"Christ is all, and in all." Who can be this except God? "All" excludes everything else. In getting Christ we get eternal blessedness, and life, and knowledge of the Father—all that will make heaven blessed. The object on which we look gives perfect rest to the conscience and heart. The One in whom the Father delights, I know has given Himself for me, and has satisfied not only the Father's love, but God's righteousness. I start with the consciousness of being perfectly loved and perfectly cleansed. My relationship and standing with God are not founded on anything that I am, but on what Christ has done. The law put life at the end of the course; Christianity puts it at the beginning. The Christian has redemption behind him; and he is walking through the wilderness, waiting and watching for Him who is the object of his heart—for Him who gave not merely something for him, but Himself- who kept back nothing.
The distinct character of the Christian is that of one in a state of expectation. "Like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately."
The state of the soul is the first thing; it must precede service. It is, "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning." Before we serve, our own state is in question—not the service but the quality of the service depends on it. Christ, the revelation of Christ, must be applied to everything; it is a dirty world, an d you must have your heart rightly tucked up as you go through it—"your loins girded." There must be these two things: the heart in order (kept so by the Word of God), and no will of our own. The instant we are not in the consciousness of God's presence, self comes up—will is there. But, if we are in earnest, running to attain, we are glad of the removal of every hindrance to our running. Try your heart by this. Do you think a man running a race which he cared to win would weight himself by keeping even gold upon him? I judge everything by one object; Christ being my object, I judge all by Him, and I say, If this hinders me in running after—in apprehending—Christ, let it go.
Then, when you have got your heart in order, comes the full and unqualified confession of Christ before men: "Your lights burning." If the heart be not first right within, profession is useless; but where it is true, let us have it out. There is always a shrinking from confession when there is not power within.
A Christian is one whose affections are fixed upon Christ, and who is waiting for Him. If He has bought us with a price, it is that we may be as men that wait for their Lord. Everyone should be able to see that you are a man waiting for Christ. If we were so, it would cut up by the roots ninety-nine out of a hundred of the things people so live for down here.
Can the world say of all of us, as of the Thessalonians of old, These are a people who have given up every idol to wait for God's Son from heaven? The world ought to think so. It is, Blessed are those servants whom He finds not only waiting but watching for Him.
There was not one act for self in all Christ's life; He was always at the service of everyone. It is difficult for us to believe in the love of Christ, we are so selfish. Love likes to serve, selfishness to be served. Christ was love; He delighted to serve; He took upon Him the form of a servant; He took it as a man, and He never gives it up; even in that day, "He will come forth and serve them." He says, You shall never make Me give up this delight of Myself—to serve you.
First we have, "Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching"; and then we get, "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing" - serving in the place where his Lord has set him. Where their affections are watching, they get Christ's affections in return, serving them in heaven; where they are doing, they get the ruling all that He has. Where we serve, we rule; where we watch, we sit at the table, and He serves us.
Christ shows His perfect love. If I love a person a little, I give him a little—a small thing. If I love him much, I give him more; but if I love him perfectly—which of course I cannot do- I give him everything I have. But more; when the world gives anything, it has to part with what it gives; but He says, "Not as the world giveth, give I unto you." He brings us into the enjoyment of everything that He has.
But at the same time He came "to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?" The cross brought in what man will never accept; he will not have the reproach of it. They despised and rejected Him even before the cross; the fire was "already kindled." But that thing which tests the heart of man, and exposes it, sets free the heart of God. When He was baptized with that baptism, it opened the floodgates of God's love.
Verse 53 is a quotation from the prophet, describing the most horrible state of things. And this the cross will do; take care that your own will does not do it. But the state of man is such that when God gives His Son, this is the effect of it.