UK 14:15-38{OUR subject to-night is, What is the nature of the present portion of the believer.
We read in 1 Cor. 2, "We speak wisdom among them that are perfect." The meaning of the word perfect in Scripture is a person established in Christ. You may be long about it, but, if you are not yet clear, you are still a babe in Christ-you are not perfect. The first Epistle to the Corinthians was written to show where the defect was-no particular thing about Christ. In 2 Cor. 5 he says, Now you are a new thing altogether. The hindrance is in not being clear of the old man. Till you are, you are not established in Christ. When one is clear of that, there is rest. It is then true of the believer, as it was of Israel of old: " The land had rest from war."
I belong to Christ; I am of Him; I do not belong to the old man. The only true standard is,. " Not I, but Christ liveth in me." The only question in everything is, What would Christ do? How am I to do this or that? How would Christ do it? If we knew Him better, this would settle every question. I get but one standard for my conduct: Christ.
You say, He was not in domestic life. But He had the grace for it, though a Nazarite. Besides this He made me, that I might be a creature here to the glory of God, and He gives me grace to be as He appointed me. In Ephesians, where we are brought to the highest point, I get my duties pointed out; but there is no lower standard than Christ. Christ is all and in all. Nothing but Christ. First I have to learn that I am cleared of everything, and Christ is all; next I learn what I partake of in Christ; what is my portion. The simplest form of this is found here in the gospel narrative.
One says to the Lord: "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." The kingdom of God: God's rule. What a blessed time when we can have everything according to God; where we can be quite natural; where God will have the rule. " Eat bread;" the commonest thing. That man looked on to the millennium; he had a wonderful idea of the divine order; a beautiful conception; a blessed aspiration. We have the same idea in Ex. 24 They saw the body of heaven in clearness, and they ate and drank in the presence of it; that is, they went on naturally. The characteristic of the believer is to seek the kingdom of God. If I am seeking God's rule and sway in this disordered earth, I get all things for the present as well as future.
But now, the Lord says, I am going to do something before that time. I will show you a better thing even than that millennial day, and that is the " supper." If I am seeking something bright here, where all is disorder, I am diverted from God's scene, where all is in His order; it must be " In spirit there already." The source of joy with most is, that they are saved, and certainly I do not want to weaken that joy; it is the new song; but it is not the only song; and that song will not keep you from seeking something in the present scene.
Paul says, I am entranced by what I am brought into; by that new scene which God brings me into, and in this present time too, in spirit. It is wisdom's feast: " Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: she hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. She lath sent forth her maidens; she crieth upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled." (Prov. 9:1-51Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: 2She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. 3She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city, 4Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, 5Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. (Proverbs 9:1‑5).) It is a feast held in a new place: " She hath builded her house." People use this for the gospel, and I do not object to their doing so, but it is the end of the gospel, not the beginning: it is the feast of accomplished grace. You cannot have the feast before the prodigal is brought into the house. It is said the fatted calf is the sacrifice of Christ. That is not true. It is participating in the unfolding of what grace presents. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit." It was not revealed to Isaiah. Then it was like folding-doors at the end of the room; God's people never saw through them; but now the folding-doors are thrown open. If they were not, we could not be told to " seek the things above." Isaiah could not give such an exhortation, for the things were not yet revealed. Christ when He went into heaven said, " I go to prepare a. place for you." He did the work; He cleared man from ruin, and then He says, now " have faith in me." (John 14) That is the power to get into these things, and to keep us above all the opposition by the way.
Here, in Luke, it is more that there is a place for our hearts to delight themselves in: it is " Come; for all things are now ready." You must not lose the idea that it is a feast; it is the exhibition of the divine order. The Lord says, I will introduce you into a scene where all is of God; where you will have unbounded delight.
As Paul says: " Beside myself to God." And it is not only a feast, but a feast in a new place. The prodigal had but two places; either the far country or the Father's house. To which do I belong? There is no third place. Do I connect myself with the Father's house? Thank God I do. Christ is there, and He says, I will " come forth and serve you." " Where your treasure is there will your heart be." It is a wonderful thing to be able to say, I am not looking for joys except there. "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." What hinders people is looking for things here in a scene of disorder; for green fields in the wilderness; and how a person in the wilderness craves for green fields! Souls are looking for what suits them naturally, are looking for the mercies of God to improve the things here. All this diverts the heart from the great festival in God's house. An evangelist may say, I have found a man in a highway or under a hedge. And what have you done with him, I ask? It is well to tell him of Christ for salvation, but you must not leave him there. Unseen things are eternal; and it is with these that the Spirit connects me; with the things that are there. I belong to Him in the place where He is. As we sing "No place can fully please us, Where Thou, O Lord, art not."
He said, "If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said I go unto the Father." He is gone to a place that suits Him, and He says, You ought to be glad. This is not connected with my salvation, but with the delight of my heart. Of the Holy Ghost He said: " He shall take of mine and shall skew it unto you;" He will open out to you this festive scene.
The one thing I see is, that once you have got hold of the place there, you do not look for things here. That is the force of Psa. 23 " He maketh me to lie down in green pastures." That is where I am invigorated; I have got into the elaboration of wisdom. In Josh. 5 we read: "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn in the selfsame day." It is in the place where Christ is that I have my feast.
The whole point is the difference of place; if things go crooked here, where do you find your comfort? Not down here at all, but there where He is. " Lie down in green pastures" is a beautiful figure. You do not lie down to eat; but when you are full to survey. " He leadeth me beside the still waters." I am actually prepared and furnished. I can come out quietly and orderly to my work. No man will do his work well who has no home; but if he has, he is happy in his work; he comes from it orderly and carefully, and goes back to it eagerly: his interests and his joys are there, Thus my joys are in heaven, but my work is down here; my supplies and my support are there. This is what makes a man a stranger here.
The passover was celebrated in three places:
1. Egypt.
2. The wilderness.
3. The land.
The place gives the character to it. The first celebration was in Egypt. There is no remembrance there.
The second was in the wilderness, amidst trying circumstances, in a wretched scene, in great trial. They went three days and found no water. I have to learn lessons there. Many think they are in the wilderness. I wish they were, for there they would have nothing but God. It is a wonderful thing when I truly am in the wilderness, to remember how Christ delivered one; but there is no spring there. I am not " beside myself to God."
Now what a difference when you get to Canaan! There I eat the old corn of the land; there I feed upon Christ in glory.
Thus the place comes in. I am connected with one place or the other. When a soul is established in Christ, the thing to learn is Christ Himself. Therefore in Ephesians Paul prays, " that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." That is the highest education. That is the second prayer. The first prayer refers to the purpose of God for His people; but it is from the second prayer that comes out the practical expression of Christ in the life here. If you were taken to heaven, the first thing your heart would look for would be Christ. In the brightest scene of heaven itself, you would look for Christ Himself, for the One who brought you into all this blessedness. Nothing gives such comfort of heart. Like Stephen: he was the fulfillment of John 14 He says, There is no place for me here; and Christ says, I give you a place where I am.
Turn for a moment to 1 Kings 10. Here we get the queen of Sheba who, though not so much an illustration of our position as Stephen is, yet came to Jerusalem where Solomon was. When she saw Ms wisdom, his house, his table, Ms servants, "there was no more spirit in her." Like the apostle she was entranced.
Mark how it is his-his-his. All things were personally connected with Solomon. In the Old Testament you get what the natural mind can take in set forth quite plainly. Thus here is one who leaves her own country, where she has plenty and wealth, to see a very wise man. She communes with him; and what is the effect? There is no spirit left in her. I get so entranced with the feast, that I think very little of the things I possess down here. She had plenty of treasure, but she thought no more of it when she saw Solomon. And no one gets clear of natural things here, till he gets them eclipsed with what is beyond the brightness of the sun.
When we get hold of a glorified Christ (and the Holy Ghost has come down to tell us of Him) one does not know how, but things drop off, like old leaves pushed off by new. One gets clear of things almost unconsciously. Natural things lose their attraction and interest. A careful historian of his own soul knows his different besetments, and he does not know how to get free from them. But if he gets near Christ, he is set free without his knowing how. Not only am I in the closest relationship to Him, but it is a character of union of a wondrous order; He is the source of all my supplies; I have no head but Christ; I have Christ's parts; I have Christ's mind; I have Christ's wisdom; and nothing will suit me but His place.
Ephesians is the "royal bounty"-a gift; but I cannot keep it without Colossians. Colossians is participation; it is more experience. The queen of Sheba could leave Jerusalem and go back to her own country. She was not in relationship with Solomon. But I am, and I could not leave the place where He is. True, I have relationships here, but I carry them out with a new power.
So we read, " Which of you intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost whether he have sufficient to finish it " Or what king going to war against another king, sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?" The tower is for protection, not aggression; the army is for aggression. All depends on what material I have. If it is natural it will come to grief. I have to carry on old relations in a new power.
One word more. We read in Luke 18, "Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." That is the answer to chapter 14:26. " If he hate not." You might say that is very severe and ascetic. Now chapter 18. is a most interesting comment upon it. Surrender in itself is not worth anything. For instance, Jephthah surrendered what he chose; it was his own will; but what I have to surrender is whatever interferes with my following the Lord; that is the first thing in my mind. Chapter 14:26 looks like a very rigid rule; but the Lord gilds it by saying, (chap. 18:29)
You gain immensely in this present time; you are not a bit a loser by what you surrender. In this feast I have such joy in the Lord that I am no loser.
We have but a poor idea of the magnificent portion God has provided for our souls. This is where we often lose power in preaching the gospel. If we had the characteristic that we have gained something wonderful outside the world, we should have immense power with the world.
The one simple lesson we have to learn is, more of Christ in the place where He is. May the thought rest in your minds, I am here to learn something of Christ; and when one lesson is learned, you will be passed on to another; and so the heart is made more and more acquainted with Him in the scene that suits Him, and I get so cheered and established in it, that I leave all, and press toward the mark. For when my heart is acquainted with that new scene, when I have seen Him there (I must see Him there first), the moral effect is what Paul gives us in Phil. 3 I leave all behind to get to Him.
The Lord grant we may each know more of the blessedness of that scene, and thus be proof against things here-against the many offers in this scene. When a man is looking for advancement here, for improvement in his circumstances on earth, he is not enjoying the supper. The supper has lost its place in his heart. What a thing to have all my joys there! To be in the place where Christ is, to have His festivities in that place, and to draw all my resources from thence!
(J. B. S.)