THE HOUSE AND THE LORD'S COMING
C.R.Byng
Revelation 22: 17 (first sentence)
The Spirit would use every marriage day to quicken the affections of the saints in relation to what it will mean to the Lord Jesus to have His bride, in all the glory that has been wrought to merge the saints into one as the bride of Christ. There is reference in Revelation 19 to the marriage of the Lamb having come, but in Revelation 22 it is the bride's feelings and her longing for Christ to come into His own rights publicly. This involves the glory of the appearing of Christ when all will recognise that the Man who was once nailed to a cross of shame has the supreme right to the adoration of every created being. The bride is looking forward to that. It is the Spirit's glorious quickening work that the bride is found saying characteristically and continually to the Lord Jesus "Come". It is not something to be arrived at at some future date but it is always current "the Spirit and the bride say, Come". The Spirit of God would use this very occasion to quicken in our hearts a longing for the vindication of Christ, our glorious Saviour and Lord. He is the One of whom every one of us can adoringly say: "the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me", Gal. 2: 20. The Spirit is working to bring about these bridal features of longing with the saints increasingly. He is using every occasion of assembling and is using every hour of the day to quicken our hearts in relation to the rights of Jesus. This enters, of course, into every local assembly. If things are to be maintained according to God in a locality it is in the power of the Spirit who with the bride says to the Lord Jesus "Come". He knows and values, as none of us can, the worthiness of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit is operating in every locality to bring about conditions where the saints in true bridal response say "Come". This is to affect the bridegroom and the bride, and is to extend to every house. There is a glory about a Christian house which is peculiar to this dispensation. No other dispensation has had such a glorious feature marking it as a Christian house, where the rights of the Lord Jesus are recognised. The Spirit of God would lay hold of our hearts freshly today as to the wonderful possibilities if every house is in keeping with the coming of Jesus in glory. It is not that things will have to be suddenly put right. The Spirit is active so that things can be right all the time. It is testing to speak of the truth in this way. Our beloved brother and sister will be tested, and we are all tested. It does not only refer to households where there is a brother and his wife, but to every household that is held for God, whether there be only one brother or one sister. The Spirit of God would guard our minds and our hearts lest anything may come into our homes that is out of keeping with the appearing of the Lord Jesus in glory. The Spirit is strengthening us in spiritual affection after the Lord Jesus Himself so that the glory that is proper to the assembly flows into every household. There may be difficulties or sorrows or there may be joys, but the Spirit is using it all to bring about in every household what is in keeping with the sanctifying power of the person of Christ Himself.
Our brother and sister are peculiarly upon the prayerful affections of the saints, that as starting a Christian home together they may be maintained in dependence on the Spirit every day. How different a Christian house is from the houses of those who make way for the world and the things of the world. It is easy to allow into our houses what is common in the world but a household that belongs to Christ is intended to be a sanctified household where the Spirit is able to dwell complacently as conditions are provided where He can open up the great things of Christ. May the Spirit of God lay hold of our hearts today that every one of us may make way increasingly for Him so that our homes may be in keeping with the glories to be seen when Christ comes to be glorified in His saints. For His Name's sake.