Prayer Meeting 15/11/2022

- Caring And Sharing

Tonight I will draw from a sermon by Robert Traill. The sermon is part of a whole series of sermons entitled ‘The Steadfast Adherence To The Profession Of Our Faith’. Not exactly catchy, but it does tell you exactly what we will be addressing. He is drawing from Hebrews 10:20-24, where he preaches 21 sermons from.

Let me give a tiny biography of the man. Robert Traill was a Scottish covenanter, born in Elie, Fife, in 1642. He died in 1716, which is quite an age for someone to live to at that time. He studied at the college of Edinburgh. He was imprisoned on Bass rock for time during the era of the fateful killing times. He was part of those known as the ‘Pentland rebels’, who fought as the battle of Rullion Green in 1666.

Before I read the text, we will as always share a relevant puritan prayer. Tonight’s prayer is from our new prayer book ‘Into His Presence’. It’s on page 14 and is written by Thomas Watson, who also wrote the puritan paperback from the Banner of Truth: ‘All Things for Good’. The prayer is called ‘You Are Our God’.

O God, you are our God: our strong tower, our fountain of living water, our Father, a Father of mercies, an everlasting Father in heaven. O God, you are our God, by your grace planted in us, and by the pledge of your Spirit. May he stamp the imprint of holiness in our hearts; embroidering and bespangling our souls, making them glorious within. May he, by his magnetic virtue, draw our hearts to you: our paradise of delight and our chief treasure! May our hearts be so chained to you that nothing else can enchant us or draw us from you. Though our flesh be on earth, may our hearts be in heaven. When you say to our souls, "You are mine," all I have is at your service; may our souls answer: "Lord, we are yours; my head shall be yours to study you; my tongue shall be yours to praise you." O God, you are our God, and so, though we may feel the stroke of evil, we do not feel the sting, for nothing can ultimately hurt us. If we lose our name-it is written in the book of life. If we lose our liberty-our conscience is free. If we lose our belongings- we possess the pearl of great price. If we meets with storms- we know where to put in for harbour. When there is a storm outside, you can make music within. Our souls are safe, as in a garrison, hid in the promises, hid in the wounds of Christ; hid in your eternal decree. O God, you are our God, and all that is in you is ours. You say to us: "All that I have shall be yours; my wisdom shall be yours to teach you; my power shall be yours to support you; my mercy shall be yours to save you." We may lose everything else, but we cannot lose you: you are ours from everlasting in election and to everlasting in glory.

- Thomas Watson

Let me read the text (Hebrews 10:19-24). I will read verse 19 as it gives a better flow and context.

Hebrews 10:19

¹⁹Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Hebrews 10:20-23

²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Traill preaches 21 sermons on these verses, yet he only does one specifically on verse 24:

Hebrews 10:24

²⁴And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

This is the sermon and verse we will be drawing from, I think tonight and at least one more as well. I have called the sermon ‘Caring and Sharing’. And by that I mean, with one another in the household of faith. So we are talking of our relationship with one another as a church family.

Firstly, ‘let us consider one another’. Okay let me ask a question. Have any of you ever considered wee Jim, who stays in Shotts, just off Bute Avenue, he’s got a big brother called Alec? Do any of you think about him often? No…? Are you saying you haven’t spent any time considering him? Why? Because you don’t know them. That’s why. Correct? To consider someone they first and foremost must be known to you.

To consider in Greek is:

ΚατανοέΩ - kata-no-e-o - To perceive, to fix one’s eyes on, to fix our mind to.

How can we fix our minds to whom we do not know? How can we care for who we do not know? Traill clarifies and even pigeonholes whom Paul means by ‘consider’:

I do not mean them that go with the herd, that call themselves Christian’s out of compliment…. That would be no easy matter to know them.

He adds:

This considering, that implies these things, is spoken with respect to our Lord the head, with respect to ourselves, and with respect to our brethren.

In other words, our brothers and sisters within the church in which we are part of. So first we have to ask: what should we be considering? What should we be fixing our eyes and mind to? Before we go there, Traill reminds us of its importance, but more than that – that it is our duty. Traill says:

This employment is a serious employment of the mind, this employment is about other folks, and this employment must be about everything in them and about them that we can discern.

The world would call that ‘nosey’. The world would call that ‘none of your business’. God calls it our duty as brothers and sisters. Traill states that ‘it’s a serious employment’, meaning it is something we must neither take lightly nor neglect. Personally, my experience is that it’s a deeply neglected part of the church. Often due to the lack of how little most consider their own walk: how then can they ever consider another’s? But also it is a lack of deep love for one another, a lack of unity.

Let me just add that we don’t mean ‘decoy considering’ or fixing our eyes on people i.e. not taking the log out your own eye while plucking the eye out of your brother’s. Jesus has a word for that: hypocrite.

Matthew 7:5

⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Interestingly that word ‘hypocrite’ comes from the Greek word:

ὑΠοκριτήΣ- hypocretis

It simply means ‘one who is an actor, when they don’t have the character to back up the fake acting’. So you’re an actor if you use criticism to hide your own lack of scrutiny. This is of course not what the writer of Hebrews, or indeed Traill is telling us. We need to both consider our own walk and consider others. It’s our duty. We must not take it lightly, by fixing our eyes on other things. Often things that stop us being scrutinised ourselves, or just downright apathy.

Often I’ve seen people over-considering, yet not for the right reason. Not out of love but out of fear and insecurity that forces control. Often they over-scrutinise some people while totally neglecting their Christian duty. Yes and yes, we need to consider them too.

Traill then mentions three main things we have to consider about them. These three things are combined.

Firstly - their good.

Secondly - their bad.

Thirdly - their indifference.

This is where we will spend the rest of the topic tonight. However, as combined as they are, Traill does start with love, as that will stir people more to, as he states, ‘love and good works’. This must be remembered throughout: the reason we consider, we keep our eyes on people, fix our mind, is that we may continue to stir up love and good works. This is our duty, our commitment to one another.

The Good

The good we must consider is the change in them. Traill makes it clear that if they are a true believer you will see the:

…grace of God in them, their shining in the image of their heavenly Father, and their partaking of the Spirit of Jesus.

Often brothers and sisters, we have to look beyond our own log in the eye to see this. Our own issues, our own negativity. Or as it is mostly: the bad and indifference that’s covering the good, often makes us not see it. However, as the scripture says we must ‘fix our eyes’, we must consider.

ΚατανοέΩ - kata-no-e-o - Fix our mind.

If they are a true believer we will find it. We will see it. No matter how little at times. We must encourage and build one another up in the changes we see in them, in the likeness of Christ we see. In the things we have a common bond in. We were all sinners lost, but brought near through the blood of Christ.

That good might be growing dim, but we must see it. Yet, as long as they are part of the body, it’s a good thing. Sometimes the good is to remind people of the care you have, and the care they get. Honestly, without that setting your mind on your brothers, where would and could we be? How many of us are grateful for those honest caring conversations? Yet the world finds them offensive, and prying, and judgemental. If you’re a believer who has fell out of loving having a friend who will come to you and speak to you, you’re in a worse spiritual state than you know.

Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)

²⁴ A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

We can all have shallow relationships, but they won’t stop you going the wrong way, nor will they stir you to go the right way. But within the body of Christ we are duty bound to be that to one another.

Secondly: The Bad

Traill writes:

We are to consider Christians in their bad things.

He then asks a question:

Can there be any provoking unto love and good works by considering their bad things?

He answers:

Yes, a great deal.

He then gives a list of some of the bad things, and the benefits of considering them. And that means caring and sharing with that person. None of this is to consider and do nothing. It’s to consider as in the point of action. Often we consider the danger, or the battle someone is in, or we look from afar, and have an opinion but do not turn that into action. That is not considering. That’s observing.

First Traill mentions:

Their sins and their infirmities.

He adds:

These are to be tenderly regarded and looked upon as weakness.

We must remember we are dealing with a brother or sister, one of our own. We are not to see them as some stranger, but as a wounded sheep. Therefore I have found and must always consider that: remembering the good is vital in considering the bad. Remember the tender-hearted High Priest messages. We never come therefore with anything but a desire to build them up, to love and good works.

Remember, we need to not come from our feelings of loss or rejection. Few things are less considerate or truly unhelpful or restoring to others than our own feelings of pain and loss. However, I must add this: we, in the totality of our faith, must consider one another. Do you know what that means? It means those who may be bringing something ought to be considered by those whom it’s been brought to.

Way, way too often we make it hard for the bringer, because we ourselves are not considering them. If we were all considering each other and for the purpose of stirring up love and good works, then we have to at times ask: am I making it hard for them to stir up love and good works in me, due to how I’m receiving it in the first place? Am I easy to approach when it may be bad, in order to stir up love and good works? For me it’s our duty to consider both what is brought, and how we receive it in a way that stirs up love and good works. Listen to this what Apostle Paul wrote when writing to the church in Philippi. Again, I will use the ESV, as it specifically uses the word in question.

Philippians 4:10 ESV

¹⁰ I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

The New King James Version says:

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

Paul is actually encouraged and strengthened, and grateful for the concern. In fact, he sees it as a testimony of their growing faith. They had slipped from it, and Paul says ‘I’m glad your concern is revived. It’s a sign of your love and a sign of your maturing’.

Often we say we care, but we never do anything about it. But also notice how Paul does not say ‘I don’t care about your concern’. He praises them for it. He makes it easy for them to be concerned. Do we? We must be grateful, we ought to be grateful, for that brother or sister who comes to us, not to rebuke only, or correct, or to challenge, but we must see that it is not to tear down but to build up.

Traill says:

Their sins and their infirmities, these are to be tenderly regarded and looked upon, their weakness and stumbling, the Apostle Paul calls much for the spirit of meekness towards such.

Again I reiterate: what’s the purpose? To stir up love and good works.

Another thing in the ‘bad’ category Traill mentions is that:

We should consider the temptations and afflictions.

He adds:

The more tempted and afflicted they are, the more need they have for pity from the Lord their head, and compassion from their brethren.

Again I must say this. From experience, it helps a great deal if its acknowledged. Often the tempted and afflicted, when approached, act like they are not. Which truly is not considering your brother or sister who is bringing it.

James 4:6

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

James 4:10

¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

We who bring the concern and those who are receiving the concern, must have the same loving, caring duty. It’s what makes us robust. Amen. Because it brings strength to the afflicted, but also it brings joy, strength and love to those who are doing the considering. It stirs them up to continue to do good works. And it stirs those who needed built up to love and go forward.

Okay, lastly on this part, Traill says the third thing we should consider is:

Indifference

First the good, then the bad, but often the greatest hindrance to a believer’s love and good works is indifference. I was reading the works of Robert Fuller at the weekend week, and a statement jumped out at me when he quoted someone who called it: ‘the amen of social prayers’ (Abraham booth). ‘Amen’ meaning ‘so be it Lord’. How feeble can our Amens be when we feel indifferent? Yes, indifference is often the greatest hindrance.

Jesus, when He surveyed the churches in the book of Revelation chapters 2-3, was in fact considering the church, He was challenging them. What was one of the worst considerations He found? Was it not the church in Laodicea? The lukewarm church. Jesus said, as He considered:

Revelation 3:15 NKJV

¹⁵“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.”

We would be better one or the other, but indifference is a slow death, it’s a slow spiral downhill, its one that keeps people at bay. It doesn’t do nothing, but it doesn’t do enough either. It often does enough to keep the concern at bay, but not enough to turn that concern into action. We must, as brothers and sisters, be concerned with indifference. Spot indifference, and go and speak to that indifference, in order to stir them up again, to fan that flame again.

My experience is don’t get to caught up in the detail of indifference but stir up their faith. That word ‘stir’ we will go into more next week, but let me just touch on it.

To stir, to provoke - Παροξυσμός- paroxusmos

It means: to contend with, to sharpen, to forge, and if negative, to convict. To jolt, to provoke a reaction.

Brothers and sisters. We have what the world longs for: deep, meaningful relationships, let’s use what we have and stir one another up to love and good works, so that Jesus will be glorified and honoured.

Amen.