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Events–Christ
“No events can touch Christ.”
However high the waves may rise, there is no drowning of His love and thoughts towards us. The test is to our faith. The question is, Have we that faith which so realizes Christ’s presence as to keep us as calm and composed in the rough sea as the smooth? It was not really a question of the rough or the smooth sea when Peter was sinking in the water, for he would have sunk without Christ, just as much in the smooth as in the rough sea. The fact was, the eye was off Jesus on the wave, and that made him sink. If we go on with Christ, we shall get into all kinds of difficulty, many a boisterous sea; but being one with Him, His safety is ours. The eye should be off events, although they be ever so solemn, and surely they are so at this present time, and I feel them to be so; for none perhaps has a deeper sense than I of the growth of evil, and of the solemn state of things; but I know all is as settled and secure as if the whole world were favorable. I quite dread the way many dear saints are looking at events, and not looking at Christ and for Christ. The Lord Himself is the security of His people, and, let the world go on as it may, no events can touch Christ. We are safe on the sea if only we have the eye off the waves, with the heart concentrated on Christ and on the interests of Christ. Then the devil himself cannot touch us.
—J.N. Darby
Welcome To Our Remembrance Meeting
We are here this Lord’s day morning to remember our Lord in His death for us. The Lord Jesus requested us to do this in Luke 22:19,20, “This do in remembrance of Me.” We are reminded of this again in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 where we learn that this remembrance meeting is a vital part of the life of the local assembly. Acts 20:7 shows that the early church did this weekly.
We are happy you are here this morning to witness this special privilege of Christians. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, we trust you will be able to join in the singing and to add your Amen to the prayers of praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord.
You may wonder why the bread and wine are not passed to you to partake of in remembrance of the Lord. This is because we believe that the Bible teaches the following:
1. The breaking of bread is not an isolated act. It involves fellowship with others. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 we read, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, Is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
Communion has the thought of fellowship—a sharing together. When you break bread with us you are not only remembering the Lord with us, but you are also expressing fellowship with us in our teachings and position as gathered out to the Lord alone—apart from man-made denominations and gatherings. It would not be right for you to express fellowship with us in the breaking of bread unless you are convinced that the way we gather and what we teach is according to the Bible, and you are willing to walk in the same position with us.
2. Although the breaking of bread is the privilege of every Christian, it is very clear that this privilege can be forfeited by sin in a believer’s life or by association with evil (anything contrary to the Word of God). The Christians at Corinth were told to excommunicate a brother who was living in sin (1 Cor. 5:11-13).
We are told in 1 Timothy 5:22, “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partakers of other men’s sins.” The laying on of hands is an expression of fellowship. If we were to accept someone into fellowship with us whom we did not know very well, we could very easily associate ourselves with sin. “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6). For fellowship to be genuine, you must be well know by the assembly and vice versa. We hope that there will be opportunity for us to become better acquainted and to have more fellowship together.
3. In a local assembly the brothers and sisters are responsible to care for each other (1 Cor. 12:25). If someone is habitually absent from the gathering or falls into some sin, the Bible teaches that the assembly is to seek to restore such an one to the Lord (Gal. 6:1,2; 1 Cor. 5:5).
In order to restore someone to fellowship with the Lord and with the Lord’s people, the assembly is to take steps of correction depending on the individual case (1 Thess. 5:14, 1 Cor. 5:11, etc.).
It would be impossible to practice this truth of godly care and discipline if a Christian breaks bread with us one Lord’s day, then goes to a denomination or some other group to break bread another Lord’s day, and sometime later comes back to break bread with us.
4. It is the assembly which receives or excommunicates (Matt. 18:15-20). If you feel that you have been led by the Word of God to identify yourself with us in the breaking of bread, then you should express your desire to someone in the assembly. A short time would be allowed for any in the assembly to visit with you. Providing that there is nothing in your life and associations that would prevent you from breaking bread with us, you would gladly be received to break bread with us each Lord’s day. Of course you would also be received to break bread in any of the assemblies associated with us in various places by a letter of commendation (2 Cor. 3:1).
We would ask you to prayerfully search the Scriptures to see if what we have stated above is true. Should you desire, we would be happy too discuss this further with you.
WE’RE GLAD YOU CAME AND TRUST YOU WILL BE BLESSED!
2 Timothy 2 and 3 from the Numerical Bible
The Holy Spirit – Brief Outline Study
Heaven
(New King James Version)
1 Cor. 2:9,10&12: “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. . . . Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
1 Cor. 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
2 Pet. 3:13: “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
John 14:1-4: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
John 17:24: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
Jude 24: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
Daniel 2:28: “There is a God in heaven.”
Matt. 5:16: “Glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matt. 19:14: “Little children come to Me . . . for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Heb. 1:13-14: “The angels . . . are . . . all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”
Heb. 12:22: “An innumerable company of angels.”
Heb. 12:23: “The spirits of just men made perfect.” (Old Testament saints)
Rev. 4:6 & 5:8, etc.: “Four living creatures.”
Rev. 4:10 & 5:8, etc.: “Twenty-four elders.”
Rev. 5:6: “A Lamb as though it had been slain.”
Rev. 5:9: “Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
Rev. 5:11: “Many angels . . . and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.”
Rev. 7:9 & 14: “A great multitude . . . of all nations . . . who come out of the great tribulation.”
Rev. 21:22: “The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”
Rev. 21:27: “Only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
What Will We Be Doing In Heaven?
John 17:24: Beholding His glory: “Father, I desire that they . . . may behold My glory.”
Eph. 2:7: “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Rev. 5:9 & 13: Singing “a new song . . . [of the] redeemed . . . forever and ever!”
Rev. 5:12 & 13: Worshipping “the Lamb who was slain . . . forever and ever!”
Rev. 7:15: “Serve Him day and night in His temple.”
Rev. 14:3: “They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.”
Rev. 15:3: “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!”
Rev. 22:3: “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.”
What Do We Know About Heaven from Scripture?
2 Sam. 12:23: David said: “But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
Psa. 11:4: “The LORD’S throne is in heaven.”
Psa. 16:11: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psa. 150:3: “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp!”
Isa. 66:1: “Heaven is My throne.”
Matt. 6:20: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matt. 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt. 22:30: “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.”
Mark 12:25: “They neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.”
Luke 10:20: “[Our] names are written in heaven.”
Luke 15:7 & 10: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. . . . Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Until the Rapture.)
John 14:2: “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (NKJV); “house” (JND); “rooms” (ESV & NIV); “dwelling places” (NAS); “more than enough room in my Father’s home” (NLT). [Greek word is mone, means = a staying, abiding, dwelling, abode. – A permanence spacious variety.]
John 14:3: We will be where He is.
1 Cor. 15:52: Our resurrected body will be “incorruptible.”
1 Cor. 15:43: “It is raised in glory . . . raised in power.”
1 Cor. 15:44: “It is raised a spiritual body.”
1 Cor. 15:51: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
1 Cor. 15:53: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
Eph. 1:11: “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
Eph. 2:6: “Raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Eph. 5:27: “He will “present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
Phil. 3:20: “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
Phil. 3:20 & 21: “The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ . . . will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
Col. 3:4: “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Heb. 2:9: “We see Jesus . . . crowned with glory and honor.”
Heb. 9:15: “The promise of the eternal inheritance.”
Heb. 12:22: “An innumerable company of angels.”
1 Peter 1:4: “An inheritance incorruptible [death proof – priceless] and undefiled [sin proof – pure] and that does not fade away [age proof – permanent], reserved [protected – preserved] in heaven for you.”
1 John 3:2: “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Rev. 2:10: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Rev. 5:9 & 11 & 13: We will sing “a new song” with many “angels,” “the living creatures and the elders . . . and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” [10,000 X 10,000 + 1,000s of 1,000s.] ”And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them . . . to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Rev. 14:2: “Harpers harping with their harps.”
Rev. 19:1 & 6: “A loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! . . . the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
Rev. 19:7: “The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
Rev. 19:16: “He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Rev. 21:12: 12 gates and twelve angels at the gates all named with “the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.”
Rev. 21:13: “3 gates on the east, 3 gates on the north, 3 gates on the south, and 3 gates on the west.”
Rev. 21:14: “The wall of the city had 12 foundations, and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.”
Rev. 21:16: The New Jerusalem “is laid out as a square . . . twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.” [Furlong is 600 feet X 12,000 = 7,200,000 feet.]
Rev. 21:17: “Its wall: 144 cubits.” [Cubit is 18 inches X 144 = 2,592 inches, or 216 feet.
Rev. 21:18a: “The construction of its wall was of jasper.” The jasper is a symbol of the communicable glory of God.” Compare John 17:22.
Rev. 21:18b: “The city was pure gold, like clear glass.”
Rev. 21:19 & 20: “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.”
Rev. 21:21a: “The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl.
Rev. 21:21b: “And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”
Rev. 21:22: “The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”
Rev. 21:23: “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”
Rev. 21:25a: “Its gates shall not be shut at all by day.”
Rev. 21:25b: “There shall be no night there.”
Rev. 21:27: “Only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Rev. 22:1: “A pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
Rev. 22:2: “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.”
Rev. 22:3: “His servants shall serve Him.”
Rev. 22:4: “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”
1 Cor. 15:50: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.”
Gal. 5:19-21: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, etc., . . . those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Rev. 21:4: No tears, no death, “nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Rev. 21:5: Nothing old, “I make all things new.”
Rev. 21:23: “No need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”
Rev. 21:25: “No night there.”
Rev. 21:27: “There shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie.” (All unbelievers.)
“It is not the Jasper Wall or the Pearly gates that makes heaven attractive. It’s being with God.” – Dwight L. Moody
On a tombstone: “2 Cor. 5:8: Ascended and Present with the Lord.”
Are you looking forward to going to heaven? (2 Cor. 5:2,4,8; Phil. 1:23).
Is there anything you would very much like to do or complete or accomplish before you finish this present life? (Phil. 1:24).
Would you be happy if the Lord came today? (1 Thess. 4:17,18).
Are you sure you are going to heaven? (1 John 5:13). Will we eat in heaven? (Rev. 22:2).
Little Flock
(Appendix = *)
46* – Have I an object, Lord, below
48 – High, in the Father’s house above.
89 – Hosanna to the King of kings!
127 (GT-397) – How blest a home!
78* (GT-377) – I am waiting for Thee, Lord
19*(4&5)(GT-124)–In heavenly love abiding
208 – In hope we lift our wishful, longing eyes
143 – King of glory, set on high
170 (GT-384)– Lo! He comes, from heaven de-
134 – Lord of Glory, we Adore Thee!
335 (GT-3) – O God, how wide Thy glory shines
110 – O God! Thou now hast glorified
86 – O Lord! Thou now art seated
106 – O Lord! ‘tis joy to look above
80 – On earth the song begins
39 – On His Father’s throne is seated
79 – Rest of the saints above
30* (v3) – Rest of the saints in glory
304 – Soon the saints in glory singing
286 – Soon Thou wilt come again
244 – That bright and blessed morn is near
173 – “A little while” – the Lord shall come
226 – And art Thou, gracious Master, gone
18* – And is it so! I shall be like Thy Son
270 – And shall we see Thy face
74* – “Behold the Lamb” enthroned on high
125 – Behold the Lamb with glory crowned!
179(GT 61) – Brightness of eternal glory
212 – Called from above, and heavenly men
161 – “Forever with the Lord!”
93 – From the palace of His glory
14 – Hark! Ten thousand voices crying
233(GT-62) – Hark! The choirs of angels crying
Grace and Truth
258 – Amazing Grace
309 – Around the Throne of God in Heaven
376 – Called From Above
379 – He is Coming, Coming for Us
380 – In Us the Hope of Glory
357 – Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun
84 – Satisfied With Thee, Lord Jesus
352 – The Glory Shines Before Me
393 – We Are But Strangers Here
398 – Oh, Bright and Blessed Scenes
400 – The Sands of Time are Sinking
354 – There is a Happy Land
349 – We’re Traveling Home to Heaven Above
378 – We Wait For Thee, O Son of God
400 – The Sands of Time are Sinking
Street Preaching
Women in the Assembly
The Verbal Inspiration of God’s Word
(1 Corinthians 2:13)
Many Christians fully believe that the very words of Scripture are inspired; that is, that not simply the sense of Scripture was directly from God, leaving various writers to choose very much their own words, but that also caused the writers to use His own words.
Without entering at any length into the question of inspiration, it may be well to just quote a few passages that bear upon the verbal inspiration of Scripture.
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31). “The words I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:36). “He that is of God heareth the words of God” (John 8:47). “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled” (Matt. 5:18). “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth” (1 Cor. 2:13). These passages may suffice, when taken with the passages usually quoted for the inspiration of the whole of Scripture.
But those who disbelieve in the inspiration of the words of Scripture, say, “Of what use is your belief in verbal inspiration, when we are not sure that we have the very words God caused to be written? The hundreds and thousands of variations in the manuscripts destroy your theory, or render it useless.”
Now, in the first place, we must insist upon it that there are two separate and distinct questions to be considered—questions which should not be allowed to interfere with one another.
The first question is—Did God so control the writers of the Scriptures that they wrote His words? We say, Yes. We have quoted some passages that speak of “words;” and we must hold this truth firmly. To give it up is to allow the thin edge of the wedge of skepticism to come in between us and God as to His Word. What distinct thought can we have, in speaking of a jot or tittle of the law not failing, if it is sufficient to consider its general sense? And how are we to arrive at the sense of Scripture except through the words used? We consider that a Christian must hold to “verbal” inspiration, or he virtually gives up inspiration altogether—at least in a way that is at all worthy of God, in giving us an infallible guide amid the surrounding darkness and error.
Now, if this point is once settled, it greatly simplifies the other, namely, “Have we a correct copy of that which God caused to be written?” Suppose for a moment I am obliged to say, “No, we have not a correct copy;” that in no way touches the other point, namely, that there were correct copies once. And if I believe that there were such, I naturally say, “I wish I had a correct copy.” But, on the other hand, I have nothing to wish for if I deny that there ever were copies of “the words of God.” If Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John gave only the sense of what God intended them to write, I have that in almost any Greek copy: why search any more? Why spend years of labor, and thousands of dollars, to get at that which never existed, namely, “the words of God”? I may labor diligently to get accurately what Paul wrote; but of what use is it, if, when I have arrived at it, I have PAUL, and not God, except as to the general sense? This I have already in the common Greek text, and in the Authorized Version.
Thus we see that by believing in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures is given the impetus to search after a correct text; but it surely is not worth the time and labor, if I have nothing to gain but the words of those who were merely the instruments. It is because God caused the writers to use His words that gives us the earnest desire to have a correct copy of these very words.
Now, with this desire before us, we must candidly admit that we may not have every word God caused to be written; that is what desire and labor are for. But if we have not every one, we have nearly all; there are places where we have not yet been able to say with certainty that we have the exact words. In some places the weight of evidence for two or more readings is so nearly balanced, that it is not for anyone to dogmatically say what it was in the original.
As we have seen, the various readings do not touch one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. These all stand out in their full lustre, as they came from the finger of God. But because it is the word of God, we want to know the words He used in every place. We do know them in the main; in thousands of passages there are no variations worth speaking of, nothing to disturb the commonly received version which has been in use in the church for so long. With the exceptions that have been named, we have the “words of God” as given in the New Testament. On these we hang our souls’ salvation, and in these is the hope set before us, of so seeing our blessed Lord, and being with Him, and like Him, forever.
This is “Our Father’s Will”: let us receive it devoutly; believe every word of it; and seek to obey it in all things.
(From “Our Father’s Will”—A Short History of the Text of the New Testament.)