THE ANOINTED VESSEL (3)
[p. 151] THE ANOINTED VESSEL (3)
1 Corinthians 5; 1 Corinthians 10:14 - 22
— Towards the end of our meeting this morning, we considered the character of the foundation which is laid. It says that the foundation is Jesus Christ. We noticed the difference between what we have here and what we have in Matthew 16. In Matthew, the foundation refers rather to the relations of our Lord with God: He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The revelation made to Peter was a personal revelation. “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens. And I also, I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly” Matthew 16:17,18. The Lord lays emphasis on the individuality of Peter and what he was personally; as having received a personal revelation, he formed, so to speak, part of the material for the building — the building of which the Lord speaks as being “My assembly”. The foundation refers to the testimony presented to all at Corinth. It was a question of “Jesus Christ”, the One who had been known and tested in this world under the eye of God. And we all have to be tested, as forming publicly part of the assembly. So we do well to notice the foundation, that which is presented in the four gospels. The foundation is involved in the expression “the words of this life” Acts 5:20. “The words” would suggest the life in detail. There is “the word of life” and “the words of this life” Acts 5:20.
— It says, “All the words of this life” Acts 5:20.
— Then a warning is given in chapter 3, to all those who build thereon, in order that there should be nothing in the building that does not agree with the foundation. What was accomplished in this way at [p. 152] Corinth gives rise to another thought — that of the temple.
— What is the thought relating to the temple?
— It is there that the divine mind is by the Spirit. This is not exactly revelation, but light that is shed with regard to what is revealed. Under the old economy, the things in the temple referred to the revelation: the ark of the covenant, the cherubim, the table, the candlestick, the golden altar, everything there related to the revelation; and the temple implies that light is always available with regard to these things. The saints therefore have means, which are independent of all that is of man, of receiving light from God; hence the seriousness of corrupting such a thing. If this temple is corrupted, that which purports to be light from God may become darkness. We are occupied now with what relates to a meeting such as this. The fact that we are together today provides the Spirit an opportunity of shedding light on what is already revealed, and each one ought to be in his place, to fulfil his function in the temple.
— Do you think that the wisdom of God is manifested in the saints as being the temple of God?
— That which I have understood of Christ as being the wisdom of God ought to shine in me in the temple. The might of the assembly is like that of a stone most precious.
— David spoke of the temple as a place where one could enquire.
— The Greeks had the idea of a temple, as much as the Jews. The Christians at Corinth were to know that they themselves were that temple by virtue of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.
— I was thinking of the candlestick which was in the holy place, and of which the lamps shone before the candlestick.
— That points to the light that the Spirit sheds on things already revealed; so, the idea of a “creed”
[p. 153] does not touch this idea. We have the teaching of the apostles, but spiritual light renders that teaching ever fresh and applicable to ourselves. As an example, one might say that a spiritual song brings out what is already revealed to our hearts. “The book of the wars of Jehovah” (Numbers 21:14) and “the poets” (Numbers 21:27) go together, in so far as the Spirit is recognised. Thus, all spiritual ministry proceeds from the temple. In Christianity, there is that which existed from the beginning, which must never be lost sight of, but that which existed from the beginning is brought to us in the power of the Spirit, to us who live in the present day.
— How do you connect this with chapter 5 — All that we have remarked is connected with the ministry. It is a question in chapter 3 of the minister and the ministry; the bearing of the chapter is particularly on those who serve, so that we should not bring into the building any foreign material, and that we should not corrupt the temple of God.
— The order of man should be before us in the foundation. We cannot build if we lose sight of it.
— When we come to the temple, it is then a question of what is of God.
— “Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any one corrupt the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye” 1 Corinthians 3:16,17. You see the prominence given to the temple of God.
— The princes of this age disappear in the presence of the princes of a much more elevated order which appears in the temple.
— The princes of this age are removed from the mind of the believer. What emanates from the temple of God eclipses the best human productions. As to those who go astray from the truth of the assembly, although they may retain correct outward forms, they will be found without freshness. This is what we have sorrowfully seen among certain of [p. 154] our brethren who have separated from us. What a warning against the idea of a party! The end of chapter 3 especially is intended to warn the saints, and particularly servants, against the thought of following men. Then, in chapter 4, the apostle enlarges on what characterised him in that connection. He indicates that the servants belong to the saints. He did not care about men’s judgment. “But he that examines me is the Lord” 1 Corinthians 4:4. Then he says, “I think that God has set us the apostles for the last, as appointed to death. For we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men” 1 Corinthians 4:9. Not only were they found in a position of suffering, on account of their testimony, but God had placed them in that position. He did not wish the apostles to become personally the leaders of schools. Paul says, “To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are in nakedness, and buffeted, and wander without a home, and labour, working with our own hands ...” 1 Corinthians 4:11,12. To the present hour they corresponded to the thought of God. It is what they are still at that moment, and not only what they were.
— Why does he say, “a spectacle ... to angels”?
— That was in accord with their place of prominence in the testimony. It had been the same at the cross. The angels have a great interest in all that corresponds with the cross.
— They desired to look into the sufferings of Christ.
— And the angels saw the continuation of the sufferings in the apostles. These are very remarkable chapters for those who aspire to the ministry. We must remember that our ministry is to produce something, and generally, as water rises to its own level, the product of our ministry corresponds with ourselves.
— The measure of Christ in the servant is the measure of his productive capacity.
— Everything else will be devoured by fire.
— [p. 155] The apostles began to preach at Jerusalem. The Lord had prayed for Jerusalem, and He had wept over Jerusalem. The apostles who had a peculiar place in the testimony had observed the affections of Christ, in His sufferings.
— And the beginning of the Acts insists much on the correspondence between those who were speaking and Christ. In the first chapter, Jesus appeared to them “after he had suffered” (Acts 1:3); they were to continue on the principle of sufferings. Then you find, in chapters 3 and 4 of the Acts, what God could produce in Peter and John. “Look on us” (Acts 3:4), they could say to the lame man. If they were put in prison, they rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer for His name. In these men we see the anointing oil with which the tabernacle was anointed: the Spirit of a suffering Christ.
— We have a spiritual faculty to assimilate to ourselves the thoughts of God as to Christ.
— There is moral accord between the servants and a suffering Christ. In the Song of Songs, the loved one says, “A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me” (Song of Songs 1:13); there is not only one feature of suffering, but every feature of suffering — which the bundle suggests; it is in the light of that expression that she embraces Him. Paul said that he was to fill up that which was behind of the tribulations of Christ.
— The epistle to the Philippians is the product, in the saints, of the bundle of myrrh.
— When we reach chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians, it is not a question of things for which the servants are responsible, but it is the responsibility of the assembly to purge out leaven. Without discipline the things of God cannot be preserved among us. In a general way, those who depart from the assembly are incapable of maintaining discipline. The principle of discipline is that the Lord is to be feared in the assembly of His [p. 156] saints. The apostle spoke of having already judged, to deliver, “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ... him that has so wrought this ... to Satan”. A human organisation has no power in discipline, in spite of the best catechism it may have. Discipline depends on the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is exercised among the saints in a collective way.
— Are the saints thus sustained in power and holiness, in which Christ Himself met and set aside all that is contrary to God and His throne?
— At the outset of the Lord’s ministry, when He was about to cast out the demon in the synagogue of Capernaum, the demon recognised that He was “the Holy One of God” Mark 1:24. We must recognise the holiness of God. This does not concern only the principal brothers, but it is to come home to each brother and each sister in the company.
— We cannot have God in our midst except in holiness; and where should we be without the presence of God?
— Do you think that a person who does not maintain holiness in his own house can maintain it in the house of God?
— Can he even maintain it in his own soul?
— Those from whom demons had been cast out represent Christians who experience in themselves the effect of demons cast out of their soul. Mary of Magdala had had seven demons; such a sister would not be able to tolerate uncleanness in the assembly. It was a terrible experience to be possessed by an unclean spirit, and when the Lord has cast out an unclean spirit, there remains a vessel in which the holiness of God can be developed.
— The fact that Mary of Magdala was at the cross suggests the thought expressed in the Song of Songs: “My beloved ... shall pass the night between my breasts” Song of Songs 1:13.
— Mary said, “If thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away” John 20:15.
— Her affection was a holy affection. She desired Him.
— While she was in the limitations of the night, the Lord gave her the light of an eternal day.
— Mary of Magdala was qualified for holiness. What a vessel of uncleanness she must have been! But now, what a vessel of holiness!
— The Lord could deposit in that vessel what was most glorious. What characterised Mary of Magdala forms the basis of what is developed in chapter 20 of John: “Receive the Holy Spirit” John 20:22. In a general way, John does not lay emphasis, as Luke does, on holiness, but he says here, Receive that sort of Spirit — a Spirit that would develop a holy life. Those of us who have judged sin in ourselves as before God and who have received the love of God should have the greatest care with regard to holiness in the house of God.
— It is a question of a spiritual state to retain what is good. The same spiritual being can retain what is of God and exclude what is of man.
— We have here the introduction of the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. Before the Lord’s crucifixion both things are mentioned — the passover and the feast of unleavened bread. The saints have arrived at the point where the question of sin is to be settled by God in Christ, by way of sacrifice; but there was more than that, for the saints were to be there, as well as the Lord. He Himself was to be the Passover, but the feast of unleavened bread was to be developed in the saints. Thus, the feast of unleavened bread forms the basis of all the instructions that follow, down to chapter 11. In chapter 10, we approach the truth of the assembly, and it is needful for the matter to be clear in our minds. In Matthew and Mark, the Lord’s supper was introduced “as they were eating” Mark 14:22. If the Lord suffers as the paschal Lamb, the saints must eat that which answers to it, and that is what is in view in this chapter.
— Would you say a few words as to the Spirit which disavows mere memory and every human and intellectual faculty and brings us together in the light of the temple, at a moment like this, to enable us to enter together into the thoughts of God?
— Our natural memories have no value, but there is the thinking faculty which answers to that of Christ, and not only the faculty, but “the intelligent faculty with its thoughts” 1 Corinthians 2:16 (note). Therefore, in assembling ourselves, we have the light of that faculty. The precious thoughts that we treasure by the power of the Holy Spirit are those which God uses when the brethren are assembled. We treasure them in a passive way, and we give the Lord and the Spirit opportunity to act.
— We ought to be like a stringed instrument in the hands of the Lord. It is He Himself who touches the chords, and we ought to be disposed to listen rather than to speak. The “five words” would be a contribution from the temple.
— “Five words with my understanding” 1 Corinthians 14:19.
— It is in view of consolidating the present work of God, by the Spirit, in the hearts of His own assembled.
— In entering upon the subject of the assembly, the apostle says, “I speak as to intelligent persons”. Therefore, what I possess, as taught of God, should be at the disposal of the company. God may call me to say something; then I ought to be ready.
— It is the state of mind in which I hold myself. We are not therefore, as is sometimes said, empty vessels. God makes use of full vessels.
— Paul speaks of the treasure which is in an earthen vessel. The earthen vessel is therefore not empty.
— “Each of you has a psalm” 1 Corinthians 14:26. I suppose that I [p. 159] have that psalm. But I need not give it out because I have it. Nevertheless, I have it.
— The effect of being in the temple is that different passages of which I had never thought are connected one with another.
— That is what we see in the apostles at the beginning. They quote the Psalms and other Old Testament scriptures and connect them one with the other.
— The bearing of the Scriptures becomes clearer, because we receive, in that faculty, the mind of Christ. What could be more important than that?
— We see then the great importance of gathering together in the light of the temple, and of functioning in the temple.
— By this means, what is clerical is set aside. Instead of having recourse to a very gifted brother, the saints have recourse to God, and receive the thoughts of His heart by the Holy Spirit.
— James, at the first Church Council, quotes the prophet Amos to bring out the mind of God.
— “And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter” (Acts 15:6), and that matter was examined by reference to the temple. The discussion which took place was a holy and brotherly discussion. Then Peter stood up and brought out how God, by his mouth, had preached to the nations. Later, James rose, and in his discourse he connected what Peter had said with a passage from the prophet Amos. So we see how, on that memorable occasion, the light of the temple shone. Light came in, but the Holy Spirit also came in: “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” Acts 15:28. No assembly in the world could act thus. The divine mind came out, and was imposed upon everyone among the nations.
— Our attitude of mind is that we want to acquire. Like the bees, we take a little nectar from each flower; when we have acquired something, in our secret history with God, we are found together in [p. 160] that mind. God can use what we have and multiply it in the temple, as the Lord was able to multiply what the little lad had and feed the five thousand.
— The first chapter of the Acts gives us an example of the temple in function. The Lord goes up to heaven, and His own, those who were His witnesses, return to Jerusalem and go into the upper chamber; the names of the principal ones who were there are given to us. We find an expression such as this: “the crowd of names who were together” (Acts 1:15), that is to say the names indicated what material was there. There was material for the temple. It says that in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples. He speaks; and he draws attention to the treachery of Judas and quotes the Psalm that covers that event, saying, “Let another take his overseership” Acts 1:20. Who is to take his office? “It is necessary therefore, that of the men who have assembled with us all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day in which he was taken up from us, one of these should be a witness with us of his resurrection” Acts 1:21,22. The matter is placed in God’s hands by the lot, and the lot falls on Matthias. Thus, the mind of God is brought into view as to him who is to be chosen. The material for the temple to be erected is tested before it is occupied by the Holy Spirit.
— And in chapter 15, the Holy Spirit has taken the place of the lot.
— The thought of the temple is that God is there; and God manifests Himself. The one who takes his place in the company which is going to be the temple has seen Jesus move down here.
— They are the movements of divine Persons who come in and go out “among us”.
Reading with J.T. at Valence, 12th May, 1926, afternoon.