Open—David Esau
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I'd like to continue a little bit with some thoughts that have been before us this weekend. I'd like to quickly.
Think a little bit about what we've had in Ephesians because I've been thinking about it a lot lately how that we've been having Ephesians chapter 2 before us.
And preceding Ephesians chapter 2 is Ephesians chapter one. We have seen in these two chapters that God laid out the councils of God in eternity, how that he would have his Son glorified.
In that we would be blessed, but our blessings were going to be such that when the world sees us, when in our white robes, we finally appear at His side as His bride, they will look at us. They will realize that we were the worst of the worst, and they're going to look at him and praise Him for it. To see that in Ephesians touches my heart so much. And finally, which is hard for me, gets my eyes off of me.
And gets my eyes on him. But I'd like to turn into the second epistle of Ephesians that some people call it in Revelation.
Revelation chapter 2 And verse one says unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, right these things say, as he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. And here is the Lord speaking, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou cats not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not.
And has found them liars, and has borne, and has patience. And for my name's sake has labored, and has not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against me, because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the 1St works, or else I will come unto thee and strike out that word quickly, because He won't come quickly in judgment. I will come unto thee, and I will remove thy Candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But I was thinking how that I don't want to say that this applies to anyone else here, but I know that for myself.
I can go through the book of Ephesians, the highest Christian truth that's been given to us.
And yet I can know it, and yet still be living in this part of Ephesians.
I could know what I am doing is wrong. I could look at another brother and condemn him for what he is doing because I know it, that that's what I'm doing. If we lose communion, all that we've had this weekend will be nothing. It'll just be knowledge. We'll be able to say that he knows our works because we might continue on in the works of the flesh. He knows our labor, the things that we try to do. He knows that we're maybe a little patient.
We can't spare them, which are evil, because we can't do that.
Especially if we're not going on well.
But I don't want to dwell on this, but I was thinking how easy it is for my heart when I walk out of this room.
When all of this wraps up and we get in our vehicle and we drive home, what am I going to take with me back to our assembly? Am I going to take the knowledge? Am I going to, am I going to go back, not pray and not read and end up like those in Ephesus in this portion, or am I going to be like the one the apostle wrote to in Ephesians?
Who could actually dwell in that truth? They could think about that it's Him that is going to be glorified, not ourselves. He was the preeminent person in all of Ephesians.
We are simply one of the instruments used to glorify Him. That's all we are as an instrument. We ourselves are nothing.
But what I wanted to quickly turn to as well is first and second Timothy and just see that.
In one Timothy chapter one and verse 3, Paul speaking to Timothy, says, I be thought I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine.
From the book of Ephesians that was written into Revelation chapter 2, there had to be a decline. There had to be something. The instrument started thinking that they were special.
Do we do I? When I leave, am I going to think that I'm something special because I've.
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Got the truth? Because I've listened to brethren that the Lord has raised up to instruct me and teach me and show me things. Am I going to think I'm better than others?
But Timothy, Paul thought, was going to be able to be a help there. And I just want to encourage each and everyone of us when we go to the place that the Lord would have us to abide.
Does he have you to abide still in an assembly that might be small?
Might be as you think it might be weak.
When you get there, you are going to the place that God has placed you to be a help in the body.
So am I, but I think what am I going to be when I get back there? Am I going to be like Timothy? It says that.
In first Timothy 4:00 and 12:00 he says, Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in Word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in me, which was given to thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
Meditate or occupy upon these things.
Give thyself holy to them, that thy profiting may appear to all.
That's a lot of what our brother just previously up here was saying. Let's lay our, our bodies and our all on the altar for the Lord, that the profiting may appear to all and be a blessing to all. But he leaves also this for Timothy. Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine. Continue in them. For in doing this thou shalt both save thyself. That's a daily salvation, practical salvation, and them that hear thee.
We can go back to these little assemblies. We can go back to the place where the Lord would have us to be, and we can be a blessing to those. It's hard because we look around this room. One of the things I've enjoyed has been watching troops of little kids run and tumble and stumble upon each other. What are they doing? They're making friends. They have come here in a place that when my daughter says, Daddy, can I go and sit over in that row with that couple or with my friends?
Over there, I know that when my daughter sits over there with another little friend, she's met.
That that family wants to honor the Lord and if another little girl or a boy wants to sit over in another row.
They're sitting with someone who wants to honor the Lord. That is a privilege we have right here, right now that when we go home.
The children, the children our kids see all during the week may not be the same if they go to the neighbors house and enter in the doors is out of place where the Lord wants to be honored.
But when we leave here, what are we going back to? Is it a place that's going to be hard for our children?
Tiresome. Lonely.
John 15, says.
In verse 14, ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
Now, if you have to go back to a small assembly, if you have to go back to some place where there's not much and it only feels that way, I don't believe there is an assembly where there's not much.
But if it does feel that way and you look and you think your children are just, they're not going to make it. They need friends. Well, here's a scripture that says we can have a friend no matter where we are, no matter how alone we feel.
But I think as parents we have to live up to this part or to everybody, even the older ones, they might still be.
In the assembly single, we can live out the part that says ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. I don't believe that if we don't do what the Lord commands, He won't be our friend. I just don't think we're going to live in the enjoyment of it. We're not going to get the blessing of that friendship if we're not going on in what He commands. But if we do, if each and every one of us that are a little older than these young ones do go on that way, they're going to see that they'll always have one that sticks closer.
To their side than any friend they'll ever have, no matter how great a friend they have found at this conference, when they go back to their assembly, we can build up our little ones that the Lord.
Is the best friend they will ever have.
That's hard because I don't know if I live up to this verse, but I want to.
Maybe I'm going to need my brother to help me, but they're there. That's something we've had Ephesians chapter 2 as our.
Brother Bill Pross brought out it started off individual, because individually, each and everyone of us have to have our sins forgiven.
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But it ends up being collective.
It ends up with unity in the end, that unity only takes two, and that might be all the Lord leaves someday in some places. But two is still unity, and even with one, they're still the one that sticks that close. If we do whatsoever He commands, He is still our friend. And we can teach that to our children, not by the words we speak, but by the lives we live and when our children see us and they think, Daddy, who are you talking to? Wouldn't it be nice to say I'm talking to the Lord, my friend?