HELD AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE DELIVERER
[p. 265] HELD AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE DELIVERER
All that under which man lay was the fruit of sin; in the case of the demoniac it was the effect of sin; it was the same with the woman with the issue, and the death that had come in in the case of Jairus’ daughter — all was the fruit of sin. The kingdom of God comes into view in connection with the healing of the demoniac. It was no common case at all. Satan had unusual power so that the man was a terror to all, and he had his living among the tombs; it was an extreme case of the power of evil. Israel had given way to idolatry and so God in retribution allowed them to feel what the power of the devil was: this is how you account for these special cases of demoniacal possession which we read of in the gospels. But the kingdom of God was come nigh. Authority and power were here above all the power of evil; this was the kingdom really; they said, “With authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out”.
Every one who was delivered from the power of evil, as the demoniac was, proved that the kingdom of God was come. On the mount of transfiguration we are told He received from God the Father honour and glory — this proved that God’s kingdom was here. Man was in thraldom, that was certain, but the power of the kingdom was here. The people of Gadara come and inquire about it, but the world would sooner have the demoniac than Christ. The spirit of man is essentially lawless, man does not want the kingdom of God; in the Gadarenes we just see the spirit of the world coming out. But next we see that the demoniac was attracted to Christ; he wanted to be with Him, but the Lord sent him home to his friends. He was delivered from the thraldom of evil and delivered from the world. He answered to the claims of Christ in desiring to be with Him; he came under the influence and sway of Jesus; he came into the [p. 266] kingdom. In this day the children of God have listened to the world, and in retribution God has allowed them to be largely under the influence of the world and blinded by it. What a man sows that shall he reap — this always stands. In Hezekiah’s day he shewed the messengers all that was in his house, and in retribution God tells him that all in his house should be carried to Babylon.
When the Lord was here the kingdom was here in His Person, now it is here in the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God means deliverance for man: then man must be in bondage. Man, as man, is not free, he is in bondage; he does not much mind bondage, but that is so much the worse. Man is in bondage to many things, he is in bondage to imagination, so you see many in bondage to light literature and novels — in bondage to the writings of others. Again, others are in bondage to the opinions of others — you see a young man in an office afraid of the opinion of his fellow-clerks. Or again, people are in bondage to the fashions of the world. But all the fashions of the world spring from the god of this world. Where do worldly sentiments and fashions come from? From whence come the opinions of men? All come from the god and prince of this world. There is nothing of righteousness and holiness in these things. Men are in thraldom to one thing and another as in 2 Corinthians 4 in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds — his energy is ceaseless — “lest the light of the glorious gospel ... should shine unto them”. God wants people to be in liberty, not in thraldom, so the blessed Lord in Luke 4 speaks of the Spirit of the Lord being upon Him, because He was anointed to set at liberty the bruised ones — deliverance to the captives — and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. There is no liberty for man save by the Spirit of the Lord. In Romans 14 we get, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Liberty is a thing to be coveted. The man of dignity is not the man of the world, but the man who stands free from worldly influences. Dignity was [p. 267] concentrated in Christ. The mind of man is to be brought into liberty, so we get the expression, “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.
In 1 Timothy 2 we get really a revelation of the mind of God; He will have all men to be saved. It is important that men should grasp the situation. God is one, and He will have all men to be saved. The situation is there whether men accept it or not; but it is a great thing that you should accept the situation. God is one, and the Mediator between God and men the Man Christ Jesus. Christ stands as truly in relation to all men as He does to God; Christ has a claim upon men. The position of not denying it will not do; you must accept it. I want you to apprehend the situation. The Mediator is there and He stands as really in relation to man as He does to God. He gave Himself a ransom for all, that is His voice to man. Men disregard the situation. He is specially spoken of here as the Man Christ Jesus, so He has a voice to every man. Why does He appeal to you? That you may believe in Him as Mediator, and believing, you may receive living water. Have you received the gift of living water? “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. He appeals to you with the great object that you may get living water. He has it at His disposal — the Spirit. Suppose that you accept the situation, you come to know the Mediator. Truth presents the situation and then souls are brought to accept the Mediator. If you receive the living water you come into the kingdom and you confess Jesus as Lord. The kingdom of God is here now in the power of the Holy Spirit: “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. These are three blessed things and they are all in the power of the Holy Spirit. Man is delivered from every kind of thraldom and he is brought into these blessed things in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the case of the demoniac it is expressed in the words, “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind” — it is a scene of holy liberty. Other lords have had dominion over us, but now we are [p. 268] brought to the Lord Himself. Death is the true measure of a person: the moment of his birth or his death — these are the two weakest points with man. There is no true liberty with regard to man except by the Spirit; but that is connected with righteousness, peace and joy. The situation is there and no soul can help it; but man’s wisdom is to accept the situation that he may get the gain of it — namely, the living water, and that then, as in the case of the demoniac, he may hold himself at the disposal of the Deliverer.