PERSONALITY

PERSONALITY

Revelation 22:16,17; Philemon 8 - 11; Revelation 1:9,10; Daniel 9:2 - 4

What is in mind in reading these scriptures is to speak about personality, which is one feature of the Scriptures: certain persons calling attention to themselves as speaking — “I Jesus”, “Paul the aged”, “I John”, “I Daniel”. The first scripture, one well known to us, is Jesus addressing Himself to the assemblies; He calls attention to Himself, not simply as known under that precious appellation of “Jesus”, but He introduces His history — a matter of importance in those who have part in the service, in the testimony of God. Who is He?

Great personages have come up, are coming up, and will come up, in the course of this world, with little or no history, the most distinguished of all comes up out of the sea. We cannot obtain histories from the depths of the sea. We have not far to go for illustrations of persons coming into great prominence without any history behind them to qualify them. In the testimony of God, personality is given great prominence, and what precedes it, what enters into it, in the way of history. So that the Lord leads in this respect, especially in the verses read in Revelation 22. “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies”. He leaves out John; John has his own personality, which we hope to look at. He mentions an angel, one of those of whose histories we know little, not that they have no histories, but very little is disclosed to us as to them in this respect; the stress therefore as to personality, in the Lord’s remarks here, is on Himself.

^[p. 2] In the beginning of this book we have “Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to shew to his bondmen what must shortly take place; and he signified it, sending by his angel, to his bondman John”. John comes in mediately between the angel and the assembly, but he is assumed in the Lord’s remarks in the verses read to have a personality of his own, which the Lord by the Spirit would throw into evidence; one of the most interesting personalities in the Scripture is that of John. The angels are not presented to us as objects of attraction, they are all ministering servants sent out to minister on account of those — namely, ourselves, that is, christians — who are heirs of salvation. But the bondmen of Jesus have personalities, histories behind them, and peculiarly so John. The Lord could say constantly, directly and indirectly, that John is the one I peculiarly love; it is well worth while, therefore, to look into his history.

Jesus says further, “I am the root and offspring of David” — no other history like that. John gives us even more than that, he begins his narrative of Jesus with, “In the beginning was the Word”, alluding to the greatest expression morally of ability in man, the power of the mind, and that He was the Word itself personified — the mind of God was there. That is how the beloved disciple begins in speaking about Jesus — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... All things received being through him, and without him not one thing received being which has received being” (John 1:1,3). Of no being could that be predicated but One, not even the Father. The Son has distinction peculiar to Himself. The Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. It is not said that the Father made all things — the Son made all things. So that the Son has His own distinctiveness; personality is supreme there.

^[p. 3] Now here He is speaking to the assembly, the peculiar formation under Paul’s ministry, for, without naming him, the apostle Paul comes into this book in his work in the word “assemblies”. John wrote to Paul’s assemblies, we might say, and the Lord Jesus is speaking to them now — “I Jesus”, He says, and, as using that form, He intends to impress us with personality, and personality as bearing on the present time as well as on the past and future.

That there is personality in the sense in which I am speaking of it, is unquestionable; there is not a single saint that has not a personality; the least esteemed in the assembly is equal to being put on the judge’s seat (1 Corinthians 6:4), and that involves personality. So that the idea ought to come home to every one of us, and the Lord Jesus in putting Himself forward to the assemblies impresses us with this great thought of personality. It is doubtful if we would have much ministry save as someone understands what is said. I mean it has, otherwise, no resting-place. It is said of Samuel’s words that none of them fell to the ground. It is rare that this could be said of anyone — none of them fell to the ground, not one of his words. That would mean that they fell into honest and good hearts, and that helps to give pungency and reaction to ministry. We must look for reaction. ‘A fine word’, we say, but what about the practical effect?

Fruit for God requires intelligence, that is to say, “good ground” is the ground of the person who understands the word. He might not be able to give an address, as we say, on the words he heard, but still, there is the element of understanding, and that is not in man naturally — that is the work of God, the good ground is the fruit of the work of God. So that the Lord, in speaking to the assemblies, spoke to those who had understanding; they were poorly instructed, no doubt, considering the period contemplated, but He speaks to them here as worthy of being spoken to.

^[p. 4] There is no question here of reproach, He is speaking to the assemblies according to their dignity — “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies”, without saying anything about John, as if the assemblies themselves could take in the testimony. That is another thing to be noted in this book, the word “testify”. It belongs peculiarly to times in which things are doubted, times in which the enemy’s effort is to make divine things uncertain, and to make the truth of God a lie. So this word is of immense importance, and it is very prevalent throughout this book; John “testified the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, all things that he saw”; he is a perfect witness.

Now the Lord is implying that the assemblies understand. What do they understand? Well, “I am the root ... of David”, he who stands for all that is best, as we might say, in the service of God, Christ is his root, and his offspring, too. The “root” is inscrutable, who can get down to discover the meaning in detail of that word, in a divine Person? “Offspring” is historical. So that we have the deity of our Lord Jesus presented to us here, in unmistakable terms, and His humanity at the same time — the Root and Offspring of David. What a Personality!

As the Lord’s word here was read in the assemblies, the thought of personality would arise in their minds. What have we here in Ephesus? What have you in Smyrna? What reaction is there in those leading persons in your meeting from the knowledge that their names are written in heaven? What correspondence is there? There must be a correspondence, if things are right, between what we are in heaven and what we are down here. The Lord might even suggest — but He does not here — Why is it that you at Ephesus have turned away from Paul? Paul says, “all who are in Asia” — think of that, even before the apostle’s death — “have turned away from me” (2 Timothy 1:15). There is no change in heaven’s ^[p. 5] attitude towards Paul; why this change in Asia? Paul says to the Galatians, “I bear you witness that, if possible, plucking out your own eyes ye would have given them to me” (Galatians 4:15). Why the change? The change is not in me, he says, the change is in you. So it is with us; we are tested by our view, our estimate, of those whom heaven respects and loves. You do not want to be out of accord with heaven as to any brother.

The Lord in speaking of personality, is bringing Himself to their attention, “I Jesus”. The idea of His personality should permeate all these assemblies; but some in them had turned away from Paul, having left their first love. Why did they leave their first love? They lost admiration of Jesus — that is why; their eyes became blurred, their affections became dull, He was not to them what He used to be. But He says, I am the same, there is not a whit of change in Me, the change is in you. “The root and the offspring of David” — think of who it is, towards whom you are growing cold: it is towards Me. How commonly it occurs, alas, amongst us! Our love for Christ grows cold, and we show it by turning away from, or otherwise ill-treating, one of His servants. There is no change in Me, the Lord says; I am still thinking of you; “I ... have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star”.

I now go on to Paul. What I have said is to generalise my subject, showing that there is perfection in Jesus, and as presented in Him the idea of personality is to permeate all the assemblies; every one of, them. And the idea of the personality of Jesus comes right down to us, for the whole history is in mind. At the end there is a change in the assemblies, for there is such an one as is designated the bride, the supreme feminine idea of personality — of the glory of affection. The Lord is ending on that, and He is succeeding, too,

thank God, in however few; “the Spirit and the bride”, as if there were a revival at the end, a response to this great personality which has come right down to us: Jesus. This book is full of it, and the Spirit has at least some who can be designated as the bride, and surely, dear brethren, every one of us wishes from the bottom of his heart, with all his heart and strength, to be among those who are designated as “the bride”! Personality — feminine personality — is there supremely, as it is in Jesus as Man supremely, for there is perfect correspondence between the Bridegroom and the bride.

Coming to Paul, I want to show how his personality enters into the preservation of the work of God, the preservation and the full valuation of every item of the work of God; this in truth is how the bride is reached. Onesimus is the theme of the letter to Philemon, a slave, but “a brother beloved” already; and there are many such, but they have not really, in the minds of many, been given their proper valuation. I am sure of that; money and status and what not, becloud our vision, so that brethren do not acquire their proper valuation. Philemon, apparently, was in danger of being beclouded by these things, he was the master of this slave. As such in earlier days, can he now look at him according to his real value? Gold is gold, wherever it is — gold is always gold. Here is someone sent to Colosse apparently, a nugget, one might say, more than that, a precious stone, one who is to shine presently, and already is shining. Will he shine for Philemon? Will he adorn the house of Philemon — will he adorn the assembly that is in Philemon’s house? Will he be just a servant, just a slave, just that and nothing more when the brethren are invited into the house of Philemon? These are pertinent questions. Our eyes are readily blurred to the real value of the subjects of the work of God.

The apostle says, “I rather exhort, being such a one as Paul the aged” — a man of experience. If you were to ask Philemon, What do you think of Paul? Ah, he would say, there is no one like him, he has a big credit with me. Paul says, Take from that credit and put it to the credit of Onesimus — that is, equalise things. Maybe I think too much of Paul and too little of Onesimus. Why Onesimus? Well, Onesimus is my child, he says; but if there is any indebtedness involved in this, well, debit it to my account. “I Paul” say it; not “Paul the aged” now, Paul the man of means now, the man who has a credit. Philemon would not deny it, he would say readily, I am sure, There is not a man I value more than Paul. I believe he would say that at this time. The apostle assumes that, but what he is concerned about is this young man who had been in a very menial position in that household. There was an assembly in the house, too — it is worth while mentioning that, for the assembly of course normally is not concerned as to whether a man is a slave or a master, the principle in this respect governing the assembly is that the rich glory in their humiliation. The presence of an assembly in one’s house ought to help me to rightly value a brother, although poor in this world’s goods.

It is an important matter, if any one has personality amongst us to use it to its fullest extent to promote the right valuation of the work of God. We are greatly hampered if the work of God is not rightly valued. I do not say poverty in itself has any virtue; I do not think it has, though it may be so regarded by some. It is a question of the equalisation of things — “let the brother of low degree glory in his elevation, and the rich in his humiliation” (James 1:9,10). Not that the brother of low degree is brought into better circumstances after the flesh, not at all — he is brought in where the work of God is rightly valued, and that is in the assembly. So that personality, according to ^[p. 8] what I am saying, is for the preservation of right values of the work of God amongst the people of God.

There are other connections in which Paul’s personality is implied — valuable, too — but I thought I would select this one. He brings it in in speaking to the Galatians: “I Paul”(chapter 5:2), he puts it into the scale against legality — another thing that greatly hampers us as brethren. It is the Jewish element; legality is, I believe, put in that way in Scripture, and any personality that we have according to God may be rightly put into the scale against it to show that legality is not of any value at all. It is worse than useless; the apostle says, “I, Paul, say to you, that if ye are circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing”. Think of that! You are deprived, he says, of all benefit from the Christ if you are circumcised, that is, going back to judaism, the beggarly elements whereby christians were being put into bondage; and the apostle puts the whole force of his personality into the scale against that.

Another thing he puts it against is rivalry amongst the brethren, indeed, it was a question of rivalry against himself. In 2 Corinthians 10:1 he throws his personality into the scale against that and he says, “I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ ....” Can we doubt that what he meant was that his personality carried with it those glorious traits and features, the meekness and gentleness of Christ? He throws that weight into the scale, in the chapter, against rivalry against himself, because they were comparing themselves with themselves in Corinth. A school of pride and competition had risen up in that assembly shortly after he left to labour elsewhere. He says, I want to show you the lightness and unprofitableness, to say nothing of the wickedness, of it. “I Paul”; he brings himself forward, and he beseeches them by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. He cites one brother at Corinth making a remark about him, saying, that his letters are weighty. I quite admit ^[p. 9] that — this man would say to one of his party maybe — but his bodily presence is weak. What a wretched thing to say about a brother! And as regards his speech, he said, it is contemptible. The apostle had that sort of thing in mind. What he wrote is now for us. That chapter is for us, to expose the baneful element of rivalry, of competition, in the things of God; “measuring themselves by themselves” (chapter 10:12) even. In the next chapter he says, I am compelled to go over my own history because of your attitude, but in chapter 10 he throws in his weight of personality to correct them — “I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ”.

Now, the next word is in regard to John — one of the loveliest personalities that Scripture affords. We do not find his name in his gospel, it is usually “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. Now he is putting his name in; that is to say, it is again a question of weight, of importance; one sacrifices his own personal feelings to help the brethren, even if he has to bring himself in. “I John”. Well, who is he? That is the next thing. “Your brother”, he says, “and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”. It is evidently a position of power — in Jesus; but still, tribulation is there too. Think of the fixedness of things, think of tribulation being as it were fixed in that sense — it is in Jesus. The apostle Paul speaks of himself as “the prisoner in the Lord” (Ephesians 4:1) — it is a position of dignity and power. So that the beloved disciple is now introducing himself, in what he has to say.

This book is full of signs and symbols, all of which have to be shown. It is a principle in the book that things are shown, but before we enter upon it we have this great personality brought to our attention — “I John, your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”. The saints are well off to have that brother, such a personality. If there are brothers like him in any degree today, it is ^[p. 10] well to keep them in mind, because we are enriched by them. John, of course, is outstanding in the whole history of the testimony, but still, as I said, these scriptures are written for us, not simply to interest us in John, but also in any one like him today. It is a question of what we have, and not only so, but that each of us should seek to be like John. Why not be like John? Why not be a brother like this — a companion in tribulation with the brethren? But it is “in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”; we are bound up in that position, but then there is this personality with it.

Then he says, I “was in the island called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus. I became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” — that is, he gives us a good lead for our assembly services, he is a man able to instruct us, although a sufferer, and a prisoner, in Patmos, evidently without any brethren with him, for the testimony of Jesus. He is also able to abstract himself entirely, he is in the Spirit on the Lord’s day — not the first day of the week here. This is the only place where we get “the Lord’s day” mentioned formally, but it is entirely in accord with the circumstances. The first day of the week is a question of privilege, of enjoying privilege and looking into eternity, whereas the Lord’s day has to do with the opposition, with the power of Satan in this world.

Here on the Lord’s day, John could abstract himself and be in the Spirit, and that means much, it means that he had part in a wholly spiritual order of things. The fact that he was in prison did not hinder him at all, he was outside of it in the Spirit. So he is ready to hear a divine trumpet; he says, “I became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet ....” That is another thing, an example for us, because there are such voices — many do not hear them, and it is to our great detriment if we do not. So that the personality here before us ^[p. 11] is for us to emulate and follow, to have an ear to hear, as he says over and over again. Here it is a voice like a trumpet, so that anyone who does not hear is deaf. John was not deaf; he heard a voice behind him, as if to call him back to seen things, to sorrows, to conflicts, to desolations unspeakable, as one might say, but he is ready for it. He turned back to see the voice, for it was a question of the voice; the voice carries personality with it.

John has a personality of his own, but he understands the personality of Jesus more perhaps than any; but it was a “voice” — he turned to see the voice, and he saw something in Jesus he had not seen before, namely, judicial habiliments, judicial appearance, judicial glory. I cannot stop to speak of that, but one of the glories of Christ is His judicial glory; it enters into our care meetings and many other such services we have to do towards one another. Let us not think that it is anything less than the glory. But I am speaking now of his personality, and what an example we have in John, according to his words which I have quoted. Let this personality come into our souls, because we may have to face prisons; if we do not face them now, some of our brethren do. “The same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:9). Surely it is for us to be like John, to be to the saints, “your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”.

Finally, I will just say a few words about Daniel. His personality is brought in perhaps as much as any — “I Daniel” is mentioned several times. He is a servant of God who has a unique place, his ministry is largely among the gentiles, to give us light about the gentile monarchies — a very important matter. If we run through the book, with what I am speaking of in mind, we shall be impressed with the personality of Daniel from the beginning to the end. He is a most attractive man spiritually, and it is a great advantage to have a ^[p. 12] man in any way like him amongst us. But he is selected evidently on account of his moral constitution to be the depository of the mind of God peculiarly as to the gentile monarchies.

We are now living in the days of the last of these monarchies, and the one who has had the longest existence; and Daniel’s testimony is very important if we are to understand these things. “The wise shall understand” — that is a word from Daniel. He also says, “the wicked shall do wickedly” (chapter 12:10) — they will not change. We know it is so; the increase of wickedness is marvellous, the boldness with which the worst form of wickedness is perpetrated is remarkable, and there is no power to stop it. It is well to face these things, and Daniel helps us. He gives us dates, he is a prophet for dates, and he was a man who knew how to comport himself in regard to the powers that then were; a very important thing for us, not to be narrow-minded or legal. Thus let us learn from Daniel. See how he comported himself with Nebuchadnezzar, for instance, and with Belshazzar, and with Darius; and he came on even to the reign of Cyrus. He lived to be an old servant of God. He knew how to comport himself towards the authorities; we must do this, or we shall suffer.

There are those who do not distinguish between the King and his ministers, and the world. It is a mistake; however bad personally a man in office may be, he is clothed with what is of God. Whence is government? It is of God; never of the devil, he would destroy government if he could, and make chaos of this world as he made of the old world. “The earth was without form and void” (Genesis 1:2) — someone caused that, God did not do it. Government is of God, and anyone who makes government of itself the same as the world is very much mistaken, he is doing dishonour to God and to the Scriptures, and he will suffer himself, too.

Daniel would not dishonour God in this way; he says to Nebuchadnezzar, “thou art this head of gold” (chapter 2:38);

^[p. 13] he knew what government meant right down to the government that is formed of iron and clay — it is the same thing. The Lord Jesus, the greater than Daniel, said to the representative of Rome in Jerusalem, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John 19:11); and yet that man was perhaps as poor morally as any that ever exercised government. He handed the Lord Jesus over to be scourged, after his wife had told him that Jesus was a righteous Man — and he knew it. He did not sustain government; still the Lord Jesus recognised that government was there. It is well for us to bear this in mind, for we may come closer to things, that others are suffering, than might be expected; and Daniel serves to show us how to comport ourselves in relation to government, and how to comport ourselves in whatever circumstances we may be. He never failed in that, whether under Cyrus, or Belshazzar, or Nebuchadnezzar; he was always true to the testimony.

He says, “I Daniel understood by the books that the number of the years, whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem, was seventy years”. That is the first thing to notice here; he was a man who read his Bible and read it for a purpose. He read the prophet Jeremiah and he learnt from Jeremiah that seventy years were to be accomplished in the desolations of Jerusalem, and he began to pray according to that. That is, we must have some basis for our prayers; we are often merely theoretic as to prayers. If I pray for anything, I must have some reason for asking God for that thing, and Daniel acted according to this, as I have shown. The seventy years were nearly over and so he prays. I cannot go over the chapter; most of you perhaps are conversant with the book of Daniel. This chapter is very striking; he had in mind that he should find out something about Jerusalem, and, clothed in sackcloth, he prayed and ^[p. 14] confessed his sins and the sin of his people, saying, “I made my confession”. Our prayers would be much more effective if there were more confession — I am sure of that. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

So he goes on with his prayer, and a great minister comes to tell him that from the time he began to pray heaven was moved; he says, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved ... unto thee am I now sent” (chapter 10:11). What a personality he had in the mind of heaven! The book shows he also had a great personality even among kings. Able, on the one hand, to respect the authorities, however wicked the persons might be; and, on the other hand, to maintain the rights of God. There is no greater lesson than this at the present moment, to learn how to maintain the rights of God, and yet to respect every bit of gold, everything that is of God in this world. For gold is gold, and God would have us put names on things and value them aright, and with all that to say, “God must be obeyed rather than men” (Acts 5:29). So if Daniel has to pray towards Jerusalem, he does it knowing full well the possible penalty. He did it, he suffered, but he respected the authority.

Think of the king coming to a man like this, to the mouth of the lion’s den, and saying, “O Daniel” — what a feeling the man had! And what a personality Daniel had! God gave him that, and He would give me that, or any one of us, in measure; for we need it in having to do with the authorities, so as not to incur unnecessary displeasure, but to be balanced in regard of them. So Gabriel tells him how he is loved in heaven, and he says, I am going to tell you the whole story of all you want to know about dates, about your people, and your city; not only the seventy years that are past, but he says, “Seventy weeks are apportioned out upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to close the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make expiation for iniquity” (chapter 9:24). All this,

^[p. 15] dear brethren, is to sustain us; there is going to be an end of these things, God has fixed His day, and not a minute beyond that will it go — He will bring in everlasting righteousness. It is for Daniel’s people and Daniel’s city; but soon to be the city of Christ, the city of the great King and His people. He will bring in everlasting righteousness, for in truth Jesus does it; He takes away the sin of the world; He does this and also baptises with the Holy Spirit. He effects the whole purpose of God.

So you can see, dear brethren, how personality enters into all this, and, in a word, it is what any man or woman is, not simply what I am able to say in ministry or what I know, but what I am, and it has its own effect; God intends there should be personality as I have been speaking of it at the present time. It is a question of quality. What the prophet said applies today: the good figs are very good and the bad ones are very bad (Jeremiah 24:1 - 3).