OH 3:30{It is while living and walking about down here that we ought to be able nevertheless to say " I die daily;" and what is a dead man but a useless man to this world, and one obnoxious to all its schemes? And such are we in God's account: “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." And such we are to be practically. Is it comely for one who belongs to the Lord Jesus to be reaching after earthly honors, riches, reputation, or aught else here below, and if doing so, has he learned the meaning of “He must increase, but I must decrease?" Is not the name of Christian (that worthy name upon you, by which ye are called) often scoffed and mocked at on these very points, because of the inconsistencies of those who bear it?
Of the whole course of the Lord Jesus it is written, “He made Himself of no reputation."
Alas, that it should not be so with all of us. Alas, that with even some of us here to-night God's finger is upon us, and our consciences are telling us as to this, Thou art the man!" Yet it is only by thus taking our true places before God as to these things with a real desire for Him to deal with us, that we are profited by speaking of them together. We are in our folly sacrificing the present enjoyment of the eternal, for the passing pleasure of the temporal, for no man can enjoy both. A remarkable illustration of this is given us if we turn to Heb. 13 There Esau comes before us, “who for a morsel of meat sold his birthright." With the birthright went the blessing of the firstborn. But this blessing had especial reference to the future, to the Messiah who was to come, the promised Seed, of which God had spoken to Abraham, in whom “all families of the earth " were to be blessed (Gen. 28:3-15). The mess of potage, the gratification of the moment, the pleasing of nature, was preferred by Esau to the whole range of God's promises: and what does Scripture say of such? It calls Esau a “profane person "—one who preferred the enjoyment of the present to the glorious realities awaiting him in the future. It is the contrast between faith and sight.
My brethren, we too are blest. The blessing of the Firstborn from the dead “is upon us.” Lifting up His hands He blessed them, and as He blessed them He was parted from them and carried up into heaven”
(Luke 24.). But it is not earthly but heavenly, not true for sight but real to faith.
Are we enjoying it-making much of it?
He is gone up. Thence He is coming again in "like manner." "Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ," we are waiting for Him here, until the time comes when according to God's eternal purpose He will” gather together her in one all things in Christ" (Ephes. 1.). Seeing that we have learned (poor dull scholars) that in all things He shall have the pre-eminence "—that it is God's must concerning Him (1 Car. 15:25). Are we saying and practically seeking to carry it out “He must increase, but I must decrease ''? Or are we like Esau despising the blessing, gathering to ourselves the poor passing and empty things of earth, none of which we can take with us, upon which the flesh in us and all that ministers to it our God hath stamped vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Ah, which is it with you? One thing is certain, we are each day saying or practicing in our ways day by day either this “He must increase," or this “I must increase," and you cannot change the one word without changing the other. It you say “I must increase" you must add, “He must decrease," and in our souls we bear witness that this is so. "What a man soweth, that shall he also reap," is seen daily in the condition and ways of God'; people as to this very truth. Is it then your purpose to show in your life that the words of John the Baptist are your motto? May it be so, and may the Lord give His word power over our souls for His name's sake.