THE HOLY SPIRIT IN MATTHEW
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN MATTHEW
Matthew 28:18-19; Matthew 1:18-20; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 12:28; Matthew 12:31-32
I wish to speak, dear brethren, about the Holy Spirit as presented in this gospel, which treats of the Spirit in a way that fits in with its teaching, each gospel having its own feature. The gospels, taken as a whole, present the truth in a four-sided way, and no one has the truth according to God, save as he understands this full presentation of it. Matthew has in mind the great pressure involved in connection with the declaration of God in this world; those who espouse it are contemplated as facing very great pressure of opposition, and, among other things, the Spirit is presented in such wise as to fortify them in meeting the opposition and in enduring till the end. The pressure inevitably comes, and the Holy Spirit is presented with this in view. I have, therefore, read from the last chapter first, because it presents the position we occupy, that is, all believers today, who, as loving the Lord Jesus, care for His interests: the verse presents the position of the gentiles, those of us who are of the nations. Indeed, we have to see that now the supporters of the testimony of God are from among the nations almost exclusively; there are very few Jews. You will all remember how the apostle Paul, in arriving at Rome, called for the Jews; it was the end of the great testimony to God’s patience towards them; they went away reasoning amongst themselves, Paul having said “one word” to them quoting Isaiah 6 — saying the salvation of God was now sent to the gentiles, and, he added, “they also will hear it” Acts 28:28. Thank God, they have received it, and many, if not all of us here, and thousands elsewhere, are today interested in the testimony of God. It is well to have in mind how it has come to us: for it has come, not [p. 2] only as a matter of light, but as a matter of influence, an element of great importance with God.
From the very outset of His operations the idea of influence was pronounced, the whole physical system being involved in it, one body influencing another and all held together thus according to true proportions. John deals with influence in an astronomical sense, but Matthew contemplates it as among men, he contemplates it both in a good sense and in a bad sense. From Shinar onwards we see men combining in order to enhance or increase, their influence. To meet this Matthew would promote combination in a spiritual sense amongst the people of God. The influence that the saints have in this world is very much more than we are apt to think. God rules governmentally in this world on account of His people, for He loves His people, and all that transpires is regulated in relation to the testimony which they render. God acts angelically in this way, and with the most powerful results, for we could not subsist in this world as espousing the testimony of God, aside from the mighty forces that are at work outside of ourselves in our favour. As it says of angels, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out for service?” (Hebrews 1: 14). Think of these vast numbers of ministering spirits! It is quite clear, therefore, that the angels are not spectators merely of what goes on here, they are in commission, “on account of those who shall inherit salvation” Hebrews 1: 14. But then there is the great influence that the people of God themselves exert in this world: there is He who lets, or hinders, and that which hinders the great anti-christian development. Is it not so, that in this great centre the people of God are holding in check the forces of evil? It is so. The combination of our prayers and moral influence in moving about among men effects much in holding back the forces of evil; a matter to be taken to heart because God would have us to understand that our presence in this world is used in that connection. So in this last chapter in the [p. 3] gospel of Matthew the Lord directs His disciples — not to preach, for He does not say anything about preaching here (I do not say He did not have in mind that they should preach, Mark provides for that) — but here it is, “make disciples of all the nations” Matthew 28:19. Now, dear brethren, I speak thus because it is well to bear in mind that whilst it is intended that we should influence, we have ourselves been helped into the position we occupy in relation to God and to Christ and to one another, by influence. Our position, therefore, is not only the result of light through the preached word, but of influence, The relation of the Spirit to all this in this gospel is obvious. Being influenced, and thus brought into the wonderful position that we are in, baptised “to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28: 19, there is suggested to us the means of our being held in this position. Divine Persons are presented objectively, even the Holy Spirit is not presented in a subjective way in this verse. It is a marvellous position into which the nations have been introduced and God would have us to understand it. “Baptising them”, says the Lord “to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28: 19: that is the great environment into which we have been introduced, but as having been made disciples, as persons influenced by what the ministers were themselves, those through whom the light came. One can gather what they were, because in this gospel we have the idea that the apostles were “made” under the hand of Christ for their service. Hence Matthew closes with this objective position into which we hay been baptised, but baptised as having been influenced, as made disciples.
Now, I want to show in detail, how the Holy Spirit as thus presented, takes a place in this gospel of peculiar activity in service. I feel it impressed upon me to stress the idea of the position He occupies, in this great environment in which we are set; He stands in relation to the Father and to the Son.
[p. 4] Now, having dwelt on the Spirit thus presented objectively, to be understood and known and regarded as a divine Person, I proceed to say something about the other scriptures. What helps me is that the Holy Spirit is presented in Scripture as active from the very outset. We have no formal change of form in Him, He is presented at the outset as “the Spirit of God” Genesis 1: 2. If we take later utterances, He was employed in the garnishing of the heavens, and Genesis 1 presents Him as moving, or hovering, over the face of the waters — but He was doing it, it was the Spirit of God! There is no idea suggested of any change of form, He is the Spirit of God. He is moving as expressing God, He is no less than God, the Spirit of God can be no less than God; it is God acting out of the exigencies of His holy nature. He is not explaining yet, explanation will come, but the telling fact is that He has taken up a position feelingly, and looking towards benign operations. He is hovering over the face of the waters, having in view all this wonderful development with which we are now conversant. And so in wonderful feeling God says, “My spirit shall not always strive with Man” (Genesis 6: 3) — “my spirit”, it was God.
Having said so much as to the Old Testament, we come to this gospel, which is the beginning of the New, rightly so, and what we find is the same thing. A wonderful condition had taken place and the Holy Spirit is seen at once in relation to that. There is no previous announcement of the birth of Christ, as in Luke, no angelic visitation beforehand. The wonderful fact is that He is there, it is “of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 1: 18. It is the most marvellous fact that could be, involving, as it does, redemption; the most transcendently marvellous fact that could be conceived or which could occur, is related in this simple verse (Matthew 1: 18) and the explanation is, that it was of the Spirit of God. It is not now “the holy thing” Luke 1: 35, but the “child”, a definite formation of the Spirit of God; the utmost pains being [p. 5] taken to make the position legal in regard of Israel, but at the same time to make clear that what was transpiring was of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit had operated and there was the tangible result — that is the thing to see. That is the beginning of the New Testament, a much greater thing than explanation; the actual fact had occurred by the power of the Spirit, and the light given to Joseph confirmed it. One would love to able to enlarge on this; it is a marvellous matter. The enemy of our souls and of the testimony would becloud the magnitude of this wonderful transaction — incarnation. We have two accounts, one in Luke and the other here: Luke’s account is preceded by an angelic visitation, but not so here, where it is to bring in the great transcendent fact, that the thing which was happening was by the Spirit of God. And the Child was to be called “Emmanuel”, “God with us” Matthew 1:23.
Now I want to go on to chapter 3 to show the bearing of the Spirit’s operations in regard of Christ as baptised. He is now about to enter on His service and He goes up out of the water. What wonderful grace in the Lord to enter into the water! Against the forbidding word of John He enters into the water, saying, “thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” Matthew 3: 15. What quality there was there! Let us understand, that the Holy Spirit in this narrative has also ourselves in view as baptised. Baptism has become a mere empty rite abroad in the world; it is indeed a feature of the world, it has become enshrouded in darkness, with no idea of righteousness underlying it. The One baptised in Matthew, says, “it becometh us fulfil all righteousness” Matthew 3: 15; baptism has that in view; and we can see that “made” disciples are persons who understand that righteousness has to be fulfilled. Of what value is baptism aside from righteousness? It has no value. So, if we are to stand, as this gospel intimates, we are made disciples, and we profess righteousness and practise it, we seek to “fulfil all righteousness” Matthew 3: 15. Many of us, alas! whilst we have the idea of righteousness,
[p. 6] limit it, we make our own standard, but not so Jesus — He fulfils “all righteousness” — and that Person looks up and He sees the Holy Spirit. I believe a great defect with us is, that we do not see what happens at the outset, and the secret of weakness is the want of righteousness in entering on our christian course. How perfectly the principle of “all righteousness” was wrought out on the cross in that blessed One as He said — as He does in this gospel — “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27: 46. If I am to be clothed with divine righteousness, it is as appreciating righteousness in Christ. So He sees the Holy Spirit coming down as a dove upon Him, and there is a voice, saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” Matthew 3: 17. That is the position, and I think you will see that it stands on the principle of righteousness. There can be no disciples made save on that principle, the principle of righteousness. As I said, the baptism abroad today is a mere travesty of the truth, the element of righteousness is divorced from it, and thus the foundation has gone. The Lord would bring us back to the true foundation. If the thing that we are brought into is to stand practically, there must be the great principle in our souls of “all righteousness”; then we shall see — there will be vision to see, the Holy Spirit’s activity, and the pleasure of heaven. What can be more precious than the sense of the Father’s pleasure, first in Christ, and now also in the saints? It is in relation to the waters of death that He says, “thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” Matthew 3: 15.
So in the next chapter He is carried up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil, and with this I propose to connect the verses read in chapter 12 so that we may consider the array of evil with which we are faced. What combinations of evil there are in this world! And there is special opposition to those who, as seeking to walk in separation from evil, recognise Christ and the assembly. Let us not assume that if [p. 7] one crisis is past another will not come; it will come, crisis after crisis will come, it is war to the end. We get in Revelation 14: 13, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth” — it is a question of the battle and of dying in the field. The matter is urgent. You may say, ‘It is for those who are more prominent’ No, the book of Numbers assists us in this respect as showing those who are reckoned for military service. I cannot stop to dwell on it, but it enters into the position, the combination of evil we are faced with is not peculiar. Although difficult times are here, they have been prophesied about, but the conflict was here from the very beginning; from the time the Lord was anointed from heaven the conflict was in progress, and it will continue. The position of the church is a militant one and will continue so to be. Let no one assume he is not in it; if he is not militant, he is not in the testimony. No one of military age was exempted in Numbers. I am not speaking of the Levites, who were numbered for the service of the tabernacle; but, from twenty year old and upwards, all the males of the other tribes were held for military service. The position here is that the Lord is carried up into the wilderness to be tempted the devil. Thus the conflict begins as I said, and it is to be maintained in the power of the Spirit. Dear brethren, may I suggest the importance of being moved by the Spirit? I hope to come in a moment to our using the Spirit, but before we use the Spirit (I speak reverently) — we must understand what it is to be moved the Spirit. You will find in Judges, and Samuel, that the Spirit of God began to move the men who were used by God. Let young men and women take notice: have you been conscious at any time of the Spirit of God moving you? He carried the Lord here — it is to show the perfection of the great Servant who had come in. He is “carried up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil” Matthew 4:1. You may have enquired, ‘Why should He be carried up? Why did He not go?’ It is perfection: the divine nature recoils from evil, but it will face it if necessary. Here as quietly subservient to the blessed Spirit, He is carried up into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. We may be sure that if there is opposition to the truth, the Holy Spirit will know about it first; do not forget that. He knows all about the opposition. Many of us do not see the nature of the enemy’s movements until they have been well matured, hence we are at a disadvantage, but the Holy Spirit knows, and He moves us if we are available. There is a great want, one would say in grace, of divine sensitiveness, of the exercise of the senses, of the spirit of the war-horse that smells the battle afar off. We are at a great disadvantage if we do not sense the opposition, the enemy will be upon us before we know it. The war-horse, according to Jehovah’s remarks (Job 39: 25) smells the battle afar off; and then the lion turns not aside from any (Proverbs 30: 30). The Holy Spirit enables us to smell the battle afar off and we prepare accordingly; so that as He knows, if I am in self-judgment, and free of selfish motives and am thinking of His interests, He will let me know, and He will move me too. We read of Samson being “moved” in his own locality (Judges 13: 25).
Well now, to indicate to you what the nature of the opposition is, I refer for a moment to the two demoniacs — they are symbolic of the opposition in this gospel. There were two of them (suggestive of a combination), and they were so fierce that no one could pass that way. But then, if the way has to be passed, we must pass it, and if we are to pass it, we must understand how to fight and have courage to do so. We cannot turn aside — the lion “turneth not away for any” Proverbs 30: 30. The psalmist says, “The Lord ... teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” (Psalm 144:1). You will say I am seeking to enlist you for the army! I am. I know what I am saying, I know that one attack after another will come, and this gospel teaches us how to meet it. Let the [p. 9] Holy Spirit move you, be ready; thus you will not be taken by surprise; you will smell the battle afar off and you will be in line with the thunder of the captains, and the shouting, you will know where to stand.
There is that demoniacal combination — no one can pass by that way (Matthew 8: 28). But the Lord Jesus cast out the demons. How did He cast them out? By the Spirit of God, as He tells us in Matthew 12: 28. It is only by the Spirit of God we can rightly meet evil, beloved brethren. The great military man of the Old Testament — Joshua — was nominated by Jehovah with this commendation: “A man in whom is the Spirit” (Numbers 27:18). Joshua is the great military man before David, and he has the Spirit as Jehovah says. If I smell the battle afar off, I am ready: having the Spirit I know how to deal with the evil intelligently and in power. And so the Lord says in chapter 12: “If I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then indeed the kingdom God is come upon you” Matthew 12: 28. The kingdom of God, therefore, is not a mere ideal conception, it is a real thing. The expression is seldom used in Matthew — the kingdom of the heavens is more general there. The kingdom of God is what is here where the evil is: the kingdom of heaven is what is there, the rule and influence of heaven on the earth. But the kingdom of God is what here in a powerful way: it “is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14: 17). It is a real thing, no kingdom more real and practical ever existed than the kingdom of God. I often picture to myself that wonderful setting out of the divine position in the tabernacle in the wilderness — Jehovah within, surrounded by the hosts of Israel. God Himself was there; the armies of Israel were there surrounding the camp, but God was there — precious fact! So with the kingdom of God, the Spirit of God is down here available to the believer in meeting evil; as the Lord says, “If I by the Spirit of God cast out demons then indeed the kingdom of God is come upon you” Matthew 12: 28 — that was the evidence. So, dear brethren, it is most important that we should understand this service of the Spirit; it is a military matter, it is a question of dealing with evil. It is not the blessed Spirit inside by which we draw near to God — that is a blessed side indeed, which I cannot now touch on, it is not the feature in Matthew — but it is a most precious thought that we have access through Christ to the Father by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). But here it is the conflict, and the Lord says, “whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven him” Matthew 12: 32. What great power there is in the soul, as the Spirit is known in conflict! You are unconquerable, and you are sensibly enhanced by the word that if anyone speaks injuriously against the Spirit “it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the coming one” Matthew 12: 32. That, if rightly presented, weakens the opposition for, after all, men have to do with God, if not in this world, in the next; and they will be faced with this fact, that there is no forgiveness for those who speak against the Holy Spirit. It is a great stimulus in conflict to be assured that the enemy has to do with God, as to his position in this world. Is not this world suffering under the hand of God? I do not say retributively, but as the seed bears fruit — is He not dealing with the world in this very connection? I think God is dealing with the world now judicially, not yet openly, but nevertheless really, and those who are spiritual understand this. God is dealing in His own way with men; and may I not suggest that it is largely because of their treatment of the blessed Holy Spirit? God resents it. For hundreds of years the Spirit has been displaced in christendom — a terrible fact! We are not to think it is not our responsibility, it is, for we are in the very christendom where it has taken place. The blasphemy against the Spirit of God is an historical fact, and God has taken note of it; it is a great support in the conflict to know that God is [p. 11] taking note of it, both in regard of this world and that which is to come.
I come back now to the baptism of the Spirit — the positive side. I am sure you will all follow with pleasure as one turns from dealing with evil, which is a necessity, to dealing with good. In chapter 3 John the baptist says of Jesus that He would baptise “with the Holy Spirit and fire” Matthew 3: 11. Here we have a positive service rendered by the Lord to those who believe. He baptises with the Holy Spirit, and that fact underlies the church. There can be no realisation of chapters 16 and 17 until we understand this baptising with the Holy Spirit. It means that all the natural traits that can distinguish us amongst the brethren, have to go. We see they have to go, but the Lord deals with them in the most gracious way. The waters of baptism ought to have taught us that they have to go, it is a matter of righteousness; but the baptism of the Spirit implies that they are dealt with effectively. Fire accompanied it here — a sure means to make it effective. It is a solemn thing that the fire is added here, but as we look back — any of us who have tasted it and proved the gain of it — we thank God for the fire. He baptises with the Holy Spirit as Paul says elsewhere, “in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body” (1 Corinthians 12: 13). This, as I said, lies at the foundation of the church in a practical sense. I know Christ is the foundation, but in a practical sense, we are merged by the Lord, it is His own doing; and a precious service it is to so merge us together that all the natural distinctions in which we pride ourselves disappear. And how? As baptised “into one body”. It is not like Romans, where we are just said to be one body in Christ, that is we have that status in this world — we are not Freemasons or the like, but are one body in Christ — but in 1 Corinthians, we are all baptised by one Spirit into one body.
Now I just want to refer to one or two other scriptures I have not read. One is in Matthew 12: 18 referring to Christ: “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight. I will put my Spirit upon him”. There you have the idea of the Spirit marking Him off in a public way — “I will put my Spirit upon him”. “He shall not strive or cry out, nor shall any one hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, until he bring forth judgment unto victory”. Matthew 12: 19,20. While presenting these beautiful traits as in Him, I wish to transfer the thought of them to ourselves, for the Spirit is upon us as the elect of God, that refraining from public iconoclasm and the like, for we do not want to break things up now, we may see that it is a question of going on for His pleasure. Matthew quotes from Isaiah 42 to bring out the lowliness and unobtrusiveness that marked the perfect Servant as rejected: Luke 4 quotes (chapter 4) from Isaiah 41 to call attention to the order, grace and power which, in exquisite blend, beautified and enhanced the public ministry of Christ. In Matthew 12 the Lord is already rejected, and it is a question of going on quietly, but faithfully, with certain victory in view. He sends forth “judgment unto victory; and on his name shall the nations hope” Matthew 12: 20,21. I believe the Lord would bring us into correspondence with this, the Spirit being upon us, that we go on quietly but surely unto victory, and hence afford God something of that pleasure which He found in the Servant whom He chose, the Elect in whom His soul delighted.
I refer now to a verse in chapter 10 where the apostles are sent out to preach; they are sent out here in this service, and the Lord would have us go on with the preaching, as it says: “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4: 5). But how? The Lord says, “ye are not the speakers but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you” (Matthew 10: 20). How God would bring us to that, the positive side, that the Person who affords that pleasure to Him is in us as the elect, and then our very words are [p. 13] the words of the Father! Can anything be more exalted, dear brethren, in service than the words of the Spirit of the Father? — “the Spirit of your Father”, the Lord says, “speaks in you” Matthew 10: 20. I am pleading that we should be vessels of grace, for one great idea connected with the Father is grace.
I trust the Lord will use these remarks to bring us into accord with His mind, as in Matthew. It is the great church gospel, as you know: it is the gospel in which it is said that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Is that to be a dead letter to us? Surely not! Surely the Lord would bring us back to that, that it should not be a mere doctrine with us, but a reality that the gates of Hades do not prevail. Then there is the Spirit of the Father speaking in us.