MORE THAN CONQUERORS
[p. 469] MORE THAN CONQUERORS
Luke 12:32; James 1:25; James 2:12
I wish to dwell specially upon the importance of maintaining a right spirit. The gospel as in Romans effects deliverance for man. It effects adjustment as to the conscience, and finally views the believer as receiving the Holy Spirit, ending with the statement, that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). That is a statement that covers all believers who are in the light of that epistle. They are more than conquerors in the most adverse circumstances. What I understand by a conqueror in a Christian sense is that he maintains a right spirit in adversity. He is always superior as to his spirit. There are certain elements presented objectively that help in that connection, but aside from the Holy Spirit it is quite impossible to maintain the Spirit of Christ in adverse circumstances. I would call attention to Paul’s letters. It is always interesting to take account of opening and closing statements; these indicate the attitude of the writer towards those written to. In looking at Paul’s letters, one is struck by the way he speaks of the spirits of the saints. He ends with the desire “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” or “with your spirit”. He was concerned that there should be the maintaining of Christ’s spirit. Paul had amongst others received of His Spirit. John had said “of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace” (John 1:16). I think he understood it. He looks at grace as coming wave upon wave from Christ. Paul had received and proved its supporting value in service, in reproach and in suffering. So it should be with the saints. Thus it can be reckoned on, and earnestly desired and sought by each.
There are certain things presented to us objectively [p. 470] to help us. One of the great objective things is the Father’s care. The gospel brings the light of the Father to us, and the youngest believer is viewed as knowing the Father. In the first three gospels the Lord invariably brings in the Father. The disciples had attached themselves to Jesus, and companied with Him; they had continued with Him in His temptations, they were of special interest to the Father in their continuing with Christ in companionship, in His, not their temptations. The Lord continually instructs them as to the Father’s care, and as a Man here, He showed in their company what the Father was to Him. In Matthew 11:17 where the Lord’s testimony to Israel is rejected by city after city, He says, “we have piped unto you and ye have not danced”. The Lord Jesus came with His ministry of grace and heavenly strains of music. To speak reverently, like David He was the sweet Psalmist of Israel as regards God. He was skilled in heavenly music. I do not know of anything that would bring out the grace of ministry as that does. He says, “we have piped unto you”. Think of the music in the ministry of Christ! It drew forth nothing from them but rebuffs, suspicion, resentment and reproach. Village after village, town after town, city after city, was visited, with the wonderful music of the ministry of Christ, but there was no response from Israel.
John sums it up in saying, “He came unto his own and his own received him not” (John 1:11). The Lord had to face the definite refusal of His ministry. They had rejoiced in John’s light for a season, but not in Christ’s. Sent from the Father with such music and such good works, He nevertheless had to face their refusal. We but little enter into what His feelings were. In the presence of this refusal, John the baptist’s faith fails, and he sends this message to the Lord, “Art thou he that should come?” (Matthew 11:3) adding to the Lord’s pain. But in the presence of [p. 471] all that, the Lord lifted up His eyes to the Father. I want each to come to a definite knowledge of the Father. Jesus says here, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (chapter 11:25). We want to see to it that our spirits never succumb. At that time, He rejoiced in spirit. His spirit was right!
Now think of our circumstances. There is always pressure, sometimes more, sometimes less, always something. When it is felt, what do you do at that time, when the pressure is heaviest? There are seasons of rejoicing, and we may rejoice, thank God! We may rejoice with them that rejoice. But there are times of weeping. Solomon speaks of a time for everything. A time had arrived of outward defeat in the history of the Lord. At that time! What a moment for Christ and the Father, to see the supreme victory at this moment of outward defeat, in the rejoicing of His spirit and the outgoing of His heart in thanksgiving! I mention that as a model for us in a scene of adversity, either as Levites or as ordinary men and women under God’s government here on earth. Hence the Lord proceeds to say, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me” (chapter 11:29). There He stands out as a model for all to go down. What a blessed yoke! He was here for the Father’s will, and He rejoiced in spirit, and in that rejoicing received all that was to follow. To a father a babe must be an object of care. There are the babes, they are objects of the Father’s care. The Father’s things were revealed to babes. “Even so Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight” (verse 26). It seemed good in His sight. How blessed that works out! It is a question of what is good in His sight.
In Luke 12 the Lord looks upon His own as a “little flock”. Look at that word little. Christianity began with outward littleness, a mustard seed.
“Paul” means “little” and he was a little man in his own estimation. Paul was a man like ourselves. It is well to have a model, a man of like passions with ourselves, so it is brought nearer to us. Paul was a model Christian. The word little is a characteristic word in Christianity. The saints were outwardly very small, there were not many titled people amongst them. Later, Paul says, “not many noble are called”. He does not say “not any”, a man is not disqualified by having a title, but there are “not many” such. God is greater than all titles, and a man gets blessing on the ground of being a man, in spite of a title. “Not many noble are called”, says Paul, but the “base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not” (1 Corinthians 1:26,28).
Little flock! How happy to be content with that! The Lord never intended to gather huge congregations here. They gender worldly principles. The Lord’s thought is littleness as to this world, and fewness; not indeed that there are not to be many, there are, for who can count the dust of Jacob or the fourth part of the seed of Israel? Things are to be very great in God’s world, huge, wonderful! The great things of God, the wonderful works of God, but they are small in this world. “Fear not, little flock”. How happy to return to a sense of littleness! “Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25). So the little flock were to come into the kingdom. Fear not! The Father’s good pleasure is connected with them. We have the light of the kingdom; we are to have it, though kingdoms are in other hands now outwardly, and Romans tells us, that we are to respect these in whose hands the government is, for it is of God. We are to submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake. It is a free man that has grace enough to restrict himself for the Lord’s sake. He is worthy of such sacrifice. It is unto the Lord not unto the nations. In Romans, it is for God’s sake. The epistles of Peter treat of the government of God from the angels that fell to the end, and so of good and evil. The second epistle speaks of Lot in Sodom. He was a righteous man, but he was not right in his spirit. The government of God takes account of the vexations of our souls. Our tears occasioned by the wickedness around us are put in His bottle, but Romans takes account of a recovered man who is exercised in the conquest of good over evil; he is in victory, instead of being pressed down by evil. Lot was not a recovered man. David recovered all, but it was in victory; he had something to give in the conflict of good over evil. There are many Lots today, hence the need of Romans. Romans contemplates an overcomer every day, and how he overcomes the evil with the good, the good that is of God, not in ourselves. It is by His spirit.
It is very exhilarating to contemplate Romans 8. Victory overcomes adverse circumstances. It ends in a conquering, not a vexed spirit. It is not a vexed spirit, but a rejoicing spirit. I commend Romans earnestly to you. Lot’s vexations are noted down, but how much happier for rejoicings to be noted! “Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say rejoice”. “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4; Philippians 4:6,7). It is important to understand military terms when we have to do with evil. Satan attacks our hearts, but they are garrisoned by peace. Peace cannot be defined, but it can be realised. David put garrisons in the towns he took, to maintain them for him. On these lines our spirits are kept right. Romans teaches us to observe man’s requirements.
[p. 474] I never look upon the authorities as my enemies, I regard them as in my favour. James brings in the law under which we are. In Galatians, we have a nine-branches tree, one tree bearing the nine fruits of the Spirit, “against such there is no law” (chapter 5:23). As a Christian, that is what I want. The laws of the nations are not against that. I am in possession of that against which there is no law. Thank God for that! How happy to be in relation to that against which there is no law! You can let it be seen before your superior officer. He is not against that, nor is the king, nor magistrates. The law is for lawbreakers, but the Christian is outside all that. He has that against which no law is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. I want you to get hold of this, that there is no limitation to that fruit.
As respecting the laws of the land, I am in outward bondage, but I retain the fruits of the Spirit against which there is no law nor limitation, though outwardly limited as to my body. In Deuteronomy the feast of Pentecost, was not limited by time, but connected with what was unrestricted and unlimited, what indeed belongs to the eternal state of things, belonging to the Father and the Son and our place eternally; no law is against that. In James 1:25 we have the law referred to, “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty”. My desire is that our souls may remain in liberty. One wonders what the outcome of the present circumstances will be. The spirit of militarism is insidious like other spirits. Is that spirit to give character to the people of God? It must be faced and fought against. The exercise is, that my spirit is to be right and then I shall walk in liberty. Hence “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty”, (and mark) “continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. Aside from that,
[p. 475] liberty will depart, and there will be a shrinking and a narrowing up, and God and the saints will be deprived of the outflow of the affections of the heart. A soldier is foreign to the idea of a brother, and while I say a brother may make a good soldier, a soldier does not make a good brother; hence the spirit must be fought against, so that we may be preserved for God.
I love to think of Onesimus, he ran away and was sent back to be a slave, but also a brother. How are we going to come out of these circumstances? Paul would send you back as a brother beloved not a soldier. See that you return a brother beloved, not a soldier! Onesimus was once unprofitable as a slave, but now profitable to me and to you; says Paul to Philemon. We must be profitable. Do your work willingly as a servant, not grudgingly. We want to maintain the balance, in our behaviour, to those over us, and to the Lord. Do not deprive the saints of the profit. You can be a brother beloved in spite of the uniform. Profitable to me, says Paul; profitable to your brethren, but all this hinges on maintaining a right spirit under all circumstances.
May the Lord grant this to speaker and hearers alike!