DEVOTEDNESS

W.Lamont

Luke 9: 5 1-6 2; Acts 9: 1-8; 2 Corinthians 11: 2,3

I should like to say a word about devotedness. It is a relatively easy thing to speak about, but it is much more difficult to be devoted. There is a great need in the testimony today of persons who are devoted, that is, persons who commit themselves wholeheartedly to the things of Christ. That challenge comes to each of us. I believe the Spirit of God would challenge each one of us in his own heart: Am I wholly devoted to the interests of Christ down here? Oh, dear brethren, He has fully given Himself! Think of the great types in the Old Testament, particularly in Genesis 22, where in effect God says to Abraham that your son will be spared but my own beloved Son will be delivered up. We have the figure of the ram there, "a ram caught in the thicket by its horns" (v 13), a great type of the Lord Jesus as devoted to the will of God. What an example! a blessed Man who was here entirely devoted in every moment of His life, day and night, to the will of His God. These are very interesting things to pursue in type, and to see the perfect antitype in the Person of Christ Himself - that ram could not go free.

Then there is the type of the Hebrew bondman who says "I love my master, my wife and my children, I will not go free", Exod 21: 5. Even if he could have gone free, as he could have done, he commits himself unreservedly and says "I will not go free". Think of these two types, the one who could not go free, and the blessed Man who, in type, says I will not go free. Why? Because He loved His master, His wife and His children. The spring of devotedness is in the affections. I believe that where we are most defective is in our affections. There is plenty of intelligence, plenty of knowledge, but I believe today the Lord is appealing to our affections. In the addresses to the churches in Revelation, one thing that stands out above all else is the sense that the Lord Jesus is appealing to the affections. There is a great need today for young brothers and sisters, especially those who have a household, and for all of us, to be completely devoted to the interests of Christ in the places where we are local. As I said, the great example for us all is in the Lord Jesus Himself. "Lo, I come (in the roll of the book it is written of me) to do, O God, thy will", Heb 10: 7. It does the soul good to contemplate that blessed Man in all His wondrous perfection. Then the test is for us.

In Luke 9 there are persons with different motives and different views of things. The Lord Jesus speaks to them and says "Follow me". I think the Lord is saying that to us today. What He is saying is simple; Christianity is very simple; there is nothing complicated about it, it is very simple when the affections are right. That is the key to everything, dear brethren. When Christ is our object the problems recede and everything is in proper perspective as you have your gaze fixed on the blessed Man who filIs the presence of God. In this passage in Luke He was going towards Jerusalem, His face set steadfastly. Now, in our time, He is in the presence of God, for us. As we move about, come to meetings, do our daily toil, how often do we pause and consider that there is a Man in the presence of God? That settles everything, to know that there is a Man in the presence of God who has been through death, has shattered its power, has been raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father and is seated in the presence of God, crowned with glory and honour. That is triumphant! We ought to live our lives and move here in the light of the fact that there is a Man in heaven, in the presence of God, and the Spirit is down here to make that good in the way of enjoyment to every heart.

The Lord here in Luke 9 steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. What was in view there? What awaited Him there? Betrayal, suffering, rejection and crucifixion - that is what awaited the blessed Saviour in Jerusalem. Yet He steadfastly set His face to go towards it. We do not know what lies before us, dear brethren. But the Lord Jesus moved forward here in the full knowledge of what lay before Him. He knew He was going up to Jerusalem to be delivered up, to be crucified. He knew He was going to die and yet He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. What an example of complete devotedness! Devotedness with Christ was no partial matter. Some of us may think we can devote ourselves on the Lord's day, devote ourselves on the meeting nights, devote ourselves to go to a fellowship meeting, and then the rest of the time is our own to do as we wish. Oh no, dear brethren, the fellowship of God's Son involves that we ought to be devoted to the interests of Christ every moment of our lives. That is very challenging. I do not think the Lord here is suggesting that anyone should be disqualified, but He is raising the challenge. "Jesus said to him, no one having laid his hand on the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God". I think the question of our fitness for the testimony is very important today. I believe the Lord would challenge every one of us as to our fitness for our part in the testimony here. I know the teaching of it, but the suggestion in it is, How devoted are we, how committed are we? The ploughman keeps his eyes straight ahead, and that is the secret of a straight furrow, not looking back to see what kind of furrow you have made! There is no suggestion of any side alleys, of any diversion - that is no use in ploughing. It must be straight forward. As we have been saying, the great example is in the Lord Himself.

In Acts 9 a great example is seen in Paul, a man who was devoted to the interests of Christ. He could say "I have combated the good combat, I have finished the race", 2 Tim 4: 7. From the time of his conversion to the end of his days he was a man who was totally devoted to the interests of Christ. The Lord Jesus Himself was a perfect Man, and He was devoted in perfection, but we can also refer to persons like Paul and others. Scripture abounds with examples of persons who devoted themselves to Christ and His interests here. We could speak of many, but I chose these passages particularly. "Saul, still breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord". He was on a course of things. How many of us have been on a wrong course? Some of us have done things, said things, maybe wrong things, but how dreadful to set yourself on a course! What a distinction in the Lord - He set Himself definitely in relation to the will of God. Paul thought he was doing the will of God and he was going forth breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. It may be that the Lord would arrest us even at a time like this, and speak to our affections and halt us. That is what He did with Saul of Tarsus. He just stopped him in his tracks, as it were. His mind was made up to go on a certain course. Oh, young people, do not set your mind to go into the world. The Lord would use an occasion like this to arrest you, to appeal to your affections. The need for young persons in the testimony is great, young people who commit themselves to the interests of the blessed Lord from their early days until the finish of their course here. Oh that we might convey something of the feelings of divine Persons at a time like this. The Lord yearns after all of us that we might, in our places, be committed totally to His interests. Well, Paul was arrested in his course and he learned obedience quickly. He says, "Who art thou, Lord?" before he even knew who was speaking to him - showing how quickly he was prepared to be subject. If you are going to be devoted to the interests of Christ you must be a subject person. That would link with what we had in Luke, the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is no place for insubject, lawless or rebellious persons; nor is the assembly. We have all had to learn that. Those of us who are older have had to come that way and learn that the kingdom of God or the assembly is no place for the allowance of human will. What trouble the human will has caused! The state of the world is evidence of it, the will of man working as opposed to God, and alas, the history of the testimony too is evidence that, where the will of man has been allowed to work, disaster results. We can be together here as persons who have come under Christ's lordship. That is a fine thing for all of us, young and old, to come under the will of another. It is a searching exercise, especially if naturally you tend to be strong-willed, as many of us are. Saul had to learn that: "Who art Thou, Lord?" From that moment forward Paul was governed by the will of another. It is a blessed thing, not an irksome thing, to come under Christ's lordship. At the beginning of Acts Peter says "God has made Him... both Lord and Christ", chap 2: 36. Mr Taylor sen once said, when asked what "both Lord and Christ" meant, that as made Lord He is in a position of authority, but both Lord and Christ means that today He is exercising that authority in blessing. If the Lord brings us under His lordship it is in view of our blessing. Think of the blessing that accrued to Saul of Tarsus personally and to countless others as the result of this man coming under the lordship of Christ. He had to learn that he had to be subject, he had to do what he was told. The instruction for him was to "rise up and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do". From that moment on, Paul was entirely devoted to the will of another. He speaks in Romans 7 about being to another. How selfish we tend to be, making everything revolve round ourselves, but how blessed the experience of what it is to be to another. That is devotedness, that your life is to another. Paul says elsewhere "for me to live is Christ", Phil 1: 21. He does not say, For me to live is to serve Christ but, For me to live is Christ. He was not thinking of service. I suppose all the young people will have read that first address by Mr Taylor sen - 'Rejoice because your names are written in heaven' (see N.S. Vol.1, p.1). There are many names in registers down here, but it is wonderful to have your name enregistered in heaven. Mr Taylor draws attention to the fact that it was a greater thing to know the company of Christ (not that he was discounting service) than to serve Him. The disciples had to learn that. Paul came to that: "for me to live is Christ" - that was the motive for his living. What an example for us!

I read in 2 Corinthians 11 where Paul is speaking again. He says "for I am jealous as to you with a jealousy which is of God; for I have espoused you unto one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ". If you are devoted you must have an object. We were speaking of Paul saying "for me to live is Christ"; the definite object before him in his movements was that he should bring others to know that blessed One too, and he served God's people to bring about this condition - "espoused unto one man". Paul's ministry, which has been the challenge all the way down and is the test today, is to the end that we should be "to one man". Is this so with us? Are our affections divided? When we are younger especially, sometimes we want the world, we want the meetings, we want Christ; we are so confused, there is a pulling this way and that. We have all experienced it, but it is a blessed thing to come to what Paul says: "I have espoused you... unto one man". Oh, the blessedness of coming to know Christ, and that blessed One becoming the chief object of your life. Paul is speaking to a local meeting. I believe the Lord has peculiar delight in assemblies where the saints are together with this object in mind; if I can use the expression, 'devoted collectively' to His interests. It means, of course, that we must first be devoted individually, but what a fine state where there are persons devoted collectively to one Man. The Spirit today is labouring with us to this end. As we are together in our gatherings, as we come together to celebrate the Lord's supper, it should be as together "a chaste virgin to Christ", as devoted to Him. But Paul says "I fear lest by any means", (his language is superb - he does not just say, I fear that the serpent may deceive you, but "I fear lest by any means"). How many means the enemy has at his disposal to deflect us from this blessed attitude of "simplicity as to the Christ". I believe in the recent issues we have had to face the test has been the rights of Christ in relation to local assemblies. That is how the enemy has sought to destroy everything that is for the heart of Christ, by interfering with Christ's rights in a local meeting. We referred in Acts 9 to His lordship. I suppose here "simplicity as to the Christ" and "espoused to one man" would be references to Christ's headship. But His rights are supreme in a local meeting. That is not to exclude other meetings, because, as we read in 1 Corinthians 4: 17, Paul says "according as I teach everywhere in every assembly", Paul is stressing that the principles that govern one assembly apply in every other meeting. The enemy's desire is to get us away, dear brethren, from simplicity as to the Christ, in order that this feature of a "chaste virgin to Christ" should be absent. The way in which we shall be sustained will be in simple devotedness to Jesus, both individually and collectively.

May it be so for His Name's sake.

 

GRANGEMOUTH

19 January 1974

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE CHILDREN'S FAITH

It was a great advantage to Timothy that from a child he had known "the sacred letters", at that time just the Old Testament. By that means he had learned to believe the God who caused them to be written.

His faith was therefore not feigned, or pretended, but was real. It is true that faith is the gift of God, but we all know - especially children - that there is such a thing as asking for a gift! One of the thousands of precious promises in the Bible is that our Father who is in the heavens will give good things to those who ask Him. Perhaps He tests us to see if we are in earnest but faith comes by taking heed to His word.

We can understand also that knowing the Scriptures brought to Timothy a duty to obey them. How much more so to us who have also the glad tidings about the Lord Jesus in the New Testament. In many countries a 'testament' says how a person's possessions are to be given away after his death. A pious but poor woman in Spain once read for the first time 'The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' - and wondered if He had left anything to her! She soon found that through His poverty she had been made rich.

When the apostles asked the Lord to give them more faith He told them that the important thing was to make use of the faith that they did have. Even if it is like a tiny mustard seed, being living, it can do that which seems quite impossible. We well know that the Almighty can do everything but the Lord Jesus taught that all things are possible "with God". The importance of this is that we must be in communion, or friendship, with Him to know how to direct our faith.

From very early times people have used a seal to prove their written promise or gift. Each person would have a special mark of his or her own to stamp upon something like soft wax. This would dry hard and show to everyone that his word was also his 'deed'. Whoever believes the gospel takes it as God's word and finds that every blessing in Christ is 'indeed' his by faith. A Christian thus "sets to his seal that God is true", which means that he becomes in himself a further proof that blessing is real and living. Can everyone see this in you?

 

J.C.Evershed