COMPLETION

J.Braddy

Philippians 1: 6 (from "that he"); Revelation 14: 13

I have read of two completed matters. The work of Christ in our brother is a completed thing, and as to every one who has begun in that way with faith in the Person and the work of Jesus, that work will be completed, not for your satisfaction, although that enters into it, but to the satisfaction of the One who began it, to the glory and the satisfaction of God Himself. It is what has happened as to our brother through a lifetime of the Lord's dealings with him and his own service Godward; that has been going on and it is a completed thing. But a thing is not completed if it is not started. That is a very simple statement but, beloved hearer, has the work of Christ started with you? We would long that there should not be one person leave this room who could not say with absolute certainty that the work of Christ is begun with them, because what is going to be said at the end, at the end of my history, the end of your history, stands good for all eternity; it is not a passing matter. Our own lives are short, how restricted they are, like a vapour appearing for a moment and disappearing, but if the work of Christ has begun in us, God leaves nothing unfinished, nothing imperfect. The work of Christ in our brother is completed to God's glory and praise. It has been seen as it has proceeded; we who have had the privilege of walking with him, of listening to him, who have been treated by him as a father – what a thing it is! Our sorrow is not the less because he is the second father taken from us in seven days; it is greater, but nevertheless the work of God is completed.

But there is something else: "I heard a voice out of heaven saying, Write, Blessed the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth". As to every person who has faith, as we have been hearing, and as our brother's last words were, it can be said as they come to the end of their history here: "fallen asleep through Jesus", 1 Thess 4: 14. That applies to our brother; but there is something further still; the comment of the Spirit of God here is "Blessed the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; for their works follow with them". God is fully acquainted with every detail that· has gone on in our brother's history in which he has served Him, served his fellow men and served his brethren. What a circle it is! The work is completed, and the wisdom of the Lord is in that He knows when the time is come that the work inwardly and t he. work outwardly, both of them, are at the point of perfection; and then He gathers, gathers for His own pleasure, and for the blessing, the eternal blessing, of the one He gathers to Himself, and we shall all, those who have faith, be with Him.

But then I wanted to emphasise this: What is going to be said of each one of us at the end when all things come into reckoning? We have to be careful what we say because, in fact, it is the Lord who has the last word. He will have the last word with me, He will ha\le the last word with you, saved or unsaved. Then what a word this is: "that they may rest from their labours; for their works follow with them". The effects are going on of the works of our brother, and not only that but they followed after him, the work that has been wrought in faith and in the Spirit's power in our brother's history. May it be thus in your history as well as in mine. The final and complete reckoning is the Lord's and we have to be careful, it is not for us to say every detail – that is the Lord's matter – but it has allowed us to say so much, and we can say that his works follow with him, and they will be seen because they have an eternal character. May it be said of each of us as we come to the close of our history. The time is very near when the Lord is going to gather to Himself the whole result of His work on the cross and His work in each one of us in the Spirit's power, His work completed in each of us and our works completed. May it be so for His Name's sake.

GRIMSBY

26 September 1983

Word at the burial Mr.J.Franklin