Prepare To Meet Thy God # 1
The subject this evening has been as preparedness. I might well speak to you tonight concerning preparedness for the nation, but I have a greater subject than that. I have something of greater importance to say. My subject deals with time and eternity, and the preparation we must make in time for eternity. You will find my text in the Book of Amos 4:12: Prepare to meet thy God."
Before you sleep this evening I wish that you would open your Bibles. I would like you to start with the first words (In the beginning, God!" This is the right starting point for a man's faith. Forget God, and there is disaster ahead. Build your plans without God and the storms will overtake you. Try to build character without God and defeat is certain. "In the beginning, God!" Now turn to the last Book in the Bible, to Revelation 20:12: "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God." Start with the one and end with the other, and this is the story of God's dealings with His people. We see Him as Creator. We behold Him as the ruler of nations. We see Him as the judge of His ancient people. We behold Him as the father of Jesus Christ. We hear Him crying out through the lips of His Son to a wicked generation. At last we see Him sealed upon the Throne. Time is being finished. The Books are being opened, and the dead, small and great, are standing before God. I wish I could give you a right conception of God. I think your faces would whiten and your lips tremble. Stop for a moment and think about Him. He holds the winds in His hands, yet last night you took His name in vain. In the hollow of His hand the seas beat and throb, yet today you blasphemed Him. He has showered His love upon you ever since you came into the world, yet you have resisted Him. Prepare to meet thy God. Prepare to meet Him, because He is God.
We read in the Old Testament - "the fool said in his heart, there is no God." Only a fool could say that. Think of the old argument of cause and effect. I see effects all about me, and I must go back to the great "First Cause." Then there is the old argument of design. I see design everywhere in this world. The seasons coming and going. Stars moving in their courses. The world turning on its axis. How suggestive all this is. The sun rising and setting with such precision that the scientists can tell you days, weeks, months, and years ahead, the exact moment of rising and setting. Who has done all this? The little flower that lifts its head at your feet, how perfectly formed it is. The bird that flies above your head, with the colors of the rainbow in its wings. What artist has done this? Then there is the old argument suggested by the longing of our natures for God. If you go to the savages of dark lands, where heathenism reigns, and the savage in his blindness bows down to wood and stone, - why does he do this? Because he longs for something greater than himself. Then look at these enlightened times. The aspiration takes better shape. The longing grows to a higher kind. I know that this longing in my soul for God and eternal life was placed there by Himself. Just as the fin of the fish is the prophecy of the water in which it swims, as the wing of the bird is the prophecy of the air in which it moves - so I know that this longing in my soul is an unanswerable argument for His existence. I know, and so do you, that God is. Prepare to meet thy God.
God is all powerful. I can take a cannonball in my hand and throw it a little distance. Some of these strong young fellows from the college would far surpass me. Driving through the streets one day, a friend said to me: "Did you see that policeman?" "Well, what about him?" I answered. "He is the champion thrower of the hammer in all the world." said my friend. But God took not only our world, but countless worlds like it and tossed them into space as I might blow a bubble. He is omnipotent!
He knows everything. You may deceive me. I know man fairly well, but you could deceive me. You cannot deceive God. One of these days you will face Him. One of these days your record will face you. One of these days you must answer before God fora misspent life. He knows you through and through.
God is everywhere. "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me." You cannot get away from God.
Men trample God's love beneath their feet and go their own way in life. There is one verse of the Bible that they forget. It is this: "Thou seeest me." He saw you yesterday, or last night, in your sin. What He saw was written in a book. Men are always making records. I saw in the British Museum a piece of stone the size of my book. They told me that it was six thousand years old at least. Right in the center of it there was the print of a bird's foot. When the stone was soft, six thousand years ago, the bird put its foot there and left an imprint. Six thousand years of record! So I cry out to you, young men and older men, business and professional men, men from the shops, women of society, prepare to meet thy God. You have been guilty of adultery, you of drunkenness, you of something else. "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened." Because they will be opened - prepare to meet thy God.
~J. Wilbur Chapman~
(continued with # 2)
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Our Conversation In Heaven # 2
Our Conversation In Heaven # 2
But perhaps the thought that would help him most of all, is the thought of Jesus coming again. "For our citizenship is in Heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." We look for Him; we expect Him; we are waiting for Him. He said that He would return, and told us to watch for His coming. We do not know when He will come - but He will come. He has told us to be ready, so that when He comes, we may receive Him with joy. This is the position of the Christian on earth - waiting for his Lord.
We do not know when He will come, and we do not know how He will come. Some will be alive when He comes and will see Him appear in the clouds - some will have died before He comes. We do not know how it will be with us. He may come while yet we are living - or we may die before His coming; no one knows. But whether dead or living, all will see Him when He comes; for then the dead will rise to life again; nay, it is said, "the dead in Christ shall rise first." Besides, when the believer dies, his soul goes to be with Jesus; so that death is to him, in one sense, the coming of the Lord, the coming to take him home to rest; as Jesus Himself said, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."
Now it is plain that to be thus looking for the coming of the Lord - must have a great effect on a man's character and life. It must keep him from living in sin or in carelessness. It must make him watchful, diligent, and in earnest. It must lead him to draw off his affections from the world - and to fix them upon eternal realities. It must tend greatly to a spiritual mind. And this seems, in fact, to be just what our Lord meant when He said, "Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in the moment He arrives and knocks."
Thinking of Him, looking for Him, wishing for Him, doing His will, engaged in His work - this is what Jesus would have us to do and be. Lord, make us so more and more! Teach us to have our conduct in Heaven! Teach us to look for You, dressed for service and our lamps burning!"
But our body, there is something said at the end about that. It is called "our vile body" - that means a poor, weak, sinful body. And so it is indeed. It is subject to pain and sickness - and it has many weaknesses. How can such a body live forever? How can this "vile body" dwell in that heavenly home? It will not be a vile body then. It is to be changed! The Lord Jesus Christ will change it when He comes. He Himself has a glorious body now, no longer subject to pain and hunger and fatigue, as when He was upon earth. And He will change our bodies, so as to be like His glorious body! Then we too shall have bodies without weakness, sickness, or pain - glorious and immortal bodies, able to live forever in happiness!
When we think of our present bodies, with all their infirmities, we are ready to ask, "How can this be?" Jesus will do it! He who died for us overcame death for us - rescued us from the power of satan. He who is able even to subdue all things unto Himself, He will do this for us too. He, by His mighty working, will change our vile body into a glorious body; and then He will take us to be with Him forever!
All glory be to His name, the First and the Last, the Author and Finisher of our faith - who lives and was dead and is alive for evermore!
He redeemed us by His blood!
He called us by His grace!
He is present with us by His Spirit even now!
He will come again!
He will change us into His own likeness!
He will take us to Himself!
"And so shall we be forever with the Lord!
All glory to His Name!
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
But perhaps the thought that would help him most of all, is the thought of Jesus coming again. "For our citizenship is in Heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." We look for Him; we expect Him; we are waiting for Him. He said that He would return, and told us to watch for His coming. We do not know when He will come - but He will come. He has told us to be ready, so that when He comes, we may receive Him with joy. This is the position of the Christian on earth - waiting for his Lord.
We do not know when He will come, and we do not know how He will come. Some will be alive when He comes and will see Him appear in the clouds - some will have died before He comes. We do not know how it will be with us. He may come while yet we are living - or we may die before His coming; no one knows. But whether dead or living, all will see Him when He comes; for then the dead will rise to life again; nay, it is said, "the dead in Christ shall rise first." Besides, when the believer dies, his soul goes to be with Jesus; so that death is to him, in one sense, the coming of the Lord, the coming to take him home to rest; as Jesus Himself said, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."
Now it is plain that to be thus looking for the coming of the Lord - must have a great effect on a man's character and life. It must keep him from living in sin or in carelessness. It must make him watchful, diligent, and in earnest. It must lead him to draw off his affections from the world - and to fix them upon eternal realities. It must tend greatly to a spiritual mind. And this seems, in fact, to be just what our Lord meant when He said, "Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in the moment He arrives and knocks."
Thinking of Him, looking for Him, wishing for Him, doing His will, engaged in His work - this is what Jesus would have us to do and be. Lord, make us so more and more! Teach us to have our conduct in Heaven! Teach us to look for You, dressed for service and our lamps burning!"
But our body, there is something said at the end about that. It is called "our vile body" - that means a poor, weak, sinful body. And so it is indeed. It is subject to pain and sickness - and it has many weaknesses. How can such a body live forever? How can this "vile body" dwell in that heavenly home? It will not be a vile body then. It is to be changed! The Lord Jesus Christ will change it when He comes. He Himself has a glorious body now, no longer subject to pain and hunger and fatigue, as when He was upon earth. And He will change our bodies, so as to be like His glorious body! Then we too shall have bodies without weakness, sickness, or pain - glorious and immortal bodies, able to live forever in happiness!
When we think of our present bodies, with all their infirmities, we are ready to ask, "How can this be?" Jesus will do it! He who died for us overcame death for us - rescued us from the power of satan. He who is able even to subdue all things unto Himself, He will do this for us too. He, by His mighty working, will change our vile body into a glorious body; and then He will take us to be with Him forever!
All glory be to His name, the First and the Last, the Author and Finisher of our faith - who lives and was dead and is alive for evermore!
He redeemed us by His blood!
He called us by His grace!
He is present with us by His Spirit even now!
He will come again!
He will change us into His own likeness!
He will take us to Himself!
"And so shall we be forever with the Lord!
All glory to His Name!
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Classic Chrtistian Quotes From Classic Ministers
Classic Christian Quotes From Classic Ministers
The road by which the Spirit leads God's children!
(J.C. Ryle, "Heirs of God")
"As many as are led by the Spirit of God--they are the sons of God." Romans 8:14
All true Christians are under the leading and teaching of a power which is Almighty, though unseen--even the power of the Holy Spirit. They no longer turn to their own way, and walk in the light of their own eyes, and follow their own natural heart's desire. The Spirit leads them. The Spirit guides them. There is a movement in their hearts, lives, and affections, which they feel--though they may not be able to explain; and a movement which is always more or less in the same direction.
They are all led . . .
away from sin,
away from self-righteousness,
away from the world!
This is the road by which the Spirit leads God's children.
Those whom God adopts as His children--He teaches and trains.
He shows them their own hearts.
He makes them weary of their own ways.
They are all led to Christ.
They are all led to the Bible.
They are all led to prayer.
They are all led to holiness.
This is the beaten path along which the Spirit makes them to travel.
Those whom God adopts--He always sanctifies.
He makes sin very bitter to them.
He makes holiness very sweet.
When they are taken into the wilderness, and taught to see their own emptiness--it is the leading of the Spirit.
It is He who leads them to Mount Sinai, and first shows them the law--that their hearts may be broken.
It is He who leads them to Mount Calvary, and shows them the cross--that their hearts may be bound up and healed.
It is He who leads them to Mount Pisgah, and gives them distinct views of the promised land--that their hearts may be cheered.
Each and all of God's children is the subject of these leadings.
Each and all is led by the right way, to bring him to a city of habitation.
Settle this down in your heart, and do not let it go: the children of God are a people "led by the Spirit of God," and always led more or less in the same way. Their experience will tally wonderfully when they compare notes in Heaven.
"I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths." Proverbs 4:11
"In your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed.
In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling." Exodus 15:13
_____________________________
The Christian and Prayer
(Charles Spurgeon)
If any of you should ask me for the epitome of the Christian life, I would say that it is in one word--prayer.
The habit of private prayer, and the constant practice of heart-communion with God--are the surest indicators of the work of the Holy spirit upon the soul.
The more a man loves God and becomes more like Jesus--the more delight he takes in heart communion with God.
All of our libraries and our studies are mere emptiness, compared with our prayer closets.
We grow in Christlikeness, in private prayer.
Prayer is the true gauge of spiritual health
I have now concentrated all my prayers into one--and that one prayer is this: that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him.
He who has the key of prayer can open Heaven! Yes, he has access to the heart of God!
Nothing brings such leanness into a Christian's soul, as lack of prayer.
A prayerless soul, is a Christless soul. Prayer is . . .
the lisping of the believing infant,
the shout of the fighting believer,
the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus.
A Christian's vigor, happiness, growth and usefulness--all depend upon prayer.
Prayer is the autograph of the Holy Spirit upon the renewed heart.
Prayer is the indispensable mark of the true child of God.
I would rather teach one man to pray--than ten men to preach!
Nine times out of ten, spiritual declension from God begins in the neglect of private prayer.
Prayer with the heart, is the heart of prayer.
We make more real advance in the divine life in an hour of sincere prayer--than we do in a month of sermon-hearing!
We make more real advance in the divine life in an hour of sincere prayer--than we do in a month of sermon-hearing!
Our Conversation In Heaven # 1
Our Conversation In Heaven # 1
Philippians 3:20-21
"For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our lowly body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body; according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."
"Our conversation" here does not mean our talking together, as we generally use the word now; but something quite different. It means our citizenship, our home. So that when the apostle says, "Our conversation is in Heaven," his meaning is something of this kind: "We are strangers and pilgrims on the earth - and we desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Already in heart and by title we belong to that country - Heaven is our home."
He speaks in fact somewhat as an Englishman might speak, who is living abroad for a time, but hopes to return to his native land. Such a man might say, "My conversation, my home, is not here - in this country I am but a stranger. I belong to England - there is my home, and there I hope some day to live."
An Englishman, it is clear, may speak thus of England - but who may speak thus of Heaven? Every true believer, every humble disciple of Christ, everyone who has given his heart to Him and is pressing toward the mark for the prize! There is no presumption in such a one saying, "Our citizenship is in Heaven"; for our Lord Himself told His disciples when He was about to leave them, that He was going to prepare a place for them, and that it was His will that where He was, there they should be also; and, before that, He bade them lay up for themselves treasures not upon earth, but in Heaven, and added, "For where your treasure is - there will your heart be also.
He Himself therefore has made Heaven the home of all who love Him, and it is His will that they should have their their hearts there already. How happy that He lets us say even now, "Our citizenship is in Heaven!" How happy, that we may not only look forward to being there hereafter - but may even reckon ourselves to belong to that heavenly home already! This is a foretaste of Heaven itself.
But this word "conversation," though it does not mean talking together - yet does seem to relate to our conduct as well as to our home. "Our conversation is in Heaven" means that our home is in Heaven, and that our way of life is also heavenly.
We shall understand this better if we think again of the Englishman abroad. I have supposed him to remain an Englishman still, though living in a foreign country. But sometimes a man gives up his country altogether and never seeks to come back to it. Having long lived abroad, he has so entirely left off English habits and fallen into the ways of the the country in which he lives - that he would not be known any longer to be an Englishman. Such a man would hardly say, "My home is in England."
Now, the true citizen of Heaven is not such a citizen as this. He not only has his home in Heaven, but his heart is there too.Not only does he look forward to dwelling there hereafter, but even now he seeks to be holy and heavenly in life and character. Thus he is known by all that he does and says to be one who belongs to Heaven, and that more and more, as he gets nearer to his home. "They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them!" (Heb. 11:13-16)
Those who live the life of faith, and love their Saviour, and strive to serve God - are different in the whole conduct from men of the world. It is plain that they are not of this world. Their life shows it. Their conduct is in Heaven. It is so in a measure - but it ought to be so far more.
There ought to be no mistaking a citizen of Heaven. But, alas! There is too much of worldliness and carelessness even in those who are in the narrow way. Too often it would be hard to know them as travelers towards Zion, seeking the heavenly country. We ought often to stir ourselves up by the thought of what we humbly believe God has prepared for us for Christ's sake. What! Shall those who are to live forever with God - have so little fellowship with Him now? Shall those whose treasure is there, where no rust nor moth can corrupt - care so much for the perishing things of this world? Shall those for whom Jesus has gone to prepare a place - fret against the little hardships and discomforts along the way? Thus the Christian should often remind himself of the home to which he belongs. It would help him to be heavenly in heart and life.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(continued with # 2)
Philippians 3:20-21
"For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our lowly body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body; according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."
"Our conversation" here does not mean our talking together, as we generally use the word now; but something quite different. It means our citizenship, our home. So that when the apostle says, "Our conversation is in Heaven," his meaning is something of this kind: "We are strangers and pilgrims on the earth - and we desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Already in heart and by title we belong to that country - Heaven is our home."
He speaks in fact somewhat as an Englishman might speak, who is living abroad for a time, but hopes to return to his native land. Such a man might say, "My conversation, my home, is not here - in this country I am but a stranger. I belong to England - there is my home, and there I hope some day to live."
An Englishman, it is clear, may speak thus of England - but who may speak thus of Heaven? Every true believer, every humble disciple of Christ, everyone who has given his heart to Him and is pressing toward the mark for the prize! There is no presumption in such a one saying, "Our citizenship is in Heaven"; for our Lord Himself told His disciples when He was about to leave them, that He was going to prepare a place for them, and that it was His will that where He was, there they should be also; and, before that, He bade them lay up for themselves treasures not upon earth, but in Heaven, and added, "For where your treasure is - there will your heart be also.
He Himself therefore has made Heaven the home of all who love Him, and it is His will that they should have their their hearts there already. How happy that He lets us say even now, "Our citizenship is in Heaven!" How happy, that we may not only look forward to being there hereafter - but may even reckon ourselves to belong to that heavenly home already! This is a foretaste of Heaven itself.
But this word "conversation," though it does not mean talking together - yet does seem to relate to our conduct as well as to our home. "Our conversation is in Heaven" means that our home is in Heaven, and that our way of life is also heavenly.
We shall understand this better if we think again of the Englishman abroad. I have supposed him to remain an Englishman still, though living in a foreign country. But sometimes a man gives up his country altogether and never seeks to come back to it. Having long lived abroad, he has so entirely left off English habits and fallen into the ways of the the country in which he lives - that he would not be known any longer to be an Englishman. Such a man would hardly say, "My home is in England."
Now, the true citizen of Heaven is not such a citizen as this. He not only has his home in Heaven, but his heart is there too.Not only does he look forward to dwelling there hereafter, but even now he seeks to be holy and heavenly in life and character. Thus he is known by all that he does and says to be one who belongs to Heaven, and that more and more, as he gets nearer to his home. "They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them!" (Heb. 11:13-16)
Those who live the life of faith, and love their Saviour, and strive to serve God - are different in the whole conduct from men of the world. It is plain that they are not of this world. Their life shows it. Their conduct is in Heaven. It is so in a measure - but it ought to be so far more.
There ought to be no mistaking a citizen of Heaven. But, alas! There is too much of worldliness and carelessness even in those who are in the narrow way. Too often it would be hard to know them as travelers towards Zion, seeking the heavenly country. We ought often to stir ourselves up by the thought of what we humbly believe God has prepared for us for Christ's sake. What! Shall those who are to live forever with God - have so little fellowship with Him now? Shall those whose treasure is there, where no rust nor moth can corrupt - care so much for the perishing things of this world? Shall those for whom Jesus has gone to prepare a place - fret against the little hardships and discomforts along the way? Thus the Christian should often remind himself of the home to which he belongs. It would help him to be heavenly in heart and life.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(continued with # 2)
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Letter To The Laodicean Church # 3
Letter To The Laodicean Church # 3
He speaks to us as well as to the Laodiceans, for He says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." He who has an ear - to whomever these words may come, whoever has the power of hearing or reading them - let him hear what the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, says to the churches; and let him take the words as spoken not merely to them, but to him also. Let us receive them so. The Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit speaks to us.
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock." What door? The door of our hearts - our unworthy and sinful hearts. The Lord Jesus (speaking figuratively) stands there and knocks. He, so high, so great, so holy - the Son of God stands at the door of our hearts. Stands there, and knocks.
Why does He knock? To be let in. That we may open the door of our hearts and admit Him. He desires to find entrance there.
But why should He desire to find entrance there? It is not a place worthy of Him. It is a lowly and unworthy place for Him to come to. The poor man knocks at the door of the rich and asks alms; the friend knocks at the door of his friend, that he may go in and converse with him - but why should Jesus knock at the door of our hearts? Yet does not a kind rich man sometimes knock at the door of the poor, and even of the wicked - that he may go in and carry them help and do them good? Somewhat in this way, only with far more condescension, kindness, and love - the Lord Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts. It is to bring us help, to do us good, to make us happy, to save us.
Do we not think it double kindness, if the rich come to help the poor? It would be kind to send them help - it is doubly kind to bring it. The Lord Jesus sends us messages; but He also comes Himself, by the Spirit. He comes Himself, that He may be let in. And indeed nothing else would meet our need. We need Him. Not merely His gifts - but He Himself. He comes therefore, and knocks for admittance - that He may enter and be our Saviour.
What does He say that He will do for us, when we open the door and let Him in? "If any man hears My voice, and opens the door - I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with Me." Ah, gracious Lord! The centurion thought himself unworthy that You should come under his roof, even to heal his servant - and will You indeed come into our poor hearts? You ate with publicans and sinners - and now You will come in to such as us. You sought and saved those who were lost then - and You do the same now!
He says, "I will come in and eat with him - and he with Me." This shows that He will not merely come in, but will also be kind to us and hold fellowship with us and give us food for our souls and supply our needs and make us happy. For in the Bible, a feast is often used to show spiritual plenty and comfort and happiness. The blessedness to come is represented to us under the figure of "the marriage supper of the Lamb" - and when Jesus comes and makes His abode in the heart, there is a foretaste of that blessedness.
Yes, when He comes in, He will come to be our Saviour - to save us, to bless us, to supply our need, to satisfy our souls, to give us peace, comfort, and happiness in union with Himself.
"And he with Me" - the poor sinner, all unworthy in himself, will not be afraid of One so gracious. He will venture to hold communion with Him, and it will be the strength and happiness of his soul.
What follows expresses even more, a higher glory and happiness still. "To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne." What! Shall repentant sinners sit with Him in His throne? Will He raise us as high as that? We can hardly raise even our thoughts so high. Yet He says so. And though we may not be able fully to understand what He means - yet this is plain, that He will give a share in His glory to all who overcome.
But mark, this is for "him who overcomes." When Christ is admitted into the heart - the course of the Christian does but begin. Thenceforward he is a soldier of Christ. The battle is before him. It will last until his Captain calls him home. We must endure hardness. We "must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." We shall meet with dangers, difficulties, and temptations. The promise is to "him who overcomes" - to "him who endures unto the end" - not to him who grows careless, yields, and goes back to sin and the world.
But He Himself will help us to overcome - and to bear what He sends: trial, sickness, loss. He Himself will help us to withstand the tempter; to persevere in our course to the end; to remain steadfast in the faith.
But have we heard His voice and opened the door? That is the great question. Even if not - yet He is so gracious that He knocks still. Would the kind man who came with gifts stand knocking still at the poor man's door - who refused to open to him? Yet the Lord Jesus stands and knocks - even after long neglect and many refusals. Ah, how often has He knocked by His Word, by sermons, by His warnings, by His mercies, by the voice of conscience, by sickness, by death of friends.
If you hear His voice and open to Him - then He will come in and be your Saviour and make you happy now and forever. Will you refuse? Will you stop your ears? Will you keep the door closed? Will you run the risk of His going away?
Lord! Bring home Your Word with power to the hearts of those who hear it. "He who has an ear - let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches!"
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
He speaks to us as well as to the Laodiceans, for He says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." He who has an ear - to whomever these words may come, whoever has the power of hearing or reading them - let him hear what the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, says to the churches; and let him take the words as spoken not merely to them, but to him also. Let us receive them so. The Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit speaks to us.
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock." What door? The door of our hearts - our unworthy and sinful hearts. The Lord Jesus (speaking figuratively) stands there and knocks. He, so high, so great, so holy - the Son of God stands at the door of our hearts. Stands there, and knocks.
Why does He knock? To be let in. That we may open the door of our hearts and admit Him. He desires to find entrance there.
But why should He desire to find entrance there? It is not a place worthy of Him. It is a lowly and unworthy place for Him to come to. The poor man knocks at the door of the rich and asks alms; the friend knocks at the door of his friend, that he may go in and converse with him - but why should Jesus knock at the door of our hearts? Yet does not a kind rich man sometimes knock at the door of the poor, and even of the wicked - that he may go in and carry them help and do them good? Somewhat in this way, only with far more condescension, kindness, and love - the Lord Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts. It is to bring us help, to do us good, to make us happy, to save us.
Do we not think it double kindness, if the rich come to help the poor? It would be kind to send them help - it is doubly kind to bring it. The Lord Jesus sends us messages; but He also comes Himself, by the Spirit. He comes Himself, that He may be let in. And indeed nothing else would meet our need. We need Him. Not merely His gifts - but He Himself. He comes therefore, and knocks for admittance - that He may enter and be our Saviour.
What does He say that He will do for us, when we open the door and let Him in? "If any man hears My voice, and opens the door - I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with Me." Ah, gracious Lord! The centurion thought himself unworthy that You should come under his roof, even to heal his servant - and will You indeed come into our poor hearts? You ate with publicans and sinners - and now You will come in to such as us. You sought and saved those who were lost then - and You do the same now!
He says, "I will come in and eat with him - and he with Me." This shows that He will not merely come in, but will also be kind to us and hold fellowship with us and give us food for our souls and supply our needs and make us happy. For in the Bible, a feast is often used to show spiritual plenty and comfort and happiness. The blessedness to come is represented to us under the figure of "the marriage supper of the Lamb" - and when Jesus comes and makes His abode in the heart, there is a foretaste of that blessedness.
Yes, when He comes in, He will come to be our Saviour - to save us, to bless us, to supply our need, to satisfy our souls, to give us peace, comfort, and happiness in union with Himself.
"And he with Me" - the poor sinner, all unworthy in himself, will not be afraid of One so gracious. He will venture to hold communion with Him, and it will be the strength and happiness of his soul.
What follows expresses even more, a higher glory and happiness still. "To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne." What! Shall repentant sinners sit with Him in His throne? Will He raise us as high as that? We can hardly raise even our thoughts so high. Yet He says so. And though we may not be able fully to understand what He means - yet this is plain, that He will give a share in His glory to all who overcome.
But mark, this is for "him who overcomes." When Christ is admitted into the heart - the course of the Christian does but begin. Thenceforward he is a soldier of Christ. The battle is before him. It will last until his Captain calls him home. We must endure hardness. We "must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." We shall meet with dangers, difficulties, and temptations. The promise is to "him who overcomes" - to "him who endures unto the end" - not to him who grows careless, yields, and goes back to sin and the world.
But He Himself will help us to overcome - and to bear what He sends: trial, sickness, loss. He Himself will help us to withstand the tempter; to persevere in our course to the end; to remain steadfast in the faith.
But have we heard His voice and opened the door? That is the great question. Even if not - yet He is so gracious that He knocks still. Would the kind man who came with gifts stand knocking still at the poor man's door - who refused to open to him? Yet the Lord Jesus stands and knocks - even after long neglect and many refusals. Ah, how often has He knocked by His Word, by sermons, by His warnings, by His mercies, by the voice of conscience, by sickness, by death of friends.
If you hear His voice and open to Him - then He will come in and be your Saviour and make you happy now and forever. Will you refuse? Will you stop your ears? Will you keep the door closed? Will you run the risk of His going away?
Lord! Bring home Your Word with power to the hearts of those who hear it. "He who has an ear - let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches!"
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
Letter to the Laodicean Church # 2
Letter to the Laodicean Church # 2
"I counsel you," He says. He is called, you remember, "the Counselor." " counsel you" - I, who know all, all your state, and all your need - I, who cannot be deceived - I, the Counselor, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye-salve - that you may see."
The lukewarm thought they had all this before: riches and clothing and sight - but they had none of it. Now the Lord Jesus bids them seek it in truth, and seek it of Him.
Sight - to see themselves in their wretched and helpless state; the enlightening and convincing of their hearts by the Holy Spirit; true riches, "the unsearchable riches of Christ."
"White clothing," the wedding garment which He gives to every true believer - robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.
But may we indeed hope to obtain all this? Yes, for He who gives the advice - is also He in whom all fullness dwells. He sends us nowhere else for it. It is to be had of no one else. He bids us to seek it from Him. Will He not then bestow it?
But He says, "I counsel you to buy from Me." But we have nothing to pay. We thought we had before. But now we have learned, for He Himself has taught us that we are poor. He tells us to buy - and we have nothing to offer Him. How shall we obtain? We are to buy on gospel terms, and they are these: "Ho! everyone that thirsts, come to the waters! And he who has no money - come, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!" This is gospel buying - these are gospel terms: "without money and without price," the very terms that are suited to the poor, the only terms on which we could ever buy. Thanks be to God, that He bids us buy thus!
Has what the gracious Saviour has said, seemed sharp and stern? He would not have us think of Him so. "As many as I love," says He, "I rebuke and chasten - be zealous therefore, and repent." It was not in anger that He spoke - but in love. Even when He said, "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!" - even then, it was but that the lukewarm might have his eyes opened to his state and might be zealous and repent. He sends this message to us in love. His rebukes and chastenings are but the dealings of His love, to lead us to Himself and to happiness.
Do His words seem sharp? Yet there is love and faithfulness in them - they are much needed - He will not leave us in a cold and lifeless state. Do His chastenings and His dealings, seem painful? Is the sickness sore? Is the trial long? Yet all is in love still. "As many as I love - I rebuke and chasten."
Gracious Saviour! Teach us...
to know Your love,
to hear Your voice,
to feel Your hand.
We thank You for every faithful warning and for every loving chastisement. We thank You for all that You do toward us - to humble us, to teach us, and to draw us in heart to You. We thank You for Your gracious counsel and for Your free offers. We come to You according to Your Word. may our eyes be anointed, that we may see! Give us of Your unsearchable riches! May our sins be washed away in Your precious blood - and may we stand before You in pure white robes! Lord, give us Your Holy Spirit - deepen our sense of sin - show us what we are - increase our faith. Take from us all lukewarmness - may we no longer be neither cold nor hot. Touch our conscience, impress our hearts, make us truly in earnest. Help us by Your grace to be zealous and to repent.
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches!" (Revelation 3:20-22).
This is the conclusion of the epistle to the Laodicean Church. The Lord Jesus Christ in the former part sharply rebukes that church for lukewarmness, because they were "neither cold nor hot." Now He ends with these gracious words of invitation.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(continued with # 3)
"I counsel you," He says. He is called, you remember, "the Counselor." " counsel you" - I, who know all, all your state, and all your need - I, who cannot be deceived - I, the Counselor, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye-salve - that you may see."
The lukewarm thought they had all this before: riches and clothing and sight - but they had none of it. Now the Lord Jesus bids them seek it in truth, and seek it of Him.
Sight - to see themselves in their wretched and helpless state; the enlightening and convincing of their hearts by the Holy Spirit; true riches, "the unsearchable riches of Christ."
"White clothing," the wedding garment which He gives to every true believer - robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.
But may we indeed hope to obtain all this? Yes, for He who gives the advice - is also He in whom all fullness dwells. He sends us nowhere else for it. It is to be had of no one else. He bids us to seek it from Him. Will He not then bestow it?
But He says, "I counsel you to buy from Me." But we have nothing to pay. We thought we had before. But now we have learned, for He Himself has taught us that we are poor. He tells us to buy - and we have nothing to offer Him. How shall we obtain? We are to buy on gospel terms, and they are these: "Ho! everyone that thirsts, come to the waters! And he who has no money - come, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!" This is gospel buying - these are gospel terms: "without money and without price," the very terms that are suited to the poor, the only terms on which we could ever buy. Thanks be to God, that He bids us buy thus!
Has what the gracious Saviour has said, seemed sharp and stern? He would not have us think of Him so. "As many as I love," says He, "I rebuke and chasten - be zealous therefore, and repent." It was not in anger that He spoke - but in love. Even when He said, "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!" - even then, it was but that the lukewarm might have his eyes opened to his state and might be zealous and repent. He sends this message to us in love. His rebukes and chastenings are but the dealings of His love, to lead us to Himself and to happiness.
Do His words seem sharp? Yet there is love and faithfulness in them - they are much needed - He will not leave us in a cold and lifeless state. Do His chastenings and His dealings, seem painful? Is the sickness sore? Is the trial long? Yet all is in love still. "As many as I love - I rebuke and chasten."
Gracious Saviour! Teach us...
to know Your love,
to hear Your voice,
to feel Your hand.
We thank You for every faithful warning and for every loving chastisement. We thank You for all that You do toward us - to humble us, to teach us, and to draw us in heart to You. We thank You for Your gracious counsel and for Your free offers. We come to You according to Your Word. may our eyes be anointed, that we may see! Give us of Your unsearchable riches! May our sins be washed away in Your precious blood - and may we stand before You in pure white robes! Lord, give us Your Holy Spirit - deepen our sense of sin - show us what we are - increase our faith. Take from us all lukewarmness - may we no longer be neither cold nor hot. Touch our conscience, impress our hearts, make us truly in earnest. Help us by Your grace to be zealous and to repent.
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches!" (Revelation 3:20-22).
This is the conclusion of the epistle to the Laodicean Church. The Lord Jesus Christ in the former part sharply rebukes that church for lukewarmness, because they were "neither cold nor hot." Now He ends with these gracious words of invitation.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(continued with # 3)
Saturday, March 9, 2019
The Letter to the Laodicean Church # 1
The Letter to the Laodicean Church # 1
Revelation 3:14-19
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, "These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: 'I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold or hot - I will spew you out of My mouth. You say, 'I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" - and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire - that you may be rich; and white clothing - that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye-salve - that you may see. As many as I love - I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.' "
The Laodicean Church represents the lukewarm professor in every age. He is "neither cold nor hot." He is not what would be called a careless or ungodly person. He know the truth and approves of it. He makes a right profession and pays an outward respect to religion. Yet he is not hearty and zealous. He is not really in earnest. His soul is not the great concern with him. Christ is not first in his affections. Decent and respectable as he is in conduct - he has no love to God and has not given his heart to his Saviour. He is but lukewarm - neither cold nor hot.
What does the Lord Jesus say of such? Something very awful, something that is even startling in its strength and plainness. "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!" That is, I will cast you forth - I will utterly reject you - I will disown you altogether. Such was His mind toward the Laodiceans - such is His mind toward the lukewarm now, for He does not change. What was displeasing to Him then - is displeasing to Him now.
The root of lukewarmness seems to be the lack of a due sense of sin. "Because you say, 'I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing' - and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." This may refer in part to worldly riches, for Laodicea is said to have been a rich place at that time. If so, their pride of wealth was a help to their lukewarmness - and a hindrance to their spirituality. Without great watchfulness, riches are always a hindrance! Our Lord Himself taught us so.
But worldly riches are certainly not all that is meant here. The Laodiceans thought they were spiritually rich too. They imagined they had some righteousness of their own, some strength and resources in themselves. They did not know themselves. They had not learned truly and deeply, that they were sinners. Hence their lukewarmness - their lack of life and warmth and zeal.
The very first lesson we must learn - is what we are. We may seem to make great progress in religion, we may learn much of doctrine, we may increase greatly in knowledge. But if we have never learned to know ourselves, and if we are not growing continually in that knowledge - then our progress is no real progress at all - and we are building a house without a foundation. We are like a man pretending to mount a ladder, without beginning at the lower rounds.
What are we, then? Just what the Laodiceans were, but did not know themselves to be, "Wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked!" What all of us? Yes, all of us, in ourselves; all of us, until we have really done what this message to the Laodiceans bids us do.
We are "wretched," for we are in great misery and danger - and all the more wretched because we do not know it.
We are "miserable," worthy to be pitied, even while we flatter ourselves that all is well with us, for we are but deceiving ourselves.
We are "poor," for we have no spiritual wealth, no supply whatever for the needs of our souls.
We are "blind," ignorant of our own hearts, ignorant of God, ignorant of truth and of the way of life.
We are "naked," with no righteousness of our own in which we can appear - no covering, no defense, no refuge.
We are all this - and, worst of all, we do not know it! If we knew it and bewailed it - then our case would not be so bad; for then we would be more likely to seek elsewhere, what we have not got in ourselves. In other words, if we knew ourselves to be sinners - then it might be hoped that we should seek the Saviour of sinners. But we shall never seek Him - until we feel our need of Him!
There is One who knows just what we are. The Lord Jesus Christ says, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot." His eye is always upon us. He knows us exactly as we are, each one of us. Profession does not deceive Him. Knowledge does not pass with Him for repentance, faith, and holiness. He knows our hearts - and He knows our lives. The mockery of an empty profession, the mere pretense of a religion that is all in the head or on the lips, the unhumbled heart, the coldness, the hardness, the lack of faith and gratitude and love - He knows them all.
What then? Does He cast off the lukewarm? Does He put an end at once to this empty religion, so displeasing as it is to Him? So displeasing that He even says, "I would you were cold or hot." How gracious He is! How merciful and long-suffering! He will indeed reject the lukewarm - if they continue so; but He kindly and faithfully warns them not to remain as they are.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(continued with # 2)
Revelation 3:14-19
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, "These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: 'I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold or hot - I will spew you out of My mouth. You say, 'I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" - and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire - that you may be rich; and white clothing - that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye-salve - that you may see. As many as I love - I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.' "
The Laodicean Church represents the lukewarm professor in every age. He is "neither cold nor hot." He is not what would be called a careless or ungodly person. He know the truth and approves of it. He makes a right profession and pays an outward respect to religion. Yet he is not hearty and zealous. He is not really in earnest. His soul is not the great concern with him. Christ is not first in his affections. Decent and respectable as he is in conduct - he has no love to God and has not given his heart to his Saviour. He is but lukewarm - neither cold nor hot.
What does the Lord Jesus say of such? Something very awful, something that is even startling in its strength and plainness. "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!" That is, I will cast you forth - I will utterly reject you - I will disown you altogether. Such was His mind toward the Laodiceans - such is His mind toward the lukewarm now, for He does not change. What was displeasing to Him then - is displeasing to Him now.
The root of lukewarmness seems to be the lack of a due sense of sin. "Because you say, 'I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing' - and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." This may refer in part to worldly riches, for Laodicea is said to have been a rich place at that time. If so, their pride of wealth was a help to their lukewarmness - and a hindrance to their spirituality. Without great watchfulness, riches are always a hindrance! Our Lord Himself taught us so.
But worldly riches are certainly not all that is meant here. The Laodiceans thought they were spiritually rich too. They imagined they had some righteousness of their own, some strength and resources in themselves. They did not know themselves. They had not learned truly and deeply, that they were sinners. Hence their lukewarmness - their lack of life and warmth and zeal.
The very first lesson we must learn - is what we are. We may seem to make great progress in religion, we may learn much of doctrine, we may increase greatly in knowledge. But if we have never learned to know ourselves, and if we are not growing continually in that knowledge - then our progress is no real progress at all - and we are building a house without a foundation. We are like a man pretending to mount a ladder, without beginning at the lower rounds.
What are we, then? Just what the Laodiceans were, but did not know themselves to be, "Wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked!" What all of us? Yes, all of us, in ourselves; all of us, until we have really done what this message to the Laodiceans bids us do.
We are "wretched," for we are in great misery and danger - and all the more wretched because we do not know it.
We are "miserable," worthy to be pitied, even while we flatter ourselves that all is well with us, for we are but deceiving ourselves.
We are "poor," for we have no spiritual wealth, no supply whatever for the needs of our souls.
We are "blind," ignorant of our own hearts, ignorant of God, ignorant of truth and of the way of life.
We are "naked," with no righteousness of our own in which we can appear - no covering, no defense, no refuge.
We are all this - and, worst of all, we do not know it! If we knew it and bewailed it - then our case would not be so bad; for then we would be more likely to seek elsewhere, what we have not got in ourselves. In other words, if we knew ourselves to be sinners - then it might be hoped that we should seek the Saviour of sinners. But we shall never seek Him - until we feel our need of Him!
There is One who knows just what we are. The Lord Jesus Christ says, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot." His eye is always upon us. He knows us exactly as we are, each one of us. Profession does not deceive Him. Knowledge does not pass with Him for repentance, faith, and holiness. He knows our hearts - and He knows our lives. The mockery of an empty profession, the mere pretense of a religion that is all in the head or on the lips, the unhumbled heart, the coldness, the hardness, the lack of faith and gratitude and love - He knows them all.
What then? Does He cast off the lukewarm? Does He put an end at once to this empty religion, so displeasing as it is to Him? So displeasing that He even says, "I would you were cold or hot." How gracious He is! How merciful and long-suffering! He will indeed reject the lukewarm - if they continue so; but He kindly and faithfully warns them not to remain as they are.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(continued with # 2)
The Name Jesus # 3
The Name Jesus # 3
Take the man who first bore the great name. Joshua is one of the greatest men upon the pages of the Old Testament in many ways. And yet in all full realization, he failed; and the writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us, "For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day." So the great leader of the past failed. He led them in, he led them with great sternness and severity, and magnificent triumph against Jericho, and Ai, and on, but he certainly never gave them rest. And all the history of the coming years was the history of perpetual restlessness. Joshua never led them into rest. Well, call His name Joshua, for it is He that shall save His people from their sins.
And Joshua, the high priest in the days of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, not much is said of him, but there he appears, the representative of religion, urging the people under Zerubbabel to their building, helping the office of the prophet with his priestly intercession. There he is seen in symbolic language, clothed with the filthy garments, representing defiled Israel. But he could not take away sin, and the filthy garments remained upon Israel, and Israel failed to fulfill the great function for which she had been created a nation, that of speaking the message of God; and Joshua the priest failed, as did Joshua the leader.
Very well, then, call His name Joshua, for He shall save His people from their sins. And so, brethren, that emphasis of contrast leads us to see that this name indicated, or the declaration associated with the name indicated, not merely a mission, but a method. The angel did not say to Joseph, "Thou shalt call His name Joshua," for He shall lead the people in. He did not say to Joseph, "Thou shalt call His name Joshua. for He shall bear away the filthy garments, and enable the people to bear their testimony. He might have said these things, but what He said was deeper. "He shall save His people from their sins." My brethren, this is a revelation of the assured success. Joshua failed to lead the people into rest, why? Because of the people's sin, with which he could not deal. Joshua the priest failed to realize in Israel God's purpose, that which should be his message to the nations, why? Because of the people's sin, which he could not carry. So that instead of dealing merely with the surface of things, or speaking of issues, the angel's message goes down to the depths and says, "Thou shalt call His name Joshua," for He will lead His people into rest, and to the fulfillment of their vocation by saving them from the sins which prevent rest, and which give the adversary power.
Call this newborn child Jesus, "for He shall save His people" from these things and from the consequent ruin. If His people are saved from sins, they will find rest, if His people are saved from sins, they will fulfill their vocation, and be and do all that God means they shall be and do.
"Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins." I pray you remember that the phrase, "His people," is significant at this point. It marks limits, and indicates limitlessness. What are the limits it marks? His people. No, brethren, I will begin with the other word. How does it indicate limitlessness? It does not say, He shall save the people of His own nation. It does not say, as has often been pointed out, He shall save God's people, but His own people. "His people." He is coming to make a position, to create a people to be a Kingdom, and to set up the Kingdom; and the people who are His He save from their sins. There is your limit, but there is your limitlessness. How may a man become one of His people? Simply by believing on Him and crowning Him. It is a stalemate that overlaps the boundary line of Judaism. It is a statement that includes the wise men who come from afar to Him, as well as shepherd's singing on Bethlehem's plains. This is the story of the first naming of the Child.
Brothers, when this name was given to Joseph by the angel it was, so far as man was concerned, a prophecy. So far as God was concerned it was an affirmation of faith, of absolute assurance and certainty. Thou, Joseph, shall call His name Jehovah - salvation, for He shall save His people from their sins. So spake heaven, and as men heard it, it was a prophecy, it was an indication, it was a hope. There is a sense in which it is true that He did not receive that name finally until He went back into heaven, and Paul tells us all the gracious story when he writes, "Who, being in the form of God, counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the Cross. Wherefore, also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name." What name? "That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow."
The angel uttered it, heaven's confidence, a prophecy of hope to men; and the Babe bore it, and carried it through the simplicity of childhood, one Boy among the many who bore it in those Judean villages; and the Boy passed out into youth, and bore the same name, Joshua, Jesus, in purity, and in resistance to all evil. And He bore it on through the years of public ministry, and He bore it on the Cross, and never so universally as there. Who is this upon the Cross? The Babe Whose name is Jesus. But, Who is He? Joshua, Jehovah, Salvation.
And there at the center of God's universe at this moment of human time is the Man Who bore the name, glorified, our Joshua, Hallelujah! He is able to lead us into rest. He is our High Priest, clothed no longer with the filthy garments, for He bore them away on the Cross; but with the miter on His head, and many diadems upon His brow, Jesus, the enthroned One. May God help us to hear the evangel of the name, and to know assuredly that what the name prophesied He has perfectly accomplished!
~G. Campbell Morgan~
(The End)
Take the man who first bore the great name. Joshua is one of the greatest men upon the pages of the Old Testament in many ways. And yet in all full realization, he failed; and the writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us, "For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day." So the great leader of the past failed. He led them in, he led them with great sternness and severity, and magnificent triumph against Jericho, and Ai, and on, but he certainly never gave them rest. And all the history of the coming years was the history of perpetual restlessness. Joshua never led them into rest. Well, call His name Joshua, for it is He that shall save His people from their sins.
And Joshua, the high priest in the days of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, not much is said of him, but there he appears, the representative of religion, urging the people under Zerubbabel to their building, helping the office of the prophet with his priestly intercession. There he is seen in symbolic language, clothed with the filthy garments, representing defiled Israel. But he could not take away sin, and the filthy garments remained upon Israel, and Israel failed to fulfill the great function for which she had been created a nation, that of speaking the message of God; and Joshua the priest failed, as did Joshua the leader.
Very well, then, call His name Joshua, for He shall save His people from their sins. And so, brethren, that emphasis of contrast leads us to see that this name indicated, or the declaration associated with the name indicated, not merely a mission, but a method. The angel did not say to Joseph, "Thou shalt call His name Joshua," for He shall lead the people in. He did not say to Joseph, "Thou shalt call His name Joshua. for He shall bear away the filthy garments, and enable the people to bear their testimony. He might have said these things, but what He said was deeper. "He shall save His people from their sins." My brethren, this is a revelation of the assured success. Joshua failed to lead the people into rest, why? Because of the people's sin, with which he could not deal. Joshua the priest failed to realize in Israel God's purpose, that which should be his message to the nations, why? Because of the people's sin, which he could not carry. So that instead of dealing merely with the surface of things, or speaking of issues, the angel's message goes down to the depths and says, "Thou shalt call His name Joshua," for He will lead His people into rest, and to the fulfillment of their vocation by saving them from the sins which prevent rest, and which give the adversary power.
Call this newborn child Jesus, "for He shall save His people" from these things and from the consequent ruin. If His people are saved from sins, they will find rest, if His people are saved from sins, they will fulfill their vocation, and be and do all that God means they shall be and do.
"Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins." I pray you remember that the phrase, "His people," is significant at this point. It marks limits, and indicates limitlessness. What are the limits it marks? His people. No, brethren, I will begin with the other word. How does it indicate limitlessness? It does not say, He shall save the people of His own nation. It does not say, as has often been pointed out, He shall save God's people, but His own people. "His people." He is coming to make a position, to create a people to be a Kingdom, and to set up the Kingdom; and the people who are His He save from their sins. There is your limit, but there is your limitlessness. How may a man become one of His people? Simply by believing on Him and crowning Him. It is a stalemate that overlaps the boundary line of Judaism. It is a statement that includes the wise men who come from afar to Him, as well as shepherd's singing on Bethlehem's plains. This is the story of the first naming of the Child.
Brothers, when this name was given to Joseph by the angel it was, so far as man was concerned, a prophecy. So far as God was concerned it was an affirmation of faith, of absolute assurance and certainty. Thou, Joseph, shall call His name Jehovah - salvation, for He shall save His people from their sins. So spake heaven, and as men heard it, it was a prophecy, it was an indication, it was a hope. There is a sense in which it is true that He did not receive that name finally until He went back into heaven, and Paul tells us all the gracious story when he writes, "Who, being in the form of God, counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the Cross. Wherefore, also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name." What name? "That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow."
The angel uttered it, heaven's confidence, a prophecy of hope to men; and the Babe bore it, and carried it through the simplicity of childhood, one Boy among the many who bore it in those Judean villages; and the Boy passed out into youth, and bore the same name, Joshua, Jesus, in purity, and in resistance to all evil. And He bore it on through the years of public ministry, and He bore it on the Cross, and never so universally as there. Who is this upon the Cross? The Babe Whose name is Jesus. But, Who is He? Joshua, Jehovah, Salvation.
And there at the center of God's universe at this moment of human time is the Man Who bore the name, glorified, our Joshua, Hallelujah! He is able to lead us into rest. He is our High Priest, clothed no longer with the filthy garments, for He bore them away on the Cross; but with the miter on His head, and many diadems upon His brow, Jesus, the enthroned One. May God help us to hear the evangel of the name, and to know assuredly that what the name prophesied He has perfectly accomplished!
~G. Campbell Morgan~
(The End)
Saturday, March 2, 2019
The Name Jesus # 2
The Name Jesus # 2
In the story to which I have already made reference, in Numbers 13, it is told how men were sent to spy out the land: princes of the tribes. Among them was the prince of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, which name means salvation, or deliverance. In the course of that story in Numbers we are told, as I think parenthetically that Moses changed his name from Hoshea to Joshua, and the reason for it will be found presently when the spies returned. You know the story well, how the majority report was against going up to Canaan; but the minority reported it is a very interesting thing to notice in human history how minority reports are almost always right - the minority report was. We can possess the land. Joshua was the spokesman, and what did he say? He declared that Jehovah was able to bring His people into possession in spite of all the difficulties. I think it was because of that word, and because of that fact and of that confidence that Moses with insight and foresight, seeing what this man meant to the nation, changed his name.
It was a good name before: Hoshea: salvation. Yes, but this man was not depending on his own right arm. He had no dream in his heart that he could bring salvation to his people. He declared that it must be the work of Jehovah; and, consequently, Moses weaving the two names together, Jehovah and Hoshea, called him Joshua, for Joshua is the combination of the two words. Jehovah and Yawshah, which is Hoshea, and which as we have said means salvation. Jehovah and salvation are thus woven into one name. It was a high honor conferred on the new leader to bear such a name as that, and a wonderful revelation of the insight of the man who gave it to him. The original name, Hoshea, salvation, is a fine one, but this man knew that he could not lead the people in, even though his report be a true one; but he also knew that God could, and Moses said, Your name is changed, and into it is brought the name of the God Who can save. So the name was made. And Joshua led them in, but he never gave them rest.
The high priest of a later day, who had the name, came very near fulfillment of some of its significance as he bore the iniquity of the people, the filthy garments signifying this fact. Presently he was crowned. It was all prophetic and symbolic, but he failed, as the subsequent history of the people proves. The centuries have gone, and the high and noble thinking of the name has never been realized in actual life. There is a hush in the outer court of the inn, and a little Child has come into the world, and the world is quite careless, but heaven is not. Stars are shining, angels are singing, wise men are feeling the touch of the upper spaces, and are journeying toward the manger. Who is it? "Thou shalt call His name Joshua; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins."
God took hold of a common name of the boys playing about, and called His Son by that name. God took hold of the great historic name of the past, the name of the great leader and the name of the priest of the past, and gave it to His Son new born. Yes, but what is the deepest thing? Call Him Jehovah, Yawshah; Joshua, Jesus. Call Him by His own Father's name, Jehovah, and so indicate the truth about His nature. Call Him by the supreme passion of His Father's heart, salvation, and so indicate the meaning of His work in the world.
We pass it on from age to age in printed page, and from mouth to mouth in spoken word: Jesus! But in that name is wrapped up essential truth concerning Him. Jehovah, Yawshah. Call Him that. He is my Son. He is My Servant Who shares My nature. He comes to do My work. Now I understand Him when in the coming years I hear Him say, "I and My Father are One." Call Him Jesus, and I understand Him when I hear Him say, upon another occasion, "My Father worketh even until now, and I work." Call Him salvation, and link your two names together into the infinite music; whether it be Hebrew, Greek, or Anglo-Saxon, matters nothing. You cannot rob it of its music. Carry it into all languages and dialects, and in sweet tones it breaks upon the listening ear of humanity.
Jesus, the name high over all,
In hell, or earth, or sky,
Angels and men before it fall
And devils fear and fly.
Jesus, name of sweetness,
Jesus, sound of love;
Cheering exiles onward
To their home above
Jesus, oh, the magic
Of the soft love sound,
How it thrills and trembles
To creation's bound.
This name has appealed to every generation, and to all classes of men because it is a great name. It touches you. It is Jehovah, Yawshah. Call Him that, said the Father to the angel, and the Boy's name was registered in heaven, God's name linked with the great word that declares His mission in the world.
Second, the reason for giving this name. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins." You notice that slight variation in translation, certainly a great gain. The real thought is that of a contrast. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people." I repeat, the form of the sentence really suggests a contrast. A contrast with what? With all the aspiration of the past, which had never become achievement. With all the strong and strenuous attempt that had ended in defeat.
~G. Campbell Morgan~
(continued with # 3)
In the story to which I have already made reference, in Numbers 13, it is told how men were sent to spy out the land: princes of the tribes. Among them was the prince of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, which name means salvation, or deliverance. In the course of that story in Numbers we are told, as I think parenthetically that Moses changed his name from Hoshea to Joshua, and the reason for it will be found presently when the spies returned. You know the story well, how the majority report was against going up to Canaan; but the minority reported it is a very interesting thing to notice in human history how minority reports are almost always right - the minority report was. We can possess the land. Joshua was the spokesman, and what did he say? He declared that Jehovah was able to bring His people into possession in spite of all the difficulties. I think it was because of that word, and because of that fact and of that confidence that Moses with insight and foresight, seeing what this man meant to the nation, changed his name.
It was a good name before: Hoshea: salvation. Yes, but this man was not depending on his own right arm. He had no dream in his heart that he could bring salvation to his people. He declared that it must be the work of Jehovah; and, consequently, Moses weaving the two names together, Jehovah and Hoshea, called him Joshua, for Joshua is the combination of the two words. Jehovah and Yawshah, which is Hoshea, and which as we have said means salvation. Jehovah and salvation are thus woven into one name. It was a high honor conferred on the new leader to bear such a name as that, and a wonderful revelation of the insight of the man who gave it to him. The original name, Hoshea, salvation, is a fine one, but this man knew that he could not lead the people in, even though his report be a true one; but he also knew that God could, and Moses said, Your name is changed, and into it is brought the name of the God Who can save. So the name was made. And Joshua led them in, but he never gave them rest.
The high priest of a later day, who had the name, came very near fulfillment of some of its significance as he bore the iniquity of the people, the filthy garments signifying this fact. Presently he was crowned. It was all prophetic and symbolic, but he failed, as the subsequent history of the people proves. The centuries have gone, and the high and noble thinking of the name has never been realized in actual life. There is a hush in the outer court of the inn, and a little Child has come into the world, and the world is quite careless, but heaven is not. Stars are shining, angels are singing, wise men are feeling the touch of the upper spaces, and are journeying toward the manger. Who is it? "Thou shalt call His name Joshua; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins."
God took hold of a common name of the boys playing about, and called His Son by that name. God took hold of the great historic name of the past, the name of the great leader and the name of the priest of the past, and gave it to His Son new born. Yes, but what is the deepest thing? Call Him Jehovah, Yawshah; Joshua, Jesus. Call Him by His own Father's name, Jehovah, and so indicate the truth about His nature. Call Him by the supreme passion of His Father's heart, salvation, and so indicate the meaning of His work in the world.
We pass it on from age to age in printed page, and from mouth to mouth in spoken word: Jesus! But in that name is wrapped up essential truth concerning Him. Jehovah, Yawshah. Call Him that. He is my Son. He is My Servant Who shares My nature. He comes to do My work. Now I understand Him when in the coming years I hear Him say, "I and My Father are One." Call Him Jesus, and I understand Him when I hear Him say, upon another occasion, "My Father worketh even until now, and I work." Call Him salvation, and link your two names together into the infinite music; whether it be Hebrew, Greek, or Anglo-Saxon, matters nothing. You cannot rob it of its music. Carry it into all languages and dialects, and in sweet tones it breaks upon the listening ear of humanity.
Jesus, the name high over all,
In hell, or earth, or sky,
Angels and men before it fall
And devils fear and fly.
Jesus, name of sweetness,
Jesus, sound of love;
Cheering exiles onward
To their home above
Jesus, oh, the magic
Of the soft love sound,
How it thrills and trembles
To creation's bound.
This name has appealed to every generation, and to all classes of men because it is a great name. It touches you. It is Jehovah, Yawshah. Call Him that, said the Father to the angel, and the Boy's name was registered in heaven, God's name linked with the great word that declares His mission in the world.
Second, the reason for giving this name. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins." You notice that slight variation in translation, certainly a great gain. The real thought is that of a contrast. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people." I repeat, the form of the sentence really suggests a contrast. A contrast with what? With all the aspiration of the past, which had never become achievement. With all the strong and strenuous attempt that had ended in defeat.
~G. Campbell Morgan~
(continued with # 3)
The Name Jesus # 1
The Name Jesus # 1
"Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Even today the naming of a newborn child is an event full of interest. The principles of choice are varied in these complex and somewhat superficial days. Children are given names because the names have been borne by their fathers before them. Sometimes names are still given to children as expressing a hope on the part of the parents, but as a rule they are simply given on the basis of preference.
The Hebrews meant far more by their names than we do. That will be discovered as the Old Testament history is read. They were often wrong in their naming of the children. The very first name, "Cain". Eve called her first-born Cain - Acquired. She was doomed to disappointment. She had hoped that the promised seed had already come. And the second name was also a mistake. She called her next boy "Abel - Vanity. There was far more to satisfy the mother's heart in the coming years in Abel, even though he suffered death, than in Cain.
Sometimes the names were tragic. Hosea, that prophet of the wounded spirit and the broken heart, as children were born into his home named them, and in their naming is seen the terrible condition of the chosen people. He called the first Jezreel, judgment threatened! He called the second Lo-ruhammah, mercy not obtained! He called the third Lo-ammi, not My people!
When Mary's Child was born, Joseph named Him Jesus. And this was by special instruction conveyed to him by the angel. That angel was the messenger of heaven's thought, and of God's will. The Babe was registered Jesus in heaven. And that name, given by Joseph in obedience to the instruction of the angel who had received his command in heaven's own high court, was a name which expressed heaven's confidence in the Child now born. Earth's salvation will come as earth shares heaven's faith in Jesus; and the giving of the name at the first was expressive of this confidence of God in the newborn Child.
This story of the giving of the name is one of supreme interest. Do not be angry with me for bringing to you a text you have known from childhood, but let us come back to this name, which every child here who has begun to read at all, can spell, and try to understand some of the things signified by the giving of this name. A few moments first, then, with the name given; and second, a consideration of the reason for giving this name to this Child.
I would have you, first of all, remember the humanness of this name. It was a very common Hebrew name. Doubtless many a boy living in Judea in the days when the Babe was born was called Jesus. And doubtless it had been for long years, for centuries, a popular name in Jewish families; for of course you remember that Jesus is but the Greek form of the Hebrew name "Joshua." There were many boys called Joshua, and in the Greek dialect obtaining at the moment, many boys doubtless bore this name Jesus. There is nothing startling in the name. When the neighbors heard that Mary had called the newborn Boy Jesus, they did not stop to ask what she meant. Many another Jesus was running about in Nazareth and Judea, and all through the countryside it was one of the most common names, almost as common as John is today.
Thus God took hold of a name perfectly familiar, which set the newborn Child among the children of men, rather than separated Him from them. He took hold of a name that men were using everywhere, "Thou shall call His name Jesus," the name that the boy next door has, the name that men have been calling their boys by for centuries. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus."
But how came it that this name was so familiar? What were the associations of the name in the Old Testament history? It was a name associated with two men preeminently - the one who first received it, a leader; and, then, another who made it conspicuous, a priest.
The first man who bore the name was the great soldier who succeeded to the leadership of the people after the passing of Moses, the man to whom there was committed the stern, hard, fierce fight that was necessary to establish the people in the land. This man was born in Egypt, in slavery, lived there about forty years, and then followed Moses as he led the people out of Egypt; then spent the next forty years in the wilderness, passing through all its experiences. Finally, he led the people with the sword and terrific conflict into possession of the land. That is the man who first received this name. So far as the Bible is concerned, and in all probability so far as Jewish history is concerned, the name had never been known before. It was made for him by Moses. His name was originally Hosea or Hoshea: but Moses changed it and called him Joshua!
The next man who bore the name conspicuously was a priest in the days of restoration under Haggai and Zechariah. Now this Child is born, and heaven, taking a name familiar in the homes of Judea, a name conspicuous in Hebrew history because of its connection with the soldier leader and the restoring priest, commands,"Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins."
Let us examine the matter more closely. We have seen that the name was common among Hebrew boys. We have seen that the name was thus popular because of the historic association. Now, what does the name mean?
~G. Campbell Morgan~
(continued with # 2)
"Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Even today the naming of a newborn child is an event full of interest. The principles of choice are varied in these complex and somewhat superficial days. Children are given names because the names have been borne by their fathers before them. Sometimes names are still given to children as expressing a hope on the part of the parents, but as a rule they are simply given on the basis of preference.
The Hebrews meant far more by their names than we do. That will be discovered as the Old Testament history is read. They were often wrong in their naming of the children. The very first name, "Cain". Eve called her first-born Cain - Acquired. She was doomed to disappointment. She had hoped that the promised seed had already come. And the second name was also a mistake. She called her next boy "Abel - Vanity. There was far more to satisfy the mother's heart in the coming years in Abel, even though he suffered death, than in Cain.
Sometimes the names were tragic. Hosea, that prophet of the wounded spirit and the broken heart, as children were born into his home named them, and in their naming is seen the terrible condition of the chosen people. He called the first Jezreel, judgment threatened! He called the second Lo-ruhammah, mercy not obtained! He called the third Lo-ammi, not My people!
When Mary's Child was born, Joseph named Him Jesus. And this was by special instruction conveyed to him by the angel. That angel was the messenger of heaven's thought, and of God's will. The Babe was registered Jesus in heaven. And that name, given by Joseph in obedience to the instruction of the angel who had received his command in heaven's own high court, was a name which expressed heaven's confidence in the Child now born. Earth's salvation will come as earth shares heaven's faith in Jesus; and the giving of the name at the first was expressive of this confidence of God in the newborn Child.
This story of the giving of the name is one of supreme interest. Do not be angry with me for bringing to you a text you have known from childhood, but let us come back to this name, which every child here who has begun to read at all, can spell, and try to understand some of the things signified by the giving of this name. A few moments first, then, with the name given; and second, a consideration of the reason for giving this name to this Child.
I would have you, first of all, remember the humanness of this name. It was a very common Hebrew name. Doubtless many a boy living in Judea in the days when the Babe was born was called Jesus. And doubtless it had been for long years, for centuries, a popular name in Jewish families; for of course you remember that Jesus is but the Greek form of the Hebrew name "Joshua." There were many boys called Joshua, and in the Greek dialect obtaining at the moment, many boys doubtless bore this name Jesus. There is nothing startling in the name. When the neighbors heard that Mary had called the newborn Boy Jesus, they did not stop to ask what she meant. Many another Jesus was running about in Nazareth and Judea, and all through the countryside it was one of the most common names, almost as common as John is today.
Thus God took hold of a name perfectly familiar, which set the newborn Child among the children of men, rather than separated Him from them. He took hold of a name that men were using everywhere, "Thou shall call His name Jesus," the name that the boy next door has, the name that men have been calling their boys by for centuries. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus."
But how came it that this name was so familiar? What were the associations of the name in the Old Testament history? It was a name associated with two men preeminently - the one who first received it, a leader; and, then, another who made it conspicuous, a priest.
The first man who bore the name was the great soldier who succeeded to the leadership of the people after the passing of Moses, the man to whom there was committed the stern, hard, fierce fight that was necessary to establish the people in the land. This man was born in Egypt, in slavery, lived there about forty years, and then followed Moses as he led the people out of Egypt; then spent the next forty years in the wilderness, passing through all its experiences. Finally, he led the people with the sword and terrific conflict into possession of the land. That is the man who first received this name. So far as the Bible is concerned, and in all probability so far as Jewish history is concerned, the name had never been known before. It was made for him by Moses. His name was originally Hosea or Hoshea: but Moses changed it and called him Joshua!
The next man who bore the name conspicuously was a priest in the days of restoration under Haggai and Zechariah. Now this Child is born, and heaven, taking a name familiar in the homes of Judea, a name conspicuous in Hebrew history because of its connection with the soldier leader and the restoring priest, commands,"Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins."
Let us examine the matter more closely. We have seen that the name was common among Hebrew boys. We have seen that the name was thus popular because of the historic association. Now, what does the name mean?
~G. Campbell Morgan~
(continued with # 2)
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