Hymn No. 72, App., L. F. Prayer
2 CORINTHIANS. 5:14-18.
In those few verses we get that little word "henceforth" three times, and I wonder, dear young Christian if there has been in your life a "henceforth"? It is of immense moment that it should be so. In order to succeed in natural things, men must have a motive, an object, a goal, before them. There must be a constraining power, in the life. Men cannot go on living aimlessly, casting about from this to that, if they would achieve success. I speak now in terms of the world. So, in divine things, there must be in the soul a constraining power. Now, what power in heaven or in earth would equal that which is set before us in this scripture—"The love of Christ constraineth us"? O, what an object! What a motive power in the life of the Christian,—"The love of Christ constraineth us!" If it is true, that the love of Christ has been realized in some measure in your heart, and, indeed, it has, if you are a Christian, I wonder if it has had that place in your life which has enabled you to say, practically, "Henceforth". In other words; has there been a definite, clear-cut break from all that characterized you before you found Him? Has there been that change in ambitions and desires and purposes that marks you out in this world as one who has, as it were, waved farewell to all that you were as out of Christ, as identified with the world? Consider our portion, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," or, "a new creation,"—complete change of position, complete change of relationship with the world—"a new creation." Well, dear young Christian, if that is true, it means a "henceforth" for you; it means a change. You will never reckon your life as you did before. You will never be able to reckon it as the worldling does.
In the 7th chapter of John's Gospel, when His unbelieving brethren after the flesh speak to Him about going to the feast at Jerusalem, our Lord says,
"My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready... Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for My time is not yet full come."
I think these words, "Your time is alway ready", are solemn words, coming from the Lord Jesus to those who know Him not. What a thing to have Him say to the world, "Your time is alway ready." In other words, "Go ahead, and make your plans as you will; you will not bring God into them. Plan out your course here. You do not need to take God into account; do not need to have Him interfere with your plans. You have rejected the One He has given. Go ahead, and make your plans as you will!" That is just what characterizes the world all about us, and, isn't it sad that it characterizes so many Christians, too!
If it is a question of education, how many a one has faced it merely from the attitude of the world, i. e., "I want an education!" Why? "Because it is my own personal desire!" God was not brought into it, and the love of Christ was not in it, so they went ahead in self-will, into a course, when perhaps, if they had waited on the Lord about the matter, He would have directed another way. He might have directed to another path for good and blessing, but they took their way in self-will, without waiting on Him, and result was sorrow and bitterness in soul.
So it is in connection with a young man entering business life. A flattering opportunity opens up before him; the thing is placed before him in such terms that it spells certain success, as the world terms it. Not stopping to consider the One who has bought him with a price—and such a price!—he accepts, and plunges into the work, gives himself over to it, and then perhaps wakes up to the fact that he missed the Lord's mind. Maybe some day he will be torn out of it, with loss to his soul—perhaps property losses too, to learn a bitter lesson that the Lord would have saved him from, if he had listened.
The whole thing is this: Are we willing to reckon our lives as from that "henceforth"? We are not to view our opportunities as the world views them. I was told recently of a young man who had had a most flattering business opening, but what else did it mean? Why it meant practically the surrendering of himself,—body, soul and spirit,—to that great institution with which he would have to identify himself. He would, as it were, have to sell himself to become a part of that great concern. It meant success in the world; but what would it mean to his soul? Ah, thank God, that young man, under better advice from those older and more experienced, weighed the matter in the Lord's presence. He shook his head, and said, "No; I will not accept it." He accepted a position at a moderate, living salary, and he is going on happily with the Lord.
We cannot, as Christians, view these things from the same standard that the world does. Their standards are not our standards. "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh." The whole thing is changed, we are changed, our relationship to God is changed, our destiny is changed. We have a new life; and now, in accordance with that, there must be different views, in subjection and obedience to the Word of God. Our Lord did not go up to that feast when they suggested it, for He had not the word from the Father to go. He was in subjection, and obedience to His Father, and He would not even go up to the feast till He got the word. That is a pattern for us. Those unbelieving brethren, He let go, if they would. They had no warrant to ask Him a thing about it. They were strangers to it all. Sometimes in the government of His family, God finds it necessary to let them go their own way. A child goes to his father, and says, "I would like to do so-and-so", and the father advises against it; but still, the boy persists, and wants his father's sanction. Finally, the father says, "Well, I am not going to say another word; you do what you want to!" This has often opened a boy's eyes to the wrong of what he wanted to do, and he replies, "I don't want to do it if you are going to feel that way about it!" We don't want to get into that state of soul where the Lord will say to us, "Your time is always ready"—no, indeed! We want Him to have an interest in every circumstance, and to be able to bring our circumstances to Him; and then it will give us confidence to go ahead.
"And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again."
O, dear young Christians, that is our business in life—to live for Him; not to live unto ourselves. We would do a lot of things if we lived unto ourselves; we would do just like the poor world is doing. The Psalmist being out of the Lord's presence saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psa. 73), and envy began to rise in his heart. He says, they are having a good time, while I am having a hard time. Their eyes stand out with fatness; they have more than heart could wish, while waters of a full cup are wrung out to me. These are the ungodly, who prosper in the world. Finally, he got into the Lord's presence about it. Then he saw their end, and bowed his head in confession. O, he says, I have been a fool. I have been like a dumb beast before Him. He bowed, and owned his folly.
Dear young people, there is an end to all we see about us, an awful end; the cross has marked the end of this world. "Now is the judgment of this world," our Lord says, in the 12th of John; "now shall the prince of this world be cast out." This world has been judged, everything that is connected with it; and you and I, by wondrous grace, have been picked out of it, and set in a safe place, where the judgment that is coming can never touch us. Are we willing to realize, practically, in our lives, that it has been judged, that it has been pronounced upon, and live our lives accordingly? It will make a tremendous difference if we do!
O, to have the "henceforth" of 2 Corinthians active in our lives—not to live unto ourselves, but unto Him that died for us, and rose again—to be identified with Him. He is risen, and He is up in heaven for us,—for us in every circumstance. What a blessed thing to get hold of! He is for us when we fail! Yes, He is for us, ever, always and He wants us to be for Him, practically, in our lives down here.
"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh"—no, it won't do, even if it is a question of family relationships; all must be on a new basis. Sometimes we find saints excusing themselves, in a path that is not just according to the Word of God. They plead family relationships. One says, "I have to make a living for my family," and so excuses himself for something that is just a little off color. No, dear young Christian, we cannot excuse ourselves on that ground. God has opened a pathway for us, and He has said that He will stand by us in it, that He, the Lord Almighty, is on our side. Now, let us not be afraid to take Him at His word, and if it means a way of hardship, what of it? If we have His commendation, and His sympathy, and His help, we can say, "I will not fear; what can man do unto me?" He has said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." He can't go back on His word—that would be absolutely impossible. We have seen many a Christian who has, in a measure, forsaken the Lord; we have never seen a Christian whom the Lord has forsaken; no, nor ever the Lord will.
"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Can we not trust Him, or are we not willing to bring Him into every circumstance of our life, however small, or however great, and let this 2d of Corinthians have full sweep in our lives?
"Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God."
What a marvelous transformation, a tremendous change, isn't it? A new creation, where everything is of God. Every relationship in which the Christian finds himself now, is to be of God; every friendship, every fellowship,-it is all to be of God. O, that it might be more among us, that confidence in God, that belief that if I bring Him into my circumstances, He is going to be for me, and see me through the trial! That there might be that confidence and trust in Him! How soon we find ourselves slipping back into that Jacob-like scheme, and we think we must help the Lord out. It is unbelief and lack of confidence in thee One who has sworn to Aland by us. And is not that very often just the source of our trouble?
Dear young people, if you would just learn to measure things as God measures them, what a world of sorrow it would save you from, and you would have that sweet and blessed consciousness of going through this world with the favor of God resting on you!
I met a man not so long ago with whom I went to school, and we were speaking of some fellow school mate we had known twenty years or so ago. He said of a mutual friend: "He is making quite a success; He is making lots of money."
I said, “Do you think making money is synonymous with success?" The thrust went home, and I could see he felt the point of it. Poor man, measuring things as the world measures them! Young people, God is never going to measure like that with you. Ten years from today, twenty years from today, if our Lord shall not come before that, your measure will have been taken, not only by man, but also by the Lord. Supposing the world says, "O, yes; he has made lots of money; he has made a success!" I would rather hear the God of heaven about that. When you come down to the time when you are going to change worlds, when everything that man can set his heart upon is just slipping out of your hands, and you are entering into things eternal, your satisfaction can only be in how much Christ was the object of your life.
A dear old servant of the Lord lay dying, and he was able to say, "I have made Christ my object." What a satisfaction to the soul! The same one said "Ours is not a religion of regrets." No, not at all. It need not be, going on day by day in communion with Him, we need not harvest a host of regrets.
You know we are prone to make so many mistakes by scheduling our lives out away ahead. That won't do for the Christian. We set our stakes, and we say, "I will reach on to accomplish this thing, and then I will go on to that thing". That is the way the world does. How does the Christian? O, to know that today I am where the Lord wants me; this planning ahead gets us into a deal of trouble. Even in connection with the Lord's service, isn't it enough to be in the Lord's service today? But to plan ahead, whether in a course in His service, or whether in a pathway in secular life, how often it brings us into a line of things contrary to the Word!
Now, dear young people, I want to urge upon you this thought: Have you had in your life that which is equivalent to what is in our scripture here? That henceforth it is going to be different with you; that you and the world have parted company; that you are going on your way to meet the Lord Jesus, and with the love of Christ constraining you? Haven't you confidence, then, to launch out fully and completely on that love of Christ, with confidence in His promises? Haven't you the heart to say, "By the grace of God, from henceforth we will know no man after the flesh; from henceforth we will not live unto ourselves, but unto Him which died for us, and rose again?"
Hymn 76, App. L. F. Prayer.