Well, if there's a better hymn
than that, I don't know what it is. Just the thought of being white
as snow before God is... Turn back to 1 Timothy 1, if
you would please. I was thinking while Brandon read
that passage of Scripture, the raven, didn't come back. Why didn't the raven come back?
Because ravens eat carrion. They're fine with that. They
can eat rotten carrion and do just fine, but not a dove. A
dove could only find sustenance in the ark. Paul Spoke in this passage of scripture
of godly edification, the edification, the building, which is of God. The word edification means literally
to build a house. We call buildings edifices. That's where that word comes
from. And this thing of edification is used as a metaphor to describe
Christian growth being built up. And I know this. If I grow,
it will be because God caused me to grow. If I'm built up,
it will be because God caused me to be built up. Peter said, grow in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. And this, I know if I grow in
grace, it'll be through growing in the knowledge of him. There's growth in the fruit of
the spirit, loving more. Loving him more. Loving you more. Loving his gospel more. Growing
in joy. Rejoicing more in the gospel. Growing in peace. Not that the
peace I have is greater, but my feeling of it is greater.
As I learn to see that Christ is my righteousness before God,
I'll have peace. Learning more of him. growing in humility, growing
in understanding, becoming more mature. Now I'm interested in
this, aren't you? This thing of godly edification. I want
to know something about the edification which comes from God. Now he
said in verse three, and this is what we considered last time,
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into
Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some, that they teach
no other doctrine, only the doctrine of Christ, only the doctrine
of grace, only the doctrine of the gospel, no other doctrine. And then he said in verse four,
neither give heed to fables. What are fables? It's where we get the word myth
from. A fable is fiction. It's something that is not true. It is something that is not according
to the Word of God. Neither give heed to fables. All they do is minister questions.
Let me show you some other scriptures regarding this. Turn to 1 Timothy
chapter 4 verse 7. But refuse profane. What does profane mean? It means
accessible. It means crossing the threshold.
That's dangerous. Refuse profane and old wise fables,
and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 1 Timothy 6 verse
20. O Timothy, keep that which is
committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings and
opposition to science, falsely so-called. I love that statement. Look in 2 Timothy chapter two, verse 23, but foolish and unlearned
questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes. Second
Timothy chapter four, verse three. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts, shall
they heap to themselves teachers. having itching ears, and they
shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned
unto fables." Now, do you see these warnings in the scripture
about these fables, these old wives' tales, anything that is
contrary to the gospel of God's grace? All they do is minister
questions. They bring about doubts and debates,
and they certainly do not serve in this thing of edification.
being built up. He says, you stay away from those
fables and you stay away from, I love the way he calls this,
endless genealogies. Now, I used to work at the Ashland
Public Library and they had this genealogy section and people
would go and they would devote all their time to They're genealogies. I came from this person, all
this royal heritage and all this kind of stuff that everybody
always had, but I always thought during that time, if you shake
your family tree long enough, Adam's gonna fall out. And that's
your genealogy. Fallen Adam. Endless genealogies. And didn't John the Baptist say,
say not within yourselves, we have Abraham for our father,
for God is able of these stones to raise up children of Abraham.
So don't give yourself to these endless genealogies, which minister
questions rather than godly edifying, which is in faith or by faith. Now, the edification of God.
That could read like that, the edification, the building of
which God is the builder. Now, I want to be a building
of God, don't you? The church is called the house of God, the
building of God. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 16. You know, there's all, I was
thinking about this thing of being built and growth. There's all
kinds of conferences and books about how to grow, how to grow.
It ain't about how to grow. If this message is about how
to grow, I've missed it altogether. This is not a how-to message.
If you grow, it's because God taught you to grow. This is not
a how-to. I'll tell you this, hearing the
gospel is how to grow. The godly edification, notice
what else he said, which is a faith, which comes of faith, which comes
of relying on the Lord Jesus Christ. If you can rejoice in
that song we just heard, what can wash away my sins? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. If you and I can rejoice in that,
how that builds us up. how that humbles us, how that
causes us to love him more, how that causes us to love everybody
who loves him. The godly edifying, this building
up, which is a faith. Now look in verse 13 of Matthew
chapter 16. When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples saying, whom do men say that I, the son
of man am? And they said, well, some say
thou are John the Baptist and some Elias and others, Jeremiah's
are one of the prophets. They put you in some high cot
and they say good things about you. And he sayeth unto them,
but whom say ye that I am. And Simon Peter answered and
said, thou art the Christ. God's anointed. The prophet,
the word of God, the priest, the only way I can approach God,
the King who rules and reigns. Thou art the Christ, the son
of the living God. You see, the issue is who is
Jesus Christ. That's always the issue. And
that's the only issue. Everything comes from that. Verse 17, And Jesus answered
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. Now, what a blessed thing. I believe he's the Christ.
I believe he's the Son of God. And you know who revealed that
to me? God himself. If you believe that, there's
only one reason. God opened himself up to you. Verse 18, and I say unto thee
that thou art Peter, little rock, and upon this rock, this big
rock, this confession of me, I will edify. That's the word. I will edify. I will build my church and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Now, whatever edification
is, it's Christ who does it. He said, I will build my church
and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Now, not
only is Christ the builder, Christ is the foundation. What's the
most important part of the building? You know the answer to that,
a foundation. He himself, he himself is the
foundation. First Corinthians 311 says, other
foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is
Jesus Christ. He is the rock upon which the
house was built that the rain couldn't take it down. Now that
rock, that house that was built on the sand, it didn't have Christ
as the foundation and it was washed away. And anything that
is not totally founded wholly on Christ will be washed away. But He is the foundation. Turn to Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2, verse 19. Now therefore you are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints,
and of the household, the building of God, and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself,
being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed
groweth up into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also
are builted together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. Isn't
that mysterious? God calls every believer building
the habitation of God. You are the house of God. Now
that is a very humbling, mysterious thing, isn't it? But it's so.
Every believer is the house of God. Now, what do I want to say
about Christ being the foundation of the building that he builds?
Well, first of all, there is no church but the one built on
Christ. There's a lot of What do you call it? Gatherings
of people that go under the name of church. But it's not a church
unless it's built wholly upon the Lord Jesus Christ, where
He is the foundation. His merit is the only reason
we'll be saved. Now, the foundation is what comes
first in building. You don't put a foundation after
you start the superstructure. No, the foundation comes first.
Now, you think about how Christ comes first. In salvation, Christ
comes first. In my election, God didn't choose
me and then put me in Christ. No, I was in Christ. It began
with Christ. Christ be my first elect, he
said, then chose us in him, our living head. His righteousness
is given to me. I didn't ask for it first. God
justified me. God redeemed me by His blood.
Christ comes first. He gave me new life. The foundation
comes first. And the foundation is what supports
all. There is no church that derives all, but that church
which derives all of its support from Christ. The shape of the
building is determined by the foundation, Christ and his word. The foundation is indispensable. Christ himself is the foundation.
Now there is no gospel, but that which is built on Jesus Christ,
he himself is the gospel. What did Simeon mean when he
said, Lord, now let us sell by servant to pardon peace for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation. Jesus Christ himself is salvation. That's my salvation. All my salvation
is in him. There's no hope of salvation,
but that which is built on Christ. In 1 Peter 3, verse 15, he said,
we're to be always ready to give every man that asks us a reason
for the hope that's in us. What's the reason for my hope?
Here's my hope. It's very simple. It's that Christ
died for me. That's it. I don't need any other
hope. And I've got to say this. If
somebody says that Jesus Christ died for everybody and made salvation
possible and available for everybody, Then you've taken away my only
hope if some of those people he died for end up in hell. That
means you say what he did is not enough to save him. There's
something you need to do to add to what he did. You've taken
away my only hope. My hope is that he died for me. There's no Christian, but that
man built on Christ And faith, talking about this building,
faith is the great means of this edification. Did you notice he
said godly edifying, which is by faith, by relying on the Lord
Jesus Christ. If you believe on Christ, you're
being built up. If you trust him wholly as all
you need to be accepted before God right now, you're being built
up right now by God the Holy Spirit. This is his work. Faith. Faith is the great means
of edification. Now turn with me to 1 Corinthians
chapter 3. Now I realize that the primary
application of this is to preachers, but it's got an application to
everybody. He says in verse 9, for we are labors together with
God. He's talking about preachers.
1 Corinthians 3 verse 9, we are labors together with God. You
are God's husbandry. You are God's building, edifice. According to the grace of God
which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the
foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take
heed how he buildeth thereon, for other foundation can no man
lay than that which is laid. Which is Jesus Christ. What can
wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is that flow that makes me white as snow. No other
fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
That's the foundation. Now, verse 12. If any man build
upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, We read of some other building
materials, wood, hay, stubble. Every man's work should be made
manifest for the day shall declare it because it should be revealed
by fire and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. If any man's work abide, You
know, the only thing that'll abide through that fire is the
gold, silver, and precious stone. But what will the fire do to
the wood, hay, and stubble? It'll burn it all up. Now, I
realize that the first application of this is preachers. There are
preachers who, their ministry could be called wood, hay, and
stubble. And it's going to be burned up
on judgment day. No one was even converted through their preaching.
It says they'll be saved. Yet so as by fire. They made
some other issue than Christ their issue. Church growth or
whatever it might be. They've made some other issue.
The only issue is Christ himself. But this has an application to
all of us. This thing of wood, hay. I don't want my life to
be wood, hay and stubble. Do you? I want it to be gold
and silver and precious stones. Turn with me to Colossians chapter
2, verse 6. As you therefore have received
Christ Jesus the Lord. Now, how did you receive Him? Now, I know this. I received
Him empty-handed. I know that. I didn't have anything
to offer Him. I received Him as a sinner needing
His mercy. I received Him completely. I
received Him joyfully. I received Him fearfully. I received
him, not trusted my experience. I didn't have any experience
to trust. I didn't have anything to look to. When I received him,
he was all I had. That's it. Now, as you receive
Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk ye in him. Look what verse seven says, rooted
down. You know, the way up is down
and built up in him and established in the faith as you've been taught
abounding there in with thanksgiving. Turn to first Corinthians chapter
eight. Verse one. Now, as touching things offered
unto idols, Paul says to the Corinthians, we know that we
all have knowledge. We know idols are nothing, that there's only
one God. We all have that knowledge. But
look what he says next. Knowledge, what? Puffeth up. It just swells one
with pride. I know something that you don't
know. Therefore, I have some advantage over you. I know something
that you don't know. What a devilish attitude. Knowledge
puffs up. It just swells one with pride.
Now, are you saying we don't have to have knowledge? That
kind of knowledge we're better off without. Now, there is saving
knowledge. There's the knowledge of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and there's no salvation apart from the knowledge
of the gospel. I'm not saying mysticism. All of a sudden, you
just wake up saved all of a sudden, and you never heard the truth.
I don't believe that at all. But this kind of knowledge he's talking
about, all it does is swell one with pride. But look what he
says next. Charity edified. Charity. What's charity? It's
love. It's love to God as He is. It's love for His gospel. It's
love for His way of saving sinners. I love the way God saves sinners,
freely by His grace. I love electing grace. I love
redeeming grace. I love regenerating grace. I
love justifying grace. I love preserving grace. I love
God's way of saving. Somebody says, well, that's just
doctrine. No, it's not. It's who He is. It's who He is. It's how He saves. Who He is
is demonstrated in how He saves. I love all of His attributes.
I love His holiness. I love His sovereignty. I love
His absolute justice. I love the fact that He will
not clear the guilty. I love His wisdom. I love him as he
is. And you know what? I love his
son. I love the Lord Jesus Christ
and the salvation that's in him. Love him. I love his people.
I love everybody who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm
their biggest fan. I admire them. I love them. Charity
edifies. It builds up. Give your body,
be burned. You can have all knowledge, understand
all mysteries. You can give all your goods to
feed the poor, all those things. But if you have not charity,
what's it mean? Absolutely nothing. Knowledge only puffs up, fills
one with pride, but charity builds up. Turn to Romans 14. Verse 19. Let us therefore follow. And that word follow is pursue. Pursue. Make this your pursuit. Make this the thing you're reaching
for. Make this what you what your
your object. Let us therefore follow after
the things which make for peace. Peace. Peace with God? Knowing that
He is at peace with me through the Lord Jesus Christ. And that
all He requires of me I have, therefore I have peace. Peace
with my brethren. Not contentious, not fighting,
not looking for a fight. Not always trying to stir something
up. But peace. Peace in the home. Peace in the
church. endeavor to keep the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace. Oh, that's our, we endeavor for
that. Now look what he says next. Let
us therefore follow after the things which make for peace and
the things wherewith one may edify another. What I want you to do for me
is I want you to build me up and not tear me down. Now, if you want to look for
reasons to tear me down, you got plenty of ammo. It won't
take you long. You got plenty of reasons for
it. I realize that. That's true regarding
any man. But if you love somebody, build
them up. You know what I want to do with
you and for you? I want to build you up. Edify one another. Build one another up. That's what love does, isn't
it? Edify one another. I love that scripture in Hebrews
10 where it says, let us provoke one another. Anybody know the
next word? And usually when we think of
provoking, that means irritating, vexing. You're provoking me.
You're provoking me now. That's what man always does to
me. He provokes me. Let us provoke one another to
love and to good works. I want to provoke you to love
me. And I want you to provoke me
to love you. Now that is building each other
up. I mean, we're torn down, not
the way it is. We're torn up, we're messes.
I realize that, all of us are. But oh, through the grace of
God, that I might build you up. And that you might build me up. Don't Receive accusations against
your brethren. Just don't do it. Even if they're
true, don't do it. You know any accusation anybody
makes against you? There's a lot of truth to it,
isn't there? But if you love somebody, don't you receive accusations
against them? You build them up. That's the way of love. Let me show you an example of
what I'm talking about. Second Timothy chapter one. Second Timothy chapter one. Verse 15. This thou knowest, that all they
which are in Asia be turned away from me." You know, that's one of the saddest
things. You know, Paul was an apostle. Obviously, God's hand was upon
him. He was used by God like nobody
else, yet he continually had men turning away from him. He
said, at my first answer, no man stood with me. Remember in
Philippians, he said, I have no man like-minded who will naturally
care for your state. For all seek their own, and not
the things which be Christ Jesus. I mean, this was Paul speaking
at this time. It was a dark time. He says,
this thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away
from me. Remember, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this
present world. And he names two of them, of
whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes, In verse 16, the Lord give mercy
unto the house of Onesiphorus. For he oft refresh me and he
wasn't ashamed of my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought
me out very diligently and found me. The Lord grant unto him. Now look at the way he speaks.
He doesn't say, now the Lord pay him back for all the good
he did for me. He doesn't say that, does he? He says, the Lord
grant unto him that he might find mercy of the Lord in that
day. And that's the greatest thing
you can wish for somebody. The Lord grant unto him that
he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And in how many
things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very
well. What an encouragement this man
was. Turn to Jude, the book of Jude. Verse 20. But ye, beloved, building up
yourselves, edifying yourselves on your most holy faith. Any faith that you or I have
is most holy. Now forget about the unbelief
part, that's the part that comes from you. That's the, you know,
I believe, help down my unbelief. I realize when you have that,
that's the part that comes from us. But that actual faith that
you have is most holy faith. It's the gift of God. It's the
work of God in you. And the only way that I will
be built up is by this most holy faith. What is most holy faith? It's relying, leaning upon, resting
in the Lord Jesus Christ as my all in salvation. That's what
builds us up. Faith. Look what he says next. in the Holy Ghost. I think of what the Lord said to Ananias about
Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. He said, Ananias, go
after Saul of Tarsus. He told him where he was at.
He said, behold, he prayed. Never had before. Oh, he'd gone
through the motions before. He'd gone through the religious
ritual before, but he'd never prayed before. But this is what
someone who has this most holy faith does. They pray to God. They have communion with God.
They speak to God. He speaks to them from His Word,
and they speak to God. And in this thing of prayer,
we really believe that all men and all things are in the hand
of God. We know we don't have any control over anybody or anything,
but we know He does. And we go to Him with all of
our needs. We go to Him in worship. We go
to Him in praise. Prayer is used of God. Prayer is the gift of God. If
you prayed, if you've ever prayed or if I've ever prayed, it's
because God Himself enabled me to pray. It came from Him. You
see, anything that comes from Him builds us up. That which
comes from us, it's no good. But that which comes from Him,
true prayer, builds up. And then He says in verse 21,
keep yourselves in the love of God, His saving love. You see, the love of God, it's not thrown out there. The
love of God is saving love. Who he loves, he saves. I saw
a fellow today, and he had a t-shirt on, and it said, Jesus loves
you. And it just got all over me when
I saw that. And I thought, well, I should
have done it. I thought about it, and I didn't
do it. I went and called up the fellow and said, does he love
you? Delvin, answer me from the scriptures. Does he love Esau?
I mean, that's just cheapening and making meaningless his love.
He can love you and go to hell. That won't do anything. I'm talking
about saving love. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? That's the love I'm talking about,
His saving love. And I tell you what, that's the
only love I want to be kept in. I want to be kept right there
where His love is in Christ Jesus. And so He loves me completely,
fully. He's not mad at me. I'm accepted
in the Beloved. I'm keeping myself in that love.
I don't want to have anything to do with anything else. You know what
that does? That builds me up. And then he says, looking for
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Now, one last scripture, Ephesians
chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. not eleven, and he gave some
apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors
and teachers for the perfecting, the maturing of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying, the building of
the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith."
Now this is the goal for us to believe the same thing. Believers
believe the same thing. They all see eye to eye. There's
no disagreement. The unity of the faith. And of the knowledge of the Son
of God. unto a perfect man unto the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth
be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with
every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness
whereby they lie and wait to deceive, but speaking the truth
in love. may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working and the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Look in verse 29 of the same
chapter. Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth. But that which is good to the
use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God, whereby you're sealed unto the day of redemption. Let
all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor,
controversy, contention, tumult, and evil speaking, blasphemy,
injurious speaking, be put away from you with all malice, ill
will, and be ye kind one to another. Tenderhearted. forgiving one
another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." Now
that's the speech that's good to edifying, isn't it? You know, Paul said, all things
are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things
are lawful, but all things edify not. Then he said, let no man seek
his own, but every man another's wealth. Don't you want this place
us as the building blocks to be a beautiful edifice to the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Let's pray together.