That This Epistle Be Read

Introduction: The Three Characteristics of a True Church

0:02 Last time, I say, let us turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.

0:20 We are considering in our studies together the last three charges, commands, exhortations which the Apostle gives to this infant church as found in verses 25 through 27. Brethren, pray for us. Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the brethren.

0:53 As we have reminded you in the past couple of weeks, these are not mere haphazard admonitions with no mutual relationship one to the other or no overall perspective, but rather they are a beautiful, composite picture of the characteristics of a church living in the blessing of God and in the life-giving ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle longs that this assembly be marked by these three characteristics, continued prayerfulness, particularly with reference to the extension of Christ's kingdom. It seems to me that's pretty basic, is it not? For our Lord said,

1:37 When ye pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. And after worship the first petition is, Thy kingdom come. And this concern for the extension of Christ's kingdom is an indication, you see, that the church is not just ingrown into a nice little social or religious clique that makes the people and members thereof feel comfortable, but they recognize their God-given and their very strategic place in the world as instruments through which the kingdom of Christ is to be extended. And so he says, Pray for us, we who are engaged in a very peculiar way in this work of extending His kingdom.

2:21 Your heart should share with us in this great concern. Continued prayerfulness, intercessory prayer for the extension of Christ's kingdom, the mark of a true church, the evidence of a church living in the life and power of the Spirit. The second thing he longs to be manifest in there, is an increasing and evident love one for another. And we studied that last week.

2:48 Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss. Increase in your love to one another and wear your love on your shoulder. Don't let it lie concealed within your heart. Greet one another with the holy handshake, the modern counterpart of the same.

3:07 Not a mere civil handshake, not a Judas handshake, not a kiss of betrayal or the mere kiss of social custom, but a holy kiss. One that flows out of the heart as a distinguishing and definite expression of that peculiar love which knits the hearts of the people of God together in the common bond of Christ. Now this morning we come to the third characteristic of a true church living in the blessing of the Spirit found in these words, I adjure you by the Lord that this appearance, this will be read unto all the brethren. And what is this?

3:47 Well, to summarize it I would simply say it's a church that is adhering tenaciously to the truth of God. This is one of the marks of a true church where that truth by and large in its entirety adheres very tenaciously to apostolic doctrine. And so you have these three characteristics, continued prayer, carefulness, manifested love, and adherence to the truth, all in the context of the family. And this struck me in my preparation this week.

4:20 Three times in these verses, one in each verse, the word brethren comes before us. Brethren pray for us. Salute the brethren with a holy kiss. This epistle be read to all the brethren.

4:33 These characteristics are all to be in the climate of the family of God. One of the most wonderful concepts, scripture, is the fact that the church is the family of God. And when it ceases to grasp the genius of that, it ceases to be a true church. There may be prayer, there may be some evidence of love and adherence to the truth, but if there isn't family intimacy, something is lost.

The Nature of the Charge: An Adjuration by the Lord

5:05 And so these characteristics are to be in the context of the family of God, the intimacy of the household, where brethren know one another, love one another, bear with one another. Well then, what does the apostle mean by this very strange statement in verse 27? I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the brethren. To think our way through the text, consider with me in the first place the nature of this charge, how it comes, the essence of this charge, what it is, and then the implications of this charge, what does it say to us.

5:49 Alright, in the first place, the nature of this charge, how does it come to these people? Well, it comes as an adjuration. I adjure you by the Lord. Now, what is an adjuration?

6:03 When the apostle said to these people, I adjure you, what did he mean? As they sat there that morning when this epistle was read for the first time and these words were heard, I adjure you, what did that convey to their ears? For most of us, it conveys very little. Well, it means to put under an oath.

6:23 It denotes the requiring of a thing in the name and authority of God implying a denunciation and a vengeance if it be not done. This was used in Matthew 26, 63. Remember in the trial of our Lord. They threw all these false accusations at him in the scriptures.

6:44 They threw all these false accusations at him. He answered not a word until in frustration the high priest said in Matthew 27, 63, I believe, in 26, 63, I adjure you by the living God, tell us whether you be the Christ. And the Lord Jesus, who had been silent, now speaks and says, Thou hast said.

7:02 You see, it comes with that strong sense of the binding quality of an oath and the overtones of terrible threatening if whatever is charged upon a man is not done. Now since there is no higher authority than that which is invested in the Lord Jesus who according to Ephesians 1 has been exalted to the right hand of God above all principality and might and power and every name that is named not only in this world and in the world to come the apostle says, I adjure you by the Lord. That is, I solemnly charge you in the context of an oath with the overtones of divine threatening and vengeance.

7:46 Based upon the authority of him who sits in a place of absolute rule and power that you do what I tell you. Now, in other words, he doesn't know how to make his command any more weighty or sober than to couch it in this particular climate. So the nature of this charge then is the form of an adjuration. What are we warranted to conclude from that?

8:13 Well, simply this, that whatever is to follow, whatever is to come, whatever is to come, whatever is to come, whatever is to come, whatever is to come, whatever is to come, whatever is to come, whatever activity he is adjuring this people and us to engage in, that command comes not only with full apostolic authority, but with a peculiar mandate from God. It's imperative to obey. It's dangerous to ignore. Let me illustrate this with you kids.

8:37 Anything your mother and father tell you to do comes to you with the full weight of their God-given parental authority. When they smile, when they smile very sweetly and say very singingly, Johnny, come here. No matter how sweet and drippy and gooey they make it, the very fact that it's mama's or papa's lips speaking invests that word with peculiar God-given authority. God has constituted them your heads.

9:05 They didn't get together and have a huddle, though you may think so, but all the parents in the world said, now we're going to scheme a way to be mean to our kids. Let's all vote for one another that we be the bosses. No, no, God says, children, obey. Children, honor.

9:21 So, when mommy or daddy says in the sweetest voice possible, Johnny, come here, what they say comes with the full weight of constituted authority.

9:30 But when that same parent says, Johnny, you come here immediately, something else has been added. See? There is not only a command to come, but in the very tone of the voice, there's an implied threat. You see?

9:48 Now, everything that the apostle says, by virtue of being a commissioned representative of Christ, everything he says has divine authority as he speaks to the Ephesians. When he says very sweetly, for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that comes with absolute apostolic authority. But when he says, I adjure you, this comes with even something more in terms of a threat, in terms of something that is, sobering in its implications. Now, the other is no less authoritative.

10:22 This just has even something added. I hope the earthy illustration has communicated the nature in which this charge comes to us. So much for the nature. What's the essence of it?

The Essence of the Charge: Full Exposure to God's Word

10:33 How does he give the charge? He gives an adjuration. What's the essence of the charge? What is it?

10:39 Well, in a nutshell, it's this. That the entire family of God be exposed to the entire contents of the church. Of his letter. I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle, not some of the epistle, or parts of the epistle, but this epistle, from the first word to the last, be read unto all the brethren.

11:05 And it's very strong in the original. He just doesn't say unto the brethren and leave it up to us to say, well, maybe he meant some of the brethren. No, no. Unto all the brethren.

11:15 Just as he said very clearly, you're to greet all the brethren with a holy kiss, even those that you have no natural drawing to. You're to learn to love them in Christ and express your love. So all of this epistle is to be read unto all of the family of God. So the essence of his charge is that the entire family of God be exposed to the entire contents of the letter.

11:41 Now, why did he make such a charge? Well, some have suggested maybe there was beginning to be a little breakdown between the elders, and the people. And they seem to draw this from chapter 5 and verse 12. We beseech you, brethren, know them that labor among you.

11:56 That is, regard them with distinguishing love and affection. Twice this morning we've cut the word no. See? And you put anything less than that biblical meaning on that word and it doesn't make sense.

12:07 Regard them with special affection. Esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work's sake. And some have said, maybe Paul heard that there was beginning to be some kind of a division between the people and the people. Between the teaching, ruling elders and the people.

12:20 And so he's charging them, on the one hand, to respect them, the people, their elders. And now he's charging the elders to be sure that they don't think themselves so uppity that only they can have the full contents of the epistle. And these poor peasant lay people aren't quite up to such deep truth. Some have said maybe that's the reason.

12:41 Others have suggested that perhaps there was a budding concept of the spiritual elite. And this sort of flows out of the other. That the elders were a special class and maybe only they could handle the apostles of the word directly and they had the right to interpret it and those lay people out there. Why give them the letter?

12:59 Since the laity doesn't have the right to interpret scripture. Does that sound familiar?

13:06 Does it? If it doesn't, then you've never encountered Roman Catholic teaching. Well, whether this is so, my own view, and I share this with some of the major or most trusted commentators, is, is that we can't say precisely why the apostle was prompted to introduce such strong language, but that I rather think that God foreseeing the tendency that continually comes up in the history of the church to somehow take the scriptures out of the hand of the common man and put it in the hands of the specialist, God was in this first epistle of the New Testament. This is the earliest of the letters of the New Testament.

13:50 It's the earliest of any of the books of the New Testament. The Gospels were not written until a bit later. This is the first book of the New Testament. And God is saying in the first one, whatever I say through the apostolic authority and through the apostles as my representatives is the possession of all the people of God from the most immature babe to the most mature father in Christ.

14:19 And God saw that the tendency would be continually for the ecclesiastical structure to somehow take the scriptures out of the hands of the common people. And secondly, he knows that most of us by nature are so lazy we're willing to have them taken out of our hands and give the job of interpreting the scriptures to the experts.

14:43 So it's a charge to every humble believer that he be continually exposed to the word and it's a charge to those of us who have peculiar responsibility in dispensing the word to see to it that we do all within our power to keep it in the hands of the common people. So the essence of this charge is clear. The entire family of God is to be exposed to the entire contents of the land. So much then for the manner in which the charge comes.

Implications for Instruction: Apostolic Teaching, New Testament Canon, and Priesthood of Believers

15:12 So much for the essence of the charge now in the third place. What are the implications of all of this? What does this say to us? What can there be in this adjunct for us sitting here this morning?

15:25 Well I would suggest that there are several things very necessary and helpful for our instruction and also several things very necessary for our exhortation and warning and I want to give them in that order. There are three things for our instruction in this text. Three that I would like to point out I'm sure three months from now I'll see more. But three that I want to share with you this morning and then three things for our exhortation and our warning.

15:52 First of all note the place of apostolic teaching in the development of spiritual life. This is the group of people of whom the Apostle Paul could say in chapter one our gospel came not unto you in word only but in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance. Spiritual life was begun when the word came in power. Now how did they receive that word through the apostles?

16:23 Well he says in verse 13 of chapter two for this cause we thank God without ceasing that when you receive from us the word of the message even the word of God ye accepted it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which worketh in you that believe. This word works in you that believe. Now having acknowledged that spiritual life was begotten in them by the word a word which when they received from the lips of the apostles they received as the very word of God he now is saying in essence the only way for that life which was begotten by the word to develop and to grow

17:08 and to expand is to continually feed upon that word therefore I adjure you that this epistle which comes not from my lips but from my pen but with the same apostolic authority I now write as a commissioned representative of Christ even as I spoke as his commissioned representative as you received my spoken word as the word of God and came into life so now continue to receive my written word as the word of God and you will develop and grow in life so the same means by which life is imparted that life is developed and grows. You find this right stamped at the beginning of the book of Acts you remember when we read chapter 2

17:53 Peter preaches the word of the gospel a multitude are incorporated into the church and it says in Acts 2.42 and these continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine the apostles teaching in the breaking of bread and of prayers for our instruction this text tells us the strategic place of apostolic teaching in the development of spiritual life within the church one author has said and he said it so succinctly that I want to quote briefly the apostolic word is the primary document of the Christian faith no Christianity has ever existed

18:37 in the world but that which has drawn its contents and its quality from this and nothing which departs from this rule is entitled to be called Christian now that's necessary for our instruction we emphasized it a few weeks ago in another context I want to underscore it again because the text demands it if your life in Christ would be developed it must be by exposure to the total spectrum of apostolic teaching I assure you that this epistle be read unto all the brethren second thing for our instruction in the text note not only the place of apostolic teaching

19:22 in the development of life but note what I'm going to call the budding of the concept of a new testament this is the first of the apostles epistles and he binds the leaders of that church with a solemn charge in this first of his epistles that the entirety of its contents become of its contents become the entire property of all the people of God I assure you that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren in Colossians 4 in verse 16 you find this thought developed further with one of his later epistles

20:06 where here it's clear that the epistle sent particularly to the church at Colossia was to become the property of another church or to become circulated amongst another church Colossians 4 16 and when this epistle hath been read among you cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans and that ye also read the epistle from Laodicea here was the beginning of a concept that to the church has come the deposit of apostolic truth in these letters so you see a beginning concept that the life of the early church was to be governed

20:50 by the directive of the apostles coming through their inspired writing so it wasn't long before those very writings become equivalent with scripture and when you turn to 2nd Peter chapter 3 and verse 16 you read a statement like this Peter speaking of some of the writings of Paul obviously his epistles as also in all his epistles speaking in them of these things wherein are some hard to be understood which the ignorant and unsteadfast rest as they do also the other scriptures unto their own destruction and here Peter is equating

21:35 the epistles of Paul with the other scriptures the other holy writings which of course would be primarily a reference to the Old Testament so when we come to a text like this in which the apostle is commanding that the entire church of the Thessalonians have exposure to this entire epistle there is the budding of a concept of the New Testament canon now that canon is not as someone told me last night they had a friend who answered on a Bible quiz they weren't paying attention in a school where they were quizzed what is a canon they said it's a Hebrew an old fashioned Hebrew gun or something else they gave it when we speak of the canon of the New Testament we mean that list

22:19 of books accepted as genuine and part of the word of God so when we speak of the canon of the New Testament we're speaking not of something that shoots guns or that shoots balls but we're thinking of that body of letters that body of writings considered authentic and a part of the word of the living God so for our instruction we need to take note of that then in the third place note the clear assertion of the fact that all of scripture should be accessible to all the saints of God this is part of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers the word says in 1 John 2 20 ye have an anointing from the Holy One

23:04 and ye know all things verse 27 ye need not that any man should teach you that anointing teaches you and it's interesting that that word for anointing is the same one from which we get the word Christ may I say it reverently God has made us little Christ in the sense that as he was the anointed one we are lesser anointed ones and that anointing John says teaches you all things so that the apostle is not afraid to put apostolic truth in the hands of the common people of the laity because he is confident of the ministry of the Holy Spirit with reference

23:49 to all of the people of God so much for what this text says for our instruction noting for us the place of apostolic teaching in the development of life noting the budding of the concept of the New Testament the clear assertion of the priesthood of all believers now listen carefully for what this text says to us its implications for our exhortation and warning first of all beware of anything which discourages suppresses or demeans the open reading and explanation of the word of God to all of God's people Jesus said of the people

Implications for Exhortation and Warning: Beware of Suppressing God's Word

24:34 of his day ye do err not in the not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God and if the scriptures speak of Christ the Old Testament which is primarily type and shadow and promise if Jesus could say ye search the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and these are they which testify of me how much more does the New Testament speak of him in the gospels and then in the full and final revelation of the apostolic writings to take away any facet of scripture from God's people is to take away some facet of Christ rob God's people of the apostolic doctrine and you rob them of Christ and so when this text says

25:18 I adjure you that this epistle be read to all the brethren a word of exhortation comes to us to beware of anything which discourages suppresses or demeans looks down upon the open reading and explanation of the word of God to all men and there are in our own day and have been in the history of the church four things that have continually fought in this area and I want to just mention them briefly beware of anything which discourages or suppresses this open reading of the scriptures beware of I'm going to give you a big word you all listening you want to show our smart yard school tomorrow you go around oh no school for two weeks two weeks from now

26:03 if you can remember the word you ask somebody in school next week do you know what sacerdotalism is you got it sacerdotalism well sacerdotalism and you ought to know what that word means is the teaching that there's a special priestly class which alone has the right to traffic in holy things it's the teaching that since gospel truth is called a mystery in the bible there's something secretive about it and though common people can understand just common things it takes the spiritually elite to understand the deep mysteries I say to you to beware

26:46 of sacerdotalism now it's obvious how it comes to light in the church of Rome which says that only the pope and the councils of bishops have the right and the church fathers by their quote unanimous consent which is just a mirage there is no unanimous consent of the holy fathers would keep the scriptures out of the hand of the laity and the argument of Rome is like this well look at the confusion you protestants have you put the bible in the hands of every man and you end up with 200 different denominations what a terrible thing that shows that the people out there the common people can't interpret the scripture rightly so we can do it that's sacerdotalism we are the special class which approaches God

27:31 which interprets the mind and will of God as found in the scriptures I quote again from one of God's servants this passage is a serious warning against the error of sacerdotalism because now I quote the charge to read this letter to all the brethren is one of the many indications in the New Testament that though the gospel is called a mystery as it is called in Greek though there is no mystery about it in the modern sense it is all open and above board there is not something on the surface which the simple can believe and something quite different underneath into which the wise and prudent are to be initiated but the whole thing has been revealed unto babes he who makes

28:15 a mystery out of it a professional secret which it needs a special education to understand is not only guilty of a great sin but he proves that he knows nothing about it Paul knew its length and breadth and depth and height better than any man and though he had to accommodate himself to human weakness distinguishing between babes in Christ and such as were able to bear strong meat he put the highest things within the reach of all men for he said him we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ there is no attainment in wisdom or in the goodness in goodness which is barred against any man by the gospel

28:59 and there is no sure mark of faithlessness and treachery in a church than this that it keeps its members in a perpetual state of ignorance discursive encouraging the free use of holy scripture and taking care that all that it contains is not read to all the brethren among the many tokens which mark the church of Rome as faithless to the true conception of the gospel which proclaims the end of man's minority in religion and the coming to age of true children of God her treatment of scripture is the most conspicuous let us who have the book of God in our hands and the spirit of God within our hearts prize

Subtle Forms of Suppression: Sacerdotalism, Ritualism, Carnivalism, and Selectivism

29:44 as its true worth this unspeakable gift beware of sacerdotalism but there is a more subtle form of sacerdotalism and that comes to light in the protestant circles wherever men allow creeds or they allow good men to become the final word and give up this independent searching of the word of God frankly this is why like in our adult class we encourage free and open discussion that there be no sense of sacerdotalism this is why I call upon different of the brethren to pray that you'll know they have as much access to God in prayer here on a Sunday morning as I do

30:29 this is why I would love even more for some of you men who have some budding gifts of ministry to exercise those gifts even more fully occasionally preaching in the assembly why so that we have continually before us the principle that I am not part of a special priestly class though God may give to me such gifts as warrant that I should give myself to the word and to teaching as scripture says they that labor they that rule well are worthy of double honor especially those who labor in the word and in doctrine it is only by virtue of gifts not by virtue of some special ecclesiastical click you see that I stand before you as often as I do and we need to

31:13 constantly keep that before us lest we drift into the era of sacerdotalism which would fly into the face of this text of scripture if all the brethren cannot or do not have the means to understand all of the epistle then why read it to all of them if only the special class can understand well the second thing that's under this first warning is beware of ritualism that is the teaching and practice that puts forms and pageantry above the reading of the word of God this is why we try to keep our service simple it's why we kept the church simple it's why we don't have icons and crosses and pictures of Christ

31:57 and a lot of ritual and standing and sitting and genuflexing and all the rest why because ritualism answers to something in the human heart that makes it feel good when it's done something though the mind may be utterly devoid of saving truth beware of ritualism beware in the third place of what I'm calling carnivalism I challenge you to do something today go home and read this epistle through out loud and see how long it takes you we get a chapter like ours today that has 60-70 verses and we say well that's too long to take off in one whack the apostle expected that an integral part of one of their worship services was going to be the in reading of the entire content of this epistle

32:42 now if that's true there wasn't a lot of place for three or four musical packages and there wasn't a lot of place for 4 or 14 different kinds of religious entertainment and I solemnly charge you and warn you as God's people beware of any tendency to carnivalism the teaching and practice that puts religious entertainment at the front rather than the centrality of the reading and exposition of the word of God why do I read a psalm every morning to begin our worship because of this principle the open bible must be central in our gathering together why do we read consecutively through the new testament and in prayer meeting

33:26 through the old testament why do we do this is this just something that we picked up no this is done with purpose that these epistles these embodiments of the divine mind and will be exposed to all of God's people and that this be central in our gathering not the carnivalism of religious entertainment and then the fourth thing under this first warning beware of selectivism the teaching and practice that determines what is quote good and quote bad for the brethren to hear notice the text says this epistle the whole thing be read unto all the brethren there's some who are more fastidious than God they've told some of our students here

34:08 well you see suppose an elder picked up this letter and he starts reading and he says brethren we have a letter from our beloved apostle Paul our spiritual father Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus grace to you and peace and they look at one another and smile and say blessed be God for his grace and peace in the Lord Jesus and the elder goes on we give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you in our prayers remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father knowing brethren

34:53 beloved of God your how did our God and ye became imitators you see now he said now don't you be wiser than God don't you be wiser than God if I have said knowing brethren beloved your election of God I want the people to know that they're saved because of God's eternally electing grace and I want you to read that to them because I know it's true and I want them to know it's true and don't you be wiser than God some people say oh that's alright that's alright that's alright that's alright give election but don't don't preach about holiness that gets people looking within themselves

35:36 so the apostle comes the fourth chapter of the elder comes and he starts reading this is the will of God even your little sanctification I can't read that and so he's someone else says well don't ever talk about sex so he comes to this problem that says this is the will of God abstain from oh can't talk about that other people say well you know you mustn't preach about second coming that there's so much argument about eschatology you mustn't you see what is he saying I adjure you that this epistle when it touches election when it touches holiness when it touches sexuality when it touches the second coming read the whole thing to all God's people and don't you be guilty of this terrible sin of selectivity anything which discourages

36:20 suppresses or demeans the open reading of the entire word of God to all God's people beware of it beware of it and again I say this is why we've established the practice of trying to read right through great sections of the word of God so that if there are areas where we're in violation of truth either in doctrine or in practice we'll be exposed to it if we're seeking to walk wherever the hand of scripture goes we have no reason to be afraid of any portion of the word do we? we have no reason to be afraid of it whereas you let the man who's fighting say the doctrine of election you let him choose the scripture reading passages he'll read Sunday morning and he'll be in a place 20 years and he'll never read Romans 9

37:04 and you let someone else who's become a hyper-Calvinist who sits back and says because God is sovereign we don't do anything he'll never read those passions and portions in which the free offers of the gospel are given in which the love of God is spoken of as a love that's broad and goes out to all men in some sense he'll never read those passages which speak of the gospel feast compel them to come in he won't read those and so we must be aware of anything that leads into the realm of selectivity and says well this is good for God's people but this isn't listen God has said the whole thing is good for us I adjure you that this epistle in its entirety be read

Warning Against Treating Lightly the Open Bible

37:48 to all of God's people so that's the first warning beware of anything that discourages suppresses or demeans the open reading of all the word to all God's people whether it be sacerdotalism the doctrine of a priestly class who alone can handle truth ritualism that substitutes pageantry for the explanation and opening up of the words of God carnivalism that substitutes entertainment selectivism that picks and chooses beware of it all secondly beware of any tendency to treat lightly the privilege of an open Bible God says in Amos 8, 11 and 12 there's a time coming when I'm going to send a famine not a famine of bread

38:32 but a famine of hearing the words of God one of the most frightening principles of scripture is this that privileges abused become privileges removed privileges abused become privileges removed God says to Israel you're the only nation under heaven that's had the gift of a continuous prophetic utterance and I've sent my prophets morning and evening to cry to you and you've turned your ear alright God says that privilege abused I'm going to remove it and there's a time coming when you're going to go through the land like a starving thirsty man to find some word from God

39:16 and there'll be none the privilege removed I wonder sometimes if I'm morbid or if it's the mark of someone who's halfway between being out of the now generation and into the then generation that's where you get when you're 35 it's an awkward age so if you're teenagers you think you have problems we have problems you're out of the under 30 crowd you're not into the over 40 crowd what are you you're out of it but you're not in it you're not with it but you aren't there and I wonder sometimes if maybe that's just a peculiar state of mind through which I pass but I'm deeply troubled at times when I stop and think that the Lord tarries and I'm gone

40:00 30, 40 years from now there'll be a different pulpit and maybe different rugs on the floor this building still standing in the place of worship what'll be coming across this pulpit what'll be coming across this pulpit what will come characterize the worship services? Will it be the centrality of the reading of the word of God and secondarily the exposition and application of that word? Or will there be a sacerdotalism? Will there be a ritualism?

40:29 Will there be a carnivalism? Will there be a selectivism? If so, it's because some failed to take heed to this warning. Beware of anything, any tendency to treat lightly the privilege of an open Bible.

40:46 Carelessness in attendance is one of the indications of treating that privilege lightly. Oh yeah, we can always, we know when we go there, there'll be exposition, the Bible be read, but that's what bothers us. All you get there is Bible, Bible read, the Bible opened up and then praying to chop through with Bible passages and even got to sing the Bible and sing psalms and sing hymns that are true to the Bible. I want a little something different.

41:11 My soul loatheth this manner.

41:14 I'll go out there and I'll get that old manner every day.

41:21 The time coming, if you have that attitude, when you'll come and the word won't be here, that's a frightening thing, isn't it?

41:29 May God help us to beware of anything that treats lightly the privilege of an open Bible. 2 Thessalonians 2, something even worse than this, God says He'll stand them strong delusion that they should believe a lie who receive not the love of the truth. You see, if you don't love the truth, read and expounded, God says He'll give you up to believe a lie. We use the illustration of that heating unit.

41:57 It believed a lie.

42:00 That thermostat back there was telling it a lie. That thermostat says it's as warm as the middle of August here, so don't work. And it believed a lie and it didn't work. You and I are still sitting here trying to get over some of the effects.

42:16 God says, alright, you want to believe a lie? You won't receive the love of the truth and cherish it? Then He'll remove the privilege. Well, the last exhortation I would make is this.

Exhortation to Faithful Attendance to the Word

42:27 God is saying in this text to all the brethren that they must make every effort to be present for all the reading of the Word. If He says, I adjure you that this be read unto all the brethren, I don't think He's expecting them to take the letter around to every individual home and read it. The inference is that when the brethren gather, all of them will be there and I'll read it to them.

42:50 And so I see in this, and perhaps maybe a pastor's eyes see it where others wouldn't, a serious charge to faithful attendance upon a ministry of the Word of the living God. Otherwise, what would you have? Well, you'd have some people, a loved one died and there they are just grieving like any old pagan and sobbing, hopeless, despairing sobs. They're a poor testimony to all the neighbors and one of the brethren comes and says, look, didn't you remember what the apostle said?

43:17 We're not the sorrow of those who are... When did he say that?

43:20 Well, weren't you there three weeks ago? Oh, no, no. I was home, had relatives from out of town and just thought I'd skip coming to church that day. And there they are grieving in a terrible reproach to the hope of the gospel.

43:32 Why? They weren't there when the Epistlebook was read. See? You can take any major truth in the Epistle here and see all of the implications.

43:40 And you see, this is what happens in a church. If people are not faithful upon the attendance or faithful in their attendance to the ministry of the Word, the Word read, the Word expounded, the Word applied, then you have unnecessary degrees of development and pockets of ignorance, which means that the church cannot move ahead in their understanding and experience of God's truth. Well, time has gone. Let me say in conclusion, as the Apostle came to an end of his letter and longs that that church be a praying, loving, instructed people, knowing that their present usefulness will only be preserved and their future usefulness assured,

Conclusion: Aspiring to a Praying, Loving, Instructed People

44:24 may God grant that we shall hold before us these three characteristics and aspire for God's glory, for the praise of Christ, and for the extension of His kingdom that these things shall characterize us as a people of God. Continued prayerfulness,

44:46 manifested love, and adherence to the Word of Truth.