THE GOSPEL: ITS PRESENTATION AND ITS BENEFITS
[p. 24] THE GOSPEL: ITS PRESENTATION AND ITS BENEFITS
2 Kings 5:1 - 4; 2 Kings 7:3 - 11
The second book of Kings presents to us typically the day in which we are found at present. In the first book, it is a question of men’s responsibility. Elijah the prophet brings in the light of God with regard to the responsibility of King Ahab; that king had completely failed in his responsibility. Ahab allowed himself to be influenced by his wife Jezebel; 1 Kings 21:25. At the beginning of the second book of the Kings of Israel, Ahaziah falls down. All that is connected with man according to flesh cannot stand, but falls. There had been a great light in the house of Ahab, but Ahaziah, who had succeeded him, had not profited by the light that was found in his father’s house. He fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber. Instead of turning to the God of Israel by whom the light had come into the house of his father, he turned to Baal-zebub. All that reminds us of the public history of the professing church. At the time of the Reformation, for example, God caused a great light to shine. But instead of profiting by the light that God had caused to shine, those who were at the head turned to deeper darkness than ever. So Ahaziah, instead of profiting by the light that had shone, turned to Baal-zebub. But then, if Ahaziah falls down and dies, the prophet by whose means the light of God had come to him, is translated and received into heaven. Elijah is received into the glory. The light which is presented to us, to us and to you, this afternoon, comes from heaven. It is not something that has come out of darkness, out of the minds of men; quite the contrary, it is the full light of heaven. Christ has [p. 25] ascended; He has entered into the very heavens. Having entered into heaven, He has sent the Holy Spirit. Elisha typically represents the Holy Spirit. Sometimes he typifies the individual believer, sometimes he is a type of the Lord Himself; but, in general, he represents the service of grace of the Holy Spirit come down from heaven. So it was necessary that he should be in the company of Elijah before his translation. No one can rightly present Christ in glory without having been in His company. Elisha went with Elijah from Gilgal as far as the Jordan. He accompanied him to Bethel, to Jericho, and as far as the Jordan. The Lord, before sending His apostles, chose them that they might be with Him and accompany Him, and that at length He might send them to preach; but they were only sent after having been with Him. Consequently, the capacity for preaching is found in the fact that we have been in the company of Jesus. Elisha therefore, having accompanied Elijah from Gilgal as far as the Jordan, sees him go up into heaven and receives a double portion of his Spirit.
The gospel of God is presented to men in our day in the full power of the Holy Spirit. But, if it is a question of the blessing of men, there must be an entirely new beginning, as in the case of Elisha who returned thence to Jericho. The men of the city say to him, “Behold now, the situation of the city is good, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the land is barren”, 2 Kings 2:19. The world indeed may have a very pleasant outward appearance, but the springs of refreshment are corrupted. In the world there is barrenness everywhere as regards the knowledge of God. So for each one of us, if it is a matter of receiving a blessing from God, there must be an absolutely new beginning. There must be a new cruse, and salt. “Bring me a new cruse”, says Elisha, “and put salt in it” 2 Kings 2:20. The salt having been [p. 26] thrown into the waters, they are purified. So that now, thanks to the death of Christ and the gift of the Spirit, there is a fresh and pure spring down here.
I wish to bring out, from the two passages I have read, what kind of vessel God uses for His gospel. It is not a question of persons who have importance or prestige in the religious world. First it speaks of a little captive maid. She is a lady’s maid-servant; she has no religious position; she is of no account in human society; there is nothing to commend her to the natural man. However, it is this little maid whom God is going to use to announce the gospel to Naaman. She is typically the result of the teaching of the previous chapter. In chapter 4 we find a woman who was in debt. The prophet asks what she had in the house: she had only a pot of oil. She represents believers who do not understand the value of the Holy Spirit. The prophet tells her to sell the oil, pay her debts and live “on the rest”.
Then, we find “a wealthy woman”. We are really wealthy or great, only in so far as we recognise the Holy Spirit. The greatest power that exists in the universe dwells in the Christian, and the wealth of heaven is in our souls. This woman, this Shunammite, is called “a wealthy woman”. There was, with her, consideration for Christ. She prepared in her house a chamber for the prophet. Chapter 4 contains many other things that we have not time to consider. Typically, the teaching of chapter 4 involves the epistles to the Romans, Colossians and Ephesians. The believer is established in all the light and wealth of heaven. Such a believer has no need of any importance in the religious world; he does not need permission to preach the gospel. He is infinitely richer inwardly than he is outwardly. He does not seek public reputation. He is content to be nothing, as the apostle Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 4:13, “As the offscouring of the world, the refuse of all”. In the light of the epistle to the Ephesians which shines in his soul, he is content to be nothing and to bear reproach. The soul of such a believer is filled with the consciousness of the wealth of heaven. Knowing Christ in heaven, his thought is to make known what he knows, as Paul says, “We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus Lord, and ourselves your bondmen for Jesus’ sake” 2 Corinthians 4:5. So, this little maid is a captive, but she has more light in her soul than all the Syrians, and this light marks her peculiarly. She speaks with conviction and emotion. She says to her mistress, “Oh, would that my lord were before the prophet that is in Samaria! then he would cure him of his leprosy”. She had no doubt in her mind. And we who believe in the Lord and know Him, know what we are saying. We have experienced His power to heal, and thus we present Him to you. “Neither is there another name under heaven which is given among men by which we must be saved”, Acts 4:12. The gospel presented by this little maid is the Person of Christ. The four lepers in chapter 7 present rather the benefits resulting from the gospel. It speaks of them in detail in the epistle to the Romans. It is the gospel concerning a Person, “His Son”. In Ephesians, it is a question of the unsearchable riches of the Christ, but the little maid preached the Person Himself. And then, let us observe well that this little maid was completely delivered from all national feeling. The Syrians ruled over Israel. Indeed they had brought this little maid away captive. She was a captive in the country of the Syrians; but she bore them no malice. And the Christian has no ill-will against those who may belong to other nations. There is only one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. So that the Christian is not concerned with national or international questions; he is only concerned about the souls of men. He sees that God [p. 28] desires at all cost to reach the souls of men. It is God who “desires that all men should be saved” 1 Timothy 2:4. So that the believer, of whom this little maid is a type, is completely delivered from all national and international feelings. The little maid was occupied with the state in which her master was found, although he was the Syrian captain. It is precious and interesting to see that, in the end, Naaman had to act according to the word of this little maid. The king of Syria had sent this captain to the king of Israel. The little maid had nothing to say about the king of Israel, who had no power and could do nothing. So Naaman had to go to the house of the man whom the little maid had presented. He had to go to Elisha’s house. As he arrives at Elisha’s door, the prophet sends him a message, “Go, and wash in the Jordan seven times” 2 Kings 5:10. There is no salvation unless we submit ourselves to the word. Men may make all kinds of suggestions, but they are only hindrances; the king of Syria only delayed the healing of Naaman, in sending him to the king of Israel. There is no salvation, save in Christ alone; outside of Him, it is absolutely impossible to be saved. It is absolutely necessary to be subject to His word. The message from the prophet to Naaman was: “Go, and wash in the Jordan seven times”. In other words, it is faith in the Lord Jesus, faith in the efficacy of His precious work. “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin” 1 John 1:7.
Now the four lepers of chapter 7 represent other features of the gospel. These four lepers are chosen very particularly to give us to see and understand the kind of instrument God uses in our days. “Four leprous men”. They had no place at all within the city, neither had they any at all among the Syrians. They had nothing before them but death. Therefore, driven by deep necessity, they went into the camp of the Syrians and they found themselves in a place of [p. 29] abundance. Are they not types of us, Christians? We were without hope and without God in the world, so that in the dusk and in deep need, we turned toward the place where there is abundance. At first we had no idea of the wealth of that place. When we turned our eyes in the right direction, then God acted on our behalf; He made a great fear fall upon the Syrians. They fled, leaving everything behind them. The poor lepers, entering the camp of the Syrians, found abundance and appropriated that abundance; that is just what we believers have done. We appropriated the abundant riches; then our hearts have been won and secured. That is what we feel we must tell you! It is not a question of official dignity; but being loaded with the abounding wealth of the place where we are, and knowing your needs, since you have not yet come in, we have the privilege this afternoon of drawing near to you to testify to the place where abundance is found.
The city was besieged; the population were in deep need of food, and they had nothing. The people were dying of hunger. But perhaps you have not a deep need. What is your outlook? Nothing but death, and after death, judgment. Will you not then receive with joy this precious provision of the grace of God which is for you also? We have the privilege of being able to speak of it to you. We have appropriated these precious realities. We have visited the camp of the Syrians, and we can speak with certainty. What are you going to do with these glad tidings? Are there any here of whom it can be said that they receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved? The captain of the army of Israel on whom the king leaned did not believe these tidings. He said that God would have to open the windows of the heavens; but why should He not open them? It is exactly what He has done, for at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and brought with [p. 30] Him all the wealth of heaven for men. You must not do as this unbelieving captain who reasoned. Do you not believe that God has given His beloved Son men and that He has also given His Holy Spirit?
If you do not accept what God presents to you, you will be in the category of those who “have not received the love of the truth that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) and then you will only meet judgment. It says, “For this reason God sends to them a working of error, that they should believe what is false, that all might be judged who have not believed the truth” 2 Thessalonians 2:11. To-day, it is the moment to receive the truth, to learn to love it. We have this double testimony that of the little maid who presented the person of Elisha, and that of the four leprous men who bore witness of the abundant wealth that there is for all men. The number ‘four’ indicates what is general, that is to say that their testimony can be found in all believers. The testimony that characterises all believers is that they enjoy this great abundance; they know it; it is at the disposal of all men in the power of the Holy Spirit who is upon earth.
God grant that those who have not availed themselves of this rich grace may do so today!
The Lord’s word is this: “Repent and believe in the glad tidings” Mark 1:15. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” Acts 2:38.
Preaching by J.T. at St. Etienne, 2nd May, 1926, afternoon.