.
The thought of temperate is self-control, I believe, and there is a thought in which the doctrine is not wrong, but the application of it may be a little bit hasty or it may be a little bit. And so that's why you see in the Word of God that in Scripture that between ages 30 and 50 that they were to bear the burdens of the sanctuary. Then afterwards they were the older brethren were to keep the charge because they had learned not just the doctrine, but by experience they learned how to apply it.
And so the, the grunt work, if I may say that was carried out in a public way, but by those between 30 and 50, the older brothers, they kind of added the temperateness to it, but they're not the hasty things done and so on. Well, we need the, not just to know the doctrine, but to apply them in the right way. No, the opposite of, of, uh.
Sober is, is joking and that's a very serious thing these days because everything is turned into a joke and I don't think it becomes older brethren to be joking. The next one is temperate. Well, we have to be tempered in the way we, how much we eat and so on. These are practical things that make us consistent, uh, with what?
We're saying in our teaching.
We have a little light on that in Ephesians chapter 5. Verse 15 says, See then that you walk circumspectly, not a school, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Beautiful.
Sound in faith that somebody brought me a piece of a a floor joint. Floor joint. It was a group choice, but a piece of two by 8IN and umm, there are no termites, I don't think in Saint Thomas, but there are Carpenter ads. He brought in this piece and outwardly it looked perfect. And yet if you tapped it, it was just like a Wasps nest. It was just paper sand that the IT was just overly. There was every appearance of it, but it wasn't found. And so we need to be sound and safe. It seems sometimes, you know, you poke a little bit to find out whether there's more to it.
And so the principles on which we're active, there has to be soundness in faith and in charity. And it's a great danger when older brethren, and it's speaking about here, it says speak to the aged men. Why does it say the age tend to be found in faith? Because there's a great danger when principles are given out. And it has every appearance of conformity to orthodoxy. But the Apoca a little bit like, and that's the way the building inspector does. He takes a, he takes a sharp object and he pokes into the framing members.
00:30:31
To see whether there's sound method, structural soundness in the member so that there's rot instead in there because it can be awfully beguiling sometimes, because principles that term is often used very loosely, but that it sounds according to the faith of God.
And so there was to be this exhortation here that the aged man to speak things so that the aged man would be sounding faith. And in charity there's a there is.
We're to put the girdle of truth on and the breastplate of righteousness, because it can be that we're not found in charity.
It hurts. Affections can go out, but they need to be reined in. There has to be in connection with this. But we can't let our hearts wander and go out to a situation. And so we're not a different. We're not to let our hearts get it get away from us. If I may put it this way in these things. And there is as much as and he's speaking here.
In connection with the old man and so we can become over overcome with sympathy in situations and charity and it's a wonderful thing. But he is really there is an exhortation here that the aged men be in charity and faith found in faith and charity and impatience.
There is a soundness in connection with those things.
And then the sisters come up in the next.
The older sisters.
Likewise, it says. So that's a kind of an umbrella overall the things that have been said.
That they aged men likewise.
There should be that those things that characterize the men characterize the sisters too.
Except the spirit of the teaching of the sister is different. And so to teach your husband, to teach the young women to love their husbands.
And.
Be sober.
Hello there husband.
Yeah, older sisters don't, uh, speak, preach, but they sure can be a wonderful lesson to the younger sisters and newly married girls. And she's a, she's an older sister that is consistent. Oh, she can learn from her, uh, to apply that in her life and starting off, get a good foundation.
In their marriage, it's so important.
It's ultra important.
Anybody had any thought why it would bring in?
To the age 1, about two months. One not the man.
There must be a reason God doesn't make any mistake.
Well, it might be in the social life that the sister sets the table and.
And she puts one on the table or and over does it.
More, I think in the entertaining side of it, the man doesn't have to do with that side.
She is liable to fall into self, or at least an indulgence in that field.
Well, I don't think that Scripture envisage wine is used in that way.
Peters does not wine drinkers, but I think perhaps that was a danger that the old it says take a little wine for your stomach, face and through your often infirmities. And there was a danger there in particular, particularly with the older sisters, that that it would be a use as a pretext of using a lot. You know, when you get older, you tend to become more occupied with your ailments perhaps than any others. And there was a danger of that. I just say that because I.
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I, I maybe I shouldn't say maybe I've fallen into the trap of thinking this, that it was envisioned that believers should have wine on the table, but it's quite, I don't really see that in security that that is the case. It says that, umm, if you're there wine drinkers is that we're not to be characterized as people who drink wine. And scripture does give the outline as to where it's to use and it has the rightness scriptural use.
And that is for ailment and umm.
The older sisters, I think perhaps they have all kinds of advice that don't want different ones, but you know, they've got advice as to what to do about your blood pressure and about your weight and this that and the other thing. And it just seems to be the right proper fear that an older sister occupies himself with. And, and there was a danger that that they become taken up too much before. But that's was a broader thought than that. We didn't mention false accusers. And I just would like to say this in connection with that.
That, umm.
And 2nd printing so I can put my finger on the 1St that's on my heart in connection with false accusers. And again, umm.
Does anyone have a new translation to read that verse?
Six out of three.
That the elder women in Lake Manor be in deportment, as becoming those who have to say to sacred things, not splattered, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is right, that they may admonish the young women to be attached to their husbands, to be attached to their children.
I'd just, uh, like to give a little bit of an illustration of how perhaps this might be, uh, played out in our lives. When my wife was a little younger and had, uh, young children at home, uh, she longed for fellowship in the home. Uh, it was difficult to get out and there were perhaps three children at home that are young or four, and she longed for the visit.
Of some of the, the older sisters that might come and just, uh, visit for a little while during the day and just, uh, perhaps have a time over the word of God and speak of the experiences of, uh, raising a young family. And, uh, just to get a little bit of, uh, instruction or guidance, so to speak. You long for it. And, uh, I just suggest this to those that are older sisters that, uh, even though there are those that are younger in the assembly where you come from.
And they look like they're very busy and don't have time for a visit. It might be good to suggest, uh, coming over for a cup of tea or something and, uh, to spend a little time with the younger ones and make that, uh, that, uh, time for blessing. And so they were given, there was really something that, uh, this generation, this generation has a work to do for the Lord, a work that no other generation can do. So those that are older and that are experienced in half of faith.
Umm have a work to do.
That someone else of a younger generation cannot do. And so this was the work that they could bring, uh, they could do that. There's really a God-given, uh, responsibility, you might say that they may teach or, uh, just instruct or guide the young women sober to love their husbands or to be attached to their husbands, to be attached to their children. It's a blessing thing to, uh, do this on behalf of the Lord. To do it is not to the Lord and to really.
Umm, be an assistance to the next generation coming up.
And it shows us, too, that the sisters have just but double the number of remarks that are made that the men.
Well it this shows what a privilege it is for a sister to be living in conformity with these things and your children.
00:40:03
Like, uh, the end of, uh, Proverbs, they will call you blessed if you are faithful with their children and carry out these things. You're going to be your husband.
Will, as it says, they're in Broward, uh, will honor you. And it's a wonderful privilege not together to order in this world where marriage is, I think, quickly disappearing.
Living common law is just going to be the order of the day, and it's gonna be conspicuously different to the consistent in our marriage relationships and practices.
Inconsistency brings in dishonor to God, doesn't it? And I just noticing here in connection with these, uh, these sisters that, uh, verse five, to be discreet, chased keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands.
That the word of God be not blasphemy. That's the ultimate of it all, isn't it? They go on in their own way. And if they're not following the injunctions of the word of God, if they're not following the Lord in these things, then as a dishonor to the Lord, it brings a dishonor to the Lord. So it has more than it's more than just a failure on the part of the individual. But what about the Lord? What a dishonor that's done to him and.
It's been he is spoken against because of these things.
Mm-hmm. We've mentioned false accusers or slanderers there. And where does the scripture does speak of two men that are striving and the wife is watching. And so she reaches out and crushes her husband's opponent in the stone and, uh, her hand, her hand is turned leopard because of it. Oh, that's pretty graphic illustration. But there is a tendency in a national loyalty in women to their husbands. And so there was a danger that.
These things get taken up.
In private conversation and it really has ended to a level of false accusation and slander. And, uh, there had to be a guard against that in taking up these things. These are very practical things. I do believe the instructions of the younger women and it's very needful in our day because our brothers spoke a couple of years ago here about having children and how it's become almost sort of a despised thing in the world. And, uh, the, the, uh, the role of the.
Wife there's a a spear that the woman any woman women are intelligent. Any woman can run a tire company like I mean, they they're not short and intelligent, but they're but who but a woman could fill the place in the sphere of the home.
That God has given them, and especially in Crete here, you see that, uh, the men were given, we see what the men were, they were lazy blood and slow bellies and so on. And so the women had to be taught to love their husbands, to be attached to their husbands because I imagine it wasn't all that easy. And I, sometimes I think we give our wives a pretty difficult time. And it's, it's, I think, uh, two of the, uh, just say this and, and love to the sisters.
Don't support, don't lend sympathy. I should say, if your to your husband, if there is some remark made in the assembly or at least by the brothers of criticism about your husband, don't rush to defend, but get before the Lord. I saw a very, very sad case.
15 years ago now, but I never forgot my brother was being criticized in the assembly for, uh, some matters. And uh, it was, it was too strong. They put against him and he got up and he walked out and his wife jumped up after him and weeping bitterly and out loud, uh, lending support to her husband. And he didn't. He shouldn't have the support. He had to be dealt with.
And so it's a danger for our sisters to be that way. That's where you need to be closely walking with the Lord yourself to have discernment.
We get it in Second Tennessee chapter 3, the 1St 2 verses. There's no also than in the last stage. Perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. That's the head of the list. And that's women too. And that's something that is not supposed to be in a family. Men, men love themselves. How many times have you heard of a family where the man and wife have lived together and they've had children and 1:00 morning.
00:45:24
That one, either one or the other, just woke up and, well, leave. I'll go somewhere else.
Men are lovers of their own selves and so we get this expectation here that first of all, women are to love their own husbands and, uh.
In the world that's not what we get today and if we if a woman really loves her husband then she can do what it says in verse five. She'll be obedient to her own husband and that's not in the world today everybody as we've read every me.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves. Nobody wants to be accountable to anybody, even in the marriage.
I just like to say that.
For the young people are starting up a home, just marry that. I'd like to warn them it's a tendency today to serve a little wine at the table. I was shocked about four brothers in Montreal had a one time and I heard from their sons, umm, that they had it.
I I think it's terrible at our home, we weren't allowed to bring any wine or.
Liquor of any kind of that. And my father always used to warn us and we had a brother in Montreal that, uh, was wonderful. But he was a great help to me when I first took my place at the Lord's Table going in gossip work for the Indians. And he got his first drink with the Office of Wine and, uh, his death and he was.
They called my line, I'll have to drink the wine all the time and they went up to Toronto and it was still by a freight train. I was quite upset about that, but I was shocked. I got the young man's job to go to work and I got him a job at the good company. He had a good job. One night I got a call from his sales manager in the company. He said I got a shock today. And when the boy said that he was stringing off to his own, uh, above the line. He said I used to go with a member of your family.
Uh, the umm meeting used to be with the guard and, uh, she used to tell me they couldn't drink wine and they couldn't go to their shows. And he said he knows all the different kinds of brands of wine and everything. He was telling us all.
I was shocked, brother, and I couldn't get over it. Eventually he lost his job. He didn't take the drink or that, but.
He lost his job, but I think it's dangerous when we bring in any of these things into the home. Wine and liquor and the juice for uh, as they call it a cocktail.
It dangers your plane with fire when you start that stuff.
It was very, very serious. What you say that, uh, people will say to you, yes, I, I know how to control it. I can take just and just enough and I'm all right. But what happens if you have it in your own home and your son or your daughter get into it and you lose one of them?
What? How? How good was that little bit of wine that you had?
And there's a verse that had zero brothers with the Lord now brought before me a heavy ****. 2 and 15.
It's very, very important.
Two and 15.
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor's drink, that put us thy bottle to him, and maketh him drunken, also that thou mayest look on their nakedness. It's a solemn thing to give a drink to anybody, even if it's your own family.
That same brother gave me that.
The word when, uh, I was concerned about taking people out in sale or selling, uh, pretty spiders. And I, uh, by the grace of God, I've been selling all my life and I wouldn't take anybody else, uh.
00:50:05
For drinking today, this morning I took some rest restaurants. I used to tell them, I request that you won't take any kind of, uh, soft drink for that because people think it's uh, cocktail. And I'm a Christian born again Christian and I preach the gospel on the street party. So I don't want them to think that my hip are good. So, umm, if you don't mind, no, no drinks. And I'm going to put in 27 years of one company and 25 but the next company.
The largest refuse to take anybody out.
Because I'm not doing.
Interesting here it speaks about again in verse five. I know we're not moving fastly through quickly through here, but to be discreet. This is to the young women there, isn't it? There's four. They know that the elder women keeps the young people, young women to be sober, love their husbands and love their children. Then to be discreet chaste keepers at home. Good.
That that word good comes in sometimes. I was thinking of the of a verse over in Ephesians chapter one.
And verse or chapter 2 and 10 for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. God has placed this in each one of his people and that the expectation is that we might maintain good works and you find that here in the in this little epistle. It says the home to be good works. But if you drop over into the uh.
Uh, next chapter there.
Umm, well, verse fourteen of our chapter. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, not just to maintain them, but to be zealous in that which would be pleasing to God. That I don't want to do something that is your brain every day. I say, Lord, preserve me from dishonor to thy name.
And that's a very important thing to think about, not just so much for me or for my neighbor or for someone else, but what what does it do to the name of the Lord? It dishonors the Lord's name. So he says to be careful and to be zealous of good works. Now just drop over to the next chapter, the third chapter of the same. But if that's all verse 8. This is a faithful saying that these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have.
Believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. So the the works are there and what is it for that we might not bring disgrace or dishonor upon the name of the Lord really because it it speaks about the the the the the Hebrews, the Jews.
By their actions brought dishonor and, uh, to the name of the Lord.
And so it's it's it's very important to see that that that should be our thought. It's not just to please myself or others, but to please God. That's that's what we're that's why we're giving this we're we're we've been given this new life our desire to please him. So I just think of this in connection with the sisters here to be discreet chased keepers at home good and obedient to their own husbands been said too, that if if a wife you know.
Obedient to their own husbands. I I believe myself, I'm I'm convinced of being a man. I I think that many times it's very difficult for the wife to be obedient to her husband because he's he's such a.
Such a, uh, tyrant, you might say, let's say to see that, but suppose your husband was like we have in the, in the 5th chapter of Ephesians, like the Lord Jesus. I'll just turn it over to that. I just, I thought of it many times, umm.
Ephesians.
It says in verse 25.
But chapter, chapter uh, five verse 25 husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it that umm, and then dropping down.
Uh.
So, so, so men ought to well might read the 27th, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having a spot or wrinkle, or any such thing at which he's doing now. So men ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loving himself. And no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherish it even as the Lord, the Church, and so on. He goes on through with this that he speaks about as the great mystery concerning Christ in the church, and someone that put it this way.
00:55:23
If if a if a warrant husband acted in the principles that he has in the divine Word, following the Lord Jesus.
His wife would be delighted to be obedient to him and to and to bow to him and to help him. I'm sure there's a lot of truth connected with that. So it's something that's brought out here, uh, that the wife, uh, be discreet, chased keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands.
Obedience is very difficult when you've got a strain against it. So obedience is not very. It's not easy for someone to be obey if they're being ill treated.
We started the official.
Realizing that it was not the, the, the, uh, the, the doctrine of, uh, of the truth, but more the, the, uh, practical side of order. And I was just counting up the number of verses that we've been on. Uh, we could say that there are five or six in the first chapter.
And the second chapter down.
To 12. So that's 18 about 18 versus 17 or 18 verses on order. Imagine 18 verses in the scripture telling us about order.
And then it goes on.
We have only 5 minutes, so, uh, then the 13th were so beautiful looking. That's the imperfect tense. That's our attitude for that blessed hope. That's the rapture and the appearing in glory. That's the appearing of which takes place after the rapture.
Of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
That summarizes all the behaviors and if for carrying out these orderly things, what are we going to be doing? We're going to be looking for the rapture and also the appearing, and that's going to give our life that sweet perfume that ascends up to God of Christ.
Isn't nice that God knew it would take all those verses pardon teach it isn't nice to know that God who can't make a mistake, put those verses there knowing they were to take those not many verses to get. Oh nice, it's amazing. I marvelous. We all do Imagine you put in if two or three just two or three are gathered together and it may come to the someday soon.
But God is wonderful. How are you?
Instructors in his word and he doesn't take any shortcuts because he knows exactly our need and the perfect example that we have in the 13th course of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ back it goes to the foundation of it and the perfect example of order who gave himself.
For us.
That He might redeem us from all inequity He's done. That He has washed us from every sin will ever commit. But we have to realize that there's the responsibility to be walking in an orderly way for the Lord's glory. Like redeem us from all inequity and purify unto Himself.
A peculiar Now that doesn't mean being odd. Christian people are saying, oh, he's odd. Well, that take word peculiar means it's a treasure. It's something that's unique. Like we have an, an exodus When Israel was chosen, they were a peculiar people. They were gone and like the children were singing, uh, that we are treasures, uh, in his crown.
01:00:13
Oh, just think of it, brother.
This is very lovely that the grace of God has appeared for all men and for everyone. Say that again in the 11Th, 1St year. It's lovely that the grace of God that bringeth salvation, that appears for all men that they wouldn't have it, but it has appeared for all men. That's the way the other translation is read. Umm, teaching that us that we, uh, denying ungodly and worldly lusts we should live.
Soberly, righteously, and godly in heaven.
In this present world, here was Creek and a very ungodly place, and yet they could live for the glory of God there. The end of act ends with Paul dwelling 2 old years in his own hired house, teaching and preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God. And we are in a Kingdom now, and we're in His righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and we can enjoy these things. And I think that we've seen as our own hearts is straight from the truth, that we've seen others apart from the pathway of the truth.
How quickly it degenerates, life degenerates in these practical things and everything becomes messed up. But we can enjoy these things. And in this present world, even though it was creep where it was, Oh well, we got a description of what it was like and so he wants us to enjoy that now and umm.
It appears for all men, but umm, it is a wonderful thing to enjoy it.
I'm thinking too, it'd be good to clear up for for the young people here and perhaps some who are not acquainted with the word of God. They were not speaking about good works for salvation. That's not it. There is no work that you can please God for salvation, but these are the works that were to maintain after we're saved. I think it's good to bear that in mind because sometimes we go away from our conference and statements are made and some of the young people don't get a hold of it. Now, dear young people.
You're not you're not it's not told here that we're to do these maintain these good works in order to get saved. But because you are saved, God wants just notice. Notice just following this up a little bit in verse seven. Well, verse six young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. Well, we had the young women, we had the aged women and now it says, but verse seven in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works.
Why? Because God has saved us for that very purpose that we might say a pattern of good works in doctrine. Again, teaching, showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned. Well, I think these are very practical things and we should remember them, that you don't do this in order for to get saved, but because we are the Lords.
He wants to us to maintain a testimony wherever we are, whether it's our neighbor or workmate or schoolmate, whatever it is to be a testimony for the Lord to honor him in all this. Isn't it strange how Satan imitates God's work? And what's he say to an unsafe person? He says work. Work would be good. So then what is the Christian? What does Satan say to the Christian?
You're saved now, just forget about it. Doesn't matter how you live, just have a good time and do not. You don't need to do anything, just the very opposite. We do nothing for salvation and now he wants our whole life right? Not to give up our job. I don't mean to be.
Reading the Bible all day long. But it's a practical Christian life. He wants our whole affection and our desires of our heart to exalt Christ. And that's a full time job. This will come naturally.
Yeah, that's not what the characteristic of scientists here is, that it's not the salvation of our souls, but in our lives presented here.
We're talking something else. We have the salvation of our souls and she's had her sins washed away and we'll never have to pass through judgment. Passing through judgment passes. No, uh, going to be right. The tightest concurrent recreation in Duarte, uh, saying that the grace of God is granted formation health and teaching us she's denying of his happiness. The world wants to overly crisis things, obviously in this present world and then in the next chapter.
01:05:16
Chapter 3 and verse four but opposite the kindness of the love of God our Savior toward man appears not that worth the Christmas the three of us, but according to his mercy he saved us by the Washington regeneration when he went to holy Rood, not the indwelling of the Holy Ghost to work with the Spirit. Now that we are safe to change our manner of life and to change our behaviors. So now that they're no longer accretion and have national characteristics.
Here I I put my trust in large Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit is now a thing and I'm learning something else in Scripture while I shouldn't behave like this. Then in the evening, I have different motives now on the way I went on before and so here's a Savior God and my life is saved now instead of being lost to business or indulgence or worldly luck and whatever it is, they can carry on and have a Christian and have my whole life lost and now God.
Uh, you're hooked down and he sees the light here and he's working and instructing me in a brand, but now there's something in it requires and there's something that's good with the amount because you do have any lights now. So it is important that if we're not doing this for salvation, but now that we have it, our lives need to be made. Because if, if we're not responsible for this and if we're not putting these things in the process, then our whole lives can just flip away. And I'm sure we all feel that.
The the duties and work and home and the community and whatever it is, all lives can be gulled up and can be just lost.
But, uh, here we have instruction, very construction. But what, what is the characteristics of the Christian now a Nazi game? Probably, but because we have not had behavior that has come in, it's also.
The first Timothy is characteristic of that too, of a savior God.
I think that's worn out and Ephesians chapter two, I think we brushed on the verse earlier in the meeting, but to read a couple of verses.
Birthday, but by grace are you staying through state, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God not at work that he managed to vote. That's the great side of it. Or we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God had before ordained, that we should walk in them. When it says, for we are His workmanship, that means we are God's work.
That's what grace has brought. We are God's work. So there's nothing for us to boast in regards to salvation but being God's work. And what becomes characteristic of us is that our works are like his in a sense. They're righteous for the righteousness of God in Christ or through Christ. So it's it's a wonderful thing to see that we are God's worth, but in seeing that it should.
Bring out of us recognizing what that work, what it took to bring that work, about the things that we consider this morning and that precious morning, our Lord Jesus Christ. Then that should draw from us the proper and appropriate behavior. Could we stand and sing hymn #197? Oh God, what chords of love are thine?
How gentle, yet how strong like truth and grace. Their strength combined to draw our souls along 197.