The Place of His Appointment
Table of Contents
The Place of His Appointment: Part 1
From Notes of an Address.
I should like to read three scriptures; one from the 1St of, Matthew, one from the 18th of Matthew, and one from the 28th of Matthew.
Matt. 1:21-23; 18:15-20; 28:16 to the end. The "world" here should be, as most of us know, translated by the term "age". While I have it on my heart to say just a little to believers tonight, I trust enough may be said concerning God's glad tidings to meet the need of any here that are out of Christ. First, let us notice the 20th verse of the 18th chapter.
“For where two or three are gathered together to My Name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Now, this text is exceedingly familiar to almost all in this room. We have quoted it a great many times; we have sought to subscribe to it, though conscious of being flecked with many defacings, conscious of very much weakness and very much failure; but it contains God's principles of gathering, and I trust we may see somewhat in it that shall reach our consciences anew, and touch our hearts afresh.
Now, that little text, if broken up into parts, contains seven distinct thoughts. "For where" -that's the divine place; "Two or three"that's the divine testimony; "Are gathered"-that's divine separation; "Together"-that's divine oneness; "To My Name"-that's divine authority; "There am I"-that's divine presence; "In the midst of them"-that's the divine center. How precious! Now, it is of all necessity, if we are going to be agreeable to Him, to know just where the Lord would have us be, in this world, I mean as to the assembly, our Church relation in this world. Now we know that question is commonly considered, allowing the widest latitude for human choice; but when we come to Scripture, we find we are not left with discretional power. We find God has chosen for us, has distinctly defined His mind, and we are responsible and under obligations to answer to that mind as revealed in Scripture-in His Word.
First, as to where, let us notice a little in the 28th of Matthew, for that scripture contains a principle which holds good until this present moment. (10th verse.) "Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid; go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed the chief priests all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept. * * * Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, unto a mountain where Jesus had appointed them." What we have from the 11Th to the 15th verses, is a kind of parenthesis, and in the. 16th verse you have the thought resumed. "And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted." The point I am after in this -passage is this, that when we are gathered according to God's mind, we conform to His appointment, and do not choose for ourselves. It is the principle that is in it. Jesus said to them, "There shall ye see Me." They answered to His appointment, and found Him as good as His word; and when gathered there, He was in their midst. There is immense principle in that, and as we were saying a moment ago, sometimes during union meetings, souls are converted, souls are saved, and then they are told to select the church of their choice; to go, in other words, where they please. But you see Jesus has appointed a place, Jesus has named a place, and if we are to have His presence. we are to conform to His wishes, His desires, His will, His appointment.
Let us notice still another scripture as to where. Take, for example, the 13th of Hebrews, 12Th verse. "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come." Now this is most important in connection with the thought of where. If in the earlier scripture we find that we are to meet the Lord according to His appointment, here we find Him outside of something, and that something is called "the camp". Well, we all know what the camp was in that day, but what answers to it now? Why, the whole system of things religious, that places man in the flesh in outward relationship with God. Where is Jesus as to that? He is outside of it, and I am called upon as a believer to go forth unto Him, bearing His reproach.
We can't dwell at length on any of these scriptures. Indeed, the line of truth will be simply suggestive, and you may look these questions up at your own liberty, but that, to me, is the most important. It is a system of things which characteristically stands connected with this world. Whereas the believer has no continuing city here, indeed, is a stranger and pilgrim. It would not be hard to fix the application of such a text as this, unless we were seeking to evade the edge of it; and that is true, you know, as a rule with us, that where scripture is difficult of application, difficult of understanding for us, it is because our duty and our desire part company. That is when we have our difficulty, and you will have it so al most every time. But, what characterized the assembly of God at the beginning, as it came fresh from His hand? What characterized it in anticipation, if you please, when the table of the Lord was first spread? Is it something connected with this world as the camp? No; let us see. Look please at Luke 22:9, "And they said unto Him, Where wilt Thou that we prepare? And He said unto them, Behold when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the good man of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the passover with My disciples? And he shall show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready." Now you see that is consistent with the position of the Christian in this world, who is told that here he has no continuing city, in contrast with that which is called the camp, which is a parcel of the world's system, and which is an established thing in this scene. What have you here? The brethren gathered by His appointment in a guest chamber. Not the temple, but the guest chamber. That is a remarkable thought. What is a guest chamber? Just a room where one might tarry for a night. Just the opposite of something fixed and sure, and of an abiding character in this world. Just the opposite, and you have the same thought, I believe, in the first chapter of Acts, haven't you? You remember the scripture, 12Th verse. "Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room." So the place, the where, is not only outside, it is not only characterized by being transient, but it is out of the world. It is in an upper room. It is in an out-of-the-world place, an out-of the-world position, and indeed; if you carry out the thought, in going on to the 10th of Hebrews, in heart and spirit, it is within the veil, it is within the holiest of all. Blessed fact. So you see as to the where, as to the place, it stands detached from this world,: and attached to heaven; and all that characterized it here speaks of what is transient, or what is not abiding; of what is outside and above it all. But, perhaps, that is as much as we should say as to where.
Two or three." "Where two or three." There is something very blessed in that, and do we really understand the secret of this blessed text? "Two or three." You see, with all their blessing on the day of Pentecost, they never could have known the specific application of this scripture as we may know it. It is just as though the Lord Jesus anticipated all the ruin that has come in; just as though He had seen how the Church would be wrecked, divided and subdivided, and that there would be just a little handful that would be willing to turn aside from the mass to gather to His Name alone. Blessed fact. You see, you couldn't have an assembly composed of less than two. If there were just one, that would not be an assembly. But He puts it at the lowest plurality, and says if there are just two that are willing to abide by these principles, "There am I in the midst of them." Marvelous truth. Blessed fact.
You see it shouldn't be a question of numbers that would affect us. We never could arrive at the truth in that way. It either is the truth, or it is not. Numbers cut no figure whatever.
But you know, and I know, too, as a matter of fact, that never did the wrong stand stronger, and never lay the right so weak. That's a fact, and you know it. You know, I repeat it, that never did the wrong stand stronger, and never lay the right so weak, but God's truth is just the same. The principles that govern the assembly are just the same, and what we are exhorted to do as God's children, is to go on with that which was from the beginning. It may not have the appearance of up-to-dateness, it may look a little like a back number, if you are going to think of it in a human way, but God's truth needs no date. If it were the truth two thousand years ago, it is the truth tonight, and will be the truth eternally. Yes, it will, and God give us, through His own precious grace, in this day of weakness, in this day of feebleness, in this day of littleness, not to despise this day of small things. We may not have the appearance of an army with banners, but we can at least be leaving the wilderness, "Leaning upon our Beloved." (Songs of Solomon 8:5.) We may be seen leaving the wilderness, owning our weakness, owning our littleness, owning our feebleness, owning our failure, and as we were saying a moment ago, we shall be flecked with many defacings, but the truth of God abides. It is one thing to start out by subscribing to what is unscriptural; it is another thing to subscribe to what is scriptural, and fail in accomplishing your endeavor.
Let us notice a little further, "Two or three.'' You know scripture says, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." That is another way to look at the "two or three". Not only that it would require this many to form the assembly of the very smallest character, but also, if you have just two, you have the witness number, and if you have three you have the full witness number; so let us not be discouraged since it is a day of small things, knowing that we have the Lord. I say we, and when I saw we, whom do I mean? Any who through grace, with bowed heads, broken hearts and chastened spirits, are willing to own no name but His. But now a little farther. "For where two or three are gathered together, etc." Now to be gathered, supposes separation; and that is just what is true of God's people according to God's thought.
If you take Israel of old, what was said of them in the 20th of Leviticus? "I have severed you from other people", and now what is said of us? Us, I mean all the children of God. "I have chosen you out of the world." If there were in our hearts a state which answered to this, you would find something of what you have in character in the 4th of Acts. "And being let go, they went to their own company." The line of distinction and separation between our souls and this world would be distinct, would be plain, would be clear. But is It? You know full well to the contrary. Distend of our being gathered, I speak of the Church of God now at large, including all the systems of man, you have all sorts of mixtures, from the most devoted saints to the boldest infidels, all under the name of Christ. That is not being gathered; that is not according to God's principle of separation. It is not according to God's principle of unity, for God's principle of unity is separation from evil, and not the toleration of it. It is good for us to learn that.
(To be continued)
The Place of His Appointment: Part 2
Then I want to notice another thing here, "Gathered together", there is divine oneness, And now what about it in the world? If you take a swift sweep over Christendom tonight, what meets your eye? Nearly thirteen hundred different religious bodies. Instead of the saints of God being gathered together, if gathered at all, they are gathered apart. They are scattered. I tell you, beloved, we should feel, every one, that we have contributed to this state or condition of things more or less. But how far are we going on with the principle set forth here? "Where two or three are gathered together to My Name there am I in the midst of them." You know the apostle anticipated this state of things. It isn't that the Spirit of God has been taken by surprise, if I may speak in that familiar way. No, but the apostle says, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock", and he says also, "Of yourselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them." He anticipated what has come in. Not only would evil assail the assembly from without, hut the Church of God would become the very birthplace of it, so that in its practical manifestation, it would be divided and subdivided and divided again, just as we have it tonight. How did Paul meet that spirit among the saints? He says, "I hear there are contentions among you, one saying I am of Paul and I of Apolos and I of Christ", and, he says, "Is Christ divided'?" it would be just as consistent to think of a divided Christ, as a divided Church. It is a solemn thing when we think of it. It is the bud and shoot of all sectarianism as we have it tonight, full grown. May God bring us back in our thoughts to His thoughts, and may we be willing to accept what He has set forth, and set to our seal that He is true.
I will not" speak further on this, as it would take too long. Indeed; there is enough in that one subject to engage the evening. It was a principle in the death of Christ that we should be One. We get that in the 2nd of Ephesians, and what I press on your conscience is this, if this unity of God's people was a purpose in the death of Christ, if it cost Him His sorrow, His griefs, His passion, His agonies, when He hung on the tree, how can you dismiss it from your conscience as a subject of little consequence and of little moment? How can you get rid of it? How can you brush it aside so lightly, since it was a purpose in the death of Christ? Beloved friends, God give us to come back to just what He says in His own Word, and be willing to abide by what it teaches. In spite of difficulties, in spite of our littleness, in spite of our want of strength, let us seek grace, those who know the truth, to hold fast that which we have, that no one take our crown. Not the accomplishment of new victories, not entering into new conquests; it is simply holding what you have, lest you lose your crown. That is what you are asked to do. That is what you are exhorted to do. But then again, how would this practically be carried out now? By endeavoring to keep, or according to the corrected translation, "Using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Now there are two or three things that would be excluded if the unity were the Spirit's unity. In the first place the Spirit is the Spirit of life; and in the second place He is the Holy Spirit; and in the third place He is the Spirit of truth. So in order to keep that unity you would have to have life-you would have to be born again. You would need to be a child of God. In order to keep that unity, you would need to seek through grace to walk in holiness. In order to keep that unity, you would need to have regard for the truth, and any principle allowed or tolerated that would compromise the question or life, or holiness, or truth, even though there were oneness, it would not be the unity of the Spirit. I speak now as to its practical manifestation in this world. But that is enough as to our being gathered together.
What is next before us? "For where two or three are gathered together to My Name, there am I in the midst of them." People sometimes say there is nothing in a name. You often hear that, but O, how much there has been in a name, for each saved one in this room tonight: and O, precious lost one, let me turn aside just for a moment to speak to you as to that Name. Did you notice at the beginning of this evening, we read from the first of Matthew, "And His Name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins"? Is there anything in the name? Take the 4th of Acts, if you please, and allow me to read Verses 11 and 12. "This is the stone" (speaking of Jesus Christ) "which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner, Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.'' So you are shut up as to that. There is no other way. No other Name. There is no other escape, no other outlet, hut thank God, that Name is under heaven, and so available to sinners in this world for salvation. But I want to show you something further as to that Name, and it is in the 2nd of Philippians. I want to show you God's thoughts about it, before we flippantly say, or allow there is nothing in a name. (8th verse). "He" (Jesus) "being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God bath also highly exalted Him", now listen, "And given Him a Name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth and things under the earth." The word "things" should be "beings"; "and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." And would you say after reading that testimony of God, or would you tolerate the thought, there is nothing in a name? God forbid. Now, I say that is the only name to which we are to gather„ The only name. If it is the only name for salavation, it is the only name to which we are to gather. You wouldn't think of putting Martin Luther's name beside Christ's for salvation; nor John Wesley's name beside Christ's for salvation, and yet you are willing to put those names beside Christ's when it is a question of gathering. I will use only those two names; they stand for all the rest in principle. There, you have it. Whatsoever is less than that Name is too little, and whatsoever is more than that Name is too much. It is the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you gathered to that Name alone? Are you?
Well, now see a little farther; we might dwell on that, but not tonight. "There am I." Here is the divine presence. O, that wondering thing, and beloved friends, let us see to it that we cultivate more and more the thought that the Lord Jesus is in our midst. There is nothing that will hold the heart like that. There is-nothing that will attract a soul like that. There is no one that has the charm about his name that Christ has, whose presence is vouchsafed to the two or three gathered to His Name; and why did I read that text from the first of Matthew, at the beginning of this talk tonight? Simply because you have here what you have there. You say, "What do you mean?" Now notice, we read, "And His name shall be caulked Ell manna which being interpreted is, God with its." Not "God with me", but "God with us." That is what you have here in 'Matthew. Did the Jews ever realize that? No, they never realized it. They never saw in Him the Messiah. Since this is true, where is this fact now to find its application? Where is God with us? You find its realization in the two or three gathered to the Lord's Name. God with us. "There am I in the midst of them." Blessed, wonderful fact. "O", you say, "that might have done in another day'', but why did I read the last verse of the last chapter of Matthew? Simply because as Matthew begins, Matthew ends. Let us notice again in the last -clause of the 28th chapter. "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." To whom is He talking-individuals? No, He is talking to His gathered saints who have conformed to His appointment, and in whose midst He stands for the joy of their hearts. In the first chapter you have ''God with us." With us. Emphasize the "us". In the 18th chapter you have, "There am I in the midst of them", and how long? In the 28th chapter, "Even unto the end of the age." What is it that so much stands in our way as to the realization of this? I will tell you what it is. Let me turn back to the 28th of Genesis, 10th verse.
"And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran, and he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them up for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. * * * And he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I 'knew it not.”
Has the sun gone down for you on this world? How about it? Has your heart been abstracted and your eyes closed to what is here? It is very likely that you will find more than what Jacob found. What did he find under these conditions? Notice the 16th verse. Have you ever been made to say that, as gathered to His Name, "Surely the Lord is in this place"? And if you haven't, why haven't you? Just because the sun has not gone down on this world for you. Just because your heart has not been abstracted from what is here. Just because your eyes have not closed against it all. That's a fact. You noticed in the 28th of Matthew, what? Some doubted. Jesus appointed a meeting place. They conformed to His appointment, they found Him there, they were glad when they saw the Lord, but some doubted; and very likely they might have reported it a dry meeting, a dry place, but why a dry meeting, a cold place? Because they doubted, because they were still in their souls under the ensnaring effects of this world. Man wants something to see, something to look at, the spectacular. We walk by faith.
When you take your place at the Lord's table, repeat to your soul, "Surely, the Lord is in this place." What was Jacob's conclusion from this? He says, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Why is it we don't get more often in the neighborhood of heaven in our meetings? Why is it there is not more with us the sense of what it is to be in the house of God? It is because we are not setting to our seal that God is true when He says, "There am I." That the Lord is true when He says, "There am I." But may I be bold to say we will have gone a little farther than Jacob, for if he speaks of the gate of heaven, he speaks of it from the outside. If we speak of the gate of heaven, we speak of it from the inside. You say, "How is that`?'' Our place is through the veil. Thank God for this. O, how holy, how holy is the subject we are considering at this moment, and one feels like taking the shoes off the feet and bowing the head again, and repeating solemnly, and yet with joy, "Surely, the Lord is in this place.”
O, may God Himself increase and deepen in our souls the sense of privilege that is ours of being gathered to His Name. Didn't the Lord Jesus repeat this when He said in the 2nd of Hebrews, which is a quotation from the Psalms -notice it please, 11Th verse, "For both He that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren. In the midst of the assembly will I sing praises unto Thee." Thank God, 1 triumph now. If He is in our midst He is there to lead our song. O, how blessed that is. If He has title to sing, having come out in victory from death, that death was for you and me, and we may sing, too. Blessed, blessed be His Name! Do you remember that word in the 14th of 1 Corinthians, where you have a condition of things contemplated which is orderly, and we learn that even if an unbeliever is in such a meeting, he will be obliged to go forth from that place, saying, "Surely God is among you of a truth." I tell you, beloved friends, we just dabble at the edge of what it is to be gathered to the Name of the Lord Jesus. He is in our midst.
O, God deepen, deepen in our souls what it is, the sense of it, the holy, blessed sense of what it is to be where the Lord is; and may our souls repeat the deepening conviction, it is true, "Sorely, His Lord is in this place.”
(Continued from page 20)