HEIRS TOGETHER

J.C.Evershed

1 Peter 3 : 1 (first clause ), 7; Ephesians 3: 6

I desire to further, dear brethren, what was said as to blessing and what is enjoyed together. Firstly, what is peculiar to the union into which our brother and sister have entered in the Lord today, and then what is true of believers, Jews and gentiles, together. Peter speaks of husband and wife being "fellow-heirs of the grace of life", and I suppose that in order to enjoy this there are at least these two requirements that he brings in. I have sometimes wondered whether persons who received this letter and read about the grace of life might wonder how it would work out. They would say, we are persons of the dispersion, we have no place of fixed abode, we are sojourners from day to day; but it is in that setting, beloved, that Peter says they should be "fellow-heirs of the grace of life". This is a way of expressing what has just been said as to blessing.

One requirement is that the wife should be subject to her husband. The relationship is not mentioned in this epistle exactly as being in the Lord, but the word 'likewise' carries down from verse 13 of chapter 2 the thought of something being done "for the Lord's sake". I think that is a very beautiful touch that could be brought into this occasion, that our sister's subjection to her husband is not only because she is subjected to him, which is true, and ought to be subject to him, which is also true, but that it is for the Lord's sake. The Lord is brought before us in this epistle especially as One who has suffered for us and as the Lamb whose blood has been shed for redemption. I am sure our sister will not find it difficult to be subject to her husband. I have not read all that Peter writes about the matter but it is manifest that it is an inward one, that it has to do with the hidden Man of the heart and with the Spirit. An illustration is given of Sarah who ennobled her husband by calling him 'lord'; she did not do so in public but in the privacy of her own place. So that it should be in our sister’s heart now to ennoble our brother her husband and to be subject to him as such.

The husband likewise has to dwell with the wife according to knowledge, so that wisdom is required and here also for the Lord's sake, in order that she may be considered as a weaker vessel, her rights acknowledged, her needs cared for, and to give her honour. If she ennobles her husband, then her husband also ennobles her and gives her honour. So that, as has been said already, marriage in the Lord is raised on to a very lofty, moral ground, and we are thankful for it and desire that it may be so maintained. Our brother and sister should be consciously "fellow-heirs of the grace of life". What the extent of that would be they will find out, but it has to do with such matters as invoking God as Father, as later in this epistle; it has to do with tasting that the Lord is good, which Peter also brings forward, with things that are acceptable to God, with learning the will of God. But then that is in view of something further; not only the enjoyment of blessing, but in order that their "prayers be not hindered". I think that means that God looks for something additional from those who are in the marriage bond, by way of prayer together to Him, than there might have been from them individually. They will maintain their individual links with the Lord, but this has in view that their prayers together should not be hindered; in other words, that God would get an increased portion from the relationship entered into and enjoyed. Although I have no doubt that our brother and sister will, in their prayers, include many matters of practical need and the like - and rightly so, because we may bring our requests to our God and Father - this has in mind what was earlier drawn attention to, that there should be in the home desires strongly and fervently put before God for the furtherance of His testimony.

Now I refer in the scripture in Ephesians to what Paul brings forward as to being "joint heirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus by the glad tidings". We should have a fresh sense at this time, dear brethren, that we are all heirs together. I suppose inheritance in the New Testament always has some reference to death having taken place and it is touching to us, and necessary too, that we should remember that on account of the Lord having gone into death and of the place He now occupies, we can be associated together as joint heirs, and are, indeed, heirs with Him. It is necessary furthermore that the heirs should be discovered and brought to light. In natural things, if there are joint heirs who are not all known, very great trouble is taken, enquiries might be made all over the world, in order that they be ascertained and come into the enjoyment of their inheritance. The glad tidings, dear brethren, goes out with that in view, and God has continued the time, for one reason, so that the heirs might be gathered in to enjoy together what is theirs as joint heirs. And I think this attaches importance and dignity to the persons themselves. We might go elsewhere in Scripture to know what the inheritance is in its detail, but this gives prominence to the persons themselves whom God has chosen and selected to be joint heirs.

Then a joint body means that we are all necessary to one another. We might say, how is this to be experienced in a day of breakdown? Well, it is to be experienced in our realising more and more the importance that we are to one another and one another to us, as being members of the one body. I think that it again lays stress on the dignity of the persons who form the joint body and it is for the expression here of what the Lord Jesus is, because it is His body.

And then there is "joint partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus by the glad tidings", which I take it is the enjoyment of all that the Holy Spirit would bring as dwelling in us; not only the fact that the Spirit indwells us, and in that sense we are all partakers, but that we are partakers practically of all that goes on in a spiritual way by His dwelling in the house and His activities in connection with the reproduction of the features of Christ Jesus and making Him personally more and more precious and essential to us. So that it is the promise in Christ Jesus by the glad tidings. As we told the Lord as we assembled, we are very glad to be together, and it is glad tidings that we have - that there is blessing in mind for our brother and sister in their pathway together and blessing for all of us in the place that God has called us to. In the name of the Lord Jesus.

LONDON

27 September 1975