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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.
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House for the Lord,
please visit our Publications section.
LESSON
#5
In
a preceding lesson on the subject, it was pointed out that there were five overt
acts of worship observable in the New Testament Church. And for the observance
of these “sacrifices of righteousness”, its members were exhorted to
"consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is Heb.
10:24,25. This is the responsibility of all the "members of the
body" 1 Cor. 12,23
·
"Let
every man prove his own work"
·
"Every
man shall bear his own burden" Gal.
6:4,5.
When this is done the burden is equally distributed,
fulfilling the plan of God that "there may be equality" 2
Cor. 8:14. When some of the members fall down on the job, this adds to the
burden of the others and slows the whole process. Thus Paul addresses an
assembly as to it's responsibility to hear and act as "the whole
church" 1 Cor. 14:23, and that,
when it's members "be come together into one place" 1
Cor. 14:23. Notice the fact of assembly.
·
"When
ye are gathered together" 1 Cor 5:4
·
"Ye
come together…into one place 1 Cor
11:20
·
“When
ye come together" 1 Cor 11:33
·
"The
whole church be come together into one place" 1 Cor. 14:23. Whatever the church is required to do in assembly.
·
"Let
all things be done unto edifying". 1
Cor.14:26
·
"Let
all things be done decently and in order" 1 Cor. 14:40
Paul said, "all things edify not" 1
Cor. 10:23, therefore, we ought, like Paul, "Give none offense...to the
church of Cod" 1 Cor. 10:32, by insisting on our rights though "all things are
lawful for me" 1 Cor. 10:23.
Paul said,
·
"Even
as. I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit
of many, that they may be saved" 1
Cor. 10:33
·
"I
made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more" 1
Cor. 9:19. Why? "For the gospel's sake" vs.
23
·
"I
say…to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he
ought to think" Rom. 12:3
·
They who
favor self by "comparing themselves among themselves are not wise...for not
he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth 2
Cor. 10:12,18
·
We are to
be spiritually capable of "preferring one another"
Rom. 12:10,
and of being "of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things,
but condescend to men of low estate" Rom.
12:16 This our Lord did. 1 Cor.
1:26‑28
·
"We
then that are strong (this is the test) ought to bear the infirmities of the
weak and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for
his good to edification" Rom. 15:1,2
·
Paul
said, "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity (love) edifieth"
1 Cor. 8:1.
Since, therefore, it is the nature of love to vaunteth not itself…seeketh not
her own" 1 Cor. 13:4,5, then,
they whom it "constraineth" 2
Cor. 5:14 will not permit their "liberty" to "become a
stumbling block to them that are weak" 1Cor.
8:9
·
"Let
no man seek his own, but each his neighbor's good"
1 Cor. 10:24 A.S.V.)
One
will be able to do this only as he, like Moses shall “esteem the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” Heb. 11:26. Only then will we take “joyfully the spoiling
of…goods” of things on earth. There is “a better, and enduring
substance” in heaven, Heb. 10:34,
but only such as have an undimmed view of it will set their affection on things
above” Col. 3:2. Christ said.
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Matt. 6:21. When one judges that “life consisteth…in the
abundance of the things which he possesseth Luke
12;15. He may, as Christ said to the rich man, “in thy life time receive
thy good things” Luke 16:25, but
when “thy soul shall be required” Luke
12:20, the folly of such judgment shall be fully revealed. Men may conduct
themselves in, such a way as to disregard the principle we have mentioned in the
8 things enumerated above” and in this life, “have their reward’’ Matt.
6:2,5, but the reward” will turn to wormwood when true values are really
seen.
It may seem silly even to some of God’s people to
hear Paul say now, I “am less than the least of all saints” Eph.
3:8. But when it is remembered that he said it in consideration of “the
unsearchable riches of Christ” Eph. 3:8.
Then we understand the spirit in which he said it, who once said, upon the
discovery of “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” Phil.
3:8, “What things were gain to me (as I judged them) those I counted loss
for Christ” Phil. 3:7. Those
“things” constituted Paul’s “confidence in the flesh” Phil. 3:4‑6. But upon seeing the futility of the “things”
he said, “We…have no confidence in the flesh” Phil.
3:3. Such as these will not exalt “the things of the flesh” Rom.
8:5. Such as are “ yet carnal” even among God’s people, to the point
they do this, let them know that they “walk as men” 1
Cor. 3:3, and not “as strangers and pilgrims” 1
Pet. 2:11, who look “for a city which hath foundations whose builder and
maker is God” Heb. 11:10.
When “the members of the body” assemble to claim
the promise of “the head”, “there am I in the midst” Matt. 18:20. Each member ought to determine by God’s “grace to
help”, that as far as he is concerned, the assembly shall indeed be “an
habitation of God” Eph. 2:22. Able
to “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God” 1
Pet. 2:5; thus, “come together…for the better” 1 Cor. 11:17. That is, edified, strengthened, encouraged,
determined, and informed, in the things of divine appointment, that they be
indeed able, effectively “to shew forth the praises of him” 1
Pet. 2:9, in whose name the coming
together is enjoined.
Now on the principle that “as he thinketh in his
heart so is he”
Prov.
23:7, we see
just how important it is that we see to it that the heart be right in worship.
“The Lord looketh on the heart” “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man” Ps. 94:11, for “out of the heart proceed…thoughts” Matt.
15:19, whether good or bad. It is clear that God does not receive the overt
act, unless motivated by a worshipping heart.
·
“Unto
the wicked God sayth, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou
shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth” Ps.
50:16. We see the application of this in the character of the Pharisee.
Christ said, “They say, and do not” Matt.
23:2.
·
What
shall we say of the disciple who cries, “Lord, Lord, and do not the things
which I say?” Luke 6:46. The Lord
says, “a good man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which
is good…for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” Luke
6:45. We shall see how this principle operates in the overt acts of worship
in the assembly. The consciousness of divine blessings creates gratitude toward
the Lord who blesses until it must express itself. This expression is worship.
This
worship thus offered glorifies God. The wicked cannot offer such worship because
they “know not God”. The path toward the expression of worship is as
follows:
·
"I
will hear what God the Lord will speak" Ps. 85:8. This a child of God is able to do, and thus required to
do, but not so of the wicked. For that which God speaks to his children the
wicked have no ear to hear. "How then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of
uncircumcised lips?" Ex. 6:12.
Such lips of course belong to such as are "uncircumcised in heart and
ears" Acts 7:51.
·
Ears, to
hear
·
Heart, to
understand
·
Lips, to
express
If
the uncircumcised state obtains where the process begins, its character will be
manifest all along the way. God's people however, whose "circumcision is
that of the heart" Rom. 2:29,
and thus enabled to "worship God in the spirit" Phil. 3:3, and therefore, "hear with understanding" Neh.
8:2. To such as these Christ said, "Blessed are your eyes for they see;
and your ears for they hear" Matt.
13:16.
·
"All
that thou sayest I will do" Ruth 3:5.
This is to be the believer's response to the will of God. James wrote, "Be
ye doers of the word" James 1:22.
John said, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in
truth" 1 Jn. 3:18. When men
"hear" and "do", God then acts.
·
"No
good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly"
Ps. 84:11.
It is then that we see in truth that "the earth is full of the goodness of
the Lord" Ps. 33:5. When God's
people can say in their hearts that this is true, they will with David, cry:
·
"Come
and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my
soul" Ps. 66:16. With such
declarations, under such consciousness of divinely supplied goodness, is God
pleased? Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his
voiced." Ex. 5:2. But what of
the believer who would not dare say this with his mouth, but who asks the same
question by, his disobedient life? For such "the time is come that judgment
must begin at the house of God" 1Pet. 4:17.
What shall you say, Who faithfully attend the morning
worship services, but do not come at night, when God shall ask, "Why is the
house of God forsaken? Neh. 13:11.
What do you say in your failure to assemble at the appointed hour, when God’s
people are commanded “to come together to eat” 1Cor. 11:33 the elements that tell of the love of the Savior for
your soul, “in remembrance of me” 1Cor.
11:25. What shall you say, who disclaim God’s right to a portion of your
increase, when God’s word declares that his requires “an equality” 2
Cor. 8:14, so that none be burdened by the willful failure of others to
assume their just and equal responsibility toward the work. What shall you say
to God’s call to assemble when the words are plain, not to be found
"Forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is" Heb. 10:25. Do the words,
"as the manner of some is" describe your manner? Why? Be honest with
God and your own soul. Why? Some day the summons will come, and the answer will
be to the shame of such as have named the name of Christ. To God's glory and the
testimony of His house, if you are His, and in His house, arise now and help us
keep house for our God. Come with an open ear, a tender heart, and clean hands.
Our God desires to visit his "habitation".
Prepared
by:
H.
Frank Fort, Minister, Berean Baptist Church
Houston, Texas.
Aug. 1, 1956.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"