THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PLACE OF SAINTS NOW AND BEFORE THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST

^[p. 15] THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PLACE OF SAINTS NOW AND BEFORE THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST

I have been thinking much of the difference between our place on earth, and that of the saints before the ascension of Christ. Since the rejection of Christ and His sitting down in glory, the whole of this world is unproductive of anything for one of His. Before His rejection, even during His walk on earth, the earth yielded something; He was here, and from His hand it was made to yield. He obliged evil and adverse things here to give way; infirmities were overborne, and made to yield present blessing to His people. Now since the rejection of the Lord, and His sitting down in heaven, there is a new scene where the blessing is unhinderedly enjoyed, and the “man in Christ” is there with Him. There I find I am blessed with all spiritual blessing. If I am blessed with all there, then I am of course not to expect to find any here; but this is quite a new and difficult lesson for the saint to learn. If I can find no spiritual blessing here, then I must feel this to be a desert. If spiritual blessing is now known to my soul as the true blessing, then I must accept this — that there is none of that order to be found here, but all in heaven. This of itself in a very peculiar and distinct way diverts the soul from this scene, and turns it to heaven. But even after one has learnt that there is no spiritual blessing anywhere but in heaven, there is exercise of soul in walking through this scene, even though we may have ceased to expect from it. This is not an easy thing for the saint in full consciousness of the rights of God. A “young man” who had “overcome the wicked one” would naturally say to himself that God has rights in the world, and that he was at liberty to claim them and possess them, and therefore it is said to such (1 John 2: 15): “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world”.

With an Old Testament saint there was the power of God here to produce from things here an expression of God’s thought and love for His people, such as they could appreciate. Now that expression of His love is made in heaven, where there is no force used to produce it. It is all for acceptance on our part, and our enjoyment depends on the amount or extent of our acceptance of it. There we are furnished as Paul was, outside and above all of earth and man, and when down here, instead of finding anything to help me, and to afford strength and joy to me, I find everything the reverse; so that instead of its being the garden of the Lord, as it was to the Old Testament saint when he walked faithfully, it is a desert, where not only there is nothing that contributes to me, but where I must resist the very air, because it is pestilential, and I must, on this desert island where I am set as Christ’s witness, draw all my supplies from elsewhere. The harbour where the supplies come in, is the only cheering spot in this dry and barren land where no water is. I must seek and receive from outside of this desert land, but I must refuse all in it. The Old Testament saint sought, and received in it; the mighty power of God fed him — the faithful one, with the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock satisfied him; but now, while you are here, there is not anything for you here, but all your supplies must come to you from above; you must enjoy them above; and here, you have only the power of Christ to make you strong in your weakness, so that a sense of weakness is a gain. I am looking to Christ who is above this scene, and I know His power in my weakness, and my enjoyment is not from this scene but completely outside of it, with Him in heaven. The Old Testament saint had joy from God’s gifts to him here, and knew His power in making things here contribute to him. I know and have joy outside of it in heaven from what God has given me there, and here I do not seek that anything should contribute to me, but while I resist everything in the power of Christ, I become a contributor of the grace which nourishes and comforts me outside of it in heaven. But I need Christ’s power to enable me to rise above my sense of infirmity in this scene, so that not only does this scene not contribute to me, but it makes me feel my weakness and need, and that I not only have to rise out of it to find ^[p. 17] and enjoy my blessing, but that I need Christ’s power in it, and as I prove His power I take pleasure in infirmities.

With the Old Testament saint the infirmities were removed, and everything was by the power of God made to contribute to His people. Hence it is a great change, and often a difficult lesson to accept fully that nothing contributes to me in this scene, but on the contrary that I take pleasure in my infirmity in it, in order that the power of Christ may rest on me. I am not only not contributed to here, but my infirmity is exposed, and it becomes a pleasure to me that Christ’s power may rest on me.

We had altogether a happy morning at —————, at any rate I enjoyed the breaking of bread — my soul seeking company with Him who gave Himself to be broken here, and now calling me to remember Him, and to bear Him company in that act.