THE ANOINTED VESSEL (9)
[p. 264] THE ANOINTED VESSEL (9)
1 Corinthians 15:1 - 19; 1 Corinthians 15:51 - 58
- At Valence and elsewhere, we have been occupied with the first epistle to the Corinthians and, in our readings, we reached chapter 14. It seemed good that we should be occupied a little this afternoon with chapters 15 and 16. What has been before us particularly has been the subject of the fellowship, the Lord’s supper, order in the assembly and the ministry, so that the saints may be seen, in whatever locality, to correspond with the anointed vessel of the testimony. It is spoken of in chapter 12 where it is said, “So also is the Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12), the expression “the Christ” having reference specially to the saints of God being baptised by one Spirit into one body, and being given to drink of one Spirit. We have noticed the order in which the gifts have been placed in the assembly; although the assembly is the vessel in which the testimony is placed, it is not the assembly which preaches or teaches, as all ministry depends on the gifts given; so that we have the order in which the gifts have been placed in the assembly: “first” — “secondly” — “thirdly” ... 1 Corinthians 12:28.
— So God insists on His order in everything.
— In heaven there is an order, ranks among the angels; it is the same in the assembly on earth. However, this relates to public service and not to the family of God; so that the order in the assembly and the order of the ministry having been clearly brought out in this epistle, this chapter is occupied with the gospel that Paul had preached and the Corinthians had received.
— The work of the Lord is to continue among us, and according as we understand the order in which it is to continue, we are to abound in it: “abounding [p. 265] always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord”. Although what exists under our eyes may be very small in appearance, nevertheless our toil is not in vain “in the Lord”. The chief end in this chapter is to stimulate Christians, that they may abound in the work of the Lord.
— How is verse 2 explained? “Unless indeed ye have believed in vain”.
— There are thousands of persons who have believed in vain. They have believed without reaching the result, the salvation of their soul.
— Is it possible to lack salvation at the present time?
— It is like what is said in Hebrews, “We are not drawers back to perdition, but of faith to saving the soul” (Hebrews 10:39), and in the first epistle of Peter, “Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:9), that is to say, salvation in its present application. It says, “By which also ye are saved (if ye hold fast the word which I announced to you as the glad tidings), unless indeed ye have believed in vain”.
— Is there an analogous thought in Hebrews 6 where it speaks of “those once enlightened” (Hebrews 6:4) and who have fallen away?
— In that passage, it is specially a matter of apostasy.
— Those who had made a profession of Christianity.
— “But we are persuaded concerning you, beloved, better things, and connected with salvation, even if we speak thus” Hebrews 6:9.
— Peter includes the thought when he speaks of “the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls” 1 Peter 1:9. The meaning of the “salvation of your souls” is deliverance from all that is contrary to us, now, as Zacharias said, at the birth of John the baptist, “we should serve him without fear in piety, and righteousness before him all our days” Luke 1:74,75. There is “the salvation of souls”! The end is that we may [p. 266] now be free for God. One takes “the helmet of salvation” (Isaiah 59:17), which means that one can lift up the head without fear.
— The sphere of salvation is within the walls of the city, is it not?
— “I will give salvation in Zion, and unto Israel my glory” Isaiah 46:13. It is said that “the Lord added to the assembly daily those that were to be saved” Acts 2:47. It is in the Lord that we have salvation, and the Lord has down here a sphere which might be described as the sphere of salvation. Salvation is in His name, but the presence of the Holy Spirit provides a sphere in which believers may be saved.
— Those who are there are “those that were to be saved”, not those who were saved.
— It is those who were in the thoughts of God. The apostle said that he endured all for the sake of the elect “that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” 2 Timothy 2:10. As we saw this morning in Jeremiah, the almond-tree suggests vigilance; it is the “watchful tree” Jeremiah 1:11, note. It is a question of the faithfulness of the Lord who watches over the elect that they may be saved. In that sense, the word of the gospel will be fulfilled.
— When the prodigal son was still afar off, his father saw him. You see divine vigilance.
— The arrival of Jacob at Bethel was not accidental. Heaven was watchful, so Jacob saw on earth the ladder which reached to heaven.
— And the Lord said to Nathaniel, “When thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee” John 1:48. This suggests vigilance among the divine Persons, who are watching here. “These are the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro in the whole earth” Zechariah 4:10.
— Should this vigilance be reflected in the house of God? The cherubim were looking outward, toward mankind.
— [p. 267] Mark, who presents the thought of levitical service, finishes his instructions for servants saying, “But what I say to you, I say to all, Watch” Mark 13:37. And the “overseer” watches over souls.
— “Watch and pray”.
— With regard to the almond-tree that Jeremiah saw, the essential thought is the fulfilment of the word of Jehovah. It is said “And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond-tree. And Jehovah said unto me, Thou hast well seen; for I am watchful over my word to perform it” Jeremiah 1:11,12. The word has been pronounced; it has gone out to all the earth. It is said in Deuteronomy “This commandment which I command thee this day is not too wonderful for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in the heavens, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to the heavens, and bring it to us, that we should hear it and do it? And it is not beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? For the word is very near to thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” Deuteronomy 30:11 - 14. It is the word which we announce. Paul quotes this passage and says, “That is, the word of faith, which we preach: that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from among the dead, thou shalt be saved” Romans 10:8,9. So God watches over His word, that it may be accomplished. If there is a hard and obstinate heart, Jehovah says, “Is not my word ... like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29.
— The meaning of the almond-tree is therefore vigilance?
— “The Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs following upon it” Mark 16:20. Is that the idea of vigilance?
— [p. 268] The almond-tree is the first tree to blossom, is it not?
— And there is always the testimony, because the book of Numbers presents the almond-tree as being the Lord Jesus in resurrection. And we are now in our subject, resurrection.
— Here are twelve staves placed before Jehovah for the night, and only one of these staves buds, and brings forth buds, blooms blossoms and ripens almonds. Life is manifested there in its perfect order, and that, in the space of one night. That staff had to be kept, as a testimony before Jehovah against all rebellion. Thus we understand that the faithfulness of God is seen in Christ raised from among the dead. Not a single word of Jehovah’s will fall to the ground. Not one of the elect will be lost.
— Psalm 90 is the “Prayer of Moses, the man of God” Psalm 90:1. He says, in verse 6, speaking of the grass, “In the morning it flourisheth and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down and withereth” Psalm 90:6. But in contrast with that, there is the almond-tree which appears at the end of the Psalm: “Let the beauty of Jehovah our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us: yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it” Psalm 90:17.
— In John, we see rather what is in perfection. There is hardly development, is there?
— There is no development in Christianity. But the believer must begin and continue in a certain order. In 1 Corinthians 15, there is order, and it is said, “I make known to you, brethren, the glad tidings which I announced to you, which also ye received, in which also ye stand, by which also ye are saved (if ye hold fast the word which I announced to you as the glad tidings), unless indeed ye have believed in vain. For I delivered to you, in the first place” (there is the order), firstly, “That Christ died for our sins”; secondly, “that he was buried”;
thirdly, “that he was raised the third day”, and so on; so that Paul, in presenting the glad tidings, presented not only doctrine, but a living Person, who appeared, first, to Cephas, then to the twelve, then to above five hundred brethren at once, then to James, then to all the apostles, and finally to Paul himself.
— What difference is there between “the twelve” and “the apostles”?
— That is a good question. Here, the idea is to produce, by means of the glad tidings, first material for the assembly, then administrative authority, then the brotherly spirit, then individual steadfastness (in James), then apostolic authority. Finally, He appeared to the great architect of the assembly, Paul himself. The number twelve generally speaks of administration; that is what is seen in “the twelve”, while “the apostles” present the authority of Christ in its fulness. It should be remarked that the Lord was first manifested “to Cephas”. When Luke relates the same incident, he says, “The Lord is indeed risen and has appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34), because Luke would emphasise the grace of the Lord. Simon had denied Him, and it was a special grace that the Lord appeared to him. But when Paul speaks of it, he says that He appeared “to Cephas”. Cephas means ‘Stone’ — a stone for the assembly. Simon had been a poor erring one; and what applies to him applies to each one of us. The grace of the Lord is shown in His forgiveness, but in His mind, each one of us is a stone.
— We ought to remember the strength that has drawn us; and we ought to remember at the same time the rock from which we are drawn.
— “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bore you”, says Isaiah 51:2. Sarah represents mankind as it was; while Abraham represents the purpose of God. Those two thoughts always go [p. 270] together in the believer, whence the expression “a mixed condition” which some have regarded as error; but it is important to see that these two thoughts always go together.
— What I am as a poor erring one, on the one hand, and what I am as a living stone, on the other.
— In the first epistle to the Corinthians, we are “of God”. He is the Rock which has begotten us; while in Romans, we have the compassion of God, who is our strength: “For we being still without strength, in the due time Christ has died for the ungodly” Romans 5:6.
— The elect must be saved; that is the thought of the rock.
— Is the thought of the twelve and the apostles connected somewhat with Psalm 133? There where unity is, the blessing is brought in. We see unity, in the twelve; then, the light is communicated.
— The idea is rather what shone on the day of Pentecost. In appearing to Cephas, the Lord would have given him to understand the thought of the material proper to the assembly. In His appearing to the twelve, the Lord would have made them understand administration in the assembly. Peter said, in chapter 2 of the Acts, “Having therefore been exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which ye behold and hear” Acts 2:33. What they saw on that occasion should have made a profound impression upon them as to administration, that is to say that they were not to be official, or severe, but rather adorned with the grace of Christ which would be reproduced in them. Ye have received gratuitously, give gratuitously as the Lord Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35. Afterward, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once.
— Was Matthias among the twelve?
— Yes. “Above five hundred brethren at once” saw Him; the Lord would make them realise what brethren were.
— Then if Matthias was there, the appearing to the twelve had taken place after Pentecost, and perhaps also to the five hundred. Before Pentecost, we do not read of five hundred brethren met together at one time.
— The Lord took His place in the midst of those five hundred brethren, which must have left upon them a deep impression of what the brethren are. “Then he appeared to James”, to show that He could do much by means of one man. In his epistle, James refers to Elias. How much Elias had accomplished, by himself!
— It is said in Isaiah 51, speaking of Abraham, “I called him when he was alone, and blessed him and multiplied him” Isaiah 51:2. He is a man who held the ground alone for God.
— Is there not also the suggestion that the Lord would come down to quite a small number, to bring to them what is heavenly?
— I think the suggestion would be specially what one man who has things at heart can accomplish. Elias was a man of like passions to us: he was not a supernatural man, but a man like ourselves. He prayed to Jehovah. “And he prayed with prayer that it should not rain; and it did not rain upon the earth three years and six months; and again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to spring forth” James 5:17. That is what one man can accomplish who prays!
— James closes his epistle by saying, “If anyone among you err from the truth, and one bring him back, let him know that he that brings back a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins” James 5:19,20. It is what “one” can do.
— [p. 272] We see examples of these great truths in the case of Gideon in the book of Judges. If only one remains, the authority of Christ can be maintained. Apostleship is emphasised in the gospel of Luke more than in any other gospel, showing what a great place the authority of Christ has. Unless there is complete submission to Christ, our faith will come to disaster. “Ye ... have obeyed from the heart the form of teaching into which ye were instructed” Romans 6:17.
— In John in Patmos, you see the only person who appeared to remain, but he was there in the light of the whole apostolic testimony, “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus” Revelation 1:9.
— In the isle of Patmos, John had the advantage of a manifestation which Paul did not experience. How John must have been encouraged by the appearing of Christ Himself at Patmos! “And last of all, as to an abortion, he appeared to me also”, says Paul, a man who had no recognised position, nor any right to a position, quite the contrary. So the Lord takes notice of a person of whom one would have never thought. And then the Lord worked in that vessel in such a way that Paul was going to carry out an effective ministry. “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called apostle, because I have persecuted the assembly of God. But by God’s grace I am what I am; and his grace, which was towards me, has not been vain; but I have laboured more abundantly than they all, but not I, but the grace of God which was with me”. He had not himself any outward advantage among the saints. The natural thought would always be roused against him, saying, There is the persecutor! And he says, “By God’s grace I am what I am”, and that cannot be destroyed.
— What encouragement for the smallest believer! “I am what I am”.
— In verse 10, “grace” is repeated three times.
— Paul in the New Testament represents “the sons of Korah”. They were under the divine judgment, but the rod of the almond-tree was God’s answer. The history of the sons of Korah was very sad as to what they were in the flesh, but they were spared.
— Paul speaks of himself as being the first of sinners. “But for this reason mercy was shewn me” (1 Timothy 1:16), he says, “that in me, the first, Jesus Christ might display the whole longsuffering, for a delineation of those about to believe on him to life eternal” 1 Timothy 1:16. Paul is therefore presented to us as an example, for the worst among us, whether as a sinner saved by grace, or as a servant of Christ.
— He would be the first on the list of sinners, and the last on the list of saints.
— Such a man contributes enormously to the general good.
— So he says, “His grace, which was towards me, has not been vain, but I have laboured more abundantly than they all, but not I, but the grace of God which was with me”. Now, he has brought the gospel out clearly; and he resumes, saying, “Whether, therefore, I or they, thus we preach, and thus ye have believed”. But who is this man among you, who says, There is no resurrection of the dead? The Corinthians were responsible for all that was preached among them. But some had not the knowledge of God. This chapter is the almond-tree, from one end to the other; the Spirit of Christ treats of the resurrection of Christ and of the saints, more than anywhere else in the Scriptures. Not only does he develop the fact that we have been raised, but he also presents “the heavenly” — “Such as the heavenly one, such also the heavenly ones” 1 Corinthians 15:48. We have much need to study this chapter. The more we understand it, the more we shall enjoy it.
— This chapter alone is a real volume.
— [p. 274] We are here in the sphere of life and victory. Resurrection is, so to speak, the corner-stone of the whole Christian system.
— Generally, in Christendom, the only place this chapter has is at the cemetery.
— And many are very sorry that it is so long. However one proves how necessary it is, in connection with the public position of the assembly.
— In this chapter, one is not taken off the earth.
— Here, we have for the first time, “I tell you a mystery”.
— The opposition of some to the truth of the resurrection brought out a precious development of it.
— The opposition of the Jews shows itself in a very special way in the gospel of John, and it is just in that gospel that the Lord unfolds the most profound secrets.
— So Paul says here that he has fought with beasts at Ephesus, and it is exactly at Ephesus that the full truth of the assembly was brought to light. But God destroys all opposition by the greatness of the truth. He was courageous, to fight with beasts, but he was also faithful.
— It is of the greatest importance that we should all lay hold of the bearing of resurrection.
— The reason for the position of the Corinthians, with regard to resurrection, is that they had not understood the gospel of burial.
— Then, Paul reasons with the opposer, “Fool; what thou sowest is not quickened unless it die. And what thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be, but a bare grain; it may be of wheat, or some one of the rest; and God gives to it a body as he has pleased, and to each of the seeds its own body” 1 Corinthians 15:36-38. This chapter therefore has its place rightly in this epistle, making us see that it is the work of God.
— Resurrection is always beyond the range of the natural minds.
— [p. 275] It is said of those who arose, at the end of Matthew, that “Going out of the tombs after his arising [they], entered into the holy city and appeared unto many” Matthew 27:53. The power of resurrection is seen publicly.
— The end of the chapter is a tribute to God. “Thanks to God, who gives us the victory by our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, my beloved brethren, be firm, immovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord”.
— It is said at the end of the first chapter, “Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption” 1 Corinthians 1:30. Have we here the last thing — redemption?
— Yes. The apostle finishes his epistle with the subject of the collection. We make use of this expression “collection” as a formula, but the apostle speaks of the collection for the saints. It is not a thing to take up lightly. In all these chapters, God shows what has been active for the saints: “All things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things coming, all are yours; and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” 1 Corinthians 3:21 - 23. Now, the collection is for the saints. In the matter of the collection we are in sympathy with God; and in this very epistle, it is developed. All that is said with regard to the collection is summed up in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable free gift”. In 1 Corinthians 15:57, we have, “Thanks to God, who gives us the victory by our Lord Jesus Christ”. The collection is linked with the unspeakable gift of His Son Himself, and the giving of the saints results in thanksgivings to God; so that the collection has a very special place in the position of the saints.
— [p. 276] The bag (box) should not be put under the table, should it?
— It is not under the table here, nor in the chapter that follows.
— The collection is linked with the breaking of bread.
— It takes place “on the first of the week” 1 Corinthians 16:2. Here it is a special collection for particular known needs at a distance. The Lord said, “Ye have the poor always with you”. If there are no poor with us, there are many elsewhere.
— The first day of the week supposes that one is in the eternal atmosphere of compassionate love.
— It says, “On the first of the week let each of you put by at home, laying up in whatever degree he may have prospered, that there may be no collections when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2): but the spirit of giving should be maintained from week to week. The practical realisation of what the first day of the week means should be maintained in the heart of the saints.
— Because the Lord said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35.
— In order to give, one must go down, speaking spiritually. Every gift has come from heaven. Christ has come from heaven; the Spirit has come from heaven. One gives.
— Is that why the Lord so appreciated what the widow did?
— “Jesus, having sat down opposite the treasury, saw how the crowd was casting money into the treasury” Mark 12:41. The attention of the Lord is therefore held by the manner in which one gives.
— The widow “has cast in more than all who have cast into the treasury: for all have cast in of that which they had in abundance, but she of her destitution has cast in all that she had, the whole of her living” Mark 12:43,44. She did what the Lord was going to do; she gave all, all that she had as a living.
— Her contribution was not merely a formality.
— The Lord, sitting opposite the treasury, saw how they were giving.
Reading with J.T. at Pence, 18th May, 1926, afternoon.