2 Timothy 4:6 - 11; Ephesians 3:8 - 21; Philippians 3:12 - 14
In reading this passage in Ephesians what I had in mind was to point out that, as nearing the end of his course, Paul tells us that he is concerned about the mystery and about enlightening all as to it, and then moreover, having said that, he tells us how he prays in relation to it. We were hearing last night of Daniel as a praying man, and the importance and value of prayer, but here in this passage Paul comes before us as showing us how earnestly he prays.
But before that he speaks to us about the mystery, and the grace given to him to announce among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things. "That now", he says, "to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the all-various wisdom of God". Earlier in the chapter he tells us that he desired that the Ephesians might know his intelligence in the mystery; that is, he would have us understand that he, at any rate, had intelligence in the mystery, which, he says, "in other generations has not been made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the power of the Spirit" (verse 5). It is now revealed, and Paul, at any rate, had remarkable
intelligence as to it, intending to convey that there is no reason why we should not increase in under-standing as to the mystery.
I do not say that we are likely to have Paul's intelligence of it, but at the same time he wanted them to know the intelligence that he had, in order to show that it is not beyond the range of the saints. Indeed, he was concerned to enlighten all as to the administration of the mystery, and that we might have our eyes opened to see what there is on earth in the assembly, through which principalities and powers in the heavenlies even now are learning the all-various wisdom of God, for, beloved brethren, it is God's masterpiece, the assembly. I am not speaking now of it abstractly or theoretically, but I am speaking of it as that which has concrete existence at this present time, and we ourselves are part of it.
There is here on earth (and I say again, we ourselves are part of it), that which is God's masterpiece in wisdom and love, a company drawn out from the nations, knit together, bound together in the power of the Holy Spirit in love amongst ourselves, and united in affection towards Christ in glory, and held in relation to Christ, so that He can speak of it, as He does, as "my assembly". Whatever Satan may do contrary to the truth, there is that here as held under the influence of Christ, and deriving wisdom from Him in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily, which Satan cannot overcome.
That is a great thing, beloved brethren, that there is a sphere here in which what is of God is maintained in living expression, and it is to be seen in various parts of the world, and in it the service of God is maintained in a unified way and in spiritual power. Love amongst ourselves is seen there, and whatever Satan brings in, God turns it all to account to further this wonderful interest of His, which He has here on earth. The war [1939 - 1945] and all the ravages of it, so to speak, all the testings of it, have just brought to light love amongst the saints in a universal way. And it has resulted in the saints being enlarged in their apprehension of this great vessel that God has here on earth, and the links in the divine nature which bind us together have been strengthened and become more real.
God has used all the moral confusion in the world, brought in by the lawlessness of man, with Satan behind it, to further this great interest of His here on earth. Whatever has happened, Satan has not been able to interfere with the service of God, but through all the testings the service of God has been enriched. The saints are being delivered from earthly-mindedness and from having their interest in things here, and heavenly things and spiritual things are becoming more and more real as a consequence. You can understand how angels are taking account of what is going on. They are learning in it "the all-various wisdom of God". You might say, dear brethren, 'Well, it looks as though Satan is having it all his own way in the world', but it is not so. God is
using everything and turning everything to account to further this great interest of His on earth, the assembly which He is forming, and He is bringing it increasingly into view and making it more real to us all ...
After the apostle has spoken about this, and note, he was in a prison, though the conditions may not have been quite so rigorous when he wrote the epistle to the Ephesians as they were when he wrote the second epistle to Timothy, but he tells us he was a prisoner; in those conditions he was not praying to the Lord to take him to Himself or to release him from prison. He is engaged with the saints, and the ministry of the assembly committed to him, and wanting to enlighten all as to the administration of the mystery; that is, how it works, and the present importance of it, that principalities and powers in the heavenlies are learning in it the all-various wisdom of God. Surely, dear brethren, it is for us to have the assembly before us.
Having said all that, Paul tells us that he bows his knees. Why does he say that? Is it not that we should bow our knees? Is it not that we should understand that however much is ministered to us, if we really want to get an impression of the mystery, what the assembly is to Christ, and what it is to God, it is a question of getting down on our knees, of bowing our knees? That is to say, it is a matter of real exercise. One is reminded of the incident regarding Othniel and Achsah, Caleb's daughter. Achsah is a type of the assembly, and Caleb says,
"He that smites Kirjath-sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife" (Joshua 15:16). That is to say, he is really presenting the assembly in her attractiveness. And Othniel goes and smites Kirjath-sepher, the city of the book, and overcomes it. That is, we are not to suppose that we can get into the truth of the assembly merely by reading books. Read the ministry by all means, beloved brethren. If the Lord is giving ministry to the assembly, we ought to be diligent to follow it up. Thank God for the ministry, for the books in which it is recorded and made available to us, but let us not think we shall get into it merely by reading books.
And so Othniel had to overcome the city of the book. He moved in energy because he wanted to have Achsah, and if we want to have the assembly, so to speak, and the assembly as the wife, what she is to Christ, it is a question not simply of reading books, although we may get help as to the mind of God by reading books, but what is necessary is that there should be the energy of the Spirit, for Othniel no doubt represents one in the energy of the Spirit, to apprehend the truth, and if the energy of the Spirit is to come into evidence, what goes with it is that we should be marked by prayer. This thought of prayer is amplified in the incident. You remember that Othniel took Kirjath-sepher, and Caleb gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. But then she urges him to ask of her father a field. It is a question now of the influence that she exerts upon Othniel to ask of her father. That is what Paul was doing, he was asking
of the Father. He said, "I bow my knees to the Father". The assembly was so great in his mind that it urged him, so to speak, to get on his knees to the Father. Typically, that is what Achsah does; she urges Othniel to ask of her father. Then it says, "she sprang down from the ass. And Caleb said to her, What wouldest thou? And she said, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a southern land; give me also springs of water. Then he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs".
Some of us have been together these last three days, and I think we have had a taste of the southern land which God has given us, a good land indeed. But now what is needed, beloved brethren, are the upper and the nether springs. It is a question of the power of the Spirit operating in us both in relation to heavenly things and also in relation, you might say, to the responsible life here, because if we are not maintained fulfilling righteousness in the responsible life here, we shall not be able to rise to the spiritual level that God has in mind for us.
So Paul tells us that he bowed his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, "of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts". I know nothing more encouraging than this, beloved brethren, nothing more stimulating than that we should give ourselves to praying to the Father in relation to this great
matter of the assembly and our apprehending it in a real way. That the Father "may give you ... to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man". It is the Father's Spirit. The Father is the Originator of these great thoughts of divine love, and in them, Christ Himself is the Centre. And the Father in devising the assembly has been considering for Christ, providing something for the affections of Christ. The more you think of it the more you see how everything dove-tails together in wonderful wisdom, but the Father is the Source of all, the One who has conceived it, and it is the Father's Spirit which strengthens us with might in the inner man.
The Father's Spirit will give us something of the Father's thoughts, and the Father's feelings in regard to Christ, and the Father's intentions in relation to Christ in giving Him the assembly, and will give us to understand the portion that the assembly with Christ is to fill out in the whole range of glory of which the Father is the Source. It says that every family in the heavens and on earth is named of the Father. What an immensity of glory, of which the Father is the Source, lies before us! And we are nearing the actuality of it. We are to get an impression of the immensity of it, "the breadth and length and depth and height". The Spirit of God uses these words to convey that there is an immense range that we are to take up, that we are to enter upon. We are in the very centre of it, dear brethren, because we belong to Christ. Christ is the Centre of it, and the assembly is with Him, in the very centre
of it. The assembly has the foremost place with Christ. Wonderful thing!
And so the apostle prays that "the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts". As He dwells in our hearts, the true wifely features proper to the assembly will develop at the present time: faithfulness as to His interests and consideration for His tastes. There is plenty to do, dear brethren, at the present time. Proverbs 31 shows us how much there is to do, how the assembly is to be marked by activity that is the result of her wifely affections for Christ, as the outcome of the Christ dwelling in her heart by faith. All these things are open to us. I would beg of you, dear brethren, as I would urge upon myself, not to allow these things to be just abstract thoughts in our minds, but to seek that we might get a greater view in a concrete way of what there is here among the saints. The assembly is to be seen now representatively, and its features, in all that it is for the heart of Christ and for God, are more and more to come into expression.
But then the apostle gives us this wonderful example, he tells us that in the light of these great things, he bows his knees to the Father. There is much wealth in the passage which one could not touch upon now, leading up to that which we so often speak of as to the assembly as the great vessel of praise to God throughout all generations of the age of ages. "To him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages". We are to be concerned as to the service of God
now. How shall we develop in ability to ascribe glory to God unto all generations of the age of ages, if we do not avail ourselves now of the Holy Spirit, as capable of developing us in spiritual intelligence and affections, so that we might be formed as the vessel of praise?
Just a word now in closing, on the third of Philippians, because there we find Paul also at the close of his course, for he is ready to be offered, or rather as he says in chapter 2, "if also I am poured out as a libation on the sacrifice and ministration of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice in common with you all" (verse 17); showing that he was contemplating martyrdom, and rejoicing in it. He was now drawing near to the close of his history, and what impresses one in relation to Paul in this epistle, is that, wonderful man though he had been, with wonderful gift, and wonderfully devoted in service, and he still was devoted to the saints, as we see from Ephesians 3, the one thing that was before his heart was that he might win Christ, have Christ as his gain. His one desire was to know Christ better. He speaks of the "excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (chapter 3: 8). It is what a spiritual man has before him at the close of his career; not that he is giving up service, not that he is ceasing to pray for the saints or anything of that sort, but over and above all that, he is commanded by one thought, that he desires to know Christ and to have Him as his gain. And not only that, but he has known that he has been apprehended by Christ Jesus, for a calling on high of
God in Christ Jesus. He is viewing Christ Jesus, Christ in glory, the Man of God's purpose and good pleasure, and he sees that he, as an individual saint, and so with every individual saint, has been taken up to be found in Christ.
It is a wonderful thing, beloved brethren. If we have it before us, I think it will help us to renounce everything that would attach any kind of importance to us as in the flesh, or minister to self-gratification in any form. The more we get into our souls that we have been apprehended for a calling on high of God in Christ Jesus, Christ Himself where He is is the Pattern of it, the more we shall recognise that the one thing to do is to allow God to go on working in our souls to that end, bringing us increasingly at this present moment into conformity to the One to whom we are shortly to be conformed, even as to our bodily condition. For that is what Paul had before him. He said, "we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory, according to the working of the power which he has even to subdue all things to himself" (verses 20, 21). Christ's body of glory enshrines supreme moral excellence in a Man, and we ourselves are to be found in Him, and our bodies conformed to His body of glory. We have been apprehended for that.
Paul understood that God was using everything in his circumstances to further the work in him of moral conformation to Christ. He would accept everything with that in view. We read from the first
chapter what the circumstances were; he was in bonds, and that unrighteously. And then certain brethren were seeking to add tribulation to his bonds by preaching Christ out of contention. Think of what that would mean to the spirit of a man like Paul! And now the question was, was he going to be overcome, or how was he going to meet it? He says, "for I know that this shall turn out for me to salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (chapter 1: 19). He would not allow himself to be overcome by it. He rejoiced that Christ was preached, and as to the circumstances, in the way they affected him, he would accept them and be with God in them, in the spirit of obedience. It is set out in its blessedness in Christ in the second chapter; it has proved itself of such moral excellence in the sight of God, that He has ordained that the One marked by obedience supremely, shall be acknowledged by all, heavenly, earthly, and infernal beings, acknowledged by all as Lord. God is going to exalt publicly the Man in whom obedience was supremely seen, and, beloved brethren, God will use every circumstance in our life, if we are with Him in it, and are in the light of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus, to promote further the features of Christ in us so that we may be found truly answering to our calling.
Paul says, "I do not count to have got possession myself; but one thing -- forgetting the things behind, and stretching out to the things before, I pursue, looking towards the goal, for the prize of the calling
on high of God in Christ Jesus". "One thing" -- it is a good thing for us to have one thing before us. If we have one thing before us, beloved brethren, we shall make a straight course; and if we allow ourselves to be diverted from the one thing that God would have governing us, we shall not make a straight course. What a day it will be, when suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, we find ourselves absolutely and for ever with Christ. Not a trace left of what we have been, not a trace left of the flesh, nor of the poor, frail, mortal conditions that we are in at the moment; and yet it will be ourselves, in the full result of the work of God in us. What more is there to be desired? What glory to have it before us! The apostle would urge us, so to speak, by his own example. He is ranging himself alongside of us as one of the brethren and he tells us what is before him. And if that was before a spiritual man like Paul, as he was nearing the end of his day, we, as conscious that we are nearing the end of our history here, may well have it before us also.
Well, that was what I had in mind, dear brethren, that what was governing the mind of Paul as he neared the end of his course, might be found governing us also.
May the Lord grant it for His Name's sake.
Auckland, 27 November 1947. [2 of 2]
1 Kings 3:16 - 28; Acts 4:36, 37; Acts 5:1 - 6, 11 - 14; Ruth 1:14 - 22; 2 Timothy 4:3 - 11
I would like to speak a little about the feature of genuineness. We are living in the last phase of the assembly's history. The Lord's word to Laodicea was, "thou sayest, I am rich, and am grown rich, and have need of nothing", but the Lord's assessment of that assembly was "thou ... knowest not that thou art the wretched and the miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Revelation 3:15 - 17) -- such unreality marks some in the public profession in Christendom, but over against that there are those, thank God, that are genuine, and it is of that feature that I now wish to speak. So I want to refer briefly to these passages which speak of: a woman who was marked by genuine motherly feeling; Barnabas, as a "Son of consolation"; Naomi and Ruth; and Paul and Timothy.
The incident in 1 Kings 3 would appear to have happened shortly after Solomon came to the throne. God had appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, "Ask what I shall give thee". Solomon said, "I am but a little child ... Give therefore to thy servant an understanding heart, to discern between good and bad" (verses 5 - 9). God was pleased with his request and said, "I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart" (verse 12) -- the spirit of judgment. In Isaiah 28 it says, "In that day will Jehovah of hosts be ... for a spirit of judgment to him who sitteth in judgment"
(verses 5, 6), and here it was seen with Solomon.
These two women came before Solomon at the beginning of his reign. They were harlots, but there was a problem which had to be faced and it required judgment, and they appeared before the king. Both these women claimed to be the mother of the living child, and clearly one of them was not speaking the truth. What impresses me as I read this account is how patiently Solomon listened to them. He listened to both of them as they stated their case, and he did not interrupt them, and then he sums it up: "The one says, This that is living is my son, and thy son is the dead", and the other says the opposite. Up to that point the king did not pronounce any judgment, but then he says, "Bring me a sword".
What a scene it was: these two women, the living child, the king and the sword, and what is going to be done? It is in the presence of the sword that the true features of the mother come out when Solomon says, in wisdom given of God, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other". That word served to bring out true maternal feelings, so that one woman immediately says, "Ah, my lord! give her the living child, and in no wise put it to death". True maternal feelings, genuine maternal feelings are there, but the other woman says, "Let it be neither mine nor thine; divide it". How coldly and callously that woman spoke about division. Solomon then forms a judgment in the presence of what they have said.
The Lord Jesus said, "by thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:37). One woman was justified by her words, the other was condemned by her words. What a difference there was in the spirit of these two women: one had genuine motherly feelings, the other was hard and callous. A person's spirit is often a very good indicator of where he is in his soul, in his links with God. It says, "Man's spirit is the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the inner parts of the belly" (Proverbs 20:27), and how it searched out these two women and brought to light in the one what was genuine and in the other what was false.
So Solomon pronounces his judgment: "Give this one the living child, and in no wise put it to death: she is its mother". Wisdom, discernment and power are qualities that we need, dear brethren, and they are seen supremely in Christ, of course. Perfection of wisdom is in Him as the true Solomon, and discernment, power and authority are vested in Christ. In each local assembly may those features be found, and be made use of because of the presence of the Spirit in the assembly. The Lord said, "Judge not according to sight, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24), and that is what Solomon did. It was a righteous judgment, and his judgment as pronounced should leave no shadow of doubt in any one's mind as to who was the true mother.
Wisdom, discernment and power were seen in Solomon, and what a word it is to us, dear brethren, that these features of right discernment and right spiritual judgment should be operating at the present
time. "And all Israel ... saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice". This matter brought out something that was for the glory of God.
In the scripture in Acts 4 we read of Barnabas. It says, "who ... being possessed of land, having sold it, brought the money and laid it at the feet of the apostles". He had "been surnamed Barnabas by the apostles (which is, being interpreted, Son of consolation)". He was not seeking a name for himself, but the apostles gave him that name. Another has said, He sold his earthly possessions in order that he might gain an inheritance in the walled city (Leviticus 25:29 - 34).
The features that marked Barnabas in the early references to him in the Acts are very fine. There is this first reference and then there is a reference to him later, in chapter 11, when he was sent to Antioch, "who ... seeing the grace of God, rejoiced, and exhorted all with purpose of heart to abide with the Lord; for he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith" (verses 23, 24). Then he went to seek out Saul and "brought him to Antioch. And so it was with them that for a whole year they were gathered together in the assembly and taught a large crowd" (verse 26). Later, in Antioch, "the Holy Spirit said, Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2). What genuineness marked Barnabas, a son of consolation. Would we not each like to be a comfort to the brethren, not seeking a place, or a name for oneself in any sense, but each able to be taken
account of as one who would be a comfort to the saints at the present time?
But, in contrast to that, "Ananias ... with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and put aside for himself part of the price ... and having brought a certain part, laid it at the feet of the apostles" (Acts 5:1, 2). He was not obliged to bring any of it, as Peter said, "While it remained did it not remain to thee?" (verse 4) -- it was yours, and you could have done what you liked with the money. But what he did was to bring part of the price and pretend it was the whole. There was deceit in that and there was lying. Whatever the motive was, it was impure and Peter discerned it and said, "Why is it that thou has purposed this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied to men, but to God" (verse 4).
What a solemn thing he had done in the presence of God and in the presence of the Holy Spirit! It is a reminder to us that "God is greatly to be feared in the council of the saints" (Psalm 89:7). While God's standard of holiness is unchanged, this particular incident, as far as we know, has never been repeated exactly in the course of the history of the assembly. Let us remember that the Holy Spirit is here -- we need to be sobered and searched in the presence of God. The positive result that comes out of this after Ananias and Sapphira were buried was, as it says, "And great fear came upon all the assembly, and upon all who heard these things ... and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch, but of the rest durst no man join them ... and believers were more
than ever added to the Lord" (verses 11 - 14). That is the positive side: those that were genuine believers were added to the Lord, "multitudes both of men and women". Well, dear brethren, this was in the beginning of the dispensation, in a time of great power. We are not in those days, but nevertheless, as matters that arise are faced in this way the holiness of the house of God will be maintained, and there may be spiritual spoil resulting from it.
In Ruth we read of Naomi coming back out of the fields of Moab as one who had known discipline, a widow woman. She had lost her husband and her two sons, and, as she came back from Moab, what humility marked her. It says in Jeremiah 48:29, "We have heard of the arrogance of Moab, -- he is very proud; -- his loftiness, and his arrogance, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart". Such features are not to mark the saints of the assembly. Naomi had been in the land of Moab for many years, but the arrogance of Moab had not, so to speak, rubbed off on her. She came back marked by humility, and her daughter-in-law Ruth with her. Her two daughters-in-law had set out with her from Moab. They both said, "We will certainly return with thee to thy people" (verse 10), but Orpah changed her mind. What comes to light is the committal of Ruth, and the conviction that marked her. We should not be marked by uncertainty, or vacillation. James speaks of "a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8); ministers are not to be "double-tongued" (1 Timothy 3:8); and the men of Zebulun kept
rank "without double heart" (1 Chronicles 12:33). There was nothing double with Ruth, but Orpah went back and we do not read any more about her.
What an honoured place Ruth had as going on with Naomi, being marked by true humility, as a Moabitish maiden having no claim to anything, yet coming in on the ground of sovereign mercy, as we too have come in, dear brethren. "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah; even their tenth generation shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah for ever" (Deuteronomy 23:3), yet, in sovereign mercy, Ruth is brought in, and had an honoured place, the great-grandmother of David. We have often referred to her language of committal when she speaks to Naomi: "Do not intreat me to leave thee, to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried". That is the language of committal, and may it mark every one of us.
If there is anyone here that is at all uncertain, may this be a word to you at the present time to come in full committal to Christ, and to His people, assured that as coming into the path there will be divine help, protection and reward. So Ruth is marked by committal and conviction, and how greatly she is honoured and blest. It is a fine thing to see a person moving on the line of recovery and it is something that should rejoice our hearts: when they
came to Bethlehem, it says, "all the city was moved about them". Naomi said, "Call me not Naomi -- call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me home again empty". She was empty in her own estimation, and yet she is coming back as having Ruth with her, and what wonderful results flowed out of this. God can work matters out for our blessing and for His glory as we go forward in committal to His interests, and as marked by the spirit of humility that was seen in Naomi and Ruth.
Paul and Timothy were two more persons that were marked by genuineness. In Acts 20 we see the genuine affection that the Ephesian elders had for Paul. In his last letter (2 Timothy) written to Timothy, "my beloved child" (chapter 1: 2), shortly before he was martyred, Paul is not despondent, though he says, "all who are in Asia ... have turned away from me" (chapter 1: 15). There were still a few that were standing with him in love for Christ, in love for the truth, and in love for what had been committed to Paul as an elect vessel. He speaks about all in Asia turning away from him, and of what would yet come in -- "they will turn away their ear from the truth, and will have turned aside to fables". But over against that he says to Timothy, "But thou, be sober in all things, bear evils, do the work of an evangelist, fill up the full measure of thy ministry". The work of an evangelist does not only involve public preaching, but it also involves labouring with individuals, as Paul sets out in Acts 20
teaching "publicly and in every house" (verse 20). Paul is urging Timothy to take that on in the same way, and, he says, "fill up the full measure of thy ministry".
Then Paul speaks to Timothy about his departure: "the time of my release is come". Timothy was urged to continue, though "Demas has forsaken me, having loved the present age". "Luke alone is with me", he says, and, "Take Mark, and bring him with thyself" -- another recovered person. We have had Naomi an old sister, so to speak, recovered, now here is a younger man recovered, Mark. What a comfort he would have been to Paul, coming in at the end of Paul's life: "Take Mark, and bring him with thyself, for he is serviceable to me for ministry". The Lord is about to come, and Paul's ministry has been recovered to saints, and may we be found among those who value it and hold to it, marked by genuine affection for Christ, having genuine love for the truth and for the saints. That is what marked Paul, and Timothy too -- he cared "with genuine feeling" how the Philippian saints were getting on (Philippians 2:20). Well, may we all be encouraged as the days become increasingly dark and difficult, that the feature of genuineness may mark us as we await the coming of the Lord, for His Name's sake.
Londonderry, 6 September 1997.
How very wonderful it is that, before actually going to be with the Lord where He is, the Holy Spirit enables the believer to take that journey spiritually.
Abraham's unnamed servant, as we have seen, is a type of the Holy Spirit, who has come to earth to bring to light the church and to conduct her to Christ where He now is as risen from the dead. In one sense, His service in this respect will not be completed until the church is actually with Christ. The typical teaching of Genesis 24, however, is not so much to depict the final destiny of the church with Christ in glory, as to show us how the church may now be for the comfort of Christ during the time Israel is dead, as it were, and no longer recognised as God's people. The fact that Isaac took Rebecca into his mother Sarah's tent, would illustrate this. And the journey that Rebecca took is illustrative of that which we may now take in affection, as led by the Holy Spirit, from what is natural and earthly to what is spiritual and heavenly -- indeed, a journey to Christ where He is.
It was a test when the question, "Wilt thou go with this man?" was put to Rebecca. There were those who would have detained her at least ten days. But love would allow of no delay. Those ten days would have meant everything; and the servant urges his master's claim. How strong the appeal is which is made for earthly and natural things! Let us stay
ten days at least. There must be something else in our lives than Christ and spiritual things. 'We must not be too extreme', it is said. But is it so? Must there be something else than Christ only? What a moment for our souls when this question is definitely and fairly faced. Has Christ so come before our hearts that we are glad to go the Spirit's way? or, are earthly and natural things practically keeping us from taking this journey of heart, and so preventing our being for the pleasure of Christ? Rebecca's reply was beautiful: "I will go"!
What an education to His disciples the Lord's ministry must have been during the forty days after He rose from the dead. How it must have transferred their interests from earth to heaven, and eventually even from Jerusalem and the best of what was natural, to Himself as risen. It is instructive to trace in the Acts how the interests of the assembly were transferred from earth to heaven. This did not immediately take place. God allowed things to overlap in His ways on earth. But gradually the Spirit's energies exhibited themselves, and the proper heavenly character of the assembly came to light.
It was from heaven, where Jesus had gone, that the "violent impetuous blowing" came (Acts 2:2). It was to Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit, that the heavens were opened (chapter 7: 56). God then allowed a persecution and the earthly circumstances of the saints were broken up.
Then we read of the Ethiopian (chapter 8: 26 - 40),
who, returning from Jerusalem, read the passage in Isaiah telling us that Jesus' life had been taken from the earth. And the Ethiopian suggested that he should be baptised, taking up this new position. How could he live where Jesus had died? After this, Saul is converted. There is a light from heaven (chapter 9: 3), and Jesus speaks from thence. Then Peter in a vision sees the vessel like a sheet let down from heaven and taken up there again (chapter 10). All these details illustrate the servant taking Rebecca and going his way, typical of the Holy Spirit leading the church to her "Isaac" -- Christ risen and in heaven. And that journey taken in the beginning of the church's history has again and again to be taken. It has to be taken by every one who is experimentally to reach Christ as risen.
"I will go". What a joy to the servant. Have you ever faced this question, dear reader? Have you allowed the Holy Spirit to take you His way?
To follow a Christ rejected by the world and to be true to the fellowship proper to His own here, is indeed of importance. To see that the world and Christ have nothing in common is an immense point.
Happy, too, to care for those who are Christ's here. But to take our journey to our "Isaac", Christ risen, and in our affection join Him in heaven, is something more than taking the path of rejection and fellowship and caring for the Lord's people here, though happy indeed is such a path.
Barzillai (2 Samuel 17:27 - 29; 2 Samuel 19:31 - 40) is a forceful illustration of the difference. Barzillai had
been faithful to David and succoured his followers in the days of his rejection by Absalom. But he failed to go over with David to Jerusalem. He was not up to it.
The enjoyment of a nice meeting, service in the gospel and visiting among the saints, may yet leave us lingering in what is merely outward, and in circumstances only earthly. A nice meeting may be something merely earthly as much as the temple, or a Jewish farm. Have we not heard of believers who, when they had to move from one district to another, or perhaps have part in forming a new assembly in a place, felt as if their very life was being taken from them? Where did they live? 'I have been in that meeting thirty years', says another. Have you lived in the outward circumstances of the meeting? Where is Christ? Have you never taken this journey to a heavenly Christ? Have we but found a new set of earthly circumstances in our 'nice meeting' and failed to be a comfort to Christ through not allowing the Spirit to take us His way? Have we said, "I will go"?
But should we not feel these things? Is not a break-up a sorrow? Most surely. Our discipline would not be such were we not to feel it. Did the Lord chide Mary as she wept in John 11? Indeed, He wept too! Oh! how wondrous His ways. But the circumstances of John 11 were all part of that education which was necessary so that Mary might reach Him who is "the resurrection and the life" (verse 25) and know the inestimable joy of the Lord's company
in John 12. There are no tears in John 12. How easy it is in our souls' history to come short of this experience and hence fail rightly to occupy the real spiritual ground of the assembly.
The two who journeyed to Emmaus learned something of this lesson. How real the cross was to them! The Lord's supper should make us feel as if the Lord had only just died. It is not merely an historical remembrance of something which took place nineteen hundred years ago. No, His death and His love are present. The whole thing is fresh before our hearts. Nor is this all. He has made Himself known to us. As He did to the two in their home in Emmaus, He vanished and left them. It was a natural circle and they must know Him in His circle, not theirs. It changed everything to them. They found Him again in His circle. What an experience to have the heart taken by the Spirit and conducted into the presence of a risen Christ. He died for us that we should live with Him. Think of living with Christ even now! Being dead we have been made to live together with Him (Colossians 2:13). The servant took Rebecca and went his way.
It is interesting to notice that Isaac is at once brought before us. The journey is not dwelt upon. The Holy Spirit would immediately bring us into the presence of Christ. "That is my master!"; a man full of the Spirit is very near a risen Christ.
Rebecca with suited grace now veils herself. We are to be exclusively for Christ. It is only as covered, or veiled, that we can suitably enter the assembly (1 Corinthians 11).
And since we are to be for Christ we wish to be seen by no other. How exclusive the heart becomes -- exclusive in a right sense -- when it learns, as in the language of the Song of Solomon, "I am my beloved's, And his desire is toward me" (chapter 7: 10). We would not seek to acquire the style or wisdom of the world if we have seen a risen Christ. "Not according to Christ" settles everything (Colossians 2:8). All but Christ is the "reproach of Egypt" (Joshua 5:9). One trait of the world is a shame to us!
"And Isaac led her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and ... Isaac was comforted". This very plainly shows that the type sets forth the present place of the assembly. Israel, at present, yields no joy to Christ. The church is given to occupy Israel's place, only in a more blessed way, and is for the comfort of Christ. But how shall we practically reach this? Only as our hearts respond and say, "I will go", and allow the Holy Spirit to take us His way.
The Believer's Friend, 1927, pages 153 - 159 [3 of 3].
J. Pellatt
Revelation 2:1 - 7; Revelation 3:7 - 13
I think in the message to the church at Ephesus we have marked out by the Lord Himself the point of departure, and in the message to Philadelphia we have on the part of the Lord the recognition of the point of recovery, and these are the two thoughts I desire to bring before you on this occasion. It is an
immense thing to have the expressed judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no need for any of us to be in any uncertainty with regard to His judgment upon matters at the present time. I do not mean matters pertaining to our responsible life here or to our circumstances, or to ourselves, but matters pertaining to His glory, to that which is in relationship to Himself; that which is the delight and satisfaction of His own heart.
One feels very much at the present time the need of grace from the Lord to rise above every form of selfishness. We are blocked up and hindered by selfishness, perhaps to a greater extent than we are aware of. I do not mean common selfishness with regard to our own things, but selfishness in regard to the Lord's things; we are much hindered in this way. We need to be delivered from this kind of selfishness, so that apart from every thought of ourselves we might be able to look at things in the light of the Lord, in the light of the relationship of the assembly to the Lord and what is really involved in that relationship.
In the first place I want to bring before you the point of departure. I am not speaking of that which is merely individual. I am speaking concerning Christ and the assembly. Our attention has been called of late to the distinction between the primary thoughts of God, and those thoughts of God which have been brought before us consequent upon the entrance of sin -- the presence of sin in the world, and I would like to say that the relationship of the assembly to
Christ belongs to the primary thoughts of God. In the very beginning of the Bible, in the account of things here prior to the entrance of sin, when there was nothing of the kind to affect man, nor to call out the blessed activities of God in grace, I need not recount to you the story of creation as we have it by the Holy Spirit in the opening of Genesis. I refer to the six days of creation, and how at last man was brought upon the scene, everything ordered and arranged by God with reference to man. Then the man was brought upon the scene. The whole scene of creation was open under the eye of God; there was nothing evil in it; God was able to say as He surveyed it that it was "very good". It pleased Him to look upon it, and it was at that time that you get that wonderful statement, "It is not good that Man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). You might think it primarily applied to Adam, but no! it primarily applied to Christ.
We are told in Romans 5:14 that Adam was the figure of Him that is to come, and we must take account of things as under the eye of God. God's mind, God's interest, was primarily in Christ. When He said concerning the man down here, "It is not good that Man should be alone", we then get for the first time in scripture after the creation of man the expression of divine sovereignty. God says, "I will". What did He "will"? What was His purpose -- His counsel? What was in the mind and heart of God? It was this, "I will make him a helpmate, his like". There we get in type Christ and the church! Sin is
not in question, sin is not there. I have no doubt that in the light of the first epistle of John that sin existed at that time, but it did not exist in connection with man nor in relation to the creation brought before us in the opening of Genesis and which God pronounced to be "very good". Sin existed already in relation to Satan; he was the original sinner -- "from the beginning the devil sins" (1 John 3:8), but there was a created scene down here without sin. So that we are not going beyond Scripture in saying that the truth of Christ and the assembly belongs to the primary thoughts of God.
I do not wish to traverse all the distance between the opening and the end of the Bible, but I just want to call your attention to the end. When the end is brought before us, God does not say much about the eternal state, though He speaks plainly, and no doubt tells us all that we need to know about it at the present time; and when the new heavens and new earth come into view in Revelation 21 what do we see? We see the bride of Christ. We see her in all her undimmed loveliness and freshness. One thousand years at least had rolled by; the world to come, the whole millennial age had passed by, and there are no signs of fading, no signs of age in her. No, she is still "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2). I only refer to this, I am not dwelling upon it now, but I wish to point out that if in the opening of Genesis before the existence of sin took place, so far as this world is concerned, we see foreshadowed God's primary thought, so in Revelation 21 when sin
is 'no more' -- gone -- when what John the baptist declared of the Lord Jesus Christ on the banks of Jordan, when he sees Jesus coming to him, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), when that has taken place, He has borne it away and not a trace of sin remains in that bright scene -- that blessed moment, then we find God free to return to His primary thoughts. There is Christ and there is His assembly ... adorned for Him; there she is in all the glory and brightness and freshness that God has purposed to adorn her with, "as a bride adorned for her husband", she has a place in that scene.
The Closing Ministry of J. Pellatt, Volume 1, pages 148 - 152 [1 of 2].
I thank you for your kind wish that I should be present at the meetings at -- -- next week. I do trust the Lord will keep you all much on my heart before Him during the meetings. I desire much love to each of you, many long known and esteemed for the Lord's sake. May each derive much blessing from conferring one with another before Him. The Lord grant that you may be taught of Him to do solid work.
There are three things: "open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). I believe that in conversion it is a great thing to have a good
beginning; a good beginning is always marked with deep repentance. If repentance does not mark the beginning, there is not depth in the conversion. Saul of Tarsus was three days without sight, neither did he eat nor drink. You must keep together "repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). The sense of relief is always in proportion to the sense of danger and judgment. Man is not only a sinner but he is under the judgment of God -- Death, "the wages of sin" (Romans 6:23). He was "delivered for our offences", that was often typified, but no victim ever rose until "Jesus our Lord" was "raised for our justification" (chapter 4: 25). I suppose justification is the finish of the evangelist's service. I believe if the convert can see by faith that all that oppressed him, all that was against him in relation to God, has been cleared away by Christ (as clearly as Jonathan saw that Goliath was gone), he would not only be at peace with God but that the Lord Jesus Christ would be the object and delight of his heart, as was David to Jonathan, and as the Lord to the woman in Luke 7. I must not add more, excuse me for saying so much; but I am sure, once the soul is personally attached to the Lord, His coming again is its paramount hope, and when this is the case, to find Him in the assembly, and to do His pleasure here, become, as I might say, a necessary consequence. The Lord bless each of you much.
Letters from J. B. Stoney, Volume 1, pages 49, 50.
Philippians 2:3 - 11; 2 Peter 1:12 - 18; Revelation 1:9, 10; Ephesians 3:8 - 12
I desire, beloved brethren, if the Lord will, to speak about the acceptance of limitation and the mind to go down, and for an example we must first look to the Lord Himself. In the other scriptures referred to, Peter was facing death, John was isolated, and Paul was willing to count himself "less than the least of all saints".
In Philippians 2 Paul enjoins us to "let nothing be in the spirit of strife or vain glory, but, in lowliness of mind, each esteeming the other as more excellent than themselves". I believe there is blessing for us if we esteem another saint more excellent than ourselves. If we have regard to our own qualities, then we may give way to the spirit of strife and vain glory.
Gideon is exemplary in this matter when, in Judges 8, matters are taken up with him by the sons of Ephraim. They said to him, "What is this thing thou hast done to us, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they disputed with him sharply". They said, You have not given us our place, you have not acknowledged us. But he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you?" -- what I have done is a small thing in comparison to what you have done -- "Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer" . He says, Is not the best that I can do
much less than the least that you can do? He puts himself down and he lifts them up. He says, "Into your hands hath God delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?" (verses 1 - 3). The enemy will seek to bring in distance between brethren, if he can, but the answer is in going down.
"For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus". Who went down like Jesus? "Who, subsisting in the form of God, did not esteem it an object of rapine to be on an equality with God". It was no robbery for Him to be in that place, and yet He "emptied himself, taking a bondman's form" -- He was content with that place as Man because it was the will of His God and Father that it should be so. "Taking his place in the likeness of men" -- He brought Himself down, you might say, He took that place near to men in the likeness of men. He made Himself like men, sin apart, in order that God might draw near to men. Going down is seen supremely in Jesus, who has "also descended into the lower parts of the earth" (Ephesians 4:9). Whose descending movements were so glorious as the descending movements of Jesus? Can we not, beloved brethren, afford the mind to go down?
Think of Elisha when he came into the house of the Shunamite woman and her son was dead. It says, "he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and bent over him; and the flesh of the child grew warm" (2 Kings 4:34).
Elisha the great prophet -- the one who had desired "a double portion" of Elijah's spirit (chapter 2: 9) -- the one who brought in the works of grace, was able to go down, to bend over this child. Can each of us, beloved brethren, afford to do that? Can we afford to bring ourselves down, to make ourselves available?
I believe that, in these last days of the testimony, the enemy would seek to spoil what is for the pleasure of God, and the way to meet that is in the mind to go down, a willingness to descend, to accept limitation, and to accept the circumstances in which God has, in His sovereign grace and will, placed us. Elisha went down and the flesh of the child grew warm.
Think also of Paul, descending to Eutychus and "enfolding him in his arms, said, ... his life is in him" (Acts 20:10). Can we go down in that attitude of enfolding? The One who has gone down supremely is the One whom God has also highly exalted. And in going down and making ourselves as nothing, all we do, if I may say it simply, is to make way for Jesus, to make room for Him so that He might be exalted in our hearts. If we are inflated in our own estimation, then there is little room in our hearts for that blessed Saviour of whom we speak. But when we go down, when we consider ourselves and see that we are but nothing, then room is made for that blessed glorious One.
"Having been found in figure as a man, humbled himself". Oh! what humbling, for He is the One by
whom God "made the worlds"; who at the present time is "upholding all things by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:2, 3); in whom "dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9); of whom it says, when here as Man, "in him all the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19); who "humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death". He went into death and "that the death of the cross". He took the place of the curse for you and for me (Galatians 3:13). "Wherefore also God highly exalted Him". Is He exalted in your heart and mine? That would be my desire, not that we should be occupied with weakness and failure, but rather that we should be occupied with Christ exalted. The hymn writer says:
Are we in concert with heaven in relation to Jesus? For if we have place in our ways, in our hearts, and in our minds for this blessed Man, then everything else takes its place in relation to that.
"God highly exalted him, and granted him a name, that ... every knee should bow, of heavenly and earthly and infernal beings, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to God the Father's glory". That helps us to have everything in its proper perspective. If we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, we say that His place is the place that God has given to Him, and my place is to own Him as Lord. Let us follow after Him, doing His will, and thus to endeavour to keep out what may intrude will be
something that we desire and long to do. "Jesus Christ is Lord to God the Father's glory". God is glorified when we acknowledge the Lord Jesus, the One who humbled Himself, who had the mind to go down, not only in what we say, but also in what we do.
Peter was one who was willing to accept limitation. That had not always been so, for when things were difficult he sometimes reacted suddenly: he "smote the bondman of the high priest and cut off his right ear" (John 18:10), when circumstances were contrary; and when challenged that he was "with Jesus the Galilaean", he "began to curse and to swear" (Matthew 26:69, 74), denying he knew Him. That Name was going to put limitations upon him, it was going to bring him into reproach. But where we read, Peter had been through much soul history and had learned to accept the limitation of his circumstances. He says, "I account it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle is speedily to take place, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has manifested to me". The Lord had told him by what death he would glorify God, and here he is in the full acceptance of that. But he is not pre-occupied with that; he is concerned about the blessing of the saints. He says, "I will be careful to put you always in mind of these things" -- I emphasise that what I am saying is not new; it is intended for our confirmation -- "although knowing them and established in the present truth". So Peter
continues, "I will use diligence, that after my departure ye should have also, at any time, in your power to call to mind these things". The Scriptures are available, and much ministry that the Lord has given has been preserved in writing, that saints should have in their power to "call to mind these things" when they are needed.
Then Peter speaks of "the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ", and of his having been an eye-witness "of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory". Again we come to the point that Peter is not concerned about his circumstances but rather that Christ is glorified: "such a voice being uttered to him by the excellent glory". It is not 'from', but "by" the excellent glory. It was the Father's voice, no doubt, that spoke to Christ and of Him: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight". Peter is repeating this for the saints and he is drawing it freshly to our attention, as though to say, This is the One in whom God has found delight; have you found delight in Him too? "And this voice we heard uttered from heaven, being with him on the holy mountain". If we find delight in Christ, then we will find delight in the saints, because we will see in the saints what speaks to us of Christ. What can we see of value in one another? Referring again to Gideon, of his brethren it was said, "each one resembled the sons of a king". And what does he say? "They were my brethren, the sons of my mother" (Judges 8:18, 19). Surely if we see the glory of Christ and acknowledge Him as God's
beloved Son, and then we see in one another features of that blessed One, we can well afford to stop thinking of ourselves and emphasise the glory of Christ which shines in those whom God has been pleased to give us as our brethren.
In Revelation 1, John speaks of himself as "I John, your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience". He loved Christ, and knew the love of Christ for him, and, though isolated "in the island called Patmos", he is conscious of his links with the saints. If we feel the limitations of the circumstances in which we are, then the consciousness of our links with the saints universally is a wonderfully sustaining thing. Still John regards himself as "your ... fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus". Well, there had been a scattering of the saints; how is the kingdom to be maintained in these circumstances? I believe that the coming of the Lord will be very soon, but patience is needed in the present time. How is it to be sustained? - in Jesus. That makes it worthwhile.
John says that he "was in the island called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus". Each of us, I believe, should think of the circumstances in which we are in relation to what they might mean for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. Then we may see our circumstances in perspective, and be encouraged by what John says, "I became in the Spirit on the Lord's day". So that the limitation of his circumstances was
no barrier to the work of divine Persons. He was lifted up out of the circumstances in which he was and brought into a realm which was heavenly and spiritual.
John continues, "I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet". The power of the heavenly voice was in no sense diminished by the circumstances in which John was. That mighty, powerful voice spoke to him and told him certain things. What a wonderful revelation this book is. What glorious things were vouchsafed to him: "what thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to be after these" (verse 19). He gets a marvellous view of all that God has under His hand and in His mind to do. Well, though our circumstances may be limited down here, yet divine Persons are not limited, and we can be lifted in spirit out of our circumstances and brought into contact with a scene that is heavenly and spiritual. Think of all that was vouchsafed to him! But what lies behind it, I believe, is what he says in verse 5, "To him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in his blood". These circumstances had not diminished for a moment John's conscious sense of the love of the Lord Jesus. It was not to Him who has loved us, although that is so. He loved us and He died on the cross -- that was a demonstration of His love -- but it is a present love: "To him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in his blood". That is the One who sustains His own in conditions of limitation and weakness, for His love is the same.
We are soon going to hear His voice calling us from here to be eternally with Him. But let us hear His voice now! Let us pay attention to the voice now because it speaks to us, not of weakness or defeat, sorrow or limitation, but it speaks to us of heavenly and eternal joys.
In Ephesians Paul speaks of himself as "less than the least of all saints". He could say, "I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound" (Philippians 4:12); he had learned that in his circumstances. Think of what he says in 2 Corinthians 11"In Damascus the ethnarch of Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes shut up, wishing to take me; and through a window in a basket I was let down by the wall, and escaped his hands" (verses 32, 33). There was Paul, the apostle, one to whom God had vouchsafed glorious light, and yet he was being let down by the wall in a basket! He did not say, That is too lowly a way for me, for that is the way that God had ordained for him to escape, and therefore he accepted it, and thus he was preserved for the testimony and the Lord's service.
"Less than the least of all saints". Well, can we look up to the brethren? I say especially to my younger brethren, Learn to look up to the brethren, because if one such as Paul could look up to the brethren, then so should we. He speaks of one as "the brother whose praise is in the glad tidings" (2 Corinthians 8:18). He was able to identify in that brother something which was pleasing to God. He says of Mark, "Take Mark ... for he is serviceable to me for
ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). He speaks about Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus, and he tells Philemon no longer to receive him as a bondman but as "a beloved brother" (verse 16). He has something positive to say about each of them, I believe, because he regarded himself as "less than the least of all saints".
"To me, less than the least of all saints, has this grace been given, to announce among the nations the glad tidings of the unsearchable riches of the Christ". Again, he moves quickly to magnify Christ, and those riches have not diminished through searching them out! He says, "and to enlighten all with the knowledge of what is the administration of the mystery hidden throughout the ages in God". So that having certain riches vouchsafed to him, and having the knowledge of the mystery, his desire is to enlighten all. He would do that "in order that now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the all-various wisdom of God". We may say that our circumstances are limited, and times are difficult, but this scripture is still as true today as it was on the day that it was written. There is nothing lacking in the assembly, because the Holy Spirit is here, and our Head is in heaven. Heavenly personages looking on are to see the all-various wisdom of God working out in the assembly.
Well, that is my simple impression. Let us learn from Jesus as to the mind to go down. Let us accept the limitations of our circumstances and find in them
that we have access to a sphere of things where sin and sorrow can never come, where the Lord Jesus is the Head and the Centre. May we know more of it, for His Name's sake.
J. Taylor
It is laid upon my heart to say a word in regard to God's will, feeling that it becomes the test to men, and hence to us. One feels especially encouraged to call attention to it in view of existing conditions, for it is the question really raised at the present moment amongst God's people; that is, Is God's will or man's will to rule? What is noticeable in the passage I have read is, that all that is contrary to God's will has to be removed; whereas, on the other hand, he who does the will of God abides for ever.
John does not here raise the question as to where he is to abide, but he habitually refers to the sphere created by God for man, and he thinks of it as a sphere of blessing, and a sphere in which God's will is to be paramount. Evidently, if God creates a sphere, He creates it for His own pleasure, and He intends that it is to be dominated by His will; and all who are not at agreement with His will have to go, for God will not brook any disagreement. It is well for people to make their minds up as to this. God will not admit of any divergence from His will.
I think you will find if you trace it in Scripture that this is so, and what specially marked Christ was, that in becoming Man He recognises the principle of absolute submission to God's will. He came into the sphere designed for man, and that was His first object; He would at all cost recognise God's will. As we have been seeing already, He found the law, which was the expression of God's will, disregarded; but He says, "thy law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:8). In a way I know of nothing that brings out the faithfulness of Christ, and what He was as a perfect Man, more than that. He had in His soul before God the idea of what man's place was, and that is, that man was to be subject to God. Hence He thought so much of God's will and of His law that He had it in His heart.
Not only did He keep the law Himself, but He brings in a generation who keep it also. I think if there is one thing more than another that brings out who Christ is, it is that He is capable of bringing into God's world a generation of people who love His law. You remember how that, directly He begins to teach His disciples, He taught them how to pray, and what He had in view was the production of a race which should be according to Himself, loving the will of God. He says, "pray ye, Our Father ... thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth" (Matthew 6:9, 10). The Lord was perfectly cognisant of what existed in heaven. God's will was not contravened in heaven, but it was on earth. So His thought was to form His disciples in accordance with God's will,
and hence their petition was to be, "thy will be done as in heaven so upon the earth". And I think that this desire is what the Spirit of God produces in us. But I will come to that presently.
I was saying that if you search the Scriptures you will find that in every new departure in God's ways there was something that indicated His will, and whatever it may have been, it became the test for the moment. It takes a very little thing to indicate what God's will may be, and it takes also a very little thing to indicate that it is man's intention to disregard it. You find this at the very outset. Eden was designed for man; it was a garden of delights, in every way representing the goodness of God; but there was one element there that was a testimony to God's rights; God planted one tree there, which was a witness to His rights. He planted another, a witness to His counsels; the tree of life was a witness to His counsels, but He also planted a tree there which was a witness to His rights, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and what was a testimony to God's rights placed man under responsibility. So that in result the conditions were simply this, that God had formed a sphere which was in every way in accordance with His nature as revealed, and that sphere was to be dominated by His will. It was very simple. The will of God for the moment was set forth in a negative way. It was a question of what should not be taken. It was negative, but it was sufficient to become a testimony to God's rights. It indicated that the sphere in which He placed man
was to be dominated by the will of God, and hence Adam was placed under responsibility.
Now you see that what the apostle John states in the passage I read is fully verified in what took place. Adam did not abide "for eternity". He was driven out because he did not regard God's will, and so it is, that unless there is recognition of God's will in any given sphere of blessedness (and there is at the present time a sphere of blessedness ordained of God) those who do not recognise His will must go out. It is not a question of what your brethren may think of you, but of the unalterable principles of God's government. Adam was driven out because he did not recognise God's will. And this we find all through the Scriptures. You will find that in every departure in God's ways, in every new phase of the testimony, there was always something that indicated that God's will must prevail.
We have been speaking of the law given to Moses, which was in an especial way the testimony on the part of God to His rights. It was not a negative law like that given to Adam; it contained positive requirements. It was one of two testimonies. There were two great witnesses in the Old Testament: first, the law, and secondly, the prophets. I do not know if we have considered them much in that light, but it is clear from the New Testament that these are the two witnesses to men in the Old Testament. "The law and the prophets", the Lord says "were until John" (Luke 16:16). I take the law to be a witness to God's rights, and the prophets to be a witness to His patience.
It is remarkable that there were so many prophets. I have often wondered why there were so many. You would think Isaiah said so much, and Jeremiah and Ezekiel, that these three would be sufficient, but it is very interesting to see that there are so many, and there were a great many more prophets than those who have written. There were prophets who spoke, whose words are not recorded. The prophets have a voice. I believe the voice of the prophets, in one respect, is the patience of God, God's long-suffering. It tries a man to get up early. God states several times, in figure, of course, that He rose up early to send prophets. It does not say this as to the law, but He rose up early to send prophets; a striking testimony to His patience. The people de-parted from Him and from blessing, and hence He recalls them. He gets up early to send prophets to them to recall them to what was a standing witness to His rights. The permanent testimony to God's rights in the Old Testament is the law. We were saying that Israel did not keep it, and hence God made an ark in which to treasure it; so that the ark was the depository of His law. The ark is a most remarkable type of Christ in many ways, but especially in this, that it is the treasury of God's law, that in which God's law was preserved when men could not keep it.
But what I want to say, as briefly as I can, is that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken up the testimony, He has taken up the law, He has treasured it in His
heart; He came to fulfil it, and that one jot or tittle of it should not fail. Moreover, what He proposes to do is to bring in a generation of law-abiding people. We were speaking about the Son of man, and I think the Son of man recovered humanity for God, but how? He recovered man in the law-abiding condition. That condition is set forth in the Lord Jesus Christ. He treasured the law in His heart; He was here for God's pleasure, and He is raised up on high and given a place in heaven. That was the place for the ark of the testimony for the moment, but there is now a place for it on earth. He treasured that which was the most precious thing on earth, the will of God, and He goes to heaven. What you see is that the Lord intends to bring in a generation after His own pattern. It is just that which I would like especially to make clear. The disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. I think it were well for us to be stirred up in regard to God's will, and directly you become exercised, what marks you is prayer.
Now I would say one word in regard to prayer, and that is, that God does not always answer prayer immediately, because He puts your heart to the test as to whether you really value what you ask for. As an example, Jacob requested from Jehovah in Genesis 32 that He would reveal His name to him. He says, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name" (verse 29). God had asked Jacob for his name, and he told Him that his name was Jacob. Jacob in turn asked God for His name, and God says, "How is it that thou askest after my name?" It is well
for us to have our interest aroused as to something of God that we are not acquainted with, because directly our interest is awakened as to something we do not know, we ask. God does not answer Jacob's request until Genesis 35. He waited until then, and in that chapter God answers him in His own time.
We must never think that we can control God in any way, even by prayer. God reserves the right to answer, and He chooses His own time and place to answer. In regard to Jacob, the place where he got the answer was at Bethel, and the time was when Jacob arrived there. Bethel is God's house. That is where most things are disclosed to you. You may ask for things from God at home and He answers in the assembly. I do not say it is so in every case, of course, but the assembly is the oracle really, and if you are in the assembly in heart, all your difficult questions will be answered. It is in Bethel that God answers Jacob's question, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name", and it is there He says, "I am the Almighty God" (chapter 35: 11). That is a wonderful disclosure.
We are accustomed to the term "God Almighty", but it was a wonderful thing for Jacob to have a God like that. It means that He is Almighty. He is able to do everything to accomplish His counsels, and to do everything needed for our good, and He revealed His name to Jacob in His house. I do not know of a chapter that is, in a way, more helpful to believers than Genesis 35. I think it shows how God directs His people into a sphere in which His interests are, and where His will is paramount. God says to Jacob,
"Arise, go up to Bethel" (verse 1), and directly Jacob crossed its threshold he recognises that God is the God of it; he rears up an altar to God in Bethel and he names it El-beth-el. He is now in God's sphere where God's will is supreme. God is not the God of Shechem, but He is the God of Bethel. He rules there. If you come into the house of God remember that His will is paramount there. Now Jacob recognises that in his altar, and God answers his question there. He says, "I am the Almighty God", and He tells Jacob that he would be multiplied, not after the flesh, indeed, but in the power of resurrection. He would be multiplied by God Almighty. The answer to all this will be seen for us in the future on the principle of resurrection. But I do not dwell on that now, I only referred to it in connection with prayer.
The disciples professed not to know how to pray so they asked the Lord to teach them, and He taught them according to what was in His own heart. He had before His heart the formation of a generation of people like Himself, a people who would adhere to the will of God. Such is the generation that Christ left in this world. He did not find them here. He found the law disregarded by men; there was nobody treasuring it. He took it up and placed it in His heart; and He left here a generation of people who love God's law, who love the will of God. They had been taught by Him to pray that God's law should be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Now I wish to add a word in regard to ourselves.
The Lord Jesus Christ, having gone into heaven, gave the Spirit to those same people; hence their walk should be in accordance with their prayers. Evidently if we pray to God that His will should be fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven, we are inconsistent if our walk is not in accordance with God's will. Clearly you have to take the path indicated by God's will, as we are told in Romans 12, "that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (verse 2). His will is not arbitrary or irksome, it is good and acceptable and perfect. And how is that brought about? By the Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ, having gone into heaven, has given the Spirit to His people, and we are told that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled by those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. It is a question of walk, and those who have the Spirit walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Now it is in that way that a generation of law abiding people, people who treasure the will of God, is continued in this world, and manifestly it is of supreme moment that we should be found such. It is not that I wish to place you under law in that ordinary meaning of the word, but it is evident that God must rule, and that our blessing depends on our abiding under His rule. Present blessing is the result, for as we prove that His will is good and acceptable and perfect by walking in it, we remain in the sphere of blessing. I wonder if you understand what it is to be in the sphere of blessing. If you have tasted what
it is, you wish to remain there.
You know that God is dealing in a judicial way amongst His people, and if His will is not adhered to people must go. John states it here. He that doeth the will of God abides for ever, but the world passes away. Why does the world pass away? Because it is lawless. It must pass away. But he says, "he that does the will of God abides for eternity". And so God would preserve us and keep us in the sphere of blessing and privilege by pressing upon us the necessity of walking according to His will. May it be so! May there be a generation, at least in measure, amongst us now after the pattern of Christ! a generation of people who respect God's will and adhere to it; who would rather die than surrender one jot or tittle of what God has made known. There must be no deviation from it, for God will refuse all non-adherence to it. All God's will must be fulfilled, and so today the Spirit of God would maintain in His people a respect and love for God's will, for all that is contrary to it has to go.
Ministry by J. Taylor, Indianapolis, 1909. Volume 2, pages 487 - 494.
J. Pellatt
Revelation 2:1 - 7; Revelation 3:7 - 13
Now I would like to speak simply about this message to the angel of the assembly in Ephesus. I leave the Old Testament for the present; the church is not there, as we know, except in type; the first
actual mention of the truth of the church is in Matthew 16. There Christ says, "on this rock I will build my assembly". The moment has come; there has been the revelation by the Father of the blessed Person of Christ to Peter, who says, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God". And the Lord says, "on this rock" -- Himself, the Father's revelation of Himself -- "I will build my assembly" (verses 16 - 18).
Now I pass on. We come to the Acts of the Apostles -- to the day of Pentecost; the Lord had died; He had been raised from among the dead and had ascended, and taken His place up there in glory, and from that scene of heavenly glory the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. The result is that the church is here; she is here as an actual fact; the presence of the Holy Spirit from the risen, ascended and glorified Christ -- the Son of God, has brought into existence the assembly.
But I am not going to speak now about the assembly as the "one body", nor as the house of God, the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, nor as seen for a brief season as the assembly at Jerusalem; but what I am going to speak about is local assemblies -- assemblies here and there. There were many local assemblies, but I want now to call your attention to the one particular assembly at Ephesus.
I think the scriptures fully entitle us to consider the assembly at Ephesus as rising, in apprehension of privilege unfolded to them, above and beyond
every other assembly at that time. From a very small beginning (see Acts 19), the assembly at Ephesus had grown numerically and spiritually. Afterwards we find the apostle paying them a long visit (chapter 19: 10); you remember when on his way to Jerusalem he sent from Miletus and called the elders of the Ephesian assembly to him, and he rehearsed to them his ministry. He said that he had not "shrunk from announcing to you all the counsel of God" (chapter 20: 27). In that assembly he had unfolded all the wonderful range of things that lies within that expression -- "the counsel of God". Later on he writes to them a marvellous letter.
We have often been told that there is a certain connection between each epistle and the state of the saints composing the particular assembly to which it was written; you cannot fail to see this connection in the first epistle to Corinth, and in the epistle to the assemblies in Galatia, and that to the saints at Colosse, and we see this connection in a marked way in the epistle to the Ephesians. What a marvellous unfolding of the counsels of God is there! One never tires reading the opening of the epistle to the Ephesian assembly. It begins at the very top: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ" (chapter 1: 3). You cannot find anything above that, it is the peak that towers up above every other peak; and the Ephesian saints were there, and as there, in Christ, they were spoken to as having been blessed
with every spiritual blessing. Then further on you get in chapter 3 that wonderful prayer. Do you know the climax of that prayer? He says, "and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that ye may be filled even to all the fulness of God" (verse 19).
I believe that prayer was answered in the assembly in Ephesus. I do not believe that the apostle bowed his knees for naught. He says: "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father ... of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named" (verses 14, 15). I believe that prayer found its answer. What light, what marvellous privilege, what a state there must have been in those saints! That prayer has in view what is subjective in the saints: "to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man" (verse 16). It is inward and spiritual; it was to be effected in them, and that "being rooted and founded in love" they might be able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, length, depth and height, and that they might "know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge", that they might be "filled even to all the fulness of God". That was not simply what was unfolded in ministry to them, but there had been wrought in them by the Spirit an answer to it; these saints at Ephesus had reached the top. You say, How do you know? I know it from Revelation 2. The Lord says there: "but I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first love". If first love has never been reached you cannot be charged with having left it. It was reached
at Ephesus; in that assembly; by the Spirit, there had been wrought such a response -- a full response to the love of Christ for the assembly, and that is first love. It is not the first love of a new convert (we use the expressions of Scripture very loosely). It is the assembly down here with the light of the range of the counsels of God; it is the assembly down here in the knowledge of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge and as answering to that love.
And that is where declension began. I do not mean geographically, I mean where it began spiritually. It began at the highest point that can be reached down here (I say it reverently, recognising all Christ's interests in the assembly, and recognising the ministry of the Holy Spirit with us in the assembly), the highest point that can be reached by the assembly down here -- the only thing I know beyond it is not beyond it even in character, it is only the difference between spiritual reality now and eternal actuality by and by. Well, that is where it began. But the wonderful thing is this -- in connection with this particular message, and indeed with all these messages -- one gets to know, if I might say it reverently, the feelings of the heart of Christ in relation to His assembly here. Oh! how He must have felt that leaving of first love. Really outwardly the assembly at Ephesus was still in a wonderful state; there were no signs or symptoms of outward decay; there was wonderful activity, wonderful energy of a spiritual sort, there was no thought at Ephesus of putting up with anything evil,
they had tried those who took high ground, who said they were apostles and were not, and they had found them liars, and there was patience, and endurance, they had not fainted. But the eye of Christ discerns, and His lips pronounce the declension.
"I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first love". I would, beloved, that the impression -- the divine conviction might come home to us of what really is proper to the assembly in relation to Christ; that is what the Lord looks for and prizes; it is not what people, and even God's people, sometimes value and prize. A great deal is thought of outward order, and I am not saying a word against it, but if there is not the responsive affection to the love of Christ for the church it will not please Him, it will not suit Him. It was not simply that they had fallen, but the point of the statement is: "whence" they had fallen. I would not make light of any kind of fall, but I would that we might feel the force of the Lord's words: "Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent"! They had fallen from the greatest height, and the Lord calls them to repent, and I would that we might understand it. We think we understand repentance on the part of the sinner, but have you ever thought of what repentance is on the part of the saint, and on the part of the assembly? The Lord says: "repent, and do the first works". You might say, What are first works? First works are the expression of first love. There is a great variety of works; there are works that are not thought much of down here, and which do not gain credit here, but I
am sure of this, that "first works" will not fail to secure His approbation and the expression of His delight. The assembly at Ephesus had left first love, and with the decline of first love, first works were no more.
Let me say a word further with regard to the phases of the decline. In a certain sense the seven messages to the seven assemblies present a consecutive and a successive history, but (not to go into details) what is the final result of falling from first love? Spued out of Christ's mouth. There is quite a journey between, but this is where it leads to, that is the ultimate end of falling from the heavenly height of first love. So it is a very serious matter, and I would that we might think of it in a very serious way, and remember, beloved brethren, we are here where the decline has taken place, and we are here in the presence of the consequences of the decline; we cannot ignore it, and it would be profitable for us to recognise it.
Now I turn for a moment to the message to Philadelphia. There we see the point of recovery. If you read these messages it will produce a sad impression upon your heart. First in Ephesus there is a fall from the height of first love, then you come down to Smyrna and Pergamos, and while there is in Smyrna much the Lord can and does approve of, and concerning which He encourages the saints to be faithful unto death and He will give them a crown of life, still on the other hand there are evidences of increasing declension. They hate the deeds of the
Nicolaitanes at Ephesus, but they are tolerated further on, and their doctrine is tolerated too. You trace all these assemblies and you come to the last four, which are those which particularly concern us, because it is evident that these last four -- Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea -- continue to the end. So somewhere and somehow there must be that now that answers to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Laodicea. I cannot speak for the want of time so fully as I would like, but I may say this -- you will find in Sardis the last appeal of Christ to the church here; there is no appeal after Sardis, there is no need of appeal in Philadelphia, and Laodicea is beyond appeal. The Lord says, "because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spue thee out of my mouth" (verse 16). There may be individuals that He loves, but not the church at Laodicea.
When you come to Philadelphia I do not know how it impresses you, but one feels at least relieved. There is Thyatira -- that terrible state of things (there is I know a remnant described as "the rest", but I do not speak of that at this moment) there is Sardis, "a name to live"; and what good is a name to live when you are dead; it is a mockery; it is empty pretension, "I have not found thy works complete before my God", and the terrible threat hanging over Sardis that the Lord would treat her like the world -- would come upon her as a thief in the night. When you come to Laodicea, well, you have to turn away from it if you are at all spiritual, if you have any feeling for Christ you can only turn away from it with a
pained heart at the utter indifference to Christ that is evinced; self-complacency, self-satisfaction, "I am rich ... and have need of nothing". What a terrible state, so obnoxious, so nauseating to Christ.
The Closing Ministry of J. Pellatt, Volume 1, pages 152 - 160 [2 of 3].
Hebrews 2:1 - 18; Hebrews 4:14 - 16
Our hearts have often been comforted and elevated by the thought that we are going to be like the Son of God in His glorified condition, but it is necessary also that we should consider that in becoming Man in the circumstances in which we are, sin apart, "it behoved him in all things to be made like to his brethren".
We are told that "he takes hold of the seed of Abraham". In becoming Man, He took up a special relationship with the faith family -- with what God owned as having a link with Himself. There were features about that family which were of God, though every member of it had been by nature a child of wrath, even as the rest. But faith having come in, there was that in them which was not of the fallen man, but which had its origin in God. Christ could take hold of that, for it was suitable to Him; we might say that it was kindred to Him. It is as having this characteristic of faith that men are regarded as Christ's brethren, and it behoved Him in all things to be made like to them. This underlies the
teaching of Hebrews: we hardly get the indwelling Spirit in this epistle, but all through, prominence is given to faith. Christ's brethren are in view, and "the people" are the elect nation -- those who have faith. They, and they only, get the good of the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (chapter 3: 1).
Those from among the Jews who received Christ were the true "seed of Abraham", and they became Christ's companions and His brethren. They were the seed of whom Christ took hold; He attached Himself to them and was made like to them not that He could have them apart from His death and from His soul being made an offering for sin, for they all had sins for which propitiation was needed if they were to be with God in a righteous and holy way. The seed could not be sanctified -- they could not be "all of one" with the Sanctifier -- if He had not made propitiation for their sins. So we find later in the epistle (chapter 10: 10) that by God's "will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all". We also read that "by one offering he has perfected in perpetuity the sanctified" (verse 14). As purged worshippers they have no longer any conscience of sins. We need to shut out the flesh more completely from our thoughts of the holy brethren. They are to be regarded as the epistle to the Hebrews regards them. There are more than twenty designations of the saints in this epistle, but they all suggest suitability to God and to Christ, and not the contrary.
It is as having the exercises and trials and
sorrows of faith that saints are Christ's brethren, and it is as having part in the testings and sorrows of faith that it has behoved Christ to be made in all things like His brethren. Christ's brethren are viewed here as in a position and condition in which they are sure to be tempted and tried, and they are also marked by infirmities. Faith is there as a ruling principle, but it is surrounded by almost universal unbelief, and is therefore continually exposed to temptation in the sense of trial. It has always been so, wherever there was faith. And along with faith there is always, in our present condition, the consciousness of infirmity. These things mark Christ's brethren here. The temptations or trials here referred to do not arise from the activity of the flesh; they are the result of faith coming into conflict with the influences that operate in the present evil age. If faith and a good conscience are maintained, there is bound to be suffering, and when we have part, however small, in the sufferings of faith, there is always the consciousness of infirmity. Infirmity does not mean that we give way before the power of evil, but it means that we are conscious that if we did not get divine support we should give way.
Now it is this experience which prepares us to appreciate how near Christ has come to us in becoming Man. He entered into, and took part in, all suffering which had been the portion of faith in all ages. He was tempted, or tried, by every form of trial which has ever come upon faith. And having passed through this experience He is qualified to be "a
merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God". It is in these things that we need a merciful and faithful high priest. Faith governs all matters relating to God, and when faith brings us into trial here, we need One who is able to help us as having suffered and been tried in exactly the same way Himself. When we prove that He does help us, it makes Him a very blessed reality to us.
We cannot for a moment think of Jesus, the Son of God, as having infirmities, but He had the true feelings of a man in presence of trials and sufferings. He was "tempted in all things in like manner". Therefore He is able to sympathise with our infirmities. He knows perfectly how trial and suffering affect man -- how they ought to affect man. In His case the sensibilities and the sufferings were perfect, and were all infinitely acceptable to God. They were wholly apart from sin. They are real trials which cause suffering, but they are not the result of evil-doing, but of faith. Now the Lord, in the state of a blessed, perfect Man, has been subjected to every such trial, that He might be able to sympathise with His brethren who suffer the same trials, but who are also conscious of infirmities. He never had infirmities, and He certainly has none as the great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, but His experience of trial and suffering here has qualified Him to sympathise with our infirmities. If I feel so weak that I cannot possibly hold fast the confession unless I get His support, He is exceedingly sympathetic with that feeling. It is the
very reason -- or, at any rate, one reason -- why we have Him as our High Priest.
We have infirmities connected with our bodies, such as Timothy's "frequent illnesses" (1 Timothy 5:23) and the sickness of Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20). Christ has not been made like to us in these things, but He can enter perfectly into them because in the days of His flesh "Himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases" (Matthew 8:17). It has been well said that He bore in His spirit what He removed by His power. He felt in His spirit all that pressed upon men, even physically ... (See note to Hebrews 2:17 in the Darby Translation). But it enables Him to enter fully and sympathetically into all that His saints suffer, even in their bodies, and He is able to help them in those sufferings, as an innumerable multitude have proved.
Ministry by C. A. Coates, Newton Abbot, Volume 23, pages 227 - 230. Devon, (c.) 1935.
There could be no resurrection to life if sin had not been put away, that is perfectly certain, because resurrection is the annulling of the sentence of death, and the sentence of death could not have been annulled if sin, which brought in death, had not been put away.
Letters of F. E. Raven, page 290.
Luke 14:7 - 11; Psalm 45:1, 2; Song of Songs 5:10 - 16; 2 Corinthians 11:1 - 3
I want to speak from these scriptures, beloved brethren, in relation to the supremacy of Christ. God would bring before our hearts the greatness and glory of His own beloved Son, the One whose supremacy is going to be universally acknowledged. He intends that Christ should be precious to our hearts, as He is to His own heart, and so He would occupy us with Him at this time, that His supremacy should be established in each one of our souls, and each one of our homes, and each local assembly, and finally, as we have been saying, throughout the whole universe.
We do not see all things subjected to Jesus now, but we see Him "crowned with glory and honour" (Hebrews 2:9). That is the privilege of the believer, through faith and in the Spirit's power, to take account of Jesus, not yet publicly owned, but already crowned of the Father, there in His presence, as it says, "Sit at my right hand until I put thine enemies as footstool of thy feet" (Hebrews 1:13). We are in the time of waiting, in the day of grace, the Spirit's day, and God is working out His own blessed thoughts, I believe, through the glad tidings in order to attach souls to Christ, and to bring them into the knowledge of the blessings that are centred in Him. So God would impress us with the greatness and the glory of Christ, and the blessed Spirit, too, I believe,
Think of the lowly place the Spirit has taken, and the way He would impress us with the greatness of this One who fills God's heart, who came here, as we often say, in incarnation's lowly grace, trod this scene in obedience to the will of His God and Father, suffered and died, and has been raised again. He "has been raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father" (Romans 6:4), and He "set himself down on the right hand of the greatness on high" (Hebrews 1:3). He is there tonight, an Object for faith to those in whom God has wrought in His wonderful grace and drawn to Christ. I trust we will all receive a definite impression at this time of the greatness and the glory of the One whom God would occupy us with.
I read the passage in Luke 14 that we might learn to make way for Christ. The moral of this passage, of course, is that we should be marked by lowliness and humility. Paul says, "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). Think of the glory of the One who was equal with God, yet, in incarnation's lowly grace, He humbled Himself, was found amongst men, and was "obedient even unto death, and that the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). Think of the glories of the Lord Jesus, and how right it is that those who love Him should give Him the first place. I believe God is working to that end at the present time, that in each of our souls the Lord Jesus might have a greater place than He ever has had.
This parable in Luke 14 was spoken to "those that were invited". Well, through grace, we have been invited. How that should affect us, that we have been invited into the most wonderful things, and as coming into these things, I believe we should be marked by lowliness and humility, and not in any way taking the first place, because that belongs to the Lord Jesus. The Lord is speaking here of a wedding, and, of course, that is often the happiest day in a person's history naturally, specially if it is a marriage in the Lord; but it is a time when prominence is often given to the first order of man instead of to the Lord Jesus. And we need to remember, when these occasions are being arranged, that they are not for the introduction of the flesh or the first man, but for the introduction of what belongs to Christ and the assembly -- that is what needs to be prominent.
"Give place to this man". That is what God would have us to do, to give place to Christ. Whatever our arrangements, whatever our movements, whatever our desires and longings are, I believe the Spirit of God would speak expressly. He may speak in a still small voice, but I think He would speak at any rate, and He would remind us that we are to "Give place to this man". At the end of the parable it says, "for every one that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that abases himself shall be exalted". What a matter that is for each one of us to take account of, that God will have that principle characterising the whole universe of bliss
where Christ will have the supreme place. Oh! how God has honoured Him, how He has exalted Him, and I think He is looking to those who love Him to do likewise.
I believe in the present time that the Lord's rights are acknowledged and honoured by those who love Him, who gather together every first day of the week to remember Him as He has requested, and to announce His death until He come. How pleasing that must be to the Lord Jesus. So that, as we often say, He would come to where love is and make Himself known, that His lovers might have a taste of these wonderful glories in association with Himself. What a stimulation to our hearts to give Jesus the first place! It is sobering to think of the sin and shame the first man has brought in, and we need to understand that God has judicially ended that order of things. A servant of the Lord has said, Where man was removed, God was revealed. What an important matter that is, to understand that God has ended the first man, and He has brought in another Man, and so a process goes on in our souls, as it says, "He takes away the first that he may establish the second" (Hebrews 10:9). The Lord Jesus is the One whom God has established "heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:2). How great Jesus is! May He become greater to every one of our souls as we are left here.
I read in Psalm 45 to illustrate one whose heart, typically, was full of Jesus, full of the sweetness and blessedness of that One. How touchingly it says, 'Of the sons of Korah' -- those who were spared in the
judgment (Numbers 26:11). They would never forget that they were spared, and therefore they can enter into what is involved in the instruction of this psalm. We have been spared too from the judgment to have part in the most wonderful things that "eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man's heart, which God has prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Our hearts should be flowing forth concerning the King, concerning this glorious Person. 'A song of the beloved', it says. The psalmist here is "welling forth with a good matter". How good it is to be occupied now with these things that will not pass away, things that are eternal, things that are associated with Christ, that belong to another scene where He is. How pleasing it must be to the Lord to take account of those whose hearts are welling forth with joy because of what belongs to Himself, what He has brought in, a "good matter" indeed.
Surely our hearts would be freshly stimulated at this time, as the greatness and glory and supremacy of Christ is brought before our hearts, that we should have our part in song too: "I say what I have composed". What an occupation belongs to us eternally -- praise. Well, that is to be our occupation now, "touching the king". I wonder if we have had a fresh glimpse of the King in His glory. Think of the greatness of what belongs to Christ. He has not yet been crowned publicly, but the day is soon coming when He will be. How glorious that coronation day will be, when these rights so long denied to Jesus
will be granted to Him, and we will be with Him, in company with all who love Him, who have tasted something of the sweetness of His love. The psalmist could say, "Taste and see that Jehovah is good" (Psalm 34:8). Oh! how we need to commit ourselves to contemplate and meditate upon Him, upon the greatness of His name, the greatness of His exploits -- things that are intended to cause us to be occupied with the One who is the King.
The psalmist goes on to say, "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer" Oh! that we might con-template and meditate upon the greatness and the glory of Christ, and that one's tongue might be loosed in relation to His glory. I think meditation is an important thing, and I would commend it to my younger brethren, that they meditate upon these things. That is the way that things get into your soul, eternal and abiding things, not things that belong to this world, that are soon to pass away, but things that belong to that world where Christ is the Centre. The Spirit of God would attach us to Him that our tongues may be loosed in order to say something in relation to the honour and glory and greatness of Jesus.
"Thou art fairer than the sons of men". Who could be compared with the Lord Jesus? He is incomparably great, divine and yet a blessed Man. And then it says, "grace is poured into thy lips". Oh! what grace was evident in this wonderful Person as He came from God to make God known, to draw us to Himself, to bring the knowledge of that grace, and
the blessings of that grace, very near to us. Luke tells us about the Lord reading in the synagogue, "he has anointed me to preach", and later that they "wondered at the words of grace which were coming out of his mouth" (chapter 4: 18, 22). Yet such hatred and animosity was generated there that they would have cast him over the brow of the hill (verses 28, 29). But grace was expressed nevertheless, and that grace is still the same.
"Therefore", it says, "God hath blessed thee for ever". Little wonder indeed that God has given to Christ the supreme place, the place at His right hand, and there He sits, as we have been saying, until the day of grace is closed, until the operations of God by the Spirit to bring into His house what is suitable and comely, are over. The day will not close one minute before God's designs are fully completed.
Later in the psalm it says, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy companions" (verse 7). How rightly we would draw attention to the Lord as the One who is above His companions, the One who surpasses all in the beauty and grace and glory of His Person, yet the One who is still the same, who would endear Himself to our hearts at this time. He would help us all the way through, I believe, to count upon Himself and upon that grace that never tires, that service of His that is carried on continually in relation to His own. May the Lord Jesus become greater to us. He wants the first place in our hearts, so that we can
truly count upon Himself in relation to the journey here, however long or short it may be.
In the Song of Songs the question is asked, "What is thy beloved more than another beloved?" (verse 9). And then the spouse breaks forth and speaks about her beloved. Well, can we speak of our Beloved, as knowing Jesus in this way? How beautiful are the ten features that the spouse draws attention to in her beloved. We can meditate upon them, and see, typically, the glory and greatness of Christ in them.
First of all she says, "My beloved is white and ruddy". Think of that as characterising the Lord Jesus; the vigorous character of His life here. How pleasing it must have been to God. Then it says, "His head is as the finest gold". Well, how wonderful it is to take account of the Lord Jesus in his Headship -- "the finest gold". Divine righteousness and divine glory find their perfect expression in this glorious Person, and that is intended to affect us, for the head affects the whole body. It says, "His hands gold rings, set with the chrysolite ... His legs, pillars of marble, set upon bases of fine gold". Oh! how lovely Jesus is; how supremely great. That is what the spouse here is occupied with. She goes on to speak of "His bearing as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars".
How excellent the Lord Jesus is! Our hearts need to be occupied with Him continually. Think of how the psalmist bursts forth with "how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1). He begins and he
finishes the psalm with that ascription of praise to the One whom he so loved. Well, may our hearts too be stimulated as we take account of the greatness and the glory and the perfections of the Lord Jesus. "His mouth is most sweet". Can we say that His mouth is most sweet? Think of Mary, "who also, having sat down at the feet of Jesus, was listening to his word" (Luke 10:39). Surely His mouth was most sweet to her. She was drinking in all that He said. He had become increasingly great to her, and she was enjoying the sweetness of love's communications. That is what the Lord would have us to do. He would love us to be near to Himself.
"This is my beloved, yea, this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem". Think of having Jesus as a Friend! We would not address Him as 'Friend', but nevertheless we would know Him as the One who has come near to us, a Friend above all other friends. Our hearts as occupied with Himself can break forth in an ascription of praise and give testimony to what we have found in the Person of our Beloved. How wonderful it is to be occupied with Him, and with the greatness of His love who has gone so far in order to secure us eternally for Himself. That should encourage us to learn more about His glorious perfections, and to study them and to enjoy them as in nearness to Himself. I believe that is what the portion of the saints is to be in a coming day, and I think we are being educated for that now. May it be the portion of every one of our hearts, as occupied with our Beloved, to say truthfully from our souls,
"This is my beloved". The Spirit of God would help us to love Him and to be able to say what we think of Him as bringing glory and honour to Himself. The Lord is working towards this great end. Oh! that our hearts might be more occupied with Him, and that He might have indeed the supreme place with us. How often we are content to give Him another place.
In 2 Corinthians 11 it is a question again of the place that really belongs to Christ. Satan had been active among the Corinthian saints, and we need to be warned about Satan's activities, because even in occasions like these, it may be, as it says in Job, "Satan came also" (chapter 1: 6). Paul had laboured that he might have these Corinthians for Christ. What a labour the apostle had. The Corinthian saints were perhaps two years out of paganism, and although they had made some progress, yet Paul was labouring in order that Christ might have the first place with them. He says, "Would that ye would bear with me in a little folly; but indeed bear with me". How patient Paul was; just like God. He stayed away from Corinth in order to give them an opportunity to adjust themselves; he sent Timothy instead. He said, "What will ye? that I come to you with a rod; or in love, and in a spirit of meekness?" (1 Corinthians 4:21). The Lord had said to him, "I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:10). Paul had great love for the Corinthian saints. He says, "I am jealous as to you with a jealousy which is of God". Oh! he is the true Phinehas of the New Testament.
Paul had a jealousy which was of God, and he was jealous lest the enemy should come in and corrupt or divert the saints from being occupied with Christ. He says, "I have you espoused unto one man". That is what Paul had in mind -- no other man but Christ should have a place among these Corinthian saints. And so he says, "to present you a chaste virgin to Christ". This would mean that in our dress and ways there is to be nothing loose, nothing that would bring dishonour on the Lord Jesus; our affections should not be going after others.
The woman of Samaria in John 4 had had five husbands. But she became attached to Christ, she came to the true Husband. So Paul here is speaking about Christ and the assembly. He says later, "This mystery is great, but I speak as to Christ, and as to the assembly" (Ephesians 5:32). How precious these things are, and through wonderful grace we have been called into them. But Paul feared: he says, "I fear lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craft, so your thoughts should be corrupted from simplicity as to the Christ". He had Christ before him, and the glory too of the assembly as the one who was to be united to Christ. No other thought did Paul have for these Corinthian saints than that they were to be espoused to this one Man, to Christ.
Well, that is all a have to say. I believe that the Spirit of God would occupy us with Christ, and Christ supremely. I believe we see it in the third chapter of Ephesians, where Christ is dwelling in the heart through faith (verse 17). That is, they were
brought near to the One who is the Centre of God's world. Oh! how we have had other centres, how we have been drawn away from God's Centre. I believe the Spirit of God would revive our affections at this present time, that as Christ is the divine Centre, so He might be our Centre, and our affections might be livingly connected with Himself where He is, in glory. May God bless the word, for His Name's sake.
Genesis 24:43 - 46, 52 - 67; Genesis 25:5, 6; Romans 8:9, 10; Colossians 2:2, 3; Ephesians 3:16 - 21
I wish, beloved brethren, in nowise whatever to divert from what the Lord has been bringing before us, but desire rather that it should be confirmed in our souls, and hence I have before me to say a few words on what the hope of His calling is, connected, as it is, with the riches of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18).
You will doubtless remember that when God brought Israel out of Egypt, He had it before Him to bring them in and plant them in the mountain of His inheritance; He would plant them there; that is to say, He would have His people to share in the things that He Himself delighted in.
But now I should like us to look for a little at the inheritance on the heavenly side -- and I may say in
passing it is not the mountain of His inheritance exactly, but it is that which the blessed God has taken up in Christ, and His inheritance in the saints. And I believe it is the desire of the Spirit of God to bring us into the good of that inheritance now; that it might not be simply a question of merely being in the company of people with whom you have certain outward privileges, such as breaking of bread, prayer meetings, reading meetings, and so forth, but that you might have the practical spiritual enjoyment of the inheritance in the circle of the saints now. In that circle you learn to appreciate and enjoy what the blessed God has got for Himself in His redeemed beloved people.
Now I trust, with the Lord's help, to make this more clear to you. I would like to give you the connection in which the Old Testament setting of the inheritance is presented. If I understand the book of Genesis correctly, the climax of that book is reached in chapter 22. I must not, however, enlarge very much on that at the moment, but it is intensely precious -- I refer to the beautiful figure of Abraham and Isaac ascending the mountain where Isaac was to be offered up; but I may say in regard to it that the blessed activities of the Father and the Son, with a view to all blessing, both heavenly and earthly, are set forth there in type. The foundation on which everything stands for God is the offering up of His own beloved Son; and I think it was a wonderful point when God brought out, in figure, a father's affection for his son, and yet the son of his affection
was offered up as a sacrifice -- a sacrifice that prefigured what Christ was, not merely as the answer to guilt, not merely as the atonement for all the sin and ruin that had been brought in, but the offering up of His Son in order that from that very spot where all the corruption and departure were, there should be a savour of eternal sweetness rise to the heart of the Father. It is from that spot that the Spirit of God records the blessing that was to come in through Isaac.
Now, just to keep the connection for one moment, you will remember that at the close of the 22nd chapter there is a little parenthesis which gives you the generation of Rebecca, just immediately before you get the record of the death of Sarah, showing that the church was in view before the history of Israel was portrayed.
Now chapter 23 gives us the record of the death of Sarah, and Abraham's purchase of a burial- ground. It is perhaps one of the most interesting chapters in the Old Testament, for it establishes the rights of redemption in regard to the earth, and you have the purchase price paid with the current money of the country, and the land made sure to Abraham for ever. And, let me remind you, that piece of land is going to be demanded, and Israel shall come forth and people the earth. The incident is a picture of Israel, for the time being, buried; but the rights of redemption are held by the true Abraham, and He will take up those rights, and Israel will come forth and stand upon the earth, for the purchase price has
been paid, the deed has been made sure, and the inheritance rightly belongs to Abraham. Now that is connected with the death of Sarah.
Chapter 24 stands between chapter 23 and the incidents recorded in chapter 25 where other families are referred to; but you will have noticed in it that Isaac gets the pre-eminent place -- Abraham gave to Isaac all that he had, and before he died he sent the other families away eastward. The picture is beautiful: there stand Isaac and Rebecca, with all the blessing of his father, in a unique and distinct position; and all the other families blessed as only Abraham could bless them, but sent away eastward.
Now the hope of our calling is connected, I think, with the 24th chapter of Genesis; and when you come to consider the way we have to enter into it, practically, you will, I think, agree that the Spirit of God has graciously given us, through Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles, three salient epistles that deal with the subject; I do not at all undervalue Paul's other epistles, but the three epistles in which the heart of the apostle comes out in a distinct way in this connection are those to the Romans, the Colossians, and the Ephesians. I may remind you that the apostle had not seen either the Roman or Colossian saints when he wrote those epistles; he had, however, been to Ephesus, and he knew the people intimately. Ah! beloved, it is an immense thing that we should be established in these with a view to entering on the whole of our calling.
Now let me say a word on Romans 8:9: "if any
one has not the Spirit of Christ he is not of him". I take the 24th chapter of Genesis to be illustrative of the Spirit's mission to bring to Christ a company which will be adequate to fill a special place in His affections; in other words they are the company of whom the apostle spoke in the epistle to the Ephesians: they are His inheritance. And what marks the chapter is that the servant starts out with ten camels of the camels of his master, indicating that the whole question of the responsible wilderness journey -- ten camels -- had been contemplated before the servant ever started out on his mission. Is there a faint-hearted or tremulous saint here this evening? Ah! beloved brother or sister, you need not be at all afraid; when the servant started out on the journey he knew all the distance that was to be travelled on the onward path and every mile home. What a heart the blessed God has: He not only gave His Son, but He gave the Spirit of His Son. What was the mind of the servant? Ah! his mind was to discover someone that was like his master.
Here the apostle writes to Rome, the metropolis of the world at that time, and his object in writing was to bring to light the mystery of the metropolis of God's world. He wrote a thesis that was to deliver the saints from this world, and put them in touch with the metropolis of God's world, to which they were to belong. And what was to mark them? They were to have the spirit of the kind of Man that God was going to people His world with. Now I think you have this pictured in the scripture I have read in
the 24th of Genesis; there you have the servant explaining his exercises; his communications take the line of exercises, that he might find a wife that was suitable to his master; and he asked Jehovah to bring him into touch with someone of the same sort of spirit as Isaac. And what kind of spirit was that? Ah! the servant says, When I ask a drink, she will say, "Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also". What is the Gospel? It is the recovery of man for God. So the servant's exercises were not to the end that he should find someone who was very beautiful to look upon; no, but to find someone touched with the Spirit of Christ. Beloved, many of us profess to believe the Gospel, but, I ask you, how far are we each marked by the Spirit of the Man who is God's Glad Tidings? If you have got the Spirit of that Man, you will have no room for the display of your own spirit.
Now, when the camels had done drinking, the servant took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold ... Just imagine this damsel looking at these things, and feeling that there was now only one person for her -- the one who had sent her the ring and bracelets; her hands were only to be active in the service of that one person, and her ear to listen only to his voice.
Genesis 1:26 - 28; Genesis 2:18 - 25; Ephesians 1:17 - 23; Ephesians 5:25 - 32
In our meditations upon the various types of the church, we have now come to that of Eve. The order selected has been that which would suggest our spiritual progress rather than the unfolding of truth from the divine standpoint. There are certain spiritual steps we take in experimentally reaching that which is proper to the assembly. Hence Eve suitably comes last.
Rebecca as a type sets forth the church as presented in the epistle to the Colossians; Eve the view of the church seen in Ephesians. Eve is a type given to us before the question of sin came into the world. And the view presented is not that of the church in the ways of God, but as the fruit of divine counsel and as having a place according to the purpose of God.
(1) Eve typifies the church as the subject of divine counsel and as sharing in the headship of Christ. The words, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion", obviously included Eve. It was a matter of divine counsel that the woman should share with the man the position as set over the works of God's hands. The first chapter of Ephesians brings this before us as to the church. After the apostle's prayer in chapter 1: 17 - 20 an additional statement is given, "and he set him down at his right hand in the heavenlies", etc.
Having raised Christ from the dead, the thoughts of divine counsel were unfettered, and it was an act of divine pleasure to place Christ thus as Head over all things to the assembly. The church is given to share with Him in headship. In Colossians Christ is said to be the Head of the body (chapter 1: 18), but here He is given to be Head over all things to the assembly, and the assembly is said to be the fulness of Him who fills all in all.
Both the man and the woman were included in the name Adam, and together they were to have the place of dominion over all earthly creation. And the church is included in the thought of headship as presented in Ephesians 1. She shares with Christ in the place of supreme influence. This, dear reader, let us note is a question of the pleasure and counsel of God. Nothing, of course, can possibly interfere with or prevent it. The counsel of God shall stand.
It is refreshing to turn from the turmoil of conditions here on earth to the calm definite certitude of divine counsel. It is God's will, and in divine counsel it is settled, that Christ and the church shall be together over all things. There will be many families in the world of the Father's pleasure (as we read in Ephesians 3:15), and each family will have some impression of Christ who will fill all things. But the assembly will be 'next his heart' as has been happily remarked; indeed she will be His body, His fulness: His every feature will be expressed in the assembly. Who can now rightly estimate the precious influence the church will exert both in the world to come and
(2) In order that there should be such a place, we find a work of God of a special kind. Not only is the assembly the fruit of divine counsel, she is also the product of an entirely divine work, and she is derived from Christ. This is beautifully prefigured in the type before us.
How really wonderful it is that in the quiet, pure scene described in Genesis 2 God typically set forth the fact of the death of Christ and the formation of the assembly. There is no reference made to any other question: it was not a matter of remedying things, but of the pleasure of God. The "deep sleep" was wholly with a view to forming a helpmate for Adam. It is very clear that neither the death of Christ nor the assembly were afterthoughts. The entrance of sin into the world had not yet taken place. Genesis 2 describes a condition of things wholly the outcome of divine wisdom and pleasure. This act of forming the woman was the fruit of divine deliberation.
From Adam, then, God takes a rib, and out of this rib He builded the woman. The infidel mind may find difficulty, and scorn to receive the simplicity of the divine account. But the believer is filled with holy wonder as he reads the record in Genesis 2. Marvellous indeed that God should thus set forth the far greater marvel of the death of Christ and the formation through that death of a vessel suited to be a companion of Christ!
It may be advisable again to remark that the side
of truth here presented is that of the purpose and work of God. In previous articles other sides of truth -- equally important in their place -- have come before us. But it is necessary to seize this view of things; for otherwise a great deal of Scripture is unintelligible to us.
In one view we may consider the "deep sleep" of Adam as typically covering the whole period during which the assembly is being formed. And when she is brought to Christ He will recognise that which is wholly of Himself. In another view the "deep sleep" suggests the death of Christ, and in His resurrection the assembly is seen as made to live and, elevated in His exaltation, she sits in heavenly places in Him.
It is of immense moment to recognise that viewed in this light, and in fact spiritually viewed, the church is wholly derived from Christ. Though we can well remember, as we are exhorted to in Ephesians 2, that we were Gentiles in the flesh, yet in the way in which we are considering the church, what we were is not the question at all. The church is wholly the product of God's work. There was no past to Eve, and Adam could recognise that she was wholly "of him". "This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: this shall be called Woman, because this was taken out of a man" (Genesis 2:23).
It is this that qualifies the church for the place she has of wondrous intimacy and influence. How else could she be the suited companion of Christ? How else fitted to share with Him His place of headship?
It is a great moment in our soul's history when we can take up this ground spiritually. The privileges of the assembly connected with the first day of the week are after this order. A 'first day' obviously has no day before it. And as we are by the Spirit's power enabled to take up our place as of the assembly, we are entitled to view our whole history and being as of Christ ...
So long as we are on earth we have our several paths of responsibility, and the assembly as in the wilderness has its history and responsibility. The first epistle to the Corinthians views the assembly thus. But there is also another side of the truth, and Eve sets forth the assembly according to the purpose of God and as wholly derived from Christ.
(3) From Ephesians 5 we learn that which the type does not afford, namely, that Christ loved the assembly and gave Himself for her. The deep sleep of Adam did not set forth his love for Eve; but the death of Christ was the deepest proof of love. It is not the only proof; for He still cares for the assembly and lives for her, sanctifying her by the washing of water by the word.
As to its actual condition, the assembly needs to be purified from that which is extraneous to it -- to be washed from that which is really not itself. This is the present service of Christ. He gave Himself for the assembly and proved His love in so doing. But though as an object of His love He could view it as wholly pleasing to Him apart from whatever might be its circumstantial condition, as here on earth, it is
encumbered with much not really itself, much that is not derived from Christ. It is from this the Lord in His service of love is setting her free by the washing of water by the word ... Let us remember this as we experience the service of Christ.
The Lord now serves His assembly in His activities of love. It may be He leads us to see that we are allowing an element belonging to Gentiles in the flesh or some other feature of the children of wrath. His loving service is removing it; He is purifying the assembly. It is with a view of the final presentation to Himself of a church without spot or any such thing. All is being wrought out in the moral history of our souls. We shall be presented so. How would this be possible without this present service of Christ? He is setting us free from that which He could never love. As an object of His love the assembly is wholly pleasing to Him. Such in actual state she will soon be presented. Wholly of Christ, the fruit of His death, the object of His love, the assembly will soon be presented to Christ in every way pleasing to Him and thus fitted to share with Him His glory and His place of influence over all things.
The Believer's Friend, 1927, pages 299 - 306 [Finis].
J. Pellatt
Revelation 2:1 - 7; Revelation 3:7 - 13
Now, when we come to Philadelphia, I think one might be justified in speaking of its surroundings,
for it is preceded by Thyatira and Sardis and succeeded (I mean in the order of statement, I am not speaking of the order of time) by Laodicea, and there stands Philadelphia. What do you find there? What is perfectly according to Christ. Perfectly suitable to Christ, and, beloved, the Lord Jesus has not one word of censure or blame to say. You cannot read the message to Philadelphia without feeling impressed with the encouragement, complete from the first word to the last.
I would that I were able, and had the time, to speak fully of it, but what I want to say is that the point of recovery is in Philadelphia. We have dwelt a good deal upon the point of departure, because you must see the point of departure in order to apprehend the point of recovery; the point of recovery must be equal to the point of departure. Will Christ be satisfied with anything less? Will the Spirit of God work from any lower standard than what is perfectly suitable to Christ? I cannot believe such a thing. It is impossible. I want to say emphatically that whilst the word 'love' on the part of Philadelphia (mark this!) is not mentioned in the message, His love is declared when He says, "and shall know that I have loved thee"; but while the word 'love' as marking Philadelphia is not mentioned there is the threefold unquestionable evidence that recovery to first love is reached in the answer to His love in the saints in Philadelphia.
I hope we shall be able to divest our minds, beloved, of all geographical or ecclesiastical ideas. I
trust the Lord will give us ability to take in the spiritual application of the message to Philadelphia. Let me tell you one thing very plainly, there is no publicity in Philadelphia. Are you on the line of publicity? What is the idea of publicity? It is the eye of man; -- the approval, the endorsement of man; and what an unholy competition there is all around us today, each, as it were, bidding to outvie the other with regard to publicity. Let me tell you there is no publicity in Philadelphia; hence Philadelphia does not represent any public body.
Philadelphia is not brethrenism. If you have ever taken that thought up, drop it! We all would seek to be Philadelphian as to our state, but Philadelphia is not brethrenism. How one beloved servant of the Lord laboured in his soul, that the saints might be delivered from the idea of brethrenism! When you come to 'isms', I would not give you much for the choice; I was once, and I am ashamed to say it, in Methodism, and I am sure the Lord never brought me out of Methodism to put me in another 'ism'. It is a matter of prayerful exercise, and has been with me for some years, that not one bit of 'ism' might be found about us, and I would wish the Lord to utterly divest me of it. There is nothing for the eye of man in Philadelphia, nothing for the praise of man; but everything for His eye and everything according to Himself.
Now for the threefold proof. Oh! how beautiful are the three MYs of this message. Are you acquainted with them? Christ is speaking. He says,
"my word", "my name", and "the word of my patience". Now, when you find these things, you may know that the Spirit of God has effected recovery. First love is there, and first love asserts itself. "My word", "my name", "the word of my patience". The Lord says, "thou hast a little power". What it must be to Christ to be able to recognise the presence and proof of the power of the Holy Spirit, for any real power in Christianity is that of the Holy Spirit. "Thou hast a little power, and hast kept my word", not 'words'. "If any one love me, he will keep my word" (John 14:23) -- not ought to. His word is kept and cherished. He is not here. What is here? What represents Him? In one sense the Holy Spirit represents Him, but in another sense He is represented by His word, and His name, and the word of His patience.
I do not want to strain this passage, or to give any extraordinary meaning to it; there is no need of that; it is unmistakable: "thou ... hast kept my word", and "hast not denied my name". There is recovery! The love of the Christ has its place in the hearts of those who morally and spiritually stand for Philadelphia, and there is response to that love. Then there is another expression. Philadelphia has a crown. "I come quickly: hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown". What is the crown? First love is the crown. Christ has got His crown. There is that which is His distinguishing glory, and there is that which is the distinguishing glory of the assembly here, the crown seen in Philadelphia. Do
not let any one take it from you. Be careful about your crown!
There is one thing more I should like to say before I close, and that is -- do not take Philadelphia as representing anything outward, anything material -- what some speak of as assembly order or anything of that sort. Let me remind you, there was much in Ephesus that the Lord Himself commended; there was nothing outward or external lacking there; all was as it should be, but we find this in the history of things, that where first love is lacking, sooner or later, even the outward thing will go. It has gone. I would ask you, can you find anything that answers even to that which the Lord commends in Ephesus at the present time? It has gone. Oh! beloved, do not get the idea of anything outward, even that of meetings or fellowship, however blessed that may be and is; what the Lord is seeking now and the Spirit too (and no wonder, for He is coming, He says: "I come quickly"), is to effect in us, to produce and maintain in us, an answer to the love of Christ to His assembly, and that is recovery. It is a state produced by the Spirit.
I am sorry to have to speak so briefly, but I trust the Lord will help us. I feel it is a great thing for the saints of God to get help inwardly. The Lord is coming. I would like to allude to one more scripture. There is a certain connection between Philadelphia and Revelation 22, nearly at the close, where the Lord presents Himself; He says: "I Jesus ... I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning
star". Listen to the response! "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come" (verses 16, 17).
May this blessed effect be really produced in us to His praise and glory!
The Closing Ministry of J. Pellatt, Volume 1, pages 160 - 165 [3 of 3].
Isaiah 54:11 - 13
Spoken prayer is audible, and normally it is distinct, and generally it is public. Unspoken prayer is inarticulate -- it is too deep to be voiced in words, but it is heard -- heard in secret by God.
When passing through seasons of trial and sorrow, when the water-floods of grief and bereavement overflow the soul, when depressed by one's moral state or circumstances, when the pressure seems well nigh at breaking-point, and prayer seems torpid and dead, what a relief, what a comfort it is to know that God searcheth the heart, eager, as it were, to detect, to decipher anything there that is for Himself, and that He "knows what is the mind of the Spirit" who "intercedes for saints accordingly to God" (Romans 8:27). Can He heed a groan? Yes, even a groan. He counts a groan as a prayer -- not only the groanings of the Spirit, "which cannot be uttered", but also the groanings of our own spirits.
A groan may speak anguish or of longing desire. We may "groan, being burdened" -- groan for deliverance (2 Corinthians 5:4). We may likewise groan
because what is awaiting us up there is so enchanting that we yearn to enter into it (2 Corinthians 5:2). "The whole creation groans", and Paul adds, "we ourselves ... groan" (Romans 8:22, 23). Sometimes that is all we can do. Sometimes we may even groan, "O wretched man that I am!" (chapter 7: 24). But we never add: "who shall deliver me?" if we know who He is. But every groan to God is heard. "Lord ... my groaning is not hid from thee" (Psalm 38:9, Authorised Version). Thank God, it never is. But He can also heed a sigh. A sigh has not that intensive force which a groan has, it is softer. Yet how affecting it sometimes is.
The weeping prophet was full of sighs: "I sigh" -- "her people sigh" -- "her priests sigh" -- "my sighs are many" (Lamentations 1:21, 11, 4, 22). The weeping Saviour, Jehovah's Servant-Prophet, often sighed, yea, "He sighed deeply" (Mark 8:12, Authorised Version).
The Psalms breathe His sighs. They reveal what Jesus felt as He suffered.
In the Pentateuch we have the figures; in the prophets, the forecasts; in the gospels, the facts; in the epistles, the fruits; but in the Psalms, the feelings of Christ as He suffered.
Every sigh He heaved was to God, and, like the frankincense of the meat-offering, it went up to God. Every divinely prompted sigh we utter to God is heard. Ay, and, poor weary soul, it may mean more
to Him then ten thousand words, however eloquent -- "for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord" (Psalm 12:5, Authorised Version).
The great men of the Bible were often great weepers -- Joseph, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Ezra, Nehemiah.
"Jesus wept". The Man of sorrows mingled His tears with those of His bereaved and beloved ones. He wept, too, over Jerusalem. He wept also in other ways -- ways too mysterious and sublime for us to understand (Hebrews 5:7). Oh! let us ponder His tears well -- ponder them till every fibre of our moral being pulsates with holy emotion.
Whilst guarding against what is natural sentiment, yet we should cultivate spiritual emotions. A tear in the eye of a child may be very appealing and do what words fail to do. God treasures the tears of His people. He has a bag for their sins, a book for their thoughts and words and deeds, a bottle for their tears (Job 14:17; Malachi 3:16; Psalm 56:8). David was not satisfied with a divine record of his tears being kept -- he wanted them preserved. "Put my tears into thy bottle".
Even in public let us not check the tear when it starts. I once saw a brother in tears at a prayer meeting, though he spoke not a word. I murmured, 'Amen' to his unspoken prayer. The woman of Luke 7 said nothing with her lips, but her tears said a good
deal. Paul speaks of his "many tears" (2 Corinthians 2:4); John wrote, "I wept much" (Revelation 5:4) ... We need to steep the gospel seed in tears (Psalm 126:6). Who can estimate the worth and power of a tear shed before God in prayer?
Solomon prayed, at the dedication of the temple, "when they shall know every man the plague of his own heart and shall spread forth his hands toward this house" (1 Kings 8:38). What a mute appeal, yet how pathetic! How many a pious Israelite, in captivity or alienation from God's house, feeling the plague of his own heart and otherwise oppressed, looked towards God's house, like Daniel at his open window, and got blessing. We can look toward heaven -- to a Person. "They looked unto him and were enlightened" (Psalm 34:5) -- that is the way of relief and happiness.
Try it, dear troubled one. Perhaps you say, I have looked but have got no relief. Look again -- look till your spiritual vision becomes calm and clear. Jonah said when down among "the weeds" and "at the bottoms of the mountains" and tempest tossed by "floods", "billows", "waves", "Yet will I look again toward thy holy temple", and he did. Then he was able to add: "And my prayer came in unto thee" (Jonah 2).
How cheering and reviving it is that even a desire can cleave the mighty space between earth and heaven and be heard above. "Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble" (Psalm 10:17, Authorised Version). Every desire born in the renewed affections after
Him is cherished and fostered by Him. "Lord, all my desire is before thee" (Psalm 38:9).
Are we so overwhelmed that we cannot even groan or sigh? so low that we cannot give vent to even a tear or a look? so utterly cold, inert, and hopeless that the soul feels it is prayerless? Yet, surely there must be a desire after God if there is life! Beloved, that is prayer! "With my soul have I desired thee in the night" (Isaiah 26:9).
Amid impenetrable gloom that may sometimes enshroud us, when the soul seems shut out from God, and the heavens seem like brass, when there is neither "moon nor stars" to lighten the darkness of our night -- then, even then, we can rest in a quiet waiting, heaven-inwrought desire after God, and be encouraged by knowing that even the desire of the heart is graciously heeded and interpreted by Him as unspoken prayer.
A Word to the Weary and Tempest Tossed.
It is by the Comforter that Christ makes Himself real to us. There is no solid comfort to be found outside of Christ: real comfort and strength are only found in what He is to us. Though He be absent, to prepare us a place, yet none the less His heart is down here. If the heart of Christ be down here, He Himself is not far distant, and He puts Himself in evidence to those who love Him, by the Comforter.
Letters of F. E. Raven, page 313.
R. Gray
2 Samuel 23:13 - 17; Psalm 132:13 - 18; Luke 22:14 - 22; John 17:24
These scriptures refer to longing or desire, and it is in mind to speak, with the help of the Spirit of God, as to the feelings and longings of divine Persons. There are instructions for us in Scripture as to how we should walk. The first epistle to the Corinthians would bear on our conduct in regard of the assembly, and other epistles would amplify that. The epistle to the Romans would help us as to our individual walk, leading on to the assembly, because the assembly is ever in view in divine arrangements. The first epistle to Timothy would help us as to how we should conduct ourselves in the house of God. These things are given to us for our help and guidance, so that, when circumstances arise that test us, we should have recourse to Scripture to guide us as to what we should do, as helped, of course, by the Holy Spirit.
So we need help and guidance to use what we have been given by way of instruction, and the Lord has in mind that, whatever the circumstances, there should be an answer provided that would result in two things: one, that what is right might be done; and the other, that there might be glory to God. As exercises come up in relation to divine things it is not simply sufficient that matters should be put right, but God would look for something added. That is prefigured in the Old Testament where it says, "he
shall make restitution for the wrong that he hath done in the holy things, and shall add the fifth part thereto" (Leviticus 5:16). Well, that is instruction for us, and I think most would agree that it is a simple matter to rehearse the truth -- it is good, and it has its own value -- but to work out the truth is a real test. We speak about self-judgment, but let us practise it so that Christ becomes greater and what is in us according to flesh is reduced. There is much discipline among the saints, and we would speak about it very carefully, but God is working to that end, and in one way there is an element of encouragement even in the very discipline itself, "for whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:6); and the Lord Himself said, "I rebuke and discipline as many as I love" (Revelation 3:19). Discipline is no light matter, but still there is this element of comfort in it, that as accepted from God's hand there will be fruit.
I would like now to touch on the scriptures read as to the feelings of divine Persons, either actually or typically, on the line of desire. I am thinking of David here as a type of Christ, and what he looked for. It says, "David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate!" David was then in the stronghold. You might say, in one sense, the position is impregnable, and that is true, for what is connected with the position the Lord has taken up cannot be overthrown, it is impregnable. But there is the other side in which it is possible to minister to
His blessed heart something that He actively desires. Bethlehem, to David, I suppose, would mean much, for, historically, it was the place of his youth. But perhaps we could apply it in this sense, that, as the Lord looks back over the history of the testimony, there is much that He has enjoyed from His saints, there has been much for His heart from the gatherings of His people. The Lord looks at the present time for something from His own that would be pleasing and refreshing to His own blessed heart.
Now it says, "three of the thirty chiefs went down"; they are not named; they were three overcomers, and they worked together. It says, "the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines", but there is no mention here of using the sword, nor any reference to bloodshed or warfare, it simply says "they broke through", they worked together. Think of the difficulty involved in carrying out this matter of breaking through, but to bring back a vessel of water through hostile country they would have to work together. Well, I just present that because if we are going to be helped to minister to what is for the Lord's own heart, He would help us to work together. What bound them? No rule, no regulation -- what bound them was love for David. You might say, Are there not more pressing things connected with the conflict than this? But what they heard was his own expressed longing, and if we are near the Lord, we begin to understand what He really looks for: a clean place, yes; righteousness maintained, yes. But what else does
He look for? -- some expression of the saints working together to produce something for His own heart, something fresh that means much to Him.
Well, "David ... would not drink of it, but poured it out to Jehovah". What it means, I believe, is that the service of God is enriched. Do we have the sense that the service of God is vitally important? Is it something just to be kept up as best we can? No, the service of God is something that pleases His heart, and that comes from the hearts of saints as they think of Him and His interests.
In Psalm 132 we read, "For Jehovah hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his dwelling". Think of that, God Himself, in all the greatness of His Being, yet having desires after a dwelling place such as this. What would He find in Zion? A place of sovereign mercy. Zion, typically, would be composed of the fruit of His own work, the persons there would be persons like you and me, enjoying a sense of mercy. Paul, the apostle, never left Zion in that sense, he carried with him throughout all his christian pathway a growing sense of God's mercy. He says, "but mercy was shewn me because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13). What a sense of mercy Paul had, and what a fine thing it is to carry with us a sense of mercy, and of divine love and divine giving. These things should form us spiritually. A good assembly person, I believe, would be well-founded in the truth of the glad tidings. Paul, in Ephesians 6, exhorts the saints to "take to you the panoply of God, that ye may be able to withstand in
the evil day, and, having accomplished all things, to stand" (verse 13). He speaks interestingly about the believer's armour, for what wealth the saint is expected to defend. Well, are we going to stand for the truth? -- we ought to, but never let us forget that our feet are to be shod with "the preparation of the glad tidings of peace" (verse 15). That should affect all we say and do, and instead of principles being used perhaps in an arbitrary way, we should have some sense of what "the truth is in Jesus" (chapter 4: 21). The truth is to be maintained, with no watering-down of principles, no setting aside of what is the truth, but the truth is to be held in a way that would make it attractive. Well, that is how citizens of Zion would act, and God delights in it.
More than that, it says, "This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it". Think of all God's thoughts and purposes combining and having in view that He might have a place in which to rest. What does it speak to Him of? It speaks of Christ, and those who are the fruit and the product of Christ's death, who are formed after Christ. God says, I am delighted with that. Well, it goes on, "I will abundantly bless her provision" -- is that not so? We say we have failed, and surely we have. Has God failed? No, there has been abundant provision for all that was needed. "I will satisfy her needy ones with bread; And I will clothe her priests with salvation". What the psalmist had asked for was that the "priests be clothed with righteousness" (verse 9). Well, it would be good to have things maintained
according to the divine standard, but God says, "I will clothe her priests with salvation". In effect, God would say, I will set My priestly family free from every influence that would hinder in relation to the maintenance of service Godward, and manward. That is what salvation is, it is full liberty from anything that would becloud or mislead. "And her saints shall shout aloud for joy", and surely we should in such an environment, and then it says, "There will I cause the horn of David to bud forth". Well, in conditions like these, would what is according to Christ not flourish? We give thanks for what we see of the Spirit of Christ amongst the saints. How many older brethren have been preserved in the testimony, and in brightness of spirit. That is a feature of the present time, for saints have been preserved through many years, maybe some have experienced much discipline, and yet how bright they are -- well, it is like the horn of David budding forth.
"I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed" -- there is still divine speaking. We must not allow to go from our grasp the actual blessings of Christianity: the anointing still operates; the assembly is in operation, and we seek to walk in the light of it. Persons may say, You are claiming to be it. Well, far be it from us to claim that, but let us at all costs walk in the light of the truth. I believe that is something of the meaning of the word to Philadelphia, "hold fast what thou hast" (Revelation 3:11) -- let us be sure of what we do, and cling to it and
In Luke 22 it speaks of the Lord's desire, His own feelings entering into this matter. I know it relates to the passover, but the thought was in one's mind that what the Lord looked for was the company of His own. The Lord is still in rejection, He is refused publicly, and He feels that. He is rejected by many in Christendom, but we would respect the work of God, and salute it, wherever we see it. Luke's gospel does not deal with the side of pressure quite so much as Matthew and Mark, as we know. What Luke brings out more is the side of things connected with the Lord's feelings and sufferings that the saints can take account of, and that is an interesting consideration. It says in Luke's account, when they were on the mount of Olives, that the Lord found the disciples "sleeping from grief" (verse 45). They were overwhelmed for the moment by the pressure that had come upon them. It says of the Lord that "being in conflict he prayed more intently. And his sweat became as great drops of blood, falling down upon the earth" (verse 44). We are intended to feel conditions as they are in the testimony, and to feel them as the Lord feels them.
Exercises among the saints need to be worked out together, but Satan would seek to bring in cloudiness and distance, and even suspicion, among saints to hinder matters. But there is nothing binds saints together more closely than to contemplate the Lord's sufferings and the way that He has gone for us. It says, "And having taken a loaf, when he had
given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after having supped, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you". How full the Lord's giving was. He had said, "With desire I have desired ..." He longed for, He desired the company of His own, but what He expressed to that company was the fulness and depth of His own blessed feelings. He said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you". That puts it's imprint on the present dispensation: the blood poured out, the Spirit poured out, the fulness, the unstinted character of divine giving in order to furnish us with the wealth that we need in this present time to meet every exercise that comes upon us.
I conclude with reference to John 17, where we have the Lord's own feelings expressed as though His sufferings were past, and it has in view, I believe, that we might be with Him. It is wonderful to think that believers are the objects and the subjects of divine desires. The Lord in this chapter speaks about men, "the men whom thou gavest me" (verse 6), that is, persons (both brothers and sisters) formed substantially after Christ, having taken on the features of manhood, able to stand in the testimony and maintain, not only the truth, but the character that belongs to the present dispensation. You might say the two are one thing, and in a way they are, but the character of things which the Lord
showed here, and which is maintained by the Holy Spirit, is the test at the present time.
So the Lord says, "as to those whom thou hast given me, I desire that where I am they also may be with me". The Lord knew practically what it was like to be alone, yet He could say, "I am not alone ... he that has sent me is with me" (chapter 8: 16, 29), and again, "and yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me" (chapter 16: 32). The Lord knew what loneliness of spirit meant, He knew what standing for the truth meant, and His desire is that He might encourage us and strengthen us, so that, even though we go through circum-stances that are testing, He can assure us that He has been that way, and that He has been maintained in it, and He has been faithful. And so He says, "I desire that where I am they also may be with me, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" -- what a thought that is! I cannot say much about it -- simply this, that the Lord would have His own, persons like you and me, with Himself to take account of His glory that the Father had given Him.
That was all one had to say. May we be encouraged as seeking, not only to maintain what is due to divine Persons, but to answer to Their longings, for His Name's sake.
J. Taylor
Deuteronomy 1:5 - 8; Deuteronomy 26:1 - 11
Perhaps one might say that there are few books in the Bible less understood than the book of Deuteronomy; and I think it is because the assembly is not understood; for, I take it, that Deuteronomy contains regulations for the assembly. You will notice in chapter 1: 5, that Moses speaks of a second law. He had given the first one in Exodus 20 ... But what you find in the book of Deuteronomy are instructions for the people, which were to be permanent; laws which applied to them as in the land.
Now it is to my mind of great importance that that thought should be laid hold of. You will notice that, after speaking of the law given in the land of Moab, the Spirit proceeds to indicate the character of it; "Jehovah our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have stayed long enough in this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites, and unto all the neighbouring places in the plain, in the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the south, and by the seaside, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which Jehovah swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them" (verses 6 - 8).
God took account of the people in the
wilderness; He knew perfectly what the wilderness was. It was not a land flowing with milk and honey. The people had been there forty years, and in the kindness of His heart God suggested to them to move on. He said, You have been at the mount long enough. It is true that this was said at Horeb, but the generation to which the first law was given never answered to it, so here it is set at the beginning of the second law which is spoken to another generation. I allude to it just for a moment, for one is forced to the conclusion that the people of God are more content in the wilderness than in the land, and, if not in the wilderness strictly, at any rate, in the plains of Moab ...
It is most touching that God, through Moses, should proceed to suggest to the people that they move on, opening up to them the entire extent of the promised land. That is what the Spirit of God would seek to do for us. The resurrection and ascension of Christ secures for man at the present moment what answers spiritually to the entire extent of the land of promise, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, including the valleys and the hills, Lebanon and the sea-shore; a land flowing with milk and honey; a land watered with the rain from heaven; a land influenced by heaven itself; that land is opened up to the people of God at the present moment, and it is most touching that Jehovah, in opening up His second law, in giving the regulations for the land, should suggest to them to go in.
Well, I would suggest to all here, that, inasmuch
as the Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and is ascended as Man, it entitles man to the land of promise. The time will come when God will discriminate; some of His people will remain upon the earth, while others will inhabit heaven. But the Lord Jesus Christ has gone into heaven as a risen Man; He has taken up a place as Man beyond death, and the place He occupies indicates God's mind for man. There is nothing limited; the whole land, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates, is opened up to man. It opens out a wonderful vista. Moses did not put his feet there, but he saw it. It is a wonderful thing to get a glimpse of the land of promise. All these things were spoken in the plains of Moab. Moses saw the land from Moab, but never put his feet there until he appeared with Christ on the mount of trans-figuration. That was when Moses got into the land of Canaan.
Now, beloved friends, where are we? The plains of Moab is a most desirable place for a certain state of soul in Christians. The Israelite that inhabited the plains of Moab had the Spirit typically, and was an intelligent believer ... People who dwell there are Christians; they have title to Canaan, but they do not go there, and, inasmuch as they have no regulations from God, they make regulations for themselves, they formulate codes of laws for themselves; these laws are especially fitted for them, but they are not God's laws. Now God begins His law by directing His people to move into Canaan, and He opens up the entire extent of the land of promise to them.
Now, I was saying that Deuteronomy corresponds with the assembly in a sense. One could easily show that from different passages. I refer to one particularly in chapter 16, in which Jehovah enjoins the people, all the males, to appear before Him three times in the year (verse 16). Now I take it that when the Spirit of God specifies the males among His people He alludes to the saints viewed as formed in the intelligence of the Spirit, and hence they represent the whole. They were to appear three times in the year. I venture to connect it with the Lord's request in regard to the Lord's supper. It may be inquired, Why three times? I believe that three is an adequate testimony, and in the threefold appearance of all the males of Israel in the presence of Jehovah you have an adequate testimony of their affections, affections formed by the Spirit of God, and they are not on the wane. If they only appeared once or twice one might conclude that their affections were declining; but inasmuch as they were to appear three times in the year it indicates how Jehovah would secure for Himself the affections of His people. As often as they responded there was a positive testimony to sustained affections.
Now I think that it is in that way the Lord maintains us. We do not come three times in the year only; we come on the first day of every week in answer to the request of our Lord. Every Christian who neglects the Supper virtually confesses that he has no affection for Christ. It is impossible for one who really has affection for Christ, and who rightly
understands the Supper, to neglect it. Therefore the Supper was to be a continual law, so to say. It was to be permanent during the absence of Christ. It was to afford an opportunity for the saints to attest their affection for the Lord. But what I wish specially to call attention to is that in the assembly there is a witness to resurrection.
I do not say, for the moment, that the assembly itself is that, although that is also true, but what I see in Deuteronomy 26 is that, as the Lord's people appear before God they do not appear in their own nakedness; they appear with that in evidence which is an obvious testimony to Christ in resurrection, the basket of firstfruits. That is what I had specially before my mind, but I would like to encourage you first of all in regard to the assembly. As the resurrection of Christ is realised and laid hold of in the soul one is led to the assembly, and once there, you are under the law that is to regulate the assembly. I would impress you with that, because we are living in a most lawless age; and I would point out again that the law that is to regulate you in your individual conduct is not the law that is to regulate you in the assembly. There are regulations for the assembly that have no reference to the wilderness; and there are regulations for the wilderness which have no reference to the assembly.
It is most important, if we are to walk together, and if we are to maintain the order that belongs to God, and to God's house, that we should recognise that there is a code of laws, so to speak, which
regulates the assembly. Those laws are of a unique character; as I have already pointed out, they begin with directing the saints to go in, and that in itself suggests a great deal. They are of a unique character; in truth, because it is the law of new creation. Who can tell anything about the law of new creation? Certainly none but those who are created anew. The apostle says, "neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision; but new creation. And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace upon them and mercy" (Galatians 6:15 - 16). Is that your rule? It is a rule that is altogether outside of the ken of man in the flesh. He may know something of the law given at Sinai, but the law of new creation is outside of him. The law that rules in God's world is altogether and absolutely outside of the knowledge of man in the flesh for "neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision".
Now that is what the assembly presents under the eye of God. It is a company of people here upon the earth risen with Christ, morally outside the present order of things ... it is ruled by the law of new creation; in that people there is what is for God, and it is because of that I delight in the book of Deuteronomy. It is the family book. The priest and the Levite officially have little place there. The priest is recognised in chapter 26, but when the man comes and sets his basket of firstfruits before God (verse 10) he is the most conspicuous person; not that he was conspicuous personally, but the basket of firstfruits was conspicuous. You may ask where he
got it. We must not be too abstract in dealing with divine things. If that man came in with his basket of firstfruits they cost him something; they were placed down by the altar; they were a sacrifice.
You remember David positively declined to offer to God anything that he did not pay for; and the man who can come up on the first day of the week with a basket of firstfruits brings what has cost him something; they may cost him a good deal of self-denial, and a good deal of sacrifice. They are the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his affections; they are the fruit of the Holy Spirit forming a man after Christ; so that, instead of the Aramaean, instead of a poor dying, perishing Aramaean, you have a man living; for, remember, the man himself is the basket and the firstfruits are in the man; they are not separated from the man, they are in him. The man is formed after Christ by the power of the Spirit of God. That man appears in the presence of God in the character of Christ risen from the dead. It is the firstfruits. He got them out of the land; he came up to Jehovah with something he had got in the land.
As risen with Christ, "raised with him through faith of the working of God" (Colossians 2:12), the Holy Spirit has His way with the believer, and the Aramaean is not there; the man himself is the basket; the fruit is in the basket, and the man appears in the presence of God. He does not forget what his father was, "A perishing Aramaean", but he is not ready to perish. Viewed as risen with Christ we are not ready to perish; we are living; we are made to live by the
power of the Spirit, and we appear before God in all that Christ is. It is not simply Christ objectively, for, I repeat, the basket was full of firstfruits, and the basket is the man; it is the affections of the man. The firstfruits are in the man. We appear before God as formed by the Spirit, so that what God sees is Christ. He does not see the Aramaean; He sees Christ. The assembly is not composed of Aramaeans ready to perish. It is composed of men risen with Christ, and those men are not only risen with Christ as an objective truth, they are also quickened subjectively (Colossians 2).
The basket is placed down there at the altar of God by the priest, and the man worships. And the scripture goes on to say, "And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruits of the land, which thou, Jehovah, hast given me" (verse 10). The man is in the land, and he recognises that God has brought him there and given it to him, and he says, I have brought the firstfruits; he had brought them to God. It is a great thing for God to find in us the gracious fruit of the Spirit formed in our affections, so that morally Christ appears and not the Aramaean. The word says: "And thou shalt set it down before Jehovah thy God, and worship before Jehovah thy God". Now it seems to me that all these things are found today in the assembly.
Then, "And thou shalt rejoice in all the good that Jehovah thy God hath given to thee, and to thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is in thy midst". There is the side of things that God
indicates for His people. God receives His portion from us, and there is joy, there is abundance, and there is joy, not only for ourselves, but also for the Levite and the stranger. The Lord's servant is not neglected, neither is the stranger.
Such, beloved friends, is the order of things that God has inaugurated here upon the earth in connection with Christ risen from the dead. His beloved people are formed by the Spirit, and thus all those things come to pass in the assembly.
Ministry by J. Taylor Rochester, N.Y., Volume 2, pages 509 - 516. 1909.
Genesis 24:43 - 46, 52 - 67; Genesis 25:5, 6; Romans 8:9, 10; Colossians 2:2, 3; Ephesians 3:16 - 21
Well now I pass on for a moment to what we may see in connection with the epistle to the Colossians; it is very interesting; there the apostle says, "in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge". Now you can understand the picture in Genesis: you can understand the impression that the servant must have given of his master; there was no question whatever of what they gave to the servant; they gave him nothing; but he begins to unfold the illimitable wealth of Isaac. Oh! I wish we took it in. If a person were prepared to listen to the Spirit's account of Christ, what would impress one would be the extraordinary wealth of Christ, and what God had gained for Himself in that blessed Man. And it
was to this end that the apostle exercised himself on behalf of the saints at Colosse; he says you need not go outside Christ for anything -- you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power. In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Now when you come to consider the question of the state that is necessary in order to enter into the inheritance, and this is a point of very great importance, you will remember that what led the damsel to the conclusion that she should go with the servant was the treasure that he gave out at this particular juncture; we read, he brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebecca; he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. This is the picture that the Spirit of God gives to captivate the heart for Christ, and to get you to move in your affections to the scene where Christ is. Look how the Spirit lavishes the wealth of God upon you. Is His object that you and I might be established, and set up, and made glorious with the glory of this world? No, no. What is His object? It is that we might cut our connection with this scene, and move to where Christ is.
The servant says, Now I have had the liberty of bringing out the wealth of my master, and I must go back to him again, do not hinder me; and I think I can see in the spirit of the apostle Paul an intense longing to get the saints to move on that line. "If therefore ye have been raised with the Christ", he
says, "seek the things which are above" (chapter 3: 1). Ah! seek them. The enemy says, 'Adapt yourself to the things that are down here; you had better stop with us; bring the light of the truth and establish a system here, so that we can all be benefited by it; do not mind going over to Canaan. The two-and-a-half tribes settled down here, and only went over occasionally'. But what does the Spirit say? "Do not hinder me". You may say, But if I were to move it would mean breaking loose with my father, mother, sister, brother, all the household, and all that I have been interested in, all my life. Ah! but just look at the wealth, the ring and the bracelets, and the jewels of silver and jewels of gold. How the Spirit of God delights to give an external view of Christ to the affections of His people, so that they might cut loose from the things in this world and move towards Him. The Lord help us, beloved, to respond to the presentation of Christ, so that we may, like Rebecca of old, put them on and say, "I will go". Do not think, beloved, that these things are just to be listened to and passed over. The Lord looks for decision, definite and distinct, that we should be set in the line of the exercises of the Spirit of God for us.
The Spirit of God takes up the journey, He accepts the responsibility; and what is He doing on the road home? He is strengthening you with might in the inner man. I venture to say that between the moment that Rebecca cut loose from her own family circle and the time she saw, in type, God's blessed
Man meditating in the field, she had her affections strengthened by her communications with the servant. And what is the object and intention of ministry? Why, to quicken, and increase, and intensify the spiritual affections of the saints; just think of it, the apostle bowed his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He would grant the saints according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith.
You say, What do you understand by that? I will tell you. There was a time when every interest that was common to men in the world had a place in my affections; but now I have before me another Man and another world; and the interests of that blessed Man now occupy the place that formerly was held by the things pertaining to this world. And what are His interests, beloved? -- His inheritance is in the saints. And I venture to say that when you come into a local meeting, and look around on, it may be, only two or three, you have a profound impression of what they are to Christ. People may say, Oh! what a poor lot they are. Ah! they have never seen them rightly; to see the saints properly you must have the Christ dwelling in your heart by faith. You look around, and you are unconscious of any peculiarities they may have; instead you see the preciousness of Christ in them.
Rebecca lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac meditating in the field at eventide, and she asked the servant who he was; and do you know what he said?
-- "That is my master!" How beautiful to see God giving us a record in the Scripture of the delight that the Spirit has in being at the service of Christ. "He shall receive of mine and shall announce it to you" (John 16:14). And I believe, beloved, that nothing is a more real delight to the Spirit of God than to retire behind the affection that He has created for Christ, and to watch those affections in their own proper movement, in their own proper sphere, and to contemplate the delight of Christ in them.
Do you not think it was a moment of supreme delight to the servant when he saw Rebecca array herself? What a delight to the Spirit of God when the hope of His calling has laid hold of saints, and then to quietly go out of sight, that Christ might have His unique and proper place in the midst of His gathered people. There is a day coming when He is going to have a public display; when every eye shall see the supreme place that Christ has in the affections of His people; but the Spirit of God desires that He should have that place now. That is the hope of our calling. We are called to be the vessel in which Christ has His rightful place, that in the very midst of the confusion, and in the scene where the enemy's power is, there should be glory to God in the church, world without end. As we were reading a short time since, Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still (Joshua 10:12); what a day; and what was seen at that moment? The power of God in His delight to have man entirely for Himself; one to whom He could listen.
Now, beloved, just think of being called. There will be no barrier in the coming day; but why does the Spirit of God want us on the heavenly ground now? That there might stand on this earth, in the very spot where the man of sin will stand, a living witness to God's delight in His blessed Son. What is He going to do for that company? Scripture is so beautiful -- the servant told Isaac all that he had done. Now, I would like to say one word to encourage you; just think of the servant telling Isaac how the same spirit, the spirit of Isaac, had come out in Rebecca; then he related to him the history of the home from which she had come, and how she had left all to come to him; when she was asked would she go, she responded, 'Yes, I will go'. I believe it will be supremely delightful to the Spirit to bring the company in to Christ, and -- I speak reverently -- to report all the incidents that occur in it, the pathway here, that Christ may welcome the company in all the warmth of His everlasting love. What did Isaac do? He took her into the place where Israel had been, and he was comforted.
People have sometimes said to me, Why are we not caught up to be with Him now? Why do we wait? I will tell you: there are certain things that have to transpire in the ways of God before He can renew His links with Israel; and the church holds the ground until the moment arrives for those links to be renewed. Now there are two sides to this privilege; one is that you stand for Christ here. What is the other? The other is that there is an inside spot, and
there are communications of a spiritual character inside that will never be known by anyone but Isaac and Rebecca, typically.
If you were to ask me what I coveted above everything on earth, I should say it was to know a little more of those inside communications. You may ask me, is there any scripture for that? There is; if you were to read at your leisure from the 1st verse of the 4th chapter of John's gospel to the 16th chapter, you would find some of those communications. Do you know what happens at the close of them? The heart that made them prays. The heart that made those communications prays that the Father, about whom the communications were, might make good, in the company, the force and meaning of them. Beloved, we have a wonderful calling. We are not called to do exploits on earth, to convert the world, or do some stupendous acts; we are called to fill a peculiar place in the heart of the blessed Son of the Father's love. May God give us grace, so that there will be wholehearted response from every one of us, for His Name's sake.
J. Revell
We read in Romans 5 of the glory of God in the hope of which the believer boasts (verse 2); in Romans 8 we read of the manifestation of the sons of God
(verse 19), and the glory of the children of God (verse 21). God has become glorious in the eye of faith, and He will eventually display that glory before the face of all; in our Lord Jesus Christ man has become glorious, and into that glory it is God's purpose to bring His loved ones. Man, in his estrangement from God, has sought glory, and in his own way he has gained it, for the scripture speaks of the glory of man; but it speaks of it to show how vain and short- lived it is, comparing it to the flower of the grass which falleth away (1 Peter 1:24). This must be so, seeing that death rests upon man as God's judgment. Man may gain great renown among his fellows, and clothe himself with honour, but he passes away and his glory fades. The One to whom God has given glory has passed through death, and has been raised from the dead, the token of God's having been glorified in His death respecting sin, and also of the breaking forever of the power of evil. The renown which He has, therefore, is deathless, and can never fade away. It is through Him that God carries out all His purpose of love, and His end is to have us in association with Christ, as the many sons whom He brings to glory.
The expression of God's purpose concerning us is seen in Christ glorified, and what corresponds to this with us on earth is the gift of the Spirit. The Spirit was not given until Jesus was glorified (John 7:39), and He has come to us as the Spirit of that glorified Man; He is to us the Spirit of glory. But if so, He must set aside in us all that is morally of the
flesh, He must deliver us from all its activity, for only thus can we be enabled to enter into all the precious thoughts of the love of God. In Romans 8 the Spirit is thus first presented to us as freeing us from the mind and activity of the flesh. Then the thoughts of God's love are touched upon. As led of the Spirit we are sons of God, having received a spirit of sonship. A slave may be emancipated and yet retain a slave's spirit. God displaces the spirit of slavery by a spirit of sonship. The Holy Spirit who is given to us (chapter 5: 5), so sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts that we become formed in reciprocal affection and cry to God with holy delight, "Abba, Father". The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Our glory as children of God is not yet made known to the world. Another apostle says, "For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew him not" (1 John 3:1). The Spirit maintains it in the intelligence of our spirits as the present secret of the love of God.
Heirship is attached to it; "If children, heirs also: heirs of God, and Christ's joint heirs" (chapter 8: 17). The love of God is known as a present reality, and in the knowledge of that love we know that with Christ He will freely give us all things; we are to be sharers in all the range of the inheritance. But our glory is hidden, even as was His in whose steps we are called to follow. We are children and heirs; we have the love of God, and the inheritance as that which is His pleasure for us; but the world knows us not.
Consequently we are called to suffering. All this present period is marked by the sufferings of Christ. He was here a lonely Sufferer among men, and now the sufferings have to be taken up by His own.
Suffering is not peculiar to those who believe; the whole creation groans and travails in pain together. What is peculiar to the Christian is that he is instructed in the mind of God concerning it all, and through the Spirit he becomes the vessel of holy feelings and intelligent desires which are according to the mind of God. The groan of creation tells of a world brought into vanity and under the bondage of corruption through the sin of man who was placed over it all. The Son of God upon earth groaned and wept in the presence of sorrow and death, although He carried in His bosom the secret of divine love, and was Himself the resurrection and the life, the One by whom God would fulfil all His purpose of love, bringing life out of death and setting all in incorruption. We groan within ourselves, having in our hearts the secret of divine love through the Spirit, and waiting the actual fulfilment of divine purpose when we shall reach the place of sonship for which we are destined, with the redemption of the body.
The creation also awaits this blessed moment. The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. When man sinned, the shadow of his sin fell upon the whole creation; when the sons of God shall be revealed, the light of their glory will be the deliverance and
blessing of creation. The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. That which is now the precious secret of our souls, the love of God, will then come into open display, and will pervade the universe of bliss. The world will then know that the Father sent the Son, and that His own, who have believed on Him, have been loved as He has been loved. This will give its character to the whole creation which will participate in the liberty of the glory of the children of God.
In Revelation 21 the church is seen in its relation to the earth, under the figure of a city, the centre of administration. It descends from God out of heaven, invested with the glory of God. It is the figurative setting forth of those who are children of God, now unknown of the world, partakers of the divine nature, brought into display, and inheriting with Christ. Light shines from the holy city for the nations upon earth, and healing and blessing flow from thence.
What a separating effect must all this have upon him who through grace enters into it! The eye penetrates below the surface of man's glory and sees the corruption to which the whole creation has become subject, and into the ear enters the groan which can never be hushed until Christ reigns. But in the midst of it we know the love of God, and in the enjoyment of that love we not only trace our own blessing of superlative degree, but we also know the peace and bliss which shall shortly fill the earth.
Thus we can quietly wait, giving ourselves to prayer, in which we are aided by the Spirit, who makes intercession for saints according to God.
Words of Encouragement (June 1899), pages 141 - 145.
John 1:35 - 41; John 10:3 - 5; John 12:26; John 19:25 - 27; John 21:19 - 22
Each of the four gospels lays emphasis upon the thought of believers being 'followers' consistently with the presentation of Christ in the gospel.
In Matthew we are to loyally follow Christ, the rejected King; in Mark, Jesus the perfect Servant has those who follow Him in the path of service; the evangelist Luke describes the followers of the lowly Man, Christ Jesus; but in the gospel of John the followers of the Son of God are seen in their various characteristics.
Following does not mean having followed; it is not some incident in our past history: the normal present feature of the Christian is that he is following.
By profession all believers are followers of Christ. If we, who have believed in Him, who are cleansed by His precious blood, and who love Him, were challenged by an unbeliever, we should have no hesitation in confessing that Jesus is our Lord and that we are His followers; yet that is not sufficient. It is not enough to be a professed follower, nor to have followed in the past; the great objective of the Spirit of God, especially in this gospel, is to ensure that we
should each, at the present moment, be following; that spiritual movement should be marking us now; so that instead of going back, or turning aside, we should be making steady forward progress, with Jesus, the Son of God, as our Object.
A follower is one who has come under the influence and attraction of another, having been so impressed that he has turned his back upon that which once held him, and is now definitely pursuing his object.
There is an outstanding instance in the Old Testament of such an one. Five times in the Holy Scriptures it is recorded that Caleb "wholly followed Jehovah" (Numbers 32:12; Deuteronomy 1:36; Joshua 14:8, 9, 14), and once Jehovah said of him that "he hath another spirit in him and hath followed me fully" (Numbers 14:24).
How important it is in this day of great profession, and yet of sad departure from the truth, that this should be true of each one, that we are wholly following the Lord and that we should not be found in company with those of whom it was said, "From that time many of his disciples went away back and walked no more with him" (John 6:66).
How many spiritual shipwrecks are the result of not wholly following! Peter failed so seriously because he "followed afar off" (Luke 22:54). We may well exclaim, as the bride said in the Song of Songs, "Draw me, we will run after thee" (chapter 1: 4). This is not a spasmodic movement, but following steadily in a clear, straight, positive path -- the pathGENUINENESS
TYPES OF THE CHURCH -- REBECCA
DEPARTURE AND RECOVERY
SOLID WORK IN EVANGELISATION
THE ACCEPTANCE OF LIMITATION
'In concert with the heav'ns above
We crown Thee with our praise' (Hymn 431). THE WILL OF GOD
DEPARTURE AND RECOVERY
"MADE LIKE TO HIS BRETHREN"
RESURRECTION TO LIFE
THE SUPREMACY OF CHRIST
"HIS INHERITANCE"
TYPES OF THE CHURCH -- EVE
DEPARTURE AND RECOVERY
UNSPOKEN PRAYER
'For ever on Thy burdened heart
A weight of sorrow hung,
Yet no rebellious murmuring word
Escaped Thy silent tongue'. 'No faintest sigh His heart can miss,
E'en now His feet are on the way,
With richest counterweight of bliss
Heaped up for every hour's delay'. THE COMFORTER
LONGINGS OF DIVINE PERSONS
THE BASKET OF FIRSTFRUITS
"HIS INHERITANCE"
THE GLORY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD
FOLLOWERS OF JESUS