REJOICING

^[p. 244] REJOICING

Luke 10: 17 - 22; John 20: 10 - 21; Romans 15: 13

It is a very touching matter that the Lord Jesus should be so moved in His spirit as Scripture indicates. We read in Luke 10 that “Jesus rejoiced in spirit”. The thought of the purpose of God came before Him. He had sent out the seventy disciples and their service was successful, and they returned, it says, “with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us through thy name”. It was an occasion of joy for them, but the Lord immediately replies, “I beheld Satan as lightning falling out of heaven”. He was looking much higher than they. They were occupied with what occurred on earth. He was looking at the base, as one may say; He was looking up. How much we are occupied with details down here in being occupied with what comes within our immediate notice. Now faith takes us outside of that. The Lord says, “I beheld Satan as lightning falling out of heaven”. He saw the whole power of Satan affected at its base. The lightning mentioned refers to the rapidity of the fall of Satan. He said at that time to the disciples, “in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subjected to you, but rejoice that your names are written in the heavens”.

For a moment I want to speak of His holy emotions, that “In the same hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit”. What a perfect model, dear brethren, we have in Christ in regard to everything. As a dependent man here He took account of events, occurrences, and at that time the fall of Satan from heaven meant a great deal to Him. I wonder, dear brethren, if we have a sense of the complete overthrow of satanic power. On the other hand the Father was revealing what Jesus had been speaking of, to the babes: that was the cause of His holy emotion; what the Father was doing for the objects of His counsel of love. He rejoiced in spirit. What an element of joy ^[p. 245] it is in the soul of the christian that there is a complete overthrow of the power of Satan in the exaltation to heaven of Christ.

The seventy return with joy, but the Lord forbids their resting in any success in their service. He is not belittling their service, but He says, “Yet in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subjected to you”. They had said that “the demons are subject to us through thy name”. The seventy said the demons were subject to them through His name; that is, they were occupied with their own success, even though it be in the name of the Lord. That is not for you, that is for Him. All prosperity, all successes are for God, like the fat in the offerings. What you are to feed on is not that, it is for God. Our spiritual growth is for God also; growth in spiritual prosperity is for God. I have other food, but that is for God. We must be careful in regard to the fact, as God claims that for Himself exclusively. They said “the demons are subject to us”; that was by the power of God; therefore the Lord says, “Yet in this rejoice not”. Take care what we are feeding on. If I am feeding on the fat, I am robbing God and building up a constitution which is wholly abnormal, and presently it will become damaging and will show itself. We must feed on divinely appointed food and so the Lord says, “Rejoice that your names are written in the heavens”; that is God’s counsel. I can feed on what God does for me; I rejoice that God has done it. It is a question of His sovereign counsel that He has registered our names in heaven. Rejoice in this, rejoice in what God has done for you. Now, that is one element of the joy that I have been speaking of, and I would invite you to rest in that. Think of your name being divinely inscribed in heaven! Can you conceive, dear brethren, of society to be compared with “the assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven”! Hebrews 12: 23.

Now the Lord in coming to His own in John 20 says,

“Peace be to you”. There is no upbraiding for unbelief. What is said is “He shewed to them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced therefore, having seen the Lord”. That is the point; that is what the Lord wants to effect in us, so He says immediately to them again, “Peace be to you”. He says virtually, ‘I want that joy, that holy joy that you are now enjoying to be permanent’. And so He brings in peace, His own peace, in order that there should be holy joy and that it should abide and be confirmed as part of us, so that our capacity increases. It is an immense thing to know what the joy of the Spirit is and to retain it, that it should not slip away, but that with the joy our capacity is increased. Therefore said Jesus to them again, “Peace be to you”. He says it twice; He says ‘Peace’ twice according to John’s account. He first settles their hearts in regard to themselves and then confirms the joy that His presence accords.

The passage in Romans 15 speaks of “the God of hope”. The present time is a time when the saints should be encouraged in regard to hope. We are in need of hope. Certainly the events of the world are such as to dissipate any hopes we might have had in regard to it. God grant that we may be delivered from any such hopes! God is not the God of such hopes, but He is the God of hope, and He holds out the hope of the return of the Lord Jesus from heaven. And so “the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing”. In believing, I apprehend the whole system of things that He has set up for me in Christ. I have access within the veil, and it is only for a moment and the veil that covers will be taken away, and then sight will take the place of faith. For the moment it is joy and peace in believing. May God grant it to us!