Obedience

1. Sons of God: Submission, Training and HopeNo. 5 · 1 April 1868 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 3

   Taking 1 John 3 as its ground, the exhortation says believers are now sons of God, whom the world does not know, and that sonship means submission to God’s will, learned by continual study of the Scriptures.

2. Why Assemble: Fellowship, Submission, and SacrificeNo. 10 · 1 November 1868 · 35 min read aloud · Read: Romans 13

   The speaker thanks God for Christ’s command to assemble and break bread, arguing that believers are to be in the world but not of it, and that regular meeting and daily reading of the scriptures are needed to keep faith and the memory of Christ alive against the pull of worldly things.

3. Peace with God Through Justification by FaithNo. 13 · 1 October 1869 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Romans 5

   On Romans 5, the speaker explains that those justified by faith in Christ have peace and favour with God, which no one has outside Christ.

4. Charity, Vain Jangling and Unfeigned FaithNo. 15 · 1 December 1869 · 34 min read aloud · Read: 1 Timothy 1

   On 1 Timothy 1, the speaker says Paul’s commission as apostle to the Gentiles still reaches later believers and brings a responsibility with it.

5. Past, Present and Future in Spiritual LifeNo. 20 · 1 May 1870 · 23 min read aloud

   The speaker says three truths, the past, the present and the future, must be realised for an active spiritual life, and that in each the appearance is contrary to the truth.

6. Doing God’s Will, Not Merely KnowingNo. 21 · 1 June 1870 · 18 min read aloud · Read: 1 Peter 4

   Starting from the griefs of this mortal state and the way sickness and death show what is of real value, the speaker urges the brethren to give themselves wholly to the truth rather than to the pursuits of the flesh.

7. Walking in the Light, Not Mere KnowledgeNo. 22 · 1 July 1870 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 1

   Taking 1 John 1 as an address to believers, the exhortation says the truth is meant to fill them with joy, but memory is weak and needs the stirring of apostolic letters.

8. Active Goodness, the Fruit of the TruthNo. 23 · 1 August 1870 · 18 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 2

   Taking 1 John 2 as its text, the exhortation says the aim of the gospel is that believers should not sin but walk as Jesus walked, and puts first the duty of living for the good of others.

9. Reconciled to the World’s Rejection, Choosing ChristNo. 24 · 1 September 1870 · 33 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 3

   Taking 1 John 3 as its starting point, the exhortation says believers, as sons of God, must accept that the world knows them not, as it knew not Christ.

10. Serving Christ while awaiting the good timeNo. 25 · 1 November 1870 · 23 min read aloud · Read: Revelation 6

    The exhortation contrasts the present violent, vain world with the good time coming through Abraham and his seed, and urges that those who belong to Christ be a peculiar people who do good without ostentation, obey his commandments, and sow to the spirit rather than seek worldly pleasure and riches.

11. Law, Grace and Holiness After BaptismNo. 30 · 1 October 1871 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Romans 6

    Starting from Romans 6 and the principle ‘First pure, then peaceable’, argues that law is necessary and good, and that Paul’s saying that the law entered that sin might abound gave God occasion to show grace through Christ, who upheld the law by his death.

12. Subjection to Rulers and Freedom from DebtNo. 33 · 1 January 1872 · 18 min read aloud · Read: Romans 13

    Taking Romans 13, the exhortation says that, since Christ’s kingdom is not yet established, believers must be obedient subjects of the existing governments, which God appoints and overrules, and must not take part in political movements or agitation.

13. Christ Our Captain: Diligence and True HonourNo. 34 · 1 February 1872 · 26 min read aloud

    Begins from the weekly breaking of bread as Christ’s appointed reminder of himself, whom the world offers nothing to recall, and presents him as the captain who chooses his followers, requiring loyalty and promising immortality in return.

14. Purity, Kindness and Sharing Christ’s SufferingsNo. 36 · 1 April 1872 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 2 Corinthians 1

    Taking Paul’s opening words in 2 Corinthians 1, the exhortation says that the peace Paul wished the Corinthians rests on purity, and that believers should take comfort only where they are walking in obedience, and repent where they are not.

15. Holiness, Worship and Present Obedience Before ChristNo. 37 · 1 June 1872 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 2 Corinthians 5

    Says believers are called not merely to believe and speak of the truth but to holiness, and that the only standard of righteousness is obedience to God’s commandments.

16. Receiving the Grace of God Not in VainNo. 38 · 1 July 1872 · 16 min read aloud · Read: Romans 6

    Takes the apostolic entreaty not to receive the grace of God in vain and says grace is favour offered with a purpose, which can be wasted, as Israel in the wilderness wasted it.

17. Honour God by Daily Bible ReadingNo. 54 · 1 May 1874 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Romans 1

    Beginning from the saying that all that was written aforetime was written for our learning, the speaker urges daily, patient and prayerful reading of the Bible as against the occasional study of mere scholarship.

18. Ignorance, Forbearance and the Place of SistersNo. 56 · 1 July 1874 · 24 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s words ‘If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant’ (1 Cor. xiv. 37), it urges that the truth must not be governed by pusillanimity or misplaced charity, and that the ‘bearing’ of the strong with the weak in Romans xv. concerns matters outside the faith and not its doctrines and precepts.

19. Keeping the Things of Christ in MemoryNo. 60 · 1 November 1874 · 18 min read aloud

    The speaker says that those called by the gospel must see their present life as part of God’s long plan, and that acceptance at Christ’s coming follows from the course pursued now, as harvest follows seed-time.

20. Paul’s Exhortation: Holiness, Love and Liberal GivingNo. 62 · 1 January 1875 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 32, 1 Thessalonians 4

    Taking comfort from the psalm read, the speaker turns to Paul’s example and to 1 Thessalonians, urging the brethren to abound more and more in a walk that pleases God.

21. Psalm 19: Creation’s Glory and the Coming KingdomNo. 65 · 1 May 1875 · 16 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 19 F. R. Shuttleworth

    Reads Psalm 19 as a hymn on the glory of God in creation, and holds that the unchanging order of nature points to the same power that will bring in new heavens and a new earth when the apostles’ words and the Sun of Righteousness again go forth.

22. God’s Standard Versus the World’s RespectabilityNo. 67 · 1 July 1875 · 26 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 58, Luke 10

    Contrasts the judgment of natural men, who commend whoever does well for himself, with God’s standard, which puts duty to God first; on that standard the world, though outwardly pious and respectable, is wicked, and God will punish it when his time comes.

23. The World’s Enmity, Offences and Unprofitable ServantsNo. 68 · 1 August 1875 · 23 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 64, Luke 17

    Says the conflict with enemies in David’s psalm reflects God’s plan to take out a few chosen by faith and the world’s nature of self-interest, so the world hates the truth and believers must expect tribulation, honouring the shame as a sharing in Christ’s.

24. Waiting for God: Obedience, Chastening and Scripture ReadingNo. 69 · 1 September 1875 · 25 min read aloud

    Starting from Jesus’ words about the blessedness of those who see and hear, says the blessedness is yet future, that present life is brief, and that the long reign of evil teaches God’s greatness and trains the sons of God through chastisement.

25. Fruitful Truth, Not Barren Crotchets or SpeculationNo. 71 · 1 November 1875 · 25 min read aloud

    The exhortation urges the brethren to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly, by steady daily reading of the Scriptures rather than fits of intense application followed by neglect.

26. Obeying the Commandments of the Sermon on the MountNo. 72 · 1 December 1875 · 43 min read aloud

    Beginning from the breaking of bread, the exhortation says obedience is the great lesson of the faith and the test by which Christ’s friends will be known at his coming.

27. God Our Sun and Shield: Comfort in TrialNo. 73 · 1 January 1876 · 30 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 84

    Taking the Eastern Question as a sign that the Lord is near, the exhortation turns to the comfort of Psalm 84, “The Lord God is a sun and shield”, and to the kindness of God shown in reconciling the world through Christ.

28. Israel’s Empty Worship and Salt Without SavourNo. 77 · 1 August 1876 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 58

    Taking the apostolic call to behold the goodness and severity of God, the speaker says Israel’s sacrifices and feasts were rejected because they lacked love to God and care for neighbour, and that believers who rely on knowledge, baptism and breaking of bread without these may fall into the same position.

29. One God Speaking: Rejoice, Bear Fruit, Glorify GodNo. 78 · 1 November 1876 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 20

    Starting from the readings in Ezekiel and from Jesus, the exhortation says that the same God speaks by the prophets and by his Son, with the same aim of bringing men to obedience, and that Gentile believers, grafted into Israel’s olive tree, are exhorted to rejoice.

30. Going Forth Without the Camp: Truth and WorksNo. 79 · 1 December 1876 · 20 min read aloud · Read: Hebrews 13

    Taking Paul’s exhortation to go forth unto Christ without the camp, the speaker says that it meant excommunication for Jewish believers and, for the brethren, separation from the popular religious system, which does not uphold “the truth” as the pillar and ground of it.

31. The Goodness of God: Nineveh and CalvaryNo. 81 · 1 February 1877 · 18 min read aloud · Read: Jonah 4, Hebrews 9

    Beginning with the way the Scriptures never lose their interest, the exhortation takes the two chapters read, Jonah 4 and Hebrews 9, as showing the goodness of God.

32. The Wedding Garment: Personal Righteousness Required of GuestsNo. 83 · 1 April 1877 · 20 min read aloud

    Taking the parable of the marriage feast, the speaker shows that the Gentiles of the highways and hedges are invited through Paul’s word, but that being called is not enough: the guest without a wedding garment is cast out.

33. Obedience to Commandments, Not Mere Interest in ProphecyNo. 84 · 1 May 1877 · 18 min read aloud

    The basis of the ecclesia is the work of the apostles, and the first-century brethren were faithful without the excitement of the political signs of the times.

34. Walking Worthy of God: Constant ExhortationNo. 87 · 1 August 1877 · 27 min read aloud

    Pointing to Paul’s practice of exhorting the brethren constantly, the exhortation says the matters needing constant repetition are not the first principles but our moral relation to God and to the world, summed up in the command to “walk worthy of God”.

35. Daniel: Adversity, Temperance, Integrity and Open PrayerNo. 90 · 1 December 1877 · 25 min read aloud

    Taking Daniel, read that morning, as a brother “greatly beloved”, the exhortation first shows that apparent evil (the captivity, like the good figs of Jeremiah 24) may be God’s way of leading His people to good.

36. Guided by God’s Counsel in the ScripturesNo. 96 · 1 June 1878 · 26 min read aloud

    Taking ‘Thou wilt guide me by Thy counsel and afterwards receive me to glory,’ the speaker says believers are guided now by the written word, which makes the man of God thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

37. Paul as the Appointed Pattern for BelieversNo. 102 · 1 December 1878 · 27 min read aloud

    Starting from the proverb that he who walks with wise men shall be wise, the speaker says that society dismisses Paul as obsolete, whereas Christ chose him and he repeatedly told believers to follow his example.

38. Gentile Believers Stand Conditionally: Israel’s WarningNo. 104 · 1 February 1879 · 25 min read aloud

    Beginning with the privilege and present comfort of knowing the truth in a time of gathering tribulation, the exhortation recalls that the Gentiles were called when Israel declined the invitation.

39. Christ’s Temptation: Scripture as Our DefenceNo. 105 · 1 March 1879 · 33 min read aloud

    Starting from the purpose of the weekly breaking of bread, the exhortation considers the temptation of Christ as part of his moral preparation as a sinless but tempted brother.

40. True Wisdom Versus the Wisdom of the WorldNo. 107 · 1 May 1879 · 24 min read aloud

    The speaker asks what wisdom is, contrasting the world’s claims to wisdom with Paul’s words that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

41. Judgment on Moab and the Love of ChristNo. 109 · 1 July 1879 · 29 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 15, Isaiah 16

    The speaker commends fixed Scripture readings as the basis of exhortation, then draws from the burden of Moab the lesson that pride and contempt of Israel bring judgment, which the world’s like sins will bring at Christ’s coming, so that believers must not be one with the world.

42. Mortality, Obedience and the Day of JudgmentNo. 113 · 1 November 1879 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 17, Luke 13

    Starts from the four figures in the Ezekiel 17 reading (Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, the king of Judah and the prophet), all long dead, to show that the present life is brief yet decides the future.

43. Betrothal to Christ and the Lamb’s MarriageNo. 117 · 1 March 1880 · 22 min read aloud

    Taking the blessing on those called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, the speaker says the Bride is the saints, so those now called are invited to take part in the union and not merely to watch it.

44. Proverbs 28: Contending, Prayer, Mercy, Lion and BearNo. 120 · 1 June 1880 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Proverbs 28

    Takes points from Proverbs 28 as read that morning. Verse 4 shows Christ and his brethren contending with the wicked, which the writer distinguishes from mere contentiousness, and says a believer should not expect to be well spoken of by the world.

45. Not All Israel: Children of the PromiseNo. 123 · 1 September 1880 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Romans 9

    Takes up Paul’s sorrow in Romans 9 over Israel’s estrangement from Christ, and compares the lot of believers among a nominally Christian community that disregards the truth, urging patience and separation.

46. Election by Moral Fitness: Romans 9 ConcludedNo. 124 · 1 October 1880 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Romans 9

    Returns to Romans 9 and argues that God’s family is not developed on mere descent but on faith and docility like Abraham’s, so that heirs must do the works of Abraham.

47. Godliness: God Chooses Those Who Fear HimNo. 131 · 1 July 1881 · 27 min read aloud

    Starting from the unshaken foundation on which believers stand, the speaker asks whether Christ will accept those who have accepted him, and finds the answer in the Spirit’s declaration that the Lord has chosen ‘him that is godly.’ Godliness is held to be devotion to God himself, as shown in the Mosaic and Christian systems and in Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus, rather than the mere ‘manliness’ of popular Christianity.

48. Self-Examination: Weakness, Will and Daily ReadingNo. 133 · 1 September 1881 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Romans 7

    Invites the brethren to review the past six days. Using Romans 7, he distinguishes the unavoidable weakness of the flesh, which will be forgiven through Christ’s intercession, from deliberate, wilful sin, which excludes from the kingdom, illustrating the two with Peter and Judas.

49. The Rechabites and Obedience to CommandmentsNo. 134 · 1 October 1881 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Jeremiah 35

    From the interview between Jeremiah and the Rechabites, who obeyed their father’s command to drink no wine while Israel disregarded God’s, the speaker draws the lesson that the words of a man are obeyed and the words of God are not.

50. Right Views of Life: Tyre, Britain, PaulNo. 135 · 1 November 1881 · 29 min read aloud · Read: 1 Chronicles 15, Ezekiel 27, Ezekiel 28, Galatians 1

    The exhortation argues that right views of life are of great consequence, since human life and history look aimless without the testimony of Scripture.

51. Wisdom Begins with the Fear of the LordNo. 139 · 1 May 1882 · 30 min read aloud

    Starting from the praise of wisdom in Proverbs, the speaker says wisdom is the right adaptation of means to good ends, seen in nature and revealed to man in the Scriptures, where God makes known how free will should be used.

52. Why We Meet: Christ’s Resurrection and Our NeedsNo. 141 · 1 July 1882 · 27 min read aloud

    The speaker asks why the brethren meet every first day to break bread, and answers that Jesus commanded it and that his works, and above all the apostles’ eye-witness testimony to his resurrection confirmed by miracles, show him to be Master and Lord.

53. Doing God’s Will: Mercy, Works and ForgivenessNo. 142 · 1 August 1882 · 29 min read aloud

    Starting from the frequency of ‘the will of God’ in the apostolic writings, the speaker takes the reading in Isaiah, where a ceremonially religious Israel is reproved for lacking mercy and kindness to others.

54. Putting On the Whole Armour of GodNo. 143 · 1 October 1882 · 30 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s exhortation to put on the whole armour of God, the exhortation says believers are in a life-and-death battle against the inherited sentence of death, the carnal mind, unbelief, ignorance, and the love of the world.

55. Ezekiel 20: God Acts for His Name’s SakeNo. 144 · 1 November 1882 · 30 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 20

    Taking Ezekiel 20 as God’s own review of Israel’s history, the exhortation says the elders who came to enquire of Ezekiel were rebuffed because they approached without reverence, and that God repeatedly spared a rebellious Israel for His Name’s sake.

56. Paul’s Shipwreck and the Resurrection TestimonyNo. 151 · 1 December 1883 · 19 min read aloud · Read: Acts 27

    Reflecting on the reading of Paul’s shipwreck in Acts, the speaker argues that the narrative is plainly true history, and that the charge against Paul, as stated by Festus, was that he affirmed Jesus, who was dead, to be alive.

57. Wisdom Applied: Seeking Life and Bearing the CrossNo. 158 · 1 July 1884 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Proverbs 8

    Takes the parable of wisdom in Proverbs 8 and says that God’s wisdom is seen in all creation, while human wisdom is the right use of knowledge to secure life, so that a man who lives only for the present is a fool.

58. Why Do We Break Bread? Remembrance and HopeNo. 161 · 1 October 1884 · 25 min read aloud · Read: 2 Kings 5, Lamentations 1, Lamentations 2, 1 Corinthians 14

    Imagining a stranger who asks why the ecclesia meets to break bread, the speaker explains who Christ was, why he died and why he is remembered, and says the weekly meeting renews faith against the passing things of this world.

59. Praising God: the Psalms and His PurposeNo. 177 · 1 April 1887 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 107

    Starting from the refrain of Psalm 107, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness”, the speaker argues that praise of God is reasonable, since the universe shows a Maker, and that revelation lets us praise Him knowing His purpose with us in Christ.

60. Philemon’s Clues: Paul, Prisoner of Jesus ChristNo. 180 · 1 July 1887 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Philemon

    Using the picture of a scrap of paper from which a finder could infer a paper mill, a pen and a living writer, the exhortation reasons from the opening words of Philemon (“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ”) to the facts behind them.

61. Jeremiah 14: Forgetting God and False ProphetsNo. 182 · 1 September 1887 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Jeremiah 14

    From the drought described in Jeremiah 14, the exhortation says Israel’s calamities came because they forgot God and neglected His law, and that this is written for our learning, so that the world’s forgetfulness of God and the risk of drifting with it are warned against.

62. Why the Prophets Condemn and Judgment ApproachesNo. 184 · 1 November 1887 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 20, Luke 18

    The exhortation asks why the prophets, unlike other national writers, are full of condemnation of Israel, and answers that they spoke by divine impulse because Israel had set God aside, and that it is reasonable for God’s will to be law since all things are of Him.

63. Pentecost as Demonstration of Christ’s ResurrectionNo. 254 · 1 June 1894 · 19 min read aloud · Read: Acts 2

    Taking Acts 2, the speaker explains why the apostles were told to wait for Pentecost: their personal testimony to the resurrection needed the confirmation of miracles, and speaking in known languages before the crowd at Jerusalem supplied it.

64. Isaiah 17 and Britain’s Place in ProphecyNo. 255 · 1 July 1894 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 17

    Taking Isaiah 17, the speaker says forgetfulness of God is the ultimate cause of human ruin, and that the desolation foretold of Damascus, Aroer and Ephraim is seen in Israel’s present state.

65. The Word’s Permanence and Jeremiah’s Faithful TestimonyNo. 257 · 1 September 1894 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Jeremiah 26

    The speaker marvels that the truth can be talked of week after week without loss of interest, while worldly pursuits fade like the flower of the field, because the Word of the Lord meets man’s real needs.

66. Learning From Jehoram, Daniel, and AnaniasNo. 260 · 1 December 1894 · 24 min read aloud

    The speaker urges reading the apostolic narratives in the settled conviction that they are true, and then draws a lesson from each of the three portions read.

67. Readiness for Christ’s Summons Through Bible ReadingNo. 308 · 1 July 1899 · 13 min read aloud · Read: James 1 Printed after his death

    The exhortation considers Jesus as shown in the emblems and expects the aspect in which the world sees him to change soon, judging from the state of Europe and the coming end of Papal supremacy.

68. Obedience, Isaiah’s Servant and the Rainbowed AngelNo. 309 · 1 August 1899 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 50, Revelation 10, Revelation 11 C. C. Walker

    Meeting at the emblems in obedience to Christ’s command, the speaker says the obedience asked of believers is that of intelligent friends rather than mere servants, and turns to the day’s readings.

69. Obedience, Sons of God, and Inspired ProphecyNo. 311 · 1 November 1899 · 18 min read aloud W. R.

    From the day’s readings in Kings, Jeremiah and Mark, the speaker draws that God’s word by his prophets comes to pass and must be obeyed, citing the man of God at Bethel and the warnings against any other gospel.

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