10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
KEEPING HOUSE FOR
THE LORD
Written by H. Frank Fort
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.
To order a copy of Keeping
House for the Lord,
please visit our Publications section.
"These
things write I unto thee…that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave
thyself in the house of God" 1 Tim.
3:14,15.
The
knowledge of how to behave in “the house of God” depends upon the
information, which the head of that house has given. We have many experts in the
field of etiquette, prescribing for those who, in their social and official
lives, observe the rules of decorum. In God’s house, however, He makes the
rules as to what constitutes “good behavior” 1
Tim. 3:2.
The worship in God’s House consists of five formal
acts:
·
Preaching
·
Praying
·
Singing
·
Giving
·
Breaking
of bread
The blessings promised to the doing of these things,
however, depend on the spirit in which they are done. It is written, “They
that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” Jn. 4:24.
·
The truth
defines how God wants the thing done.
·
The
spirit enables the doing of it that way.
Paul said, “We are the circumcision which worship
God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus” Phil. 3:3. Wherever God is worshipped, there is rejoicing. When the
disciples saw the Lord in ascension, “They worshipped him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the temple praising and
blessing God”.
Luke
24:52,53.
When God accepted the dedicated temple “all the children of Israel… bowed
themselves…and worshipped, and praised the Lord”
2
Chron. 7:3.
It is written as to the worship of one of God’s
children:
·
“The
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering” Gen. 4:4. How was this respect known?
·
“He
(Abel) obtained witness…God testifying of his gifts” Heb. 11:4.
Exactly
so does God testify for the doing of his Will in the spirit of Christ, in behalf
of his own today. Notice, “He that believes on the Son of God hath the witness
in himself”
1
Jn. 5:10.
But how does that witness give his testimony? Paul said, “The spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God”
Rom.
8:16. Paul
also wrote,
·
“If any
man have not the spirit of Christ, he is not his.” Rom. 8:9.
·
Therefore
any person with whose spirit, the Holy Spirit hears witness is God’s property;
but since the testimony of this witness is given in the obedience of the
property, (“purchased possession”).
Then the testimony referred to is given after the
relationship has been established. This is exactly what Paul
wrote, “beareth witness…that we are the children
of God”. Thus he wrote to the Church at Corinth, “The testimony of Christ
was confirmed in you” 1 Cor. 1:6.
This is the order of truth, Paul said:
·
“I have
begotten you through the gospel” 1 Cor.
4:15.
·
"The
testimony of Christ was confirmed in you" 1 Cor. 1:6.
The gospel believed establishes the relationship,
while spiritual blessings within the relationship confirm it. Notice:
·
"Brethren…prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" Rom.
12:1,2. Notice, not alien sinners, but brethren are to do this, therefore
the proof does not make brethren, but rather, brethren, prove.
·
"Now
are ye light in the Lord…walk…proven what is acceptable unto the Lord: Eph.
5:8,10. Who can prove by walking? Only those who are "light in the
Lord”. But what is the nature of the proof? "The fruit of the
spirit" Eph.
5:9.
·
"My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in
truth; and hereby we know that we are of the truth (in what we are doing) and
shall assure our hearts before him"
1 Jn. 3:18,19.
Who is able to do this? Only "my little children", that is, those who
are born again. Notice that in all the cases above, we have this order of truth:
·
The
children of God,
·
The
confirmation of that relationship as "the spirit itself beareth
witness" to that relationship
·
Rom.
8:16, 1 Jn. 5:10.
Notice
how these examples correspond to the case of Abel. "The Lord had respect
unto Abel and to his offering" Gen.
4:4.
·
"Respect
unto Abel".
·
"To
his offering".
God never confirms his testimony, in the sense above,
until the relationship has been established. God had respect unto Abel because
Abel was his child, and he had respect unto what Abel did, because it was an act
of faith on the part of his child. Christ has made it very plain that happiness,
as the result of doing what God requires his children to do, is promised only to
his children. Jn. 13:17,18. Happiness
for doing "the will of God in Christ Jesus"
1
Thess. 5:18
is not promised to all men, but only to saved men, as a comparison of Jn.
13:10,11 with Jn. 13:17,18,
shows. Here is the order:
·
"If
ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" Jn.
8:39. Notice "If ye were …. ye would". Doing the works referred
to must follow in point of time, the spiritual relationship. Paul said, "If
ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the
promise" Gal. 3:29, that is, "If a son then an heir of God through
Christ" Gal. 4:7. "If
children then heirs" Rom. 8:17.
·
"If
God were your Father, ye would love me" Jn. 8:42.
Of
the lost, it is written, "Ye have not the love of God in you!" Jn.
5:42. Who were these? Such as "have not his word abiding in" them,
and who therefore "believe not" Jn.
5:38. Love for Christ follows the birth, which has God as
"Father". John said, "We love him because he first loved us"
1 Jn. 4:19. And this love was shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Rom,
5:5, when that part of the new birth was effected which is called the
"renewing of the Holy Ghost" Titus
3:5. Thus Paul said, "Because ye are Sons, God hath sent forth Spirit
of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" Gal.
4:6. Just as certain as one is a Son, just so certain has ho received the
Spirit. Just as certain as he has received the spirit, just so certain has the
love of God been shed abroad in his heart. This is true only of God's children.
·
"Whatsoever
ye do, do all to the glory of God" 1
Cor. 10:31. Who can do this? Only the saved, for Paul said, "ye are
bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body" 1
Cor. 6:20; "yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive unto
God" Rom. 6:13. Only those who are "free from sin" can act as
"servants of righteousness", or "servants of God" Rom.
6:18-22. The conscience must first be purged by "blood" before one
can "I serve the living God" Heb.
9:14. One is created in Christ Jesus unto good works"
Eph. 2:10.
This is God's order always. It is just as true in the Old Testament as it is in
the New Testament. Notice,
·
"The
Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart”.
·
"To
love the Lord thy God with all thine heart".
· "And do all his commandments" Deut. 30:6,8
Notice
the order of the truth and compare with the following:
·
“Ye
shall be clean
·
“I will
put my spirit within you “
·
“And
cause you to walk in my statues” Eze.
36:25,27
This
is exactly the order of the New Testament.
·
“He
that is washed...is clean every whit “ Jn.
13:10
·
“It is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” Phil.
2:13.
·
“Walk
as children of light” Eph. 5:8, and
be ye filled with the fruits of righteousness Phil.1:11
Through their new birth, we have life. Those who have
this spiritual life are to manifest it. In doing so they “serve in a newness
of spirit” Rom. 7:6, and “walk in
a newness of life” Rom. 6:4. Paul
said, “I serve with my spirit”
Rom.
1:9, and
this serving involves “the members” Rom.
6:13, as we glorify God in the body. The body serves in the overt acts of
worship as enumerated in the beginning of this lesson, but the overt acts are
not enough. If the worship of the spirit does not support the acts of the body,
then the acts are vain as to the blessing of the worshipper. Hence the necessity
of knowing how to keep house for the Lord.
Prepared
by: H. Frank Fort, Minister, Berean Baptist Church
Houston, TX. June
27, 1956.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"