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WARMTH

MINISTRY IN GLASGOW

G.McKay

I was thinking a little, dear brethren, of warmth and fervency: the word fervency implies warmth. I think there is a need for warmth of affection at the present time; it is one of the great needs of the moment. We live in Laodicean days, that is clear. Thou art neither cold nor hot, says the word to Laodicea: "thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot" (Rev 3: 16), distasteful therefore to the Lord. That is the day we live in. A very remarkable allusion in Matthew's gospel is to the love of the most growing cold (see chap 24: 12). It does not refer exactly to our day, it refers to the time of the tribulation. "And because lawlessness shall prevail, the love of the most shall grow cold". You wonder why there is a reference to love at such a time. You might say that in a time of tribulation there is a call for faithfulness, and it may indeed be necessary at that time for persons to stand faithful, but the Holy Spirit records this fact as to love, that "the love of the most shall grow cold". I think there is a point in that for us. We can think of our own time; we live in a day when there is a miss in the amount of affection. I think it applies to our own time as to how much warmth and zeal and affection, and how much love for the truth and love for Christ there is with us. There is a very great need. It should enter into our lives and into our occasions of meeting, that there should be warmth and affection and zeal; not that matters should be a burden or lukewarm or just casual, just a kind of routine, but that there should be zeal and fervency with us. That is what the day calls for, that is what we need. We know that Christianity historically has fallen and constantly falls into a state of lukewarmness and an outward form. There was a time in the eighteenth century when I suppose all the ministers would not even be believers (as it is now), when it was actually looked upon as a reproach if you were fervent and spoke enthusiastically about the truth. At that time others were raised up who were enthusiastic about the truth, persons who were fervent.

So we have in Kings a reference to king David, not a type of Christ at this point but the great saint David, the one who had been so devoted in his life, a great example in his youth, not giving sleep to his eyes until he found out a habitation, a place for the ark. And here, at the end of his life, there is an indication of what can happen, and does happen, and has happened publicly, that is that decline and coldness set in. "And they covered him with clothes, but he obtained no warmth"; that is, coldness has come into the profession, dear brethren. Let it not come in amongst us, let there not be a coldness, standing aloof from the truth and from committal. Let there not be that kind of spirit, because it is hateful to the Lord to be lukewarm. Let there be warmth with us. The answer in this case was that a young virgin was found. It points to the warmth of youthful and assembly affections, warmth of affection that would give the king warmth. And so she was found. This is what is necessary. We can understand this scripture and the figure that is in it, understand that this is what was necessary. They had to search for a fair damsel throughout the territory of Israel. This element had to be found; it was missing, it had to be sought for and it had to be found. Well, dear brethren, let us find it if any coldness comes in. Coldness is a spreading kind of thing, is it not? If you are warm, and I am warm, you might find other persons get warm. Sitting beside someone who is enthusiastic and is zealous you feel affected, but if this coldness comes in it spreads. Here this young damsel was found and she brought in warmth, and the warmth lay in the purity of her affection. It points to these true, pure affections that bring warmth in, fervency of affection. It belongs to youth, but in Christianity these things are to go right through. There is no thought that we have to become old and obtain no warmth. The thought is that things are to be maintained amongst us in freshness of affection and vitality. Let that be with each one of us, contributing some warmth, some interest in the truth. Warmth is a great sign of life. One of those in the scripture who was raised, a child, grew warm. We would love that to happen to those who are younger, certain amongst us who have grown cold, that they should begin to get warm - a sign of life, a sign of affection for Christ. Let us contribute to this, dear brethren. Let us challenge ourselves: are we getting lukewarm? Or is there warmth of affection? Be zealous and repent, the Lord Jesus says to Laodicea. He calls for zeal.

In Romans 12, where relations between the brethren come in following on the wonderful individual side of things that has been depicted in the gospel truth set out in Romans, you get allusions to committal among the saints. In chapter 12 our bodies are committed, each one of us having to come into it individually. Then you have these powerful allusions to what is working among the saints, what is normal to persons who know the compassion of God and have placed their bodies on the altar. It is a very great matter. I suppose the test would be as to whether we have placed our bodies on the altar, whether we are conformed to this world or whether we have been transformed by the renewing of our minds. If we are conformed to this world it will bring in coldness as far as the Lord Jesus is concerned, because friendship with the world is enmity to God. The nearer we are to the world the colder we get in regard to spiritual things. So the word here is: "be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (v 2); that is, that it is not a burden, you prove that there is a need of accepting the perfect will of God because you have a new outlook and your mind has been renewed, and you are proving that the will of God is what is good and acceptable and perfect. So if someone says, What about doing something else? you say, No, I know what is perfect, the will of God. You find as a spiritually renewed person and renewed in your mind that the will of God is an acceptable thing, and you can also arrive at it that it is perfect; that is where you find your happiness.

So this chapter goes on developing from that, from what the believer has arrived at as knowing the compassions of God, the great love of God towards him in the glad tidings. It brings him to the point of committal, and then what works out in the rest of the chapter is energy and zeal, activity. Romans 12 is a great chapter of activity; the persons in it are acting, doing things. I just read that section to get an example of it and because it brings in the word fervent. "Let love be unfeigned": not just that we should love one another, but it is to be unfeigned, the real thing; not just a kind of gloss on things or a human heartiness but what derives from spiritual affections. Then it is not only that we keep away from evil but we abhor evil. That is what the saint does, he abhors evil. You do not say it is not too bad; you abhor it, especially the evil that has come in at the present time in the house of God. That is what has happened, evil principles have come in and there has been division among the saints on account of these evil principles, and you have to abhor them, not just say it is evil and it is wrong but abhor it. Then, of course, you are to be a balanced person, cleaving to good. That shows the affection, the interest. It is not just that you hold what is good but you cleave to it. Be "kindly affectioned towards one another". "Kindly affectioned" brings in the thought of warmth, does it not? It brings in the thought of a quality in relations between ourselves. Then "as to honour, each taking the lead in paying it to the other"; not just saying I will give honour to whom honour is due, though that is right, but you have to take the lead in that, to be first to give honour to others. Than "as to diligent zealousness, not slothful; in spirit fervent; serving the Lord". "In spirit fervent" seems to point to the fact that by the action of the Holy Spirit in his soul the spirit of the believer is fervent. And by the Holy Spirit there is fervency, there is a glow, there is an enthusiasm, there is a committal. That is what is necessary in a day when the love of the most has grown cold. Is there warmth, is there this damsel to be found to give warmth, to minister? Well, may it be so with all of us. As to diligent zealousness, not slothful": what a collection of words! Just a few words but each one of them so powerful; "diligent" and "zealousness" and "not slothful". Sloth is just to take it easy, to lean back a bit. And then "in spirit fervent serving the Lord". If you look up the note on that you will find it is to serve as a bondman. There are other references in the chapter to priestly service, intelligent service, and so on, but here it is bondman service, that kind of service, serving the Lord. So it is not just that you are conforming a little bit, doing what you can, but it is that the Lord is the Master and you are a slave, you are a bondman serving the Lord; the spirit is fervent serving the Lord. Well, you could go right through the chapter and bring out much more as to that, as to the activity that is to exist. But let this be amongst us, dear brethren - love for Christ, love for the truth, intense love for the truth and for the brethren, so that there may be warmth amongst us, an atmosphere of warmth. Perhaps then persons will not grow cold. Why should we not be warm? Why should not persons get warmer? Why should there not be warmth amongst us and such warmth as would banish the evil as when Paul placed that bundle of sticks on the fire and the serpent came out but did no harm? That is what we want: fervency and committal to the truth that would expose the evil so that evil can no longer remain because of the warmth that exists among the saints. Well, may we each be helped in that for His Name's sake.

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