Part 4
The church is not only quickened by Christ, but quickened together with Him... If this truth were received into the understanding and affections, and lived upon daily by the children of God, their very garments would smell of myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant; and their conversation would bespeak their heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
To rise above the first Adam we must live in the last Adam. We shall then be able in spirit to use the language of the 8th Psalm, and have all things under our feet.
Our life is in Christ: therefore it is _eternal life_; for Christ is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever."
God's design was not only to save us from hell, however great that salvation, but to make us His sons and daughters, in order that we, with Himself and the Lord Jesus, the first-born from the dead, might dwell for ever in our Father's house.
True love has its source in Christ Himself. It is therefore bold in defence of His truth, and knows no man after the flesh when His honour is to be maintained or defended.
We have three chief characters to sustain—child of God; soldier; spouse of Christ. We have to feast; to fight; and to sing. Christ has won the victory. We gather up the spoils; and though so doing we must fight, the victory is ours and its fruit.
To have the Lord Jesus _revealed to us_ by the Spirit of God is enough. It sufficed Stephen amidst his persecutors, and suffices us amidst all our difficulties and adversaries, amidst all trials, great and small.
God's people are His witnesses; they are the light in this dark world: they should therefore be so filled with the Spirit, as to be Christ's epistles, known and read of all men.
The church has spiritual, heavenly, eternal life in Christ, her risen Lord, the last Adam. His pierced side is the fountain of life to us His _spouse_.
We are under the law of God's love and grace in our new relation as _children_; we are under obligation to Christ as first-born among many _brethren_; and as His _members_, to obey Him as our _Head_.
We have often the words _members of Christ_ upon our lips; would that they were always accompanied with reverence and love!
Col. 2:14. The forgiveness of God is like the God who grants it—everlasting, all-comprehensive, immeasurable.... No possibility of condemnation. The bond that was against me is now nailed up, as it were, in the court of justice for the protection of the debtor. I now owe everything to the love of God; I owe my whole self. Let Christ dwell in my heart, to guide every glance of the eye, every thought of the mind.
How strange would it seem to us to see a prince in sorry garments seated on the alebench in company with common men! how much greater the inconsistency when a child of the living God, a king and a priest unto God, degrades himself to fellowship with the unregenerate!
In order of time we were in the first man Adam, the man of the earth, first: but not so in order of purpose and decree; according to this we were in the last Adam, the second man, the Lord from heaven, ere we fell in the first.
Every flock bears the mark of its owner; so the sheep of Christ have their mark, even poverty of spirit; each one is a poor needy sinner, self-judged and self-condemned, according to the justice of God.
For a child of God to talk of his heavenly calling, and not to walk according to it, how sad a sight! The moment I am born of God, I am in the world in a new relation; I am a crucified man and that I am such should be evident to all around.
God holds us accountable for what we have, and not for what we have not. If I have only ten minutes to read the Word, do I employ those ten minutes according to my accountability?
Many believers, though they live in New Testament times, walk in the Old Testament spirit.
The "New Creature"
The believer in Jesus, being created anew, has the likeness of God stamped upon him. In nature the child resembles the parent. There is no feature of the countenance of God the Father but is to be found in the feeblest child of grace. (2 Pet. 1:4.)
According to the new man, we crave the knowledge of God's truth for the sake of obedience; but the flesh desires knowledge for the vain-glorious talk of the lips that tendeth to penury. (Prov. 14:23.)
As a vessel takes its shape from the mould, so should our will be formed in the mould of the will of God: then shall we have everything our own way. (John 15:7.)
Christ had no will but the will of His Father, and in His delight to do that will we see His perfect holiness: for what is holiness but "Thy will be done"?
As the weakness of the old man lies in its vain conceit of its strength; so the strength of the new man lies in its true sense of perfect weakness.
God is no respecter of persons; but He will honour them that honour Him, whereas they that despise Him shall be lightly esteemed. (1 Sam. 2:30.) He honours us for His own grace in us, and corrects us for our evil ways.
Unbelief
Unbelief is oft a hypocrite clothed in a white robe, as an angel of light, having the semblance of all humility; but drag him to the light, and the monster appears! He would cast down God from His throne and set himself thereon.
Where Unbelief is, there is pride; and where pride is, her whole brood of evils are to be found with her. So with the obedience of faith, there is humility with all her train.
There will be no room for the fretfulness of Unbelief, if I only see that He who is the Ruler of heaven and earth is my very Kinsman -- my Brother.
When a child of God takes an unbelieving step, and God suffers it to succeed, this is one of the sharpest corrections he can be visited with. (2 Chron. 16:2-9.)
Let us not nourish Unbelief by plans and contrivances of fleshly prudence.
One step of Unbelief unrepented of leads to another.
Hard thoughts of God are, alas! natural to us; and swarm in our breast: it is only as the love of God is revealed to us in the cross of Christ that we are able to cast them out.
If in great tribulation we are by faith walking upon the flood, we shall seem to the eye of Unbelief to be sinking in the flood.
If Unbelief prevail in saints, they slight the assemblies of God's people; but let us who diligently frequent them be able to say, "We have seen the Lord" (John 20:25): that will be the best rebuke for the negligent.
Unbelief is in man's sight no sin at all—whilst in God's sight it is of all sins the greatest.
Whilst we are looking to Jesus at the right hand of God, all circumstances are our occasions for honouring God by faith; but if we look to circumstances and not to Christ, they cast us down, and leave us a prey to Unbelief.
By Unbelief the child of God degrades himself; losing sight of his heavenly robe he makes much of the earthly rags of this world's honour, and can even envy the wearers. (Ps. 73:3.)
We do well to remember that God is as true to His forewarnings of wrath and curse, as He is to His promises of grace. We take the latter for our peculiar comfort, but should also solemnly meditate the former for our ripe and full acquaintance with God.
Unbelief cripples and puts in fear where no fear is; it leads to despair, and despair is but unbelief without a bridle.
Do you, at the Mercy-seat, confess the iniquity of Unbelief? Remember that it makes God to be the very contrary of what He is.
Unbelief and its rebellion will make of a mere nothing a great mountain.
Every murmuring thought is the child of Unbelief, and makes God a liar.
The Sins of Believers
The heart of man is a restless deep, ever casting up mire and dirt (Isa. 57:20); but in the sins of God's children there is a pre-eminence of guilt.
Jonah could not sin himself out of the love of God; therefore, sinning himself out of communion with God, he had the greater guilt.
I count myself more vile than the murderer who suffers death by the hangman's hand, because the atoning blood of the Son of God acquaints me with myself.... That which shows me my forgiveness reveals to me my pollution.
By far the greater part of the sins of God's children are sins of ignorance. How needful therefore the cry, "Cleanse Thou me from secret faults" (Ps. 19:12)—faults hidden from mine own eye and from mine own conscience. Without atoning blood they would bring down God's curse on the offender's head. Oh, let us not make light of sins of ignorance!
The sins of our unregenerate state should indeed be ever before us; but by frowardness, since we tasted that God is gracious, we sin (as natural men cannot sin) against the heart of Christ, against God's love and His Spirit, who seals us unto the day of redemption. The natural man is a rebel against his Maker; but it is against a Father that we, the saved, offend. Forgetting the cross, we go astray. The remedy is true and speedy confession; for we have an Advocate with the Father. (1 John 2:1.)
We must be ever waging war with the secret workings of sin. Where it is but in a little measure allowed, God may suffer His child to go further and further in that allowance, until the seven locks are shorn on Delilah's lap.
To be doubting Christ's love, to be limiting His grace, is alike unworthy of us and grieving to Him. The last offence of Joseph's brethren (Gen. 50:15-21) was not the least.
There is no fault in our character that the grace of God cannot cure. It becomes us therefore to give no quarter to the Canaanites. (Judges 2)
God deals with us after conversion otherwise than before it: He, as a wise Father, has a rod of correction for His children, and smites them when He might let them alone, did they not know His love.
Peculiar temptations bring forth peculiar corruptions, after neglected warnings.
The Lord Jesus took loving pains to make Peter acquainted with Himself, and was compelled to humble him by his threefold denial of his Lord, but without exposing him to the eye of enemies. Overcome by a sudden temptation, he was quickly forgiven and restored. (Luke 22:55-62.) Whereas David, who had deliberately transgressed, and who had long been in a backsliding state of heart, was exposed to the people as well as made loathsome in his own eyes. (2 Sam. 12; 16) When Christ restores a fallen one, He often makes that disciple stronger than before his fall. "When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). So it will be with those who, like David and Peter, have been wont to follow the Lord fully.
The people of God are in general slack and slothful in searching out sins of ignorance; but if we persevere in the search, asking God to reveal them to us, He will give us very humbling knowledge of ourselves and of our secret faults; with it also blessed comfort and communion, which otherwise we could not enjoy.
The Coming of the Lord
Yet the blessed hope of the coming of Christ keep us ever on the watchtower; looking, longing for it, and hasting towards it.
Would that we duly considered our accountability to Christ, who in the day of His appearing will judge the secrets of all hearts. Then we shall each be called on to give an account of his stewardship - an account, not only of gifts of understanding and substance, but of daily employment, and of all the minutes of the day. (See 1 Cor. 4:1-6.)
Prayer
It is a high place that is given to the prayers of saints in 1 Tim. 2:1.2. If Christians only knew how their prayers for kings and governors are heard in heaven, they would not be meddlers with this world's politics.
Every wish that the Holy Ghost breathes into the soul of a believer is a voice which enters into the ear of God.
It is well for a child of God to pray for himself, but a more excellent thing to pray for others. God honours the spirit of intercession.
We are too apt to set God a time and a way of answering our prayers; and even when our prayers are answered, we are often surprised and ready to faint. If we desire much communion with God and with Christ, we must not be surprised if the Holy Spirit come upon us as a keen north wind, revealing our own corruption and evil to us: when it comes, let us not say, How can we bear this? but rather be thankful for God's wise answer to prayer.
If we have not the spirit of supplication and thanksgiving, let us begin with the spirit of confession.
When we pray, let us be sure God is hearing us. If we ask help, kindness, favour, from a fellow-man, it cheers us to observe the _kind attentive look_: let us by faith regard our unseen Saviour and Priest, and settle it in our hearts that our prayer is received; the answer will come in the best time. If we cannot comply with God's just demands to be singing and triumphing with Christ above, He will listen to His unbelieving, groaning children. He _bows down_ His ear to hear their cry.
When the Word of God enters the conscience, men pour out their hearts indeed to the Lord.
Our need of Prayer is as frequent as the moments of the day; and as we grow in spirituality of mind, our continual need will be felt by us more and more.
In order to have power with God in Prayer, there must be an undivided heart; if we would come boldly to the throne of grace, we must come obediently.
Daniel made prayer and meditation of the Scriptures the chief business of his life; yet, if we consider the circumstances in which he was placed, we shall see that few ever had greater obstacles than he in the way of seeking God.
God gives, as a wise Father, prized benefits to His supplicating children.
When we ask for more communion with God, are we willing to part with all that hinders? Let us take heed that our ways agree with our words when we come to the Mercy-seat.
It is a great help to us when we see that our prayers and our labours are to be as the grain of wheat falling into the ground. If we look for death and burial first, we shall be able to go on in patience; and in due time shall assuredly reap an abundant harvest.
We ought to go to God with our matters as altogether His.
How great is our favour and power with God! for we are kings and priests unto God—His sons and daughters by adoption and grace. Let us take heed that we grieve not the Spirit who sealed us unto the day of redemption; and nothing will God deny us. (John 15:7.)
The best testimony that Stephen bore was his last not when he was preaching and working miracles, but when he pleaded for his persecutors; for then he most resembled the Lord Jesus in patience, forgiveness, and love.
When some peculiar pressure is upon you, be like Queen Esther, whose first request was the king's company. In each trial "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness," and all other things shall be added: your seeking first the removal of the trial shows that you need the continuance of it.
We must not look on that only as Prayer to which our lips give utterance; the wish of the believing heart is counted prayer by God; it is the smoke of the incense which ascends in silence before Him.
If a path be overgrown with moss and briers, it is difficult to trace it; if well frequented, it is plainly seen. Our pathway to the fountain of Jesus' blood should be ever well trodden by our confessions.
Unbelief lightly esteems both our Own prayers and those of others.
We can never draw nigh to God in believing prayer, but the answer will be more than we had grace to hope for. Expectation from God is a precious fruit of prayer.
A guilty conscience stops prayer, but a cleansed conscience makes prayer to flow. We may often have the spirit of prayer without the comfort of prayer.
Conflict
When the corruptions of the flesh, like an armed host, invade the soul, they aim first at the capital city, which is Faith. Success there would ensure possession of the whole land.
It is ever Satan's aim to debase the heart and conscience of the children of God. Their heart should be filled with Christ; their conscience ruled by His word and ways. Satan would entice away the heart from Christ, and set up in the conscience a standard inferior to that of Christ's example. Oh that the saints were not ignorant of Satan's devices, but willing to pluck out the right eye, to cut off hand or foot, rather than give place at all to the adversary.
Let our affections be resting in Christ, and engrossed with Him; then will all saints be dear to us in Him, because they are one with Him, and we shall please Him concerning them. To prevent our attaining to this grace, or to spoil us of it, is the aim of the powers of darkness that war against us.
It is only as we have rest in Christ, only as we have peace through faith in His atoning blood, only as we have the purged conscience, with the heart's affections set upon Christ, that we have any strength to war against our spiritual enemies: it is whilst we are fighting against them, that strength is given equal to the need, and we experience the precious sympathy of the Captain of our salvation. "Put on the whole armour of God." (Eph. 6:10-19.) David put away the armour of Saul, and went against Goliath with nothing save the weapons of weakness.
Service
God, in fitting any servant for special service, often subjects him to painful discipline of soul: the end of this training is the breaking down self-confidence, so that when at last the servant goes forth to his work he says, "Who am I?" The flesh will not say, "Who am I?" But to this we must be brought ere God can put us to honourable use.
We are not the most useful when most wordy, but when most prayerful.
Though God marks that which is wrong in His servants, notwithstanding all their faithfulness, He never forgets that which is right in them, notwithstanding all their imperfections.
If we do not live _beyond_ time, we are not fit to live _in_ time.
We cannot bestow kindnesses upon the unconverted for Christ's sake without obtaining peculiar fellowship with God.
That man is miserable who is wrapped up in himself and cares not for others; such a man keeps happiness outside, and bolts the door against her.
The ways of Christ in the days of His flesh are the true pattern for His people.
It is a mark of steady progress in the ways of God, when a servant of Christ, like his Master, makes no choice of service, seeking only to please his Lord.
If by walking before God we rise above the praise of men, we shall not be vexed or discouraged by their disapproval and blame.
He that is humble, and ever desiring to serve others, will surely find others desiring to serve him.
If we have but the heart to serve Christ, He will surely employ us; and if He have any special service for us, He will grant us special guidance. (Acts 8:26.)
The conversion of sinners, the prosperity of saints—these are precious things, but not the object of the soul: that should be to please God.
The moment a servant acts independently, he acts from himself, and out of character. (John 21:3.)
In all you do be the servant of Christ, forgetting yourself -- engrossed with Him.
We need readiness of heart, and skilfulness of hands, to serve the church of God aright.
Service to Christ
There is much that the Lord's true servants do which no human eye takes knowledge of. What they do they are to do as to the Lord, and to look for reward from Him; learning also to have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings and service.
It is our wisdom not to seek praise of men: if, in our intercourse with saints, rather than look after a good name, we seek to approve ourselves to God, a good name will surely follow us.
Look not at the quantity, but at the quality of your service, whatsoever that service may be. If it be preaching, preaching is not the first thing: the heart must first be kept; then two or three words spoken in the power of the Spirit may avail more than many a long discourse.
Forgiveness
Peter said to our Lord, "How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him, until seven times?" (Matt. 18:21.22.) What warrant had Peter for saying, "How oft?" Had he been standing at the foot of Mount Sinai, he might have said, "How oft?" Standing in the covenant of grace, we say, "Seventy times seven."
If we be called to judge offending brethren, we should judge before the Mercy-seat. There we are self-judged, as oft offending and oft forgiven.
Those injuries are often hardest to forgive which are only known to the injured and the wrong-doer.
If others act with want of uprightness towards us, and we are irritated, it is a proof that we are then dealing rather with the creature than with God.
Those are the best fitted for the work of reproof, who are severe against themselves, but gentle towards others; whilst such as are forward to reprove most need reproof themselves.
Poverty of Spirit
We must live as beggars upon the love of Christ; we are never safe from snares but as we are thus poor in spirit.
Christ was the only one who could, without a struggle, be content to be "a worm, and no man." (Ps. 22:6.)
The self-exalted person as much degrades himself in God's sight, as he exalts himself in his own.
We sink into nothingness as we grow up into Christ.
To grow in poverty of spirit is truly to grow in grace: "Without Me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5.) If we be sitting at the feet of Jesus, all carnal boasting is excluded, we have His mind of wisdom in all things, and cannot behave ourselves unseemly.
No rest have we for the sole of our foot except in Christ; and whenever a poor needy one seeks Him, He deals by such an one as did Noah by the dove. Noah put forth his hand and took her in unto him into the ark.