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THE PROVING OF FAITH

I may not always see myself triumphant, but there is never a moment when I look up that I do not see Christ triumphant, “The Lord ..hath triumphed gloriously” (Exodus 15:1) it does not say we; very often we are not triumphant. Well, you say He is, and see what effect it will have. Is He triumphant? To be sure He is; then what more do you want: you belong to Him. Christ never had a battle to fight for Himself, every battle was for the believer.

The song goes on to Canaan. I do not know what they end with, and no doubt there’s many a cry in the wilderness, but they begin with a song. The same day that I begin rightly in the wilderness, I begin in Canaan.

The wilderness is where I have nothing but God — no resources, no protection — nothing but God. But have you not good government and laws and a fine police? No. They are there and I can thank God for them, but they are nothing to me. But if a person offends against the law, where is he? In Egypt. But suppose I am selling apples in the market, and a wicked man comes and knocks down my stall, what must I do? Call for the police? If you were in Egypt you might. But if I am in the wilderness, what must l do? Pray to my Father. I do not know what He will do, perhaps make my tree bear twice as many apples; perhaps make me contented. The Lord says, “I have overcome the world”, (John 16:33) what then have I to fear? In the wilderness I have to do with man; with human things; when I am in Canaan I have to do with divine things.

In John 14 the Lord says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you”. (John 14:27) In John 20 there is a second peace, — “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”. (John 20:21) This is not peace for the conscience it is His own peace, the peace He had as a Man down here; this is peace for the wilderness. The peace of Philippians 4, is much the same thing, only this is more general. I may have trouble, but I go and tell it all out in His ear. It is not that I say my prayers; every one does that, but I know I have told it to Him, I have not got a promise, but I have His peace about it. It is like getting a colour from a thing from going so close to it. Now you will find (and this often astonishes people) that it is far easier to be in Canaan than in the wilderness. Many a person has peace with God that has not peace in his circumstances. Here were the children of Israel beginning with one universal shout of praise, and when they come to the wilderness, they begin to murmur. It is very easy in one’s own room. Often a man has to say to himself, I am sorry I left my room, I was very happy there, but the moment I came out and had to go into business, I got ruffled. I cannot walk without a trouble, I may without a ruffle. Everything is against me down here, but there is nothing to ruffle you in the presence of God. What I want is His peace, that I may go through this world and never be ruffled; ‘calm amidst tumultuous motion’. In nine cases out of ten, people are not quietly happy before God. But here were people perfectly happy with one universal song of praise, and they come into the wilderness and find they cannot drink of the water. It is death. There is nothing favourable to the man of God in the world. As I take down the shutters in the morning or pull up my blind, I must begin with that feeling — there is nothing for me down here. Expect everything to come from heaven. Where did Israel get the manna? It came from heaven; it certainly did not grow here.

^[p. 117] But they cannot drink of the water; it was that left from the sea, and very bitter; they were very glad for their enemies to die in it but not pleased that they should die in it. It is death practically, I am to bear about in my body the dying of Jesus. It was the Lord who led them down to this bitter water that He might teach them this great lesson.

The first great enemy you have in the wilderness is yourself. If we had no selfishness, we would get on very well in the wilderness.

There are three things we must remember, three steps for us to take. The first is that the cross has cleared away everything from me in the sight of God. He does not see a single speck on me, and will never see me in the flesh again. The second is that I am united to the one who has done it; that is power. Third, I am to bear about in myself the cross of the Lord Jesus, so that everything the cross has removed in the sight of God is to be practically removed from me. You may try to get the third step without getting the second; the Corinthians got the second without getting the third, they saw they were united to Christ in glory but they did not go on to the third; that is why the apostle had to bring in the cross. You must begin with God. I hear people saying, I am going to God; it would be better if you were comingfrom Him. Oh, but we must go to Him first. Ah, that I quite agree with. A person said, I hear you talk about looking up. Why do you not go up and look down? That is the practical thing.

Why does the Lord bring them down to Marah? Because I must get into the wilderness to find I have got God only for me — no resources but in Him. Where is my Saviour? I must get to where my Saviour is, to be able to do anything.

If I look above, that is Canaan; but in fact you find that many souls do not get through the Red ^[p. 118] Sea until they come to die, much less through Jordan. It is Christ’s work in either case.

Well the question is now, is everything gone in you that is gone in the Red Sea? But you see I cannot bring death to myself, that is what the monk is trying to do by his penance. Many a conscientious legal man is trying to beat it out, trying to kill himself, but that man has not power, he is doing the thing from effort; there is no effort in power.

The moment I say, Christ suffered for that; that sour, bitter, rancorous feeling; that lust, that pride, that selfishness, Christ died for it; then I will not have it, it all becomes sweet, and there is no trouble in drinking sweet water. Instead of complaining of circumstances, I see that the cross of Christ brought me into them, then it is all right. Sometimes you hear people saying after trial. Oh, I would not have had it otherwise, though perhaps like Job, they were complaining very much in it. The word in Scripture is not the trial but the trying of your faith. Trial is a poor horse lying in the road, that cannot get up; trying, he is springing over the fence. Just as you may hear a man say, ‘I will try him, and see what he is up to’. Well, if you press him beyond his ability that is trial, if not, it is trying. The trying of your faith worketh patience. Do you count it all joy then? That is what scripture says. If we could see all as coming from God, if we had no self we would be able to say it is all right; the water would be sweet, and if God is bringing me into these circumstances to cut away self, it is that I may find my resources in Him alone. It is wonderful how one can be cheerful in circumstances the most trying. The scripture says, “A cheerful heart is a continual feast”. (Proverbs 15:15) There is to be no complaining in our streets. What are you complaining about? Did not you say there was nothing but God in the wilderness? lf you are complaining, you are not giving thanks, and that ^[p. 119] is what we have to do in everything. Oh a man says, but I cannot give thanks for everything, I cannot understand that. Why? Because you are selfish. But if my crops are damaged, am I not to complain? No, my Father does it, and He knows best. And I believe several things apparently most untoward, have turned out to be most signal interventions of God.

Look at the messenger of Satan, the thorn in the flesh to Paul; he wanted to get rid of it, not for himself but for the Lord’s service. No, said the Lord, I am not going to take it from you. Well, he said, it is very bitter, but he brought the cross into it, and he says, I take pleasure in it, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

But suppose a person, in communion, does not behave well to me, would it not be right to complain? I do not say you will not feel it, but if you find a person is not loving you, your business is to give him the more love, for he needs it. In the two passages which speak of charity in Scripture, one is taking something from you that has come in between your soul and Christ, and hindered your communion, and to remove it. The other, 1 Corinthians 13, is taking something from myself; taking off this and that. Now you are fit for a servant — not “easily provoked”, &c. Charity is not always giving something. In both these cases, it is taking something away. I believe the most charitable man in the world is one that puts an extinguisher on himself. If I meet a proud man, how am I to cure him? Not by telling him so, most likely he knows it far better than I do, but by being humble.

I believe more than half the trouble in the world comes from disappointment; people expect something and do not get it; lie awake at night building castles in the air that never come to anything. I should not expect anything, I am not entitled to it.

^[p. 120] What is a dog entitled to? Nothing. Christ will not cast me out; no doubt He will give me a crumb, but I am not entitled to it. But is a person not entitled to the love of the saints? He is entitled to show love: he ought to do it, but he must expect nothing. As a brother has said, “I have got ten times more love from the saints than I expected, and ten thousand times more than I deserved”.

Christ came up to the fig tree seeking fruit, for He was hungry. He found none; He was neglected; but did He feel it so? No; He will make it an occasion for service, and uses it for an illustration of what He wished to teach His disciples. And I believe if we were only simple and walking with the Lord, many things which we call disappointments would turn out opportunities for service.

It is very trying when saints are hindering the work of the Lord; that is the only thing we can complain of. “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words”. (2 Timothy 4:14 - 15) That is the severest thing I know.

But the next point is. What is to be my support in the wilderness? lf I have got rid of self, what have I to live? To live Christ, that is the proper food of the wilderness. It is not Christ in heaven, but Christ as He was down here. Everywhere He was well pleasing to God, publicly or privately; working at a table (for I have no doubt He did such work) or taking up the little children in His arms He was well-pleasing, He was the perfect man on earth. A man says to me, How should I do this? The way Christ did it, that is all the answer I can give you. l have no standard but Christ. The law is not my standard. I could beat a man with the law altogether — even as to the Sabbath, for he would keep it as a duty, I would keep it as a favour I would beat him in all points.

^[p. 121] Take a thief, for example: the law says; “Thou shalt not steal”. is that all? No: I would say, “But rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth”. (Ephesians 4:28) Instead of being a stealer you are to be a giver. You say you have turned me round altogether. Yes, I have turned you round to Christ. The law was given for slaves, but a great man speaks very differently to. his son from what he does to his servant. Christ is to be my standard. Oh, you say, I can never get up to that. That is not the point, but is that the thing before you? Is that your standard? Did you write that letter as Christ would? Well, I did not. Then you had better write another. When Peter walked on the water he did not walk in all the splendour of Christ, but he walked as Christ.

There are three things connected with the manna: the first is, get it before you require it; the second, get as much as you require before you require it; the third, get it before the sun is up. I do not say anything against morning prayer — it is a very good habit, but many a person, says his prayers in the morning who does not get the manna. The manna is the soul having got the sense of the supply of what is in Christ so that, he can say I have got what will keep me through this day. I do not say you will not have to go to Him again. But it is like having bread in the cupboard, not like having to run out to the baker’s shop when in need. I can then say I began this day With the Lord; there may be pleasant things or disagreeable but all I know is that I began with the assured sense that it was with Christ. Not that I believe the day is twenty-four hours, l believe it means every single event. But what I must get is the assured sense that Christ is for me, and though I be forty years in this business He will see me safe through; that is what I call having bread in the cupboard.

^[p. 122] I have no other supply whatever, but I have confidence that the Lord is adequate; I must get it fresh, get it constantly (some of them left it till the morning.) It shows that though I may get manna for this sick person that will not do for the one next door. I have got on very well with this chapter, that does not say I will get on well with the next.

Then it must be gathered before the sun is up, it must be a secret thing between your own soul and the Lord. If you want to get strength from Christ, do not let the influence of the world come on you or you have lost it. If a person is going to do anything unto the Lord he had better not tell his family about it. Chapter 17 is the Spirit. The rock that followed them was Christ. This is the Spirit of God bringing it out freshly with power.

Anything that carries me outside of self is always the Spirit; when carried to do a bad thing it is the devil. A man says I went beyond my intention, you were made an instrument in his hands. Look at Judas, he wanted money; he did not want to kill Christ, but he was carried beyond his intention. The Spirit of God carries me on in freshness. A man in the Spirit is often a surprise to himself. But then as often as you get the energy of the Spirit you get the energy of Satan to resist. Therefore you find Amalek. There are enemies all along the way. First there was Pharaoh; the enemy tries to keep them in Egypt. He says, I will not give them any straw. I will engross them with business and I will knock religion out of their heads, and he succeeded. They said to Moses, We wish we had never seen your face: times are so bad.

But God brings them into the wilderness. Then comes Amalek, who says, I Will not let you go any further, I will hinder you in some way. Amalek is not the flesh, it is Satan acting on you in some special form by some direct pressure it is not general.

^[p. 123] When they leave the wilderness they have the nations; that is what we have in the present day — infidelity. The difference between them and Amalek is that I go and attack them; here Amalek comes and attacks me. We get it in Peter “Satan hath desired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not”. (Luke 22:31 - 32) I get over it by two things; one is by Christ’s intercession, as in Moses; the other, the Spirit of Christ as in Joshua. I go to fight and resist him; that is what Peter did not do. He should not have gone to the high priest’s house; and when he found a friend to take him in, he should have said, I will not go. Full of self-confidence he would see it out; he did not see Satan in it. It seemed very providential; here was a friend to take him in and moreover a fire of coals to sit by; and sitting there, he is taken in the snare when he is not ready for it. The grand thing is to resist. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. The Lord said “Get thee behind me, Satan:” (Mark 8:33)

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