DIVINE PROSPERITY
[p. 86] DIVINE PROSPERITY
I desire to get definitely before your souls that the Holy Spirit is here for a special work - a special purpose.
John 14: 26 refers to what He is for us. But there is another side which I get in chapter 15: 26. There the Lord says, “He shall testify of me”, that is, of Christ in heaven. Saints like to think only of what He is to them, and thus they separate these two; but I ask, Are you here for Him? All your blessing and spiritual prosperity depends upon how you are here for Christ. This is chapter 15. The Lord first sets us as He is in the presence of the Father, and then He sets us as Himself in the presence of the world. It is inconceivable delight and blessing to me to be before the Father as Christ is, and then to be as Himself in the presence of the world; that involves suffering - but it is the greatest privilege to stand here for the Lord. If you want to prosper in soul you must have both, you must be much in the first, or you do not advance in the second.
The Lord has an interest on earth, a chief interest, and if that is not your chief interest, if you are not set on it, you are not prospering in soul. Prosperity is a very interesting word in Scripture. In Psalm 1: 3 we read, “Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”. The peace-offering is called the prosperity † offering. The Lord has a chief interest on earth, and if that is my chief interest, I have divine prosperity.
“He shall testify of me”. It is the Holy Spirit’s work to testify of Him in glory, and I have the power
†Shahlom — peace-offering — is the same root as Shallom, the Hebrew salutation, meaning ‘peace’ or ‘prosperity to you,’ and often translated ‘prosperity’ (Psalm 35 : 27; Psalm 30 : 4 - 7; Daniel 8 : 25).
[p. 87] if I am in company with the Holy Spirit. We often say, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; ‘and‘ means distinction. If you are going on with that power to testify of an exalted Christ, you will know what fellowship with the Holy Spirit is. John’s gospel was written after all the confusion had come in, and we read there that the Holy Spirit is down here to “testify of me”. Paul says, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord”.
If the Holy Spirit is here to testify of Christ, there is a vessel through which He does it. The church is the vessel. What we have to lament is that the vessel is defective, but there is no defect in the power; we must maintain that the power is the same. It was always the case that the prosperity of every saint was in keeping with his having God’s chief interest before him. I see it in Abraham; he was called out of Chaldea to have no position here; so also with Jacob, and with Israel; 600,000 came out of Egypt - only two got into the land! These two say, We will adhere to God’s calling. “If the Lord delight in us then he will bring us into this land”. These two are singled out, and they went up to take possession. We see the same in Samuel, in Ezra, in Daniel. Daniel prayed three times a day with his window open towards Jerusalem, even when he was in Babylon, for God’s chief interest was before him; Jerusalem was a waste, but he says, My heart is where God’s chief interest is! And look at his prosperity! “So this Daniel prospered”, chapter 6. “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem.. .. If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy”, Psalm 137: 5, 6. Can you speak thus of the church of God? Oh, to think that we may have as our chief interest in this poor world what is the dearest object of the heart of Christ. His treasure hidden in it! I see the same [p. 88] in the times of Haggai. The Lord says, “From this day will I bless you”. There are many who would be entranced at the thought of being as Christ is in the presence of the Father, who lack the other side - to be as Christ towards the world.
It is very beautiful to see the Lord in the temple in John 2: 15. He makes a scourge of small cords, and drives out those that sold in the temple, and says, “Make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise”. Could anything be more broken up than that was? Yet He called it His “Father’s house”.
Again, in Luke 21, the Lord was going out of the temple for the last time, going to die. He sees among the many who cast into the treasury one poor widow who cast in all she had. How beautiful to the Lord’s eye, to see a person giving all she had for God’s interests!
Now what is your chief interest on earth? Christ’s interest is my chief interest. I say it boldly, and I am well supported, because the Holy Spirit is here. What is Christ’s chief interest? Read Ephesians 5: 25 - 27. There it is. In John 13 we get “his own”. In Acts 9 He says to Saul, “Why persecutest thou me?” You see the Holy Spirit is here to testify of an exalted Christ, so there is no lack of power; but what is needed is that saints should be devoted to Christ. What is the defect with us? It is want of heart. If every one of you were able truly to say to the Lord, I am willing to stand for Thee, there is the Holy Spirit to back you up, He is the Spirit of power. None could carry out the thoughts of Christ but “his own”. His body alone could truly express Himself, and in John 15: 26 He announces that He would send the power to do it. The Holy Spirit is here, whether I avail myself of Him or not, and He is here for this express purpose to maintain the testimony of our Lord. The great mark of a person who is waiting for the Lord is that he is looking round to see that others are ready [p. 89] for Him. As a wife whose husband is absent looks round and says, Get ready, he is coming today; so the bride says, “Come”, and turns round to another and says, You say, Come! and to another who is athirst, You are not happy, you come, come to enjoy. “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely”. If you begin at the top you will work down. You ask the Lord to come; you see someone not saying, Come, and you say to him, Say, Come; to another you say, Get happy, and lastly, you say, Whosoever will, let him come; you sweep the whole earth, you are going to find out all who belong to Him.
The Lord lead our hearts to say, “Come”, practically. The Holy Spirit, who testifies of Him, is sent of the Father for this special work and purpose to make us acquainted with Christ in glory; and there is no fear but that you will grow if you are in company with the Holy Spirit.