ACQUAINTANCE WITH CHRIST AS HEAD
[p. 372] ACQUAINTANCE WITH CHRIST AS HEAD
Our subject on the previous evening was acquaintance with Christ in the assembly. There He is supreme; He walked through this world in superiority to the circumstances here, but in the assembly He is supreme. There was an assembly in the wilderness, but never “my assembly” until Christ was rejected. In Matthew 14:11, etc., when the Lord heard that John the baptist was beheaded, He retired into the wilderness, and there He fed the poor of the flock, who followed Him; but as to Himself, He is no longer in the ship, as in Matthew 8. He walks upon the water; He is supreme, not simply superior. To be superior implies that He is in the circumstances; to be supreme implies He is above them. The Lord is educating His disciples for the new structure, the assembly. Hence Peter leaves the ship, which was made for water, and walks on the water to go to Jesus. You get here in pattern the teaching in Colossians. Leaving the ship is really Jordan. Some regard Jordan as their own death. It is not; Jordan is your death with Christ, and if you by faith are dead with Christ, you have passed out of the order of things in which you are, as Peter did, leaving the ship to join the Lord; it is then you enter “my assembly”. It is very little realised, that in “my assembly” you are in the presence of Christ supreme over all the evil here. Each believer is a stone, “To whom coming”, we read, “as unto a living stone”. You are in your place when you own the Lord in His place. There are many who are stones who have not entered on their place yet; they all will be in the future temple, but they do not enjoy their place in it here. You must [p. 373] first see the Lord in His place. Peter does; he says, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. He is above everything here, in an out-of-the-world condition of things.
There is much confusion in many minds as to the difference between the house and the body; the house is Christ’s building, the body is the members united to the Head. You cannot call a stone a member, though a stone is a member; but a child can understand that a stone in a building is very different from the member of a body. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came down, and He filled the house where they were sitting, and He sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit: that is the house. The mystery was not yet revealed, but as they walked in the Spirit, they were subject to Christ. The Colossians were very exemplary, and yet they were not in the truth of the mystery, knowing Christ as the Head of the body. The lack of this truth has disorganised the church as a whole.
I trust each thoughtful soul will see the great addition there is to the assembly where the mystery is known. When you acknowledge the Spirit then you are subject to Christ; but there is more, He is Head, and this the apostle is pressing on the Colossians. This wonderful acquaintance with Christ as Head, is our subject tonight.
I must premise, feelingly I trust, that I do not know much of it, but the more we are interested in it the more we seek it; but you must remember that you learn nothing divine without cost to yourself. All I ask is, are you prepared for this truth? The apostle was very earnest that the Colossians should lay hold of the mystery, even Christ the Head of the body. “Not holding the head”, we read of some in the previous chapter.
Let us turn to chapter 2: 2, as setting forth the character of the mystery. Paul says, “that their [p. 374] hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment” — the full knowledge it means — “of the mystery of God, in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. At the start you see the greatness of the place you are called to. Some may say, Oh! we are not up to it. Well, beloved friends, in one sense that may be true; for if you are not clear as to the gospel, you are not up to it. If you do not see that everything against you has been removed from the eye of God in the cross, you cannot touch the mystery. There are two great actions in the gospel; one is to remove all that is against you, and the other is to bring you to God. The first is in a measure proclaimed, but only in a measure. Full relief is not assured to you except you know that all has been removed from you according to the measure in which God saw you; the measure which satisfies your own conscience is not enough. It is a measure of relief, but not full relief; and the same faith which sees the work of Christ up to the measure of your conscience, could see it after the measure in which God sees it. When you know that all against you has been removed, to God’s infinite satisfaction and glory, you have the Spirit of God. When you are clear of your own side, you are on God’s side. Like the prodigal son, you are not only out of the far country, but you are in the father’s house; and there you will be prepared to hear that the One who died for you and rose again is your Head. It would be too soon to tell this to you till you are at rest as to yourself.
There are the two ministries, the gospel, and the assembly — the mystery of God. We ought to take it to heart more, that we do not better understand the mystery. It is God’s chief object on the earth.
You could not be united to Christ except you were of the same kindred as Himself. The one thing Abraham’s steward was sworn to was that Isaac’s bride should be of the same kindred. “Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren”; His brethren: you are kindred to Christ. The Colossians were a very nice assembly, but they were in danger of being carried away by philosophy and vain deceit; even that learning and religion could contribute to Christ, in fact rationalism and ritualism of this day. Now the apostle tells first the greatness of the mystery, “In which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. It is interesting to one who is seeking to teach others, that he had to learn it himself. Before you can apprehend the Head, you must learn two things. The first is in verse 10 of this chapter, “Ye are complete in him”; you cannot add to it. You may not realise it by faith, but it is true of you, by God’s grace, that you are complete in Him, and you cannot apprehend Him as your Head until you do realise it.
Our subject tonight is acquaintance with Christ as Head, the One who directs you. It is the most wonderful acquaintance! You will admit that it was a great thing for the queen of Sheba to have listened to Solomon’s wisdom; but it is a much greater thing for you to be acquainted with Christ as your Head, He dictating to you and directing you; He does this individually. He may direct you to a passage of Scripture, but still it is positive direction for yourself. It is not impulse, it is direction. Would you not like to be directed by Him? A blessed acquaintance! The queen of Sheba knew nothing of Solomon until she came to him. First, you must apprehend that you are “complete in him who is the head of all principality and power”; there is no place for any addition from either learning or religiousness. You are complete in Christ. Many read the Bible with interest who do not know the Lord personally. The Lord, speaking of His sheep, says, “My sheep hear my voice” — not merely read the Bible. This personal intimacy is much overlooked in the present day. You cannot know Him as your Head until you first realise in faith that you are “complete in him”. There can be no addition.
The second is also of the deepest moment. Verse 11, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the flesh” — “the sins of” must be left out — “by the circumcision of Christ”. You are complete in Him, and the body of the flesh has been cut off in the cross. Now if you do not in faith hold these two facts, you will never know Christ as your Head; you may read of it, but you are not in the truth of it. In type the circumcision was not until after the crossing of Jordan. Circumcision the “putting off of the body of the flesh” was effected in the cross. Some religious copyist was so perplexed by the passage, that he put in the word ‘sins’. He could understand the sins being put away, but he could not understand the putting off of the body of the flesh. The body of the flesh is removed in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; it is effected for you by God, but you are to realise the fact experimentally.
We read in verse 20, “Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world”. Here it is not merely dead to sin, but that you have by faith passed out of natural things though still in them; you are “dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world”. I do not mean that you die and leave the world, but that you are morally outside of it; you are “dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world”; you have passed out of old things into a new order of things. You will find that the One who has effected all this for you is your Head.
You first leave the old order. Hence the first verse of Colossians 3 is connected with chapter 2: 12:
“[p. 377] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead”. In baptism you are buried with Christ in whom you are risen.
Now we come to chapter 3: “If ye then be risen with Christ”. Beloved friends, where are you if you are not? The Lord, when He rose from the dead, said first to His disciples, Peace be unto you; then He breathed on them, saying, “Receive ye [the] Holy Spirit” — life in the Spirit. They can join Him as in the assembly. Suppose it was said to Peter, You have joined the Lord above everything here, now you are to be directed by Him; He is your Head. You have to pass through a like experience. Hence we read, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God”. Then, at verse 5, you are practically at Gilgal — “Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth”. “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth” — you are looking for a new order of things — “for ye have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God”; you are now outside of the life here; you are in an out-of-the-world condition of things. Now this is the practical setting aside of the old man; not merely dead to sin, but the whole rolled away. Mortify all that is of your own will, and put off all your evil habits. The best illustration I can give you is Elisha’s act after he had received Elijah’s power — he took up his own clothes and rent them in two pieces, he had done with them. That is the great point. You have put off the body of the flesh, it is cut off in the cross, and you enter on a new order entirely, on new creation ground; “But now ye also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds”. You may say, the old man is here still. I quite admit that the old man is here [p. 378] still; but by grace you belong to a new order, not to the old; you have put off the old man, and put on the new; you are in the life of the new man.
Where anyone is rejoicing in Christ as his life, he is over Jordan (Stephen was over Jordan), but that man may not have practically accepted Jordan; he meets with a loss or disappointment the next day, and is quite overcome by it. When once you have left the ship and entered on new ground, you know what it is; but it can only be retained in faith by the Spirit. If you have died with Christ, you live with Him.
Now you have put on the new man, which is yours; you have put off the old man, which has been cut off in the cross. In verse 11 we read, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all”. There is no class of man at all. The Greek is the learned man, the Jew the religious man; no man now, as you get in another place, but “Jesus only”. Now, beloved friends, would not any devoted heart rejoice to reach a spot where Jesus is everything? Many can say genuinely, “He is the chiefest among ten thousand” and “altogether lovely”. But there is much more here: “Christ is everything”.
If your heart is true to the One who was rejected in this world and is now exalted to God’s right hand, you would rejoice that you are called to be here for Him in the very place where He was rejected: but in order to be truly for Him where He is rejected you must first know Him as your Head. Next, you lose your individuality, the interests of Christ occupy your thoughts. It is not merely ‘Christ for me’; but I should add, Christ’s things for me; like a wife, her husband’s interests are her interests. When you come to this, that “Christ is everything”, you realise the Head; there is no one there but Christ. May you dwell upon the immense joy of heart in this great [p. 379] acquaintance with Christ! I could not convey it, the wonderful fact that He directs you with reference to the other members of His body. I believe the greatest present favour from the Lord is when He opens up His word — to give for the present need, “meat in due season”.
You apprehend, I hope, this wonderful acquaintance with Christ — He is your Head. Now let us see the result of this acquaintance. Firstly, when you know Christ as your Head, it is His own that you are occupied with. “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity” — love — “Which is the bond of perfectness”. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren”. We love them because they belong to Christ. “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful”; — still occupied with His own. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him”. Secondly, you are ruled by Christ in your own house.
Lastly, I would say a little on the effect of this acquaintance in the assembly, though I know but little of it; but I believe Christ, as your Head, would direct you to a suited hymn for the assembly, and restrain you if you were thinking of an unsuited one. It is not impulse. It is faith in the Lord that you are acting according to His pleasure, for you have looked to Him for direction. You must remember that you [p. 380] must be in an out-of-the-world condition of things to be acquainted with Him as your Head. If you are under His direction, you are a help in the assembly, because you act from the Head, and as He is the Head of each of His own, every spiritual one receives it as a word from the Lord, because it is from the Head. I feel humbled that I can so partially explain to you this great acquaintance; but the more I dwell on it the more I am entranced with the exceeding blessedness of it.
I trust the Lord will use my attempt to be a help to each of you, that you may be more and more interested in this subject, acquaintance with Christ as your Head; that as you know Him as your Saviour, and know Him as supreme in the assembly, that you may be led a step further and know Him as your Head, the Head of the body, thus made conscious that we derive all from Him. The Lord grant that each one of you may be more deeply interested in what is so interesting to Him. If you do not as yet regard Him as your Head, He regards you as belonging to Himself, and He would like to lead you and direct you according to His pleasure.