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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/larry-steers/the-unity-of-the-assembly/
I'm going to touch something else this afternoon that has been touched a little but we're going to touch it again. So we're going to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 11, 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and we'll read in verse 20, 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and we're reading verse 20, when you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper for in eating everyone taketh before his own supper and one is hungry and another is drunken.
What have you not houses to eat and to drink in or despise ye the church of God and shame them that have not? What shall I say unto you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. Just over to chapter 14 and verse 23.
Chapter 14 and verse 23, if therefore the whole church be come together into one place and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
But if all prophesy and there come in one that believeth not or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all and thus the secrets of his heart are made manifest and so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you or God is among you of a truth.
How is it then brethren, when you come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation, let all things be done decently and in order. Now just back to chapter 1 and 1 verse 10.
Chapter 1 and verse 10, now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Colossians chapter 2, the epistle to the Colossians chapter 2 and we will read the second verse. Colossians chapter 2 and reading verse 2, that their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ.
Now two more passages just verses, Hebrews chapter 10 well known verse 25, Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 25, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the matter of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.
Now one more verse back in Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and we will read verse 24, but our common parts have no need but God has tempered the body together having given more abundant honor to that part which lack.
That is all that we are going to read and we trust God will add the reading of his word, add his blessing to the reading of his word and I will give you a general idea of what I have before me. I may not be able in the time that is allowable to touch on every verse that I have read, not in detail at any rate.
I want to preface my few remarks by making three statements. It may be that I have some of the younger folks in mind here, but probably all of us as well, but certainly those who may be in assembly fellowship not very long.
I don't know what the brethren would tell you when you were interviewed for assembly fellowship. We have had the privilege on a good number of occasions of interviewing souls for assembly fellowship and there are some things that we want to make very, very clear in that interview.
So perhaps I might say a few things that you have not heard before or perhaps that the brethren never told you when you applied or asked for assembly fellowship. Let me make this very, very clear then that while there are times that the assembly comes together and the verses that I have read all will emphasize that in one way or another.
And so while there are times when the assembly has come together, you come into assembly fellowship, that means that you are part of the assembly 24 hours of the day. That is 24 seven, that is permanently, that is in assembly fellowship all the time.
Acts chapter two and verse 42 refers to the fellowship and it is that fellowship that the moment that you are received to that fellowship, that is a permanent reception. And so that would imply then that all of life's activities, all of your deportment, the places that you go, what you do, everything that you say is going to reflect upon the assembly that you are part of.
I think it's very clear that the man in first Corinthians chapter five who committed that very grievous moral sin never committed that sin when he was with the assembly, when the assembly was gathered together.
That was committed at some other time, but his entire life reflected upon the assembly and so there had to be discipline on that particular man. Now the point then is this, I want to emphasize it, that you are permanently in assembly fellowship and that includes all of your life all the time.
Let me just make another statement here then that there are times when the assembly comes together. That expression comes together is found eight times in the epistle that Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
Seven of those times refer to the coming together of the assembly. There's one exception, that one exception in the chapter seven and verse five which has to do with the marriage relationship. Those two expressions, that expression come together is found in two chapters.
Chapter 11 where we have read and in chapter 14. So in those two chapters, seven times the assembly comes together. The first Corinthians chapter 11 you'll find that five times, in chapter 14 you'll find it twice.
In chapter 11 we come together to remember the Lord Jesus Christ. In chapter 14 we come together on occasions like this for the ministry of the word of God. And there are a number of principles in chapter 14 that guide the ministry of the word of God in gatherings such as this.
In chapter 11 we come to give. Whether that giving is silently and sometimes we are fully persuaded that the worship of the sisters heard by God has a great influence upon the gathering. So whether that worship is silent or whether it is audible on the part of the brethren we come to give.
But in chapter 14 we come together to receive. That expression together, that implies a unity. It implies a gathering with others. And when there is that unity then we should carry with us the fragrance of that gathering as we separate after the gathering.
You remember that when Aaron was anointed and that holy anointing oil ran down his beard, down his garment, to the hem of his garment when Aaron moved out from that anointing he would carry the fragrance of that anointing with him.
So as we meet others day to day, day by day, we should carry the fragrance of the assembly gatherings with us. There should be a unity in that gathering. Now what I have read is a five-fold expression of that unity.
I'm going to touch some, maybe some not quite as much as others. And so we have read in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 20 and chapter 14 and verse 13 Paul exhorts the assembly at Corinth that they met in one place.
That is all the assembly gathered in one place. Now I understand that some of the assemblies in the New Testament were smaller and so they did meet in houses. There is a record in the Word of God of that.
But I would gather that the assembly at Corinth was likely somewhat larger. Paul was told as he was making his way into Corinth, God said, I have much people in this city. And so I would gather that this assembly at Corinth was larger than some of the other assemblies.
But emphasizing this one place is a modern kind of a thing. And I think likely it's kind of being incorporated from university work that some maybe have involved in where you break up into little tiny parts, little groups here and there, study the Word of God, and then you come together and discuss what you have heard God says, Paul says, one place, just one place.
And all of the assembly comes together and meets in that one place. And there should be a unity there. There should be a happiness there. There should be a oneness. Young, old, brethren, sisters all together meeting in that one place.
When you come to what we have read here in Corinth, they weren't together. There were divisions at Corinth. I think that has been implied just before I got up. So they were divided at least on three grounds.
They were divided upon the grounds of carnality. And so Paul says in chapter three that he could not speak unto them as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. I know I could probably spend the rest of the time on carnal believers.
I'm not going to do that. But let me just challenge you on this. If you were to make a list, we'll just say, make it easy, one to ten. And in that list, you were to put a list of things that are most important to you in your life.
Starting from the most important and come down to what would be least important. A carnal believer would have the assembly quite somewhat down that list. A spiritual believer would have the assembly at the top of that list.
And so Paul says to the Corinthians, and again, that could be enlarged upon, that he couldn't write to them or speak to them as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. They were divided on the grounds of carnality.
But they were divided on the grounds of personality. They were following men. Some of Paul, some of Cephas, some of Apollos. You shouldn't be following men. Men fail. Men are not always right. We don't follow men.
But in Corinth, they set their men up before them, even though they were good men. Even though they ministered to them profitably, they were following men. I think it's often been prayed before a gospel meeting that the speaker might not be prominent.
Following men. But they were divided on the grounds of prosperity. And so they had their little times of feasting together. That's why Paul said, have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? He's not saying that it's wrong to have a meal in the basement of the gospel.
That's not what he's saying. But what happened in Corinth, they were confusing the meal with the Lord's Supper, and the rich brought much to eat, and the poor didn't have much to eat. And so they were divided on the grounds of prosperity.
Brethren, we're all one in Christ. Maybe God has blessed you with abundance, but maybe there's another brother who hasn't got just quite that much. But we are one in Christ. So there shouldn't be any difference.
And so he says here at one place. But I want you to notice that expression in chapter 1 in verse 10. Perfectly joined together. I think my brethren will agree with this, that does appear, that expression, not exactly expressed as it is here.
But the word does appear a number of places in the New Testament. I'm going to refer to two of them. For example, in Matthew chapter 4, there are men who are standing on the seashore of Galilee. They are fishermen.
They are doing what fishermen do. And what fishermen do, they are mending the nets. And they are mending the nets because the fish will escape. That's the same word that is used here for perfectly joined together.
And so the assembly should be a place where people don't want to leave. It should be a place where there is no escape. In other words, what should fill the soul of every believer in assembly fellowship is where Jesus is.
There's heaven there. That's why we want to be there. That's what attracts us there. Not our brethren, though we try to get along with them. That's the whole purpose of what I'm trying to say. But we are there because the Lord is there.
This expression is used also in Galatians chapter 6 in verse 1. You know the verse. If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of considering thyself, lest I also be tempted.
That word for restore in that particular verse, the same word that we have here in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 in verse 10 is the idea of repairing a broken bone. If someone is missing and does not have a really legitimate reason for not being present, the assembly is like a person with a broken bone.
All should be there. Maybe there's a sister here who's a nurse and your patience will not get better on the Lord's day for the breaking of bread. You have to be at work. I said a person who has a legitimate excuse.
There may be other reasons. I want you to come to Galatians chapter 2. I love this expression. In Galatians chapter 2 in verse 2, we have read this knit together in love. One or two brethren here will recognize the sister that I'm going to mention.
She's home in heaven now. Mrs. L .K. McIlwain. I knew Mr. and Mrs. McIlwain quite well. Spent a little bit of time with them when Mr. McIlwain was living. But Mrs. McIlwain ended up in the home in Toronto near the end of her life and a number of times I went in to visit her.
This time when I went in, I wish I had a camera. I wish I could show you the picture. Because it would touch the heart. Mrs. McIlwain is sitting in a rocking chair. She's rocking very slowly back and forth.
She has her glasses down on her nose. White hair with a wicker basket beside the rocking chair. And she has two knitting needles and she's knitting. And in the wicker basket, of course, is the yarn. I sat and tried to talk to her for a few moments.
And I decided that I'm going to keep my eye on those knitting needles. Because I was going to try to figure out how she was knitting that yarn together. I quickly gave up on that. Those needles were going so fast that my eye couldn't follow them.
She was knitting whatever it was. We'll say she was knitting a scarf. Knitting a garment of some kind. We'll just say a scarf. If you were to take one strand of that yarn and pull, you could snap it in half.
Probably I could do that myself. There wouldn't be any strength in that one strand. But when it's knit together. And if it was a scarf that she was knitting. And I had the scarf up here now. And I summoned the two strongest men.
Maybe two young men. All of their strength up here. And I put one on one end, one on the other. And I said pull. To pull it apart, you couldn't do it. One strand you could break. But you couldn't break that scarf.
It's knit together. He says knit together in love. I think I have seen enough. And I think I have heard enough. And I think particularly in the last while. That I'm fully persuaded that Satan is making one mighty attack.
On the assemblies of the Lord's people gathered in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think divisive issues have arisen. And I think behind them is a hand of Satan. And we need to be very careful. That the assembly is knit together in love.
I would take it primarily first. That is love to Christ. Paul seemed to sense when he wrote that epistle to the Ephesians. That they were facing difficulties along the way. And later on John had to write to them.
And John said to them thou has left thy first love. Love to Christ first. And then love to our brethren after. And if that exists in an assembly. It will be held together. And the strand that will hold it together.
Is love to Christ. To obey him. To honor him. To obey his word. And then that love will be demonstrated towards our brethren. And if the assembly is really knit together in love. Satan will make his attack.
But he won't be able to destroy the assembly. Notice Hebrews chapter 10. I won't spend much time on this. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a matter of some is. I would take it for myself.
I don't know what my brethren might think. That there are three groups of people in view in the Hebrew epistle. There are those who are faithful. And they will be at the gatherings all the time. Then there is this individual that is sometimes referred to as an apostate.
And in the Hebrew epistle, I would have to feel very strongly. That the apostate in this epistle is a Jew. He has left. The old system. Left the temple or the synagogue. He has professed to be saved. He's numbered himself with the believers.
But when a time of very severe harsh persecution has come. His turn is back and gone back. And it's impossible to renew him again unto repentance. I would gather that there are others who are genuinely saved.
But they are wavering a little. And they see that the persecution is left less if they just don't attend all the time. And it is perhaps to those that he's saying here. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
But I think that comes down to us too. When we have everything going for us. There are countries that are not as peaceful as the United States or Canada where I live. There are countries today where the Lord's people are living in fear.
There are countries today where there's turmoil. There are countries today where there is a fear in the hearts of the Lord's people. To gather publicly together. And here we can gather in a commodious building like this.
We have beautiful halls to meet in. Everything is for us. Peace in the land that we are in. And yet we don't avail ourselves sometimes of that. This word that we have here. The assembling of ourselves together.
The exact same word appears another time in the Bible. That other time is in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Where Paul says, verse 1 of that chapter. Now I beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And by our gathering together unto him. No believer will miss that meeting. Every believer will be there. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes. The saints who are sleeping will be raised. That is the body that sleeps will be raised.
And those of us who are alive and remain. Will be caught up together to meet him in the air. And every believer born again. Cleansed by precious blood. Will be with the Lord Jesus Christ when he comes.
No one will miss that meeting. Should be our exercise here. Not to miss the times when the assembly has come together. I want to come just for a minute to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Verse 24. God has tempered the body together.
I tell you what I believe. I persuade it perhaps that some of my brethren will agree with me on this. But when we are laboring in the gospel. And the soul gets saved. I believe right at that moment that God is beginning to work with that soul.
Sins forgiven. Indwelt by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God divides gift every man severally as he will. That God is working. But God is working for a purpose in view. That there will be a place in God's assembly.
Where that soul will be found. I believe that every soul that is saved. Should be found in God's assembly. Any soul that we have the privilege of seeing. Saying we are working. That they might be found in the assembly of God.
And I believe God is preparing that soul. For the place in the assembly that he has them. He has tempered the body together. I have a series of gospel meetings in Ottawa. Which is the capital of Canada.
Man came into those meetings one night. Stayed behind for a few moments. When everybody else was leaving. And he said to me. I want to find out what the difference is between us and you. Men belong to what was known as the grant party of exclusive brethren.
So I agreed that I would meet with him. Went to his house with another brother. And when we got to the house. There were four exclusive brethren. And just the two of us. An initial time of prayer. They all prayed.
We prayed. When we sat at the table. I discovered very quickly. That one of those men was a full-time servant. Amongst the grant party of exclusive brethren. And he very quickly said. We're going to read in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
And commencing from verse 14. He went down the chapter. Verse by verse. Explaining why he was convinced. That it was the body of Christ. When he was finished. And I trust I did this very carefully. And inconsiderately.
But I took him back to verse 14. And I went down the chapter. And explained verse by verse. Why I was fully persuaded. That it was not the body of Christ. That it was the Corinthian assembly. And so in that chapter.
The eye and the ear. The hand and the foot. Represent members of the assembly at Corinth. And so you have the word members. A number of times in that chapter. And so that gives us permission. Or authority to say.
We are members of the local assembly. And so he says here. Tempered together. And then he gives us. What I would just carefully suggest. Maybe one of the greatest testimonies. Of a company gathered in the name.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is putting together what I have said. Just in the last few moments. I had a friend. I say had. Because he's in heaven now. Came back from Europe. After the end of the second world war.
And got saved in the little town where he lived. He went from one church building to another. Looking for a place. Where all the word of God would be carried out. He went to one place. And they gave him a Sunday school class.
He told the children. That they had to be saved. Or they'd be in hell. They objected to that. He left. If he couldn't tell them all the word of God. Then he had to find someplace else. He tried a number of places.
And in that little city. Very small city. He came to the conclusion. That there's no place here. Where I can go. Where they teach all the word of God. One day he was driving down one of the streets. In a little building that was kind of set back.
Sort of not very obvious. And he stopped his car. And he took a look at that old building. And that building said. Christians gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And over that gospel hall. And the times of the meetings.
So he thought. This would be his last resort. Try it once more. So Sunday morning he went in. I suppose there might have been 15 there. At the very most 20. There was one single circle. With all the believers sitting in that circle.
And so they very graciously showed him a place to sit. One of our brethren back our way. Had a very kind way of doing that. When a stranger would come in on Sunday morning. He would say to them. Any other time that you come into this building.
You can have any seat in the house. He said today we have a very special place for you to sit. And then he would give them a little pamphlet. That would explain what they are going to see. It just explained the breaking of bread.
And so he said. Now as you are observing. Just read this. And you'll know what is going on. Well that friend of mine sat there that Sunday morning. And he looked over at a man. That he figured this man over here.
Must be the minister. But a man over here gave out the first hymn. So you know what happened. So they thought this man is a minister. But this man stood up and prayed. And so he very quickly came to the conclusion.
That they have no minister here. When he was telling me his little experience. I was standing in his barn. Because he was a dairy farmer. He milked his cows by hand. So maybe that's going back a little way.
A little time. And there was a little post. That went from the floor of the barn. Where we were standing. And held up what was above. I knew what was above. Because I had helped him put some of the hay up there.
There were tons of hay up there. And as we were standing. He was telling me about that time. He first went into that little gospel hall. He doubled that big fist. And he hit that post. And I'm looking up.
Hoping that the hay didn't come down. And as he hit the post. He said. I decided this is a place. And spent his entire life. From the time. Almost the time that he was first saved. In that place. Can I say to my younger brethren here.
Determined before God. This is a place. This is the place where God wants you to be. This is a place where his word is carried out. This is a place where you can develop spiritual gift. That God has given to you.
This is a place. What is a testimony? What is one of the greatest testimonies. Of a local company of believers. Gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think I read it. Verse 25 of 1 Corinthians chapter 14.
And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest. And so falling down on his face. He will worship God. And report. That God. Is among you. The truth. That's what that man discovered that day. God was in this place.
And he determined. That that's the place. Where he was going to be.