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At a Conference at Graaff Reinet, the closing service was held on Sunday night. At the afternoon meeting we decided to take, as subject, the five great lessons to be learned from the parable of the Vine and Branches in John xv. The subject of brotherly love fell to the lot of a certain minister. But he demurred saying: "I cannot speak on that subject, and I have never yet preached on it." In explanation he said: "You know that I studied in Holland, and when there the subject of love was left to the liberal section. They did not believe in Gods stern justice, nor in the redemption through Christ. God was love; that was enough. The orthodox party were not allowed to suggest that their oppon¬ents should be put out of the church. No, all should be borne in love! And so it came to pass that the orthodox party were strong in preaching faith, but left the preaching of love to the liberal section."The Church must learn not only to preach the love of God in redemption; it must go further, and teach Christians to show that the love of Christ is in their hearts, by love shown to the brethren. Our Lord called this a new commandment: a badge by which the world should recognize His disciples!
There is great need for this preaching of love. God sometimes allows bitterness to arise between Christians that they may view the terrible power of sin in their hearts, and shrink back at the sight. How greatly a minister and his people should feel the importance of Christs command: "Love one another." A life of great holiness will result, if we really but love each other as Christ loves us.
May the reading of this book help us to understand the two manifestations of love: the wonderful love of God in Christ to us, and the wonderful love in us, through the Holy Spirit, to Him and to our brethren.
Wait! Wait! Let your waiting be on the LORD! He is worth waiting for. He never disappoints the waiting soul.
We use lights to make manifest. A Christian man should so shine in his life, that a person could not live with him a week without knowing the gospel. His conversation should be such that all who are about him should clearly perceive whose he is, and whom he serves; and should see the image of Jesus reflected in his daily actions. Lights are intended for guidance. We are to help those around us who are in the dark. We are to hold forth to them the Word of life. We are to point sinners to the Saviour, and the weary to a divine resting-place. Men sometimes read their Bibles, and fail to understand them; we should be ready, like Philip, to instruct the inquirer in the meaning of Gods Word, the way of salvation, and the life of godliness. Lights are also used for warning. On our rocks and shoals a light-house is sure to be erected. Christian men should know that there are many false lights shown everywhere in the world, and therefore the right light is needed. The wreckers of Satan are always abroad, tempting the ungodly to sin under the name of pleasure; they hoist the wrong light, be it ours to put up the true light upon every dangerous rock, to point out every sin, and tell what it leads to, that so we may be clear of the blood of all men, shining as lights in the world. Lights also have a very cheering influence, and so have Christians. A Christian ought to be a comforter, with kind words on his lips, and sympathy in his heart; he should carry sunshine wherever he goes, and diffuse happiness around him.
We who looks at his own character and position from a legal point of view, will not only despair when he comes to the end of his reckoning, but if he be a wise man he will despair at the beginning; for if we are to be judged on the footing of the law, there shall no flesh living be justified. How blessed to know that we dwell in the domains of grace and not of law! When thinking of my state before God the question is not, “Am I perfect in myself before the law?” but, “Am I perfect in Christ Jesus?” That is a very different matter. We need not enquire, “Am I without sin naturally?” but, “Have I been washed in the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness?” It is not “Am I in myself well pleasing to God?” but it is “Am I accepted in the Beloved?” The Christian views his evidences from the top of Sinai, and grows alarmed concerning his salvation; it were better far if he read his title by the light of Calvary. “Why,” saith he, “my faith has unbelief in it, it is not able to save me.” Suppose he had considered the object of his faith instead of his faith, then he would have said, “There is no failure in him, and therefore I am safe.” He sighs over his hope: “Ah! my hope is marred and dimmed by an anxious carefulness about present things; how can I be accepted?” Had he regarded the ground of his hope, he would have seen that the promise of God standeth sure, and that whatever our doubts may be, the oath and promise never fail. Ah! believer, it is safer always for you to be led of the Spirit into gospel liberty than to wear legal fetters. Judge yourself at what Christ is rather than at what you are. Satan will try to mar your peace by reminding you of your sinfulness and imperfections: you can only meet his accusations by faithfully adhering to the gospel and refusing to wear the yoke of bondage.
There are always lone hearth-fires; so many! And those who sit beside them, with the empty chair, cannot restrain the tears that will come. One sits alone so much. There is some One unseen, just here within reach. But somehow we dont realize His presence. Realizing is blessed, but--rare. It belongs to the mood, to the feelings. It is dependent on weather conditions and bodily conditions. The rain, the heavy fog outside, the poor sleep, the twinging pain, these make ones mood so much, they seem to blur out the realizing. But there is something a little higher up than realizing. It is yet more blessed. It is independent of these outer conditions, it is something that abides. It is this: recognizing that Presence unseen, so wondrous and quieting, so soothing and calming and warming. Recognize His presence--the Masters own. He is here, close by; His presence is real. Recognizing will help realizing, too, but it never depends on it. Aye, more, immensely more, the Truth is a Presence, not a thing, a fact, a statement. Some One is present, a warm-hearted Friend, an all-powerful Lord. And this is the joyful truth for weeping hearts everywhere, whatever be the hand that has drawn the tears; by whatever stream it be that your weeping willow is planted. --S. D. Gordon
When God is being good to us, He is working for us. He is supporting us. The Bible tells us that He supports our lot. When goodness follows us, we can be confident that the work of God is adding substantially to us. David says in the Psalms, ‘The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot’. What is our lot? Our lot has to do with the uniquely sanctified and separated identity that God has ordained for us. We often think of being separated as being set apart from something. However, we should consider what it means to be separated to our own identity and person. We might call this individual identity our lot. And God adds His goodness to it. He is showing us who we are and who we were created to be.
The psalmist said, ‘How great is Your goodness’. He then continued, ‘As for me, I said in my alarm, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”’. David understood the total otherness of God. By this we mean that He is completely unique and holy. We are different to Him and therefore separated from Him. In this way, we are cut off from Him. If we cry out to the Father, He supports our lot, adding to us and making us more than we were. This is the heart of the gospel. We don’t need a God in heaven who just likes us. Rather, He is changing us from one degree of glory to another. When we receive the goodness that God has ordained for us, we find capacity to walk and live in the unique identity ordained for us.
James, Peter and John were all apostles of stature and high reputation. Their calibre and standing was certainly evident when they recognised the grace in Paul and gave him the right hand of fellowship. Speaking to the Ephesians, Paul said, ‘You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
which was given to me for you’. We must firstly recognise the grace in
those who are the messengers of the word of His grace. If we do not have eyes to see, then we will not receive the word of grace as it is commended to us. Secondly, we must recognise the grace in our brothers and sisters. They are fellow bondslaves and deacons with us in the word of grace. In
human terms, this is quite difficult. We are all given to making comparisons
between ourselves. We must recognise the grace in others without threat or inferiority. By the grace of God, Paul instructed us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. With sober judgement we come into the secret place to receive from the Father.
In relation to these matters, we need to have sober judgement and give ourselves to seasons of prayer and fasting. We must diligently go the secret place where the Father gives to each one of us according to His predetermined will and purpose. We do not presume upon His grace as if His predestined will for us will guarantee an inheritance of grace. We must make our calling and election sure. God is faithful to His word, but we must be likewise. Like the great apostles, we should exercise ourselves to recognise the grace given to others. And in so doing, we commit ourselves to our brothers and sisters, trusting that they will recognise the grace in us.
hospitality until the fragrance of fellowship filled their households. Many others, of course, watched Mary’s outpouring and mocked the foolish waste of costly perfume. What a mixture the multitude of that day had become! There were disciples of John who believed in the Messiah, as well as others who had not received John’s witness. There were houses touched by the twelve and seventy, there were ‘Jews’ who believed, and others whose tradition was so offended that their envy and anger had been sorely provoked. There were those with eyes to see what was taking place. There were crowds ready to wave Him into Jerusalem, and just as ready to turn on Him, baying for His crucifixion. He announced that He is the Seed that would bear much fruit, if He ‘falls into the ground and dies’.
It is an amazing thought that God the Son laid aside His own glory which He had with the Father before the foundation of the world. He bowed the heavens and came down, leaving the throne of His glory. He passed through the sanctuary, humbling Himself all the way to the death of the cross. He went outside the gate and outside the camp. We are to go out to Him, bearing His reproach. It was not possible that any eye could behold Him, unless He was lifted up outside the camp. It is the word of the kingdom that reveals Him this way. God the Son emptied Himself so that He could receive all that the Father was laying down to Him. It is only in this way that we can, likewise, receive from the Father and from the Son. In the first case, Jesus accounted that He did nothing of His own initiative. He only did the things He saw the Father doing. He only said the things the Father had told Him to speak. We can rightly conclude that He was both listening and watching. It is no wonder that He has said to us that we should watch and pray. God the Son emptied Himself to an endpoint; that is, to the death of the cross. This endpoint has become the beginning for us. Unless He was lifted up before the eyes of all, we could not see and behold Him. The capacity to understand, see, and behold is implicit within the word of the kingdom. Hence, the parable of the sower refers to the four conditions of the heart. It is incumbent upon us to hear, to see, to understand, and to obey the word of the kingdom.
