Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Brethren, a few verses, a couple of verses, and first Timothy. First Timothy chapter 3 and verses 15 and 16. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou Artest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
And without controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
And just in Revelation 22, I'd like to call attention to the Lord speaking here three times about His coming, Revelation 22 and verse 7.
Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Again and they.
12TH verse. And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. And then in the 20th verse.
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.
Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
In reading these two verses in First Timothy chapter 3, it's lovely to think of this epistle addressed to a young man, a young man who had been a companion of the apostle Paul, a young man who had a deep desire for the blessing of the people of God as well As for the Lord's glory and his own personal life. And so the apostle, in writing to him, seeks to encourage him.
And I believe in these two verses.
We have two particular things brought before us in connection with the testimony of the Church here upon earth. First of all, in the 15th verse we have its position, and then in the 16th verse, a practical moral character. I believe both these are so important. As I say, here was a young man. Sometimes those who were young tend to look out, and as they see the breakdown and ruin.
Things to become discouraged, but here was a young man and he's told in the next chapter, let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in Word, in conversation and charity, in patience. And so may I encourage those who are young here this afternoon that we might seek to go on for the Lord. We might feel well, it's a difficult day. We might say it's so hard.
In these closing days, but here is a special word to a young man.
And it says that thou mayest know how thou art us to behave thyself in the House of God. Now perhaps in the minds of some, they might think of a special building, and that there should be a certain behavior in that building. Well, I don't doubt that when we come into the Lord's presence, there certainly ought to be that reverence that is due to His presence, the Scripture says.
The Lord is to be had in that God is greatly to be feared in the.
Assembly of His Saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him. But that is not primarily what is brought before us in this verse. The House of God is that which professes the name of Christ upon earth. It includes the whole of Christian profession. And in the first epistle of Timothy things were still in order. Division had not yet come in.
Warnings are given, and no doubt the seeds of departure had already.
Begun. But it had not come openly, and so Paul could address Timothy in a special way in the first epistle.
That thou mayest know how thou Artest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God. What a marvelous expression, the Church of the living God. God has been calling out a people out of this world. God has visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. This stands out, no doubt, in contrast to idolatry. Many people at this time were undoubtedly saved out of.
Idolatry, and they became part of the Church of the Living God. What a place God has a people in this world, and they are spoken out in this way. Is it a marvelous thing that out of the vast numbers of humanity God is gathering out of people? They are dear to Him. They are going to form part of that glorious bride that will be displayed in all her beauty in a coming day.
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About the testimony is still here upon earth.
And what is the responsibility connected with it here? The pillar and ground of the truth. The assembly is responsible to maintain the truth of God, to maintain the deposit of truth that has been committed to it. We know that it was failure in this, the allowance of so much that was wrong and evil, how that led to all the breakdown that took place in the Church's history.
And has still taken place. But what is the responsibility of the church? Well, it doesn't say that the church teaches. We know there is a great system which teaches about the church does not teach. It tells us in the letters to the churches in First Corinthians, in Revelation 2 and three, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
And that is how the Spirit of God speaks.
Through his word to the church, he may use those in the assembly who are teachers. But what to do? Well, it says, Who have spoken unto you the word of God?
The only authority that in connection with truth and doctrine is the precious word of God. It's not, I say, the teaching of the church, but the church does have a great responsibility, and that is to maintain the precious deposit of truth committed to it. And so when we come to the second epistle and we see the breakdown of all that is committed to man, it was necessary for the apostle to exhort in the second.
Chapter And say now that it had become a great house, And say, If a man therefore purged himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work to separate from the vessels to dishonor. What were the vessels to dishonor? Well, it tells us in that chapter, 2 Timothy 2.
There was a man in the professing house.
Who was saying that the resurrection was passed already? There are those who are professing Christians, and they bring in all kinds of doctrines in connection with the person and work of Christ. How to deny here the glorious person of our precious Savior? And that said it not that work. And what is the responsibility of the assembly to be the pillar and ground of the truth?
And may I say to those who are young?
What a privilege it is now that God, in His faithfulness, has gathered out a testimony to the precious name of the Lord Jesus. Is it because we are any better than any others? Not at all. But what is our privilege? All? May we realize this, dear brethren. May we realize this, dear young people, we have a responsibility to maintain.
The precious deposit of truth that has been committed to us.
It may be in much weakness, it may be that we see that which distresses and causes us sorrow, But thank God, and not because of our faithfulness, but because of God's faithfulness. He is going to and maintain such a testimony, because the Lord has asked us to remember Him until He comes. And may we value the precious truth committed to us, and even if the assembly is rather small.
Even if there are only a few, may we realize what it means to be gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus and to be among those who are seeking in that weakness to maintain the precious deposit of truth committed to us.
We thank God for those who have sought to stand for the truth. And may we and dear young people, and I speak especially to you because there's a great influx of literature in these days. Now there's a great, shall I say, opportunity to get all kinds of very interesting reading.
And sad to say, there's a mixture of truth and error in it. You'll often find the gospel quite.
Clearly presented, but then there's something that attacks the foundations of the truth of God. And may I commend to you how the precious truth as God has given it to us in His Word, and that which has sought to maintain the truth of God, which through grace is still available to us. And I don't speak disparagingly of much of the modern literature that is flooding the market today.
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Thankful for the gospel, but all dear young people, those who are not walking in the truth cannot maintain the truth. May God give us the value, the precious deposit of truth that has been committed to us, and may we have grace to walk in it. Well, that is the first thing that's brought before us because the true fellowship it says.
In the second chapter.
Of Acts they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship. Perhaps you say, oh, we have nice fellowship. Don't forget that preceding that word fellowship is that expression. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship. It's not the fellowship of God. It may be the fellowship that perhaps.
We can talk of the truth of salvation, but it's not the fellow.
The Scripture speaks of, unless it's the fellowship of the apostles doctrine. Well, now that's the whole revealed mind of God. And as well, as often said, we never find the truth spoken of in the plural in the Scripture. We don't hear about certain truths such as the truth of the Lord's coming, the deity of Christ, atonement. No, we don't read that in the plural. The Scripture speaks of the pillar.
Ground of the truth. And we read in Jude that they were to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints. It is not the faith unless it's in its entirety. It is not the truth unless it's in its entirety. It may be a part of it, but if it's mixed with error, it's spoiled. And so May God give us to realize and value the responsibility of God's assembly upon earth to be the pillar and ground of the truth.
But now the next verse here, and without controversy. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit scene of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
Now notice here it doesn't say great is the mystery of God. The deity of the Lord Jesus is a divine mystery, something that our minds cannot comprehend. But that's not what he is Speaking of here. It's not the mystery of God. We read of that in Colossians chapter 3 or two rather. But here it's the mystery of godliness. Godliness.
Now we've spoken of the truth of God committed to us.
A blessed privilege and yet a great responsibility. But now how are we to walk in a day like this? Now what is the secret of godliness?
It's quite remarkable here, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. Oh, how many controversies rage among God's people? Is it godly to do this? Is it godly to do that? Would you call that person a godly person? But here he says without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. This is not something to create a controversy about. Now, what is the secret of godliness?
There was one who walked in this world who could say.
He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father. And so the secret of godliness, to put it very simply, is the pathway of the Lord Jesus through this world. All how simple it is when we think of it. And so if we would desire, perhaps you have discussions, dear young people, with your friends and say, well, some people say that's ungodly, but other people don't think it's very wrong. Here's the secret of God.
Do you really have the Lord Jesus before you? Here was one in this world, God manifest in the flesh. Everything in his blessed life, every word He spoke, the tone of His voice, every action and every varying situation was a perfect manifestation of God here upon earth. And if you and I would know how we should act, if we would know this lovely secret of.
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Godliness, let us trace his pathway and let us look up and say what would he do in this situation? How would he act? God was manifest in the flesh. That precious Savior walking through this world has become our example. So that as Peter said, he left us an example that we should follow his steps.
And now it goes on to say, justified in the spirit.
You know, as the Lord Jesus walked through this world, there were those who found fault with Him. Now in the 5th chapter of John, they found fault because He healed a man and told him to carry his bed on the Sabbath day when he healed. On another occasion, why they were very angry and there were different instances in the Lord's life where the onlookers found fault.
How about whose approval did this precious Savior seek? Well, he was justified in the Spirit. Isn't this lovely? At his baptism, the Spirit of God came down, and amid all that crowd of people who were there confessing their sins, the Spirit of God lights upon him as a dove, the symbol of peace, and said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Now there may be times when.
People find fault with us. Are you and I seeking to be justified by the Spirit of God? We'll learn His mind through His Word and the sweet peace that it gives of knowing that we're just walking according to His Word and enables us to go on and live a path that's pleasing to Him. You know, it's ******* to be trying to please everybody.
It's ******* you can't do it. You'll please a few.
You'll certainly never please everybody, and when you try to do one thing, you'll displease another. And when you try to correct that, you'll displease someone else. But isn't it sweet that we can go through this world where the Word of God is our guide, and that word applied by the Spirit to our souls, giving us the consciousness that we're living to please Him, justified in the Spirit. I think this is very precious.
And we need this. And brethren, we need.
That young people in these days, there's so many conflicting opinions. The minds of man are at work, but we have the word of God and the Spirit of God bears witness to the soul through the word. And then the next one it says scene of angels.
The angels looked down and they saw their Creator here in this world. They saw Him walking through this world, and when that precious Savior walked through here, they could look down and see a perfect man. There had never been such before. Now to the angels, look down upon us. Yes, perhaps more than you've thought of it tells us it was read in the 3rd chapter of Ephesians.
It says there.
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God. That is, the angels look down, and they see this company being gouted out from among men. I believe that they know that we're going to form the bride of Christ. I believe they know we're going to occupy a nearer place to Christ in glory than even the angels, our brother remarked.
The other day they're going to move out, as it were, and allow the Angel, allow the redeemed, the church, to occupy a nearer place than they occupy. And they look, they look upon us. They know that we're going to have part in that glory. I wonder what they see in us. I believe, brethren, if we were conscious of this, it would make a difference in the way we act. Those angels know nothing but obedience. Now they are.
Fallen angels spoken of his elect angels, and they looked down upon us, who have been blessed more abundantly than they. And what do they see? Well, they saw perfection in the Lord Jesus. Another verse says that when we're persecuted, we're a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. When a sister puts a covering on her head, the angels look down to see that she recognizes the place that she's in as a figure of the church.
His relationship to Christ always set out. It's a small matter. I didn't think that was important. The angels are watching us, and as they look down on the Lord, oh, how lovely they saw that perfect one here in this world. The one who had come down, they announced at his birth unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
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But then it says here.
Preached under the Gentiles. Why is this brought in? You would expect when it speaks so much of the Lord being sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Why does it say preach to the Gentiles?
Well, when he was rejected of Israel, the grace reached out beyond the limits of Israel to the Gentiles. And brethren, what is the moral lesson to us? What is the moral lesson to us in this? Oh, perhaps you say people reject me.
People don't like me and I don't feel that I can do anything. What did the Lord Jesus do when the very nation that He came to bless rejected Him? He came unto his own, and His own received Him not. Did that stem the heart of grace in His heart? Oh no. It reached out to Gentiles. Oh brethren, when you and I are hurt, when things are said and done that wound us, do we say, Oh, I give up? I'm thrilled people don't.
Appreciate what I do. Ah, the precious Savior went on and reached out in grace beyond that nation that rejected Him. And there was the blessing of the Syrophoenician woman. There was the blessing of those who were outside. Oh, May God grant that the difficulties that beset our pathway as Christians may not dry up the spring of grace in our hearts, and that we might seek to go on. This is the secret of godliness.
The pathway of the Savior, and then it says believed on in the world. You say I don't see much results for my service. Well, there were results. There were results. And when the Lord at the end of his pathway was brought to Jerusalem, the results were not apparent. The crowds gathered around and sat away with Him. His disciples forsook him and fled were the results.
Be manifested up there only to say it's so hard to labor on and not see results. The results will be seen up there. And so the end of that blessed pathway was He was received up in glory. It was as it were, the Father's answer to that perfect pathway. And brethren, may we not miss the point in this passage. This is the secret of godliness. All these are discouraging days.
Assembly after assembly has trials and difficulties.
And our hearts tend to get withered underneath them and dry up. But here we're told, first of all, that the assembly is to be the pillar and ground of the truth. And then we're encouraged. We're encouraged with the example of the precious Savior. What a pathway of difficulty was his, how hard the situations that he met. And even his disciples misunderstood him. But he went on. He sought his Father's approval. And where did the pathway end?
It ended in glory, and where's our pathway going to end? It's going to end in glory too. And every little thing that's been done in your life and mine for Him is going to be manifested there and it's going to be rewarded. Oh, what a difference it would make in our local assemblies if we realized these two important things in our Christian testimony. That is to stand for the truth of God.
Speaking it in love and to go on.
In that spirit of Christ following the example of our precious Savior whose life of unwearying service was never never stopped when the people were going to cast stones at him. It says he just went a little farther and saw a man that was blind from birth and stopped and healed him. Oh what matchless grace. Well I just comment briefly on those 3 verses I read in the 22nd chapter of Revelation 3 times.
The Lord says, Behold, I come quickly, but only once is there a response? Did you ever notice that? Why is it that the Lord said Behold, I come quickly three times, but only once was there a response?
Well, it's very interesting and perhaps it speaks to your heart and mind. The first time he said, behold, I come quickly. A blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Could we ask him to come because we've been so faithful? Could we ask him to come because we have kept his precious word? Oh, we'd have to hang our heads and say, well, I'm glad he's coming, but I'm afraid that I haven't kept his word like I should.
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Then he says again, Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me.
Oh, you say, how could he ever give me a reward? I'm an unprofitable servant. I get discouraged so easily and I'm so unfaithful. How could I say, surely I how could I say, come Lord Jesus, I don't think I qualify for a reward.
But the next time He doesn't add anything to it. He just says, Behold, I come quickly. And the response that once is Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. O brethren, He loves to have the response of our hearts. We surely have nothing to boast about. We can't say that we have kept His word. We can't say we qualify for reward, but we can say that through grace He has won our hearts.
He's won our hearts and surely when he says, behold, I come quickly, it does create some response. May that response be deeper as we realize all He is that precious Savior, the One who loved us and gave himself for us. We've been unfaithful, but He's faithful. But He has given us a privilege to live for him in this world and again.
In closing, may I say.
May we value the precious privilege of being gathered to His name, seeking to maintain the truth of God. And may we be given grace to walk in the pathway of that precious Savior whose every step was so pleasing to His Father. And He has given us this blessed pathway to be the secret of godliness to us in a day when it may be.
Encouraging and difficult.
Ies.
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