A careful study of the attitude of the believer towards his absent Lord, as spoken of in various parts of the Word of God, will show that it may well be divided into three distinct aspects. He waits or watches, he walks and works.
We might distinguish between waiting and watching, as it is possible for one to be in a sleepy spiritual state and might be said to be waiting but you could not say watching. But the proper character of waiting involves watching, so we connect them together in this article.
The heart waits and watches for Christ, his feet walk and his hands work; thus his heart, feet and hands are all occupied for the Lord in view of His coming. These distinctions are by no means arbitrary; on the contrary, it will be found that wherever the coming of the Lord is spoken of, it is in connection with some one of these aspects. In Matt. 25, we get the waiting and the working; in Luke 12, principally the waiting; in Thessalonians and Revelation all three; in 1 Corinthians 15, the work; and in 1 John 3, rather the walk.
Waiting Walking and Working
In the book of Revelation, we observe that the Lord says three times over, “Behold, or Surely I come quickly.” The first is in Revelation 3:1111Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Revelation 3:11) and is manifestly in connection with the Christian’s walk; the second is in Revelation 22:1212And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12), and will be seen to be connected with work here and rewards hereafter; the third, as is so well known, is in Revelation 22:2020He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20), and is solely in connection with the heart waiting and watching for Christ.
In 1 Thessalonians, again, it is beautiful to observe the closing thoughts of the first three chapters. In 1 Thessalonians 1, we get the Thessalonians waiting for God’s Son from heaven. In the close of 1 Thessalonians 2, we find the Apostle speaking of this same coming in reference to his work amongst them, and the reward which he will get in them in the glory; while in the close of 1 Thessalonians 3, and beginning of 1 Thessalonians 4, we find the return of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints is placed in connection with a holy and God-pleasing walk.
Having, then, shown that these are three scriptural distinctions, let us for a moment consider the Christian as waiting and watching for Christ.
It Is the Heart That Waits for Christ
Where this is spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 1, we may notice one thing most particularly, and that is that those who thus earnestly looked out for Christ knew so little about the doctrine of the way and manner of His coming, that it had to be made a subject of a special revelation in the close of 1 Thessalonians 4. But they did not wait till they had that chapter before they looked for Christ. We are thus clearly taught that waiting for Christ is not a matter of intelligence but of heart. And this, beloved reader, shows us where we fail. For in these closing days God has wonderfully opened up His Word to us, so that there are thousands now who know a very great deal more of the Lord’s coming than did these Thessalonians of old; But of how many of all these can it be truly said, They are waiting and watching for Christ?
How We Are to Wait
It is an important and deeply interesting fact that our Lord has detailed the precise attitude in which He wishes us to await His return, so that any uncertainty is not possible. In that wonderful passage in Luke 12, when Jesus seeks to prepare the heart of his disciples for His nearing departure, He also speaks of His return. Those who wait for Him during the long dark night are to be characterized by girded loins, and trimmed lamps, and they themselves are to be like men who wait for their lord. And then follows that wondrously blessed promise that those who are thus girded and watching here, shall there sit down at table while the Lord rises, girds Himself, and serves them!
Now the girded loins, in other words, are the Christian’s walk carefully keeping his garments from the defilement around, and declaring by his tightly girded dress his position as a traveler, and as a pilgrim; while the lights or lamps burning, speak of his work, and his testimony in this world for Christ, both of which we hope to touch on in future papers, so that it is the emphatic “Ye, yourselves, like unto men who wait for their Lord, “that most occupies our thoughts here.
Like Men Who Wait for Their Lord
One thing about this waiting is clear. Although it leads to self-examination and carefulness in walk and ways, it is a waiting with joy, not with fear. While a certain solemnity surely attaches to the thought of that sublime moment when we first behold our Lord, He would have our hearts anticipate it with joy. In order to do this, it is clear we must know something of Christ, for it is certain that it is just in proportion as we know Christ, not truth, that we long to see Him. And this leads us in many ways to walk more worthy of Him; as our hearts get more occupied with Christ, insensibly one thing after another stands revealed in its true light. We distinguish the substance from the shadow, our eyes get cleared from the mists around, our hearts freer for Him, our lives more separate, more devoted, more unworldly; in short, altogether we become like men who wait for their Lord.
We all know how earnestly, if a king or president is about to visit some district, he is waited for. Men rise early, leave their homes and business, travel great distances at considerable expense, push for the best place, or pay well for it, and then stand patiently waiting, hour after hour, And all for what?—to see him pass.
Surely all this is gratifying to such and shows what a place he holds in the hearts of his people. And did we but think how grateful it is to Christ to be waited and watched for, we should not find ourselves put to shame by men of the world. “Blessed,” says the Lord, “are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching.”
What a sad tale it would tell a king or president to pass through empty and deserted streets and find none caring to see him. And oh! shall we not regret being found careless and asleep, giving our Lord pain when we might have given Him pleasure at His return?
(Continued and to be continued).