BEFORE entering upon this subject, let us love to be reminded of the manner of reverence due to the Lord Jesus. It is as we contemplate His greatness, His majesty, and His Godhead that we are quite at home with Him; for it is only as we have communion-common thoughts-with the Father about the magnitude of His work, and the wonders of His humiliation, that we get a commensurate estimate of our fitness for the glory.
We cannot, therefore, think right thoughts of the scene in the wilderness, where, the Lord Jesus, a perfectly dependent man, and Satan confront each other, until after we have had communion with Him in His death. The cross comes before the wilderness for us; but in both, the power of the enemy has been completely broken. In the Lord's case, He had met him in the wilderness before commencing His public ministry, when He refused all he could offer; and in the end of His course He had to meet him again in a very special manner in the garden, when he endured all he could bring against Him. Afterward, on the cross, He broke his power completely by turning' the throne of God from a judgment seat against us, into a government seat for us.
Let us contemplate the occasion which led to the wilderness scene; Matt. 3 and 4. The voice of God, through the greatest prophet that had yet arisen, compels those of Jerusalem and Judea, &c., to turn their backs on that which had been unfaithful to God, and to go out to John to be " baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." The Lord, seeing this movement, practically says to those upon whom the word of God had thus acted: You are going the right way, and I will go with you. He comes to John to be baptized, and thus identifies Himself with people " confessing their sins," at the same time graciously identifying John with Himself in His work of fulfilling " all righteousness." Observe, He does not identify Himself with their sins, but with their excellency; for the first bit of excellency in a sinner, is the confession of having none.
His bearing sin is exclusively confined to the cross: " Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" -not in the garden. Again, when the apostle speaks of the curse, he fixes it to the tree: " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." And again, after His wondrous course through such a sinful scene, instead of contracting a single stain, it could be written of Him: " Who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God." He offered to the righteousness of God a spotless victim, and the righteousness of God dealt with Him according to the deserts of sin. Who can measure it! "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." So that now, dear fellow believer, the righteousness of God is God's judgment in your favor, according to His estimate of Christ's blood. But in the scene we are now considering, I repeat, He does not identify Himself with their badness but with their goodness. If you turn to John 3:20,2120For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:20‑21), you will see this principle unfolded. It is written: " He that doeth truth cometh to the light." Had it been written, He that doeth good, you and I might well despair, for it would have set us on our own efforts to do our best. But, instead of being cast upon our own resources, we have all that is in God's heart for us, when we do truth, for He desires "truth in the inward parts " (Psa. 51:66Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. (Psalm 51:6).), and finds it in one who truthfully confesses, " In me (that is my flesh) dwelleth no good thing."
It is to this circumstance that Psa. 16:2,32O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; 3But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. (Psalm 16:2‑3), points: "My goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight." Might we not say that His goodness is such, that it takes another direction than a mere vertical one in this scene? At any time the personal excellency of that holy Man qualified Him as much for the glory which He had with the Father before creation, as He was qualified when in it before He had left it. But now His goodness was expressing itself in identifying Himself with those who, through grace, recognized the corruption within as well as the ruin around; a goodness, too, that had the cross in view, which' makes them as fit for the glory as He is Himself. It is on this occasion that the heavens are opened, and the first revelation of the Trinity is given. There was always the sense of distance when God was revealed in unity. In truth He never had been, nor could be, fully revealed as One. But now He has become a man for the purpose of revealing Himself perfectly, and of entering that glory again as the Purger of our sins, so that we might measure our fitness for God's eye, and nearness to the Father's heart, by the Son already there, who once measured our distance from God in His agonies on the cross.
The heavens are opened; the Father's voice expresses His delight in the One who had just been saying of poor sinners confessing their sins, " In whom is all my delight; " and the Holy Spirit verifies the expression, becoming the seal of it in that self-humbled One. " And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened, unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Or, as it is rendered elsewhere, " is my delight."
How wondrous is the sight! Man in his ruins, the perfect Man confessing it, and God coming out in His glories in Trinity and approving of the act of Jesus!
But is it not the same to this day? Wherever there is found a conscience-convicted sinner, or a saint broken-hearted on account of failure, confessing sins, there there is " truth in the inward parts; " and " Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever," is still saying, You are doing the right thing and I must be with you; to show to the former the efficacy of the blood, once shed, which gives a conscience without a quiver in the presence of God; and to apply to the latter the basin of water and the towel, with all its deep and blessed meaning, for perfect restoration to communion with the Father, and joy in His presence.
Our blessed Lord is now " led up of the Spirit into the wilderness." And being forty days and forty nights without food, with wild beasts, He afterward hungered.
This affords Satan an occasion to exercise his deceit and his ability in practicing it, by which man innocent and man fallen had before been taken in.
We have been considering man fallen, confessing it, and thus doing truth. But Satan and his emissaries do the exact opposite. Instead of confessing badness, they assume, goodness, as Scripture says: " Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness." He thus presents himself to the Lord with these last three temptations, which are recorded for us.
Now the first word he utters, discovers to any in communion with God, that he starts with a lie; and then he calls upon the Lord to prove the truth, by a miracle, to one who had neither heart nor conscience. I ask you if the infidelity of our day, if the unbelieving heart of man, is not well tutored in similar practices? And I ask also, if there is not a danger of saints becoming infected with that which is abroad?
I was recently hearing of a society formed for the purpose of defending the Bible; and it brought to my mind an old legend about a court fool, who suggested to the king, when going to battle at the head of his army, that it would be prudent for his majesty to take him in order to protect them when fighting against their enemies. Such people forget it is the word which defends God's saints; and when we retreat under His care, and recognize its ability to protect us, then others take knowledge of us that we keep company with the Lord Jesus, and that we are handled by His word instead of pretending to handle it.
I know nothing which gives the word of God a more important place than the reply of the Lord to the enemy's suggestion, "Command." The Lord says, as it were: I have no command to act. How fully He rested in the Father's acquaintance with His need, so that nothing but the- word could set His will in motion! Thus confronted by Satan, and occupying the ground to which the saints had been driven, as a hitherto defeated people, instead of using His Godhead power, which would have been neither example nor encouragement for us, He retires as a dependent obedient man into the sufficiency of the word for protection. " It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
He had no word to act, and therefore waited, a hungry Man, to be fed by His Father, retreating, as it were, into the book of Deuteronomy to occupy the defeated ground of the people of God, and prove the sufficiency of the word to keep a saint, even there, if dependent "invulnerable, and therefore invincible."
The enemy is defeated; and he would at all times be equally defeated by us, were we equally dependent.
Alas! that we should ever have recourse to resources of our own; for it is then that he triumphs, no matter what the efforts may be, whether intentions, resolutions, sincerity, or devotedness; he will always overcome a saint on any, or all of these grounds merely; but he never has been, nor ever will be, able to grapple with obedience to the word of God.
In Satan's next attack, he quotes a promise from Scripture applicable to the Lord Himself, and suggests that He should act in faith on this promise. What subtlety, what refinement of deceit! Is it not Scripture?- and is it not, applicable to, and written expressly for the Messiah? Is it not a sure promise? All quite true: but all the promises had been forfeited by a failing people, with whom the Lord had identified Himself. Lo-ammi had been pronounced on their then estate, and He refuses the promises incapable of being applied to it. He replies therefore again from Deuteronomy, the book which recorded their broken responsibilities, and their consequent forfeiture of everything-"It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Thou shalt not put God to the proof. He, who knew His Father well, needed not to try if He would be as good as His word. If you had a servant whom you suspected of want of faithfulness, you might be disposed to test him; but to test a trustworthy man would be to suspect him.
How wonderful to see the Lord retire into the word for self-defense from this well put thrust! He gives, "It is written," as His authority not to put God to the proof; and thus He finds perfect liberty in obedience to the word, which He uses for His own protection against the foe. What an example for us!
" Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." And again the Lord falls back upon the same book which records how God's people forsook Him, provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, and " sacrificed unto devils and not to God." He answers from this book: "It is Britten, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." He proves its -sufficiency for an obedient dependent man, and thus uses it for liberty to act according to the dictates of His own heart, and deliverance from other than divine authority.
How wonderful to contemplate. Him, who never was less than "God over all, blessed for evermore," condescending thus to act, and refusing to make use of His divine power as God, or His rights as man! This is what gives Him to us as an example, with like resources, to meet, not a hitherto triumphant but a defeated foe, whose power has been broken. What encouragement!
Well, we have seen heaven opened; we have seen Satan foiled; and now angels come and minister to a Man, to Him who is their Creator. Does it not send a thrill of delight through you, that you are a man, not an angel? Will that little tiny heart of yours-you who once excelled in wickedness-serve Him less than "His angels that excel in strength"? No, but the more; for those unjealous beings never had, nor ever will have, capacity like yours to appreciate such love as His. They never caused Him a pang; but you and I cost Him the bitter agony of the cross. Does it not make one ashamed of oneself? yet not ashamed of being a man, because it is written of a man in Christ-which every believer is-" Of such an one will I glory." One word more, ere leaving this last temptation. As Son of God born into this world, as Messiah and King of Israel, He was entitled to all that Satan had shown Him, although the enemy had it in his possession by usurpation, and through the faithlessness of man. Nevertheless it was all the Lord's; but He refused to take it under any of those titles. Had He done so, you and I were not His fellow-heirs. By the judgment of God, Satan had acquired power over all men, except the perfect Servant, who might have gone out free. But the Servant plainly says: " I love my master "-He had voluntarily taken the place of servant; "I love my wife"-" The bride the Lamb's wife;" " I love my children "-" Behold I and the children
whom God has given me; " " I will not go out free." And so, instead of taking His own rightful dominion, He takes the place of the suffering Son of man, according to Psa. 8, steadily purposing to go on to the cross, where He breaks the whole power which the enemy had acquired over us; and thus all power reverts to Him who has freed us by Himself bearing the judgment of God, which gave death its terror, and Satan his power over man.
Having thus wrought this work, which gives tis identity of terms with Himself as to acceptance; and having already entered by the same title which is made ours? He leaves us here, between the cross and the glories, to be witnesses of His victories, and of a power not possessed by us, but exercised by Him for us, even as we would have it. But He leaves us here not at our own charges: and He would have us know that we are not only qualified for heaven, but for earth also. Shall I startle you if I say, that to be qualified for this world is an advance upon being qualified for heaven?
Paul puts it, in Colossians: " That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labor according to his working which worketh in me mightily." He labored that the saints might have the full sense, and the enjoyment in their own souls, of what they were as to standing in Christ before God; that their sensible state might be in harmony with what the word calls " accepted in the beloved; " that -their state and their standing might be twin sisters, and on terms of the very closest intimacy. A " beloved physician " once expressed it when prescribing for a patient, as follows: "Remember, in order to have a man in Christ, it was necessary that Christ should be broken; but in order to have Christ seen in a man, the vessel must be broken." As a man in Christ you are qualified for heaven; every believer is that. But in order to be qualified for earth, Christ should be seen in the vessel; and this is done by bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. The dying, or the putting to death, of the Lord Jesus, applied to the flesh, keeps it under; when the cross is thus applied to every fiber of the old Adam nature, will has no place, and the life of Christ works from you; then others see Him in you. You never see Him in yourself, else you might be pleased with yourself, and that would never do. But for this there must be active power, power of the Holy Ghost of course, acting in a dependent vessel.
The difference of the way in which the " Son of man" was sealed-" Him hath God the Father sealed "-and a saint is sealed, will help us to understand this; for it is thus that the Lord qualifies us for this world, and sends us into it as He was sent into it.
But let me first remark that the Holy Ghost is far more tender and full of love than many give Him credit for. For instance, He never seals people in sin; that would be to sanction it; nor does He seal people in doubts and fears; that would be to sanction them. Your seal, faith in the blood, and God's seal, the personal in-dwelling of the Holy Ghost, are not identical. Let Scripture speak as to both. John 3:3333He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. (John 3:33). " He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." Thus, in receiving His testimony, you are setting your seal to the truth of the testimony, to the work. You deliver as your act and deed-according to lawyers' language-that God was true to His own heart in! giving His beloved Son to die a wretched death for such as we. Did you never see a person unable to write, signing for his name? One who can write, having done all that is necessary, holds the pen, and the person unable to write just touches the top of the pen whilst his mark is being affixed to the document.
Now you are the person unable to write; but you just touch the pen, so to speak, which God holds; and He affixes your mark to the document. That is setting your seal to the truth of the testimony to the work..
Then in Eph. 1:13,1413In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13‑14). "In whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Thus the Holy Ghost becomes the witness in you to the value of that work, the truth of the testimony to which you have already accredited. He does not become your title to the glory; there is no need of that. Indeed, it would be saying something else was needed for title besides the bloodshedding of Jesus. On the contrary, His blessed work is to enable you to read your title in it clearly, and exclusively. He comes as the witness of God's estimate to its value, and takes up His dwelling in your body, which thus becomes "the temple of the Holy Ghost." 1 Cor. 6:1919What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19). So that you are not only made a partaker of the divine nature, with new tastes and new desires, but the Holy Ghost, who is no less God than the Father or the Son, dwells in your body, working in that nature, giving you power to accomplish those new desires, as well as to delight in conscious relationship. "Because ye are sons "-not to make you sons-" God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father "now a conscious son.
Scripture marks the distinction between the actings of a divine Person, and the dwelling of a divine Person. In the case of the Son of God, He always acted in Old Testament times; but He is never said to have taken up His dwelling in people then. When He took the "prepared body," that was altogether another thing. So also, in reference to the Holy Ghost: His actings were in conjunction with the Son at all times; but He is never said to dwell in any one until "that holy thing" was found by Him a suited habitation. And He is never said to dwell in people until Jesus is glorified. "For the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:3939(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:39).) His quickening sinners is one thing; His coming Himself to dwell in those who are quickened is quite another thing. The sons of Aaron had to be sprinkled with blood before the holy oil, type of the Holy Ghost, could be applied to them.
Now let us turn to the type which throws much light on this subject, and gives us beautiful figures of Christ and the church, with regard to the way of the `Holy Ghost coming to dwell in each case.
In the ordination of the priesthood, Lev. 8 and Ex. 29, Aaron alone is anointed without blood; honors and dignities are heaped upon him; the holy anointing oil, figure of the energy of the Holy Ghost, becomes the witness to his claims and excellencies. What answers to this, in the New Testament, is, Jesus alone anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, (Acts 10:3838How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)) seal to His own personal purity, His righteousness, and His Sonship.
But when Aaron is anointed in connection with his sons, blood has to be put upon him first, then upon his sons; and afterward the oil is put on the blood which had been previously sprinkled upon them. What answers to this, in the New Testament, is, Christ receiving the Holy Ghost a second time, but now for us, after the blood had been shed which makes such poor things suited vessels for the Spirit of God to find a dwelling place for Himself in. We get the Scripture for this in Acts 2:3333Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33). " Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he path shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."
There is another distinction noticed in Scripture which exalts the Lord before our delighted hearts, without putting us at an inch of distance from His.
The Holy Ghost came upon Him in the form of a dove. The dove sent forth by Noah, to sec if the waters were abated, finds no rest for the sole of her foot, the waters of judgment being still there. Scripture also uses 'the dove to signify that which is "harmless," " undefiled," and clean for offering to God, as also to express a capacity for " mourning " or sorrow. Such was the form the Spirit Of God was' pleased to assume, as, descending and lighting upon Jesus, He finds perfect complacency in the "holy," "harmless," and " undefiled" One, upon whom no judgment could have come, except as He voluntarily gave Himself to bear what was due to others; and who had capacity for sorrow occasioned by sufferings which no mere creature could have endured.
But in regard to us, the Holy Ghost came in the form of tongues of fire, figures of the word and of judgment.
The same word, which had pronounced judgment on the sinner, now says, " Clean every whit"-clean not by modifying or qualifying the original sentence Of God against sin, but through a work which gives Him the place of " Justifier." The Holy Ghost has come as the seal and verifier of this, and thus gives liberty, and produces power in us, to put to death the members of the flesh, on the ground of the old man in us having been crucified when Christ was crucified. The word is: " Ye are dead." How? By the judgment having been executed, and having forever judicially extinguished the first man for the Christian. But you never have been, nor ever can be, a participator with God and Christ in doing it. The thing has been done between God and Christ; not between God, Christ, and you. Hence there is no union in death; such a thought is monstrous; and it savors something of, " Why can I not follow thee now? "
When you are converted and set in liberty" Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" -you wake up to the fact, that everything judicial which happened to Christ, happened to you when it happened to Him; because now, ever since Christ is your life-not before-His judgment, His death, and His burial are as much behind you as they are behind Him.
Baptism is the symbol of this; only it has two aspects, according to Scripture; the Red Sea aspect, as an initiatory rite; and the Jordan aspect, which fully unfolds all that of which baptism is but a figure.
We have thus a suited vessel formed by God's special grace for His Spirit to find a dwelling place in, in this world, so that whilst Christ is still refused a place in it, He might have avenues kept open in the hearts of His beloved people for His love to flow through. When the world got rid of Him they thought a triumph had been gained; but He had said: " Greater works than these shall ye do, because I go unto my Father." Surely it was a wonderful thing for Him to come into this world at all; but when once in it, He could do no less than express what He was. But now that He has submitted to be rejected, is it not a greater thing for Him to pick up those who were the slaves of sin and Satan, and make such the suited vessels for the Holy Ghost to inhabit, that He might give them to delight in the same resources, and to exercise the same kind of dependence and obedience, which were fully displayed when Jesus met the enemy in his crafty subtleties, and his unbroken power?
It is thus that we are sent into this world, as Christ was sent into it, to walk as He walked, and meet Satan with the same weapons, " sanctified to the obedience "-no less than His-" and to the sprinkling of the blood," which never loses its value, and makes us quite clear before God.
I have heard people say, this is too high truth for them.—What they mean is, that difficulties suit them better than impossibilities; for in the one there is no room for other power than that of the Spirit of God, whereas in the other there is a lingering desire to give flesh something to do; and this makes self of some importance. Whenever you hear people plead difficulties as an excuse, be assured, there is always a thought of their own resources or their own worthiness in reserve. Substitute the word "impossibilities" for "difficulties," and then you are thrown on invisible power; for if you are thinking of your difficulties you will be but as a grasshopper before then; but impossibilities for you are only grass., hoppers before God. This is what constituted the difference between the ten spies on the one hand, and Caleb and Joshua on the other.
" Greater works than these shall ye do." It is wonderful the way in which the Lord wins our hearts, causes us to delight in exercising dependence upon Himself, and then gives us credit for doing the greater works which He Himself accomplishes; as He handles empty vessels thus fitted for His use. Again, is it not now a greater work if He should use. a poor' thing like you to be` ".light in the Lord;" and to " walk in love;" than to have been light and love Himself -in the midst of darkness and hatred.? Why, He never could have been less; and: He could not make you more. Where do people see the moral impress of God now.? Not in the-fruits, flowers, valleys, mountains, rivers, or Oceans, neither in astronomy nor geology. In tall these they see but the skill of His hand stained with the trail of the serpent; and even if the serpent's poison were not there, the throbbings of His heart were unknown. Neither was it always seen in tongues, nor in the exercise of miraculous power. Where then, I ask, is the love of God seen? I gaze at it in a living Christ; the -purger of our sins, set- down on the right hand, of the Majesty on -high." I read it in a written Christ in print in my own hand. And I am cheered by it in a reflected Christ, as a dependent saint, who lies close to the bosom of Jesus, shows to others "what great things the Lord has done for I him," and how, He has had compassion on him.
But who is sufficient for these things? Let us glory in our weakness, give up talking of difficulties, and count upon Him to bring about impossibilities for mere creatures to accomplish; never forgetting that it is only as odious self is turned away from in calm disgust, we can be trusted by the 'Father to exhibit the meekness and lowliness of His precious Christ, so that He may still be seen in us by a world that- would reject Him a second time if it had opportunity.
Heaven was opened upon Him, as we were I seeing; but then it was that heaven might be occupied with God on earth. Let me tell you that heaven is now opened in a double way: not only for you to gaze at Him where the Father's heart has seated Him, but that the heavenly intelligencies might see in His beloved people the " greater things" now in accomplishment. " 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."
Let us never accept a standard that would suit the morality of the first man. God never gave a standard which the first man could reach. Adam in innocency had to reach nothing, but to enjoy what God had done and given him. You and I have to reach Christ in the glory, and never to cease reaching until then; and, in the interval, to find God our sufficiency in a place where the flesh, the world, and the devil are sworn friends. But He says: "Be of good cheer; I have overcome."
" Be careful for nothing." "For nothing":is God's word. Therefore as you put all your cares in God's hand, He will put His peace into, your heart. This gives relief from aught that could perturb. What next? You are free to be occupied with the " whatsoever things are true" and lovely,"-free to gratify your new tastes-thus fulfilling His word " that your joy may be full." Now remember, that which the 'Holy Ghost gives He never takes back; but you must put what He gives into practice in order to get more. What next? " The God of peace shall be with you." Hence the apostle says: " I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Will, Which never abdicates, 'being broken, is kept.-in abeyance; and " giving thanks always for all things," is not only the language of the word, but of faith also; because God just suits a crippled, clinging pilgrim, and a crippled, clinging pilgrim-just suits God.
"In the desert God will teach thee,
What the God that thou hast found,
Patient, gracious, powerful, holy,
All His grace shall there abound.
When to Canaan's long-loved dwelling
Love divine thy foot shall bring,
There with shouts of triumph swelling,
Zion's songs in rest to sing;
There no stranger God shall meet thee,
Stranger thou in courts above;
He who to His rest shall greet thee,
Greets thee with a well known love."
H. H. M.