THERE are seven passages of Scripture to which I would ask your attention; and in each of these passages you will find the short sentence above. By connecting these scriptures together, I think we may say we have the history of a soul exemplified in these seven “I wills” of Jesus.
The first is an invitation— “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28).)
Notice whence that invitation came, and to whom it is given. It came from the lips of the blessed Son of God, and it is to all who labor and are heavy laden—those people who are toing beneath the load of their sins, and need rest. How are they to get rest? By accepting the invitation, and coming to Jesus, who says, “I will give you rest.”
There are many persons who do not doubt the power of Christ to save, but who doubt His loving will. Like the leper who came to Him, saying, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” (Mark 1:4040And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (Mark 1:40).) What was the answer? “Jesus, moved with compassion... saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” Mark, this leper came to Jesus, to the One who says, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out;” and we may come as did this leper—filled with doubts and fears. It matters not how or in what way we come, providing we do come, for Jesus is able to remove all doubts and fears.
An anxious soul, when asked the other day if she had received Christ, replied, “I do not feel that I am accepted. If I only knew that I was accepted, I should then feel happy. But, oh dear! I am such a long way off.” I said to her, “Then you are like the prodigal. He was a long way off, and in a very degraded condition; and perhaps he wondered whether his father would receive him. But, however, he resolved to try him. So we read he arose and came to his father. And what sort of reception did he meet with? Certainly not that which he expected. ‘But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.’ He was not only kissed, but clothed, housed and fed far beyond his expectation.”
Thirdly we come to confession— “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:3232Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32).) The Lord hath declared that “every tongue shall confess to God” (Romans 14:1111For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11)); but it is our happy privilege to confess Christ now before men, and every day of our lives we are either confessing Him or denying Him. It may cost us something if we are constantly confessing Christ, as it did the blind man in John 9. The Jews had agreed that if any man did confess Jesus to be the Christ he should be put out of the synagogue. (John 9:2222These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. (John 9:22).) And they acted upon their resolution: when they found the man whose eyes had been opened confessing Christ they cast him out. Alas! how sad, a synagogue and a religion without Christ!
Why are so many Christians sad and unhappy? Is it not because they are not confessing Christ? Where ought we to begin? At home. “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee” (Mark 5:1919Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. (Mark 5:19)), said Jesus to the one who had been possessed by a legion of demons. The Samaritan woman, having her heart filled with Christ, could not forbear speaking of Him. She went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:2929Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (John 4:29).) She began with one of the Lord’s favorite words— “Come,” and ended with “Christ.” The result was, “They went out of the city, and came to Him.” (verse 30.)
Fourthly we get service— “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:1919And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19).) This was a distinct call from the Lord Jesus to Peter and Andrew, two brethren, to a distinct line of service, and the fruit of their service depended upon their obedience. They were not to go to that which they thought would be the most likely place to catch fish, but they were to follow Him where’er He might lead them. They would then find plenty; for He said, “I will make you fishers of men.”
Let us look for a moment at Peter fishing for the Lord in Acts 2. What a splendid haul of the net—three thousand souls Oh, what fish would be caught were the servants only following in the footsteps of the Master! Obedience and subjection are the things which constitute a perfect servant, and we have an example in our fifth scripture of the One who came to be obedient and subject to His Father’s will, whatever that will might be.
Is it His Father’s will that He should go into death? He would say, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:3939And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39).) He was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:88And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8).)
Oh, blessed and perfect Master, give to thy servants, we pray thee, more of thy spirit, and grace to follow in thy footsteps! In service we may expect to meet with opposition. Many things will cross our path. If the eye be not single, and we have not constantly before our gaze that One whom we are serving, we shall be discouraged and disheartened. The servants need a word of cheer and comfort. Hence the Lord says, in the next scripture, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:1818I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:18).)
And is there not indeed great comfort in the thought of the blessed Lord’s return? That He who says “Come unto Me,” and encourages everyone to do so by declaring, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out,” will Himself come again to receive all those who have accepted His gracious invitation, and will take all of them to His Father’s home—the house of many mansions—there to enjoy the unbroken and eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God.
Art thou tried and tempest-tossed, dear fellow-believer? Cheer thee, for it is only “a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” (Hebrews 10:3737For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (Hebrews 10:37).) And again, “Surely I come quickly.” (Revelation 22:2020He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20).) “Wherefore,” says the apostle, “comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1818Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:18).)
But there remains yet another scripture to be considered ere we close this paper, and that is one which speaks of GLORIFICATION.
H. C.