A CHRISTIAN'S RESOURCES IN THE DAY OF RUIN
A CHRISTIAN’S RESOURCES IN THE DAY OF RUIN
As to the ruin we use the term rather loosely perhaps, but it is really the failure of the church as a witness to Christ morally. The church should have been the faithful witness, but in Laodicea we see that Christ is the faithful witness.
Ques With regard to the question of there being a company waiting for Christ as such when He returns, would not, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come” lead us to the thought of there being a company in which bridal affection had been wrought by the Spirit?
FER I thought that that was more the normal attitude of the bride, and that in these days it is more he that hears who says, “Come”. The Spirit has never ceased to gather to Christ and is still doing it. As the vessel of testimony the church is a ruin. It is important to know where we are and why we are there.
To separate from the churches around, our ground must be an apprehension of the presence and unity of the Spirit. An organisation gives no room for the Spirit, but makes room for man. In separating from churches around it is an individual action and you take individual ground. The body is here, therefore we can hardly say that we are gathered on the ground of the one body. We recognise the truth of the one body being here in its completeness, and this being known to us we gravitate one towards another. The path is not to be broader, but the heart to be larger.
Verse 1, “in Christ Jesus”: in the failure of what has been entrusted to man, it is important to see what there is for us in Christ Jesus, what is there is always available for us. There are unfailing resources in Him. You must realise that you are an individual — your position is individual — and then you are very much cast upon the grace that is in Christ Jesus. It is a living, a vital [p. 248] connection with Christ, not a doctrinal one.
At the beginning of the chapter we see that when testimony has declined the important point is the maintenance of the truth. To maintain the truth is better than trying to keep things together. Each one has to digest the truth himself and then to maintain it and pass it on to others. We have not succeeded in maintaining truth, and many breaches have come in upon us. With J.N.D. the first point was the maintenance of the truth and the transmitting of it. In Malachi the ones who feared the Lord spoke often one to another, pious people drew together. So it is now: I appreciate a person who is trying to go forward in spiritual things, I do not mean a person who is merely breaking bread.
Truth has been committed to saints, so it is not enough to say that the Lord will keep the truth. The position is an individual one essentially; the whole body is here, therefore it must be individual, we cannot take a place as any separate body.
Daniel began to consider the seventy weeks of Jeremiah, and an angel came in to tell him about them, so if we consider, then the Lord will give us understanding. We get brought before us here three things: (1) we are not to entangle ourselves, (2) the man who wrestles must do so within the rules and (3) the husband-man must labour first — that is, patience is needed. Resurrection is set before Timothy as encouragement. All turns on the resurrection of Christ; there are two points connected with it here: first, in the seed of David you get the thought of the faithfulness of God to His promises, and secondly a risen Christ opens up a new scene entirely. So the exhortation is, Do not entangle yourself; you go on with your work lawfully, but do not be entangled.
As to relationships, discipline is found in them, it is not entanglement. Lawful striving is that which is according to the Spirit of God, so that bands will not do, no method outside the Spirit of God is lawful. Then patience is needed, the husbandman cannot get fruit [p. 249] until he has laboured.
The seed of David tells of the fidelity of God to the promises. He has been raised according to my gospel. Paul presented Him as the Son of God, as the last Adam. It is different from Peter’s gospel rather: Peter’s gospel was that God had exalted Him to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins.
The whole resurrection scene is brought in here, then you begin to realise that you are risen with Him.
Peter confessed Him as Son of God, but it was not his testimony. When you preach you preach what you are told to preach and not what you know — you are told to preach repentance and remission of sins.