Mark Giordano - Class 4 - Comfort in Offense - Reconciliation in the Kingdom

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:02

   Brother, Mark, gr jono’s going to be continuing his series, and his 1st Class is entitled comfort in a fence reconciliation, in the Kingdom for their mark.

2. 0:22

   dear brothers and sisters, there’s another Affliction, which is a little less spoken of But a lot more experienced in life in the truth and that is the Affliction, that requires a Reconciliation fence. Fence is, is a broad term that can cover all manner of offenses, some justifiable, and others, without any justification, whatever in Christ, I mean. No, that’s true.

3. 0:56

   And yet, we are somehow helplessly inexorably bound. To our nature and with our nature, to the Affliction of offenses, there on all levels, we can’t get away from the matter. Of fact, what we experienced within is so much more intensive without when you look for example, at government officials or even Nations on a on a larger level at the way, offenses are Batted back and forth and utilized exploited to the either the literal assassination of the political assassination of opponents.

4. 1:38

   It’s astonishing and I think knowing Christ and knowing what we do if human nature and the fruits of the spirit we can we’ve managed to temper all that. But we also experience in ourselves that de tete, distasteful side of human nature that we recognize is. So Overtly present in the officials and fake personas of the world. This is just what we bear in Christ and part of that conflict comes from being in Christ and part of that. Conflict comes from not having enough of Christ’s mine in us to actually fulfill at a very high level, being of one mind and judgment in Christ.

5. 2:27

   There’s a lot of range in this discussion so it is not meant to be critical. It’s meant on the other hand to show by contrast as have all the other afflictions that we’ve been speaking about in content that the contrast between the Affliction of irreconcilable differences and the reconciliation. That is Promised in the Kingdom.

6. 2:57

   I’d like to start today’s consideration with a testimony of a very good friend of mine. I met him when I was in college. But I didn’t meet him personally. I met him because I read one of his books. And when I read this book, I became a close friend of his It was the book was England’s ruin. I don’t know if any of you have ever even heard of that book is a little-known book written by him brother Roberts in response to a book that was written by a man, a mr. Blachford, who was advocating socialism as the Cure of everything was wrong with, not only the Society of the the British Empire, but the all the societies of the world and Robert Roberts read his book which was entitled. Merry England.

7. 3:47

   And and it frosted his brain. So in typical fashion which was more fashionable in those times that it is in this, he wrote a book called England’s ruin and which he directly addressed mr. Blachford repeatedly, by using his name. Mr. Blachford. And I don’t know how he said it, but I think it was something like that.

8. 4:11

   And, and on, and on he went and and I read this book and it just I don’t know got into me and I was in college and I had just read Catcher in the Rye. And it kind of reset my relationship to my education. I don’t know. Those of you who had to read as required reading in English. 101 is, I did in college, Catcher in the Rye, but it was such insipid. Filth has such a ridiculous attempt at finding meaning in the meaninglessness of the wisdom of this world. That when I read England’s ruin in contrast to it and the incredible defense of the truth that he was making that, that may in contrast to be made, so much more sense than anything I’d arrived outside of the profanity of, or excuse me. In addition, to the profanity in Catcher, in the Rye that I made up my mind in my freshman year in college that from now on, I was going to ignore all the syllabus is that they gave me On books to read in my various classes on anthropology and sociology and psychology and simply read what I wanted to read from our own literature relate that to the subject at hand and then do all my my essays and my feces on the books on crystal be literature related, to anthropology and sociology and psychology.

9. 5:47

   And in one class I almost flunked the class gave me a d and took me Away from my Magna cume graduation to just come Lauda. But in another class in Psychology, I wrote the same essay derived from Robert Roberts writings and his tone and his disposition and the wisdom of God’s word applied to the things of this world and that class the professor came and he said one student has introduced me to a new form of activism than I did not know in this world. I have never discovered to him.

10. 6:21

    That was a big Discovery and that Isn’t of course is the truth as it presents itself to the world. In a conflicting message, a message that is unnatural and unwanted in the ears of worldly men and women. So he said this this new form of activism was so well put that I felt like giving an a quadruple plus however he said no one in my class including myself, could get floor for pluses after an A, so I have reduced it to an a triple Plus Yes, and that’s the great and that was my essay that I flunked in sociology and stood out in Psychology. So it was my friend, Robert Roberts. Who.

11. 7:12

    Who gave me that wonderful introduction to Passion that can be there in our love of the truth. The truth is really a passionate thing. And the reason is that the it’s a greater reality than the one we live in, we live in the world as it is as men have made it. And it’s reality enough, isn’t it?

12. 7:33

    As a stark reality, a harsh reality, a cruel reality. But a reality that also has in it Concepts of sharing and love and familial relationships and male-female relationships in the midst of all this suffering, even heroism, the heroism of the world. And the protection of the powers that be all these things is kind of this mixed message, this irony that we live in, in the reality of the world, with the reality of the truth. That gives us the passion for it is a greater reality than that because it’s going to, it’s the way that That God will take what exists and reframe it.

13. 8:13

    Remold, it reshape it into the reality of his world, his kingdom, which will be the rule of Christ in this world. When I saw that in this brother, I hope this is a man, this is a man, I can identify with. And so, after having read England’s ruin, I read many of the other books.

14. 8:36

    They’re in college, did reports on them manage to get grades. The 60s by writing about everything but what they wanted me to read and respond with it was so loose and strange in the 60s with teachers about justice hallucinated as the students. In those days, if those of you who were in college in the 60s, know what I’m referring to. Those were the Timothy Leary days and they were Strange Days in Deeds, but a good time to make good grades in college on anything that would Dawn on you as being important to talk about in your Your responses to those subjects. So but this picture, if you look at it more closely you won’t see a man that is full of passion.

15. 9:18

    When I first saw this picture and realize this is a few days before he died, it made me cry. Made me cry because I saw in his face. What I already knew was a problem with them. He was always somehow embroiled in controversy, that was controversy, his life was dedicated to avoiding and yet irresistibly involved with This, this was a few days before he fell asleep and when you look at his eyes, do you think that looks like the excitement of passion about the truth? The more likely the face of Christ as he was facing the Pharisees or or Paul, when he was beaten up in the synagogues. When he brought love to people and they responded with enmity, If you’re christadelphians and you have a few years under your belt, know, a little something about that. It’s not really an indictment against anything, but the fact that we are helplessly bound to our nature and in that working in the field of the development of the mind of Christ in the context of that particular Affliction which is what developed the Lord himself in his relationship with a nation and a particular area, priesthood, tin recognize the Royal Majesty of the kingdom when it stood right in front of them.

16. 10:45

    So, I discovered a few years back when I was putting these things together a letter in the middle of a book on other things, of course, a Delphine writings, which was he entitled a letter to my enemies? Why would he write such a thing? What would possess a man to write a letter to his enemies?

17. 11:05

    If you had enemies within or without, would you send them a letter or would you? In fact, not send them any more letters after all the letters that you had attempted to send didn’t go anywhere? More like where I was when I discovered his letter. So I wondered the same thing. What would, what would possess a man to write a letter to his enemies? And I am certain after reading that that it was a desire to reconcile.

18. 11:29

    If you know anything about Christ, you know, that we are in a Ministry of reconciliation. Because we have joined with Christ in his ministry of reconcile reconciliation, which in his case was the son of God, reconciling the word, the world to God, that this man who was a mediator between God and men, making this ladder between the real Mercy Seat.

19. 11:58

    In heaven, where the two Caribbean have been replaced by God and his son to Earth, which is, I believe the, the foot of that ladder is in the house of God, which means, it comes down into our ecclesiology. Life when we assemble together and come before the Throne of God. And this is the latter that connects us is the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is his reconciliation.

20. 12:18

    So if what he when he died on the cross he died to reconcile the world to his father and ours, then becomes a Ministry of reconciliation. Then it appears to me that the context of this Affliction in our lives, the enmity, the misunderstandings, the offenses, and judgments and the controversies. We deal with that, seemed to be irreconcilable on one hand, but we know our reconcilable on the other. We have evidence that these controversies are irreconcilable, then all of this is involved in training Us in reconciliation because once we enter, the the Royal administration of Christ in his kingdom, the whole goal of that Kingdom that Throne will be to take a mortal world, which is just as possessed of.

21. 13:05

    He will be just as possessed of human nature, then as it is now. But But Satan being bound up using that Administration and that righteous law that proceeds from the mouth of Our Lord, to reconcile the whole world to him. In the Kingdom, that reconciliation would be essentially will result in peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men. It will bless all the families of the earth so you can see what an important intrinsic subject.

22. 13:35

    It is to think about reconciliation and Reconciliation, only. Means anything in the context of irreconcilable differences of variance, which is a fleshly work. So I’m going to read to you some bits from his letter and make some points as we go about each one. Pete Rock at the outset of his letter, he recognized that Christ is, is really in control.

23. 14:00

    Even though when you get into a controversy, don’t know that he is. So he said I greet you in the best of good wishes, my greeting may not be acceptable. It is nevertheless sincere. And you can always already sense the sadness. I assure you. He said I can pray and this, I do rarely, do.

24. 14:18

    I bend my knee before the maker of us all without asking him to open your eyes to bring your steps into pads of wisdom and love. And when I read that, I think of Stephen who while he was being stoned, ask God to open their eyes and he did, they may have crucified him.

25. 14:36

    But there were 3,000 added to him in baptism on the day that they realized, that’s what they had done. Even among them, the Apostle Paul who held the garments while they stoned, Stephen was an oppressor ass corner, but turned into one of those followers because of this of this prayer to open their eyes. And, you know, it’s been said, you’ve heard this before that, the Apostle Paul had to go blind in order to open his eyes. Such an interesting irony in his life. And I think that’s that maybe True of some of the rest of us in varying degrees.

26. 15:10

    He continues to say, expect persecution. That’s that’s the message for us as we as we trace the feelings, he’s going through. He says, when I was quite young, I was smitten with the beauty of the popular dictum. That it was a good thing. A thing to be aimed at have no enemies. This is the goal of all politicians, of all people who achieve, a great level of status in the world. I worked under the power of this idea for a good while, but having the Bible standard before me in all things, I came to see this futility and to perceive the reason of the saying of Christ.

27. 15:47

    Woe unto you when all men shall speak. Well of you, that’s another one of those great paradoxes, that Jesus introduces into our reasoning to understand that the goal of being christ-like is not to be so loving and wonderful with everyone that everyone recognizes and he sees it. Although you may be that loving and that wonderful with everyone. You will have conflicts and enemies that he fears within conflicts without and there is no way we can escape. So we shouldn’t be surprised when all men don’t think very well of us.

28. 16:23

    And all men has two areas of to audiences those audiences without the hate you because you follow Christ from the disposition of a worldly mind. And that less fortunate audience within where, enmity occurs because of differences in judgment and offenses that that happened without meaning without rather intention. So this point is to say and we’ll see this later. Expect persecution not just from without but from within anybody who’s lived the truth in a while knows that this is a feature of life in the Ecclesia.

29. 17:04

    Then he says something about I servants and Men Pleasers which to me is a very interesting set of terms. I servants and Men Pleasers. He says I found it impossible to avoid giving offense best of intentions. Well meaning full of principles impossible to avoid giving offense and after many struggles against the inevitable.

30. 17:26

    I quietly and grimly surrendered to the inevitable. I saw that I could not prevent the making of enemies without becoming an eye servant and a pleaser men. I therefore made up my mind to accept, enmity sort of be resigned to it. I do not mean Give up the idea of being friendly. So I think that’s a sweet note to end on in this particular paragraph, like not mean to give up the idea of being friendly, but I found it inevitable that I would have enmity but focusing on what he says in the middle there that’s in bold. I could not prevent the making of enemies without becoming a nicer banana men pleaser.

31. 18:06

    This is the false Persona that is used by men who are interested in their own status. Has more than they are in principle in the following of principles principles are the things that get you in trouble. That is the basic idea of all the things that we learn from God’s word. Those are principles. They come to us in the form of stories of laws of Commandments of testimonies of things that were written about of circumstances, that meant were helplessly bound to like, King David or like Paul.

32. 18:36

    All these things are the things that give us one principal after another without measure, Without End. Many principals, can you derive from one story? They just keep on yielding because the basic idea, apply to all manner of circumstances is applicable in the form of principle. Even though what happened in that specific circumstance, in scripture may not be directly applicable to what you’re experiencing.

33. 18:59

    The principal is there? The why the law of Moses may be obsolete in terms of its of its indictment of sin? But it’s certainly not obsolete in the form of principle. The principles are just an endless barrel of meal for us in which we read this and we go, well, that that apply to, this would say this. And that’s the basic idea of what the law was trying to convey, giving us an ongoing understanding of righteousness, and that righteousness is of Great Value in our growth, in the truth, and in the stabilization and piece of ecclesial life.

34. 19:36

    That’s what he’s saying. And what my point is derived from that, if I can take a principal from his letter and and offer it to you, is it is not to let status override principle, that status is how we look is our image to Brethren and sisters. And if we’re all bound up in status and and we make principles defer to status, then we’re going to fall into the Trap of being the Servants of the way. People see us that’s image.

35. 20:06

    And pleases with men, if you pleases of men, are you really pleasing? God, you can carry that too far. We’re going to be talking about that a bit later too and thinking you all you do is please God and doesn’t matter what men think and you can go wrong in that way too.

36. 20:19

    So in every respect, what we talked about today has to be set in balance in the balance of spiritual reason, and seasoning. And he speaks about hurtful opposition’s that he experienced and I think like speaking for myself, I know opposition well and I may be speaking to those of you who have been around this block a few times. You may know opposition, you may if you haven’t experienced it directly to the things that you’ve asserted. If you’re young and you haven’t experienced yet, there will be opposition and if it’s not yours, you can look at the Chris’s L feed community in and ask this question, is there opposition?

37. 20:54

    And once he’s you at that answer is and a An undeniable, but very sad. Yes, there is opposition and it seems to be way too strong, it’s inordinate and it has caused divisions and splits of all kinds resulting in many different fellowships and and that in light of a basic principle to not let it there be any Schism among us.

38. 21:19

    We’re not supposed to say, I’m of this. And I’m of that, and follow this name and that name, or say, all I’m lying. I’m above all that Christ. None of that is right but we’re fellow Workers in a gospel. That is the only light in this world. It’s a dim light. It’s the reflection of the bright light of the sun is now in the dark stage of the world, where only in the position of the Moon, the bride of Christ.

39. 21:40

    As with a reflected light, puts the only light that exists in this world. And that is the unity that exists between God and Christ, which transfers to his bride as the in the form of one body and produces a Unity between ourselves and Christ. And that Unity is not designed to make us real happy. It is designed to show people who don’t know the world. That is the world that the world might know that thou Hast sent me, because when the world looks at itself, all it sees is conflict, this Unity variants politics fake, this false that. And when they look at at the body of Christ, they are supposed to see something that proves to them and it’s Unity that does it.

40. 22:25

    That’s what Jesus said in his prayer in John. Dean proves to them that God has a son that he sent his son into this world and the light that is reflected from that. Sun’s bright light into this dark, world is the light that only Unity can portray. Unity illuminates.

41. 22:47

    So he says I’m not able to carry myself toward you as I should desire, then in a moment of kind of honesty he says because of chronic physical discomfort of body. I’m sure known that and the grimness begotten of collision with opposition collision with opposition. He felt like he was in a collision, the opposition was so forceful and met with equal strength, whatever.

42. 23:16

    He Happened to be asserting at the time, the constant action in one line of things. I realized that I must appear a very repugnant person. In your eyes, notwithstanding my strong desire and best efforts to sustain a different part. So then he goes into the importance of principal saying, please do not bring charges about which I cannot own.

43. 23:36

    Don’t don’t falsely accuse me. So such an honest wise, please don’t do that to me. That’s what Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians is all about, as please don’t fall asleep. Is me. We’ll see that in a minute. I do not and have not aimed at personal exaltation. I enjoy not and never have enjoyed the position to which circumstances have forced me. Any arranging brother can say this. Anybody that’s involved in reconciliation efforts can say this.

44. 24:04

    I enjoy not and never have enjoyed the position in which circumstances have forced me. When you are forced into a controversy is not an enjoyable thing. It’s hard work, it’s exhausted work. My father was a part of the original reunions effort in North America in Chicago and he used to come home, totally exhausted. All he did was talk all weekend and he would come home and he looked like he a soldier returning from the thick of battle as face was all drawn as eyes were half shut and he would give a report to the Ecclesia.

45. 24:35

    And in the report was that like a man that like a sailor had no wind in it anymore. He was so exhausted and that was from the work of reconciliation. So then he says this, I enjoy not a never have enjoyed the position into which circumstances have forced me and I am anxious.

46. 24:55

    This is the importance of principle over status. I’m anxious only for the ascendancy of principle. What an important thing to understand, I’m anxious only for the ascendancy of principle, this is what we do in our exhortations. We focus our hearts on the principles that come from God’s word and that has the ability to build us up together in love and could and could hide me out of sight. When they are exalted, in other words, it really isn’t about me. It’s about the principles that we get that audience our instruction in righteousness in this ministry of reconciliation. And he goes into what Robert Roberts would inevitably go into the importance of Truth.

47. 25:47

    Men who rejoice in the truth. Are not to be convinced a kind of confused with those in whom personal elevation is a more controlling influence and that again is this juxtaposition of status and image on one’s one. And and the elevation of principles and self-sacrifice on the other. People go into this. These kinds of conflicts are self self sacrificial, they endure.

48. 26:10

    Everything that is concomitant in a controversy because they are self-sacrificial. It at the root, they are very humble men and may not sound like it. When you listen to the, their passion about the truth and their assertion of the principles in the midst of controversy. But these are very humble men and they have that same kind of thing.

49. 26:29

    They’re not Interested in personal elevation. He goes on to say if I’ve been compelled to take a prominent and offensive part, it has been to my sorrow. So little has been a satisfaction in the sense of your surmises. Now, listen to what he says and tell me this isn’t what how how Jesus felt how Paul felt, how many of the prophets felt and may have been how you felt it is how I have felt So little has been a satisfaction in the sense of your surmises that I have felt the greatest kindness God could show me would be to lay me.

50. 27:05

    We’re all his servants rest. while the present confusion Reigns upon the Earth, you can feel this way when instead of when you give love and you receive hatred in exchange for it. Is this not exactly what Paul went through. What the Lord himself went through? They were applying love and receiving hatred and return. That’s what Jesus said, your gut expect persecution. And when you get it, jump up for Joy because your crown is assured when you’re persecuted for righteousness. Sake blessed, are you?

51. 27:40

    He said, so then he goes into the importance of Mercy, in the context of all of this which you no mercy tends to be. That thing that overrides, everything that when there are irreconcilable differences, is a mistake, you can mistakes and sins. You can avoid offenses in judgment that RR e retrievable. Mercy’s the thing that covers it all and says, well, you know, The best we can do in the end Christ will resolve all things and that’s that’s the sense of mercy and now he says, if my whole work and my whole influence to promote the truth in public and in private in theory and in practice ought, you not to be merciful to what you may consider my infirmities. This is like a very earnestly feels, you know. Like if I have an infirmity and if that comes across to you as an offense, shouldn’t you be merciful with me very straightforward, kind of I’d like appeal. I know, please understand you not to help this is where he’s he is right?

52. 28:39

    In the midst of Paul’s message in his first letter to the Corinthians when he says I am you know, you shouldn’t be saying I’m appalled, I’m of Apollo’s but we are fellow workers in Christ were coworkers. There’s a job that Jesus gave us to do a return on his investment and we should be working together to bring him that return. Not just individually, not just in the midst of schismatic differences.

53. 29:02

    But together, Either put the emphasis on the work in the schisms will disappear. Same thing, true for christadelphians. We’ve got a gospel that the world is ignorant of how many people have you talked to in your life that never heard anything about the kingdom, ever? Not one word about the kingdom. Has they’re blind to it as if as if the kingdom is something that exists on another planet and and hasn’t even come to us in the form of a message. The very fact when Robert Roberts came to Norfolk, they put an ad in the paper that said, I’m mr. Roberts has is going to give a talk where he proposes that the Bible.

54. 29:36

    He proposes to show from the Bible that the kingdom of God will be on the earth. So strange a headline that they knew that would be in the ears of its audience. So that kingdom is the key to everything for us. That’s our hope that’s the reality and that’s what we’re looking for. So he his appeal is to their mercy and he says speaking to people, he’s trying to get to understand should be his co-workers ought you not help in any way. I taught you not to put your investment with the bankers. If you don’t have enough talent to produce the Vestment of return on the investment yourself or not to help in any way in your power instead of trying to weaken and hinder by unfriendly words and deeds.

55. 30:29

    So this is something, you know, how we’ve said repeatedly, there’s a theme that’s been running in the background of all our remarks this weekend and that is that God has already addressed this. He knows what we are made out of he made us himself. He knows what we go through in life and he’s already addressed in advance.

56. 30:45

    The things that we need to understand things come up. So he says, listen to me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is my lawn? All those are, this is from Isaiah, what God is referring to is you people who have the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart because this is the New Covenant.

57. 31:05

    He, speaking of, I will take my word and write it upon your heart. It’s not a longing to be some external law. I’m going to take it and internalize it in every follower of my son, you people who know righteousness people in whose heart is my law. Do not fear the reproach of men, it will I follow but don’t be afraid of it or be afraid of their insults for the moth.

58. 31:27

    Will eat them up like a garment and the worm will eat them up like wool. But my righteousness will be forever and my salvation from generation to generation. I even, I am he, who comforts you, when you are afflicted in controversy and enmity, but there’s an inversion, of the point, the principle here is one of reassurance.

59. 31:49

    This is don’t be afraid. I’m with you. My word is in your heart. There’s an assurance there, but there’s also an indictment against the people that that run the unanimity, so which one are you? When are you going to be the one who was a co-worker is very busy with the gospel, almost too busy with the gospel to get involved with controversies but irresistibly drawn into controversies, in an effort to find, peace to reconcile to bring people together to, in fact, be one of those peacemakers that the Lord has blessed in the Beatitudes.

60. 32:25

    Or are you one of these? Who bring the reproach of men, you know, Psalm 15 queries, who will climb, Holy Hill of the Lord was going to be there and become a part of that Royal Administration in the interior where the sacrifices are offered by Christ and those who prepare them. Well, one of the things he says and Antony answer that question is who lifts up who takes not up a reproach against his brother?

61. 32:57

    So, there are people who take up reproaches and there are people who feel reproaches. Which one would you like to be as a lot of studious self-discipline in the answer to that question or not? Let’s take a closer look to the second letter of the Corinthians. We’ve already seen this. I’m not going to bother to read the introduction again. We’ve seen it three times four times already. You know what he says he’s speaking about the God of comfort.

62. 33:24

    He mentions comfort as many times as he do, and he also speaks about Affliction. But in Paul’s case the suffering and affliction that he endured wasn’t the kind, we were speaking about except maybe in indirectly he did receive abuse at the hands of hostile Jews in the synagogues. But it was more the Affliction that came from controversy, from making his appeal to Felix and thinking feel it’s responding thinking of Paul was a crazy man or trying to convince the Jews and get getting beaten up or ultimately getting thrown in prison, or writing to the Corinthians the saying, you know, like I’ve or the Galatians saying, you know, you foolish Galatians, who has Bewitched you, there’s another gospel, who’s changing the gospel of Christ, in the something that’s distorted and then it’s The gospel anymore.

63. 34:12

    So if unifier an angel of Heaven, preach to you, any other gospel than that, which of which we have preached, let him be accursed. There’s nothing. But but anathema to the gospel to distort it. Those were the areas in which called Paul experienced the Affliction. He speaking about and in the second letter it was specifically the Affliction impose on in of criticism that came from the accout from those his opposers in the Corinthian Ackley.

64. 34:41

    Asia. After his first letter, he sent them a letter he meant. Well it hurt them really bad. They finally resolve the problems on it, if they resolve the the schisms. But out of that first letter came, a lot of fault-finding and false accusation against Paul. And that’s what the second letter he was compelled to write in order to address it. It’s interesting in the second letter, he was forced into self-defense.

65. 35:08

    He didn’t want to defend himself and he kept saying, I speak as a fool, but I’m going to post a little bit about what I did here. What I did there, look at what I’m doing. Look at how much I love you. Jesus made the same appeal to the people that put the enmity against him when he said. If you don’t believe my words, believe my works. Why won’t you believe me?

66. 35:27

    These are not my words. He would say in self-defense. These are the words of my father listened to them. They come You threw me from God, the god that you say, you worship at her ignoring, when he stands in front of you, like Jesus, like Paul, sometimes we can be forced and Robert Roberts. Was also forced into self-defense and pole resorts to boasting 29, times in his second letter. And this was brought to my attention by Brother Roberts in the context of his letter to his enemies. What caused the conflict in Corinth? Well, the first letter is involved with Discord and dissipation.

67. 36:06

    But isn’t that not what Jesus said, we would be dealing with, especially not in Paul’s time and yet, he, it was introduced in his time. But it’s carried through all the way to our times, where it’s it have an extreme level Discord and dissipation are the two things Jesus identified, which would be present in the vineyard.

68. 36:26

    When the delay of his coming was being experienced as we are experiencing it right now, they’re in the delay. Everybody expected to become a whole lot earlier. Earlier than he ever has come so far and that is the delay. And in that delay, there are two principal things that Jesus identified would be the cause the root cause of the trouble in his Vineyard and they were Discord and dissipation.

69. 36:49

    This is the way he characterizes his Ecclesia, his household in the in the last days of before he comes. If that Wicked servant says to himself, my master is delayed. And begins to beat his fellow servants. So there’s a relationship between Jesus not coming back yet and the disposition of people in his Vineyard going going wrong, getting hostile and oppositional, and defiant.

70. 37:22

    If he begins to beat his fellow servants, I don’t think this necessarily means literal beatings. I think it’s the beatings of controversy, the beatings of words of offenses and judgments as they beat Upon Our Hearts. And make us feel like our lives are ruined because of them. That’s the Discord. Would you say there’s Discord in the last days? And the vineyard have you ever seen this court would Jesus? Was there in advance?

71. 37:48

    Wasn’t he speaking about our times? He said, well expect this don’t be surprised when this happens and who eats and drinks with drunkards. I’m not going to go into it right here. Just think for a minute, what a probing indictment in the vineyard that must be in the last days. Days before he returns. Would you say there’s a problem?

72. 38:14

    Eating and drinking. With dissipated people. Don’t necessarily have to be in the bar with them. Do you anymore? They’re accessible in all points worldwide there. Dissipation is everywhere. Present in our lives. It’s just a click away. Would you say this is a problem? I’m sure it is. I’m so, are you? We’re not in any disagreement on this point. You live in this world, you know what I’m saying? We don’t need to probe it too deeply, but these are the two things that Jesus said are part of the delay, the characteristic of the delay, I they may in part be caused by the delay, but they are also the conditions that we specifically are dealing with in the vineyard.

73. 39:03

    This is respective to The Vineyards. Bad enough in the world but think of it if it’s safe. Being into the vineyard. And then of offenses in judgments in his second letter, he says this for his letters, they say are weighty and Powerful. So that was what the people that were Pro Paul’s Point were saying. So that’s that’s the offense like is letters. You know, they’re waiting and Powerful to us. It’s offencive, but now they’re going to make a judgment as well as bodily.

74. 39:34

    Presence is weak is speech. Contemptible listen, anything Paul says. So that’s, that’s the Judgment, it’s offenses in judgments. And if you think about it and the controversies of christadelphians at the root, there may be a serious problem with a doctrine that is wrong, when we all love the truth. And We’re Protectors of the truth, we’re Defenders of the truth.

75. 39:57

    The truth is the is our Hallmark in this world. That’s the thing that energizes and sustains us through time. But is that all that the controversies are involved with the just, you know, discussions about what’s true and what’s not true in the midst of a controversy emotions, get aroused and they are fleshly, there’s variance.

76. 40:15

    And there’s an emulation, is a lot of other negative emotions and fleshly responses and these cause offenses and judgments. What I mean by that is people will say Do things that are offensive to others. They may not mean to be, but they are they work out that way and then there are differences in judgment. All you have to do is sit on arranging board to know the differences.

77. 40:37

    What? Differences in judgment are like and or One Ecclesia versus another occasion. A difference in judgment there or one fellowship and another fellowship and a difference in judgment. Their offenses and judgment are at the root of it all and first and second Corinthians are all about offenses in judgment. You want to find out Out what we’re dealing with now in Discord, anticipation, read 1st and 2nd Corinthians again and you’ll understand it in the context of offenses in judgment.

78. 41:04

    So they made these judgments about Paul’s going to bullet through these pretty quickly without getting into, we’re so much where they are, if put these in the references so that you can get the PDFs and look at it for yourself. But the his opposers in the Corinthian, Ecclesia suede, many people, many Brethren against Paul to the extent that after that and after his other conflicts and other equations.

79. 41:27

    By the time he was incarcerated in Rome and and put down on his knees in front of a Roman Centurion. Who And cut his head off to execute him. He was all. But left alone, he was all but abandoned. So so Furious was the opposition that came against him and this was recognized by Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians. So they said well, he said he was going to come and he didn’t come.

80. 41:56

    He’s he says yes. Then he says no. Then he says yes, and he says knows it. Can anybody understand what Paul is getting at one day? It’s yes. Next day, it’s no. No. And you know as insipid as that sounds it hurt Paul. They accused him of changing his plans. Meaning like the guys unreliable, if he’s unreliable in his plans.

81. 42:17

    Why would you listen to his advice? You just generally unreliable in the plans. Prove it so way. The devil worked picks. One thing up to wrongfully accused someone of something else as he was a coward. He corrupted the word. You know, well, not according to Paul, he goes to Great Lengths. In the said, second letter to prove not, he wasn’t corrupting.

82. 42:43

    He was exalting the word. You lack the support of the people in Authority, maybe some of the leaders in the equations. He was dishonest. These are actually the things they said about the Apostle Paul this man that we love for his, his fervor in the truth. So he made this appeal to them.

83. 43:05

    He said, no, I plead with you Brethren by the name of our Lord. Jesus Christ that you all speak. The same thing work to find the same mind in judgment. That you’d be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment. And this doesn’t only apply to life and enter a collegial relationships or enter Fellowship relationships.

84. 43:29

    This also applies inside and Ecclesia, within in the Brothers, in the equation, in particular, in the brothers in the arranging board. It’s been said that if your ranging board is divided, the Ecclesia will divide. I think you could look into history and find that to be pretty much a pattern that is recognizable in our community.

85. 43:46

    So his appeal comes back and he says be of the same mind and the same judgment. But that Is not natural. Is this a wonderful illustration? Of men. Maybe some women too. There will be a caddy but man, this is what men do they either. Do it in the ring, Ultimate Fighting or whatever, or they box each other or they compete in business and they’re ruthless or they assassinate each other politically or they get at it with differences in judgment on spiritual matters.

86. 44:22

    And is it not all the same thing? It’s competition, it’s vying for status, it’s seeing who’s Got the stronger intellectual are more theological arm and so they sit there and they go this way and they go that way and sometimes the arms break under the stress. It is not natural. To have saying this in mind and that’s because it’s spiritual. All the things that we are called to In Christ. Have his mind is spiritual and being spiritual takes work that runs against our grain.

87. 44:58

    That’s why we say it’s not natural, naturally were sown in dishonor. Spiritually were raised in glory. So this is you know kind of like the plight of human nature regardless of whether we want it to be that way. Or not. This is the way life is going to go over briefly offenses in judgment specifically, Discord and disagreement, and variance and emulation and show you what it is that that produces this disposition to the extent in Brothers, where it offsets, a spiritual disposition, much more natural to go into this realm and maybe not even realize it. That’s what Jesus said about offenses in judgments that preparest a table before me, that is the table of reconciliation that table, which we use to show that we’re unified in Christ.

88. 45:54

    We have a common Union in our communion and it represents our unity in Christ. It represents our fellowship for all the more important to be of the same mind and judgment doctrinally and the way that Doctrine is practiced very, very important to us. And it’s right for us to assign the level of apartments that we do to it but it is wrong.

89. 46:12

    For us to carry it over into extreme inordinate controversy, the things about it, that are right, things about it, that are wrong, we all know that. And that’s the difficult work that we have in producing reconciliation in this context, Jesus preparation of a table was in the presence of his enemies. And I think that follows through with the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is present among us even to this day.

90. 46:37

    It’s in the midst of enemies. However, you want to whatever level you want to use that term. In your understanding of what Robert Robert said about the record of the cliche of life seems to be one of constant controversy. So should that make you discourage and that make you say, well, I don’t need this turn around and walk out the door. I quit.

91. 47:00

    Is that the response that we’re supposed to make to the record of occlusal Life? What would we have done? If Jesus had done that, he turned around and walked out of Israel saying I quit and he could have done that any Time. Well, we don’t have done. If Paul had done that Paul, let himself get beat up. He was so he understood the principle of the tenacity of bringing unnatural feelings, to spiritual feelings, in the midst of these controversies in the Ecclesia. So he was persistent.

92. 47:31

    He was indomitable, you couldn’t stop, he had to cut off his head to stop him yet to crucify Christ to stop him. What is it? That will stop you. You should have that kind of tenacity. You should stay there and do everything you can. And all your life working with all of this that we’re talking about. You know, it as well as I do in the midst of something, we should expect.

93. 47:50

    This is something. This is not a strange thing. This is something Jesus Promised would be existent in his household, especially in the last days and just Discord anticipation. So fences, come from hatred. It’s not just like, well intellectually, I find that so offensive. They come the offense as it is asserted in animals. Action.

94. 48:13

    Many times false against a brother comes from hatred. And hatred comes from something just can’t stand. It doesn’t come from, just differences in judgment. We can have differences in judgment and not hate each other. When we hate each other, it turns into that kind of offense and this is the proverb that proves that point hatred stirs up Strife.

95. 48:33

    But love covers all offenses. So, hatred and offenses are put in juxtaposition here in this proper. Do you know how to recognize hatred and you? Because a lot of people don’t, a lot of people think that they are full of God’s word, his truth, his purpose, his principles, his love, and they’re full of hatred.

96. 48:55

    Venom comes out of their mouths that they assign principal to it’s a strange thing. But that’s the way human nature. I mean, are we surprised at that point? How does that do human nature? Isn’t that what Jeremiah said? The heart of man is deceptive above all things. So that’s the deception in recognizing hatred and yourself.

97. 49:14

    Here’s how to do it. It says, in Isaiah, all that watch for iniquity. You’re cut off. So think about Brethren but especially in your self-examination. Think do I watch for iniquity? Is that something I do? Because if you watch for iniquity in other people, you’ll find it. You look for iniquity, it’s there.

98. 49:41

    And you may even find something that’s not there and that turns into false accusation, how much of that is there in this world? It’s rampant, it’s out of control. So be careful not to watch for iniquity. That make a man, an offender forward if you ever heard that sort of thing in ecclesial differences or in controversies, I, you know what he said? well, sometimes those words turn into patterns that very hard, just kind of put in the balance of this principle, but Solomon said, well, you know, don’t don’t feel so strongly when you hear someone cursing you, because, you know, yourself, you have cursed others.

99. 50:22

    So you hear somebody guilty of the same thing, you’re guilty of, it’s kind of hard to point the finger isn’t. So that’s another point that Isaiah makes, Isaiah has this all over his, his whole book. So, this sort of thing is not just isolated. In this particular, passage people say a lot of things, they don’t mean.

100. 50:41

     And what Mercy does is covered cover the words that otherwise might turn into offenses in us. This is these are the things that turn into hatred in US. That lay a snare for him that reprove in the gate. So they recognize that you have kind of your finger on the latch at the gate.

101. 50:59

     And what’s the gate? The gate is the Ingress and egress, to the occlusion is where people come and go into the, into the courtyard into the temple. The gate is the Ingress, and egress into the house of God. And a lot of brothers that are right there by that gate. Jesus said, I have the key to that gate, and no man can open it if I shut it, and no, man can shut it if I open it.

102. 51:24

     So, we recognize in that principle that he’s in. Ultimately, in control of the Ingress, and egress into the Ecclesia, but not to the extent. I think that we would like him to be in control because he lets weeds grow among tears in that, that Ingress and egress But there are people like the Pharisees who come up with questions that are designed to put a snare for somebody who is trying best he can to bring righteousness in through the instrument of reproof.

103. 51:58

     So he says, that’s not that. That is a way of recognizing hatred in yourself, too. And how subtle would that be? You’ve got this question you think is going to stop him. And it’s really a snare may not be justifiable. It may be based on a complete Miss assessment of who you’re working with with respect to who this snare is late for.

104. 52:20

     But it’s a problem avoid that and there’s an incoming call here. Should I get this? Speaker. Hello. To start turn aside the just for a thing of naught, if these are all in a row in the same passage. So You think we do that? You think there’s that form of hatred anywhere people who turn aside the just who are they?

105. 52:57

     There’s a resurrection for the just and the unjust, right? So they must be people who will be in the resurrection. For a thing of not. What’s a thing of naught? It’s for a non-existent issue. An issue that has been has been inflated into a problem that really isn’t a problem, is there ever any circumstance in which we might find ourselves turning aside the just for a thing of naught and if there is we should recognize even though it’s so subtle, it feels like protection of the truth. That we are turning aside, the just for the thing, is not in those people.

106. 53:33

     Jesus says, in his judgment dialogue in Matthew 25 in as much as they did it to one of the least of these my brethren, they have done it to me and he tells them to depart from him because their workers of iniquity, we don’t see ourselves in that light but the heart of man is so deceptive that we could fall in his trap without even knowing.

107. 53:53

     God forbid, it are controversies, would cause us to go so far as to turn aside the just for a thing of naught and would this not also include those people who are just In their faith through Grace because it’s faith. That justifies us through Grace and it’s Grace, That Forgives, the worst of sins If they turned aside Paul.

108. 54:21

     It was a work of iniquity. If we turn aside, somebody whom the Lord has forgiven. And desires to save is no less than that. They are very sobering thoughts. But this is how to recognize hatred in yourself because you need to, we all need to look at this carefully. As we examine ourselves because it’s every one of these is extraordinarily subtle. It could they can each one of these things can be masked as righteousness in defense of God.

109. 54:51

     The truth and they are not. So then let’s look at discordant agreement. Paul says agree with one another live in peace. That’s where the piece come from. It comes from the Bremen. And that’s where agreement face Fellowship by lies in the same mind. And same judgment on the matters, on the application of the practice of Fellowship.

110. 55:12

     There are two problems that lead to Discord. One is in that we want to focus on I guess we have, what? Two minutes left here? It would do the best we can.

111. 55:23

     Better. We just work into these points and get the ones that we can and not finish then to race through them and not get any of them in Finish being righteous over much. I think any one of us can recognize that the potential for this is a problem, the potential to recognize this as a source problem is very high.

112. 55:45

     You can just be too righteous over. You can do this with your kids, you can. You can do this as a an older brother and an inclusion, you just come down fecal, standards and things. Intellectualism theologies they can understand. You can overwhelm them with your knowledge and essentially be righteous over much and we can’t, you can’t do that.

113. 56:02

     You don’t, you don’t feed children meet the kid, babies make meat, they can’t eat and you give them milk because it’s good for them. They can digest that. So he says don’t be overly righteous and make yourself too wise. He goes on to say, why should you destroy yourself? So actually being righteous over. Much can be on a lead you on a path of self-destruction? Yeah, if you become a soldier of Discord with your righteousness over much, God hates that and he hates the Sowers of it. Those people do not.

114. 56:35

     So the the seeds of righteousness and wisdom and peace. There’s another problem we have and that’s going beyond what is written, what anyone here suggests that people who are great theological students and and develop knowledge over time mixed with human nature. Don’t have the temptation to go beyond what is written. Especially if they write all the more I mean, Harry tenant was looking at what we’re going through the United States, one time and we were talking about this a little earlier and he said if Paul were here he would say, why did I write Romans?

115. 57:12

     Why do you need to write a whole other book that explains the relationship of sin and death, its origin its outcome in the atonement and its outcome in the resurrection. If I’ve already explained all that and I think pretty clearly in Romans had wanted part of Romans, did you not understand that requires a book to be written?

116. 57:30

     That’s Twice the size of Romans and goes beyond what is written. Point taken. So, there’s a point about agreement and humility. Humility is the only spiritual disposition that makes? Agreement work or the tendency of variation in judgment to work. So he says, finally brothers, look at this. Look at how plain and simple. This is Rejoice.

117. 58:01

     That’s where we start joy in the Lord kingdom of God, is Not meat and drink. It is not crackers. And Manischewitz that is not the kingdom of God. It is not dunking underwater, it is not animals burning on the altar. It is not circumcision. But joy and peace in the spirit of Christ.

118. 58:20

     That’s the kingdom of God. So he says, aim for restoration Comfort one, another agree with one another live in peace. This is our unnatural things, These Are Spiritual things and the god of love and peace will be with you. One more thing. Variants and emulation was get through this fast. These are two words that people do not understand. So how are you going to avoid fleshly impulsive variance and emulation if you don’t even know what they mean? That’s why I put this section in here while I’m at take a couple of minutes to show you the part of the fruits of the flesh. We know that He says the fruits of the flesh are and so on and so forth and variance, emulations he adds to that wrath strife, seditions heresies and embassies and envyings and hatred.

119. 59:05

     And we know those are the components of controversy. Are they not? So in the house of God, controversy has caused an incalculable amount of faith, and suffering, and loss of faith. I didn’t tell you what thing he can, I don’t know what I have. Didn’t know, variance means that particular oppositional disagreement, where it becomes a difference of view that is irreconcilable, could be a difference of judgment difference of opinion difference, in application of principle difference in Doctrine.

120. 59:35

     But variance is what we have. For example, with trinitarians, we are at Bauer Dance with them, he calls it a fleshly impulse because once you know the truth, if you are wise over much and you go beyond what is written, you’ll make all manner of variants. That doesn’t have anything to do with things that are supposed to be at odds with each other.

121. 59:51

     You’re just inventing this out of your nature and arguing about it because this is what men do. An emulation is best manship. You think you gave a good talk way to hear mine. You think you have a good theology. I’ll show you a theology, that explains it all of the better, you wrote elpis Israel. I’m going to write a book that’s all the better than help Israel and it will just set everything straight. I don’t know.

122. 1:00:13

     Well, that book. Well, that was old book will write a new book now and that’ll set everything straight. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll get on the internet and put a website and it has a thousand fifty pages in it and just read them all. And you understand exactly what Paul meant when he said agree with one another.

123. 1:00:26

     I live in peace. So let’s talk for a minute about reconciliation. This is where will close just a couple minutes left if you can indulge the time I think we have a half hour. Between now and next explain. All right, so 20 minutes will do the same thing. Thank you. Thank you for your patience with me. This after this this weekend.

124. 1:00:47

     Thank you, it. Sometimes it can be a little bit difficult to go a little bit longer but I believe if you’re bored, it’s my fault now. Therefore, you let me know and I will take all the blame for your boredom. Okay? Obvious, not a problem with me with you. Sameness of mine in judgment comes across in this beautiful figure of what God showed Noah in a covenant. And then he turned into the full spectrum of the Ocho overarching power of Christ rule Kingdom.

125. 1:01:19

     In the throne, the Throne of Christ because that too is described being surrounded. As rainbow says immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne and there was a rainbow around the throne God’s covenant surrounded the throne if that’s the Throne of David and Christ is on it, then the Assembly of saints that are around that Throne are likened to the rainbow.

126. 1:01:47

     That Noah saw in the cloud full of color, the full spectrum of color around about The Throne. I saw 24 Elders, clothed in white raiment, they had on their heads crowns of gold, there were seven lamps of fire burning Before the Throne which are the seven spirits of God. So in the Tabernacle that was set by little candlesticks and then when Jesus wrote the letters to the seven churches, there were there were seven times seven. There were, there were seven candlesticks with seven candles in the, each one of them was in a cliche. Representative of the house of God in the Kingdom that turns into the real thing.

127. 1:02:22

     Seven spirits of fire seven spirits of that thing which brings God’s judgments into the world that makes up his very nature fire. God is a consuming fire So looking at this picture as the reality of where we’re headed in the Royal administration of Jesus, is the son of God have seen it on his throne. He’s the light that’s coming into this world around. Him are the 12 disciples Seated on 12, Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel around them? I think are 24 Elders.

128. 1:02:53

     These are mentioned as being part of the royal Administration, their second of singled out as the upper end of his administration. Maybe people like Moses and David, Daniel and Joseph, a lot of experience and who in our time might be among the 24 Elders who indeed and around them, seven spirits of fire. Which look to John like a rainbow. It was so lovely.

129. 1:03:18

     So full of the Covenant of the Lord where he said this is the Covenant, I will make with you, I will never again, Destroy All Flesh. I will bring my light into this world in the clouds in the day of rain. So this is looking at this in elevation, this is what the Royal Administration would look like.

130. 1:03:39

     According to those scriptural points, there’s the 12 tribes judging the 12 tribes of Israel. There are the 24 Elders seated around the throne. And then Just using the number figuratively. There are 144 thousand people in this Congress in this government. So you look at this picture each one of those squares is 100 Saints each. One of the sections of squares is a thousand Saints. Each column is 6,000 Saints.

131. 1:04:14

     Each row is 24,000 Saints. So, this is literally in this illustration, 144,000 sink. It’s you’re looking at the figure so that’s a symbolic figure, maybe many more than that, but even if it were just this, If This Were a literal number, do you think Jesus could rule the world with this government? I don’t think he could do it by himself on a throne in Jerusalem.

132. 1:04:38

     He needs people who are like him have his mind, his Spirit, had his training in the midst of all these controversies to go to all parts of the world and to become the judges and rulers and princes and kings in the world in his administration. This makes a lot of sense to me. This is what his promise you can be a part of if you’re a part of those seven spirits of fire that sit around the throne and give all praise and power and honour to glory to the king. We Puts you as his crown on his head because you’re a chosen generation, a royal priesthood.

133. 1:05:15

     You his own special people. that you may proclaim the Praises of him who called you out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light, to a people who have just now learned that God is with us. That what some people try to tell them is now perfectly visible in the eyes of all men? When every I season, this was really true and you are there and you are bringing this piece

134. 1:05:44

     to the end of all controversy and to the reconciliation of God. And man, That what some people try to tell them is now perfectly visible in the eyes of all men? When every I season, this was really true and you are there and you are bringing this piece

135. 1:05:44

     to the end of all controversy and to the reconciliation of God. And man,