Fellowship of Saints

0:00I chose that him not because it happens to be the last meeting of the series, but because in addition, I think you will agree it is almost appropriate him to have sung as we come to deal with the verse that is before us this evening, which is the 13th verse in the 12th chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans, distributing to the necessity of saints given to hospitality. Let me remind you again of the context of this injunction. Let's go back to the 9th verse and read down from there. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love, in honor of preferring one another. Not slurthful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the law, rejoicing in hope, patient intribulation, continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the

1:05necessity of saints given to hospitality. Now here we come to the last of these what I would call general injunctions. You may recall most of you that in our analysis of this section, I pointed out how most of the commentators seem to be agreed that there is very little evidence of the usual order which you have in the writings of the greater puzzle. I venture to differ from that and suggest that there is more order than they seem to have realized and I suggested that there is a division here at the 9th verse that the apostle having dealt with the doctrine of the church at the body of Christ and having reminded us of how we should use the various gifts that he has given to us through the spirit in the realm of the church. Now those are to deal with our general

2:05relationships to persons. First particularly persons in the realm of the church and then more generally. But now coming them to this subsection which starts at the 9th verse, we indicated that in the 9th verse he lays down the two great fundamental controlling principles which are that we should always be governed by love and secondly that we should bump in it and uphold that which is evil and cleave like gloom to that which is good. And then a general injunction again about our relationship to one another as believers, brotherly love. Let your brotherly love. He says many fists the same kind of affection that it does between brothers in a natural sense, between members of the family and indeed he says help yourselves to do this by going ahead of one

3:07another in showing honor and respect to one another. Then you see he comes to tell us how we should face our work. Never be slurthful. In zeal don't be slurthful he says but rather be fervent in spirit, in these spirits, the holy spirit, serving the Lord. Then you see in the 12th verse he goes on to deal with us as we face trials and troubles and tribulations. We have to rejoice in hope. That's the key to it all. Patient them in the tribulations because we are ever keeping our eye on that hope and in addition praying without ceasing, instant in prayer. And here in this 13th verse he comes to the end of what I call these general positive injunctions with regard to our combat. And this one follows directly from the previous one. You see the intimate connection, how his mind

4:11works and how it goes on. He's reminded us that we are subject to two trials and troubles and tribulations and that we must have a clear view of our life in this world otherwise we're going to be sadly disappointed and soon we'll be in trouble in our life of faith. Here they are. We are ears of this in the world. You shall have tribulation. Our Lord has warned us and prepared us and he told us that how we are to face our own personal tribulations but immediately he goes on. He can't leave it at that. We are not the only ones who are subject to this. All fellow believers also are subject to exactly the same conditions and here he reminds us that we must realize our responsibility therefore with respect to them and how we should help them to deal with these same problems that confront us. Now that's what we have in this 13th verse and here I suggest

5:18he does finish a subsection because from verse 14 onwards he deals in reality with our reactions to other people and to what they do whether it's unpleasant or pleasant. From there here on it's a question of our reaction to other people so far he's been looking at the thing positively and indicating to us what we have to do very well then we come to the end of this little subsection. Now the first thing we've got to do here is to be clear about our actual exegesis of the particular words most important that we should do so. There are two statements here we've got a balance you notice we've been doing that right away through and here the two parts are what is first if you like the first half he puts in terms of distributing to the necessity of sense

6:19then the balancing portion is given to hospitality and the second is the kind of interpretation or elaboration of the first in the form of a principle. Well now let's look at the terms distributing to the necessity of sense. Now this is a most interesting word and the most important one distributing of course is a part of the meaning but it isn't enough it's too weak it doesn't bring out the fullness of the meaning that was conveyed by the word that was used by the great apostle what it really means is this entering into fellowship with the necessity of the sense that's the term that he actually used you enter into fellowship with them as they have these necessities it's the same word that is often used over a share indeed it is the same essential word as you have in the apostolic benediction the communion

7:23of the Holy Ghost the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the fellowship of the communion of the Holy Ghost that's the word and here this is what he's saying not merely that you distribute to the necessities of the saints but you enter into fellowship with them you become partners with them you share with them in other words you must feel that this is your burden that's the meaning that their burden is your burden and that you're in them with them with them in this and that you really are feeling it yourself you've entered into a kind of partnership with them in their position and in their predicament very well that's it's important that we should revise that because if we don't we're going to miss a great deal of the particular teaching which he has here but let's go on to the word necessity now necessity means needs and needs means

8:28well they're necessities now he's not saying that we should enter into partnership with our fellow believers in their desires or in their likes or in their wishes doesn't say that but we must enter into fellowship and partnership with them with regard to their needs what is the distinction of course is an important point it means this there is all the difference in the world between our being in a position where we are short even of the necessities of life and another position where we're really are not short of the necessities but we would like to have more now the apostles talking about needs he's not saying that you should enter into partnership with people as they feel the need of luxuries isn't saying that you enter into partnership with them when they're face-to-face with needs when they rarely are in true difficulties and in trouble again

9:30that is very important we're all still in the flesh usually and there are some people who are not always quite clear as to the difference between absolute needs and necessities and the one hand and luxuries of some sort on the other hand but here he's only talking about the needs and again you notice that he says entering into partnership with the needs of the saints now here's an interesting word the saints are the holy ones if you might they're the ones who've been set apart he isn't talking about everybody he's talking about these people who have been set apart and they've been set apart of course by God here is a thing which might very well detain us we won't allow it to do so this evening but do let us remind ourselves that in the new testament every member of the church is regarded

10:30as a saint in the seventh verse of the first chapter of this great epistle he says that he's writing to those in Rome who have been called to be saints and you find that expression called saints or called to be saints in most of these epistles i think we need to remind ourselves of this in an age which is increasingly being governed in its thinking by Roman Catholic teaching their teaching is of course that only some people are saints, only some Christians i mean the vast majority of church members and Christians to the Roman Catholics are not saints the only people who are saints according to their teaching are the people and they decide to canonize as they call it and they've got certain tests which people have got to pass before they're described as saints well we must protest against it we're all called saints because the saint after all is a man who's been set apart by God what makes him and a saint is

11:31not anything he does it is what God has done to him separated under the gospel you'll notice this it isn't confined to the apostle Paul take for instance the apostle Peter he that's exactly the same idea at the beginning of his first kissle Peter and a apostle of Jesus Christ to the stranger scattered and then he names the companies but this is the description elect according to the four knowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit and obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ it's the same idea sanctification of the spirit now that isn't the sanctification that follows justification this is the sanctification that precedes even believing and that means set apart set apart by the Holy Spirit I mean no man can believe and as he set apart by the Holy Spirit he's elected according to the four knowledge of God through sanctification of the spirit he's taken hold of he's taken out to the world he's set apart God

12:35makes sense no man makes himself a saint no church makes him innocent saints are made by God and all the Christians are saints we've all been set apart by God taken out of the world put into this new kingdom this new condition we are God's people and what he's telling us here is that we must enter into partnership and fellowship with all such people like ourselves who are suffering need very well there's the first half of the statement but come to the second half which he puts as I say in the form of a more general principle and here it is given to hospitality what is hospitality now here's a word that we use very frequently don't you but the word used by the apostles again much stronger than this word hospitality we've debased this word as we tend to debase most words this word really means loving

13:41strangers stranger loving that's the word that the apostle uses in other words he says you must have fondness or affection for strangers you remember how he puts it it's the same word exactly in the second verse of the 13th chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews being not forgetful to entertain strangers it's the same word there as we've got youth as hospitality that that's what it means show hospitality you might translate that Hebrews 13 two in this way be not forgetful of hospitality that's exactly how it could be translated if you adopted the same translation as we have here be not forgetful to entertain strangers be not forgetful of hospitality it is love of the stranger a fondness or affection for strangers now he says

14:42that we are to be given to hospitality and here again it's extraordinarily how almost every word we're looking at this evening causes us to express the measure of criticism of the authorised version the others know better but it's unfortunate that these words are much too weak given given to hospitality what does it mean well it really means to pursue hospitality pursue it to seek after it now let me give you some other examples of this same word translated in a better way take one Corinthians 14 one you remember how after the great hymn of love in one Corinthians 13 the 14th chapter starts with these words follow after charity follow after that's the idea they don't translate it given to charity follow after it it's the same word precisely

15:44and that's the meaning which we should attach to it here but let me give you some still more striking examples of the third chapter of the epistle to the Philippians and here we've got it three times take verse six concerning zeal persecuting the church it's the same word translated here persecuting going after him persecuting going after it in that sense of persecuting persecuting is the right translation here but you see the whole idea is this pursuing pursuing the church going after the in order that you might do harm to it but it shows this eagerness and this keenness or take it again in verse 12 not as though I had already attained either we're already perfect but I follow after

16:44not just given to these things I follow after them and then he elaborates that you see if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended and later he elaborates it's still more but you've got it in the 16th verse once more nevertheless where two we have already attained let us walk by the verse 14 rather I should have said I pressed toward the mark that's it I pressed toward the mark now this is undoubtedly an inspired translation here in Philippians you notice how they vary the terms and bring out the fast and you can do that by varying the actual expression but all of them together give us this tremendous idea of zest and zeal and keenness and pursuing something not just given to hospitality but really going after it going out for it pursuing it seeking it following after pressing towards the mark as it went in this

17:47respect now a very good way of enforcing this injunction is to show you the opposite of it and here Peter is of help to us because in the first epistle of Peter and in the fourth chapter and the ninth verse you get what is approaching the opposite or the negative of this injunction to pursue hospitality there Peter says use hospitality one to another without gravity now you see that's a man not exercising hospitality in the right way use hospitality one to another without gravity don't grab you as you do it there were Christians who were doing that they felt well they've got to do this but they prefer not to do it and they did it very gradually they did it in a very bad way indeed now the Paul saying the exact opposite of that don't do it gradually says go all up be after and chase it press after it follow after it not not how heartedly

18:54gradually or against the grain or doing it with an ill grace the exact opposite in other words with the kind of thing that he's exhorting us to do you see it doesn't the same word but it's the principle that we've got in what Paul tells us about honor ciferous you remember in the second epistle to Timothy in the first chapter at the end he said the Lord give mercy into the house of honor ciferous or he after refreshed me and was not ashamed of my shame but when he was in Rome he sought me out very diligently and found me that's it that's the idea you seek them out seek out the opportunity by up the opportunity pursue this so in this method of stranger love you that is to be the way in which we are to do it one other than there we have looked at the actual words of this injunction what do we got to say about them well now nobody who knows the new testament of

19:59all can fail a tinnitus that the apostle here is teaching us something that is thought everywhere in the new testament it's quite amazing when you come to look into it to notice the frequency of reference is to this in the new testament let me just give you some hard examples of this very thing the apostle comes back again to it in the 15th chapter in verse 26 for it has pleased them of Macedonia and the car to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem and he was very pleased about that he had pleased them barely and their battles they are and then you've got it in several places in the form of positive injunctions take for instance Galatians 6 where he tells us that we are to not with our services men pleases but as the 7th of Christ doing the will of God from the heart and then he goes on to tell us later on

21:04to show this kind of I was reading from Ephesians I'm sorry here it is in Galatians that him that is thought in the word communicate under him the teachers communicate that's the same idea that means the give to him support him help him that him that is thought in the word communicate under him the teachers in all good things later on he goes on and tells us to do good and to all men especially them that are the household of faith you've got the same idea in Philippians for 15 now he Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving but you only no church entered into partnership with me that's the idea as concerning giving and receiving but you only and he commends them for this you've got the same thing in one Timothy 6 18 you've

22:05got it again as I've reminded you in the epistle to the Hebrews in the 13th chapter and not only in that second verse but again in the 16th verse also of that chapter it's put in these terms but do good and to communicate keep your eye on that word communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased now there is great attention there for paid to this all along you'll find in the qualifications of elders presbyters and so on you'll find that this is a point that is made given to hospitality we are told that they must be people who are given to hospitality and people who enjoy exercising hospitality these are some of the terms that are used with regard for such people well now then you can see that it obviously was the most important point in the early church and I think there was a special reason for that there was a great deal of persecution

23:10Christians were then being persecuted better and they might have to leave their home and their district and go elsewhere now they were all alive to that you you've got to bear that in mind always as a background in your reading of the New Testament if we don't know the historical circumstances it's sometimes difficult to understand why such great emphasis is placed upon particular things and this is one of those cases in which that is particularly important it was the persecution that led to this and the need of this there was an absence of course of what we know as hotels and places to stay and things of that kind so that naturally in the life of the early church it was something that Christian people needed to be reminded of very frequently now what then is the general teaching for us this is the application of it to ourselves and to our own day and generation well the first thing we've got to realize once more is that this is not just a general vague injunction for us to be kind to one another I've pointed out with regard to all

24:17these injunctions that they're all the outcome of doctrine and that they must all always be considered in the light of the doctrine that's why we spend such time on the first and the second verses of this chapter they are the key to the whole Christian convert those two verses govern the whole of the rest of this epistle to the end of chapter 60 they're the two verses that rarely govern the whole concept of the Christian don't forget that they're privacy to therefore if you ever find any of these injunctions that against the grain it is because you've somewhere gone wrong in your doctrine you've somehow not understood the full content of this therefore if we rarely guess the teaching of the first eleven chapters all these things should come naturally and almost in every to be to us but not only that to understand these injunctions and this one in particular we have got to realize also the full content of the teaching which

25:22we've had in verses four and five of this chapter what is that well here it is as we have many members in one body and all members of not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another now it's because that is true that he tells us here to distribute to the necessity of the saints and to go out after hospitality you see he's basing it all again under the doctrine of the church as the body of Christ and we only see the relevance of this injunction and feel its force as we grasp that central teaching and there's nothing more wonderful than this why should we do what he tells us here in this thirteen verse the answer is that all of us are the separated people you remember our Peter puts it here a church of generation a royal a holy nation of peculiar a royal priesthood and early nation

26:27a peculiar people that he should show for his praise is to have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light which were not a people but are now the people of God which are not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy here in the beloved as strangers and pilgrims I beseech you it's the same that's the appeal now that's the background to this appeal this is not a general injunction to Christian people to be generous to those who are in need no no it's much more particular it is to the saints I say and therefore we must carry with us this previous teaching especially that teaching there about the Christian as being a member of the body of Christ and all others in the same position and also you've got a bear in mind the teaching of verses nine and ten let your love be without a simulation in brotherly love be kindly affection to one another this is one of the ways in which you do that so you see the teaching here assumes the teaching that has gone before you can't understand the particular injunction except you take it in the

27:30light of the background of its own context very well what he's saying is this we're all family of God we're all brothers and sisters and isn't this a marvelous thought a wonderful thing you and I my friends we belong to the same family indeed we are more closely related than we are by natural tiles because we are your members of the family of God and the moment you realize that there's no difficulty about this injunction if a member of your family is in trouble you're there blood is thickened and water you say well I say the spirit is thickened and blood because it's the holy spirit of God and so you see the thing is inevitable you remember our Paul argues in the chapter one Corinthians 12 where he uses this analogy of the body he says if every if any one member suffer all the body suffers with it that's the kind of thing you say you see your brother

28:34in trouble will you're in it with him you're in partnership with it puts it as an injunction yes but it's an injunction that comes out to a position that is there realize the relationship put it in the practice therefore or another illustration of this which as always fascinated me and I've always enjoyed reading it you remember what we are told in the 12th chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles how Peter was arrested and put into prison first of all king had it had taken James the brother of John and had killed him and then because he saw he pleased the Jews he proceeded further to take Peter also and when he had apprehended him he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people and listen Peter therefore was kept in prison but prayer was made without ceasing of the church and to God for him only one of them was in prison but they were all in the prison with him Peter alone was literally in the prison but every member of that church was

29:39in the prison with Peter prayer was made of the church without ceasing and to God for him they were suffering with him why well because he's one of the families of brother and nothing can happen to the brothers except that we all feed it and are involved in it with him oh takes away the author of the epistle to the Hebrews puts it again let's go back to that 13th chapter indeed my difficulty tonight was to know what not to quote let brotherly love continue be not forgetful to entertain strangers or thereby some have entertained angels and a while listen remember them that are in bonds as bound with them and them which suffer at versity as being yourselves also in the body you see you're bound with them you're in the same body with them it means that I know that it means you were also in a physical body and the same thing can happen to you but it has the other meaning also in other words it is this solidarity

30:40this identity nothing can happen to any one of you except that it happens to all of you that's the teacher so you see the doctrine is absolutely essential if you do this gradually what you're really showing is that you don't understand the doctrine of the church as the body of Christ and your own place and position in it so now then this is what he's telling us he says recognize Christians when you meet them you know they were you see scattered abroad because of persecution and some of them would arrive in Rome must pull himself up done and as Priscilla and Aquila have done he says distribute to the necessity of saints well how do you know them you've got to recognize the memory and this is a wonderful thing again do you recognize Christians when you meet them for the first time you should thank God one does there are people here tonight who might recognize the first time I saw them not members of this church at all come a long way

31:44some of them across the ocean I recognize them the first time I saw them and we recognize one another but not only do you recognize them you're glad to see them and you're most anxious to help them bury one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ be eager to do this didn't you think that that second epistle to the Corinthians chapter 8 which we read at the beginning was wonderful listen to the Apostleavi put it more of our brethren we do you to wait of the grace of God be stirred on the churches of Macedonia listen to this how that in a great trial of a fiction they will they that was their position they were in a great trial of a fiction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty are bounded into the riches of their liberality you can't add to that can you it's like a mighty river you see the depths of the river their deep poverty then if you want to know how deep the river is the riches of their

32:48liberality in a great trial of a fiction there's the depth again the abundance of their joy there's the height of it here's this tremendous stream flowing along between these banks now that's the sort of thing the Apostle is exerting to us here for to their power i bear record yay and beyond their power they were willing of themselves praying us with much in treaty that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship the partnership with the ministering to the saints and this we did not as we hurt but first gave they this they did not as we hurt but first gave their own selves to the Lord and then to us by the will of God and so on that whole chapter as you notice deals with this marvelous thing now then that is what we have to do in other words it comes to this love thy neighbor as myself you love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and soul and mind and strength and then love your neighbor as yourself love your brother especially because he's your brother and that is the way in which we do this so that you

33:51see this injunction we are looking at becomes a very good test our whole position of ourselves as Christians as the him we've been singing just puts it we test our love for thee and show our love for thee by loving one another john argues that if a man doesn't have his brother we have seen how can he love God only as not see this is how it works so it's a very good test all our love to one another but john puts this very strongly people sometimes think you know that john is the loving apostle and much tenderer than the apostle Paul i always find them the other way around john frightens me much more than Paul does john with his bluntness listen to this hereby perceive with the love of God i'm reading one john three verse 16 hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brother

34:57but who's the half this world's good and see if his brother have need and shut up his bowels of compassion from him how do I let the love of God in him my little children let us not love in word neither in tongue but indeed and in truth Paul never said anything or severe as that Paul is much the gentler of the two john with his bluntness put it like that and what he writes of course is perfectly true Paul puts it in a more general appeal john puts it like this quite simply don't talk about loving god is it if you shut up the bowels of your compassion to a brother that is in need you mustn't talk about the love of God you're a hypocrite john's the man who calls us liars if we say that we know him and live in sin there he puts this point i say very plainly and very bluntly to us you see we know that we have passed from just a life because we love the brethren yes but says john you don't love the

36:00brethren in word or in tongue but indeed and in truth you must be ready to lay down your lives for the brethren as Christ laid down his life for you if needs be in other words you see what Paul is exerting us to here is the kind of thing that we read of in the very beginning of the church acts through at the end of the chapter you remember what we read here it is in verse 44 and 45 and all that believed were together and all things common and sold their possessions and goods and plotted them to all men as every men heard me we read exactly the same thing again in chapter 4 verse is 34 to 36 it's repeated neither was there any among them that lacked for as many as were possessors of lens or houses sold and brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid them down at the apostles feet and distribution was made unto every men according as he had need now Paul is you're just calling us to that kind of life there are one or two matters of

37:07interest which i must raise at this point i think this injunction of the apostle cast great light on that on those two portions i've read to you from the book of Acts Acts 2 and Acts 4 how does it cast light on that well in this way some people have thought that in Acts 2 and Acts 4 you are given a description of a kind of communist society that it was a kind of attempt some sort of communism which was later abandoned some would say that it was a mistake to have abandoned it and so on now it seems quite fair to me from this injunction of the apostle and the other injunctions that i've already quoted do you in the New Testament that Christianity does not teach communism in that sense what it does teach is this not that we sell all that we have and give it into a public pool so that nobody has any private property or any private possessions at

38:11all that isn't what it teaches it teaches stewardship you still have your possessions but you are governed by the spirit of law so that you if you see a brother in need you give what you've got to him it was that equality the Paul speaks of in two Corinthians 8 nobody lacked nobody had too much it is according as the need arises in the brethren that the others contribute now this is the most important point of course and i could have spent the whole evening on it we can't do that but let's put it like this it is sometimes i would say indeed always easier to get rid of all you've got than to act as a student if you give all you've got and you've got nothing left well you've got no problems have you but if you still retain your possessions but as a Christian you know that your brother has a right to it when he's in need

39:15well your responsibility is greater and your difficulties are greater but that is the thing to which the New Testament calls you you are a steward of all that you have and you must feel that it belongs to your brother as much as it does to you if your brother is in need that isn't communism music communism does it by act of law it compels people to do it it's the opposite of this this is the law of law this is an appeal which is made to me in the light of the doctrine it's the exact opposite of communism which simply levels everybody out this doesn't do that this tells us to level one another out in a spirit of law so that we're all always in a position where none of us is suffering from need that's the teaching and therefore it is good that we should know that when we meet people who talk about communism and either say that Christianity should be like it or that communism is superior to it that's the answer to that argument

40:19secondly the appeal the apostle makes to us here is not just the kind of general social appeal such as is being made very often at the present time in the Christian church you know it's happening at the present time over certain countries with us a certain amount of starvation and need and so on and a general appeal is made to relieve this suffering and the churches as it were come into it that isn't what we've got here now let's be clear about this the primary call on the Christian is to his fellow Christians do go down to all men especially them that are of the household of faith they come first of course if you're in a position to help others beyond that do that also but here I feel again it's a very important thing for us at this present time we as a church here and all other churches represented I'm sure are the same experience you get requests sent to you from various secular societies which are doing a lot of

41:20good red cross famine relief and various others and they send these appeal round to all the churches now I'm arguing and indeed we put this into practice here that we are not involved in those general appeals in that way it is our business to seek out the Christians in these needy countries and do what we can to help them we put them first they have a priority it doesn't mean we don't help the others if we're in a position to do so but it does seem to me that Christian people should designate their gifts to their fellow Christians and not be just a part of some general vague secular philanthropy now they appeal to us is particularly to the same and they are often the people who are mostly neglected they come first with us and we should always give them priority and deal with them before we deal with any others this isn't an appeal to

42:25indiscriminate giving and I think the church should be more jealous of her priorities in this respect and not submit neatly and unintelligently at times to the general appeal the man of the world said you Christians of course you are the people of all people who should be doing this we said we know wait a minute do you know what a Christian is a Christian is a separated man a Christian is a saint we are bound to certain people in certain countries more than we are to the generality of people in those countries and we are more interested in them in the first instance anything else we can do we will do readily and clever as an act of charity and an act of compassion but our first call is always the call that comes from the saint our fellow believers in Christ a third note there are difficulties about carrying out this injunction and one of the biggest difficulties is I'm sorry to have to use such language I'm doing it in order to save time the professional

43:28beggar and churches know something about the professional beggar church like this in particular situated in a place like part of London like this there are professional beggars poor men and women who for various reasons have gone wrong let's be sympathetic towards them but you see they have no right to become professional beggars and especially at a time like this when the church makes provisions when the state makes provisions for such people but they do what they want of course poor things is money for drink and so on they don't say that but it generally comes to that now then what do we do about them you see these professional beggars sometimes a little bit arrogant and they're ready to quote a verse like this they don't know the words but they quote what they think is the spirit of it they think a church now then the church is an institution that gives to anybody who asks anybody who is in need and they almost demand it and they almost insist upon being given something what about them well it's quite clear that the early church had exactly the

44:33same problem not only in this matter of giving but there were people traveling about in those days they'd arrive at a church and they'd announce that they were great preachers and they wanted an opportunity for preaching or what you do the man like that any every man who thinks he's a great preacher is not you know in fact most who think they are are certainly not but there were such people traveling around the early church and they clearly had difficulty about this so you see they had to adopt a certain method and you're told what it was at the beginning of the third chapter of the second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians listen do we begin again to commend ourselves to you or need we are some others epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you letters of commendation because of the abuse of this exhortation and injunction that we are considering and the other application of it the early church had to resort to that expedient when a brother said for instance that he'd

45:35got to go to Rome on business or something he was given a letter so that his words could be checked and his claims could be checked a letter of recommendation or of commendation and that is that is a very good thing to do but what you do if a man hasn't got a letter well now this is where the whole question of discrimination comes in and the researcher thing is the gift of discrimination I mentioned it in passing how do you recognize the Christian well there are various ways in which this can be done and remember it's a part of our stewardship a steward is not a man who gives to the first man who asks him he may be helping a man to continue in sin by doing that you've got to assess your man a steward is a man who can calculate and assess and make computations it's a very simple thing indeed just to empty your pockets to the first man who comes along it can be very bad it may mean that you're giving to a man who's unworthy of it and then with the right man comes you've got nothing to give a steward is a man who's got to know what he's doing and the way in which

46:39you've test is to listen to men speaking let them talk I often have had to do it and still have to do it in my history at the close of services and after you've done this for a number of years you know you can generally tell the kind of person with which you're dealing they generally start with the kind of spiritual introduction and perhaps thank you very profusely for the sermon and so on and yet you feel well if this man is as spiritual as this why is he dressed as badly as he is why is he unwashed why is he unkempt can a man who is as spiritual as this one seems to be from his speech and conversation really be what he's representing himself at so you let him go on talking and you hurry him a little bit and soon you'll get out from him that what he really wants is to ask you for money and then you have an opportunity of talking to him about his soul and you try to show him the error of his words and you may give him something to help him in order to show that you're not condemning him but you expose the sham and the hollowness and his pretence

47:43and then you act with charity with respect to him but we've all made mistakes to use the phrase we've all been taken in we have given to frauds and so on I trust that we've never refused a deserving case but you need to pray for discrimination that you'll be able to recognise a true Christian and a truly worthy case well there are some points which I thought I'd indicate in passing my friends bear with me a minute while I say just a word about how you actually put all this into practice how do you do it well now in a very wonderful way again that 13th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews rarely tells us all about it and I'm just going to read the verses to you go back to that 13th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews he talks about three kinds of love first let brotherly love continue that's the first verse then in the second verse as I say he talks about this love of the stranger which is translated here be

48:44not forgetful to entertain strangers you love your brother you love this stranger and you know the best way to do that well the best way to do that is to listen to what he says in verse five let your conversation be without covetousness now a better translation of that would be something like this let your manner of life be free from the love of money if you want to love your brother and to love the stranger be sure that you don't love money for if you love money you won't love your brother or the stranger so there you've got two positives one negative start with the negative don't be a lover of money and then your will on the way to to become a lover of your brother and a lover of the stranger let me give you some encouragement to the putting into practice of this great exhortation of the apostle

49:49distributing to the necessity of saints given to hospitality why well because as you do so you can be quite sure you're always doing it under him you remember how he puts it at the end of the 25th chapter of the gospel a gardener sent Matthew talks about when the son of man shall come in his glory and all the nations should be gathered before him he shall set the sheep on his right hand the goats on the left then the king shall say unto them on his right hand come me blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was unhungered and he gave me meat I was thirsty and he gave me a drink I was a stranger and you took me in naked and declared me I was sick and you visited me I was in prison and he came unto me then shall the righteous answer him saying Lord when so we thee and under them fed thee all thirsty and gave thee drink when so we thee a stranger and took thee in or naked and closed thee or when so we thee sick or in prison and came unto me and to thee and the king shall answer and say unto them very lay I say unto you in as much as he have done it unto one of the

50:54least these my brethren you have done it unto me love your brethren enter into fellowship and partnership with them in their needs and in their necessities love the stranger why well you're not only doing it for them you're doing it unto him he is the one you're pleasing and he is the one you are serving let me give you a second exhortation be not forgetful to entertain strangers why thereby some have entertained angels unaware and there's no happier experience than that you've taken a stranger in because you're following this injunction there wasn't much to look at in this stranger but you discover later that you've taken in an angel you've entertained an angel unaware there are great stories in the literature of the church on this in the biographies and in the books how a great saint was traveling and in need and so on and was taken in and how his arrival

52:01turned to be the greatest blessing that had ever come to the family that obeyed the injunction of the apostle Paul but here is a third and a final argument for you think of the reward that will come to you there have already given it you from Matthew 25 think of the day when he'll say that and you win as much as he did it into one of the least of my brethren you have done it unto me well done though good and faithful servant enter into the joy of thy Lord enter into the kingdom that has been prepared for you before the foundation of the world for a wonderful thing but listen to our Lord himself urging us and exhorting us and encouraging us to do this very thing the apostle tells us to do here it is in verse 16 it's a parable you remember of the unjust steward the Lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wise for the children of this

53:07world or in the generation wise than the children of light and I say unto you make to yourself friends all the men of unrighteousness that means this make to yourselves friends with the men of unrighteousness that when you fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations it means this makes the right use of your money don't be unwise help others use this men of unrighteousness your money to make friends for yourselves so that when the day may come that you fail and it will come when you die they'll have gone before you and when you arrive on the other side these will be the people in the front ranks waiting for you welcome when you when you fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations that the apostle Paul put it in his own way as he puts it

54:08to us in the first epistle to Timothy chapter 6 did this whole chapter in a sense deals with this one matter that we are looking at he says there are certain people from whom we should withdraw who are they well he says these are people who suppose that gain is godliness or that they go in for godliness in order to get gain out of it but he says godliness with contemptment is great for we brought nothing into this world and it is nothing that we can certain we can carry nothing out and having food and raiment let us know with be content but they that will be rich fall into temptation and the snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root is a root of all evil which while some coveted after they have heard from the faith and pierced himself through with many sorrows but now for men of god flee these days and follow after righteousness godliness faith love patience

55:11meekness etc but he then listen to him at the end charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living god who give us richly all things to enjoy that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate why laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on the eternal life exactly the same teaching as our Lord there in Luke 16 teach them he says to use their money in such a way ready to distribute willing to communicate and teach them that as they're doing so what they're really doing is they're laying up in store for themselves in the world to come this great balance as you were as it were

56:12they're doing it here they'll reap the reward of it there give them this right view this right perspective if they do this tell them they will be laying hold on a firm hold a certain hold they'll have absolute assurance of eternal life itself and that is the great encouragement to all of us to implement this injunction of the apostle year in this 13th verse of the 12th chapter of the epistle to the Romans enter into fellowship with all saints who are in need assume seek after this last range of hospitality kindness to others and as you do so you will be pleasing your lord and master you will be certain of having that final from him beyond which nothing can be more desired well done now good and faithful served you will

57:17have entered in many a strange other words even in this life and you will have made certain of your eternal bliss in the glory of our lasting and will be welcomed into it not only by the but by these others whom you helped when they were in this evil world who have gone on before you and they will be receiving into your everlasting habitation