I desire to say one word, which is, that whilst we dwell on the love of Christ, as we have been doing, we must not forget the jealousy of Christ. The greater the love, the greater the jealousy, if any cause is given to raise it; as it says, "Love is strong as death jealousy is cruel as the grave; the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame."
Think of the Lord as we have seen Him in John's Gospel, and now see His aspect here. Instead of being girded with a towel, washing His disciples' feet, He is now girded with a golden girdle. He is no longer serving, He is inspecting; His whole appearance is changed; as if the father of a family came to his house, and found everything in disorder. I ask you, I ask myself, how does the Lord view things? We may be glad for a moment to get aside into a quiet nook, into a happy little meeting such as this, and talk together of His love, but we must not forget that He is light as well as love, and practically the light is left out when we dwell only upon the love.
Here His eyes are "as a flame of fire." It is light here, not love. He is throwing light upon the whole state of things in the church. And it is remarkable, that when you get near the Lord, and are prospering in soul, He makes revelations to you that surprise you. Also you discover things in yourself that you never thought were there; just as Ishmael had been in Abraham's house for years, but was revealed in a festive moment. So, when we get near the Lord, we discover the Ishmaels, the dark spots, the things that hinder the working of divine grace in our souls.
Now it is what is interior that is the question. People sometimes wonder that there is not a more beautiful exterior, but I say it is the interior that is at fault. The Pharisee, who was all for what was external, when the Lord spoke of the body of light, answered by asking Him to dine with him, as if to say, That is just what I hold. No, says the Lord, you only clean the outside, while the inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
You get the principle often in Scripture. As I have said, when Abraham made a feast for Isaac, the real character of Ishmael comes out. In that festive moment the flaw is discovered. He had been fourteen years in the house, but he had never been found out before; and then the one who had a hand in bringing him in, was the one who asked to put him out. Sarah says, " Cast out this bondwoman and her son." The apostle Paul interprets it. He says, " He that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit." The moment that Christ takes His true place in the heart, the opposition of the flesh is detected. It is His coronation-day in the soul; it is a new sense to the soul; He is enthroned in my heart, and I can no longer tolerate the flesh. It must be, " Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac."
Again, take Jacob in Syria. He is there for twenty years, and when at last God brings him back again to the land, he pitches at Shalem. There he falls to the level of the earthly man; he builds an altar-my altar. He gives up the testimony, and he suffers for it. The next thing we hear of him is, that he is afraid to dwell there, for fear of being destroyed, he and his house. Be sure of this, that if you get down to the level of the world, you will never escape out of it without suffering. Lot lost his daughters, who were married, in Sodom. Then the Lord said to Jacob, " Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make-there an altar unto God;" there Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, dies, and the last link with his mother is broken.
There is one thing about darkness, you can never convert it into light; you must increase the light, until it drives away the darkness. In the scripture we are looking at, the light is coming in to detect the darkness; for though the Lord never changes His love, He does change His manner. He loved Martha; He even puts her name first; but He treats her quite differently to Mary. He had called Moses to the work, but when he was on his road to fulfill the service, God sought to slay him. Why? Because he had not circumcised his son. The light shone upon his ways.
If you get near God, you will find the hidden flaw exposed. Do you know your dark spot? It is no small matter to bring the light in upon it. It is always working to the surface, always starting up afresh; but when light comes in, it disappears, and the wonderful beauty of Christ is transmitted to you. There is no part dark, but " the whole luminous, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give its glare." It is moral influence, without saying a word; like a wife with her husband, he may "be won;" he will not hear, but he sees the beautiful effect of the word. You come forth like a jasper stone, "a stone most precious;" and this you can be already.
We need to study more the heart of the Lord, as we get it in John 17, where, addressing the Father, He expresses His desires for His own who are in the world. Here, in this scene of the marred candlestick, the bride will come out resplendent with beauty, not a characteristic of Christ wanting to her; as you get it in Proverbs: the result of the wise woman's work and activity is, that her husband may be known in the gates. She does all the work, and he gets all the credit.
Do you go about this world with the sense of how the Lord feels things? What does He think of it all? It is often said, He will set it all right when He comes; but the question is, what are you going to do in the meantime? Surely I am going to act according to His pleasure.
Of these seven churches, there are two that 'are not under any censure, Smyrna and Philadelphia; and to Smyrna He appears in the same aspect as He does to John, for they were faithful. Four of them run on to the end. I see that to the last there is a faithful company remains, and that is a great comfort to me. Oh, but do you say that you are in it? I answer, I am earnestly going in for it; anyhow, I would not go in for any other; I will not go in for Thyatira, for example. I thank God He has it, and I am going in for it. How will you find it Well, there were seven thousand in Elijah's day who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and of whom he knew nothing, but I have a certain way of discovering this company: in communion with the Lord, and in company with the Holy Ghost, I look to find out where Christ's interests lie on this earth, and there I take my place.
I find there are three classes of Christians in the present day. The first is marked by affection. They are occupied with their affections, and their theme is that which produces them. And these people are never at rest-they are self-occupied though devoted. The second class is occupied with association with Christ; they are like people scaling heaven. They, too, are never satisfied; one day up, another down; they never get to the height they desire. The third class is occupied with Christ's interests here on earth, the true mark and simple consequence of union with Him. There is no effort about it; you do not even make the thing prominent; you are not thinking of what you can render, but you cannot think of anything else. It is just the difference between the two alabaster boxes. In Luke 7 it was display-not intentional display; but it was in. the Pharisee's house, and in the presence of all gathered there; it was for a living Christ. But in John 12 it was for His burial; she did it to gratify her own heart; if He died, there was nothing here to command her; and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
Men will spend their property, will go to great cost, and thus make great impressions on the minds of others; but there are things to give up that no one can recognize, that only the Lord can see, that only He can interpret. I do not see any one gain from the Lord, unless he is on the losing side as to himself. Those who are on the gaining side for self, are not advancing in the things of God. If not practically suffering for Christ, if going in for enjoyment here, you are more like Jonathan than like Ruth. Many a man will sacrifice property for Christ, who will shrink from suffering for Him.
The aspect in which the Lord presents Himself to Philadelphia is not found at all in chapter i. It is an encouraging aspect; there is nothing inquisitorial about it; it is power connected with holiness and truth. There is no "and" there; it is what I call a cumulative process.
It is a great cheer to my soul that the Lord has a faithful company going on to the end. He sets an open door before them, which is what He did for David. In the time of his weakness God brought the priest to him, and the mighty men. I believe that where the greatest opposition and trial have been, there the greatest blessing will be. It is there God makes an open door. In the brightest moment of the church Barnabas broke down. No doubt he came back again, but for the moment he broke down. But in the very next chapter Paul gets the right man for the right work; he gets Timothy; the lack is supplied. This is what I call an open door. If Barnabas moves off, the Lord brings in Timothy. The Lord grant we may have more simple faith in Himself, and more devotedness of heart to be occupied with His service, for His name's sake.
(J. B. S.)