Mark O’Grady - Class 3: Pure Religion and Undefiled

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

1. 0:00

   Our second class, our second speaker this morning is Brother Mark O'Grady of the Tawa New Zealand Ecclesia. The theme for Brother Mark's classes this week is All That Tithe Is Holy. Today's class is entitled Pure Religion and Undefiled. Brother Mark.

2. 0:30

   Well, brothers and sisters, we thought we'd start this morning with a little bit of a sidetrack. A number of people have asked me about the Tawa Ecclesia, and unfortunately, Brother Ron and I arrived a little late on Saturday, so we couldn't participate in the orientation evening. So I'm just going to start off by cribbing a few moments at the beginning with some pictures of home family and the Ecclesia.

3. 0:55

   For those that don't know, we have a very small family at home, six children. And that keeps my wife an extremely busy lady. Nari's actually at home at the Winter Bible School with the family at the moment. We had four boys and then two little girls at the end. David, the oldest, is 20, and Amy, the youngest one, is four, nearly five.

4. 1:16

   So I'll just flick through the photos reasonably quickly. David and Dan, 20 and 18. And then the two little girls, Hannah, who's seven, nearly eight, and Amy, who's four, nearly five. The sisters will relate to that. That's feeding time at the zoo. As battle is about to commence with the evening meal. And that's the two girls.

5. 1:42

   Hannah is the older one, and Amy is the younger one. And that's our house. A lot of houses in Wellington are made of timber. There's a lot of earthquakes in Wellington. I guess it's a bit like San Francisco or Los Angeles. It's built on major fault lines. And timber was plentiful. Bricks don't handle the earthquakes.

6. 2:00

   You find there's a lot of timber houses. And we actually shifted our house in several pieces. It's an old place, and we moved it up onto a block of land a few years ago. That's James, our youngest one. New Zealand has four million people, 40 million sheep, and 70 million possums.

7. 2:18

   Actually, a possum is an Australian introduction, and it's something we always take up with Australian visitors when they come across. It's New Zealand's number one environmental problem, and there James, our youngest son, is protecting mum's roses by disposing of some of the local possums. That's the view from the front door. So we live in a rural area on the outskirts of the city.

8. 2:39

   You'll notice it's quite hilly. Wellington is a very hilly place, and it's very unusual to get any flat land. Just a couple in the garden. Now, young people's activities. They had a young people's weekend. Actually, for those of you that know Brother Roger Lewis, in the back road there in the middle, on the left-hand side of the white post there, is Roger's oldest son, Nathan.

9. 3:04

   Nathan and his wife, Sue, have actually just moved to Los Angeles for three years. But Nathan led the studies for that particular young people's weekend. That was just the group inside there. That's our CYC. That's our ecclesial hall. It's in the suburb of Tawa. I admire the way the brethren have nobly struggled through saying Tawa.

10. 3:25

    It's a strange word. It's actually a Maori name. It's the name of a local tree that was very prevalent in the suburb of Tawa, where we live. So that's the ecclesial hall there. That's part of the senior Sunday school class. A number of them were away that particular morning. And then just a couple of photographs of the inside of the ecclesial hall there on a Sunday morning.

11. 3:50

    It's a lovely spot. We're very blessed with it. The ecclesia was set up about six years ago. And if you're interested at some stage later, I won't take up too much time now, but the way in which we obtained the ecclesial hall was quite extraordinary and something we're very grateful for. You can see the Father's hand at work often in things like that.

12. 4:08

    So that's just a little bit of a background. The other thing I should mention, New Zealand's made of two long islands. It's quite skinny as a country. You're never more than 150 kilometres from the sea at the widest point. But it's quite long. Wellington, which is the city that the Tawa Ecclesia is in, is based at the bottom of the North Island.

13. 4:30

    There's then a three-and-a-half-hour ferry trip to get across to the South Island. Christchurch, and I know a number of you have met brothers and sisters from Christchurch is about a third of the way down the South Island, so it's a reasonable distance from where we live. The biggest ecclesial area would probably be Auckland, which is about 10 hours' drive north of us.

14. 4:47

    So the country is reasonably spread out. I'm guessing that there are probably about 700, 750 brothers and sisters in the country as a whole. And if you're ever travelling through, we've got a spare bedroom, so we'd love to have you come and stay, but not all at once.

15. 5:04

    Good. Okay. Right. Pure religion and undefiled. We read in Matthew 22, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

16. 5:33

    On these two commandments, says Christ, hang all the law and the prophets. And in that remarkable statement, the Lord is telling us that there are two pillars upon which all the law and the prophets hang. Two great principles which support the fabric, the entire fabric of the truth. The first principle is, thou shalt love Yahweh thy God.

17. 5:57

    So it starts with God. It's about God himself, his truth, his word, his holiness, his ways. With all your heart. And then secondly, he says, to love thy neighbour. In other words, to take all those principles of our love for God and turn around and practically apply them in a way of life, in our behaviour towards others.

18. 6:21

    So the first commandment establishes a divine principle that begins with a love of God. The second involves a practical application of that in a way of life towards others. Now in the truth, doesn't our life occupy those same two dimensions? That our foundation as a community is based upon a love for God, for his holiness, his word, his ways.

19. 6:45

    But then it also must be shown in a practical way of life on the other. Now in our last study, we looked really at the first of those two aspects, didn't we? We looked at our commitment to God and to the ecclesia. To the work of the tabernacle, ministering in the ecclesia of the living God.

20. 7:05

    It's a tithe that was given to support the worship of God. But if the truth stops there and is not reflected in our behaviour at home or with our friends or in the workplace, then what use is it? If our attitude towards God and all the formal structural parts of our worship together is not given active demonstration in our daily lives, then how valuable really is it?

21. 7:40

    And this morning we're going to turn to this second pillar. We're going to look at a practical outworking of all those principles, but this time demonstrated in our behaviour towards others. As James describes it, a conversion of faith into works. So our study this morning is about practically applying these principles of tithing, but as a way of life.

22. 8:03

    In particular, we're going to look at the subject of care for our brethren. You know, in today's affluent society and the world in which we live or are blessed to live in, there's a social security system, and it's designed to ensure that there's no need for many beggars to live on the street.

23. 8:24

    And as a result, because of the affluence that we live in, the issue of personal need is often hidden. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. You know, when the Apostle John addressed this issue, he was very specific, quite blunt, quite to the point. He said, Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

24. 8:55

    1 John 3, verse 17. And we're going to find this morning that there was wonderful wisdom, tremendous wisdom and goodness in the law of tithing in the way in which it very explicitly addresses this issue. And this morning as we're going to go through these details in a comparatively obscure little part of the section on tithing, just marvel, brothers and sisters, at the meticulous detail that's in the divine law and the depth of principle and lessons that it brings out for us in daily life.

25. 9:29

    Did you know that there were actually two completely different tithes? The tithe that we looked at yesterday was the well-known one. It's the annual tithe, 10% of the Israelites' produce, which was taken down and contributed at the tabernacle for the work of the worship at the tabernacle. But in addition to that, there was actually a completely different tithe.

26. 9:52

    It had a totally different objective and purpose. It didn't happen every year. It happened once every three years. In fact, it's referred to in Scripture as being the year of the tithe, and it was every three years. Its focus was domestic rather than tabernacle-based. In fact, it had nothing to do with the tabernacle, but it had everything to do with how the principles of the truth were lived at home in daily life.

27. 10:22

    I'd like you to come with me to Deuteronomy and chapter 14. Now, Deuteronomy 14 has quite a section on tithing. There's a section from verses 22 to 29, which we're not going to look at this morning, which covers various aspects of the tithe. Our focus today is simply on the last two verses, verses 28 and 29.

28. 10:52

    Deuteronomy 14, verse 28. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates. Now, note here, when it says all the tithe, literally it simply means a whole 10%. So it's not talking about all the normal annual tithe.

29. 11:13

    It says at the end of every three years, you should take a whole 10% and lay it up within thy gates. And the Levite, because he hath no partner or inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come and shall eat and be satisfied, that Yahweh thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand, which thou doest.

30. 11:42

    Now, what differences do you note there between this three-yearly tithe and the annual tithe? Well, obviously, first of all, it took place every three years. It wasn't every year. It was not for the priests or for the tabernacle. It was for the Levites who dwelt all over Israel. Meanwhile, it was for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.

31. 12:07

    And it emphasizes that it's within thy gates. It's not carried down to the tabernacle. Now, as we know, the law of Moses made a lot of provisions for the poor, didn't it? If you were the owner of a field of wheat, when you harvested the field, you had to make sure that you left the corners.

32. 12:24

    You couldn't go right into the corner. You had to cut around in a circle and leave the corners. If you dropped some grain, you had to leave it there for the poor to be able to pick up. If you went through and beat the olive trees to take the olive berries off that were ripe, you were forbidden to go back and beat over the olive tree the second time, or to go back and harvest the later ripening fruit from the vines.

33. 12:47

    So there was a number of provisions under the law of Moses to make sure that the poor were looked after. But did you notice, have you ever thought about the fact that in every one of those provisions, the poor still had to expend effort? They themselves had to go into the field and harvest and thresh.

34. 13:09

    They still had to pick, to glean, to thresh. But this particular law was different. This wasn't a gathering on their part. This is a gathering on my part. The tithe was not of raw materials. It was a tithe of processed product, of grain, of oil, and of wine. So this involves a gift of my own personal effort.

35. 13:39

    Now wouldn't that test the generosity of spirit of an Israelite much more than those other laws? You know, it was one thing, brothers and sisters, to allow them to come and to pick up all the bits that I had missed. It's another thing altogether to wait until after I have finished all my labours, brought in all the harvest, carefully processed it, and then put it in my store at home, only to have to then turn around and take 10% and give it away to somebody else.

36. 14:08

    And when the law told them to take a tithe, the 10%, it said, and bring it forth. And the word means to bring it out. And it's conveying to us an extremely, a very deliberate act. So they had to go and they had to actually take it and they had to bring it forth.

37. 14:27

    They actually had to bring it out. If we go, we won't turn it up. But in Deuteronomy 26, it says they had to take it away or bring it away out of their house. And it's a very marked expression. And it's hinting at the fact that it no longer belonged to them. It belonged to God.

38. 14:44

    So having brought all the harvest in and put it in their store, they then had to look at the store and say, actually, some of that's not mine. It doesn't belong to me. And they had to take that 10% and they had to physically separate it and take it away because it was hallowed.

39. 15:00

    It was no longer theirs. Now, there's a very powerful lesson for us, brothers and sisters, in ecclesial life in this regard. Care for our brothers and sisters goes a long way just tolerating their presence or bestowing our gracious smile and warm handshake on them on a Sunday morning. Genuine love requires deliberate action.

40. 15:26

    It means taking our resources, our assets, whatever it is that we may have been blessed with in life, and bringing them out of my house. It requires deliberate purpose, taking those things to a particular place. There's a saying in the Christian world that you might have come across, and they say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

41. 15:49

    It's a very graphic little description, that, isn't it? And when it comes to our practical care for our brethren, just intending to do good things is not enough. Have you ever thought, oh, look, I feel really sorry for that person. I'd like to help them, but I'm just not sure how. Or as soon as the next few weeks have passed, you know, they're very busy, you know, but as soon as those few weeks that have busyness have passed, then I'm sure I'm going to be able to do such and such to help my brothers and sisters.

42. 16:23

    Or I have a feeling that that brother or that sister may be in difficulty. I must find some way to help them. But the some way never comes. And the law was prescriptive. It was powerful. It was very direct. You must take the tithe. You must separate it from your own things. And you must make it available.

43. 16:52

    Now, there's a very useful hint for us, brothers and sisters, in ecclesial life in this regard. If we want to become a living example of the principles of the power in that second tithe and the second of the great commandments, the best thing we can do is to look for opportunity very deliberately for what we can do for our brothers and sisters and then act.

44. 17:12

    You know, if we set out with a desire to help our brothers and sisters, the Father will provide the opportunity for us. It might almost sound legalistic or mechanical, but it's very powerful if we stop and deliberately put time aside to think about what we can do to help our brothers and sisters.

45. 17:30

    Set the time aside. Deliberately look. Is there somebody in my ecclesia whose lawns need mowing? Or who needs transport to the shops? Who can't afford to fix the broken drainpipe? Or whose car has broken down? And with something like that, if we see need, there is no time like the present. The opportunity to help that brother or sister may not come again for years.

46. 17:59

    And if there is an opportunity to lend a helping hand somewhere, we should take it. You notice the way the record really emphasizes this. It says, take all your increase that same year. It's making the point that they weren't to delay. They weren't to hold on to it for a while, just in case a greater need became apparent in the future.

47. 18:20

    They were to take their increase that same year, as soon as it was harvested, and they were then to bring it out for those that had need. Now remember, of course, this law is actually for everyone. You might bring along your tithe in a great articulated lorry. Or whatever the olden day equivalent was.

48. 18:40

    And pour it into the place that's set aside. I might bring mine along in a little paper bag. But it's the same for all of us. 10% of what the fathers blessed us with. And all of us, no matter how great or small we may be, all of us are perfectly capable of helping our brothers and sisters.

49. 19:03

    Interesting reflection, isn't it? It's often those who don't have much who set the example for us in the way in which they care for others.

50. 19:15

    Now, it's interesting to note the mix of people that's involved here. It's a rather interesting mix. It's a somewhat eclectic grouping of people, isn't it? The Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. But they all have one thing in common. They all had need. And under the law, God put a lot of emphasis on each one of those groups, very specifically on many occasions, and the responsibility of the Israelite to care for them in all their ways.

51. 19:44

    Now, God cared for those groups for very specific reasons. We looked at the Levite, didn't we, yesterday, and their inclusion in this little section highlights for us, doesn't it, their vulnerability, the need which they had to be supported by their brothers and sisters. Let's turn our attention to the subject of the stranger.

52. 20:05

    Why did God care for the stranger? It seems a little bit of an enigma, doesn't it? God was so opposed to the nations around. He commanded Israel when they went in the land to completely obliterate them. And in great contrast to that, here he is commanding them to care for the stranger. Why?

53. 20:26

    Well, there were two reasons. First of all, there were faithful strangers like Ruth who separated themselves from their people and joined themselves in faithfulness to Israel. And secondly, a great principle which is repeated many times, because Israel themselves had been strangers in the land of Egypt. So we won't turn it up, but Leviticus 19, verse 34, love the stranger as thyself, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

54. 20:57

    And constantly, all the way through the law, time after time after time, the Father reminds them of that. He says, Israel, never forget, you were strangers yourselves and you needed care. Therefore, he says, care for the strangers. You have been oppressed yourself. Learn to show compassion to those in the same situation. Now, in the context of Deuteronomy 14, are there strangers in ecclesial life today?

55. 21:31

    Well, we know what strangers are, don't we? Someone who doesn't have a family. Someone who doesn't have roots. Someone who doesn't have a circle of friends to fit into.

56. 21:48

    In ecclesial life today, there are strangers. People who are part of Israel, but they don't feel part of Israel. the lonely who can't seem to find their place in ecclesial life. Those who always seem to be alone. And there are always those, even in the midst of our ecclesias, who are consumed with loneliness.

57. 22:21

    They have no friends. Have you ever noticed the person that stands at the back of the hall all alone? Or who walks aimlessly by themselves from one side of the hall to the other? Or goes outside and sits in their car after the meeting is finished?

58. 22:41

    Brothers and sisters, as people who have been called as strangers ourselves, we should look for those in our midst who need our compassion and friendship. Look for the opportunity to bring them into ecclesial life. Befriend them. Speak to them. Include them in our circle of friends.

59. 23:05

    Well, what about the subject of the fatherless and the widows? What stands out about the subject of the fatherless and the widows? One feature. They're defenseless, aren't they? There's nobody there to fight their battles. No one to labor to obtain food for them to provide for their tables. They have to fend for themselves in a hostile world without the strength, the support, the kindly firmness of dad's arm.

60. 23:36

    You know, brothers and sisters, there are many in ecclesial life today who lack the man's arm to lean on, who lack the strength of a father in a house to provide for their needs and to protect them.

61. 23:56

    Widows as such these days are not so common. In the days of old, there used to be many widows due to the ravages of war and sickness. Today's society has reduced the number of widows created by such means. But tragically, there is something more dreadful than war, more ravaging than illness on family life, and it's the insidious influence of a world that says that marriage is not for life.

62. 24:28

    And we have faithful sisters, sometimes brothers, who understand the sanctity of the marriage vow and yet nevertheless have been left to bring up children alone.

63. 24:42

    Brothers and sisters, those of us who are secure in our own family homes, can we ever begin to comprehend the loneliness that is the widow's lot? delivery delivery evening, decisions made alone, burdens unshared. Who is it, brothers and sisters, that provides for the fatherless and the widows? Listen to these words from the Psalms. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name, extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name, Yah, rejoice before him, a father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows is God in his holy habitation.

64. 25:34

    That's Psalm 68 verses 4 and 5. And the law made this lesson very, very plain to Israel. Deuteronomy 24, thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment to pledge. But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and Yahweh thy God redeemed thee thence. Therefore I command thee, he says, to do this thing. So brothers and sisters, let's remember from whence we've come that God has taken us as strangers and brought us into his family.

65. 26:13

    God's redeemed us. And let's learn to be generous to our brothers and sisters. How? How do we convey our tithe? How can we reach out and touch that need? How can we alleviate burdens? Well, the law of tithing actually gives us some very valuable practical hints in this regard also. Let's look back again at Deuteronomy chapter 14 and notice the little phrase there in verse 28.

66. 26:45

    At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year and shalt lay it up within thy gates. That little phrase there, within thy gates, is literally within thy gates. It means within the area of your control, of your safety, of your dwelling, of your habitation, is the idea conveyed by those words. It can be used of the gates of the house or of the city.

67. 27:15

    But basically, brothers and sisters, the concept that's being conveyed here is it's at your place. It's home. It's to be laid up at your place, within your gates. All of this now happens at your place. Deuteronomy 26 goes further. You know what it says in Deuteronomy 26? It says, so that they may come and eat within thy gates. In other words, the needy were able to come to your place and to eat of that tithe. So how can we best, brothers and sisters, extend support to those that need it in ecclesial life? And the answer is, in our place, in our homes. It's the spirit, isn't it, of Isaiah 58, verse 6? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house. Or the words of the Apostle Paul, Romans 12. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, he says, in honor preferring one another. Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality. Hospitality means bringing people into our homes. It's interesting, isn't it? But the practice of entertaining people in the home is actually becoming a dying art. And as the pace of society becomes more rushed, and the emphasis of everything seems to be on making life more convenient and more easy and as instant as possible, the idea of all the cost and hassle of bringing people into our homes and entertaining them or caring for them there, it just becomes less and less attractive, doesn't it? Now, I don't know about your country, but I've certainly in mine observed over the last few years an enormous drop-off in the amount of

68. 29:07

    entertaining that's done in the home. And when we say entertaining, we mean bringing people in and sharing fellowship together in the home. Do you remember the sister who always used to put some extra food in the pot on Sunday morning? Just in case. Just in case somebody came to the meeting who didn't have anywhere to go afterwards, so she could invite them back, as a privilege she saw it, to her place. In ecclesial life, look for those who entertain, who bring others into their homes, because inevitably, they will be the ones who have a significant influence upon your ecclesia.

69. 29:45

    If you ever see a couple or a family that's busy in the work of the truth, inevitably, you will find that they're hospitable as well. Well, what is it, brothers and sisters, that's so good about having someone into our home? Well, number one, it gives us the opportunity to be a servant, doesn't it? To minister to their needs. It's an opportunity to show kindness, love, and warmth in a way that can't be conveyed by a cheque or some money posted in the mail. It provides friendship, companionship.

70. 30:23

    It shows that we genuinely value our brothers and sisters. It helps us become real people as far as they're concerned. It extends and shares our home environment that we've been blessed with, with others. And it provides time. Time to listen. Time to talk. Time to encourage. There is no substitute. There is nothing more powerful than us taking the time and the effort to be with our brothers and sisters and to communicate within our own homes.

71. 31:00

    Why, you might ask, can't we have a good chat to someone on a Sunday morning and find out how they are? Well, that's the equivalent of a takeaway meal, isn't it? Packaged in short bursts. It's the McDonald's version. Have you ever noticed that if you've been to someone's house or had them around to your place for a meal, that afterwards it seems to build a bond and a closeness, a friendship there?

72. 31:25

    Another word for it would be fellowship, wouldn't it? Somehow we feel closer to that person. And we've got a glorious picture here, brothers and sisters, of a faithful Israelite providing from their means for somebody else within their gates at their place. A picture of someone who has been blessed by God with much. Someone that is needy and requires help. And they come and they sit down together and they enjoy a meal together. Come, let them eat within thy gates in the bond of fellowship.

73. 32:02

    You know, there's a glorious little phrase there, brothers and sisters, in verse 29. It says in the middle of the verse, those which are within thy gates shall come and shall eat and be satisfied. It's a glorious little word that, the word sabah. It's the word that's used in Exodus 16, verse 12, which speaks of Yahweh giving bread to the full for Israel. Above all, it's actually a cameo of the kingdom. Because we're told in Psalm 65, verse 4, that we then shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. And that little word satisfied is very expressive, isn't it?

74. 32:45

    Can you see them in your mind's eye? They've just finished off a lovely Sunday meal in fellowship together. And the widow, or the fatherless, pushes back the chair from the table and is satisfied. It's a lovely little expression, that, isn't it? Of people that are happy together in fellowship. And if we bring our brothers and sisters into our home and care for them in the way that's being encouraged here in the law of this three-yearly tithe, then it is like someone who eats and is satisfied.

75. 33:21

    What a wonderful privilege for us to be able to contribute to that state for our brothers and sisters. In fact, it is like a cameo of the kingdom where we can provide that satisfaction and comfort. It provides a haven for our brothers and sisters in ecclesial life. Now, with that background, let's move on now to Deuteronomy 26. Now, Deuteronomy 26 is a really fascinating chapter. I'm not sure if you've ever looked at it before, but it's a very obscure but marvelous little instruction in the law of Moses.

76. 33:57

    Deuteronomy 26 actually covers or includes two declarations, two solemn declarations that the Israelites were commanded to make in the presence of their God. Their declaratory statements, when an Israelite is commanded to come and actually make a declaration in the presence of God. The first one, verses 1 to 11, is a declaration that Israel had to make after bringing their first fruits.

77. 34:22

    The second, verses 12 to 15, was a solemn declaration that an Israelite had to make in the presence of God formally after fulfilling his responsibility in the year of the tithe. This tithe once every three years. It's interesting to note that the first fruits and the tithing often go together in the way in which they are referred to in Scripture. One begins the harvest, the other completes the harvest.

78. 34:48

    Now, let's look at verse 15 to start with. This is their plea. When they speak to God, they ask him, look down from thy holy habitation from heaven and bless thy people Israel and the land which thou hast given us as thou swearest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey. So they're pleading for God's blessing upon them after they've given this declaration. Now, the first question we have to ask is, why? Why did God encourage them or instruct them? Verse 12, when thou hast made an end of tithing, all the tithes of thine increase, the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates and be filled, then thou shalt say, before Yahweh thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me. I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them, I have not eaten thereof in my morning, neither have I taken away aught thereof for any unclean use, nor given aught thereof for the dead, but I have hearkened to the voice of Yahweh my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me. Isn't that an all-pervasive declaration of integrity? I have done everything that God asked me in regard to this particular commandment.

79. 36:26

    Why? Why did God require such a solemn declaration to be formally made in his presence? Well, the first reason is summed up, I guess, in the word accountability. There was something so important about this duty that after the Israelite had completed it, God held him personally accountable. He had to account to God for it. And this statement is a personal statement by someone who is being called to account by God as to whether he has honoured and observed this commandment or not. This is an indication that God doesn't treat this subject lightly. It's a very unusual step in the law to have a personal declaration of this intensity. So accountability is conveyed by it. But the second thing, brothers and sisters, is a very practical thing that comes from this particular obligation.

80. 37:21

    Remember we considered the fact that, a little earlier this morning, that to actually intend to do something nice for somebody is very different from actually doing it. We all recognise the importance of caring for our brothers and sisters, but it's just that other things of life seem to get in the way, and we never quite get around to it. So let's take ourselves and put ourselves there in the record in Deuteronomy 26. Go out on the hills at night, appear before God, and go to make the declaration and know that we haven't actually done it. Could you make the declaration? No. All you could do is look down and shamefacedly say, well, actually, I can't say that. I haven't done it yet. And hurry off to go and get it done, so that we then can appear before God and say, we've done what you asked us to do.

81. 38:17

    We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Every one of us shall give account of himself to God, says Paul. Romans 14, verse 10. So we ask ourselves the question, well, is this perhaps a hint? Do you think that Deuteronomy 26 could be giving us a hint that this may be one of the things that we are examined on when we give account of ourselves at the judgment seat of Christ?

82. 38:50

    We won't turn it up, but in the parable of the sheep and the goats, the Lord says to those on his right hand, I was hungry. You fed me. I was thirsty. You gave me to drink. I was poor, in prison. You visited me. And those who have been accepted say, Lord, when did we do that for you?

83. 39:16

    And he said, in that you did it for the least of these my little ones, you did it for me. Brothers and sisters, that would suggest to us, wouldn't it, that it will be one of the things which we are called to give a personal statement of accountability on before God when our Lord returns.

84. 39:38

    Then in verse 14, the Israelite then needs to add this unusual little expression. He said, I have not eaten thereof in my morning, neither have I taken away aught thereof for any unclean use, nor given aught thereof for the dead. And we say, well, what's this lesson that's associated with the tithe and the eating of it and the subject of uncleanness? Well, the first thing to note is that this is talking here, brothers and sisters, not about the act of eating. It's actually talking about the state of the eater. So here was an Israelite who faithfully followed the law.

85. 40:13

    He'd been faithful and generous. He put aside the things that were required for his brothers and sisters. With unstinting kindness, he'd called them in and he'd allowed them to participate in what he had provided. He showed love, mercy to those who needed it. He'd sent them away laden with good things. What a wonderful example of kindly affection. It was not enough. There was another element required. It did not suffice. Mere kindness and goodness to our fellow man by itself, brothers and sisters, is not enough. In order to satisfy God, this man, when he gave that tithe, had to be clean in the process. It was an integral part, brothers and sisters, of their activities and their worship.

86. 40:58

    Good works are not enough by themselves. It must be accompanied by a state of holiness before God. Let's have a closer look at the three statements which are made there in verse 14. First of all, he says, I have not eaten thereof in my mourning. The idea of pain, sorrow or affliction sometimes is a consequence of our own wrongdoing. It also has the idea of bereavement because somebody next to us has died. We've lost a near kinsman. He said, I have not taken away thereof in my uncleanness or when I was unclean. And I've not given thereof for the dead. Now note this carefully. There are three statements there. And statements one and two relate to the holiness of the giver. Statement three relates to the holiness of the receiver. The translation there is, I have not given thereof for the dead is a bit clumsy. It should be rendered, I have not given thereof to one defiled for the dead.

87. 42:00

    Rotherham has an interesting footnote or a marginal note in that regard. So here's a promise. I've not given this tithe to somebody who was defiled for the dead. It has the idea of someone who was made unclean by contact with a dead body. Now cleanness under the law, as we know, was accorded great weight in importance. It was an integral part of all worship activities.

88. 42:20

    An Israelite who approached before God to worship while ceremonially unclean was cut off from his people. A priest who approached before God unclean died. And here's this aspect of cleanness being brought in here in terms of two declarations about the holiness of the giver and one declaration about the holiness of the receiver. And the lesson is very clear, brothers and sisters, that as we extend mercy and loving kindness to others as commanded by God, there is no excuse for us defiling God's holiness. And the principles of cleanness must still be maintained. First of all, the giver had to be clean. Well, that's logical, isn't it? If there was a very generous Israelite who took the tithe and gave it to the stranger and the fatherless and the widow in a state of uncleanness, the gift was unclean.

89. 43:13

    And so became the recipient. If we don't uphold divine principles in our own personal life, brothers and sisters, we're not well placed to help others, are we? In fact, it goes beyond that. If we're living an unclean life, then our influence on other people is harmful, not beneficial. It's a classic example, isn't it, of what happens in ecclesial life when there are those who like to get involved in other people's lives, but who have no effort or make no effort to uphold divine principles in their own lives, if we wish to be of assistance to our brothers and sisters, it starts with us understanding and appreciating the principles of holiness first. But secondly, when we extend love and support to someone who's in trouble in ecclesial life, it must not extend to supporting or condoning them in continued uncleanness. Holiness was actually required here on the part of the receiver. So let's look at a practical example here, brothers and sisters. A brother or a sister, perhaps a young person, is in serious spiritual trouble. Perhaps they're rebelling against some aspect of ecclesial life or they're refusing in some way to accept divine principle. Now we're not talking here about someone who's trying, struggling and failing. We're talking about someone here who's thumbing their nose at the principles of the truth, absolutely rebellious against the things of God. All of us, no doubt, come across these experiences sometimes in ecclesial life.

90. 44:46

    What do we do? How do we handle the situation? Well, the spirit of the tithe, brothers and sisters, is that love should always be extended. However, at the point where it compromises God's principles or holiness, the tithe was not to be extended. It was still there. It was still available. But it became available and it was extended after the person became clean again. Until they came back to a state of ceremonial cleanness. They couldn't benefit from it. Love knows no limits, but it acts within the parameters of God's holiness. So when difficult issues befall us, brothers and sisters, in ecclesial life, and no doubt they will and they have and they will continue to do so, and when our emotions run high, as they always do, let's let those principles be our guide. A spirit of love and the extension of the tithe, but it always acts within the perimeters of God's uncleanness. Oh, sorry, of God's cleanness, his cleanliness, not uncleanness. Well, does that mean then that if there's a problem in someone's life, we should say, well, we really shouldn't touch them because they're unclean or they're dirty?

91. 46:01

    And of course, the answer from scripture is absolutely not. We should take on instead the principle of James, who talks about us in love, snatching the brand out of the fire, and then he goes on to talk about thanking God who's able to keep us all from falling. He talks about a spirit of love that's there, but it maintains the principles of holiness as well. And the year of the tithe was about a generous love, an open-hearted and free, generous love that was extended to all in need, but it fitted within the bounds of God's holiness.

92. 46:42

    Now, brothers and sisters, if only in ecclesial life we could have the wisdom to hold both of those principles together in the way in which we interact as a community. And if we manage to uphold those principles, we'll uphold the spirit of what the truth is all about. Maintaining a reverence for God's holiness on one hand and demonstrating love and support to those around us. That's what the truth is. Loving Yahweh with all thy heart, soul, and mind, and loving thy neighbor as thyself. It's a balance, brothers and sisters, of those principles demonstrated in God's way. It's about bringing our tithe to those who are in need whilst maintaining holiness in our own personal day of life, integrity in our own outlook on life. It's about, and note these words carefully, it's about maintaining cleanness ourselves, keeping unspotted from the world, whilst at the same time applying those principles in love for the fatherless and the widows. Now, that's a quote. Does anyone know where the quote comes from? Let's conclude by turning up the epistle of James. Now, brothers and sisters, if James has drawn his lessons from anywhere, he's taken them straight out of Deuteronomy chapter 26, and you'll see why when we read this little section from the epistle of James. James chapter 1.

93. 48:07

    Verse 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Now, isn't that an interesting blend of concepts? To visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. Those are the elements drawn out of Deuteronomy chapter 26.

94. 48:38

    So, brothers and sisters, what was the year of the tithe? It was pure religion. Pure religion, in the words of the apostle James. And on the basis of upholding those principles, then the Israelite could ask God to look down from thy holy habitation from heaven and bless thy people Israel, in the declaration of Deuteronomy 26. So, brothers and sisters, if we can exhort ourselves in our own personal lives to uphold those principles, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world that's loving Yahweh with all thy heart, soul and mind, and to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, it's pure religion. And on that basis, we can ask our loving Heavenly Father to bless our community.

95. 49:25

    Thank you, Brother Mark, for bringing to our attention a most practical outworking of our expressed love of God. Our third class, brothers and sisters, will start at 11 o'clock.