HINDRANCES TO THE OUTFLOW OF DIVINE LOVE
[p. 223] HINDRANCES TO THE OUTFLOW OF DIVINE LOVE
John 3: 16 - 21; Revelation 15: 5 - 8; 1: 13; 2 Corinthians 6: 11 - 18
I wish to speak on this occasion about divine love and particularly to point out what hinders its outflow and activities. I read the passages in Revelation in order to show you what hinders the outflow of divine love, first in its bearing towards the world, and, secondly, in its bearing towards the assembly.
John points out, or asserts by the Spirit, in the passage read in his gospel, the bearing of the love of God towards the world; and in his first epistle he asserts its bearing towards the saints. In each connection he speaks of the Lord Jesus as the only-begotten Son of God. In the epistle he says: “Herein as to us has been manifested the love of God, that God has sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4: 9). Thus he formally distinguishes between the love of God in its bearing towards the world and in its bearing towards the saints, and I hope to show from the passages read in Revelation what hinders its outflow towards the world, and what hinders its outflow towards the saints, so that we may be able to determine severally whether these hindrances have any place with us, and if so, that we may, as discerning them, judge them and abandon them, for we cannot, beloved, afford to be without the present outflow and service of divine love.
Now in speaking of this, I am quite conscious that I am speaking of perhaps the greatest thing; indeed, I am speaking, or hope to speak, about God Himself — an undertaking of which one is conscious, for there is a sense of one’s meagreness and littleness in regard [p. 224] of God. But notwithstanding that one is conscious of one’s smallness, one is also conscious of God’s greatness, and His greatness is seen in measure in His ability to use what is small; for we are in a day of small things and, one may say, in a day of small vessels. One is therefore encouraged to approach such a great theme, and in approaching it I would refer for a moment to the revelation of God, or, as the more correct word is in John 1, the declaration of God.
What you will observe in this passage, which is so brief and yet so full, is that there are two different tenses employed by the Spirit: “the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1: 18). The declaration is viewed as in the past. The mind is directed to the records of the gospels. This gospel was written long after the death, and resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven, and the writer directs our minds to the present position of the only-begotten Son as being, in the bosom of the Father; as it says, “who is in the bosom of the Father”. Our minds are therefore directed to the source of love, and to the channel of love — the holy, divine channel of love, and in using that expression as I do with reverence and holy regard for the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, I would suggest to you the importance of understanding His mediatorial position. Everything emanates from God, “for of him, and through him, and for him are all things” (Romans 11: 36). Everything that emanates from Him must return in its results to Him, and in between lies the great mediatorial position and service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unless we lay hold of that we shall be beclouded in regard of many portions of scripture, and the wonderful passage which I have cited, “the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father”, is a mediatorial reference. You may say, it is a family reference. Be it so,
[p. 225] beloved; He is the only-begotten Son, surely; but, being that, He is where the love is. The love is; it is something that exists. The revelation of God is spoken of as something that has occurred; the declaration of God has taken place; it stands, but, He by whom it has become effective is in the bosom of the Father.
Christianity is a living thing. Think of the influence that flows out — not that flowed out, or will flow out, but that flows out from the only-begotten Son as in the bosom of the Father! Think of the magnitude of the position! The declaration is complete as to testimony; it cannot be added to; it stands for every family, but the only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father is a present thing.
The Son is where the love is, and being there, He is competent to make it known, and to give it freshness of application; and the Holy Spirit is here corresponding to that. The position is marvellous — the present position — the Son seen mediatorially as the only-begotten Son where love is. It is all in His hand, and in order to make the thing effective He is seen as the Spirit of the covenant — not as the Son, but as the Lord: “Now the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3: 17). He is pleased to assert His divinely given authority to make the love effective, for what is before God, is not only that His love should be commended, but that His love should be effective and, as regards ourselves, that it should be in our hearts. The Son is in the place of the love — the bosom of the Father — but He asserts His authority so as to enforce it, and as we know what He is doing, we are perfectly restful in according to Him full rights as the Spirit of the covenant. “The Lord is the Spirit”, it says, “but where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”.
Having said so much about the position, I want to show you, by the Lord’s help, the things that hinder.
[p. 226] First, as regards the world. You will observe that these seven angels come out of the temple of the tabernacle of witness in heaven; that is to say, there is an allusion to that in which God would show Himself. The tabernacle is that in which God would show Himself, that in which He would set out what I have been speaking of; but now, instead of showing Himself, as He sought to do and as He still seeks to do (thanks be to Him!) through the gospel, instead of showing Himself in the tabernacle of witness, these seven angels come out clothed in pure white linen, but girded about the breasts with golden girdles. These circumstances call attention to what had been available to the world. God had come out tabernacle-wise, so to speak; He would make Himself known. Baptism, according to Matthew’s gospel, was to be to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit — a most wonderful privilege for men, for God was there. He had come out in the mediatorial system; there was the Father; there was the Son; there was the Spirit — all the blessed divine Persons revealed and active for the blessing of men. Now that marks the present moment, but instead of the continuance of it, you have in this passage the temple and the executors of divine wrath issuing forth. The angels are clothed with pure white linen — characteristic of those who draw near to God. I hope we all know what this means — pure white linen. The Lamb’s wife is clothed with such. Those of us who avail ourselves of the privilege of access to God know that it is the requirement of God within. But then alongside of that we find the breasts are girded; love has been hindered — a solemn thing for the world! It is for us, as having access, to understand that divine love towards the world has been hindered.
Now what I want to show is that the hindrance is through organised means. John in the passage I read says, “men have loved darkness rather than light”. The condemnation was and is that light has come into the world — the most wonderful light has come, as I said, in that mediatorial way, but men loved darkness rather than light. I want to point out briefly how men’s love of darkness had led them to organised opposition to God. Opposition in one person is bad enough, but opposition in two is worse, and so as it multiplies the evil increases. Hence in chapter 16 we have outlined for us the varied features of this organised opposition to God.
I think it advisable that attention should be called to this, because at the present time we are faced with this organised opposition to God. I do not charge all those who are in it with knowledge of it, or intent, nevertheless the thing is there. I am not for the moment speaking of religious organisation (I hope to speak of that later), but of organisation among men. John says that men loved darkness rather than light — a terrible indictment against our race! Much is made of man as a race at the present time; there is much effort to exalt him, but here is the solemn statement of Scripture — of God — that men loved darkness rather than light, and hence, in order to effectively shut out the light, they have resorted to organisation. You will find in the gospel of Matthew opposition to God in pairs of men; for instance, in the two possessed with devils; Matthew 8: 28. The revelation of God in the gospel is met by organised opposition.
And so these angels, with the public testimony in the golden girdles about their breasts that men are shutting out the love of God, proceed to deal judicially with what is most responsible. But how God, to the very end, would call attention to His own love; the executors of His judgment, as I may say, wear the badge of it, negatively, I admit, but nevertheless there. The golden girdles about the breasts proclaim to all that God is resenting the exclusion of His love [p. 228] by men. Consequently, you find the cities of the nations fall. Cities refer to centres of government, to centres of organisation, and the effect of the judgment executed by these angels is that the cities of the nations fall.
I cannot go over the features in detail, I only call attention to them. Judgment falls first on those with the mark of the beast; secondly, on the masses of mankind; thirdly, on the sources of influence — the fountains and rivers — and so on, to the governments of the world. God takes account of all these features among men as representative of the organisation that exists to shut out the love of God from this poor world; and then having told us of the complete overthrow of this organised opposition to God among men John says, “and great Babylon was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath”. See Revelation 16: 19. Babylon is the greatest organisation that has ever existed; its ramifications and antiquity exceed anything that has ever existed among men, and the Holy Spirit reserves for it a special place in this awful judgment that God is about to pour out. And why? Because it has effectively shut out the love of God. It is the most effective weapon in the hands of the enemy to shut out the revelation of God in Christ from the hearts of men. Its fall will be complete. God’s eye has been on it, and is on it. It is a carefully developed system, covering hundreds and hundreds of years, and it stands today as the most effective organised weapon the enemy has ever wielded against God. Now that is a solemn indictment, but it is true, and it is well that christians should be aware of it. “Strong is the Lord God who has judged her” (Revelation 18: 8). It is true the beast and the ten kings will be His instruments, but God does it; He alone can do it. I do not believe there is in this world the means of doing it. It is a spiritual organisation and it stands out, as I said, the most [p. 229] effective weapon ever wielded against God — against the revelation of God in this world.
Well, so much for these seven angels who came out of the temple; in all that solemn affair, God asserts that it is because they have stood in the way of the outflow of His love to men.
Now in chapter 1 I come to what is nearer home. In what we have just spoken of we had the Lord presented in His relations with the world, but here He is walking in the midst of the seven golden lamps, and as there He proclaims by His habiliments that divine love is hindered. It is a most solemn thing to hinder the outflow of divine love. God is love, and He is set for the flowing out of what He is; He delights in it. So the Lord appears to one who knew well what the breast of Jesus meant. John presents the Lord Jesus as in the bosom of the Father. He alone does it; he was competent to do it, for he himself knew what it was to lean on the divine bosom. A wonderful thing, beloved! He was accustomed to lean on the bosom of Jesus; he knew it well, and only those who know it can rightly speak of divine love. Of course, we may speak of what Scripture speaks of, even with unhallowed lips, alas! but who can speak of divine love? As I said, it is. The only-begotten Son who is; it is a present thing. Now John knew what that thing was; he knew what it was to lean on the bosom of Jesus, and so he would understand what the golden girdles meant; he would understand that it was a question of God — gold usually has reference to God. God would notify the assemblies that there were hindrances to the outflow of His love, but you find they are not yet organised — thank God! The organisation of which I spoke sprang out of the bosom of the assembly — terrible thing! As Judas went out from the very bosom of the circle in which Christ was loved, so Jezebel has gone out. But the assemblies are not regarded as organised against Christ (thank [p. 230] God they are not!), but what you find, alas! is that the greatest, the most privileged, the most enlightened of them — Ephesus — had left her first love. She had receded.
Who is there here that has receded from the love that you once felt beating in your heart for Christ? What about it now? If you have moved away, you have moved back, and what can the Lord do now but exercise authority? He has authority. Look at the habiliments of the Lord Jesus in this passage and repent — do the first works. You say, It is a dispensation of grace. It is a dispensation of grace, but do not turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. If you have receded, He has authority and He threatens. Does He threaten in vain? No, He carries out His threats; “except thou repent”, as He says. Do not let the night pass over you without repentance, if you have receded.
But then He deals with everything in the assemblies that stands in the way of the outflow of the love of God. He brings in the fire: “every one shall be salted with fire”, Mark 9: 49. So the next assembly, Smyrna, has persecution ten days. Happy for Smyrna! Happy for everyone whom the Lord chastens, upon whom He brings in the fire; it is their salvation. And so Smyrna is, as it were, saved, for He says, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life”.
And then another hindrance to the outflow of God’s love comes in in Pergamos, where a wave of lawlessness sweeps in and the doctrine of Balaam is taught. You say, What is that? It is friendly associations, and keeping up family relationships, having ungodly people around you and forming links with ungodly neighbours — that is what that is; “who taught Balak to cast a snare before the sons of Israel, to eat of idol sacrifices”. The Lord is dealing with the things that [p. 231] interfere with the love of God, and so one would appeal to the saints as to this doctrine of Balaam, lest we are allowing Midianitish relationships, friendly acquaintances and visitations with those who are of social status but who are not christians, or are worldly christians — one of the most deadening things that the enemy uses to hinder the outflow of the love of God to us.
Then there is Thyatira, which I need not go into — that great development of which I have already spoken — great Babylon, and following on that there is the incompleteness of Sardis, and, lastly, the worldliness and independence of Laodicea.
And may I not, beloved, in connection with the Laodicean hindrances say a word of exhortation in regard of the danger of wealth? “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no variation nor shadow of turning”, James 1: 17. “Every creature of God is good ... being received with thanksgiving”, 1 Timothy 4: 4. But I know of nothing that makes more for independence than material wealth. “I am rich, and am grown rich, and have need of nothing”, Revelation 3: 17. I know that that refers to more than material wealth, but may I not be warned myself, and warn others, too, as to the danger of accumulated wealth? The Lord says: “He has anointed me to preach glad tidings to the poor” (Luke 4: 18); and again, He says in His answer to John the baptist “poor have glad tidings preached to them”, Matthew 11: 5. I am dwelling on things that hinder the love of God. It must appeal to every christian that anything that hinders the love of God must be dealt with in ourselves at once and drastically, for we cannot afford to do without the love of God. And so He comes down to Laodicea, she is wealthy He says, “thou art neither cold nor hot”. Her wealth and boasting [p. 232] entered into this. He is dealing with the things that interfere with the outflow of the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You will understand I am not speaking in favour of anything like socialism, because the Scriptures place a value on material things; for if rightly used, and if those who have them are qualified to administer them, they are of great value; but I do see in myself, and in many, the great danger of accumulated means. It is the divine intent that there should be “in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of Jehovah”, Zephaniah 3: 12.
Now, in order to enforce what I have been saying, I want to say a word as to 2 Corinthians 6. Midianitish influences had been at work at Corinth. The Lord had directed His servant Paul to write to them, for He was not yet girt about the breasts with a golden girdle; thank God, the girdle was not yet on! The Corinthians were still loved, and the Holy Spirit being there, there was still a channel for the communication of divine love, so instead of coming with a rod the apostle sent a letter — a very wise and loving way of dealing with them, and, as the sequel shows, a most effective one, so that although there had been the danger of the necessity of putting on the golden girdle, he says now, “Our mouth is opened to you, Corinthians, our heart is expanded”. He is dealing specially with the saints in that city. “Corinthians” — he was speaking feelingly, he wanted them to know that the love of Christ which was in his heart for them had been driven back, but now it was flowing out again. “Our heart is expanded”, he says. But then there was still a great straitening amongst them, so the apostle adds, “But for an answering recompense ... let your heart also expand itself”. “Ye are not straitened in us”, he says, “but ye are straitened in your affections;” then later, “if even abundantly [p. 233] loving you I should be less loved”, 2 Corinthians 12: 15. There was no straitening on his side; if there was straitening, it was in their own affection.
And so, in closing, may I make appeal to the young people here, “Be not diversely yoked with unbelievers”. That is what marks many, I fear, consequently there is a narrowing up, a straitening, so that the ministry of the love of Christ is not circulating in your hearts. Hence the apostle says, “Be not diversely yoked with unbelievers”. And lest there should be any doubt as to what he means, he speaks of righteousness and lawlessness; these two are diverse and must never be put together. Then he says, there are light and darkness — and what fellowship has the one with the other? There are Christ and Beliar — you cannot put these two together. The passage leaves no doubt at all as to what is meant. There is the believer and the unbeliever. Am I associating with an unbeliever? He may not be an open idolater or blasphemer, but is he an unbeliever? Then there is the temple of God of which I have spoken; if we have any knowledge of access to God, we know what that means; it is over against idols. The Lord leaves no doubt as to what He means. And it goes on to say, “Ye are the living God’s temple”. What a marvellous word! Then he says, “I will dwell among them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be to me a people”. You see what God proposes; He would not only dwell among us, He would walk among us — would move about amongst us in His love. He loves us when together; He loves us in our homes; He loves us in our businesses; He would make His love known to us in every relation. But He shows there must be the avoidance of the unequal yoke. Then is added, “Wherefore come out from the midst of them, and be separated ... and I will receive you; and I will be to you for a Father, and ye shall be to me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”. Think of the way the Lord comes out to us to make His love known! “Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s fear”. Thus we shall not interfere with or hinder the outflow of His love into our hearts in every relation.
Pages 235 - 402 — ‘Spiritual Maturity’, Readings and Addresses. Great Britain, 1926 (Volume 83).