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Excerpt:
John 13.
There are two subjects, beloved brethren, that are on my heart to speak of for a little this evening, in the very order in which you find them in this scripture; not merely the moral order, but the literal order as well. The subjects are the following: first, the practical positive cleansing to which we must be subject in order to have part with Christ; and second, the rest which follows.
Now, any one who is a careful observer of the state of the people of God at the present moment, cannot fail to observe how little positive rest exists among them. I do not deny for a moment that there is earnestness, activity, zeal, knowledge, and intelligence; but you may possess all these together, or any one of them, and yet be destitute of positive rest, real repose. The rarest thing, at the present instant, is to find one who is consecutively restful. Now why is it? Have you ever asked yourself the question why it is that among the saints, the contrast to all around us in this respect is so little observable? My present object is to furnish, if possible, a true answer to this question.
Now, there are two great things working at the present moment amongst professing Christians, and each of them is vying with the other to give rest. One is activity, earnest incessant activity, occupation of heart with that which is perfectly good and right in itself, but which does not and cannot give rest. On the contrary, beloved friends, you will find it a matter of fact, that very often the amount of the activity is in consequence of the destitute state of the soul with reference to rest. You will frequently find that a person who has not this rest of heart and this repose of soul, is driven into activity in order to get out of self.
The other popular effort at the present moment, is a kind of — I must say it, though with all kindness — bettering of the flesh in order to give it rest. That is, to express it simply, it has been said, and widely accepted too, it has been put forth and received on every hand, by earnest Christians, true children of God, that the surrender of your will by the force of your will gives you rest that the moment your will gives up your will (an absurdity it looks, on the face of it), the moment that your will surrenders itself, puts itself to death, so to speak, the act of doing it gives you rest.
Now, my present earnest desire is, to state positively what I see in scripture as that which stands in the way of the soul having this perfect rest which I find here — a man putting his head on the bosom of Jesus — what that rest consists in, and what the consequences of it are.
Now I believe, beloved friends, that the first and simplest reason why there is not rest is, that the feet of saints are not washed. There is practical unfitness for communion with Christ where He is; because, observe this at the outset, this is the great truth set before us, I believe in John 13. It is not primarily, though that be true in itself, that the blessed Lord removes the defilement which we contract as we go on from day to day. I believe that there is a far deeper thing than that, namely, fitness of heart for Himself where He is — a cleansing in order to have part with Him in glory. It is not, I repeat, the fact that He washes our feet as we go on from day to day. I do not deny that, but here is a far deeper thing, even suitability for common interest, fitness for a part with Christ where He is. This, I believe, is the great thought in John 13.
I take the liberty, without in the least pretending to be a critic or a scholar, of altering that word, which any one knows must be an entire mistake, viz., "supper being ended." There would be no sense in saying so in connection with what followed, but there is every sense in the words "supper being come." Instead of carrying on the association which He had with them here in this world, He breaks it, and shows them how He can fit them for another and better one and hence the passage really reads "the supper being come;" as much as to say, I have had association with you heretofore on your ground, but now I will show you how I can fit and qualify you to have association and communion with Me on My ground, and in the new sphere, and in the new place, into which I am about to go.
Well, beloved friends, you see He takes the basin, and the water, and the towel, and in the conscious sense that He "came from God, and went to God" — that was God's side of it, and His own too — He stoops to perform this act of service for those whom He loved, and there you get the root and spring of all His action towards them. "Having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end." Oh, what blessed love and wondrous grace of Thyself, Lord Jesus! There was in His heart an affection, in His bosom a love for them, that could live through changing times and circumstances. How blessed it is thus to get simply at the spring of the actions of the Lord Jesus Christ! And how little our hearts really apprehend it that the motives of everything are In Himself! The simple fact stands out in prominence that all the motive-springs which set in action every movement of His grace towards us come simply from His own heart. This, therefore, it is which leads Him to make them as fit morally for His own presence and for communion with Himself in that new sphere that He was about to take as He Himself could make them. Nothing would suit the heart of Christ but that. Have you and I the sense of that in our souls? That nothing would suit the heart of the blessed Lord but to have us as fit for His presence as it is possible for Him to make us? Have you the sense of that in your heart and in your soul? That it was in His heart to make a poor worthless wretch like me as fit to have communion with Himself in that new place that He has gone into, as it is possible for Him to have me? It is not merely a question now of my need, of the deficiencies that are in me, but of the affections of His heart, the motive-springs of His own bosom, that He desires to have me fit for Himself there; and therefore it is that He takes this basin, and the water, and the towel, and begins "to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded."
Now, beloved friends, let me ask you this: Do you know what that action of Christ is with reference to you? I am speaking of simple things to-night, and I do so purposely; I speak of what perhaps many here know well. But the oldest things are those that need to be revived most in our hearts, as these are they which, although so well known, are most likely to slip through our souls, and all the more because of the busy scene that is around us. I ask you this evening, are you conscious of the blessed Lord having your poor feet in His hand? Do you know what it is to be subjected to that action of the Lord Jesus, so that he removes every bit of soiling influence that could possibly unfit you for communion with Himself, in order that His heart may have a deeper joy in having communion with you, than yours in having communion with Him? Are you conscious of that? And do you submit to it? Do you submit your feet to be washed? Do you allow Him to wash your feet? Do you allow Him to gird Himself in your behalf, so that He may remove by this action of His everything that would unfit you for Himself, as well as for having communion with Himself?