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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/robert-orr/till-i-come/
1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 13, the first three words, Tell I come. I thought of these expressions of late penned by the same human author, the Apostle Paul. Of course, 1 Corinthians 11 is very familiar to every believer in assembly fellowship.
Words that are given as to the Lord's Supper by the Lord to Paul the Apostle. And it's a joy and has been to our own hearts this morning in thinking of the fact that we have done that which he himself commanded to his own the very night that he was being betrayed.
At the close of this little section in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul uses an expression but the words tell he come. It's an absolute promise of the Lord himself. It's been expressed in prayer in our worship this morning.
He said to his own, if I go away, I will come again. I'm satisfied there are some gathered here and likely you have been remembering the Lord 65, 70 years or more. Lord's day by Lord's day. The promise of not only the fact that we enjoy the work that he accomplished on the cross, as we've partaken of the bread, speaking of his body, as we've supped in the cup, we have communed with our God relative to his own blessed son.
And the words of anticipation in these words of 1 Corinthians 11, as often as you eat this bread and drink of this cup, you show or declare the Lord's death. Tell he come. The fact that we have a promise, tell he come.
As we have declared his death, we're acknowledging a risen glorified Christ. Tell he come. They were anticipating it in that first century of Christian testimony. Here we are, 2010. I've related even in these parts.
Back in the 80s, I made a comment a time or two, we'll never be around to see the year 2000. Sometimes you eat your own words. I forget the statement that the late Mr. Wark stated at the Heightsville conference one year.
He came back to visit us sometime later and he says, we'll say no more about that. There's no predictions, but it's a promise. Tell he come. And in the will of the Lord, it would be our desire, all the saints, as we've sat here around the Lord, as we've viewed and partaken of these emblems, we're here yet, God willing, next Lord's day, somewhere gathered with beloved saints, gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus.
We have remembered the person who took our place upon dark Calvary, bore the judgment of our sin, delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification. We'll not have bread and wine in heaven.
Faith will give way to sight. What a joy to anticipate a promise. Tell he come. Paul wrote these words that were given to the son, his son in the faith, to Timothy. And I think of this little expression, till I come give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Now he had a purpose to see him again. Humanly speaking, that was his intent and likely he may have seen it take place, but what a simple little illustration or truth. Anticipating tell he would see him again.
Tell I come. No, we purpose plans. Likely all of us have some thoughts of the week to come, God willing. And you think of the context here. Tell I come, give attendance to reading. What is that all about?
I shared a lot of years with an older brother besides several of them, but I'm thinking of the moment of Leonard de Boer. And sometimes he would say, we shouldn't be interested in better homes and garden or any of those readings.
That's the priority. This is a book that God has given us to learn, to read. And we've enjoyed what was considered this morning in the Bible reading, all that God anticipated that is already determined before the universe and this earth that given to man to inhabit was ever placed and brought into being.
The lamb that Peter speaks about was that was to be slain before the foundation of the earth were laid. We've occupied our minds with him, our hearts. Give attendance to reading. I relate this. You get older, you really think back of things that have happened.
I was a little late one morning getting up to go off to work 55 years ago or so. And the man that I was employed with was a Christian and his father, who was an unsaved man, was in the local hospital there in Waterloo.
And we left a little early from the house. I had said to the family when I get home, we'll read tonight instead of this morning, as we usually did at the breakfast table. After work, I walked into a hospital there in Waterloo.
There was a sister probably in mid -80s sitting there in the waiting room area. I walked over and greeted her after a few minutes of conversation. She says, Robert, did you read this morning? I said, I called her by name.
We arose just a little late and we said, we'll do it this evening. She was very kind, she says. Give attendance to reading. I know many of us regret we haven't read as we should. Yet I think of a dear older brother that visited in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott in Applington years ago.
They read that morning the shortest psalm in the Psalms. And Mr. Elliott said to the brother, I forget his name, this is back in the 30s before my day, shall we read another one? He says, let's muse a little on what we've read.
He spent about 15 minutes at Psalm 117. I think, you know, the attendance to reading because the more you and I grasp of truth concerning him will affect your life and mine as we go forth each Lord's day into the week to come.
Here he says to reading, to exhortation. We await the Lord's return, but we recognize as well that only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last. Room for business. I heard it sung many times in my unsaved days.
Room for business, room for pleasure, but not a place that he could enter in the heart for which he died. We look back with gratitude and appreciation as soon we rise from our privilege of sitting here in his presence with the Lord in our midst.
The exhortation. He's simply saying to Timothy in the little interval of attendance to reading, to exhort and to encourage one another. Young believer, older believer, whatever our place in life is. We realize how important the Holy Scriptures, the promises, God's purposes for us, what we await, the doctrine we are to understand.
And it's been mentioned again and again as we think of our Savior who left the ivory palaces, came into his own world. John tells us of that time as he says now, knowing the hour was come that he should depart out of this world.
He knew the cross and Calvary was that which he had left the seas to come, to put away sin. And so we recognize the doctrine of his person, his finished work, his glorious resurrection, the place he fills at this moment on high.
But we're thankful as well for local testimony and for the fellowship we enjoy. We're grateful as we think of beloved brethren and sisters. The very fact that we've come from the east and the west and the north and the south.
I remember occasion in the army and there was a little notice in a barracks Plymouth brethren meeting them in a certain chapel on the post. Went over there and there was just another chap showed up. He'd saw the same notice in his barracks.
We had never met in life. It was from one of the southern states. In 15 minutes time it seemed like we'd known each other for a long time. We could all relate how we're saying, each of us, the both of us.
A little later on, a man who wore a little button on his lapel came in and he says, can I help you gentlemen? And he said, well those fellows I met in the back room, they're probably about eight or ten of them.
So we went back and we were amazed. Two of them were to my one. He isn't me. But we appreciate the doctrine and the truth we enjoy. Gathered to thy name Lord Jesus. Someday we're going to be in some moment, perhaps before we finish the dinner hour.
We could be up there in the glory. The Lord bless these thoughts. Tell he come. Yes he's coming, that's sure. Paul says to Timothy, tell I come. That was God willing. We'll see one another here. But we're all going to meet up there some glorious moment.
What an expectation. May it affect our lives and for us to finish as the ministry later on today, the children's meeting as well, in the Savior's name.