Vestal Conference: 2014
Table of Contents
1 Corinthians 3:1-7
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
166.
And and and.
All right, it's been a while.
And then it's about.
I, I, I'd like to consider it's, it's gonna be a lot of money, but I, I, I think it's 100%.
Umm.
Uh-huh.
Perhaps before we have more help, could we read just a few verses and acts?
Acts, chapter 4, verse 23.
And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that chief priests and elders had said unto them.
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth and sea, and all that in them is who by the mouth of thy servant. David had said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? Kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
On the verse 29.
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant them to thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.
31 Middle of the verse. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. We asked for help.
Gracious God and our loving Father, give thee thanks that we know.
By Christ, the Lord Jesus is our Savior, the ones anointed by thee, the one who has all power in heaven and earth, and we do not claim have that power.
00:05:00
Father among us, as in the early days of the Church here on earth, but we do know Him, Lord Jesus Christ, the one who has all power, and we ask now for Thy help, strength, and for a portion from thyself.
That, uh, would benefit each of our souls and.
Uh, that would help us to be a blessing to each other and to honor and glorify thyself and our Savior in this scene. And we pray too for those that are, that are persecuted and, uh, for those who live in places where they, uh, they know first hand the nation's raging and those who are set against the Lord of his Christ. So we commit them to thee and, uh, we.
Ask again for the help during these meetings and proportions for our souls. In this reading the name of the Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
Could we, brethren, look at First Corinthians 3 and possibly 4?
With the mind of the brethren to us.
We're just reading Take up this written plan.
The First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 3.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it neither yet now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal.
For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not Carnal and Walker's men?
For while one saith I am of Paul, and another I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos? That ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted Apollo's watered, but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth anything.
Neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase.
Now he that planteth and he that water us are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are laborers together with God. Ye are God's husbandry. Ye are God's building.
According to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master Builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he built it thereon thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abideth which he has built thereupon he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that spirit, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defiled the temple of God, him shall God destroy, For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
00:10:09
Therefore let no man glory in men, for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's.
And Christ is God's.
Tremendous amount of breakfast cruises chapter that we read now. Uh.
The Apostle Paul is uh.
Was very concerned about the uh.
Statement was prevalent there in the city of Corinth, where he had labored for a year and a half.
They had come out of idolatry. They were Gentiles, very much affected by all the wisdom and philosophy of this world.
The apostle was much concerned about them.
There was a lot of things that needed correction there among the brethren.
Were divisions, there were sects, there were parties that were being formed. It was a lot of confidence and worldly wisdom. You know, the Greeks were at the top of the latter, so so to speak in the in the philosophy and the wisdom of man and the apostle exposes this.
So there was not a lot of growth. There was a lot of disorder in the assembly, as you see later on, there was more laxity. Uh, there were these divisions, as we mentioned, and there were wrong doctrines coming in. So, umm, it's a corrective epistle and, uh.
The apostle commends first of all in chapter one what he can commend.
Before he proceeds to.
Correct him to exhort. Turn back to the first chapter, verse two, unto the Church of God, which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. All Saints of all that in every place fall upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. So the apostle was confident that these were true believers.
Sanctified in Christ Jesus, that was their position set apart from the world.
And the apostle does not confine the teaching of this epistle only to Corinth. He says it's for all that call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours, that brings in the thought of profession as well as reality. So, umm, there may have been a number in Corinth that took the name of Christ outwardly. They were, they professed to be believers.
But we're not genuine. There is that danger, there is that possibility. And so the apostle develops a lot of assembly administration in this epistle, but he brings out some very precious truths as to the body of Christ and, uh, assembly order and, umm, liberties that we have in Christ. And then the doctrinal side too, in the latter part of the epistle.
As our brother just pointed out, there are many different, umm, disorders that were prevalent in the Corinthian assembly and the Spirit of God is recorded the answer to these disorders in this epistle. And so Paul as an apostle had the authority. He could have gone and he said he could have gone with a rod. What will you will I come with a rod? But no, he wrote a letter in love and, uh, with many tears, he wrote this letter.
And seeking to address the different issues. And so there are approximately 10 different disorders that he addressed. And so we have in writing in the power of the spirit of what the answer is to these different questions. So instead in this chapter that we take up.
Why? It says the question of different parties and sects that have grown up and the support of them, and we have the principle of it brought out in Acts chapter 17. Let's just turn there and we'll see how these Gentiles conducted themselves.
Acts chapter 17 and umm, let's read from verse 16.
00:15:06
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him, and said, And some said, What will this babbler say others? Some he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gauze, because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection.
Well, we know that the Epicureans really took on thought their their basis of life was really emotional pleasure. And then the Stoics were had a line of things and they had followers, disciples and they had a different teaching. And so this was prevalent. Those that would rise up in prominence among the Greeks, they would gather a following and would have disciples. And so their particular philosophy of life would be followed. But that's not how God has arranged the assembly or organized the assembly, we might say, because Christ is the one.
That is to be the object of faith. And so if we have our eye upon any other man but Christ Jesus, why there's going to be a disorder. And so this is really what he brings out in this chapter that there was disorder because men that had really the heart of good shepherds and so on. They had a desire that the the the good teaching would go forth into the church, but they were put on pedestal. They were given a place that really wasn't theirs and so he.
Paul uses himself and Apollos as examples, you might say, not real example as types. And umm, Paul wasn't, uh, preaching sedition among the Saints. He wasn't seeking followers. Apollos wasn't seeking followers, but in a nice gentle way, what the apostle Paul does is he uses himself and Apollos as examples. And he says, for instance, if, uh, you know, there were those that would say, I am appalled and other.
In verse four, I am of Apollos. Are you not yet carnal? Well, this didn't actually happen. Perhaps that people said I am appalled, but he uses himself as an example. And so brethren, the warning in this chapter and as our brother has already alluded to, is that if we get to having parties in the assembly and among the brethren, why it brings in tremendous weak and weakness and it's a carnal thing. We ought to all be exalting Christ. All all ought to be seeking to encourage one another to follow the man Christ Jesus.
Well, we can be very thankful that even though it's greatly Saints were carnal, fleshly, that, uh, most if not all were were, uh, they were based in Christ to see that at the end of first.
First one there.
And, uh, I know for myself personally, when, especially, uh, when you're older, uh, when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and accept him as your old personal savior, uh, that carnality may be there for a while, uh, as you learn more of the Lord Jesus Christ and learn more of him than, than the desire is there to keep the, the, the old man and the place of death.
And umm, and that often, especially when you're older, that that's not happened necessarily happen quickly or easily.
You might say, well, how could this arise? How could this condition of things arise in an assembly? They had lots of gift, they had lots of ability and it was manifest among them. But if we turn to Acts chapter 20, we have perhaps the seed of it, Umm, And the apostle speaks to the Ephesian elders and he's, he tells them what the seed really is of these things in Acts chapter 20 and umm.
Let's read from verse 28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which over the which the Holy Ghost have made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone night and day with tears.
And so it's possible for our enemies to arrive from outside. Those are wolves, and wolves come in among the flock really because of perhaps loose reception principles. And the other thing is that from inside there might be those that we might call defective elders and that they desire in verse 30, some, uh, also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things. So it's men's seeking a place of prominence among the Saints.
00:20:28
And in Colossians, it says in Mr. Darby's translation, Christ is everything.
And so May God help us each one never ever to want a prominent place among our brother. There's the Lord spoke of those Pharisees, and they wanted the 1St place or the place of honor among their brethren. And this isn't how God desires us to go on in Christianity. And so that's the seed of it.
So that's why he says at the start of the portion you read, first thing he says is take heed to yourselves. That's the first thing. And uh, our number of young men beginning to rise up amongst us is very encouraging to see so many wanting to take up the things of God and to take their place in the assembly. One thing you would be well advised is never trust yourself too much.
Or to put it another way, always just trust yourself a little bit and make sure you're always in submission to somebody. You ought to be able to pick out redness in your assembly that you are in submission to, no matter what position you reach.
In a building, you know every part of the building is in a sense in submission to the others, even the highest part of the building.
So always make sure that you're in submission to your brother, no matter where you go or what position you may achieve or think you've achieved.
Now, there's another reason why some might have been gaining a following and it may not have been their fault. You know, it's kind of a, uh, what the world calls a catch 22 situation when you are, when you do a good job administering the word, for example, uh.
It's just unfortunate, but because of the flesh in yourself and in others.
There could be this situation arising and you can't get away with it. What are you gonna do? A bad job? So in a sense, you can't get away from it. The flesh is there. It's gonna be there until we're all changed to be like him. So turn over to Jude, the book of Jude, and look at verse 16 at the end.
It speaks of those who have men's persons in admiration.
Because of advantage, or to put it on another another way, admiring persons for the sake of profit or gain.
And you might, you might find that, you know, if there's a brother who seems to have a, a good reputation or is, uh, uh.
Highly respected and, uh, you may find in yourself a desire to become known as one of their friends. Or, uh, you might wanna seek their, uh, their acquaintance and be identified with them. Why? For your own advantage. And, uh, you're not only gonna hurt them.
You're going to hurt the assembly as well, so we need to check ourselves. It says the first thing that my brother read. Take heed to yourselves.
In Corinth there was a basic problem and.
That problem was that they had allowed the things the wisdom of the world to intrude and the things of God and so the apostle Paul had to take up this issue first before he can go on and deal with the others. If you go back to chapter one see this dealt with early on here, but just in verse 21 it says for after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe and so he brings out just from the very.
Beginning of the gospel how that it was this kind of wisdom of the world that had no place at all. And instead we have a wisdom that is from above, which is completely contrary to it. And then he says in chapter 2 verse one. And I brethren, when I came to you came not with Excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God for determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling.
In my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom.
But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. And so he lays down that groundwork right in the very beginning here.
00:25:04
The failure that they had that came in among them in Corinth and that so often comes among in among us is the Lord's people, is that we allow the wisdom of the world to influence our thinking and it takes us away from the wisdom that is from God because it's completely contrary to it. And so he goes on the rest of chapter 2 to speak about that and how that the wisdom of God had come through the Word of God and was now manifest to us so that we could know these things that before hadn't even entered into the mind of man.
But now the spiritual man is able to discern things because.
He has the the Spirit of God.
He goes on to chapter 3 here in the beginning to speak then about.
What the effects of the wisdom of the world are. And first of all we find in the 1St 2 verses that it hinders their spiritual growth.
The believers who take up with the wisdom of this world are scented in their growth. And so that's the first thing. And then from verses 3 on down to perhaps seven, we find out that it was causing divisions among the Saints of God. He had started with that in chapter one.
So he will talk more about that, but here the reason for the divisions were that they had the wrong thought. They didn't have the the mind of God and what they were.
Umm taking up with and teaching and preaching or how they were even communicating with one another. They were bringing in worldly thought. And then going on further in the chapter here we get to the whole idea of what it felt and reward and loss of reward. And we find out that the wisdom of the world will surely work to producing nothing that is forgotten and building in our lives or more particular and what is built on the foundation in the House of God.
And so there's a loss here, actually a defiling of the temple of God because of the introduction of.
The wisdom of the world. And so he ends up by saying in verse 18, let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. And that's the expectation. To us, these things are completely contrary. And we need to take up with the wisdom that is from above and understand that it's completely different from the wisdom of the world.
The wisdom of God is not an improvement upon man's wisdom, as our brother has mentioned it, the very opposite. But, umm, I think that, uh, the root problem of, uh, the divisions that were taking place in Corinth was the admiration of man, putting man in the forefront, uh, exalting him and uh, not realizing, uh, the resources they had in Christ. So.
There's three different categories. I'm sure that we've noticed this, uh, in, in the past. There is the natural man, chapter 2, verse 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness unto him. That's the person who does not have a divine life. He is unsaved. He cannot understand the the things of God. We wouldn't expect him to, but there is the spiritual man mentioned in verse one of our chapter.
The brother said we all have the Spirit of God. We don't pray for him to come. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. That does not mean that we are spiritual. Having the Holy Spirit of God as a divine person who will not leave us at any time in our Christian experience does not mean that we are spiritual if we don't do not allow the Spirit of God to form our lives to control us.
And we grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whether it be by sin or worldliness or whatever. We are not spiritual, uh, we are not, uh, exercised to walk in accordance with the Spirit of God that we possess. And then the third category were those that were carnal as we have here. This is, uh, what the Corinthians were. They were carnal, they were fleshly, they were allowing the old nature and the, umm.
The things of this world to, uh, intrude into their lives, they were, umm, allowing the, uh, desires of the flesh, gratifying the desires of the flesh. And so the apostle has to say, your babes in Christ, I can't minister the deep things of God to you as I would like because you're in no fit condition to receive them. Babes are used several times in the word of God. Do you remember in the Hebrews chapter, uh?
00:30:05
The chapter 5, the word babes is used there again by the apostle Umm.
Verse 13, everyone that uses meat, milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is obeyed. Well, the point of babes there is that the Hebrews were not entering into their new position in Christ. They were occupied with the traditions and the ritual of Judaism. The whole reason why the epistle was written was to deliver them from that and deliver believers from that whole system of things, Judaism. That's why they were a baby here.
Uh, they were still clinging to those things. You turn over to Ephesians chapter 4, you have babes mentioned again and it's in a different connotation there. Uh, Hebrews 4, uh, the apostle is speaking here of ministry in the Church of God. 12 for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. And then he goes on to say verse 14 till we henceforth be no more children or babes.
To and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie and wait to deceive. Here are babes mentioned again in a negative way, in a re reproving here by the apostle. Why were they babes here? They weren't availing themselves of the ministry of the gifts in the body of Christ.
So God has given gifts in the body, but they weren't recognizing this. They were tossed to and fro by all sorts of, uh, uh, wrong teachings and that they weren't being established in the truth. And, uh, that is important, brethren, to recognize the ministry that we have been given, whether it be through the servants of the Lord, the gifts of times, through the gifts that the Spirit of God has imparted, or through written ministry.
Umm, by brethren of previous years.
But we're going to be a babe if we do not avail ourselves of those provisions that the Lord has given in the assembly. I think that's the reason why there was no growth here in the case of some of the Ephesians.
So the apostle cannot administer the deep things of the Lord, uh, and the mysteries, umm, that he wanted to bring before the Corinthians because of their spiritual state.
I think, brethren, something that we have to keep in mind is that sometimes when these who are a little older, older than myself, perhaps in the assembly can develop a attitude of I know more than you do, spiritually speaking, physically speaking. And brethren, there is a danger to that because if we take from, I'm trying to get the word here, predominance.
In the assembly, because of who we think we are or how much we know.
We quench the spirit of the assembly, and I've seen this among some of our older brother where they take a more prominent place. And perhaps they, they, uh, are doing right or what they believe what they're doing right. But yet the assembly can see is that of the spirit. And if we quench the spirit from our own knowledge of what we think we know, we can hinder the assembly meeting.
And brethren, I just like to caution it, and I'm including myself in this.
That if we're not waiting on the Lord and take away our so-called prominence because of our age, our knowledge of the word, brethren, we have to put this down. We have to humble ourselves and say what would the Lord have us to do? What would the Lord have us to hear in his word, the little brother. Just a word of caution for some of us who are perhaps my age or older that we do not take the leading role where the Holy Spirit.
Maybe speaking to someone else where there's a greater need.
Verse one here brings the forest, uh, the fact that there are two realms that we can live in and we really only live in one or the other. We can't really straddle the fence and really profitably live in both. And so we can either live in the spiritual realm enjoying heavenly things and, uh, recognizing that we're blessed with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ, or we can live in the earthly realm as unto carnal, he says. And umm, and the Mr. Darby's translation says fleshly.
00:35:08
We have the opportunity every day that we, uh, are in this scene either to be taken up with spiritual things or earthly things and the heart to be engaged either with spiritual things or earthly things. And in the Spanish it's uh, calmly, the carnal is really, uh, to do with the meat. That's, umm, just, uh, fleshly things and temporal, those things that are going to, umm, perish. And so the, umm, attitudes of the Corinthians were such that they were earthly minded.
And umm, so I just asked the question, are you taking up with the things of God as you wake up in the morning? Does he get the first place in connection with reading the Word of God? Prayer does, uh, are you interested in listening to recorded ministry? Are you interested in reading a little bit of scripture and then seeking out some written ministry? Are you interested in being with the Saints of God? Our brother read in Acts chapter 4. Being let go, they went under their own company. When you have free time, do you want to be with the children of God, the people of God?
What a wonderful privilege to be gathered to the Lord's name and to be able to encourage one another. Umm, we can either live in that realm of spiritual things and be taken up with the things that Christ is interested in, or we can be taken up in our hearts engaged with what the world is interested in. The world is interested in their entertainment. The world is interested in, uh, a career and that's their prior, their, their priority. Priority number one is education and getting a, a head in life and, and having a, a place of prominence in this world.
Well, the apostle in the very first verse that we read brings out the contrast. And if you live in the fleshly realm, or I live in the flesh realm, the Spirit of God would delight to bring us into the knowledge of the depth of the riches that are in Christ and his man Christ Jesus. But He won't be able to give us much more than just the basic fundamental principles of Christianity. And this is what he was saying. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it neither yet now are you able.
So if we live in the realm of the fleshly things of this world and don't rise above what the man of the world, uh, enjoys, you might say that we won't eat, we won't have the, the heavenly things, the meat of Christianity.
Lord spoke of uh to the children of Israel about the good land and said it was a land flowing with milk and honey.
You know milk and honey are pre digested foods.
And in the good land of.
Uh, the body of price, you might say. Umm.
The good land of the New Testament that we live in now, there's lots and lots of ministry you might think of as milk and honey. And you should avail yourself other, you know, the notion that you want to just put that aside and just go straight to the word. It may sound good, but it's a land flowing with milk and honey and we should enjoy that. However, that's the other side of the coin, you might say, is what we've been talking about is, is never to have a minister of God.
Preeminent in your heart.
We we all, what we all love and what we all want to see is the Lord.
We want him to have preeminence among us because it's him that attracts us all. That's what brings us all together. And so sometimes we, we might be unhappy with, uh, a minister because it just seems like he's getting, he's getting a place that he shouldn't have. And it, it may not be that we, we don't like him or we're against him, but in our hearts we would just, we want to see the war happen the 1St place. And, uh, but that has a lot more to do with our own hearts than it does with the speaker.
Christianity in the Gospels, as the Lord laid the seed plot in Matthew's Gospel is oftentimes presented to us as a feast. If we turn to Matthew chapter 22, we'll just illustrate it with the Word of God it says there.
Let's read verse 3, Matthew 22 and verse three. He sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come.
Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my ox and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, and other to his merchandise. Well, we know that the Lord desires that all would be invited to into the to the by the gospel and by the word of God to come to the feast of Christianity. And the feast, The center of the feast is Christ himself.
00:40:20
We are permitted to feed upon Christ and his finished work.
And so this is how Christianity is presented and it's a wonderful feast to the soul to sit down with the word of God and perhaps even in a company like this and enjoy the sweet things of Christ. The world has a pleasure system that is raised up at the enemy and they have, uh, the end of that mirth is sorrow. But umm, for the believer as he sits down and has a feast in connection with the things of God is something that he enjoys and he can enjoy for time and will set the enjoyment of things for eternity as well.
In the Corinth assembly was the exaltation of man and if that's what I desire among the people of God, whether it be in public ministry or in any way, I'm entirely wrong. It's to my shame, but keep things in balance, brethren. There is such a thing as gift in the assembly. It's not a democracy and that we are to recognize those who have ability given of God. This is taken up the whole subject of ministry.
Is taken up in this epistle, but in other places of Paul's writings too. So, umm, the ministry and the assembly should be for the glory of Christ above all. It should be edifying. And if, uh, my participation in the meeting is not edifying or, umm, umm, not glorifying to the Lord, the kindest thing the brethren can do is to tell me to be quiet. So we need to keep things in balance with the Corinthians. They were exalting man.
That is wrong. That's I remember reading about, uh, a brother who was much used of the Lord. Someone asked him, brother, when were you, uh, when did you, umm, step out into, uh, more prominence and uh, was used of the Lord? He says, when I learned that the Lord could do without me. The Lord can do without any one of us. We're all failing servants. We're all umm.
You might say, uh.
Uh, we are umm, thinking of that verse there, umm.
We, we are, uh, unprofitable servants. I remember a leading brother amongst us whom we all would would know if I mentioned his name. He was the least one in, uh, in the ministry that I would think was unprofitable. But he says we are all unprofitable servants, a humble brother. Well, I think this is the teaching the apostle is bringing before us. And in this chapter he deals as we go on. He deals with responsibility in ministry.
This is the point of the chapter here. It's the responsibility we have as ministers here. The Church of God is not looked upon in the same way as it is in Matthew 16, in Ephesians 2 as the body of Christ, the work of the of, of the Lord in, in uniting us all together into one body. There's no failure there. But this is not the thought in our chapter. It's the responsibility that we have in ministry. How are we ministering? Is it gold, silver and precious stones? Or is it wood, hay and stubble? So that comes on later on in the chapter. But the point here is the responsibility we have in public ministry. Is that right? To brother David, to David?
You know, you'll notice in verse 9 there's a transition.
He speaks of them being God's husbandry, or you could put it on the way, God's farm or God's vineyard.
And then he says, ye are God's building, and he makes a transition here.
And umm, before that he was Speaking of things having to do perhaps with the husband. I planted Apollo's water and so on. And there isn't any responsibility so much there. But the responsibility that Brother John just spoke of comes after when he starts talking about the building.
So you you sort of transition from talking about what you might save life, the life aspect of the assembly now to the building aspect. And it's the building aspect. That's where the ministers have responsibility.
If you look at Acts Chapter 11, you have 4 gifts that are laboring together, They're working harmoniously together. And umm, not to, to beg to differ a little bit. Brother Ted, you need to have in a garden or in a, in on the farm, things would need to come seamlessly together too. They would have to be, you'd have to have the, the one that's sowing the seed, working well with the one that's watering at the right time and so on. But let's look at that in Acts Chapter 11 because it's a principle in God's ways that he does raise up gift as our brother John has mentioned. And umm.
00:45:26
But the gifts that are raised up of God, God always intended that they would work together for the blessing of God's people and there would be tremendous amount of fruit as a result. And so in Acts Chapter 11, you have umm, the, uh, evangelist brought before us first in Chapter 11 of Acts verse 20. Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, a Gentile city, spake under the Grecians preaching the Lord Jesus and the hand of the Lord was with them in a great number.
Believed and turned to the Lord and so here you have the evangelist. He goes out and the Lord is working with souls souls get saved and Antiochus Gentile city. And then you you have the shepherd that comes in in verse 22. Then tidings of these things came under the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem and they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch. So they knew that these new converts needed a shepherd. They needed a pastor and umm, so Barnabas was one of those individuals that had that gift and he encouraged them and then.
But Barnabas recognized that these new converts also needed to be taught, and so he knew that they needed a teacher. So it says in verse 23. Who when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad and exhorted them all that they with purpose of heart they would cleave under the Lord. For he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. And much people was added under the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him onto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. And so you had a teacher there. They worked together.
Here you have the evangelist, he brings those that are heathen, uh, carnal in their walk entirely because they were lost. And, uh, they come into the knowledge of the Lord Jesus as Savior, the pastor, the shepherd comforts their hearts and, uh, establishes of more. And then the teacher comes, there's eternal results. And the result is that you and I today are called Christians because these three groups, these three different individuals labored together, They labor together.
And they supported one another and they ministered Christ in such a way that you're called a Christian today because that's how they did it. They worked together. And then the last one is in verse 28. There stood up one of them named Agabus.
I should say verse 27, in those days came profits from Jerusalem and Antioch, and there stood up one of them named Agabus. Well, there's a prophetic gift as well. And so the prophet is used of God to minister to the hearts of the people of God to their consciences as well. We could turn to, uh, first Corinthians 14, I think it is verse three. And it gives us the work of the prophet. And so he has a message from the heart of God for the people of God at a particular time. And he encourages them or speaks to their hearts and, uh, to their consciences as well that there might be edified.
And so these four different.
Critical gifts are given to the church. They're evident even today, and they ought to be laboring together and laboring harmoniously. You know, when we used to have business.
And had employees we had every one of the employees had a job description and one of the items on every single job description at the bottom of the job description was must labor harmoniously with all other employees of the company.
It was absolutely necessary. Otherwise there would be what we call fystoms that would develop and umm, little parties that would not talk to one another within the company and so on. And so even the world recognizes that principle. It was necessary to walk into labor harmoniously. And so this is the apostle Paul in his love for Christ and his love for the Saints, sought to re establish that principle that they all had to have Christ as the object and that there would be an abundance of fruit for Christ in the assembly in Corinth.
Now this is Philippians 2 verse one. There be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort above any fellowship of the Spirit, any bowels and mercies fulfilling my joy that she be like minded.
00:50:12
I think before the Lord, if we personally strive to walk for the Lord in the way that He is laid out, that our families will be in order and our families in order. We come together collectively before the Lord. The House of the Lord will be in order too, won't it?
We looked over to the Scripture that's been mentioned in Ephesians 4, Ephesians 4, and verse 11.
Speaks of the gifts that were given to the body.
And gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. And then what does it say?
From the ministry.
It seems to jump right to that.
That the gifts are for the ministers. But there's a progression here. The first thing that they're given for is to perfect the same, that is to equip the Saints to do what they do.
With a view toward ministry.
And ministry really takes place more amongst the Saints.
Ministering to one another having been equipped by the gifts.
And that is with a view toward the building up of the body of Christ and edifying of the body of Christ. That doesn't mean that gifts don't minister, but it's only to say that God's purpose of placing them in amongst the Saints is to perfect the Saints for the work of the ministry. And so we can all pick up from the gifted ones somewhat what they do. And, uh, you might see a man who's we had in our assembly once a, a young man who was in the world's terms, very gifted.
That's different, you know, that's natural talent. But the world would say he was a gifted piano player and, uh.
I would say he probably could teach all of us to play somewhat and we probably could never achieve to his ability, but we could all play somewhat. And so you get around an evangelist, one who's got the gift of evangelist and his ways of doing things and and his burden, spiritual burden for souls, all these things might rub off on you, so to speak. And in that he is perfecting the Saints.
For the work of ministry.
And the only way to rub off on you is that.
You're not looking at the man, you're looking at his faithfulness to the Lord. You're you're looking. You're looking.
Looking at how he saturates his mind with the Word of God and how he's constantly dependent on the Lord, uh, to minister.
Uh, because it's already been mentioned, it's so easy to, uh, to umm, raise men up because of their faithfulness to the Lord. Umm, to give an example, umm.
Quite a number of years ago, Umm.
Our uh brother Gordon Hayhoe used to come to our assembly to help with uh, uh.
Our reading meetings now.
He had a gift and he was, he was A and you could admire the man for that. But what I'm trying to get across is what we should, rather than envir admiring the men, we should be admiring one like Gordon Hayhill, who is constantly saturating his mind with a word, being constantly before the Lord. How to apply it, uh, from the perspective of Saints. And I know, like I said, this is quite a number of years ago.
Umm, when our brother would come.
Uh, to help in the reading meetings, uh, because we were looking for the man, uh, there was quite a few, uh, silent periods in the reading meetings. Uh, Gordon was very wise and he would administer to us from the, the passage that was before us in the reading meeting, but he was very, very, very careful to, uh, give faith to others. There was opportunity.
For others.
Uh, umm, to, uh, speak on what they would have on their heart according to, uh, passage, that would be before us. And I'm afraid, uh, we were, uh, because of the silent period, I guess the long, sometimes long silent period, uh, we're, perhaps we're looking to the man rather than looking to the lawyer.
00:55:18
Well, we all are servants of the Lord and not just those that are in the public place absolutely so-called full time. We all are ministers of in the in the vineyard looking first Peter chapter 4. Now, it doesn't mean that we all have a public gift in that sphere, but we all have a work to do for the Lord. We're servants, we're ministers.
Sisters as well as brothers chapter 4 of I Peter verse 10 as every man has received the gift or the ability. Even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Now in the case of the sister that certainly wouldn't be in the public sphere, but she has a very important place in the body of Christ as a minister and we find that Phoebe was a deaconess of the assemblies, but.
Uh, the Corinthians were using their gifts in a wrong way. They were using their gifts to exalt themselves and there was disorder and there were these divisions taking place in parties. Umm, we can use our gift in that way too. Well, that's not the way it, it should, it should work out. It should be for the edification of the body of Christ, blessing of souls, encouragement of the Lord's people, and as our brother mentioned.
Our late brother Gordon Hale, he was a very humble brother too, and that's brought out in the fourth chapter very clearly. Paul was a very humble brother in spite of the the tremendous gifts that the Lord had imparted to him, says in the 4th chapter of our epistle here. Umm.
First, umm, verse seven. Who maketh thee to differ from another? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? This is what the Corinthians were doing. And uh, that's an exercise for us, each one.
Umm, to uh, seek the Lord's glory and the blessing of the Lord's people.
The Apostle Paul, we get you in the chapter, uh, far enough longer than chapter 4, uh, and verse 11. He certainly didn't, uh, have a place of prominence. I'm going to read, uh, Mr. Darby's translation to verse 11, chapter 4 to the present hour. We both hunger and thirst and our nakedness and buffeted and wandered without a home. Well, isn't that like, wasn't that true of our Lord Jesus Christ when he was here in this scene?
Good. Furthermore, he says, we labor with our own hands. We weren't going about trying to live on the backs of the Saints.
They were willing to support themselves and work to do what if needed.
What Brother John read in chapter 4 and umm, verse 7, umm, to further elaborate on and just make sure it's clear, is that these Corinthians, uh, brethren, umm, they had gift, but they didn't umm, give due honor to the Lord as it were, as the giver of that gift. And they didn't use it in the way that he desired them to use it. They used it in a way that would exalt themselves.
And the Lord, you know, it's wonderful how he used the gift that had been given to him of God.
As a man, and when there was mighty work going on, why he withdrew and went into a desert place. It says that they had no leisure so much as to eat. And so that might look like there's a great work going on, but the Spirit of God might lead in a different way and to go into a small quiet place. And so the words of wise men are heard and quiet says in Ecclesiastes. I think it's Chapter 9.
Can we look at that first?
Yes.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 9. It's right at the end.
Verse Umm, let's read verse 16.
Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard, and quiet more than the cry of him that rule ruleth among fools.
01:00:09
Where is the wise men?
That's that's where you can get a lot of building up, where ministry can take place by conversations. You know, there are so many brethren.
That one is met in his years that hardly ever, sometimes never took part in meetings, but they were so rich and full and sound in the truth, and you got so much for it, just one little conversation with them.
And don't think that because brethren don't take part in meetings, they're not worth your time. That's ridiculous. You're gonna find that a lot of brethren that are quiet sit quietly in meetings like this have a lot more than those that speak.
Might just point out that there's another principle that the apostle brings out as he ministers to these Saints. He says in verse six, I have planted a.
Paulus watered, but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither is he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. And so it's, uh, they labor in vain, uh, that build a house, except the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that build it. And so we need the blessing of the Lord and what we do and the, umm, the blessing of the Lord maketh rich. And I think Mr. Darby's translation there in that verse in Proverbs says that umm, and labor added nothing to it, man's labor.
And so it's the work of the Spirit of God. So he brings that principle in. And he also really by way of, umm, principle brings in the fact that one man can't do it all. So the idea of having a pastor and he does everything, he preaches the gospel. He, he's the evangelist and he's also the shepherd of the pastor among the people of God. And he's also the teacher. And then he's also a prophet. We don't find that in the Scriptures, although we may seek to help out in some of those ways.
There are oftentimes God has raised up different gifts that exercise their gifts and they complement another. Isn't it nice to think of Barnabas and Paul laboring together? You know, Barnabas, he knew he couldn't do it all and he walked, perhaps I just suggest he walked maybe about 150 miles up to Tarsus. He knew where Paul was. He knew he couldn't do it all and then he walked back those two brethren and would have taken perhaps a better part of a week.
In their travels.
And, uh, they labored together for approximately 10 years, perhaps on and off, but, umm, you know, they complimented one another and that's never, ever get the idea that one brother can do it all. We know that, uh, we shouldn't have, uh, the idea that the assembly is a democracy and that I have an equal vote in the assembly and you have and so on. That's not a scriptural principle. It's a man's principle. But in connection with the things of God, you have a little gift given to you of God. And if you don't exercise that gift.
We're all the losers for it. And the Lord desires that there would be fruit in the assembly where you come from, and he suited you in a particular way to exercise your gift and to be exercised to use it, and that there would be profit. And you can't do it all. You need your brother, you need your sister. We need one another. And so Paul here speaks in this way. He planted and a polished water. Paulus came to Corinth and uh, there was blessing as a result of them coming, but the whole result of it was that God gave the increase.
Let's never forget, brethren, if there's going to be any blessing in your life, if there's any blessing at all in your family, if there's any blessing in the assembly, it's not because of what you did. It's because of what God did, what the Lord has done. And so if there's any fruit, let's thank God for the fruit in our young people.
I'd just like to make mention to the young people that are amongst us. I remember about 29 years ago was the first time I went up to In the Bay and saw Gordon Halo at his camp and in the afternoon there was a 2 hour session over the word. Some of you young people may think wow, that's a long stretch and perhaps it is, but you know 29 years ago when I wanted to seek the truth more than I ever did in my life, to me I was just soaking it in.
And when you have a harsh desire to soak in the Word of God, time is not an object, or even the person is an object. It's God speaking through a godly person, a godly man or woman who is giving out the word of God. But we have to have.
01:05:12
I'd like a Spanish we, we need to just soak it all up. And, and I look back 29 years ago and I say, I'm happy to have sat there under that sound of the ministry. And I just want to encourage you young people, don't look at your watch. Don't your text messages or anything like that. Just open up your heart and say, I just want to soup it in. And that's where it's proper and umm, something I experienced And I pray that.
Especially our young people may take this to keep.
There's one Christian ministry that was referred to in Ephesians for the perfecting of the Saints, with a view to the ministry. When the Saints are perfected and the ministry goes on that they're each a part of, but it's one Christian ministry. When the ministry goes on, then the whole Church of God is built up. So in in the Nehemiah's Bay there were two prophets, Haggai and Zachariah, and when they prophesied.
When those gifts are an exercise and picture, then the laborers were built up, they were perfected, and the work went on then. So the first intent was that they would individually be built up with a view to the fact that the ministry would then go on, and then the wall was built protecting the city of Jerusalem. And so that is one Christian ministry, not many ministries.
Of which we're each part of. There's one, the laborers are one, the ministry is one. All the results are from God. Yet every man is going to receive a reward for his own labor. Not for his gift, not for results.
For his labor, and it's a mistranslation and and I believe it's in Timothy. If any man desire the office of a Bishop, if there any man aspired to oversight, one gives the thought that one would like the title and the prestige. That's not the way it should be translated.
The other is one who desires to do the work. So here it is, A man is going to be rewarded according to his labor.
His work and then the apostle takes up the Church of God is a building, as is taken up in other scriptures. In Ephesians 2 we see it in perfection. It's fitly framed together, a holy temple, the habitation of God by the Spirit. Here it's taken up in as a building.
And the responsibility of man's hands, those who labor ministerially in the assembly. And things can come in that aren't fitly framed together. And so the introduction of man's wisdom into ministerial laborers was going to do positive harm.
To the growth of the Church of God and the apostle takes up that labor in that sphere of the, of uh, the Church of God and the responsibility of man's hands. It's not individual works here.
If one's whole life long labor.
Once, what kind of workmanship is being done? Not so much the individual works. What kind of Carpenter are you? What kind of Mason are you?
Or do you do good work or do you do shoddy work? What kind of materials do you use in your work? And so once lifelong laborers are what is taken up in that sphere of the Church of God and the responsibility of man and it's all going to be evaluated. It's all going to be put to the test. Is it according to the word of God, If I want to see what God thinks of me as a as I was born in this world as a fallen.
Uh, a center child of fallen atom. I need but look at the cross and the fiery judgment that fell upon the Lord Jesus Christ when He was made sin. There is God's estimate of what I am in the flesh. It has no place to purchase it. Nothing of the flesh will profit. In the Church of God you may be well educated, you may have all kinds of natural talents and abilities, and so on.
Outside of absolute subjection to God, there is no profit. When they brought the apostles in, who were gifts of Christ to the church, who spoke with such power, how many were saved, bringing the consciences of men and women into the presence of God. They said they're unlearned and ignorant men. They don't have any learning and they realize they have been with Jesus, they have been in his presence, they had learned from Him. And so it is.
01:10:27
Nothing.
Of of the flesh of what is of fallen nature can profit at all in the Church of God. He's done with it. The end of all flesh has come before me. I will destroy man whom I have made, and it has no place in the laborers.
And our responsibility in the Church of God.
So it brings before us very clearly that there's going to be a review of what is, uh, referred to in our passage that we are coming into here now is the judgment seat of Christ, umm, when our lives, our work, our ministry will be reviewed in the presence of the Lord. It's the motive that gives value to the act and that's brought out clearly in the 4th chapter. They were judging the apostle unjustly.
But the apostle says, I'll leave that I don't even judge myself. Judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, and both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and so on. 5th verse. So this is not the place for evaluation of a servant's work. Uh, leave that to the judgment seat of Christ. Even the apostle didn't judge his own work. He said, I may not have the right motive. I, I want to, but uh, I'm going to leave that evaluation.
That review to the judgment seat of Christ. Now we should judge ourselves and we should judge our motives. Not the motives of our brethren, but the very best construction on everything that your brethren do. Don't insinuate wrong motives. We do that perhaps too often. Uh, we want to see Christ in our brethren. We have enough of the flesh to judge in ourselves. Let us see Christ in our brethren and put the best construction on what they do.
The evaluation will be at the judgment seat of Christ.
But I was thinking that with the Corinthians, as we have noted, they had men's persons before them and here they were occupied with, uh, men and their ability and perhaps their, their intellectual, uh, achievements and so on. Uh, but umm.
They were all wrong there and envying arose and jealousies and competitions and, uh, and what have you, uh, rivalry and all arose there in the, uh, Corinthian assembly and it brought in, uh, a lot of disorder, unhappiness also is trying to correct this on the other side of the, uh, point, uh, a person that ministers Christ to my soul and encourages me in the pathway of faith I am naturally attracted to.
And there's nothing wrong with that. I would say the this the disciples on the road to Emmaus when Christ on that eight mile journey opened up the scriptures from Genesis right through We all know the result. Their heart burned within them. Who is this wonderful person who is accompanying us. Our hearts are lifted up. We've never heard ministry like this before abide with us. They and they and constrained him to come into their home. That's the way it should be with a brother who ministers the truth it should.
Encourage my Draw my heart toward Christ.
And I'm naturally, I'm naturally attracted to that brother. I don't put them, I shouldn't put them on a pedestal. We get our eyes on man you they'll be disappointed. Surely if anyone gets their eyes on me, they'll be greatly disappointed. But we have Christ to be for us and the brother ministers Christ. That is the the whole point of the of the passage here.
Shall we sing number 99?
OK, God now, Father, we just, uh, think of that one who is the living stone, the one on whom we've been built on ourselves as living stones. And we thank you that thou has taken us to our dead and had no rights or claim whatsoever before they tell us made us though. And yet we think of what we had before us in the meeting today and how that we.
And responsibility are building on that foundation and we pray that that would help us to take up with that before thee as well. Each one of us not looking to man, but looking to that Blessed One alone and, and seeking before him to serve in a way that is acceptable and to kind of just take off with that which now is putting our hand to do. We pray that each one of us would have this exercise before they and that we would be used for the blessing encouragement of our people and above all.
To be adjoined delights in thy heart are God. And so we just thank thee again for this time that we've had together this portion of thy word and the encouragement through it, and we commit this time to thee and the most precious and worthy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Proverbs 3
Address—Robert Boulard
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Now, since this is an afternoon meeting and I know that we all just ate, let's stand up and sing #330.
Lord willing, in about the halfway point I'd like to sing another hymn. So you look forward to a break in about 25 minutes. Let's ask the Lord's blessing.
Our loving God and our Father, we thank thee for our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We think of how thou hast told us even in the portion of Scripture that we've been reading and considering this morning in the first chapter, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. And we think of the wisdom in my heart of love, our God, that thy Son should have a bride, that we should be a part of that heavenly company.
00:05:19
Not with a place secured in this world, in this earth, but a place beside the, in those courts of glory, Blessed Savior, where Thou art the midst who we thank Thee for such love and for such wisdom that would frame such a plan, our God, and to bring us into such blessing. So we pray that as we open up Thy precious word this afternoon, that each one of us, young and old, might glean something for ourselves, and that Thou art by Thy Spirit.
Have thy way with us. And so we just ask it, our God, our Father, in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
I'd like to turn to the third chapter of Proverbs, and perhaps we'll read that chapter.
And then comment a little bit on the little portions. You know, the Spirit of God is, uh.
The one that directs, you know, I've heard the conversation behind me as I sat in my chair waiting for this meeting to begin. And, uh, one of the brothers, uh, young brothers was saying, well, is this, uh, uh, ministry, a meeting for ministry as the Spirit leads and the other brother says it's a ministry for us, The Spirit leads in an address.
A week ago I had been asked to speak, and I had this portion on my heart. I had distinctly the thought that I ought not to speak about it, but that I ought to take something else up.
But I still had the exercise to take up this passage of Scripture. And this morning we had before us the wisdom of God contrasted with the wisdom of man. And this is what this chapter really speaks about, is the contrast between the will of man and the word of and the will of God and the word of God contrasted with the word of men. And so let's read it and trust to be able to glean a little bit from it.
Chapter 3 of the Book of Proverbs My son, let not my law, but my son, forget not my law. But let thine heart keep my commandments for length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee. Bind them about thy neck. Write them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not.
Unto thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine, my son.
Despise not the chastening of the Lord.
Neither be weary of this correction. For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth, even as a father the Son in whom He delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding, for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than Ruby's, and all the things Elkins desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches in honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness. In all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is everyone that retaineth her. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, by understanding He has established the heavens by His knowledge. The depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion, so shall they be life unto thy soul and grace.
To thy neck, then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid. Yeah, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
00:10:05
Say not unto thy neighbor, Go and come again, and tomorrow I will give thee, when thou hast it by thee. Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Strive not with a man without, 'cause if he have done the normal harm, envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the Lord, but his secret is with the righteous. The curse of the Lord is in the House of the wicked, but He blesseth the habitation of the just. Surely He scorneth the scorners, but He giveth grace unto the lowly.
The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Well, you know, every book of the Bible is written for a real purpose. God doesn't do things the way the man does. And as was mentioned this morning, his wisdom is directly opposite to the wisdom of man, opposite night and day, black and white. And So what doesn't characterize this world in any way is the wisdom that is from above, the wisdom of God. And so if you want to know how to live life in a right way and how to have a happy life.
Why you need to read the word of God? It's not just optional to read the word of God. For a believer, he knows Christ as his Savior has eternal life and might say, the Lord said, I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. You have eternal life. Thank God He picked you up out of the ditch of sin, save your precious soul because they loved you. And now he doesn't want you just to have a saved soul and a lost life, but he wants you to have a saved soul end.
Has saved life and so that's why he's written the book of Proverbs that you might find divine wisdom for your path in this scene and so you know the 1St chapter of Proverbs is really an introduction to the book the first perhaps 6 verses give us some of the aspects of what he's going to talk about just a little snapshot and really goes over there the.
Introduction in connection with the lessons that the a mother and a father are going to give their son. And then you have in chapter 2, you have the evil man in verse 12 and the strange woman in verse 16. And he always go warned against in the first chapter of violence and corruption. But here in connection with the evil man and the strange woman. And then in chapter 3 gets down to brass tacks, you might say and starts to give some instruction. And so as we were considering this morning First Corinthians chapter or First Corinthians.
Really. The whole book The Apostle Paul takes up 10 aspects of disorder in the House of God.
In the assembly, and he then addresses those 10 disorders in a very careful way, goes through them so that we might learn profit. And the assembly there did profit. No doubt there was blessing because Paul wrote that second epistle and he rejoiced that they had received the instruction. Now in Proverbs we get in the first nine chapters, particularly the little expression, my son now is used in the book of the Proverbs 24 times.
That little expression. And in the first nine chapters, it's really the beginnings of each of these lessons. There's 12 lessons that the parents are going to give their son. And here in Chapter 3, we begin with one of these lessons. And the very first one has to do with the instructions. So he says, my son, forget not my law or my teaching, but let thine heart keep my commandments. You know, there's a great work going on in this world.
The enemy is your soul and mind knows that if he can captivate your heart, if he can somehow get your affections diverted from the aspects of the Lord himself and divert your affections from your brethren, divert your affections from the things of God, he can divert those affections and and divert your life, the course of your life.
Your heart will follow where your treasure is. Your feet will follow where your treasure is. And so here the writer of the book of the Proverbs says, let thine heart keep my commandments. Now those are divine instructions. And I'm going to just point this out in a couple of different places. There's instruction given and then there's a reward for keeping that instruction. So here you have this instruction. Forget not my law.
00:15:01
Forget not my instructions.
I thank God for her Father in my early, early part of my life that gave me some instructions.
Sat down and gave me some instructions and I see a lot of you young men, young sisters, thank God for parents that sit us down and give us some instructions. And here the word of God gives us this little insight. The very first thing that's going to have happen in life often times is that if you leave the home, you begin to branch out, go into the world of education and work world is you're going to forget some of the instructions. There's a tendency to forget the instructions.
And so these parents, they say, don't forget, want to have a happy life. Don't forget the instructions that God has given and have affection for those instructions. Keep my commandments. Now we know that this was written in Old Testament times and has an Old Old Testament flavor.
I'm gonna point it out in a couple of places a little bit further on, but we're I'm not giving you instructions or commandments and God isn't going to give you commandments in the new.
New Testament time in the Day of grace. Let's turn to John's Gospel chapter 14 and, umm, see if I had read the Word of God more when I was younger, I could quote this like Brother Gordon Hale, but.
I didn't spend as much time in the Word when I was younger as I should have, and I didn't memorize all these verses as I should have. I could maybe quote little snapshots of them, but I couldn't quote the whole thing, so I have to read it. Thank God I remember where it is. But John's Gospel chapter 14, verse 21, He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
And then verse 23, Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words. My Father will love him and will come unto him and make our abode with him and soul. It's a path of communion with the Lord. He will manifest himself to us. So the reward is in verse two, length of days and long life and peace. Three things shall they add to thee. So if you have instructions, you keep the instructions.
You enjoy the instructions the you have affection for the instructions that the Father above has given us in his word gonna produce three things. Length of days long life and peace. Now I puzzled a little bit about that little expression length of days. We don't use it in the English language today like perhaps they did in the days past, but reading a little bit of ministry and I will say this if you read a little bit of Mr. Darby's writings on the book of Proverbs is very profitable.
Don't ever think that our older brethren have writings that are so complicated that we'll never understand them. Don't ever think that if you pick up the little book that Mister Darby has written, practical Reflections on the Proverbs, anyone in this room, even a teenager, could read this book and gain much blessing from it. I just want to encourage you to do it well. He makes these little comments in connection with this expression, something that's the fact that it speaks of a useful life.
Or a productive life. Productive days, Useful long, useful productive days.
Anyone here want to have long, useful, productive days? People that are in business, that's what they really like, to have long, useful, productive days. And God has given in His word the key to having long, useful, productive days in this world, and that is by being taken up with the instructions that He's given in His Word so that we don't spend wasted days.
I find it very, very striking. When I was your age, some of you young men here, I never ever drove by a casino. I didn't even know what they were when I was your age because we didn't have casinos. But now as my, my son and I drove here to the conference yesterday, we drove past so many casinos, I, I couldn't even count them.
It's wasted time, wasted days, unproductive and the world wants to produce that wants to distract you so that you have unproductive days. But what a wonderful thing to have a productive day, long productive day and a long life. Now that was Jewish in character. They if they did the word of God, they they obeyed the word of God, they would promise with to have long days long life. You're not promised to have a long life. But I want to tell you this that if you fear the Lord.
And if you walk in the path of righteousness before the Lord.
00:20:01
You could well have a long useful life as long as Lord is going to give you, and I have noticed this in my young life. And there are those that are older in the room that will tell you the same thing, that the life of a rebel is short life.
The life of a rebel is a short life. It's not a full life, it's not a long life. And so here we have contrasted the wisdom of God, the will of God, and we have submission to that will and it produces length of days, long life and peace. And if you want to have a long life and peace, peaceful life, peace with God, this is how he does it, with instruction. Now the next part of the instruction is let not mercy or grace and truth for safety.
But I know about thy neck, and write them upon the table of thine heart. And then he gives the reward. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God.
And man.
Well, there's something you know, if you read these two chapters, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, you'll find that there are something like 27 knots.
No, I didn't know this, but somebody else pointed out they said there was 24 knots. I counted the knots and there's 27. Maybe some of them are duplicates, but umm.
Sometimes we have to know what not to do. And isn't it lovely that the Lord in his wisdom tells us what not to do? And one of the very first things in this series of instructions is not to let mercy, grace and truth for safety. The world is an ungracious place. Mr. Darby translates this word, loving kindness. Let not loving kindness and truth forsake thee. That's not what characterizes this world, loving kindness. But you know, it says the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
You know, Mr. Kelly and his writings suggest this. I think he actually may translate it so in his, in his, uh, translation, but I'm going to turn to it, John's Gospel chapter one, so that I don't misquote it now that I use his name.
Verse 17, Chapter one. Verse 17. For the law was given by Moses.
What did the law bring to man? What did law give? Did the law give man anything, gave man his minimum requirements that God has for him to live, live by, but it didn't give him anything, didn't give him the power to do it, didn't give him the motives to do it. But you know, the Lord Jesus came says grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. It says Mr. Darby translates that grace and truth subsists by Jesus Christ. Mr. Kelly makes this note. Grace and truth came into being.
Jesus Christ, and if you know the Lord Jesus as Savior, you know the man who brought grace and truth, brought loving kindness and truth into this world.
So wonderful to have a loving Savior. He loves you so much.
He gave himself at the cross of Calvary to redeem you for himself, that he might have you for all eternity. And his desire is that you would mimic his character as you walk through this world. That your life would be characterized by loving kindness towards your brethren, loving kindness towards your parents, loving kindness towards those in the assembly, loving kindness and truth. Now the world is not characterized by truth, but if your life is characterized by loving kindness and speaking the truth.
You're going to have a reward and it says, so shalt thou find favor and good understanding or esteem?
In the sight of God and man. You know the Lord Jesus when he was in the temple in Luke's Gospel chapter 2. Actually, it's right at the end of that chapter that is mentioned that he found grace in favor. I'm going to read it so that I don't misquote it here again. It's necessary. The scriptures are very, very accurate and I enjoy that accuracy.
Luke chapter 2 verse 52, Jesus increased in wisdom and stature really means maturity or bodily size. So he increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. You ever find yourself in the presence of a a young person that's exceptional.
I do a lot of traveling, as you know, and sometimes, you know, I need a young person or sometimes I need an adult. Very exceptional young person. You know, this little boy Chiwito in Mexico, some of you are still praying for, he, umm, had brain surgery to remove some, uh, umm, cysts and different growth in his, uh, brain. They were apparently not cancerous, so he doesn't have to have, uh, chemotherapy.
00:25:00
But, uh, he's recovering. He's still in a wheelchair, doesn't have the feeding tube anymore.
He's growing in little strength. He thanks God he could speak a little bit the other day. He could speak a couple of words. Oh, thank God for it. But you know, an exceptional young man when he was on the streets of Reynosa, these little guys, they go out and they buy a little bag of chips with a few pesos and they open up the bag of chips. And their habit is, his habit particularly was to take that bag of chips. He wouldn't touch them until he offered the bag of chips to everyone in the company, young and old alike. If there was anything leftover, he had some.
An exceptional young man, and he desired to follow the Lord.
Can I ask you a question this afternoon? You desire to follow the Lord. You desire to read the instructions of the Word of God and to walk in a spirit of loving kindness towards him and towards your brethren and to speak the truth, to speak the truth and love, to love the truth of God. And you know in chapter eight of the book of Proverbs, the truth and wisdom are really connected with the Lord Jesus. And so to love and to walk in the truth.
Is something that God wants for you. And so I ask you again, is this a desire? Is this an objective in your life to walk with loving kindness and to walk in truth? Oh, May God give you the desire to walk in truth in a world that isn't filled with love, it's filled with hate, it's filled with war. And God wants to see you as a son or as a daughter and to walk in the dignity of the relationship that you have with him and to enjoy that favor with God.
In the sight of God and man. Well then we have another little aspect of the teaching here in verse five. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding for thy own intelligence in all thy ways. Acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. So here we have a little instruction given, and another little reward.
Who are you going to have confidence in?
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.
In most things and some things, you know, it's a very, very difficult, isn't it?
To trust somebody.
Because all of us have a little bit of difficulty sometimes driving with other people. And umm, we have our own style. I have my own style of driving. Umm, I think my wife would attest to the fact that she's not as scared as she used to be when I was younger and had more energy and went a little bit faster. But we all in some way get into a vehicle and we have to trust somebody to drive. We have to trust and have confidence that we're going to get to the other end. And sometimes they scare us. You know, when we came back from the Bangor conference.
And Jonathan was driving sometimes my heart left a little bit. I, I confess, I didn't feel the confidence that I would have liked to have had. And he probably felt the same way when I was when he was younger. We came back, I came back from my little visit to Korea and there was, I couldn't even see the, the four lane highway was just snow all over. And I, my heart was pounding a couple of times. Jonathan just kept going, didn't faze him a bit. You know, dear brethren, the Lord sees the end from the beginning.
And he desires that we would have confidence in his ability to guide and to lead. He does have the ability and he does have the wisdom to guide in perfection. And so he says, trust in the Lord, or trust in Jehovah with all thine heart.
And have affection for the Lord. But trust with all the heart. Don't just reserve something for yourself. I don't trust the Lord to guide me in this particular aspect of life. I think I really need to look after these details here. I'm not going to tell the Lord about how we're going to do this. I think I have enough wisdom to do this a little bit. We don't. God says trust the Lord with all thine heart. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. And lean not unto thine own understanding. You know that leaning self-confidence. God doesn't want you to have self-confidence.
We read this morning and commented in connection with the flesh. Having confidence in myself, having confidence, self-confidence in myself is an awful thing. It says whoso trusteth in his own heart is a fool. You know, I, I read that at Mr. Hales cottage often times when I was a young person, didn't really particularly thrill me to see that because it was really a condemnation of all of my intelligence entirely.
You like to think that you can figure something out.
But a fool has said in his heart, no God. It means that he conducts himself in a way as if God doesn't exist. He's confident that he can do things without God. Well, as those that are believers, we need to lay aside those things that that confidence that we have in ourselves and recognize that we are the Lord is capable of guiding in every aspect of life and to he's worthy of our trust, implicit trust. And so here Lord, as you notice here in our King James translation is capitalized Lord and it's Jehovah.
00:30:30
And in the book of Proverbs, it's always the Jehovah, except for a couple of places. I'm not going to point them out, but and Jehovah was God's name in relationship with Israel. But I want to just point and apply it this way. If you know the Lord Jesus as Savior, you're in relationship with him and he's speaking with you as a son, as a daughter, and he's pleading with you to have confidence in his ability to God.
He has the wisdom, he has the power, he has the desire, but he's not going to force himself on you. And so he decides to to have you confide in him. And then verse six gives us a reward in all. Or be not wise in thine own eyes.
Fear the Lord, depart from evil.
I should say verse six was the reward. In all thy ways acknowledge him.
And he shall direct thy paths, for he shall make plain thy paths in all thy ways.
I thought of it in this way and all my ways. Acknowledge him. Give them the right to help. Give him the right to help, to choose. Acknowledge him. Acknowledge his right, his authority to choose and to direct. Does he add the right to direct you?
Does he have the right to direct you to dress in the morning? What? What are you gonna wear today? I know Brother John Culp works in a sometimes a messy environment and I work in manufacturing world in factories. I would go through factory tour or something. We'd have a supplier problem one day. I wouldn't know about those events before the time, but I would ask the Lord in the morning, you know, what should I wear?
And by the grace of God, oftentimes I was directed to wear the right thing. I go into a factory, there's grease all over the place. I happen to wear black pants. That day was great. I wore black pants. I rubbed up against a piece of equipment or something, and it didn't show all day. Sometimes I didn't ask the Lord about what I should wear that day. I went to work like this with tan, cocky planted pants. First thing in the morning. I was at a supplier and you know what happened? So I got to wear that big black mark all day.
The Lord delights to guide us.
And in the big things too. Let's sing that hymn. Let's all stand up and sing.
#5 in the appendix.
And I appreciate it, but I don't know, I'm pretty many.
Days, 3 days, three days to follow up with her. I don't know if you're recommendation, I've got a number of people today. Uh-huh. More than they don't have anything to do with uh, uh.
OK.
The last five grandparents and all those a lot of things that I'm talking about.
00:35:09
OK, OK.
Uh, is there anything else I can do for you?
Uh, to remove the phone.
To the end of the day.
Phone Laura.
May I go on?
And I'm like wah wah wah wah wah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Well, I'll just summarize what we just went over verse one really has to do with having an affection for the teachings of your parents and in extrapolating that the teachings of the word of God. That's what ought to characterize our lives and then.
Verse three the Spirit of God gives us to understand it would be his desire that we would have our lives would be characterized by loving kindness and truth. The third thing would be.
Our confidence. This world wants you to have confidence in schemes and plans and its educational systems and its objectives in the workplace and so on. But the Lord desires us to have confidence in himself and He desires to guide us. And then the fourth thing I want to point out is verse seven, and it's really in connection with pride, the pride of man in contrast with the fear of the Lord. And so the Lord desires that you and I would not be characterized by a life of pride.
But by a life of fearing the Lord, you know, our brother Gordon used to say to us as young people, it's good to get these little expressions in our minds and in our hearts that the fear of the Lord. Here in the book of Proverbs and largely in the New Testament, the fear of the Lord is a fear begotten of love. It means to have such a reverence and a desire to please the person that you love. You don't want to displease them at all. And you walk.
With a desire to express your love to them in a practical way. So it's a fear.
Begotten in love and so he says fear the Lord. Is that what's characteristic of your life? Is it the fear of the Lord? Someone says, I know some so and so sister so and so, you know, she's she fears the Lord. She's just so afraid of displeasing the Lord. She longs to please the Lord. Is that what characterizes your life? I say in my own life, I wish that it characterized it more, but May God give us the grace and the desire to cultivate that aspect of things in life. You know, the Lord Jesus could say.
I do always those things that please my father. He never ever stepped out of character not once. And you and I step out of character as those that are sons and daughters oftentimes, but let's have that exercise of soul to fear the Lord. Can I just make this little comment in the middle of this address and that is that we'd like these local brethren have called together. This company invited us all together to come to these couple of days of meetings.
And their desire, I think I could speak for their desire. They don't want you to go back home the same way they don't want you to go back home and say we had a good time at the conference and that's the end of that. It's good to have a good time, But they like you to come back home with an exercise. Having said, you know, that made such an impression on me, I'm going to change my life in this aspect of things. Would you seek to have a desire and effect, just an exercise before the Lord at this conference this weekend to get something for your soul?
Something that would exercise you and change the course of your life in some aspect. Well, the fear of the Lord. Now there's a reward. It shall be health to thy navel, marrow to thy bones. You know, there's lots to be said to walk in communion with the Lord and to have peace of conscience. And it gives to have a healthful life and strength, really, that's what it speaks of, marrow to the bones. It speaks of strength, having strength in the path of faith, strength to walk.
In the world. But you know, brother in the Lord years ago said to me.
00:40:00
There's an acronym, you know, for pride, it says if you just write the letters downwards, pursuing riches, I decide everything. That's pride. Pursuing riches, I decide everything. But, you know, the life of faith is different. Forsaking all, I take him. Forsaking all, I take him. And that's the desire of my heart this afternoon and the heart on the desire of the hearts of those that are older, perhaps in this room.
Our desire for you young ones is that you would forsake all and take him, forsake this world. It's going to soon be destroyed in all the systems in it. Well, the next aspect of this teaching that these parents give to their son or their daughter, really the son. I don't want to just limit it to the son, but I think we can broadly apply it. Verse 9, honor the Lord.
With thy substance, with the first fruits of all thine increase. Now there's a reward. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Now this is Jewish in character. If you honor the Lord, you give him the 1St place. That's what it's saying here. Give the Lord the first place in your life. It's a good theory for other people, right? No, it's something that you and I ought to be exercised about. Is given the Lord the 1St place the best? That's really what it means.
The best place you know, when in Luke's gospel, when the Father said, umm, bring hit her the best robe. It means the best, the the best, the first robe, the the best place you and I have the very best. We're going to have the very best in in heaven. God sent the best of heaven itself into this world that you might have the best. You're going to have the best place in heaven. If you know the Lord Jesus Savior, you're going to be a part of the bride.
In heaven you want to be right beside the Lord Jesus, and the glory that you radiate in that day will be a reflection of His glory.
And he'd delight you to have a full reward, and his principal hears, and to honor the Lord, honor Jehovah with thy substance, with the first fruits of all thine increase. Give them the 1St place. Give them the best, not the leftovers.
As you know, perhaps about 30 years ago.
After we were married, maybe a year or so, my wife and I bought the house that we're in. My father-in-law had built himself a retirement home up on the hill in.
Near Hammer Bay overlooking the lakes. And he had this old house, this older house that umm, had difficulty selling. There was a Marina right next by and they, there was talk of a, a resort being built. It was actually built in 1984. And, uh, it just wasn't real desirable piece of property. But he was very kind to us and he offered to sell us this piece of property right nearby to the assembly and we could walk to meeting and so on. And we signed all the legal documents on one day in November.
1982 and umm.
I felt a lot of weight of responsibility. Taking on that piece of property was a new beginning in life. There are a lot of new beginnings in life for you young people. And uh, so I asked my father-in-law, I said, uh, we just bought this little piece of property and you've had it all your life. Is there anything that you have a spe, a special request, any special request as to how we conduct ourselves with this property, what we do, what we don't do? Is there anything that you would like like us not to do?
He said, Son, there's only one thing I want you to do with this property. He said you do everything you can to use this property for the Lord and for the Lord's people. He says, that's all I want. Wasn't that a nice answer? The Lord delights for you to have the resources that he places into your hands, and now you have the responsibility. He'll let you use those resources selfishly if you want to.
He's not going to say thou shalt not use it for thyself. That's not how he's going to be. He's going to really, in this day of grace, beseech you, and he's going to ask you to honor him first, to give him the 1St place.
That in all things he might have the preeminence. What a wonderful In the coming day every knee is going to bow to that man, every knee is going to confess thou and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
And the Lord delights that you would take a light touch on those things that He has provided for you and honor Him to give him the dignity of the early part of your life. And the first part of your day, the first part of the week, the Lord's Day, you find yourself at the assembly meetings. Is it a priority to honor the light of the Lord with your life?
00:45:14
Do you give him the whole whole of the Lord's Day?
You give them the whole of the first day of the week.
Do you give them the breaking of bread and then you use the rest of it for yourself. You know we don't have time to turn to all these passage of Scripture, but you make a note of this and you can read it yourself in Isaiah chapter 58 and verses 13 and 14, Isaiah 58 and verses 13 and 14, it reflect it really is teaching in connection with the Sabbath, but we can apply it to the first day of the week. Now he says in verse 11, he says, my son, despise not thou that chase me.
Despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of this correction. For whom the Lord loveth, He correcteth, even as a father the Son in whom he delighteth.
And it's nice.
You know the Lord loves you and I deeply.
He's proved it at the Cross.
He proves that every day.
And his delight is that there would be a little pruning that would take place. We could read in John's Gospel chapter 15, the branch that beareth fruit. He purges it that may bring forth more fruit. And this word chastening not only means correction and connection with punitive, uh, uh, correction, but it really has to do with preventative causes. Sometimes the Lord trains us. It could be translated training or.
Teaching. And so sometimes it is correction, but oftentimes it's training and we don't always get it right the first time, do we?
We need correction, we need to be trained, we need to be taught and the Lord loves us enough to teach us. You know, in the book of Job it says who teacheth like him who teacheth like him. What a teacher. You know, the disciples people would come to the Lord Jesus when he was here on this in this scene and they would say master or rabona. They they recognized him as teaching the truth of God and the Lord delights to teach.
Each each one of us and to bring us into the knowledge of his will to prepare us perhaps for different things that would have would have, would take place in the future.
And I feel a burden, particularly for the young in this room.
But I'm going to say this to you young people. Life is not going to turn out the way that you thought it would.
You have rosy pictures perhaps as to how life might turn out. You're going to college and things that you've got a career path, maybe picked out, all those kinds of things, and, umm, life is not going to turn out the way that you thought it would. You know why? The Lord has a better plan. The Lord has better ideas, and He's going to allow some trials in your life to train you, to prepare you for the next stages of life and to make you more like His son.
You know the Lord could say that He rejoiced in spirit and he could thank the Father. He was rejected, His testimony was rejected. The man, the nation rejected him, but he could rejoice. Why? He was going to suffer and He was going to prepare at the cross of Calvary and in His work there was going to be such provision, such a preparation made that you are going to be welcome in the glory. You are going to be free to be in His presence. You are going to have free access even in the day of grace.
To be in the presence of the Lord. So the Lord is allowing different trials and He will allow different trials in your life to prepare you for things in life and to just in love, to train. You have taken me a long time to learn that and I can't say that I've learned it.
Let the Lord works with every one of us because He loves us. Now we have 2 responses and this is what he says. We can response and this is responding. This way. We can despise the chastening, we can despise it, say we don't need that, we don't need to be taught that. Or we can be weary of it, just tired of it. Not this again.
I've had enough of this, I'm just tired of it. I don't want it.
We hear you sometimes enough. I don't want to hear it. You ever had a young person say that?
I don't want to say this. You know, I I've been very encouraged by young people in my visits of late. I'm so glad to see the young men digging into scriptures, young sisters digging into scriptures. I can't tell you.
00:50:10
How it encourages my heart. I was in the little Assembly of Atlanta. Spent 6 or 8 1/2 weeks or so. Nine weeks visiting assemblies. 2 1/2 months actually did it, 21 assemblies.
Most of them had two of them, two in the assembly, three of them in the assembly, five of them in the assembly. Some had maybe more than that, some had more, like Dorothy. I went to Dorothy so thankful to see a full room in different places.
Those people really know why they're there. They know why they're gathered to the Lord's name. They're thankful to be gathered by the Spirit of God. If I want to say that when I was at Atlanta and we had a little address in the afternoon like this and there were two older brethren, Ron Lebow and his wife, and there were a bunch of young people.
Mostly it's usually a bunch of older people and then maybe a couple of young people, but there was a couple of older people and a bunch of young people.
Oh, I was thrilled. We had a wonderful time together and uh, those young people tucked me out for lunch, went to the subway. It was one most wonderful meal I ever had at the subway because of who I was with. What an encouragement to my heart.
But I just want to say this to you young people, God is going to train you don't despise the training. Don't get weary of it. He's working with him and he desires you to submit to that training and there's going to be blessing and profit. Now he says in verse 13 really begins a new, new beginning perhaps, but he has a happiness plan in Scripture. Did you know that the word of God has a happiness plan If you read this word happy in the book of Proverbs.
And you read the word blessed, so happy as a man that findeth wisdom.
And the man that getteth understanding. And so we find wisdom in connection with the teaching.
Of the Word of God. Wisdom is really the right application of knowledge in this world.
And knowledge that we acquire in the Word of God.
And we apply it in the right way and we have understanding where we have discernment. Not everybody can trick you. It's easy to get trick.
Just go on.
Answer to some ads on Kijiji or or Craigslist or something. See how how fast you can get tricked.
I'm a little bit of a sucker. I could get tricked very easily. But you know, I was reading as I looked at some of those ads. I was reading this verse, verse 26.
The Lord shall keep, they shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
The Lord knows the tricks that this world has and He can keep you, but here He wants to give you the wisdom to go through this world and understanding your discernment. And he says, you know she is in verse 15. She's more precious than Ruby's and all the things that thou canst desire not to be compared under her. Here you have this length of days again, long productive days.
Is in her right hand and in her left hand, riches in honor. Now that's Jewish. God's not going to promise you that if you keep his word that you're going to be wealthy. That's not the promise. But you will be rich in your soul. You will be rich in divine things. You will have something of the knowledge of the Scriptures and a clear conscience as you walk before God in a moral way in an immoral world, an unrighteous and walk in a righteous way in an unrighteous world.
Her ways are of pleasantness in all her paths or peace. You know, there's a lot of people that spend a lot of time to get riches and to mine gold and rubies and all those things. A lot of effort.
I grew up as a boy in Northern Ontario. The 1St 10 years of my life and being in the mining country I saw how much effort people go into to mine nickel, into mine copper.
A lot of effort into the depths of the earth to get that nickel, tons and tons of ore and all kinds of wealth is extracted from the earth. That's really the picture that you have in Job as well. I think it's Chapter 28.
But you know, the real wealth is in connection with the things of God. You never lose that wealth. You never lose. But how much energy is are you putting forward? How much energy am I putting forward to dig into the scriptures and define those treasures? Define those little, little treasures in the Scriptures? Is it just going to pop to the surface? No. God has written His word in such a way that you and I have to dig and dig. We have to be exercised.
00:55:19
In our souls, and we have to plead with them to show us where the vain, the line of truth is in the Scriptures we have to plead with them. And in grace and mercy He shows us where to dig. And when we do find something of a treasure and meditate upon it, oh what a benefit, what a profit there is, what wealth, what rejoicing there is in the soul as we understand something of the riches of Christ. Well, this really is connection with happiness. And verse 13 down to verse 20, and then in verse 21.
He begins another little instruction. He says let not my son, let not them depart from thine eyes. Keep sound wisdom and description discretion. So we need to keep the word of God before our souls. We need to have the.
Wisdom speaks of hear the sound wisdom is true counsel. I'm going to just drop down to verse 27 and make a few comments. This is another little line of things and it's really in connection with building character and his desire is that we would have confidence and have a character, a godly character. So the very first instruction is in verse 27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. So means here.
Young people, and for those of us that are older, don't be selfish. Don't be selfish. The world is selfish. That's what it means to have an evil eye. When you read in the Scriptures an evil eye, it means that the world is selfish. They'll say, here, we'll give you something and then they ****** it back. Selfish. But that's not what's to characterize your life. You know, Brother AC Brown, I never met him, but he had this little expression. The Christianity was not to be characterized by the closed fist, but by the open palm. And so you and I ought to be generous with one another and generous with others.
And umm, so it says, do good when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. And then verse 28, say not unto thy neighbor, go and come again. And tomorrow I will give when thou hast it by thee. Well, we need to be honest and upright. And so he's teaching honesty. Don't say to somebody, I'll come, come again another time. I'll give you something next time. That's being stingy too.
But really it speaks of honesty. Verse 29 Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. And so we don't betray someone's trust. The Lord has never betrayed your trust. He never will.
Wouldn't it, wouldn't it be awful to trust somebody to do something?
Leave them in responsibility to do something. You trust them to do something for you. That's very important. You come back, it isn't done. This awful feeling. It's happened a few times, more than a few times in my life, but it says here in verse 30, devise ascribe not with a man without 'cause if you have done me no harm. So don't be contentious. You wanna have good character, be well liked by people and build some friends.
He says here.
Don't be contentious, don't have a spirit of contention about you and then envy thou not the oppressor or the man of violence, choose none of his ways. So you know, if you don't get your own way, the will of man is opposed the will of God. And if you don't get your own way, sometimes people resort to violence. So he says don't do that.
Envy thou not the oppressor. The froward is abomination in to the Lord, but his secret is with the righteous, and so his desire is that you would walk in righteousness. Curse of the Lord is in the House of the wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the just. Oh how the Lord wants you to have a happy home, happy life. And umm, just in closing, I want to read in verse 19 and 20. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, by understanding He has established the heavens.
By his knowledge, the depths are broken up by the and the clouds drop down to dew. I just close with this little saying, this little encouragement. It takes wisdom to run the universe. It takes wisdom to form the earth. It takes wisdom to keep the universe in power in In Sync. Does God have the wisdom and the power to keep your life In Sync? He does. And so here he's saying, won't you trust my wisdom?
I created the earth. I keep the heavens in motion. You know, John Newton, Sir Isaac John Newton, umm, Sir Isaac Newton. I'm sorry, the scientist, uh, astronomer and so on in the late 16th century, I think it was.
01:00:19
In England, he formulated the plan really the he came up with the concept of how the solar system operates.
That the sun is the center of the solar system and that the Earth revolves around the sun and that all these planets go around and around. But, you know, he said that it takes energy to maintain that system. Somebody is still making the Earth go around because what happens? And he didn't know about satellites, but he explained it that if you have a satellite that's orbiting around the Earth, sooner or later comes crashing to the Earth because it was set in orbit and then nobody's making it still go around well.
Mr. Newton said the creation is such that it takes the power of God to keep it in motion so that nothing comes out of place. And God, as it were, says in this chapter, I have the wisdom to create this world and to keep it all in motion just right.
Said, Won't you trust me? Won't you trust me to guide your life?
Oh, I trust your young person that you won't make any of those decisions that would leave the Lord out of your life and that would trust.
Your own wisdom and to leave and set aside the wisdom of God in His Word. It'll bring disaster into your life. Let's just commend ourselves.
Our loving God and our Father, we thank Thee for Thy precious word always thank Thee for thy wisdom. Our God, we think of how that was created this world, and by thy Son. Without Him was not anything made that was made, and by Him all things consist or subsist.
Oh, we thank Thee, blessed Savior, as thou daily.
Maintain the solar system. Maintain the orbits of this world around the sun without interested in puny little.
Individuals such as ourselves, interested in what we wear, interested in the decisions of life, interested in our friends, interested, blessed Savior, enough to teach us, to train us, to discipline us all. We thank Thee for Thy love and Thy faithfulness. We pray that thou bless our young, bless each one of us, and give us a desire to honor the Lord. So we ask in our God and our Father, thank Thee for this occasion together in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hey, man.
1 Corinthians 3:8-17
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Number 267.
OK, come today and ask for Thy help. As we open Thy word again. We pray Thy blessing on it and on each of us. I think at this time especially this.
A young boy, Daniel Coleman, I pray for him and for his family to join our party together as we get to welcome prayer to the.
Let's get my name for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.
The mind of the brethren, could we continue with the.
The the chapter three of First Corinthians maybe?
8.
00:05:04
The First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 3.
From verse 8.
Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one.
And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are labourers together with God.
Ye are God's husbandry. Ye are God's building.
According to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master Builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.
But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he has built, thereupon he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Therefore let no man glory in men, for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christs, and Christ is God's.
The subject of reward is brought before us in this passage, and.
That's a very scriptural theme, although we know that reward is not a.
Motive for service. It is an incentive. It's an encouragement.
Perhaps it has more to do with our place in the coming millennial Kingdom.
But it certainly is taught in Scripture, and the apostle brings it before us here in our chapter.
They were fitting one against the other.
Occupied with certain individuals.
Umm, there was a competition among them, Uh.
But the apostle says this is not how things should be in the assembly. We are uh.
Laboring together, it should be in harmony for the, uh, increase of the body or edification.
Exhortation. Comfort.
We're not, uh, in competition one with the other in public ministry, which is perhaps more the theme of the chapter. Uh, but this is where the Corinthians were failing. Uh, and Paul brings before them this.
Individual responsibility then goes on to, uh, unfold the truth of the judgment seat of Christ when, uh, the ministry would be reviewed by the Lord. Perhaps it's more in connection with public ministry, but I think it has a broader application here that, uh, whatever the ministry is, it's going to be reviewed and rewarded if it's according to the Lord's mind and with his approval.
00:10:01
There are a couple.
Aspect of the, umm, reward, the time of reward and the connection with the judgment seat of Christ that Paul brings out in this passage and the one in chapter 4. And so this is, as you say, in connection with how we build our service for the Lord individually. And umm, we might work with one someone else. We might have a labor and labor in the assembly or in, uh, some aspect of our service labor together.
With, uh, another individual, but the Lord is able to sort it all out. And one might serve with a, a right motive. One might not serve with a good motive. And so in this connection, he's, umm, he's going to be able to divide things out just right and he will reward. And so in verse, umm, uh, thirteen, really it's umm, 131415. It's the individual and it's in connection with our service. But then in chapter 4.
He brings in the, umm, our motives and uh, that's why we're not to judge anything before the time. Uh, verse four, he says, I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified? But he that judgeth me as the Lord, therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, the thoughts and intents of the heart, and will make manifest the counsel of the hearts. And then shall every man have praise of God. So he's going to judge the emotives as well, not only the service, the acts of service.
How we did our work, whether it was obedience to the word of God or not, and the spirit in which our work was conducted. But the motive for that service. And then there's another one.
I think it's in Romans chapter 14.
And, umm.
Romans chapter 14 and verse 8.
Whether we live, we live unto the Lord. Whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lords. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might we he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why does thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou said it not thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue confess, shall confess to God.
So that every one of us shall give account of himself to God. And so this really is in the context of Romans chapter 14, our personal exercises and how I might take something up, how my own personal exercise in conducting work for the Lord. And the Lord will judge that too. And there will be a reward as well. And uh, if I was offensive in my conduct and offensive to my brother, or if I was offensive to the Lord.
And, umm.
How I did things in connection with my exercise. Perhaps I didn't go to him and seek an exercise to how I should conduct my my work. Well, that's going to be judged as well. So we have the judgment seat of Christ brought up in several different aspects and a wonderful brother to have the confidence to do something in affection for Christ, just a little something and to know in the coming day he's gonna sort it all out. Then shall every man have praise of God and we're so imperfect.
And we see so little of the whole picture, as it were. But the Lord is so gracious He wants to reward, and He delights to have our affections engaged in some desire to please Him.
You know, when it concerns the will of God.
It is our tendency to think of what, where, and when and be concerned about that. And we're afraid of making mistakes. And that's not always faith. Sometimes it's just born out of I want my life to be easy, so I want to make sure I make the right choice. Well, that's not really seeking God's will.
Regard to God's will, it's more important to ask this question, Why am I doing it?
How the why and the how?
That is what will determine whether it's God's will. The what, where, and when will take care of itself if you take care of the why and the how. What our brother just brought out is what is judged with the judgment. Seat of Christ is just precisely those two things.
Got the how and uh, versus UH-9, what did you mention there?
Verses 10 through 13 and then you have the Y there in the early verse of chapter 4.
00:15:13
Seven verse uh, eight Now he that planted the water is the one it had referred to the uh, earlier the hall had referred to the fact that he watered and upon his planting.
But in what respect do they want? I believe they were one in their objective. They wanted to honor and glorify the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in Neil's work. And so we have that oneness of call on the forest as they have that building in view. They wanted to see that the umm Saints 85 filled up. And so they had that common objective to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in that work that they did.
We have a a, a complementary picture, shall I say, in the, uh, end of Ephesians 2.
1St 19 Now the offer went out more strangers than foreigners, but fellow citizens of the sweeter banks of the household of God, and are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself.
Being the chief, call us down in whom the all the buildings let me find together grow it from holy temple in the Lord now.
Perhaps we don't see quite so much in North America where a lot of buildings are number frames, but you go to a country where they where it's a masonry or brick building, what do they do? They start with a corner and they build that corner, and that corner of the house is always a little bit ahead of the rest of the rest of the building.
The reason being, of course, if you get that corner square and vertical and then take all your measurements from that corner, then the building will be straight. So here we have the Lord Jesus Christ thought before us as the chief cornerstone.
The one whom we look to, the one whom we take all our measurements from, shall I say. And that's what the, uh, Apostle Paul and, uh, Apollo had together, uh, they both.
There were both of them immediately if there was the plant was planted but not watered. That was then that there wouldn't be that growth. And simply, of course, if there wasn't a plant ring, no matter how much you bought it when you scrub and the apostle recognizes that he needed that work of Apollo. It wasn't sufficient for him to work on his own. He needed that work of a Polish. But together they had the objective of glorifying the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so he says he that umm plant and he that wore it that one.
I'd just like to mention the fact of, uh, the rewards and I'd like to make my comments to the children and young people. We have a tendency that we get a reward for something that we've done and our emphasis and our thoughts is basically on the reward and not the exercise as much. I'll give you a little example when I was about 15 years old.
Uh, there was a reward system for memory work. It was a reward system for, uh, doing your extra homework and searching the scriptures. And we always waited for those points or those coupons that we could redeem for as a reward. And there was a time when you can hand these rewards in handy, these coupons and you could pick a prize. I remember I got a small axe that fit on my belt.
And that meant everything to me at 15 years old.
And I got a reward for what I did, my brethren, the biggest reward I should have had was what did I learn while I was reading and studying the scriptures in these verses that, uh, Acts is rusted, that Acts is lost. I don't have it anymore. But brethren and, and young people and children is the fact. Don't go after the physical reward of what you may get, whether it's an axe, whether it's a toy of some kind, because we're occupied with that.
But you know, our market, if I was occupied with what I was taken up in learning the scripture, memorizing the work and doing the homework, would that not have been a greater reward? Now my axe is gone. It's history. But that's the way we think. And, and This is why I want to point out to the children and young people is the fact, don't be occupied with the reward part. It's physical. It'll last only so long.
00:20:10
But if you take heat to what you've learned in memory work in Sunday school work is, that's a far greater reward.
It's worth noting that, uh, in that eighth verse, in fact, this is, umm.
Take what our brother has just spoken about that in the King James, every man.
Mr. Darby translated each and everyone. And so the sisters are on the hook too. And So what we have here is common question responsibility. As soon as somebody is, as soon as a person confesses the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, well, their sins building, uh, and so we have that common question responsibility here that each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
Umm.
I think it might be worth noticing that, uh, umm, this morning, umm.
Was mentioned and in Romans, the book of Romans, a letter of commendation for a sister Phoebe, who was guided, uh, Rome. And it's notable what the apostle says. And it's not the apostle, of course, it's the Holy Spirit.
I commend you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant or literally a deaconess of the Church which is in Centria. That you receive in the Lord has become its Saints, and that ye sister, in whatever business she has need of you.
Now that Mister Darby's got a note on that word assist that word assist did not just help her out should she be in dire straits. That word is to treat her like royalty. And so we find that the Holy Spirit put such a value on the work of that system in the Church of Centria that they that it gives her that such a commendation just treat the light royalties is is that that is that umm, I believe the umm the the.
The Palmer's note would express it.
His thought has been brought out that we all work in unity to attend the garden of God. And uh, so an example might be like in the Old Testament, all Israel rose up together as one man to do something, for example, on Judges 20.
Umm, they all work together.
I'd like to bring out another thought.
That is uh, when it says.
Umm, he that planted and he that waters are one.
It can, it might also enjoy the thought that it is Christ working in each one, Christ working in the one who plans, Christ working in the one, uh, who tends, who waters. So it can think of a father taking his child out to a piece of, uh, his property that he has turned over and, and he takes his little.
Five year old.
Child with them and shows them where to put the seeds and they put the seed in the water. It takes their little hand and covers it over with dirt and then it takes another child and it takes them out you know, perhaps every once in a while to water those seeds and then the crop comes and the father takes the child out there and says look at the the the plant that you planted and.
And then he gives a reward that the child can pick the fruits and he and he gives a reward to the children. You know, you could say, well, that five year old did that and that eight-year old, uh, watered and, but really it was the father that did it all. And I think illustration and the same regard. It's price that does it all. And he then gives us the credit for.
What he's done gives to every man, every man receives the only re reward according to his own labor. So we are laborers together with God. It says like, like that father takes his little child's hand and and does laughing and the watering where they're, they're laborers together with God. Uh, in that case, the illustration laborers together in, in that family.
00:25:14
Well, verse 10, the apostle reminds the Corinthians that the fundamental principles, the foundation of Christianity, and the heavenly aspects of Christianity were laid according to the truth that God had delivered to the apostle. And so he says this according to the grace of God, which is given unto me.
As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another bill that they're on that let every man take heed how he buildeth their their pond for other foundation can no man lay that with that is laid which is Jesus Christ and so in connection with the person of the Lord Jesus and his work and the principles that Paul taught Paul's doctrine. Paul was the only one that taught Paul's doctrine in connection with the the coming of the Lord. He gives us that.
He gives us the fact that we're in Christ and umm, that we're accepted in the beloved, that we're all of our heavenly, uh, all of our blessings are in heavenly places in Christ. He goes over those aspects of things. He reveals the mystery in connection with Christ in the church. He laid the foundation and umm, now it's our responsibility as the foundation of the truth of God in connection with the church is laid to build in a right way.
You might say that, uh, the foundation being laid, we don't look for it to be laid a second time. Umm.
The apostles laid there. They were the uh.
He laid the foundation on the, of the apostles doctrine and fellowship, umm, and we are to build upon that, uh, those truths that have been revealed to us in the Apostles ministry, uh, and Christendom to a large extent this has been given up. Umm.
And they don't, uh, recognize Paul's doctrine and, uh, they have introduced demands, uh, organization and the whole clerical system, but umm, in minister, ministerial labor, uh, everything is going to be reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ. And uh, motives will be rewarded, but every work, umm, will come under review.
Uh, is it, uh, according to the pattern that God has given to us? Is it, uh.
According to the Word of God, this is the touchstone, uh and uh.
Does it have the Lord's approval?
So God cannot reward what is not according to His Word. And I think that is important, although it comes out more, more particularly in the second epistle of Timothy. Still the we have 3 workmen, as has often been pointed out in this chapter. We have 3 workmen brought before us, the one that we're looking at here, who builds according to God's mind with material that speaks of Christ and for the edification of the Lord's people on the foundation that has been laid.
We don't have apostles and prophets anymore, but we do have their writings and their teachings in the epistles. And then we have the other workmen that, uh.
As a saved soul, he's a Workman, but his material is all burnt up. His work is a complete loss. He saved himself, but uh, his work was not according to, uh, the mind of God or the pattern that we have. And uh, so he has suffers loss. He doesn't get a reward for his work. Lot is an example of that. Then we have the third person here.
Uh, who defiles the temple of God? That is, he brings in damnable heresies or teachings, uh, evil, erroneous teachings about the person and work of Christ.
And he doesn't bring it into heathen dung, He brings it into the House of God, the House of God. That is the aspect in this chapter. And so this person is an unsaved soul himself. And he brings these evil teachings, verse 17, he defiles the temple of God. He brings it into the place of professed Christendom. And and many are defiled by it. He is lost himself and his work is lost.
00:30:25
That's verse 17. Uh, we are looked upon there as the temple of God, the House of God, uh, where behavior is important, where, uh, public witness is important. So it's the House of God aspect here and the work is going to be, uh, reviewed, umm, in that coming day.
You can see the three different types of workers, one in verse 14, one in verse 15, and then, as you say in verse 17, and they're identifying in verse 14, it says if a man's work abide, verse 15, if a man's work shall be burned, and verse 17, if a man defile the temple of God. And so you have in verse 14 a very good builder. And Paul himself was, umm, really a model of how we ought to build in the right way.
And then you have a poor builder because he uses some of his own wisdom and some of his own materials and, uh, has some of his own ideas and he thinks they're good, They're going to profit the people of God, but they don't. And so his works burned up. And then in verse 17, as you say, it's one that doesn't even have life, but I would like to just back up here to verse 12, he mentions these different materials and there's a purpose. God uses these symbols, uh, all throughout the Scriptures.
And umm, so it's under, it will understand what Paul's saying here in connection with the gold that speaks of divine righteousness, doesn't it? And so divine righteousness and the glory of God. And so we need to take umm, and build according to the glory and, uh, according to the divine righteousness of Christ. And then in umm, the silver we have redemption brought out. And so our teaching should be according to the truth of what is taught about redemption in the Scriptures.
And then it says precious stones. And so the precious stones speak of the glories of Christ. There are glories of the Lord. And uh, So what man seeks to introduce, Sully is some of the glory of Christ in some way. He, he takes, uh, and wants some glory for himself in the things of God. Then he speaks of wood and really what is merely, uh, human or of natural, the natural heart, natural energy. And then he speaks of hey and umm.
Perhaps that would speak of those things that are positively of the flash and the stubble really wickedness. And, uh, so there are other scriptures in the prophetic scriptures that speak of each one of these materials and give us what the, umm, teaching, the, uh, symbolic teaching is of them. The thing too, in connection with these materials, the, the gold, the silver and the precious stones are very precious, but it doesn't take very much gold and you have $1,000,000 of gold perhaps, or precious stones.
Not very showy.
But you could have $1,000,000 of wood or of hay, and stubble looks pretty big. You got a lot of hay, a lot of lot of stubble. It's really not worth anything and it burns real well. And so that's really the picture that he's given to us is to be careful in connection with our conduct in the assembly and our teaching and the assembly were in Christian circles what we believe as doctrine that is taken up in the right way in connection with the righteousness of God.
In connection with RE, with uh, redemption, and with the glories of Christ that we build according to the truth of what we know has been given to us in the epistles.
Yes, in that 12Th, uh, sorry, 10th verse we get I have laid the foundation foundation has been laid. What we see today, unfortunately is in in Christendom is the the great house and what it what has happened is men of, shall I say, designed and made their own extensions, haven't they?
Uh, but the South and the, so we find when we, uh, umm, come in contact with, sometimes with, umm, these, uh, that there's fundamental error as to the person and work of the Lord Jesus.
00:35:01
That here the apostle says, I have weighed, I have laid foundation, the foundation has been laid, the foundation, proof of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ has been laid. And, uh, so, uh, umm, there is that, uh, instruction here to, to uh, umm, take feed how we build their own because there's been so much, shall I say, shoddy work. And uh, uh, we see the result all around us in Crescent, don't we?
Says that the foundation which is Jesus Christ.
I read elsewhere that Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
The apostles and prophets are part of the foundation also and I think.
I'd like to suggest that I think I read it someplace that when it says when it speaks of Jesus Christ, it includes the body. He's the head.
His own or the body. This is the.
They say gathering principles.
Of God's people, the body of Christ, the unity of the body of Christ, or as it says in the first chapter.
In chapter one, verse 9.
The last half of that verse, the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
It says to what fellowship are you in? What's? Well, I'm in such and such a fellowship.
I think, uh, a good answer would be I'm in the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. That's the unity of the body of Christ.
That which our early brethren taught us.
The brother mentioned about Paul's doctrine and I think, umm, that that's very helpful. Includes what you brought out and includes all the other truth too that was laid primarily to the, uh.
Umm, writings of the apostle Paul. So he was the one who laid the foundation in verse 10 and then that foundation is in Jesus Christ in verse 11. And so that is a test for everything, isn't it? Is Jesus Christ himself when we find in verse in chapter one and verse 30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
And so these are some of those precious things that our brother was mentioning here. We have them all in Christ and everything, whatever it is that is to be built has to be tested.
According to the Word of God, in particular, how it affects the person and the work of Christ. And so Paul mentioned that specifically when he had been there among the Corinthians, he laid down those two things in particular.
That was the person in the work of Christ, and that's in chapter 2 and verse two, he said. I determined not to know anything among you.
Save Jesus Christ as his person and him crucified his work and so that there it was that foundation and yet it was being challenged and in part destroyed as you find when you go through this book and get to chapter 15 and other placement chapter 15. The whole question. The resurrection had come up and the apostle Paul has to take them right back and show them how that this question that they weren't even thinking about all this implications actually affected.
The person and the work of Christ. And so they were destroying the foundation.
And the question that he asked in in Chapter 14, I think is so important for us.
Because it takes us right back to the Word of God. This is the only way we know these things in First Corinthians 14.
And verse 36 he asked them, he says what?
Came the word of God out from you.
Or came it onto you only?
If we don't make up the Word of God, it wasn't coming from then. The apostle Paul had laid down that foundation. The Word of God had come to them, not from them. So verse 37, if any man think himself to be a prophet or spirit, so let him acknowledge it. The things which I write into you are the commandments of the Lord.
00:40:10
And so we need to take everything back and test it by that foundation. And that foundation we know is Christ, we're told plainly here, but it's given to us in detail in what is recorded here in the Word of God.
There is such a giving up of these fundamental, uh, truths and Christendom today, we need to be very careful.
As to the teaching that we listen to, uh second Timothy chapter uh three of the apostle is exhorting Timothy is giving him a mandate here, a pastoral official. Verse 14 Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned. Timothy had been a very diligent student and he had learned Paul's doctrine thoroughly.
And the apostle commenced him for that.
Those things which thou hast learned, not only had he learned them doctrinally, he had also walked in them and has been assured of, that's the way we are assured of the truth that has been committed to us, that we walk in it, uh, knowing of whom thou has learned them. So just a word of caution here. There's a lot of young people among us here today. There's a lot of, uh, uh.
Teaching.
Outside there in the camp that is available to us on any subject that, uh, you can think of, but be careful what you listen to, whether it be, uh, through some, uh, medium or, uh, through, uh, a written, uh, form. We have to be careful what we listen to because there's a lot of error abroad, for instance, without going into this in any great detail.
Covenant theology, so-called Reformed theology, is widespread today in Christendom.
It is everywhere promulgated, but it's entirely contrary to Scripture. It brings the blessings of Israel into the church period. It denies the rapture and many other errors. And yet this is being swallowed in Christendom and and the teaching followed. This is it leaves the whole interpretation of Scripture in confusion.
Because they do not see.
The truth that God has two purposes in view, the blessing of an earthly people and the blessing of a heavenly people. Anyway, coming back to our chapter, our ministry will be reviewed. We are not the judges, but just a word there as to what we imbibe, what we are exposed to. We're going to be, we're going to be affected by the ministry under which we sit.
Or what we read, we're going to be affected by this, how important that we are. Return to the apostles doctrine and fellowship, not the apostles gift and power. We're not going to see a, uh, a restoration in the church today. We're not going back to Apostolic days. We're not even in a time of revival. We're in a day of great weakness. But we are told to hold fast that which thou hast when no man take thy crown.
Can't lose our salvation. We know that we can lose our reward. For the apostle here is bringing before us the importance of building.
According to God's mind, according to His Word, so that in that coming day we will be able to have the Lord's approval and commendation, which is more important than anything. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
In 2nd Corinthians 5, where we have the judgment seat of Christ, different aspects have already been brought up in connection with the judgment. See this Christ. But there umm.
We are all going to, we all must, verse 10 appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the thing done in His body according to that He has done, whether it be good or bad.
00:45:07
There is plural things, individual things that we have done and not necessarily in connection with, uh, ministerial labor in, in the House of God.
But you'll notice the portion we're reading. It's not plural. It's labor and it's work. It's not labor and it's not works.
But it's the whole character of what has been done.
One might spend their life long laboring in the House of God and having introduced that which is not according to the truth of God.
Their entire labor is burned.
If any man's work abide, reward. If any man's work doesn't abide that test, he suffers loss. Yet he himself is saved, nothing else.
Nothing else.
It's quite a solemn picture.
That one whole life's work, as it were, could be condemned. I heard the brother speak and I can't remember who it was. Some years ago there was a new building constructed in Montreal and I believe it was a company plumbing company in Ottawa that got the contract for the plumbing portion. They were a good company and they did a very good quality job in plumbing that building.
And the inspector came in from Montreal and it all had to be torn out because it did not. It was not built according to the plumbing codes of the city Of Montreal. It was done according to the plumbing codes of the city of Ottawa. Those pipe fittings, nothing wrong with the joints, nothing wrong with, you might say, the labor in its detail, but it wasn't according to the code Of Montreal.
It all was torn out, had to be done. Of course, that company suffered a tremendous loss.
Because of it, and that's kind of the the aspect of the judgment seat of Christ, of the evaluation here. It's not so much the individual works. That's what we get in first Second Corinthians five. That is the labor.
The life's labor hasn't been according to the word of God.
Brother John Kemp referred to a verse, uh, I think it was this morning that uh, Mr. Darby called the definition of the assembly that is uh, that verse at the end of.
Ephesians one where it speaks the church, the body of Christ, and so much that our early brethren have a sense that the assembly was.
The body of Christ in a Gen. in a certain area that they hesitated to call themselves the assembly because they knew they were just a small representation of it. Uh, but there's another definition of the assembly that speaks as in first Timothy speaks of the church being the pillar and the ground or the state of the truth. And that relates a little bit to our passage that we have before us today.
A pillar that's something that's set up as a witness, like, uh, those pillars.
In front of the temple, I think they didn't hold up anything, just big pillars, but they're set up as a witness and.
Moses set up pillars when the law was given 12 pillars, a witness not holding up anything, just, uh, just pillars that, uh, stood there as a witness and.
Jacob set up a stone, the one he had used for a pillow, and he set it up for a pillar.
Poured oil on it, a witness to the fact that God was there. So the assembly is to be a witness, but it's also the stay of the truth. And that you can picture like a flagpole. It's up there as a witness. But sometimes you see a flagpole with wires strung out so that that hole will stay up vertical. And so the assembly is meant to be a stay of the truth. And so that's what we have here a little bit.
00:50:09
With all these things.
Uh, built on the gold, the silver, the precious stone, and those other things, the wood, the hay and the stubble. The assembly is meant to be a stay or something to hold up the truth. And somebody might.
Build something that wasn't a good stay a uh.
Something that would cause that flagpole to not hold sturdy, uh. But the assembly is to be not only the pillar.
And it says the ground, but I looked up that word and it really means to stay something that holds it up. And so I'm not only a witness, but.
A holding up of the truth.
I was thinking about what you're saying about that brother who, uh, this lifelong work.
It wasn't according to the mind of Lord and scriptures. And he suffered loss. Umm.
When we read about fire here, trying the work of what sort it is, it's, it's, uh, I would say it would be an example of Pershing of anything that had anything to do with the flesh that that is purged.
And, umm.
Another thing with the as Robert had mentioned that the wood, hay and stubble are the things that are done not, not according to the Lord's mind, not according to Scripture, uh, but the energy of the flesh, that those things are temporal and they're sub corruption as well.
I suppose it does. Suppose in our passage those who are not truly believers. Umm, who would bring these things into the House of God?
Remember that the House of God has a wide aspect here. It's uh.
I would think of similar to what we have in Second Timothy 2, where it is called a great house.
Composed of believers and unbelievers and umm, well, it's mentioned in our chapter that, uh, Spirit of God dwells in the House of God. The House of God is composed of every believer in the world today. It's not a local assembly, but the point is that.
Uh, in the House of God.
Our our work will be examined and it's possible to have a saved soul.
As in the, uh, the verse we have here in verse 14 and, uh, a lost life, you know, there's a verse in the Scriptures that is.
Repeated by the Lord 6 times. I'll just turn to one uh, instance in John chapter, Uh.
12.
There the uh, the Lord mentions verse uh.
24 He verily, verily, I say on cue, except the corn of wheat, fall into the ground and die. Well, that refers to the Lord Jesus himself. He would be alone for all eternity in the glory, if he had not gone into death for us. His desire was to have companions with Him in the glory. It abideth along. If it died, it bringeth forth much fruit. And then verse 25, he that loveth his life.
Shall lose it, and he that hate of his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. Now coming back to our chapter, we have some examples of this in the Old Testament we've often been referred to the life of Lot. Here was a man who was a believer. We're going to meet Lot in the glory. Without doubt he was a righteous man who.
Whose soul was grieved every day by the lawless, the wickedness of the city of Sodom, a place that he should never have been in. We never find a restoration in the life of Lot. He just went from, uh, from bad to worse, you might say, until he became, uh, a judge there in the city of Sodom. And his whole work, his whole life was lost. There was no testimony in his family.
00:55:19
Yes, he had just escaped with the skin of his teeth, so to speak, and uh, there was nothing there that would abide in his life.
Umm, his horizon was this world, a present advantage and the, the wealth of this world and the position in this world and, uh, it was a lost life. Well, that's a warning for us. We'll meet lot in the glory, but, uh, his work will be burned up. We don't want to have, uh, an end like that in our lives. So it comes to the point, what am I living for down here?
Advancement of this world or we can lose our lives as the world would say down here serving the Lord, uh.
Sacrificing for him and his people and the Lord will.
I'll acknowledge that in that coming day it will be something that will abide the fire and be for His glory and be rewarded.
The pillar that's spoken of in First Timothy chapter 3 is at verse 16 is really as well could be, umm, perhaps translated monument. It's, uh, I shouldn't say translated, but I think of it as a monument. It's, uh, really, umm, a pillar that was stood up as a testimony or as a monument. And so here in the context of our chapter, the assembly is really a monument to the wisdom of God.
And it ought to be a monument in this world as to the holiness of God. And as God has desired that, uh, the order in his house would be such that it would reflect his own character. Why we have that this umm, umm, responsibility individually to make sure that we don't mar the consistency of the testimony that, uh, is the Lord would desire in the assembly. And not only in the assembly, but in Christianity as a whole as we've been speaking as the House of God.
But here there's individual responsibilities. So know ye not that ye are the temple of God, we're indwelled with the Spirit of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. So it's not only the assembly that ought to be holy, says be therefore also holy, even as I am holy. So we have individual responsibility as well.
MMM.
We get 3 categories of persons in there, don't we? We Verse 14 If any man's work abide that he had built her on, he should receive a reward. Well, of course that's umm would apply to a question who built uh, we're using uh, gold, silver and precious stones in the I have the the uh, if any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss while there.
That will be the situation if a question didn't build using the, umm, the right materials, uh, rather than use, rather than use, rather would, would, would I unstubble? But then we also get, if any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy. Now, this is not a question here of uncertainty as to salvation. I believe it really reflects back to the natural man that we had in the, uh, in verse 14 of the previous chapter, uh, an unsaved man, uh, attempting to build in the Church of God, which of course is what we see often see all around us. And uh, the apostle when he writes to the Corinthians, he does.
So if I had his comments somewhat in respect to this because because of the state in currency wasn't too sure they were all really umm, saved, uh, persons that were umm, associated with the assembly there. So that we have those three countries, shall I say, umm, the one who builds with precious stones, one who knows the Lord Jesus Christ, their savior, one whose work will be burned up, sad to say umm, though he himself is saved because.
01:00:05
Umm.
My sheep will hear my my sheep can never perish, the Lord says. And the third category, of course, refers to one who has never actually accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior. And they will be umm him shall God destroy.
God in this passage is collective. It's not individual here. That comes out in the sixth chapter of our epistle, which we are familiar with. Uh, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. That is true. And uh, wherever we go, we're going to take the Holy Spirit with us. But in our chapter, it is the collective aspect. So here we have the House of God now having been, uh.
Having taken the form of a great house.
Which has vessels to dishonor in it and error and confusion. It has christened them really. And that's around us now. The Spirit of God not only dwells within the believer.
We know that truth from John's Gospel very clearly. We now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, something never known in the Old Testament. But also the Spirit of God in the collective sense abides in the house. Because of all this error and confusion and declension, the Spirit of God has not left the house. He is still here working in the professed, uh, the professed uh.
House of God this, uh, this structure.
Uh, and uh, he is working there and uh, we are part of it. We cannot leave it. We cannot leave the House of God, but we are exhorted to separate from the error, from the evil in the house. The Spirit of God is still in the house. And so this, this person, this person here, he brings this evil doctrine, as mentioned, touching the person and work of Christ. We have it in the cults and sects around us, right into the House of God.
It doesn't bring it into heathendom, he brings it into the House of God.
This is what is so serious. And he defiles the House of God. And so we have, uh, we have these evil cults around us that are growing by leaps and bounds. And, uh, he defiles the House of God and he's going to be, his work will be destroyed, of course, and he will be himself. So I think it's important to see the collective aspect here. Umm, and then we have the individual aspect, uh, later on.
So the Spirit of God is still working in the House of God.
The gospel that will be preached tonight, the Spirit of God can take the message and use it. And we, uh, are in a, a land that is largely part of Christendom. I know there's a lot of, uh, other, uh, evil, uh, evil, umm, teachings coming in or religions coming in. But in large measure we are in baptized Christendom today, but we are called upon to separate from the evil.
From that which is contrary to the revealed mind and Word of God.
Brother John, is it limited to?
Doctor bringing in evil, excuse me, evil doctrine? Or is it not also, uh, cover bringing in practices that are contrary to the word of God as well, No doubt.
And usually those practices would be based on doctrine. So Lance practice flows from, from what he teaches. They all can go hand in hand. But if you bring in practices like earthly practices, as if, for instance, treating the assembly as if it's your business and bringing in worldly, uh, practices and things.
Umm does that fall under building with wood, hay and stubble? Or is or is that the same as destroying the House of God? Because there there is often uh, based on the expediency.
Things are brought in. They're really just worldly techniques and, uh, worldly practices. They may not seem evil, but uh, they displace the operation of the Holy Spirit.
Amongst the believers and uh believe that would also be destroying the House of God, would it?
01:05:06
But the next verse in verse 18 says that God is not deceived by any of this. Let no man deceive himself. So people deceive themselves into thinking that God's going to accept this. It's a great movement and so on. My brother John mentioned covenant theology, and it was the error that the early church fathers fell into umm, as as the Apostolic age began to fade. And so they fell into that. And even the Roman Catholic Church has taken up with the covenant theology.
But in the grace of God the truth has been recovered to us and umm in the early 1800s, and by grace, dispensational truth, and the accuracy of the teachings of Scripture in connection with the difference between Israel and the church, the heavenly calling of the church is being brought out. So God is not deceived by any of this. And so he says, let no man deceive himself.
So we're talking about the one in verse 17 as though he's not a Christian. And yet we're also talking about defiling the temple of God or the the House of God is. So it's bringing an evil doctrine. Umm, if I've understood it correctly, can a Christian bring in evil doctrine?
Yes, evil doctrine and evil practice.
So is your question that if it's a believer that does this, would he be destroyed?
Yeah, and I guess what does destroy me? I, I, when we're talking about it in the context of his life and his soul being destroyed, but just trying to understand it, read the end of verse 15. But he himself shall be saved yet. So as by fire. I may act like an unbeliever. I may act umm, in the things of God, just like an unbeliever. I may take up with a doctor and might be deceived by a doctrine of the unbelievers taken up with.
But if I'm real.
He shall be saved yet so as by fire. The work, the monument to his life that he's built in connection with whatever doctrine he held, might be burned up, but he'll be saved.
Isn't it wonderful in the things of God? The heart of the Lord Jesus is for his people. And umm, he is just looking for something that he can reward, something that he can show approval for. And so the apostle says, wherefore I labor that whether absent or present, I may be accepted of him. And so his desire was to labor in an acceptable way, and he desired that you and I, even a day that we live in, would do the same.
Temporal judgment in my soul.
It's taught in scripture. God teaches it in in, uh, First Corinthians Chapter 11.
And uh, and I'm, I don't, wouldn't say with certainty about Ananias and Sapphira, but I've always assumed they were real colleagues. But they brought something in and it was judged. They were judged. Now, that doesn't mean if they were saved, they didn't lose their souls, but.
There are, there may be times when God will judge individuals in the assembly in that way they may get sick, Paul said. Some of you got sick and some are sleeping.
Because of their attitudes, because of the way they were behaving in the House of God. So that that is a teaching in Scripture and that may be applied here.
I don't know.
Answer your question and the Alex I notice here, there's umm, uh, a note here, Mr. Darby says the word for destroy and corrupt is the same in Greek. The force of this as the terms is necessarily lost in the English. I don't know if that helps any.
Question is often asked with regard to these verses and I think it's it's important that we are clear as to what scripture says the Lord Jesus said in John chapter 5 verse 24, barely barely. I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me shall not come in to hath eternal life and shall not come into condemnation, but it's passed out of death into life. That doesn't change. There's so many other verses like that. You have to believe it on the sun. That's life. That's now that's.
That's inviolate, but the Scripture also warns Second Timothy 219.
The Lord knoweth them better His, but let it be one that nameth the name of the Lord. Depart from iniquity. So the responsibility is always there. And if we're going to go on with evil, then there may well be a question as to the reality. Umm, But the fact of the matter is, if one has trusted in Christ, then the Lord has that power to keep. He never will let one of His own go. His sheep are in His hands, and He's got.
01:10:08
He knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation that tells us in Peter, but the wicked will be delivered to judgment. And so these things are always put in their proper order in the Word of God. And it's believers who do not need to fear that somehow because of a verse like this, we may enter into judgment because it's something that we did wrong in our life. But on the other hand, let us go on and please the Lord and fear Him.
Earlier, Tim, I think, uh, a little later in the epistle, Chapter 9 and verse 27 might bear that out. They were exalting gifts in Corinth. They were exalting public, uh, oration. And that's why I think the burden of this chapter largely is connected with that. And what is being taught and communicated to the Saints is primarily the, what's being thought of as labor in the house here, even though, as we said, we broadly apply it.
Chapter 9, verse 27. But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection by any means. When I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. The apostle allows that one might be.
One who's looked upon as a gifted orator among the Saints of God in the professing House of God, and yet be a castaway, and one who is there, who is corrupting. It's kind of a deliberate thing. It's not a stumbling, accidental thing so much he's corrupting.
It's deliberate and God will destroy him. God will corrupt him. We shall never perish who are saved. We're never going to perish as without a spoil or corrupt, we're never going to. But the one who deliberately defiles the temple of God, he is going to corrupt him, destroy you. It's a solemn warning.
That's why, as Tim said, we, we're not to fear, you know, it's just let the prophet speak two or three, let the others judge. We submit our teaching to the assembly and there's adjustment now.
So if we make a mistake or we teach something wrong, are we defiling the House of God? I don't think that's what this is speaking to. That's why we submit ourselves and to our brethren who love us and are going to correct us if need be or correct what we say. But that's what we do. So there's no thought here of being afraid as as as a brother.
Said of accidentally doing this. This is someone who's actually actively corrupting the House of God.
189 and 289 No condemnation, precious word. Consider it my soul. Thy sins were all on Jesus laves. His stripes have made the hope. Teach me, oh God, to fix my eyes on Christ the spotless Lamb. So shall I love thy precious will.
And glorify his name.
189.
So condemnation.
All the way, it's been my heart. Thank you for the love of the day.
All right.
Thank you.
Yeah.
01:15:23
OK.
To recommend ourselves.
Our loving God and our Father, we thank thee for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee for that finished and that holy work that thou hast accomplished upon the cross of Calvary. Blessed Savior, we thank thee for those 3 words. It is finished. And we thank you to our God for the words of thy well beloved Son that could say, I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Well, we thank thee that that security is so.
Uh, real And that that work is so complete.
And we would desire each one of us not to add anything, not to take away anything from that, uh, truth that we have has been delivered to us in connection with the person and the work of our Savior. And so help us in these very last days before thou just come, blessed Savior, to, uh, search out these things for ourselves and to buy the truth for ourselves and to enjoy it in our own souls. And as our brother is exhorted us that no man take our crown.
Hold that fast that thou hast, that no man take thy crown. So we ask Thee for Thy blessing upon Thy word as we have had it before us, and just commend ourselves to Thee for Thy care and keeping the remainder of this evening in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Gospel 1
Gospel—Kevin House
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Like to, uh, welcome everybody to, uh, the gospel meeting tonight. I'd like to, uh, begin by saying, uh, him and our hymn sheet #19.
So another could raise the tune #19.
So ask for the Lord's help together. Our God and our Father, we thank you for the privilege that we have to open Thy word together tonight and to hear from it Thy thoughts towards us and more importantly, Thy thoughts towards the man Christ Jesus, my beloved Son, we just thank thee, Father for.
00:05:13
Giving us the opportunity to proclaim it. Tonight we ask for help, and we ask that Thy spirit would be able to work through Thy word.
In every heart here. And we would ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus, and for His glory. Amen.
I'd like to start with a verse in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
That we've had the reading meeting at home.
2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 2.
Verse 16.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself.
And God even our Father, which?
Hath loved us.
Continues on, but in view of the Gospel tonight, this is where I'd like to start.
And that is that God loves you.
And he loves me.
It's a wonderful thing to be loved.
Each one of us values love.
And it's something that God in his heart has toward you and toward me tonight. You know, there's some other things here.
We have hope, Good Hope, through grace.
What does it mean to your heart tonight?
Whether you're three years old or 83, somewhere in between.
That God loves you.
To me, it's wonderful.
There's another verse that I'd like to read.
I read this morning in uh, Isaiah chapter 59 I think.
Because there's something that hinders the enjoyment of.
Of the love that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has for you and As for me.
And we have it in Isaiah 59 and verse 1/2.
There's two more. I'll start at verse one. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is here heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hit his face from you that he will not hear.
God's heart towards every person in this world tonight is love.
But there's something that separates between your enjoyments of that love and your acceptance of it and mine.
That is sin.
Because God is love. But.
But he is also light, He is righteous, He is just.
And it's a wonderful thing that he is.
What is your conscience say to you tonight about sin and sin?
Does the love that God has towards you warm you?
Or does his righteousness frighten you?
His hand is not shortened that it cannot save. His hand is stretched out to you saying come, come.
Accept my love.
But that's.
Is separating between you.
God.
We sang at the beginning. O Christ, in thee my soul is found.
00:10:04
And found in me alone the peace, the joy I saw it so long, the bliss till now unknown.
Have you found that tonight?
That none but Christ can satisfy. You know, He's given us a heart that has a great capacity.
And we can put so many things into that heart.
And try to fill it with anything something.
And it will never be filled.
Without his love.
Is your heart empty tonight?
By God's grace, my soul, the soul of many of my brothers and sisters here, has found satisfaction and peace in the man Christ Jesus.
In what the Lord Jesus did on the cross when he gave his life.
Greater love is no man than this, and that a man will lay down his life for his friends.
That's the love that is offered.
To you and to me tonight.
In the Gospel.
Last week at home in the Gospel, another brother spoke on peace.
If we turn back a chapter.
To to Isaiah 57.
I'd like to read a verse on peace here.
Verse 19.
Says I create, sorry, Isaiah 57 and 19, I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, Peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord. And I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea. When I cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt, there is no peace, saith my God.
To the wicked.
Do you have tonight, in the innermost being of who you are, peace?
With God.
There is no peace for the wicked.
But it is not the heart of God that you would continue in that path.
It is his heart that you would turn from your sin and from your wickedness. You would lay that aside to give it up.
And to take his offer and come.
He is saying peace, peace to you that are far off.
Because God, when he created man in the Garden of Eden, he didn't create man to be far off from him. He created him to be close, to enjoy fellowship with God.
Do you?
Tonight, do you know him?
Or do you just know about him?
Many things that you've heard.
But you don't know him.
He would like you to have that peace tonight.
Not just a good feeling inside, but.
Will temporarily come into your life the peace that will continue for eternity.
There is no other name given under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved. There's no other name.
The name that I have the privilege.
Of saying tonight of my Lord Jesus Christ.
You know that verse we started off with at the beginning?
00:15:04
That our Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Has loved us.
No, I.
Have the privilege of having.
Two children.
You know those children.
They desire love.
And often we'll go to great lengths to get it.
You know when they fall down and they hurt themselves?
They want to be loved, they want to be comforted in health.
Each one of us.
Has a desire not to be alone.
To be loved, to have someone.
That we can be close with.
And we often go to great lengths. Much work.
To have someone to love us.
We don't have to work for God to love us.
He created us.
And he just does.
Do you enjoy it? The fact that he loves you?
For God so loved the world.
That he gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
And have eternal life.
God didn't send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him, might be saved. Are you saved tonight?
Just heard.
A little while ago.
And the brother asked for a prayer for this little child.
That has either drowned or almost drowned.
You know, David said. There's but a step between me and death.
There will be a time.
When God's love will not be able to ever again be enjoyed by you.
We are not given the chance of having tomorrow. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time when God's love can be enjoyed.
You know, we had another verse in Thessalonians in the reading at home that I'd like to read because there is.
Awful consequences.
Of rejecting the love.
That is offered to you.
In Second Thessalonians chapter one.
We'll read in verse seven. And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction.
00:20:07
From the presence of the Lord.
And from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints.
And to be admired in all them that believe.
This is something that.
Is not a happy subject to have to speak about tonight.
Of those who do not obey the gospel.
You have the privilege right now.
Avowing your knee to the Lord Jesus and obeying the Gospel.
But if you do not.
Here we have.
The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire.
Taking vengeance.
And you?
Will you not bow your knee and repent?
To accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from.
All sin.
Are you going to be able to enjoy forever the presence of the Lord?
More like these ones.
They will be punished with everlasting destruction.
From the presence of the Lord, that he will have to say, depart from me. I never knew you.
You know what you're having in the afternoon reading.
The thought of the Lord giving a reward for those that labor for Him, and for those of us that have the privilege of knowing Him, we'll be able to forever enjoy His presence.
Does that thrill your heart tonight?
To think of forever being with him.
Where will you have to be outside of all that joy and that peace?
To have to be.
An everlasting fire.
Cod Love doesn't desire that for anyone tonight.
His heart is that you would be saved. Come to the knowledge of the truth. That's His will for you.
By his grace, many here have entered into that.
Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.
Believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved.
God has made it so that.
Any one of us.
And put our faith in Him and what He has done for us.
I can plead with you to accept him.
I can give you, I can read to you his word.
But you must repent.
I believe him.
There's a song, I'm not sure if it's in this book, but it says what shall the answer be? What will you do with Jesus?
What shall the answer be?
You know Pilate brought him out before the crowd.
And he said 3 words said Behold the man.
In Isaiah 53 it says there is no beauty in him, that we should desire him.
There was a man standing there, the man that I would present to you tonight with a crown of thorns.
00:25:10
The man that was God's man.
No, I think at that time he actually didn't have the crown of thorns was after that.
But he was presented there.
For pilot by pilot for man to look at him.
To consider tonight, I'd like you to consider that man.
The Man Christ Jesus.
He was at that time about.
To give his life for you. To provide a way that you could be saved.
What does it mean to your heart?
It means a lot to me that I'm loved.
Enough that he was willing to give his life.
For me.
Let's sing together #20.
Behold the Savior at the door. He gently knocks, has knocked before, has waited long, is waiting still.
You use no other friend, so I'll open the door. He'll enter in. It's up with you and you with him. Maybe another could raise a tune.
Nsnoise.
Like to read just one verse before we pray in Galatians chapter 2?
In verse 20.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself.
For me.
Spray.
Our God and our Father, we thank thee for the privilege that we have tonight.
To open thy word, and to read.
Christ the Savior of sinners, we just thank Thee for sending him Father, thy beloved Son.
And Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for that love.
Thou which give thyself for us.
Please by the Spirit tonight.
Make it good. Every heart here.
We'd ask it of thee, our Father.
Jesus name Amen.
You Need to Make a Decision Very Soon
Children—Tim Ruga
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Good morning.
Nice to see some of the children up front.
Be nice to see more. Any other little ones come on up?
Good, let's start this morning by singing #42 on the back of our hymn sheets so you don't even have to open it right in the Backpage #42 And if you can't find it, it's OK, I think you know it.
A little child is 7 or even 3 or 4.
A little child of seven, or even 3 or 4.
They enter into heaven through Christ.
Heart disease.
I'm surprised.
At the fall of the Greens signing in the rest of the day and I'm we're not, we're not, we're not overhead, blah, blah, blah, blah blah.
Now let's ask the Lord for his help right at the beginning of this meeting. We'll pray. Our God and our Father, we thank you for this time that we can be together, beginning of the Lord's Day. And two, speak about the Lord Jesus to the little ones that are here. And we thank you that those of us who are older can think about him too. We pray that I would bless this time and that the Lord Jesus.
Would receive honor and glory as a result of it. We pray for each one of the little ones who are here. We pray that thou had reached their hearts and that each one of them would make that decision for him. And so we asked this in his name and for His glory. Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Now, we'll probably sing a little bit more in a minute, but I want you to listen to.
2 verses.
And tell me what the difference is between them, I'll quote them.
OK Matthew 18 and verse 11.
Says for the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
OK, now here's the next one, Luke 19 and verse 10.
Where the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Now, who of the young ones here heard the difference between those two verses?
OK.
Yes.
So to speak, what's the difference?
Good. The one verse that said the Son of Man has come to say that which is lost and the other says to seek and to save. And I'm just mentioning that right at the beginning of the meeting because you know something, 24 hours ago there was a little boy out West Vancouver, WA or Vancouver, BC.
Who?
Was healthy.
And, well, just like little ones who are here, And his parents were happy with him. And you know, it's not that way right now. He's still alive from what we heard, but he's not expected to live. We heard about him yesterday. This little boy fell into water and he drowned. And although he's still alive yet, he's probably going to pass away in a short time now.
I've mentioned that because it's very sad.
This little boy is no longer able to be like you and I. This little boy is now just about to die, in all likelihood. And you know, his grandparents were with us here yesterday and they laughed and they flew. And his grandma, who was here with us is now out there with the parents, that little boy, and they're expecting that.
This boy will be gone. So they're grieving. They're very sad. But you know that verse, the first one we read in Matthew 18 says the first one that we spoke about says that the Son of Man has come to save that which is lost. And that boy was young. I believe that if he dies, he will be with the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus loved him, came to save him, but.
00:05:11
With you children, it's different.
The other verse is the reason why we're here today, because the Lord Jesus didn't just come to save the lost ones. He had to come to seek some of those ones, and he came to seek you. And I think some of you know the Lord Jesus, but I don't know about all of you. And so today, as we have this Sunday school, we're going to speak about him because that's the most important thing.
More important than anything else that you know.
The Lord Jesus yourself.
So we're going to speak about him, but first of all, does anybody know the verse?
I think some still learn the memory verse.
Anybody here know it?
It's a conference and maybe no need to say it, but at least somebody does. OK, good. Where is it found?
Very good. Can you say it?
Jeremiah 3134 I will forgive their inequity, and I will remember their sin no more Share my 31 I won't forget there and put it in and I will.
OK, go ahead.
Very nice. OK, you wanna say it too?
Very nice. Is anybody else? Hey, Daniel.
Very nice. OK, Is there anyone else who wants to say it? OK.
Very good so far. Perfect. You want to say it?
OK.
OK.
OK, is there any query?
And we'll remember this then.
No more.
OK, how old are you?
She's 2:00 and you're going to show me on your fingers, right? OK, very good.
So here we have, two years old.
I think the same age as that little boy.
But right around that age, maybe three or four as we sang in the ham, you can understand something about the Lord Jesus.
And so that's why we speak about him. You know, this verse in Jeremiah speaking to a people from a long time ago, and the Lord is saying something wonderful to them. He's saying I will.
Forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more. Now I don't know if you remember, but last night in the gospel, her brother.
Gave another verse to us and it was from Isaiah 59. I just want to go back and look at that verse.
Isaiah 59 and verse two it says, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear. Now it's speaking about these same two things, inequities.
OK, iniquities are those really bad things that we do, And sins are everything, everything that's wrong.
And he says here in this verse that our brother quoted to us last night, that our iniquities have separated between us and our God.
And their sins have hit his face. Now here we have the verse telling us that the cause of sins and iniquities were separated from God. But in our memory verse we said we found that He will forgive.
How can we put these two things together?
One says because of sin we're separated from God. The other says that God will forgive.
00:10:00
Do you know how we can put that together?
First of all, do you know that you're a Sinner?
Center.
Yeah, me too. We're all sinners. And sometimes we like to say, well, we're all sinners and we take refuge in that.
But.
The thing is, are you a Sinner?
Have you ever asked that question? Am IA Sinner myself before God? I know everybody is a Sinner, but am I a Sinner?
And of course that answer is yes. And this is the whole point that we need to come even when we're young and understand that we're sinners before God.
And so when we know that and we know from the Word of God as we have in our memory verse that this forgiveness, the question is how? And we're going to talk about that today. But I just want to go to one verse in Acts chapter 10. And then after that, I want to talk about a story from the Word of God and then a story that happened in Africa. And I want to try to bring out some of these things. So Acts chapter 10.
Acts Chapter.
10 In verse 43 it says to him, Give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive permission of sins, and that big word remission means forgiveness.
The verse is saying that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ receives the forgiveness of their sins, and so that's how we get from one verse to the other that our sins have separated us from God.
Yeah, God is willing to forgive, but we have to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to receive the forgiveness of our sins. And I'm just saying that simply at the beginning of this Sunday school, just to make sure the gospel is clear and we all understand it. And we're going to go on now and we're going to speak about some other things. We have just about half an hour. And so I want to go to a store in the Old Testament, and you've probably heard it before.
It's found in First Kings chapter 18.
And for the sake of time, we probably won't read much of this.
But this is the story about.
Elijah and the prophets of Baal. And there are many, many things we could talk about from this story, but I want to speak about two simple things #1.
We need to make a decision.
And we need to make a decision very soon for the Lord Jesus Christ. It isn't enough to hear about these things that we're talking about and just walk away and say I will do this later. No, we need to hear it. And we need to make a decision to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ right now. And it's very important. So that's the first point I want to make. And the next point I wanna make is that trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is done when we hear the word of God and we simply believe what God has said.
We're going to find as we go through this story that a great miracle was done.
And miracles don't save people. And so I want to tell you a story about that as well.
First of all, here in First Kings.
Chapter 18 we have this story where it begins around verse 19 and I'm going to tell the story. But here we had a a time in Israel when God had people who were disobedient.
Now some of them had faith, but of the ones that we read about in this chapter, very, very few had faith. And there are three different groups of people in this chapter. One, there was a man named Elijah and he was a prophet of the Lord.
He served the Lord, He knew the Lord, He had faith.
And the second one was there was umm, there were these men, 450 of them, who had no faith at all. They were wicked men and they served a false God named Vale.
OK, you know, there are people today in this world who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, They don't know our God, but they know other gods and they serve those gods. They worship them. Right now, today people worship other gods, and all of those gods are false gods. And the people who worship those gods, they are all going to end up.
00:15:15
In a lost eternity, that means hell.
Forever. But it's not only them who are going to end up in hell. Everyone who doesn't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will end up in hell. And that's why we're here today.
It's very important that you young ones hear the gospel and everyone who is here that we hear the gospel and that we understand what God is saying to us. There's nothing more important for us as men and women and children on earth and hear what God says and believe him because the only alternative is.
That God must punish sin, and that will happen in hell forever. And so these wicked men, they were prophets of this idol called Baal, and God's people had turned away from the Lord, and they were serving this idol called bail.
And these men were helping them do it. And so Elijah speaks to the people and I want you to hear what he says. In verse 21. It says Elijah came to all the people and said, how long do you halt between two opinions?
In other words, they were, they couldn't decide. He says if the Lord is God, follow him. If fail, then follow him.
You know what the people said?
They didn't say anything because they didn't know what to do.
OK, I'm going to tell you something that happened about a week ago. Maybe you've seen this too. I was driving down the road.
And we're heading to meeting, actually. And that's where you're going on the road. We saw there in front of us a squirrel. Have you ever seen this happen?
Well, the squirrel was right in the middle of the road and it wasn't a good idea. He was looking at us.
And the squirrel, first he went this way, and then the squirrel went this way, and then he went this way. And then I don't know what he did. Everybody in advance said, oh.
And then we turned around to see and confirm what we already knew.
I know I don't know what decision that squirrel made, if he even made a decision.
But this much I know.
If you made a decision, he didn't make it in time.
Mr. Squirrel was dead.
Now you know nobody likes it when an animal dies.
None of us like that. We felt bad for this girl. But you know, when he was dead, he was just sad. It was over. There was nothing left. There was no more suffering for that squirrel. But it's not true for you.
It isn't true for us.
If you understand what I'm saying, if you understand that you're a Sinner, you're not like that squirrel. Doesn't matter what they tell you in school, you're not like that squirrel.
It says in Hebrews 9 verse 27 it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.
And so that's why these things are so important and God's people here.
They weren't real in their hearts and so they were listening to what Elijah said and he said, don't stop and don't wait. Don't be like that squirrel saying, which way should I go? You need to make up your mind and you need to make up your mind to follow the Lord. That's what we're saying here today.
You're young.
And even if you're not young here, you need to make up your mind, and you need to make up your mind to follow the Lord.
And if you don't, there's coming a time When it's over, there's no longer a chance to make up your mind.
And so the people didn't say anything. You know why they didn't say anything?
Because they knew in their head, yes, it's right we should follow the Lord, but their hearts wanted something else.
There was something else that attracted them.
Nsnoise.
And Satan is working even now at your age to take your heart away and attract you with something else. And he will tell you there's time later on when you can go and you can follow the Lord. But that's not true. You need to make up your mind today. So let's go back to our story.
00:20:09
First Kings 18 and we find that.
Elijah told those men.
He said here's what we're going to do. We're going to set up an altar to your God and we'll put up one to the Lord. It was actually there and all broken down because it hadn't been used.
And we're going to call first on your God.
For him to come and send fire from heaven to offer his sacrifice.
And so they agreed to that. And those men, 450 of them, they prepared the sacrifice and they started, you know, just maybe about this time of day, I don't know, in the morning and for hours, they called on this veil. Hear us.
All the way up until noon.
And when it got to be noontime, Elijah said, oh, nothing's happening here. Maybe your God's asleep, or maybe he's gone away on a journey.
And so they started to cry out even louder and louder. They even began to cut themselves with knives and it was terrible. And this went on right through the whole afternoon until it got to be evening time.
And nothing happened. And so Elijah.
He then had his chance to call on the Lord.
And before he did, I think you know the story. What did he do? He got water, right? Yeah, he got water. He got lots of water. And he poured it out on the wood and on the sacrifice and on the rocks of the altar and around the altar. And he poured this water everywhere so that there would be no question that this is going to be a miracle from the Lord.
And then he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord sent fire from heaven. That fire came down, and it burned up that sacrifice. It burned up the wood, It burned up the water.
It burned up the rock. Everything. It was destroyed.
Todd answered and he did such a mighty miracle there that day. But this is the part I want you to hear. Listen to what we have next.
First Kings 18.
And verse 39 says when all the people saw it.
They fell on their faces and they said.
The Lord. He is the God. The Lord he is the God.
They acknowledge who is the God.
These people saw something great. Now what do you think they did?
They said, yeah, this is the right one. It's not bail, it's the Lord.
Did they believe on him?
I'll ask another way.
If you saw a great miracle.
I suppose you saw a great miracle happen, would you believe, on the Lord?
OK, you don't have to answer me, but I'm going to tell you that my answer would normally be yeah, I think I would, but the Bible says no.
God doesn't work that way. He does miracles and he uses them for his purpose.
But believing is not by miracles, it's by the word of God.
And that's why we preach the word of God.
These people said, yes, this is the right one, the Lord is God. But you know what happens if you keep on reading? You find that those people did not turn to the Lord. They just went back and worshipped other gods again. Their hearts were not changed. They never made that decision.
They remain like that squirrel and there came a time when there was no longer a chance for them to make a a decision. Their life was over and that can happen to us.
Now I want to tell you something that happened in Africa.
You know, there was a time.
When I went to a place in the far South of Malawi and there was a whole group of people there who called themselves Christians, quite a large group, and they asked us to come there and to teach the word of God. And we were glad to do that. So we went down there to teach the word of God. And when we came to that place we found all these people gathered together and they started to speak to us, they said.
00:25:14
You know, it's very bad here. We haven't had rain for a long time. If you go back and read First Kings 18, you find there's some similarities.
But they said there hasn't, it hasn't rained here for a long time and our crops are dying and we don't know what to do.
So I said, well, you think it's not going to rain? They said, no, the way the weather is, it's not going to rain for a long time.
I said, well, what have you done about it? I asked him.
Now, what do you think Christians should do if they are in trouble?
What?
What do you think?
Yeah, same answer. Are you gonna say prank? Yeah. It should be the first thing, right? That comes to our mind. If we're in trouble, we know who to go to, don't we? And we should tell the Lord about our trouble and ask him. So I asked them. I said, well, did you pray about this?
Hear what they said they said no we didn't. I said, well I would think that's the first thing we should do is pray and ask the Lord.
I said Oh yes, that might be a good idea.
And so we went, and we got together and we started to pray, and we all prayed, and we asked the Lord to send rain.
And we prayed that whole morning.
And we asked everybody who was there, prayed and asked the Lord.
And then we went and we had some lunch in the afternoon. We started to have some of the teachings. And now let me tell you what happened. As we started to teach, we had to take our Bibles because, you know, they don't have a roof like this. They have a roof that it just has grass on it and it's mainly meant to keep the sun off. But we had our Bibles and we had to have our Bibles like this and lean right over them because if we didn't have our Bibles underneath of us, they would get wet.
You know why?
Because it was raining and it was raining hard.
And those people were listening. They were impressed. Wow. We just prayed and a miracle happened. And it was a miracle too. And they knew there wasn't going to be rain for a long time, according to the weather. They know their weather.
But we were getting soaked.
And so we had those meetings and lots of rain, and then we left and we came back the next day. And the next day it was so wet we could hardly get to that place. All the ground was mud everywhere. And the people just couldn't believe it. Wow.
Such power God has.
But I want to tell you the next part of this story.
A little bit later we found out something about these people.
We found out that none of them were Christians. We didn't know it. Not a single one of them was a Christian. They told us they were.
But we found out that none of them had trusted in Christ. Well, it's no wonder you said, well, we should pray, right? And this didn't occur to them because that wasn't what they were. Christians pray, we asked the Lord. And sometimes it may not occur to someone to pray. The greatest needs you have right now is your sins if you haven't accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. And maybe you've never thought to pray.
You don't know how bad that is. You don't know what danger you're in, but you're dangerous. Awfully great.
You could die and then go off into a lost eternity in hell.
And yet all you need to do is pray and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to be your Savior.
And all of the trouble is over.
Well, there's a happy ending to this story, at least for some of those people. You know, years later, after going there for many times and preaching the gospel in that place, there were some brothers who went there and preached the gospel.
One of them is here today, not me and those people.
Some of them heard it.
And they listened to the gospel.
And they got saved.
At least two of them that I know of are saved.
00:30:03
And so a great miracle happened. They turned to the Lord. The others, as far as I know, right to this day, they're still lost. They've never accepted the Lord Jesus. They saw the power of God. You know what the other people were doing in the village at that time? They were actually going out and offering sacrifices to their ancestors. Many people were doing that and it wasn't working.
It was very clear. Here was these false ways that man had, and here was the true God. And we went to the true God and we asked him, and he made a miracle happen that day. That was absolutely clear, but it didn't change any heart.
And you know.
God is not going to speak to you through a miracle.
But He is going to speak to you through His Word. And some of you children, you've already heard the Word. But I want to go and see this again. Let's turn to John chapter 12, if you have a Bible.
In John chapter 12.
At the end of the chapter.
Near the end of the chapter it says in verse 37 speaking about the Lord Jesus. Here it says, but though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believe not on him.
We're here right at the very end of the life of the Lord Jesus on earth, before he went to the cross.
And he had proved every way that he could that he was the Son of God and had all power, and he had done so many miracles. And these men and these women saw them.
But if this is what it says at the end of all that.
Even though he had done so many miracles, yet they believed not on him.
And so that is not the way men and women believe. You know, if you were to turn to Luke chapter 16, you read there about a story of a man.
There's a poor man named Lazarus, and then there was a rich man in that story. I think most of you have heard this before, and you remember they both died. And it says about that rich man in hell, he lifted up his eyes and he was in torment, right?
And he was saying, oh, this place is awful.
And the one thing that he really didn't want to happen is he didn't want his brothers to come here. He says, OK, so here I am. Now I know what this is like.
But I don't want my brothers to come here. And so he asked Lazarus, the other one who died, who was the poor man who went to heaven. He asked that Lazarus could be allowed to go back and speak to his brothers and war and his brothers.
So that they wouldn't come to that place. And do you know what he was told?
He was told this. He says no, they have Moses and they have the prophets.
Let them hear them.
In other words, they have the word of God. Let them hear the word of God.
If they will not hear them, they will not be persuaded, even though 1 rose from the dead.
Even if there was a great miracle like that, they won't believe.
OK, now that's the story the Lord Jesus told, and then he went and proved it. Because if you read in John Chapter 11, the Lord Jesus actually took another man named Lazarus and raised him from the dead.
And he?
Showed everybody who was there in Jerusalem look, this is the power. I am the one who can raise some to death. Do you think those people believed?
No, they didn't believe. In fact, you read a little bit later in John Chapter 11, you find out that those people went about to kill Lazarus.
And then they went to kill the Lord Jesus.
That's because they had no love in their heart for him. There was no faith. They didn't believe what God had said through that one.
00:35:00
Imagine that. Imagine somebody thinking, well, I'm going to kill Lazarus, who had just been brought back from the dead. What a foolish effort, where I'm going to kill this one? Who raises people from the dead? Who's the power over death? Imagine people thinking they're going to kill someone who's got power over death.
Foolish. But this is what people do. And you say I'm not that foolish.
And probably you're not. Young ones here tend not to be as foolish as older ones.
But you have the chance right now, before you become that foolish, to listen to what the Lord says and believe the gospel. Have you done that? Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?
If you haven't and you go away from this Sunday school today, then you too are that foolish. You're playing around with your life. I want you to hear something else that the Lord said. John, Chapter 5.
John chapter 5 verse.
24 and 25 We'll read those two. Verse 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent Me hath everlasting life.
And shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Have you heard the word of God today? And will you believe Him? Look at verse 25.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.
You know who the dead are.
The dead is everyone who has entrusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Yet one time I was dead.
That's what the verse is talking about. Dead and trespasses and sins.
And he says those that hear the voice of the Son of God will live. And this morning we are speaking the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke those words and he meant them and he went to the cross and he gave up his life at the cross because of your sins. That's the rest of the gospel. This is how our memory verse is true that God could forgive.
Our sins and our iniquities, and remember them no more, because the Lord Jesus Christ paid the penalty of those sins for all those who believe on Him.
And so this morning, if you will hear the voice of the Son of God, you will live.
And Sunday school is just about to end. And before this meeting ends, if you haven't prayed to the Lord Jesus and asked Him to save you from your sins and trusted in His work on the cross, you can do it right now. And you need to do it right now. Don't keep waiting between two opinions. Well, I'll do it later, but right now I have time for myself, no?
You need to make that decision right now, this morning. Don't even let an hour go by.
And the Lord Jesus will be your Savior too. Now let's just sing another hymn. If anybody has a hymn from the the Backpage.
Will take and not 45 because that's not in all of our hymn books.
OK.
46 good. OK that's thing #46.
Glad TIDIN.
IA.
N.
Because I I I don't know if you need to give me anything.
And he saw that he saw.
Him and he didn't want that to be a couple of times I have to do it.
OK. Anyone else?
OK.
00:40:02
On the back.
#40.
Look at it. 41 OK, very good #41 around the throne of God in heaven. Well, many children sing, and this is true, and a thought that just delights so many of our hearts. But what we want is that every one of the children and older ones will be there singing around that throne, and very soon when the Lord comes and takes us home. 41.
Around the throne of.
The.
Grandmother and I didn't play anything, but I didn't get anything, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
OK, good. We have time for one more.
43 OK.
One door and.
A big star? I believe so. I'm seeing 110 and it's 100.
Oh my God, I don't think it's time I'll give you.
Which side are you on?
I put you on the spot. Very good. Well, I trust we're all on the inside.
Let's just commit this time to the Lord God and our Father, we.
This would pray that the word that was spoken here would find its way into the hearts and minds of each one. We thank You so much. It's how has spoken to us and that we know Thy word. We know words of life. We know the Savior and His salvation, that mighty work that was done at Calvary's cross. We thank Thee so much that Thou has forgiven us our sins and that we are now.
Thy children by faith.
We rejoice in that and we just desire that it should be so in the heart and the lives of each one who are here. And so we commit this time to the end. We continue to pray for the ambos and their family as they go through this very difficult time. We pray that I would be with them and help them and encourage them every step of the way. And so we just would pray these things and ask them with Thanksgiving in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Satan Works to Discourage; We Need to Be on Our Guard
Four Strategies of Satan to Keep Us From Walking With the Lord
What Has God Said?
Philemon
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
We sing #243.
Call Ben.
Shall we ask God's blessing?
Our God and our Father, we thank Thee.
That the windows of heaven have been opened to us and we've enjoyed many things.
These last two days.
We're thankful for those things that have warmed our hearts.
We're thankful too, for those things that have touched our consciences.
We pray for Thy blessing yet to follow on the things that we now have in our minds, the things we are yet to consider in this meeting before us. We do commend to Thee those that are on the road now for mercy as they go toward their homes. We pray Thy blessing on Thy word as we open it now for another hour.
00:05:00
And we continue to ask thy blessing and help on the personal fellowship that's enjoyed between the meetings and with the ones that now remain here. We ask thy health. So we are shut up to Thee for more blessing our Father, and that ourselves to Thee for this time, praying that Thou wouldst bless our time and Thy word. Now a little season longer, we ask this in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
I wonder, brethren, since, umm, perhaps we've taken up the First Corinthians chapter 3, perhaps it would be profitable to take up just one of these, uh, one chapter epistles. I suggest Philemon.
Because we have in the day that we live in, there's so many.
Situations that arise that are difficult among us, that require grace and patience with one another. And the Apostle Paul's example in connection with this difficulty with the slave Anessimus is very instructive to us, and it also gives a practical example of the tenderness of the heart of the apostle.
That suggests we perhaps could read this chapter and profit from it.
Exactly. Nice.
The Epistle of Paul to Philemon.
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, And to Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer, And to our beloved Aphia and Octopus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God making mention of Thee always in my prayers.
Hearing of thy love and face, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward All Saints.
That the communication of your of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you, in Christ Jesus.
For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee in that to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for Love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ, I beseech thee for my son Honestmus.
Whom I have begotten in my bonds.
Which in time passed was to the unprofitable, but now profitable to thee, and to me whom I have sent again. Thou therefore receive him that is mine own vowels, whom I would have retained with me, that in Thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind would I do nothing. But thy benefit should not be as it were.
Of necessity, but willingly.
For perhaps easier for departed for a season, that thou should just receive him forever, not now as a servant, but above a serpent, a servant, a brother, beloved, especially to me. But now, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
If thou can be therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee or owed thee aught, put that on mine account.
I, Paul, have written it with my own hand. I will repay it, albeit I do not say to thee how thou OS done to me, even thine own self. Besides. Yeah, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord, Refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. But with all, prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers.
00:10:07
I shall be given unto you.
Their salute thee, Ipaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus. Marcus Aristarchus Dimas Lucas, my fellow laborers, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
This is, I believe, one of the pastoral epistles. And you'll notice that the pastoral epistles are, uh, grouped together in the word of God. We have first and second Timothy and then, uh, we have umm, uh, Titus, Philemon and umm. So the apostle Paul was used to, have gone to write to different individuals and in a, a very kind way in the power of the Spirit to write to them and to encourage them to walk in the path of faith and.
As we've mentioned before, every single portion of the Word of God is given to us because there's a real purpose.
And so here there was a difficulty in connection with Philemon and his household. A slave had escaped and uh, perhaps was known to Paul before. And Paul at this time that he writes this epistle, this letter, he, umm, was under house arrest. And uh, we could just refer to that in Acts chapter 28. He was, uh, let's look at it so that we get the umm, contacts properly.
We sometimes think that he was in a dark dungeon, but not at this point. He was under house arrest. Let's just look at uh, chapter 28 of Acts verse 30.
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him. And so it's believed that at this time that he wrote the four epistles, the Epistle to the Colossians, Epistles, Epistle to the Ephesians, the Epistle to the Philippians, and then this Epistle.
To Philemon and instead of bitterness in Paul's heart, there was sweetness, the very sweetness of Christ and it was he was ministering grace. So he uses that term in verse 3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And then a little later on in the last verse, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. And so the answer to the ills, the difficulties.
In the life are to be answered by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're to have a gracious spirit with one another, not a hard unforgiving spirit. And so Paul here in the spirit of Christ ministers to Philemon and it's a very sweet letter.
Scanned it. UMM was a runaway slave and had probably been arrested.
It's probably how Paul either that or he had been caught in with someone else's servant and where Paul was In any case, Umm.
It could very well be that this letter was sent with him with an estimates at the same time as the letter from Khalisi. He's mentioned there umm, as one bringing them the, uh, the letter. But you know, in our culture we may not realize that a master had rights over the life of his slaves and Philemon would have been within his rights to put an SMS to death.
And that would not have been unusual then?
So that's just a little background here of what of what is taking place here. You know, Paul has brought to the Lord.
And he has a he's a real believer and he's been profitable to Paul, and now he's going back to a master who has the legal right to put him to death.
So that's the background.
There's another, uh, another thing too, and epistles to individuals. Often mercy is brought in, but not one addressed to the assembly. And you'll see, umm, mercy is not part of the Apostles salutation. It's grace and peace. Because he's not only writing Philemon and his wife, but he's writing to the whole assembly because, you know, things come into our lives.
00:15:14
Very personally would affect the whole assembly, and here was something that was going to affect the whole assembly. And so the apostle has something to address with Philemon, but it's something that affects everyone in the assembly which met in his house. They all would have known an estimate back in his days when he was a Rascal and he ran away and maybe he had been.
Uh, a real trouble because he says unprofitable to thee at one time.
And now he's coming back as a brother in Christ. Well, here's something that is in in Satan's hands is going to disrupt the assembly is going to turn things upside down. And so the apostle is going to address the whole assembly because he wants the love to work by the Spirit of God in the whole assembly, not just with Philemon and Apia to prevent the enemy from getting an advantage.
What we see in this epistle is grace in action.
The Philemon, the slave, he's obviously brought into contact with Paul, and he gets saved through the grace of God by Lehman, is saved.
Now the question is, as far as Paul's concern, can he act in grace? Of course he can't. Uh, we.
Verse eight we're home, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoy thee whether you have Apostolic authority. He could have sold violin phylum and exactly what to do. In fact, he could have uh, uh, done with an estimates what or what to do without even consulting filing. But he acts in grace and there's a response in Paul's heart. He's seen God acting grace in the salvation of Philemon. What's the response in Paul's heart? Well, I can act in grace too and he gives.
He gives Philemon the opportunity to act in grace, not to exercise his rights.
That's that, to act in grace. And so it is when we see the grace of God and we see the grace of God in each one of us in our salvation, don't we then want to extend that same grace in our relationship with each other?
You would think with all of the praise that Paul seems to be heaping upon Philemon for his love, and you know, hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the Saints.
Umm, you would think that Paul wouldn't need to say a whole lot about this.
Yet Paul is going to great lengths.
To make an estimates welcome and safe. When he returns and it almost doesn't seem to match.
But you may see, have, may have seen this in yourself or in others, but sometimes some can be very, very spiritual, very, uh, loving of the Saints. It just seems like they're just so full of Christ and then some little matter.
We'll send them.
And they just go to law just like that. And if it isn't the law of the state, it's some legal thing that they see in scripture and and they just right away it seems like grace and love is just thrown out the window. This is the way it's got to be. I don't know if you've observed that. I have and.
I've had discussions with brothers about how they were treating the Saints or treating others.
And it's such a shame when they just seem to go to law. And again, I don't mean necessarily the law of the state, but they feel like they're in the right that they have the legal ground to be acting or doing what they're doing. And everything is just seems so cut and dry and legal. And just you go away saying, well, he was right. I can't argue with him. But where is Christ in all of this?
Where is grace and where is love?
00:20:02
You know we always need to ask ourselves this question, especially when dealing with our brethren.
And even dealing with all men.
What would you want to be done to you?
You know, that's the test of love. The Lord said. Whatsoever you would want men to do to you, you do to them likewise. Now you can say, well, you know.
I I don't have to do that, you know, you just take it and swallow it.
And you want them to be meet some standard of spirituality, but their conscience is troubled.
Well, love would want to settle their conscience, wouldn't it?
Do you want your brethren to go away trouble, to have troubled consciences?
So, you know, it's wonderful how Paul here says, you know, I do have these rights.
But I'm not going there.
I'm not going there. That's not how we deal with that.
I wonder if in connection with this, we should read the first few verses of Philippians. Two. We often read from verse 5 onwards. We often don't read the first few verses of the chapter and.
If there'll be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort in love of love, if any fellowship of the street, if any bowels of mercies fulfilling my joy, that you could be like minded, and the sudden love being one of fraud and of one mind. Verse three, or is particularly before me. Let nothing be done through strife or thine glory.
But in loneliness of mind that each esteem other better than themselves, that's very challenging. Do we need to steam other feather than ourselves? That's what Scripture tells us to do. And that it goes on to give the perfect example of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let this look not every man on his own thing, but every man on the things of others. Let his mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. And that we are very familiar with that.
But I'd note the verse 8, and I think that Mister Darby's translation is in being impounding fashions. A man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, I think Mr. Darby says, entered himself. And what did he empty himself of his divinity? In no way but all those rights and privileges that he had as the eternal Son. He put them aside and and walked in lowly grace.
He didn't do a single miracle that benefited himself. We had that, the site would say.
As we had earlier this afternoon. Would you do so? No, he wouldn't do. A single miracle that benefited himself. Miracles that benefit others, Miracles that healed others, he would do. He was born in a Manger because there was no room for him in the end. He was the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. A5 Star Hotel would have been no problem.
But he takes a holy place of lovely price, and he that and that.
The example that set before us, and I think we see that example in the way that umm Paul in in this epistle addresses violin.
He he, he, he gives an estimation of Philemon which is very commendable.
I think you could say Paul actually esteemed filing were better than himself. Now I know of course Paul was an apostle and we we've got to give him that place, but.
I think in practice he was he was applying the first few verses of Philippians 2.
I think we use the flash to improve the flesh and we find it it doesn't work and only Co only compounds the problem. But uh.
We we know that.
All had a great love for Philemon and respect for him. And as our brother mentioned, Apostolic authority, which he did not use here, but, uh, he didn't uh, call for the liberation of the Philemon from his servitude. He sent him back to his master Phoneman.
Wonderful commendation and request.
But he didn't ask for liberation from the position that he was in.
00:25:01
So Christianity is not a moral force to build a better world, and we are not here to correct social injustices, but to manifest the character of Christ and uh.
So.
Filene was brought to the Lord and was a real encouragement to the apostle and he could have remained there in, I guess it was in Rome and ministered to the apostle. He was being a great help. But uh, Paul realized there was a, there was a first responsibility there. He had been the servant of the.
Philemon, that was his, uh, his original position there. Those things have to be made right first. And so, uh, he sends him back with this beautiful letter of, uh, of love and forgiveness. And I'm sure that Philemon answered in the same spirit, uh, in the same spirit.
Maybe, uh, profitable to look at, uh.
Job chapter 32. I just want to read verse 21.
Job chapter 32 and verse 21. Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man, for I know not to give flattering titles, and so doing my maker would soon take me away. We might think, well, Paul was being very flattering in what he was saying to Philemon, but I don't believe that was the case at all.
He was actually speaking the truth. This man was an exceptional believer and so much so that his whole household was devoted to the service of Christ. And umm, so he had the assembly, uh, met in his home. There may have been several places in Colossi that the assembly met because it was a large city and maybe this was one of the homes that they met in, but that was the kind of home that uh, this brother had and he speaks of umm.
This man is a fellow laborer and he then speaks of archipelas as a fellow soldier and, umm, he just, uh, speaks very complimentary in a very complimentary way and sees Christ, the spirit of Christ in each one of these individuals. It's lovely, isn't it? And, uh, but he wasn't flattering. It was entirely sincere. And so we have a little picture painted to us in the words of Scripture of the character of this individual and his devotedness to Christ and devotedness to the Saints.
And now he, instead of interfering in, umm uh, Philemon's household in an untoward way, why he begins to uh, speak of the issue that is at hand. And umm, he desired that uh, Onesimus would refresh his heart. He says in verse seven that we have great joy and consolation in my love because the bowels or the heart of the Saints perhaps.
We could say it that way. The heart of the Saints are refreshed by the brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoy thee, and that that which is convenient, yet for Love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the agent, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. And so, as you say, instead of enjoining and using his Apostolic authority, he pleads, he intercedes.
For the slave that obviously had done something that was wicked and illegal at the time, and yet he, umm, intercedes for him on the basis of grace, and umm seeks to present a favorable light upon the man as a new beginning, a new creature in Christ. And so he presents him, as in verse 10. I beseech thee for my son Anesthesus, whom I have begotten in my bonds.
What a privilege it was now for in how the Lord had arranged the circumstances in this slave's life to have come into the contact with the apostle himself, to be saved by grace, and now to have the apostle entreating Philemon. What? What to God? He gave us the spirit of desiring to entreat the Lord for one another. And perhaps, if I could put it this way, sometimes there are difficulties that arise in the assembly, and wouldn't it be a nice spirit if we could entreat with one another?
00:30:02
On different issues that someone may have stepped on your toes, they may have offended you, they may have really caused some heartache perhaps, but to entreat in the same spirit. And so we have an example of the apostle Paul tender hearted man.
In love, beseeching, writing this letter, perhaps with tears to wondering whether the letter would be received.
I think we have a scriptural principle where we're not supposed to, uh, interfere with another man's household. Like in this case, uh, Philemon, because he's the head of his house now, it'd be a different matter. There was some evil or something like that. Then it becomes an assembly matter.
It's really nice and you see the spirit here.
Uh, her paws in the seating for an estimated our own hearts. We, we, we tend to, we, we see something, we, uh, in the flesh, we tend to get a little impatient about things and a snare that we could follow in fall into is to deliver ultimate and you don't do this and or whatever. That's, that's a stare that we can fall into and that always that always creates hard feelings and stress in the assembly.
Might be good to mention the names the meanings of some of these names.
And I'm not saying that it's categorically the actual meaning, but there are sometimes differences in the Bible dictionaries as to what the names, the meanings of the names are. But Philemon means affectionate. And the Spirit of God perhaps presents to us an affectionate man, soft hearted, tender hearted, but he could be, as a brother Ted said, perhaps legal and to the mark. And those are assembly matters. We deal with assembly matters in different way. But I, this man is a part of my business. He's a slave.
And I'm going to deal with them on a different basis, but you know, it's the Lord delights to just, uh, present to us that this man was affectionate and just turned to, uh, first Peter chapter 3. It's, uh, the Lord where Paul appeals to him on the basis of grace. And it says, uh, in verse 20 or first Peter chapter 2, I'm sorry, verse 20. What glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your fault, you shall take it patiently. But if when you do well, you and you suffer for it, you do, you take it patiently. This is acceptable.
With God for even hereunto where you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example.
That you should follow his steps. Well, it's better to suffer and to take it patiently. This is acceptable with God, and so Philemon. His name is affectionate. The name Anessimus means useful or profitable.
He was an unprofitable slave, probably wasn't as productive as he should have been, and umm, he was perhaps a source of irritation and umm, we might say he may even have stolen from his master. In verse 18 it says, if he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account. I, Paul, have written it with my own hand. I will repay it. Oh, it's a sweetness of Christ, you and I were.
10,000 talent debtors, every one of us.
None of one of us that could say we owe any less and it was impossible. We could never pay, repay. And so we can look at ourselves even in this little passage of Scripture and say the Lord has dealt with me and forgiven me such a great debt. And if we were honest with one another and we're honest with the Lord.
He forgave as much, and So what a wonderful thing it is to have grace and to forgive one another, and to become profitable as a result. There's nothing that destroys the life more of a believer than bitterness.
And either a trial like this could have made Philemon better or could have made him bitter. And by the grace of God, I believe we don't get the answer here in this epistle.
But we don't have the opposite answer in any of the other epistles. We never have Paul ever having to erase this question again. We know that he was set at liberty, and that he was perhaps at liberty for another five years after this was written. But umm, in grace, It's never addressed again.
It's beautiful how you see the Spirit of Christ here when the apostle Paul says that it's wrong. Thee, uh, anothe author, he will repay thee. You know that's a real spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, because the Lord himself said I restored that which I took, not away.
00:35:22
Parliament was a beautiful example of the encouragement in the Assembly.
Wherever it was here.
We find him refreshing the, the bowels of the Saints. That's a very high commendation. Are we refreshing the bowels of the Saints? We need that. We need that, umm, ministry that would, uh, strengthen us, umm, lift us up, cheer us, Apostle could say, strengthen the things that remain.
Umm, controversy won't do that on SMS was, uh, was also of a similar character We read in the second, uh, Timothy chapter one that he had looked up the apostle, the second Timothy one, uh.
Verse umm.
The end of the chapter there Speaking of an SMS, the Lord grant mercy unto the House of onusiferous with OFT refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. When he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me. There's another example of that, the helper in the assembly.
There must have been many prisons, but he sought the apostle out very diligently.
It was, uh, a reproach to be looking up a prisoner, uh.
In Rome he, he, uh, suffered that reproach, and not only he, but his family also.
So, uh, with, umm, with the Philemon, he uh, was a real.
Gear and help to the uh in the assembly where he.
Gathered there and the church in his house.
Commendable.
By Lehman, we noticed two in the address to the second churches. The spirit of light looks first of that which is commendable, doesn't it? And so.
I just wonder if you look at that each other in that way, we can easily get the spirit of criticism and do we first look first at that which is commendable in each other. I was thinking of, uh, First Corinthians 4, I believe a reference to the project and seed of Christ.
And to the Lord's hand we will bring to light that hidden things are dark. Will may manifest the councils of the heart, and then shall every man in praise of God.
Now have I sat in the meeting with a brother for 20 years and never seen what God's got a price when he.
Do I look for what God is gonna praise in my family?
There was an apparent real turn around in an estimated life. If you look at Colossians chapter 4, the apostle speaks there to the assembly. He writes that letter to Colossi.
Perhaps he wrote those two letters to Colossi addresses uh Philemon, but Colossians chapter 4 and verse 7. All my state shall pick us declare unto you who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts with an estimates a faithful and beloved brother in the new translation says.
Faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done. Isn't it nice? He was in a very short time. We're not told what the time period is, but he was found to be faithful, loyal, devoted to Christ, and had endeared himself to the apostle Paul. He was beloved.
And beloved really just means, very, very greatly loved. And so the apostle, his affections were one. This man had really endeared himself. And so he conducted himself with a spirit of grace. He wasn't going to go back to Philemon the same way that he came.
00:40:19
And what a privilege it is for us, rather than to sit under the sound of the word, to come to a conference like this, and to go home and in a practical way, love our brethren better.
I'd like to ask a question. What did OR lesson Mr. How did or lesson us feel himself?
I would say the example could be taken in the book of Ruth where Nioma says I have gone out full and come back empty. But the Lord looked upon her and the maiden, her daughter-in-law, and blessed her. I think that was happy and glad because of the apostle Paul. And we can't be the same way if we fall and fail.
But there is the love of our brethren and sisters.
Who accept us for our failure and we must acknowledge our failure ourselves indeed. But to show that love and that comfort and that forgiveness and to be brought back in the assembly. So an SMS, is anybody else got a thought on what Odessamus might have thought about this?
There may not be any scripture for it.
What do you think of an SMS being converted?
Probably in Rome. And the time would come when he would say, you know, Paul.
I was a slave, a man named Philemon, and I did it pretty wrong, Paul would have said. I know that man.
Well, he could have stayed in Rome, you know, Kept laboring for Paul, never had to face it.
But Paul no doubt said, no, we got to set this right by Lehman. Oh, I don't want to go back there. He's going to be awful angry with me. Well, don't you worry. I'm going to write a letter.
I'm gonna write a letter and you take it back.
And they'll fix everything. And so he would have written that letter and given it to an SMS to take back. And you, you know, this is conjecture, I have to say, but we don't know the details. But he would have come back. And here comes that Rascal and SMS. Oh, here he is. Good riddance. Glad he was gone. He was just trouble. Always here. Here he comes back again.
And would have come up.
I don't know if he would have said anything, but he would have handed that letter.
Sephylenes. You can imagine Philemon opening this from Paul.
From their apostle Paul and starting to read down through this letter with an SMS standing there.
Waiting to see the response.
Not only that, this letter was read before the assembly I believe.
And there was a response there too, because an estimates was going to come back as a functioning member in the assembly in Philemon's house.
It's important to recognize that he went back verse 12, whom I have sent again.
I think it's an important thing for us to remember that when we get off track, we need to go back to the point where we got off the rails. And Paul in his wisdom and his spirit of grace here, wouldn't any fear in what the work of the Spirit of God with this man, Onesimus, and the work wasn't complete yet. There needed to be restoration. This man needed to face the consequences. He needed to face the man that he had wronged.
And how much better it is with us when there is a misstep in my life or in yours, there are some misstep and we can just go back to the place, go back to the person that we wronged and to say I've sinned. We don't have the words that a Messiah might have said, but as you say, but he went back now therefore receive him that is.
My own bowels.
But he would have had to go back.
00:45:02
Brother Gordon used to often tell us as young people.
When he would speak at a wedding, he would say, there are some little phrases I want to tell you about that will make for a smoother life in your marriage and they sometimes will help in other situations that the first one was, I'm sorry.
I made a mistake or maybe I sinned. Please forgive me, I love you.
Sometimes we just make things hard for ourselves because we won't go back to the person that we wronged and affirm our love, affirm that there was a wrong, and humble ourselves. That chapter that our brother referred to in Philippians chapter 2 presents for individuals that were marked by humility. The first one in that chapter 2 is the Lord Jesus. The next one is the apostle Paul himself. Then he mentions Timothy as an example of humility. And the last one?
I think was Epaphroditus 4 examples of those that humbled themselves and there was blessing to the Saints as a result.
It's my Steve offer, maybe a little different picture of what might have happened, which is, you know, it says Paul says I sent him.
And, uh, maybe Paul didn't say. Don't worry. You know, the way he wrote this letter. I'm not sure, Paul.
Was all that confident that it was going to be OK.
You know when you read here how he beseeches and he's.
You know, continually besieging. And he even gets down to the point where he says not to mention that you owe me your life, you know?
Uh, but.
Having been genuinely saved.
Would have to submit to whatever Philemon was going to do and had the legal right to do it. And you know there is sometimes when we offend our brethren.
And we think we have the right to require.
Or expect forgiveness.
Uh, you know, if you're the offender, you don't, you don't have any standing to put that on here on the offend.
And as Christians, we don't do that.
We just submit to whatever is is due and it's a a wonderful thing if we meet with grace rather than with the law. But you know, you don't have a standing to require your brethren to forgive you. And now overseers, especially in the assembly, have responsibility in this matter. And if there's someone with an unforgiving spirit that has to be addressed, that that is part of oversight.
But what you do when it involves the leading ones themselves, you know that becomes a troubling to the rest of the assembly.
Leading ones should be in step.
You know there should be nothing between them, the leading ones, you know, that is. If there is a difficulty between leading ones and assembly and it doesn't get taken care of, it's just a matter of time. There will be a, you know, care meeting is a good time for leading ones to open themselves up to one another.
And be willing to take it on the chin of need to be open and don't go out of that care meeting with anything unresolved. That should be your goal because the rest of the assembly is gonna be immediately affected by what's going on between leaders.
But again, the apostle here, I think, is sending this man back.
And it's a question mark.
I'm not. I can't guarantee anything to you in SMS.
What you did, I mean, he's got every ground to put you in prison or worse.
But uh, I think enough. Unless was, uh, would have just said.
You know, I deserve worse. I deserve health for eternity. And now I'm saved and, and he just submitted and said I'll go.
There's another aspect of things that we don't think of perhaps normally in this, but Hagar made, or Sarah made Hagar's life miserable and she fled. And it says in Corinthians that, umm, about an if she depart, let her depart, let her remain unmarried. It's possible for a husband to treat his wife so poorly that she just feels like she has to run to her mother and father, whatever it might be. Uh, very sad situation when a husband won't love his wife the way she ought to be loved.
00:50:23
And umm, so here it's possible that in the, we know that he was an affectionate man, tender hearted, but the place of slavery in the Roman Empire wasn't, uh, very pleasant one. And umm, we need to be careful not to conduct ourselves in such a way that, uh, those that are in, are in our employ, those that, umm, work for us, those that, umm, we have some interface with, don't feel the need to just escape. We treat them so badly. And so the believer.
In the workplace and in other aspects of responsibility needs to treat those that are in, in the under his authority with kindness and with love. And I believe that this is perhaps how it was in Philemon's household. But I just throw, just suggest this in connection with, umm, this, uh, situation. God doesn't give us all the details because there's every single case is unique.
An unforgiving spirit can cause a lot of problems. Uh, as.
Our brother Ted brought out in the assembly and in our individual walk with the Lord. This is brought out very clearly in Matthew 18. We won't take time to read it.
Completely. But you remember the parable that the Lord brings before us in connection with the Kingdom of heaven here.
This, uh, servant who refused to forgive and.
And uh, put it in mundane terms, carried a grudge, uh and uh.
The Lord in his government, he did not forgive that that person.
Those bitter feelings that, uh, we have to acknowledge arise in our hearts sometimes. We should judge what we judge. The things that our brethren don't see. We won't have to judge the things that they do see. And, uh, that spirit of forgiveness. Not that we are.
L like or or.
Passing over the sin.
But I think of Romans chapter 12 There umm.
Uh, if it is uh, verse umm 19 dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves would rather give place unto wroth which is written, Vengeance is mine, I will replace, saith the Lord. We take these things into our own hands and try to resolve them in righteousness.
We're going to probably, uh, fail. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink. From so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. What does that mean by the kindness that we show to our brother? Uh, we lead him to self judgment to judge that situation that has arisen in his life and dishonored the Lord by the spirit that we show here.
We lead him to self judgment that's placing the coals of fire on his head.
And instead if we're overcome with evil.
Uh, we won't show that Spirit may not overcome of evil how often we are but overcome evil with good. Isn't that the Spirit the Lord Jesus manifested? What evil did he meet when he came into this world? Rejected, Despised. Umm.
Criticized, we might say, he said, they said he had a devil, a wine bibber and so on, but he went on manifesting the character of God and the love of God and he didn't retaliate. He never retaliated. Uh, he showed the spirit of love and, and, uh, grace in all his pathway down here.
The last few verses of this epistle.
Are so sweet the verse 21 having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say, but with all prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. And so he just umm in all of the uh in beseeching had confidence that umm the Lord would have his way.
00:55:16
You know, the King's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. And so Paul couldn't do more than just write the letter. And we have the word of God-given to us to instruct us and to help us to know how to display the spirit of grace with one another. And there's confidence if we walk in the Spirit, to be confident if we talk to one another. And there was just the beseeching for one another in matters of trespass.
That there would be fruit for the Lord. So Paul even says, you know, I hope to come again. He wanted to go to colossi and he knew that this letter was a very difficult letter to write. It was a difficult situation and he didn't want to interfere in the assembly, didn't want to interfere in the home. And but he trusted that there would be an open door for him to come back. And I just say this, that sometimes there may be a difficulty, maybe personal difficulty, and someone might seek to.
Just give a word of advice or turn to the Scriptures and give a little light, shed a little light on the situation and we should be receptive to hear the word of God. Let's never get the idea that they don't have a right to tell me or to try to instruct me. But you know, the apostle takes a low place and it's wonderful to just receive a little bit of instruction, perhaps from an older sister, perhaps from a younger person. And I have personally had young person come to me and say I want to read you a portion of scripture brother and umm.
I want to just perhaps correct a little bit of something. I remember those occasions and I thank my God for the love of the brother that came to see me.
Verse six that the effectual that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is that should read in US in Christ Jesus this.
Epistle shows the practical side of Paul's doctrine and it's working out and the individual life and collectively in the assembly life and.
And if Paul is gonna have a lodging in our homes?
That Paul's doctrine is going to have a place in our homes and in the assembly. It'll be seen in the practical outworking of faith that works by love.
My receipt #10.
Subscription Closing Revelation Chapter 22.
Revelation 22.
Verse 20.
He would testify us these things, said sure.
Early I come quickly.
Amen. Even sowed. Umm, so Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
God loving Father, we.
Busy thanks for.
Time we've had.
To.
Consider the Slovene epistle and.
See I grace manifested.
Think of perfect example of my well beloved son, Lord Jesus.
You know the grace of.
Or Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sake to become poor.
Precious Saviours.
For that wonderful example.
8934.
The grace that thou hast shown us.
Thank you for worth of Thy spirit, each of our hearts.
To be able to show that grace to one another.
Yeah, you to continue to work by thy spirit. Confess how often we fail.
And thank you for bringing these thoughts, our hearts and consciences.
So we pray. Let us be awake. I soon return, Lord Jesus.
He manifests it more.
So I may receive glory, honor, he says. Thank you so much for thy love, and continue to ask you for thy blessings.
And care for the rest of the time that we're here giving you thanks for my precious name, Lord Jesus, you know.
Bought With a Price - a Heart Won
Address—Dwight Dods
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
You don't have to turn to it, but I'd like to read very well.
First part of our verse.
Simon and Colossians, chapter one.
Verse 18.
Just the end of the verse.
That in all things.
He might have the preeminence.
That in all things.
I want to sing a hymn that was given out this afternoon.
#46 in the back.
Before we sing it, thank you. Before we sing it.
Trust me, good most of crap heard of.
What the exercise was of the author who wrote this hymn?
He was George W Fraser lived in Ireland in the mid 1800s.
Grew up in a, we might say it, religious family.
I believe no less than seven of his cousins were ordained minister, so-called.
And George has reached the age of 20, but he didn't know the Lord Jesus as Savior.
And perhaps there's someone in this room tonight.
That has grown up among those of the Lord's people.
Sat here through these last two days.
And still does not know.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior.
Well, age 20.
There was a revival in Ireland.
And George's brother persuaded him to go with him to hear a preacher preach the gospel.
And when they got there, the room was full.
There's no room inside at all.
But they climbed up to a window.
And the lesson at that window?
And George was saved that night.
Not only saved, he came to love the Lord Jesus.
His heart was taken up with that one.
And some believe it was about 11 years later George married.
And he just so loved his wife.
Quite right, is it not?
He enjoyed every minute that he could spend with his wife.
But he became extremely exercised.
That he was not given.
The Lord His rightful place, He was to have the preeminence.
Evening, marriage, even those good things that God gives us, the Lord Jesus still has that first place and ought to have that first place in our lives.
And so tonight, as we sing this hymn #46 in the back of the book.
Has he became an exercise about it? George Kaiser or Fraser? Rather, he wrote this little him as a prayer.
Have I an object, Lord below, which would divide my heart with thee? The next verse says, Have IA hope, however dear, which would defer thy coming. Lord. As he thought of the happy times he would spend as his wife, there was a danger that he might defer a time and hope the Lord wouldn't come for a little while. And it was an exercise tomb. Oh, I hope each one of us can sing this hymn tonight as a prayer of our heart.
#46 is someone to start please?
McDonald's umm for your.
Roswell, Michigan 900-2788, 868-2059 so that I can give you anything.
Uh, we're good. We've been getting yeah.
So we're comfortable.
Around the beginning together with my.
Granddad and I've been doing.
We just looked for the Lord for His help, blessing.
Our loving God.
Father tonight.
We signed thee.
For our Lord Jesus Christ.
Recite the.
That we were once far off.
Desiring to go our own way.
Without a sin, thy beloved Son.
To be our object.
To save our souls.
To win our hearts.
And tonight we do. Thank you for each one in this room.
We know as the Lord Jesus as Savior.
We have to confess.
Having such love showed to us.
How little her heart respond.
But we do look to the.
That maybe more so.
And so tonight, as we open thy word.
And consider.
Thy word.
We just ask for Thy blessing and help.
We pray, our God and Father, that thy well beloved Son and be glorified tonight.
Then you might be made much of.
00:10:01
We ask it in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
And I don't intend to do a lot of reading tonight.
I'd like to look at verse in Corinthians.
First Corinthians chapter.
6.
I want to read just the end of verse 19.
And part of.
1St 20.
You are not your own.
Where you're bought for the price.
Love it tonight.
We think of the cost for which we've been bought.
Does it not win our hearts?
And yet I have to confess. I've had to confess to the Lord.
I just don't understand how my heart can be so cold.
With such love shown toward.
Bought with a price, redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. It was his life He gave. He shed his blood in order to bias. Now we're not alone.
You know this these last two days.
We've had much before us.
Much precious truth.
For now, we're about to go home.
Someone had mentioned that they was.
Yesterday. Perhaps the day.
That we hope we didn't go home the same way as we came.
While the ministry was precious.
While it was needful.
We need the truth.
We wouldn't know what God's thoughts were for us and how He would have us to behave. We didn't know the truth.
But you know the truth will not keep us.
We could have all the truth.
And walk apart from the Lord Jesus.
I thought of the Ephesian Saints.
They were given the highest truth ever given to mankind.
And why do you read in Revelation? I have somewhat against thee.
I was left I first loved.
Repent.
And we used to often hear in Ottawa.
The truth will never keep us. It's the love of the truth.
Unless we have a heart for the Lord Jesus.
Unless we go home from these meetings with their hearts warmed up towards him, we'll go home exactly the same way as we came.
But if we get it grasped, can I speak to my own stool? Because I don't feel that. I just don't understand how I can be so indifferent to his claims of love.
The Lord doesn't give us and tell us what we have to do step by step, and Softman said the Lord doesn't want robots.
He wants her heart. My son, give me thine heart.
We've all perhaps heard the story.
Of the slave lady.
She's been very faithful in work.
She served her master's well, she's a hard worker, and she had the desire that someday she would purchase her freedom.
Put her Master. Put her up with the auction.
And there was one man there, he just kept bidding and one person bid higher, he bid higher and it kept going higher and higher.
And she realized she'd never be able to purchase her own freedom.
00:15:05
And as the price got higher and higher for us, she realized that this man must know that I'm a faithful worker and he's willing to pay highly for someone to serve him.
And as the price got higher and higher?
She came more angry and hateful towards that man was doing the bidding.
And when finally.
An account was made, sold to the highest bidder.
She looked at him.
Spit on them all you want if I can get out of me.
All you want is that you'll serve you.
He said. My lady, I didn't buy you for you to serve me.
I bought you to set you free.
The tears start running down our eyes.
And she said then I'll serve you forever. I'll serve you as long as I live.
He won her heart.
There's no difficulty for that woman to serve now.
And that ought to be the way with our hearts.
Now I'd like to look at.
Another verse.
Time has slipped around, so let's move on to Malachi.
Chapter 3.
Verse 8.
Will a man rob God?
Yet ye have robbed me.
What'd you say?
We're in. Have we robbed thee?
You know, these are pretty strong words.
This was Carver speaking to his earthly people here.
And he says you have robbed me.
We know what it is to steal.
If we take somebody else's goods, use them without permission.
It's stealing.
We've just read that we're not our own.
Do we ever use ourselves as if we were our own?
Well, our brother Robert.
Yesterday spoke a little about getting up in the morning with that realization that we're not alone.
And to come before the Lord in prayer.
I don't want it. I belong to the.
What would you have me do today?
What would you have me even to wear?
You know, if we're in that conscious sense.
That we were the Lords and he had bought us and he won our hearts.
Perhaps we'd start the day a little different, and perhaps we'd go about the day a little different.
But you know, here it seems that.
These ones didn't even realize they were robbing God.
Is it possible that we are the same?
They said we're in. How are we robbing you?
And tonight I'd just like to spend a little while, perhaps.
Considering some of the places and some of the ways that we might be robbing God.
It was mentioned as well today.
So we'll menus will go back home.
Now we're going to come to the per meeting.
Three meeting.
Lord say morning meaning.
Lord's Day morning, we'll perhaps see.
25304045.
00:20:04
Chair is pretty well filled up.
Compare meeting.
6789.
The same Lord is there was there the Lord say morning.
What's the matter?
Hooey, Robbins.
Are we not robbing the Lord Jesus of that fellowship He just so desires? I've wondered if the Lord was to make himself seen to our natural eyes.
How different we might be.
With the excuses we give for not being at the prayer meeting, earth or reading meaning.
Stand if the Lord is seen.
You know Thomas missed a meeting.
And all his brethren seemed to have said to him.
We've seen the Lord.
Thomas is at the next meeting.
And so I'd just like to encourage you.
We've had this afternoon. Robert brought it forward very forcefully how Satan is making every effort.
Trip us up. He's far smarter than we are.
And what is going to be the answer?
How are we going to combat it?
You know what? I meditate a little on it.
If we were to put the Lord Jesus and give us rightful place and every one of those strategies that Satan has set up, they wouldn't work.
If we just give them that rightful place, this is all things. He must have the preeminence, He must have that place in all things.
And so it comes to the.
Time for meeting?
Perhaps we.
Think well I got some homework I'd like to do.
And it seems very important.
But we put it in the light of is it to get a better market school far to meet the Lord Jesus and give him the joy of your presence?
Oh, there's no problem. Disappears.
Is it some business deal we have to get through?
Again, if we give them the rightful place, the 1St place and there's no problem.
We'll be there.
And so I really feel it. And then this goes to myself to.
Our difficulty may not be we've got good intentions that we do have good intentions may be true, but so many other things come in.
I want to tell you some advice that an older brother in Ottawa gave me. Give some of us. He's long since with the Lord, a man that almost never missed a meeting. I can barely remember that man missing a meeting.
He had a very important job too. He was the head of the company.
I found out that many times at the meeting, but he was back at work until after midnight, but he wanted to be at the meetings.
But his comment was he said there's those who.
Where it was.
Uh.
Center or gravitate around the assembly and the Lord's things.
And there are those who find.
So see rotates around them.
Sounds a little bit, uh, so we have to question what do you mean?
Well, he said. You know.
Some of us we.
Make our timetable up.
And if someone wants something done business meeting on meeting night, fill that in. We haven't got time. We don't have time to go to meeting that night.
And so at the end of the week.
00:25:01
If there's nothing at fell on meeting night, then we go to meeting.
For those who rotate around the assembly, the first thought is the things the Lord come first. So somebody asks, can you be at such and such a place for a meeting? No, I've got another meeting to be at.
If we're going to plan our holidays.
First thought is not how nice the place is going to be, but is there an assembly there?
Put the Lord first.
And so there's the two sides.
And I remember when I.
Start into real estate sales. One of the managers give me some advice.
He said your time is going to be consumed.
So the first thing at the beginning of the year, those days we had it written Daytimers, we called them appointment book. Nowadays it's on their cell phone and I don't know how to use, but it's the same thing, he said at the beginning of the year.
You black out all the important dates.
Year anniversary.
Appointment made.
Your spouse's birthday? Put it in. Your children's birthday? Put it in.
So he says when the phone rings and somebody wants to see a house or wants to see some property, uh, sorry, I've already got another appointment.
So I thought, well, if we do that, then you fill in all the meeting nights.
And that's what we have to do.
Well, I think that's one area that we.
Rob got on.
User time for ourselves.
Another area a time is fine, so I'm just going to briefly touch on them.
Do you need more time, brother?
Call House.
Mentioned something.
This afternoon.
What does God say?
It's been an exercise and I hope you understand.
That's exactly what Paul was getting at.
The question of how accurate the translations are that we may be using.
You say, well, it doesn't really matter too much.
I've come to the conclusion it has a great effect.
On what takes place, it's been mentioned here that much has been brought into his family, has come in from the camp. But you know, some of the things I've looked into that has crept into the assembly has come in from so-called the Bible.
Shocking, yeah.
You know, years ago there was a brother said that Satan knew too well that Christians would never give up the Bible. There was no hope for the Satan to get rid of the Bible. So he said what I'll do is I'll corrupt it.
I want to ask you a question if you sent a letter.
To your loved ones.
And before it arrived, someone took that letter.
And they changed it.
Hey, props are doing good faith, just thought they'd make your letter a little more understandable.
And he changed your letter.
And your loved one got it.
And it wasn't exactly as you had written it.
So you sent them another letter with exactly as it was and they said, oh, I preferred the one that they changed.
What is this honor would be to the you, wouldn't it?
You know, there's been changes.
Made with no justification in some of the translations.
00:30:01
Number of the errors that have come in, if you look them up and some of the translations, you're fine. Where the air came from didn't come from the camp, they came from another translation and it was done on purpose. I believe Satan was at behind it.
I want to mention just one little one.
So simple a thing.
Mr. Garvey's translation in King James.
And in the original Greek? In the original Hebrew.
God was very careful when you give a simple thing as.
Personal pronoun.
God doesn't leave things that are confusion.
Who are you speaking to? More than one. It was ye.
If you're speaking to one person with thee or thou.
Simple thing, but it makes a huge difference.
In.
Many places in the Word of God.
If you change it to the more St. level language that we use in many of the translation today and just make it you.
You is not even a good English word for the legal profession. I don't think lawyers here or not, but they would understand that it's caused an awful lot of trouble using the word you because when they write something, if they say you to refer to one person or is it a person number, it's a confused word in the English language and God doesn't cause confusion. But what has happened? Man has brought in that why?
To make it more palatable to those who might want to hear or listen or whatever. Where's the Lord's prominence go? Was he not first?
Why not keep it as we put it?
Perhaps a song. I was surprised that someone who's good age I say it is probably his 20s.
This was mentioned and he said, well, I've never known that before. I thought it was just a matter of the old English that people wanted to use.
He'd never known there was a difference in the word meaning.
And so that we want to be careful, I'm not telling you what translation you use. I do say that if you want to check it out, Mr. Darby, as far as I'm concerned, is by far the most accurate.
And if you wanna check something.
See, if it says the same thing as his, it may give it another word. It may help. I'm not saying one, but let's check the accuracy of it.
Writer who's not even with us.
EE pointed out.
Over 100 places in the Bible.
If you.
Take the word.
Ye, ye or thee, or thou, I make it all you. There's over 100 places that cause confusion in the Word of God.
So has it added something? It's only caused confusion. Has it taken away something from God's Word? It has taken away.
There's no question and everyone agrees is taking We've lost something if we don't get the same meaning.
What does the word of God say? Old Testament? They were not to remove anything from the law, however they had any. We come to Revelation.
We will not add or subtract.
You say, well, it's just a little thing.
In Matthew chapter 5, I believe it is.
It says that every jot.
Of God's word will be fulfilled.
What's the jot the smallest alphabet Alphabet in the Hebrew language I believe it was.
The title was those little marks underneath the letter that made sure you got the right letter to put it into our language, into English language. You might say it's, it's the I just that little stroke. And plus the title, the dot above God says he takes note of every one of those little marks.
Crossing the T very important to God.
00:35:03
And man is taking the liberty.
Two, take them out.
Change the meaning.
I said Manny it. Uh, yes.
We've probably lost do I mean, but we've probably figured out some way.
Many places I've looked it would be almost impossible to figure out one that's often used. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples. Well, Peter was there.
Satan has desired to have you, everyone of you.
And I prayed for thee.
Fear that your faith say a lot. We wouldn't get that if we have it. We'd lost something of God's word.
How important keep a good translation.
But I believe it brings in even more.
Dishonour.
To our Lord Jesus Christ.
And I think if we our hearts have been touched. This morning we sat in a meeting, we thought what considered what the Lord Jesus went through to redeem us.
If that hasn't touched your hearts, what more can you do?
And so we want him to be honored.
Speaking of that little pronoun.
Never in the covers of God's Word is the Godhead addressed in the plural.
And yet we've fallen into because of our translations that we've got used to using perhaps.
Of addressing the Godhead in that term, you say it's a singular word.
It's also plural word if you address them as you.
If you address.
Lord Jesus and speak of the Godhead and as you.
I do not know where you hold the truth of the Trinity.
In his worst state, that word is addressed in that way. It's blossoming. It is taken as a plural.
Stand and call to God in a word that could be used in the plural, denying the Trinity, that he is one, that God is one. You've denied the very ground in which your salvation rests.
Well, I hope that no one takes offense. Where does that look at this?
It is for His honor and for His glory.
It's not a matter of what sounds more reverent. I've heard arrogance put up over different arguments that this word sounds more reverent than that word. It perhaps is. That is not the point.
We have God's word for it.
And to suggest nor the I believe it's the Orthodox Church.
Has already ruled.
I have the copy of it home to anyone.
That addresses the Godhead with EU word you.
They determine.
That you no longer hold the truth of the Trinity.
Are we going to dishonor them by doing so?
By just bringing that up the burden I have and I just know that each one and we fall into these things, the ones here, Malachi, those things that they didn't realize they were doing.
But you know, we're just about the end of our time.
But what's so encouraging this little?
Park in Malachi.
We read it again. It says William and rob God, yet you have robbed me. But ye say we're in how we rob thee.
And tithes and offerings.
He are cursed and with a curse, for ye have robbed me even this whole nation.
Well, there was judgment to come for such reserving, robbing God that which he was, so do.
00:40:08
But you know, I want to read the next verse. God was so gracious and He's so gracious with us. He just waits to bring in blessing.
And he says, oh, why not change, change, bring in the ties into the storehouse that there may be meat in my house. And prove me. Now we're with the Lord of hosts. Set the Lord of hosts. If I will not open the windows of heaven and pour yet a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive. Oh, he just waits. If we have strayed, we all do. We make this get off.
Here we have the Lord just waiting to change. Give me my rightful place now, this poor yard, a blessing that you won't be able to contain it.
Oh, isn't that the God that we have? What a savior we have? Well, I'll leave this a few thoughts. I trust no one will be offended. I leave, it says in Haggai. Consider.
Consider your way. He would have it at least twice over in the same chapter.
This is considered these things, and I would have you tonight to consider them in the Lord's presence. What is for His glory? What is giving Him His rightful place?
We're not our own.
I see your time is gone. Maybe we just look to the Lord for His blessing.
Our living God loving Father.
We once more as we come to the end of this meeting and the end of these meetings.
Slightly.
For the love and grace has been shown towards us.
We thank you again for the Lord Jesus.
Without it, give up at such a cost to thyself.
We hear thy word, says the Father loved the Son.
Thou is love thy son, and yet thou to send them into this world.
Become our Savior and we thank thee for everyone in this room that's come to know the Lord Jesus as Savior that no other sins are gone nowhere on the way to meet thee Lord Jesus. Assume we'll hear the shout if you're reminded the endo lost me as soon as soon they are going to come.
But while we're here.
We own. That's how we fail. We own how our hearts get taken up with our own things.
How that the advantages?
Of this world seen the loom big before us.
No, sometimes we should come to Satan's strategy.
We do us as we leave this place.
That we may, given that grace to give thee, Lord Jesus, thy rightful place.
That place of preeminence.
A place above all else.
Knowing then the psalmist told us to seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these other things shall be added to the fowl supplier need. And so we just asked thy blessing and Thy word in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Open Mtg. 6
Open—J. Kemp, R. Boulard, P. House
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
And.
Umm, do you need anything to umm.
We read 3 scriptures that, uh, often come to mind for an open meeting.
First Corinthians, chapter 14.
First Corinthians, chapter 14.
Verse 29.
Let the prophets speak two or three.
And let the others judge.
First Peter, chapter 4.
In verse 11, First Peter chapter 4, verse 11.
Benny Manske, let him speak as the oracles of God.
And John first John.
I'm sorry, John.
Gospel of John, Chapter 7.
00:05:15
John, Chapter 7.
Verse 18.
The word of here should be from.
He that speaketh from himself.
Seek of his own glory.
Are we correct?
The blessed God and our Father, we pray for this time. Set aside to hear.
A word from these.
Through vessels that Dallas choose.
And we would pray for those vessels.
As they would now be.
Responsibility that is weighed upon them.
And thou dost know our weakness, that we cannot always tell whether it is our thoughts or thine.
Because we are involved by the Holy Spirit.
Yes, we.
The desire that they would have, the confidence that their brethren love them.
And that they would submit themselves in the word which they have for us through the judgment of the Assembly.
Praying above all that our Lord Jesus Christ to be glorified through the edifying of His body, we commit the time to be for this and is worthy and precious thing.
Our God and our Father we.
Thank you for our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus.
And we thank Thee for that which we've had before us this weekend.
When we think of that which is before us now.
We thank you for these scriptures that have been read to us.
And our God we think of.
The occupants of this room right now, there are many, many needs.
Many different walks we think of the young people here are God.
Boast.
With the enthusiasm of young life, we think of those who have been on the pathway for some time and feeling the effect of the length of the pathway, their children here. There are those here who have perhaps been fainted by the wayside.
There are those, perhaps discouraged.
Our God knowing that, that was a delight to bless in the worthy and the precious name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.
I have no desire to speak at any length for any length of time here.
This afternoon.
But I just thought of a a line of truth that, uh, I've enjoyed in my own soul in the past.
And I just wanna share it, uh, for a few moments because we're living in difficult days.
We're living in days of.
Declension, uh, departure from the truth of God.
Uh, here we are, uh, for a couple of days over the word. It's a wonderful opportunity.
We are encouraged by fellowship, one with the other, we're lifted up.
Umm, things look bright.
But remember, we're going back home tomorrow.
To small assemblies.
51 weeks of the year.
And uh.
Where there are other conferences, we know, but, uh.
We have to go back to the regular.
00:10:02
Uh, order of things in our assemblies, in our work, in our service. And sometimes discouragement comes in, you know, Satan is the author of discouragement.
That's a tool that he's a master at using.
And, uh, a discouraged St. of God is is, uh, really useless in the service of the Lord.
But Satan will work in that way.
Umm, in our home assemblies, in our lives. He doesn't want to see us going on faithfully for the Lord in this difficult time.
He hates Christ and he hates anyone who wants to be devoted to his interests and his service and the gospel. And so we need to. We are conscious of his devices and we need to be on our guard. We need to have the Word of God dwelling in our hearts in all wisdom. We need these times of fellowship. We need the prayer meeting.
We need the reading meeting in our home assemblies.
Sometimes the prayer meeting is neglected.
In our assemblies. But remember, it's in the it's a meeting where we come together collectively.
To pour out our hearts unto the Lord. The Lord was seven times in prayer in the book of Luke.
But umm, I just want to read a few verses before I stop Matthew chapter.
25.
Or chapter 24.
This is part of the all of it discourse. These verses particularly refer to Christendom. There's other parts of the discourse that refers to, uh, the Jewish nation and other parts to the Gentile nations. But here this is anticipated of the uh.
Of Christianity being established.
42 Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Umm coming down UH-45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom is Lord, when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Well, here is a promise to the laborer, to the worker in the vineyard, that the Lord is going to reward faithfulness to him.
Faithful and wise servant.
Not necessarily a a great in intellectual person or a very gifted person, but a faithful and wise servant. Are you being that in your assembly where you are?
Are you?
An encouragement, you know, we're a help in the assembly or we're a hindrance, one or the other. And, uh.
There's going to be a reward for faithful ServiceNow perhaps we don't see great exploits in the gospel, but uh, the Lord values faithfulness in that place, in that sphere where he has put you. We should not neglect the gospel, but here it is in connection with giving the Saints of God meet in due season. You say you don't have, I don't have a lot of gift to minister.
But your presence in the assembly is an encouragement. I can look back in my experience.
To some brothers who were not greatly gifted in the Ottawa assembly, there were others that were definitely servants of the Lord publicly, but others that were an encouragement to me, they brought something to the meeting all week. It wasn't something deeply, uh, deep in uh, exposition of the Word, but their presence there was an encouragement.
00:15:15
What are you contributing to the assembly where you are?
You are, uh, you're not living to yourself. You're having an influence in the assembly. These sisters who faithfully attend the meetings, there are real encouragement and inspiration to all of us. There'll be a reward for your presence at the assembly meetings. The Lord has a book of remembrance up there and He's putting down every little act of devotion.
Your presence at this conference at, at the, uh, regular assembly meetings, the Lord values that. You say there's not much gift. Well, uh, that may be the case, but, uh, the reading of the word and the comments made can definitely be a blessing, Uh.
To the others in the assembly, you know our place in the coming Kingdom is going to be according to our walk down here. We've been looking at the judgment seat of Christ in this very passage here it says, umm, I will make him ruler over all his goods. Now it's commonly thought that the rewards are basically for the Kingdom, period.
Uh, but we're also forming our capacity down here. Here I have a bottle of water. It has a certain capacity. I might have a much larger jar than this, but brethren, we are forming our capacity down here for the enjoyment of Christ up there. And that will go on for eternity. But also our works, you know, our sins, thank God, are never going to be brought up to condemn us.
All those ugly.
Filthy sins that we committed are not going to be brought up to condemn us, but our works will be brought up at the judgment seat of Christ. How we have walked, our conduct, our ways they will be.
Manifest at the judgment seat of Christ, everything will come out in our lives. Are we living in view of that day well?
The rewards here will be given for, for ministry in the, uh, in the House of God. And, uh, it applies to every one of us. I was looking, uh, also at Luke's gospel, uh, I think it's chapter 16.
Chapter 16. We won't take time to read this portion about the unjust steward. It's a little difficult to understand, but to get the bottom line here.
It's using what you have in this world in view of eternity, this unjust Stuart.
The goods had been entrusted to him, and he was in a difficulty. He was going to lose his job and be out on the street. So he had a remarkable uh, uh, plan here which he carried out in order to, uh, indemnify himself and escape the, the reproach of being without a job and having unjustly used his master's goods.
So it was a stroke of ingenuity, you might say. But the point in the parable that the Lord brings before us is the use of what I have in the present in view of the future. That's what the unjust steward did. He use the presence, his his Lord's goods, which really didn't belong to him, but he used them in a wise way in view of the future.
Now God has given us talents, He has given us a time, He has given us possessions, He has given us money, the unrighteous mammon. But the point of the parable, I believe, is you are a steward of.
Of whatever God has entrusted you with time, energy. Young people have a lot of energy. Is it all used in, uh, in the sports realm, uh, the bodily exercise profiteth a little, uh, Paul said to Timothy. Godliness is profitable for all things.
00:20:16
Having promise of this life and of that which is to come. But if I'm just using my time for, for this life and, uh, and, uh, for my own comfort and, uh.
Aggrandisement is not going to be a reward for that, but if I use what the Lord has entrusted me with for His glory in view of the judgment seat of Christ for the blessing of His people.
For the furtherance of the gospel. Why the doors are open everywhere to spread the word.
Souls are perishing well. The point is we are stewards.
Says in the passage we're looking at in Corinthians were stewards of the mysteries of God. God has entrusted us here as gathered to the Lord's name, with that tremendous.
Umm umm.
Understanding of the truth of God and death, and the special revelations that have been given in the mind of God for the present time, and the calling of the Church and so on, which is largely lost in Christendom now. What are we doing with these?
These gifts or these privileges that God has given to us?
So he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.
And he that is unjust in that in the least is unjust also in much. So remember, brethren, that uh.
We are, we are going to be manifest at the judgment seat of Christ.
There the Bride will be displayed in all her beauty. It speaks of the robe as being a fine linen, white and clean, and the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the Saints. That's not divine righteousness. Divine righteousness which we have through the finished work of Christ. Of course we do.
Stand before God in a wonderful divine righteousness. Christ Himself is our righteousness. But there in Revelation 19 that I am referring to, it's the practical righteousness in our lives.
That is referred to and it's going to be displayed in that coming day there, how we have walked down here. As another has said, we're preparing our wedding dress now. So may the Lord bless these few words that we might continue on how many times we have that word. Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned. Continued in the apostles, doctrine and fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers.
Uh, we have in the Word of God, uh, a number of examples you have in Dimas.
Uh, that we are well acquainted with. The man that, uh, started well, was uh, working with the Apostle Paul, but he left the path. Demas hath forsaken me, having loved not this present evil world. He didn't go into immorality, but he went the things of this world so absorbed and attracted him that he separated from the Apostle Paul and no longer.
We have John Mark the opposite. He started poorly, but he ended well. The Lord restored him.
Wonderfully well, May the Lord help us to enjoy our privileges, but also to remember our responsibilities.
Uh, as we walk in this world, our conduct before the world, before our brethren, the use of the resources that the Lord has given to us, He's given you a gift.
Uh, and you are responsible for the use of that gift. Everyone in this company here has a gift from the Lord. When he ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and he gave gifts unto men. That's entirely.
Separate from the natural ability you have, God has put into you a gift, not for your own exaltation, for the blessing of the Lord's people, and for the furtherance of the Lord's glory in this Dark World where we are left.
00:25:24
I'd like to read a couple of passages of scripture, first one in Second Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 11.
2nd Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 11.
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Or could be translated of his stratagems. We're not ignorant of his stratagems and then in Genesis.
Chapter.
11, right at the end of Chapter 11.
Verse 31.
Genesis Chapter 11 verse 31 and Terra took Abram, his son, and Lot.
The son of Heran, his son's son.
And Sarai, his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth with them from Irv the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan.
And they came to Haran and dwelt there.
And then a little bit later on in verse four of chapter 12.
So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him.
And then another passage in chapter 13 and verse one.
And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife.
And all that he had, and Locke went with him into the South.
And then turn to the book of Proverbs again, if you will, chapter 23.
Actually just the last part of.
Chapter 22, Verse 29. See us now a man diligent in his business.
He shall stand before kings, He shall not stand before mean men.
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, considered diligently what or who is before thee, and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
Be not desirous of his dainties, for they are deceitful meat. Labor not to be rich. Cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. Eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
Well, the burden on my heart this afternoon is that we might be aware of the strategies, the stratagems of the enemy. You have an enemy and I have an enemy that don't, that doesn't want us to go on. And he has every one of us. It takes a little bit different, uh, hook a little bit of a different strategy to take us down. And here we have in the book of Proverbs here at the end of chapter 22 and into the beginning of verse chapter 23, four different strategies that the enemy has.
To take you out of the warfare, to take you out of having Christ as the object, bright and fair to fill and to satisfy your heart. Four different ways that He can do it. And the wisdom of God is to reveal it in His Word. And in this book that is written particularly for young men and young people, He reveals the strategies and He doesn't want you to be ignorant of those strategies. I just like to speak very briefly about those four strategies, the reason I read.
In connection with Lot in Genesis, you'll notice that those three times, I believe there might be four times.
That it says that Lot went with Abram or with Abraham. He just went with him. He went along. Abram had an exercise. He was called a friend of God. You can look it up yourself, but I think it's three times, might be four times that he's called the friend of God. Lot kept good company and Abraham was a friend of God. I hope you're a friend of God. Can you just see that how Abram walked in community with the Lord?
00:30:26
And.
As it were, the Lord would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until he had that little conversation with Abram and told him what was going to take place, told him about judgment and gave him that opportunity. Intercede for Lot.
Before the place was judged, and so you could search it out yourself, Abraham, the friend of God. But lot, you know, had to make a decision for himself. Eventually he did, and he didn't make the right decision. He got taken out of the cause for Christ, if you could put it that way. Are you engaged in the work, the service of Christ, the cause for Christ in this scene, the cause?
Of that blessed man were very shortly going to be called out of this scene.
The day of grace is about to end. We have indication of some of those things prophetically that have told us in the Scriptures that are going to take place after the Church is raptured, and we are seeing things beginning to set.
Sutton Place, I just mentioned one of them, the Roman Catholic Pope is in Israel as we speak. He's there this weekend on a peace mission to negotiate a little bit of peace with Israel and with Palestinians.
I don't know really what his motive is, but we do know that the Roman Catholic Church will rule the Western Empire at the beginning of the Tribulation period, will rule the revived Roman Empire, and so the head of that system will perhaps have a very prominent place at the beginning of the Tribulation period.
Not saying that he's going to be the one Pope Francis, but we need to remember that our time is almost up. And you know, the Scripture, I don't want to take it out of context, but it says in Revelation.
He knows that his time is short.
And the enemy knows that his time is short for the day of grace. We need to be awake, not asleep to that fact. And the Lord gives us this little wisdom in Proverbs, particularly to the young. But every one of us could be exercised about it, that we might not be taken out of the path of faithfulness to Christ, that we might not be taken out. And.
Deceived into a different course.
In every one of us, I believe, has deep down the desire of heart.
To stand before the Lord Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ and for to hear his voice say, well done thou good and faithful servant. I covet that for myself. I covet it for you. The Lord desires it for you. Well, let's just look at the first one here. The first tactic that the enemy has is verse.
Chapter 22, Verse 29 says, See us, thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand for kings. He shall not stand before mean manner obscure men.
You know this really has to do with.
The diligence of those that are young, and I know that there are those that are young here, and every one of us has the ability to do our work diligently or sloppily.
But generally speaking, those that are brought up in a Christian household, in the household of faith and have the teaching of the word of God, we do our work diligently. We get to work on time. We, uh, we try to be faithful in our employment and, umm.
The world sees that.
The employer sees that. He sees that we're diligent. He sees that we didn't party all weekend. We're we're at work on Monday morning at school perhaps. And it says here that if you're diligent in your business, you're going to stand before kings. You're going to be stand before those that have a place of prominence in the leadership of this world. And he says he shall not stand before mean man. You're not going to stand before those that are obscure. And I feel like I could put it this way.
The world is going to seek to.
Promote you, promote you.
To give you a better place, a higher place, a place of leadership, perhaps to promote you into the supervisory position, perhaps to give you the position of the CEO, or whatever it might be.
00:35:12
Just to make your call, their cause, your cause to steal as many hours as possible out of your life instead of devotedness to the cause of Christ, to get you to work for them instead of to be occupied with the things of God. You know our brother John, I believe mentioned and quoted this verse a couple of times this weekend in Acts 242. They continued stead steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread.
And in prayer.
Brother Gordon Hale used to often tell us that he believed that that was referenced to perhaps the key assembly meetings. The first one was the doctrine, the teaching of Scripture. They continued to the doctrine and fellowship of the apostles. They not only continued in what the apostles doctrine was, they had fellowship in a practical way with what the apostles taught. Perhaps we might say the reading meeting. They were occupied continually and there at the assembly.
Reading. Meeting. Although that's not what it's saying there, it's really a reference to personal devotion.
Then it says the breaking of bread. They remembered the Lord in his death.
Then it says prayers, the prayer meeting. So I just mentioned this first tactic that the enemy has in chapter 22, verse 29 here is to take up so much of your time that you don't get to the prayer meeting, you don't get to the reading meeting. It's a higher priority to be working at McDonald's serving hamburgers. That's a higher priority because we need to make a little extra money. Not trying to be critical, but.
It's a strategy in the enemy to take you out.
Of the cause of Christ, and to use your hours for something other than being in the presence of the Lord.
And in a sense to rob Christ of his portion. O how the Lord delights to have you in his presence at the assembly meetings. You wanna grow in your soul and prosper in your soul. Have length of days, long useful, prosperous days. Spend time in the presence of the Lord collectively. It's necessary. Well, that's the first strategy to promote you and to use up your hours and to.
Divert your energies into.
The place of business.
CSL Man diligent in his business. Now let's read in verse chapter 23, Verse one. When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, considered diligently, what is this before thee, or who is before thee? And put a knife to thy throat. If thou be a man given to appetite, be not desirous of his dainties, for they are deceitful meat.
Well, there's going to be a time when you sit down perhaps with those that are in a place of leadership, those that rule, if I could put it this way, in the world, they set the guide, they set the tone in the business world, they set the tone in the financial world, those that take the leadership in business and in the commercial world.
And, umm.
You're going to be perhaps invited to be with them, and perhaps there will be times when you sit at a conference room table. Sometimes you're invited out to a restaurant to discuss business, that sort of thing.
And there's an appetite for power, for prestige, for honor, and to have the place that they have.
None of us likes to be on the factory floor, just being on the factory floor. We'd like to be the supervisor perhaps of those that work on the factory floor. It's all built into us. That's the desire of our hearts. And sometimes it's necessary to take that kind of a position. But here, Speaking of the desire of the heart and appetite for that and an appetite for power and position in this world, to be with the rulers of this world, to be with those that set and set the guidelines.
For different things in this world, you know, when I was in the Automotive World, oftentimes when we were, uh, in business, the and had product to develop for a certain vehicle, we would go and, uh, present our products and prototypes and so on to those that were in the automotive field, try to get some business and, umm, often times there were those occasions when you went into the company of those that we're going to decide.
What engines were going into the vehicle next year? They were gonna decide what color of vehicle was going to be produced. They were going to decide how many variations of that vehicle would be produced. You're going into the place of decision makers.
00:40:15
And every one of us has built into us a desire to be a part of the decision making process, to want a place of prominence and a place of position. But I say to you, dear brethren.
There's a man, the Lord Jesus, who walked in humility in this world. He had nothing. And uh, he had the happiest life because he walked in humility before his God. And he did not set the tone of what this world was going to live by, as it were in the natural things. He devoted himself to the service of his father. He could say, I do always those things that please my father. So if I could just encourage you in this way.
Is when the world bids you to come into their company and to present your goods, to do your job, to make a presentation, whatever. Thank God that you belong to Christ and that, umm, you are in some measure desiring to support the cause of Christ and don't be diverted, but with a a desire desirous of his dainties deceitful meat here. It's really these things will never satisfy your heart.
And they're deceitful. If you get power and position in this world, it will never satisfy your heart. It can't. The world is too small to fill the heart of a believer.
It's too small. God has made your heart so big that only Christ can satisfy that heart, and only the love of Christ can satisfy you. Don't ever set something else as an object before your soul.
Then it says here in verse four, Labor not to be rich. This is the third tactic. Maybe you have the courage to say, well, I'd like to get to the reading meetings, like to get to the prayer meetings and umm.
I don't want to take a job that permits me or will prevent me from getting to all of the assembly meetings. Is that an objective of yours?
Is that an objective of yours? To get to all of the assembly meetings if you can?
It should be one of the highest priorities in your life.
To get to the assembly meetings, to give the Lord his portion, his place, and to have time in His presence while you may be able to. Umm, that's.
Evade that one tactic in verse 29 of chapter 22. But then when it comes to the power and position, you may also have strength, you may have grace from God not to seek a place of power and prominence, not to make it an objective in your life to have a tough place in this world. Well, he has something else. He says, labor not to be rich, cease from thine own wisdom. Mr. Darby's translation, I think it says, weary not thyself to be rich, cease from thine own wisdom.
Or hugged, done with thine own wisdom, wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not. For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away as an eagle.
Toward heaven.
His wealth. Wealth is a tactic that the enemy has.
You need to work hard and get a 401K plan.
I think in Canada it's an RRSP plan. You need to pad that. You need to get a lot of, uh, income. You need to make wealth an issue because if you don't acquire enough wealth, you won't be able to retire.
Acquire wealth. Nothing wrong with money. Everyone needs money.
And you might as well get as much of it as you can in a legal way.
Make it an objective, get as much wealth as you can. But you know the Lord says here, cease from thine own wisdom, and the wealth of this world is what reduces the dependence of the Saint of God upon his Savior.
Well, reaching into my wallet and being able to fix everything that is possible to be fixed with money, rather than to pray for help and to get it fixed.
You know, there's brother in the Lord. You're going to meet him someday soon. His name is Dan Strong.
Approximately 15 years ago, or I shouldn't say that. Not 15 years ago it was umm.
About eight years ago.
Dan Strong, who was saved for a couple of weeks, we got together in a restaurant. We began to read the scriptures together and breakfast every Tuesday morning and he said to me a couple of weeks after he was saved, maybe 3 weeks, and we sat in that restaurant.
00:45:08
And, uh, he said. You know, Robert.
He said persecution didn't work very well in stamping out Christianity did it didn't work very well was a tactic that the enemy used to persecution didn't work very well at all.
He said. But you know, I've observed.
That, umm, prosperity is working beyond Satan's wildest expectations. His prosperity is working beyond his wildest expectations. Now this is a man that's only saved maybe for three weeks. That's what he says. He saw it.
And so we're not to labor to be rich, cease from thine own wisdom. The wisdom of man is to acquire wealth and not to be dependent upon the Lord himself. And the Lord says riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away as an eagle toward heaven. And so the riches of this world are going to perish. And if you acquire wealth and it becomes a hindrance to you in your life spiritually, the Lord may be gracious, may be very kind, and he may have to remove it if you use it for yourself, if you use it in selfishness, but if you use it for himself, for the cause of Christ.
He may allow you to have it. He may allow you. The Lord knows who to trust with funds. He knows who to trust. Often times we use the brother John mentioned, this steward, unjust steward. He was unjust. He used those funds in selfishness for himself instead of for his master. He used them for himself.
And the Lord had to come in. Well, that's a tactic to use to labor, not to be rich. He says don't go after wealth. Now the last one is in verse 6.
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou is dainty meats.
For as he thinketh in his heart or in his soul, so is he eating drink, saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up and lose thy sweet words. Well, this is the last tactic that's mentioned here in this series. It's really the tactic of earthly friends, worldly friends. They're going to say the enemy is going to introduce into your life. Try to influence in your life in some way.
Some worldly friends, some worldly associations that will draw you out of the path of faith and devotion to Christ. It's a tactic that the enemy has is to use friends that are unsaved, lost in their sins, into yoke you together in some way with a friend that does not belong to Christ. And so there it says, Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats. What does the world feed on?
Feeds on corruption. The river of Egypt can all the Pharaoh wanted the baby boys cast into the river of Egypt and it speaks of the pleasure system of this world. That's what the river of Egypt speaks of what nourishes Egypt, the pleasure system of this world. And umm, instead of the young men being caught up and taken up with the cause of Christ, the cause of the people of Israel and the day that they lived in, they were slaves to the Pharaoh.
But Pharaoh did not want them to prosper, be a profitable in connection with service to the Lord or to his people. And so here these worldly friends, the evil eyes, I think I mentioned yesterday, is really selfishness, selfishness or self-centredness. And there are those that are self-centered. The world is self-centered. They don't have your interests at heart as they think of in his heart or soul. So is he eating drink, saith he to thee.
But his heart is not with thee.
You know, the world is going to want you to sit down. You're gonna have friends, earthly friends, worldly friends that are going to want to keep you, uh, en enjoy your company, as it were. They're going to invite you to be a part of their crowd. They're going to want you to be a part of their crowd.
In some instances.
Is very deceitful because they're going to want you to have fellowship with them they want going to want to take advantage of you we won't know it this is a tactic that the enemy has and here these.
Perhaps well meaning people are going to have this desire.
To have you in their company.
Your clean, spoken person.
You have integrity.
You know something of the Word of God and the principles of the Word of God. And men of the world enjoy and appreciate principled people.
00:50:00
But it says his heart is not with thee.
You know, there was a company that I used to work for in Ohio. I'll tell you this little story is a little illustration.
Is umm man's name is Ralph Gaddy that owns owned the company and his partner Aiden Miller and they the company got into trouble they had an expansion out West and company started to bleed cash and they needed to raise some capital and so they began to talk to venture capitalists and the venture capitalists said we'll lend you money a couple of $1,000,000 or so but we want a stake in your company and so.
The man is a believer. Ralph Gaddy and umm.
Aiden Miller as well and some of the executive team spoke with them and said, you know, that would be an unequal yoke to be to sell a part of the company to those people that don't know Christ and then to be yoked together with them in business and to go on together. It says be not yoke together with unbelievers.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 6.
Well, they reason things out, and they reason things out and make a Long story short on.
August the 21St 2005 they signed an agreement, sold a part of the company to a venture capitalist firm, and then one year later, August the 20th. Or maybe it was the 21St.
There was.
Mr. Ralph Gaddy was removed from the presidency and CEO position of the company that he worked for and began in business with his father years before and he removed, very unceremoniously removed from his position and he still owns a very little tiny portion of that company. But I just give you this as an illustration. Those men may sat at conference room tables, they said we can together we can accomplish such and such. Together we can be a team, together we can.
Be a real impact in this automotive business and we can make it more profitable and so on. You sell as a part of your company and we'll give you the money to do what needs to be done and we'll all be very happy together. But it wasn't the truth. Their hearts had an affection, they had it. They wanted his company, they didn't want him. And the world wants to say this. The tactic of the enemy is to say we need you, but the world doesn't want you. The world didn't want Christ.
What they did to Christ is what they want to do to you. They don't want you. They don't want your Savior. And if you speak for Christ, you live for Christ.
They're not going to want you in their company. And if they if you are deceived into making some sort of an agreement, some sort of yoke with those that are unbelievers, it'll be to your loss and to your sorrow and soul. It says the morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up and lose thy sweet words. There were a lot of sweet words that those conference room tables.
But there was just ashes at the end, and it wasn't fruit for God. And so I just had it on my heart, too. Just speak of these four tactics that the enemy has in each one of our lives to take us out of the race.
To ensnare us and to render our lives useless. Perhaps this last one is the most critical in connection with our young people connection with marriage.
The enemy would seek to yoke you up with an unbeliever and don't do it.
The only way to prevent being married to an unbeliever is not to go out with an unbeliever.
What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
So these four tactics, the first one verse, chapter 22, verse 29 is really advancement by the world, advancement in business, advancement in the workplace.
Chapter 23, verses one and two and three, really the snare there is to, uh, present to you and to give you to have an aspire to a place of power and position and appetite for it. And if you have an appetite for it, exercise the knife of self judgment in the presence of God. Don't go there. And then verse four and five, an appetite for earthly riches is a snare. We need to exercise self judgment in connection with that. And then verses 6-7 and eight, the snare is that the heart would be taken up with worldly companions.
Want to say this, that the heart of the Lord Jesus is 100% for you, the world. The heart of the world is not for you, not one little bit. The heart of this world had nothing in Christ, didn't want the Lord Jesus. But I want to say this is in a word of encouragement. The Lord said having loved his own Witcher in the world, he loved them unto the end. And the Lord, his love for you is undying. His love for you is 100%. He wants the best for you. And what a blessing it would be.
00:55:27
If you would submit to His will, His word, and not be taken in with the tactics of the enemy to take you out of the path of faith.
181.
Wednesday Tonight.
So we're going to have.
Lot of things in.
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
Uh.
They come before you, dear brethren. You're my family. I love you.
And, uh, look forward to coming to this conference to see my family, my friends, my brother, and in Christ and, uh.
Just a couple of little things I'd like to share with you. Genesis chapter 3.
It's in connection with what's been brought before us already.
Genesis 3 and just the first verse.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.
01:00:03
And he said unto the woman, Yeah, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Want to simplify this from my own heart a little bit this afternoon.
Perhaps we we could look at it this way.
What has God really said?
What has God really said?
I sometimes wonder about.
This in connection with translations of the Bible.
And I wondered if that isn't one of the tactics.
That the devil is even using today.
What has God said?
And.
I'm thankful for.
The translation of the Bible that I use. Not that it's perfect.
But the errors of translation are known.
You can read 35 books on the book of Matthew.
Critiquing page by page.
You can't always do that with everything else you read. So what has God said?
I just would.
Put this as an exercise to my own heart.
Our brother has brought before us some tactics that the enemy uses.
Absolutely true.
He's using some of them on me today.
I'm busy in my work. I'm too busy.
That means I don't have time quality time.
I don't. I don't have enough for the Lord. I own that to my family here today, I'm sorry. Own that to the Lord.
There's other temptations that.
I used to have in my previous work. Robert talked about some of them today.
They're real, but they take our time. They take our focus, our attention.
How are we going to know what God says?
We're gonna know by reading his word, isn't that right?
That's how we know.
But if we never read his word, we're not gonna know.
That's an exercise of heart for me.
God has given us ability.
Capabilities. Talents.
What has God said?
I'd like to turn to the book of Matthew.
We have just a few minutes.
And I'd like to look at the perfect example that we have in the Word of God.
And that's God's man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And how in the power of the scriptures?
Power himself, he was able to resist the tempter.
And in each case.
Each way that the enemy came against him, he was able to present the scriptures.
Verse one of chapter 3. Matthew chapter 3.
Then was Jesus LED up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was afterward and hungered.
And when the temperature came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
And the Lord answered and said.
It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
The temperature came, he presented something, and the Lord Jesus answered.
From this blessed book.
01:05:01
You know when these things come across our pathway.
How do we answer them?
From the Word of God.
There may be times where we're not walking close to the Lord.
But if we have treasured up the Word of God in our hearts, then the Holy Spirit can bring before us on our conscience His Word.
And we can answer the temptation from the word of God. By word have I hid in my heart?
I might not sin against thee.
Verse 5.
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down. For it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus saith unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
If you check it out, you'll find out in verse six that the devil did quote from the Old Testament believe from the book of Psalms, but he left out a couple of the words.
The Lord Jesus says, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. So the first Test was.
The lust of the flesh. I guess we would call that in the fourth verse. And then we have.
The last of the eyes. And then we have this, this last one. Verse 8 again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then set Jesus unto him. Get the hand, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God.
And him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Well, again we have the blessed Lord and how He responds with the word of God. What an encouragement, what an example for us.
The Word of God. We need to treasure it, we need to read it, and we need to act on what we know.
Just in closing, I'd like to just talk a little bit about Second Corinthians. The end.
2nd Corinthians, chapter 12.
Verse 7.
2nd Corinthians 12, seven. And last I should be exalted above measure. Through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buff at me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect.
In weakness most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure, and infirmities, and reproaches, and necessities, and persecutions, and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.
We have temptations set before us, don't we? And we've talked about them.
But then we have the things in each of our lives that are difficulties. They're unique to us as individuals, perhaps known to only family members, perhaps only known to ourselves. Perhaps others know about them too, if they're specific infirmities.
God in his goodness allows these things.
Paul calls it the messenger of Satan to buffet him in verse 7.
And he went to the Lord three times.
About this problem that he had.
Perhaps there's somebody here this afternoon.
01:10:01
And you have a problem.
It really is bothering you.
Perhaps you've gone to the Lord Jesus about it.
Paul went not just once or twice, but three times.
And the answer back from the Lord was, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
I'm very weak.
I feel that.
You know I have the Lord.
And so I'm strong.
You know, we get into these situations where.
Satan has an agenda against us.
And we may feel down deep.
That there's the enemy behind what's coming our lives. What can we do?
We can turn to the Lord.
That's the source of strength. And he says here I take pleasure in an infirmities and reproaches and necessities.
And persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak.
Then am I strong?
Brethren, may we each feel our own weakness.
Before the Lord.
May we turn to Him in our weakness as the perfect example. May we know His word be able to meet.
The temptations of the enemy with his word. But may we always remember the resource that we have is Him.
And may we turn to Him in our weakness for His great strength.
We would sink 273.
Oh Lord, how dull.
Before we close in prayer, could we?
Just read the words that Satan's left out.
91St Home.
01:15:07
Endoverse 11.
To keep the.
All right way.
The road and our father we.
Two 5/3.
That the Spirit of God.
Would bring our consciences.
In our hearts.
Into thy presence this afternoon.
As I word my searches out.
To find our moral address.
And meet us in our needs. We thank Thee for Thy faithfulness, for the glory of Thy beloved Son.
For we are those who have been bought with his blood most precious.
So we pray that they'll help us to.
They would make messes. The engrafted work.
And we give these thanks, the thanks of our hearts, and the precious and worthy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.