Address—J. Brereton
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I would like to turn to Leviticus.
Chapter 20.
Leviticus, chapter 20.
And verse 22.
You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my judgments, and do them.
Back the land, whether I bring you to dwell therein. Spew you not out.
And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation which I cast out before you.
For they committed all these things.
And therefore I abhorred them.
But I have said unto you, He shall inherit their land.
And I will give it under you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people.
Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fouls and clean.
And ye shall not make your souls abominable by beasts, or by foul, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground.
Which I have separated from you as unclean.
And ye shall be holy unto me.
For I, the Lord, I'm holy and have severed you from other people.
That ye should be mine.
Just a few comments, dear young people, in connection with this portion before we turn to that which is particularly upon my heart.
Many of us who are older often heard in these very meetings the comment made.
That the moral ways of God do not change with dispensations.
And we find here in the book of Leviticus.
After.
Very detailed instruction concerning that which was evil.
And the sight of the Lord.
The children of Israel were reminded.
That they had been separated.
The nations around them.
That even though they had been brought into the land.
Where those nations had dwelt.
The language of the scripture in the 23rd verse is Ye shall not walk in the manners.
Of the nation.
Which I cast out before you, for they committed all these things.
Beloved young people.
You and I that belong to Christ.
We live in the midst of a people, of a nation, of a world.
That indeed does practice.
All the things.
That God's word so specifically.
That God's word, so definitely.
Chose to be sin in the sight of God.
Many of these things are spoken of openly.
In our schools today.
Many of them.
Are discussed openly in classes.
We find students in school today being given instruction.
On how to avoid the consequences.
Of sinful practices.
But in every case.
That I have heard of.
The reference is always to escaping.
The consequences?
The diminishing degree of shame.
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In the sight of men.
Without any thought.
As to the fact.
That it is God with whom we have to do.
Israel was reminded beloved young people that they were not to follow the manners of the nation.
They were minded.
In the 24th verse.
I am the Lord your God, which has separated you.
From other people.
I'm speaking now, dear young people, to those who have belonged to Christ.
And you have been separated.
By God.
From the rest of the world.
You are.
One of God's chosen children.
And he?
Gives us here very clearly to see that he is the one who has separated you.
The end of the 26th verse.
After telling them that they were to make a difference.
As far as the unsaved man, the unconverted man is concerned.
There is not much difference, and today there is a diminishing difference between the clean and the unclean.
But God calls upon you and I to make a difference.
Make a difference between the Queen and the unclean.
And then he finally says, And ye shall be holy unto me.
By the Lord am holy.
And have severed you from other people.
That ye should be mine.
Now, beloved young people.
I cannot, and I'm sure you cannot conceive of anything more sweet, more precious.
Than to have the Lord of glory say to you and to me, you are mine.
You online, I have severed you from the nation.
From that land, the people in the land, several of you from those around you, are mine.
Now I would like to turn to the New Testament First Corinthians chapter 6.
And by God's grace, I would like us to see.
That we are not only given to see, marvelous as it is, that we now belong to another.
But there are seven reasons given.
Why?
Beloved young people, why?
You.
That belong to Christ are different.
From those in the world.
First Corinthians chapter 6, and we'll begin reading at the ninth verse.
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?
Be not deceived neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.
All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Meets for the belly, and the belly for meats. But God shall destroy or bring to nothing both it and them.
Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
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And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
Knowing not that your bodies are the members of Christ.
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
What know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body?
For two saith, he shall be one flesh.
But he that is joined unto the Lord is 1 spirit.
Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God.
In your body.
We find, as was mentioned in the meeting this morning.
That there is a reminder.
To our hearts, to each one of us.
Such were some of you.
And while we may read some of the descriptions that are given here and say, well, that particular word does not apply to me, yet there is a reminder to all our hearts, dear young people.
That it cost God an infinite price in order that all that you and I were guilty of might be put away from before the sight of God.
And we must ever, and I trust we do ever, have in our hearts the reminder.
That there is not one of us that can point to anyone.
Of these things mentioned here.
Or any others that you might care to add to the list.
And say that it is by my own strength, by my own power, by my own diligence.
That I am not guilty today.
There is not one sin listed here. Not one.
That you and I could not be guilty of, but by the grace of God keeping us.
But we do find that in this portion of First Corinthians chapter 6.
God is leading by His Spirit up to a very simple statement.
Glorify God in your body.
The words here and in your spirit.
Which are gods I understand are not in the original.
The subject is the body.
And beloved young people, God has given us seven reasons here that I would like to look at very briefly.
Why your body?
And my body is to be that which is so involved in the glory of God, in glorifying God.
You notice it says.
In the 11Th verse such were some of you, but ye are washed.
Now that is not true of anyone here. That is not the Lord.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are not washed.
You need the precious blood of Christ, as we heard last night.
But for those who belong to Christ, dear young people, you are washed.
The precious blood of Christ has been applied to you, and all your guilt has been forever.
Removed from before God.
By the application of the precious blood of Christ.
And so today, that body.
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That God claims for his glory.
He lets us know that first of all. First of all.
Before there can be any use of the body for the glory of God.
It is necessary that you be washed. Do you belong to Christ?
Do you do, young people? Is he your ward?
Then you are what?
And that first vital step.
That first vital matter has been settled forever as a result of the work of Christ at Calvary.
But then it says, But ye are sanctified.
Sanctification in scripture is used.
In different ways at times.
But here we have that which is vital.
Not only are you beloved young people washed, but you have been set apart.
Set apart.
You remember how?
In Leviticus chapter 20.
It said I have severed you.
Here it says you are sanctified, set apart, put into a class.
Of people by the Spirit of God.
Who belong to God.
All beloved young people, is it not a most wonderful thing to know that you're washed and when you go to school on Monday morning or Tuesday morning?
When the world around you picks up its practices.
When it looks and speaks and acts.
I know that which was so evil in the sight of God was nothing at all.
Where such things as moral evil.
Fornication is looked upon as that.
Which in the 1970s is now acceptable in the world.
That you sit there in that plaster, young people, that you're in the office where you are or at home where you are, and you know.
That you are different.
You have been washed by the precious blood of Christ. You have been sanctified, set apart in that class of 30 students. If you're the only believer in that class, you are set apart.
You are not one with the others.
Separated, sanctified, set apart for God.
And then it says thirdly.
And justify.
Justify, Beloved young people, do you and I rejoice today in the realization that God has given us in Christ a life to which no manner of sin has ever been attacked?
That you and I now, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, are seen by God.
Before his eye in Christ we are seen as those who have the life of Christ.
We have a life given to us of God, not only that does not sin, but that cannot sin.
A life, beloved young people, to which sin has never been attacked. The life of Christ. God looks at you and I.
And in that Newman.
In that new creation that we've been hearing about, that new creature that you are now in Christ Jesus, that new life, that new person, God says of him. God says of her, He not only does not sin, but he cannot sin. He is born of God here it says.
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Washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And by the Spirit of our God, all beloved young people, you and I now, as those who are washed, sanctified and justified, are identified with the name of the Lord Jesus, by the name of the Lord Jesus.
We bear his name. We are identified with him.
And as a result of the activity of the Spirit of God.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any meats for the belly, and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power. Now I'm sure that you and I realize that the Apostle Paul is not suggesting here that any manner of practice, sinful or not, is acceptable, is lawful. That is not the thought.
The apostle here is Speaking of those things that.
The word of God would not condemn.
But that he would avoid at times because they were not profitable.
They didn't produce profit.
And then he goes on to show us beloved young people in the simplest of language.
That we have not been left here to please ourselves.
Makes for the belly and the belly for meats. It isn't just a question of saying, well, I like that, so I'm going to do it. It isn't simply a question of saying, well, that's what a piece appeals to me, so I'm going to practice it.
He goes on to say the now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord.
Oh beloved young people here, can I use the word number four? Reason #4 exhortation #4.
That is addressed to us. First, you'll wash. Second, you're sanctified.
3rd you are justified. And now the reminder that you were given a body.
And that body has appetites, it has desires that God recognizes. But you have not been given a body in order to simply please yourself.
The body is for the Lord, The body is for the Lord. Beloved young people, that body that has been given to you is for the more. It was given to you in order.
That it might be used.
Glorify God not to satisfy your own desire or for me.
And then it goes on to say, And to my own soul, it's most precious when it says.
But for the Lord and the Lord for the body, the Lord for the body, we may feel sometimes beloved young people.
That that which the flesh seeks after that which the body seeks for itself will satisfy.
Will satisfy. We reach out for it just like Eve reached out for the fruit on the tree.
Only to find out that not only is the body for the Lord.
But only the Lord can truly satisfy the desires of your heart. Only the Lord can truly meet the longings of your heart and mind.
And it goes on to say, and to my own soul, it's a most solemn reminder.
It goes on to say, And God hath both raised up the Lord.
And will also raise up us by his own power.
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Beloved young people, do you realize that that body that has been given to you, that that body is going to be taken into heaven?
Now it's going to be changed. It's going to be changed. He's going to change these bodies of humiliation and fashion them like unto his body of glory. But remember the language here. God has raised up the Lord Jesus and He's going to raise up us.
Raise up us by His own power, and I'm going to enter into glory with a changed body.
But it will still be a body. A body, dear, beloved young people, a body that had been changed, but a body that was designed and fashioned for the Lord.
And whose true desires only the Lord can satisfy.
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? How precious it is for us to know.
That we are so closely identified with the Christ of God.
That we are reminded here that our bodies are members of Christ.
Our beloved young people, this hand.
Is a member of my body, it's a member of Maine. It is part of me. And we are reminded here.
In this 5th exhortation.
That our bodies are members of Christ.
That that body that you have is identified with Christ in the nearness relationship, possible a member of Christ.
And then the beloved apostle.
Has to say, shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
Oh, beloved brethren, some may feel this is very plain language being spoken today.
Our young people face terrible temptations in school and at work.
They face situations today that I knew nothing about and I haven't been out of school that long.
I hear today of things that are as I mentioned earlier.
That are treated so casually.
Discussed so openly.
Fools make mark of sin and beloved young people.
You are a member of Christ.
Can that which is a member of Christ?
They joined with that which is a harm. This is the language that you use here. Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two said He shall be one flesh, but he that is joined unto the Lord.
Is 1 spirit.
Now I should mention that Spirit in this verse should be kiss felt with a capital S. It is the Holy Spirit that is in view.
Join to the Lord is 1 spirit.
We are beloved brethren, dear, beloved young people. We are joined to the Lord by the Spirit of God as you sit in that classroom on Monday or Tuesday morning.
As you hear the discussions, as you hear the stories.
As you hear the fools making mock of sin.
May the Lord give us beloved young people to recognize.
That we are washed.
Sanctified and justified.
May the Lord give us to see.
That these bodies that have been given to us are not to please ourselves, but are for the Lord.
And that only the Lord can truly satisfy the heart.
May we be conscious, beloved young people, that we are members of Christ, members of Christ.
Oh, beloved young people, does it not seem?
Appalling.
Does it not seem almost impossible?
To think of that which is fornication.
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And those who are members of Christ.
Being involved with it.
I trust we will always keep that horror.
And yet, beloved young people, bear with it, and I trust and I pray that my brethren will pray for me.
That we will always have the conscious sense in our souls. That there is nothing that I am incapable of doing.
Apart from denying the Lord Jesus from my heart.
Apart from the keeping grace of God.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What know ye not that your body?
Is the Temple of the Holy Ghost.
Which is in you.
Which ye have of God.
Number six in the exhortation.
Number six.
In this reminder, beloved young people.
Your body individually because you belong to Christ. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost of the Holy Spirit. God dwells in you by His Spirit in your body.
In your body.
Can anything be more?
Solemn.
Than to think of that which is the temple.
Of the Holy Spirit.
Being used.
Being used in that.
Relationship.
And is so sinful in the sight of God.
Your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost, beloved young people.
God has in his wondrous grace.
Not only redeemed you, but taken up His dwelling in you. By His Spirit. You have not only been redeemed, but you have been made a member of Christ. And lastly.
Ye are not your own.
For ye have been locked with a price.
All beloved young Saints of God.
To think that you have been purchased.
Set a Calvary Cross. A price was paid.
A price that we cannot measure, but nevertheless a price that was measured out.
To God's beloved Son of hell.
And at the cost of his life, at the cost of all the Calvary meant to his holy soul, the Lord Jesus paid the price.
That you and I might belong to him.
May God keep us, dear young people.
It is a corrupt world in which we live.
It is a world in which not only is corruption seeing, but it's accepted.
Not only is immorality practice, but it is preached.
Not only.
Is that?
Wickedness.
Of fornication scene in our school.
But it is made the subject of foolish talk and jesting.
And here, in the most solemn of language, we are shown how entirely foreign it is to one.
Who is Wash sanctified? Justify.
Given a body that is for the Lord, made a member of Christ, give it a body that is the temple of the Holy Ghost.
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And beloved young people that has been purchased, who has been purchased by such a cost, We are not our own. We've been bought with a price then it says glorify God.
In your body, beloved young people, may the Lord keep us each one.
That only that which is for the glory of God.
Will be practiced by these bodies of ours.