THE UPPER ROOM
The thought came to me that the upper room is peculiarly a Pauline touch. The two gospel writers Matthew and John, although disciples of the Lord, do not refer to it, but Mark and Luke refer to the fact that the passover was held in the upper room. I thought that there was something to be drawn from that. It is very disheartening when the arrangements for believers’ gatherings have to be changed, which may make us somewhat confused and disorientated when things cannot be done in the way they have always been. I am not speaking only of our meetings, but our whole way of life has been changed. The financial and business situation has changed for the moment, and what we may have relied on is not as it used to be.
But there is something that remains, and I think that is what the upper room represents, which is the character of Paul’s ministry, bringing us into stability in our souls. The upper room was, as it were, above what was happening at the beginning of the Acts, which was written of course by a companion of Paul. It says that “they went up to the upper chamber”, Acts 1:13. I think that is the effect of Paul’s ministry, to draw us away from the world, from the confusion of the world. We find that our stability is in another world. Paul was specially in God’s mind; he was so important to the working out of divine counsel, we might say. I do not apologise for saying that, for Paul was not converted by the twelve, he was not converted by Stephen. When he as Saul was stopped on the Damascus road, he said, “Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus”, Acts 9:5. The Lord Jesus said that because Saul was attacking His own people here, and in doing that, attacking the Lord Himself. What a murderous spirit prevailed among the Jews against Jesus and against every lover of Jesus.
Saul was converted by another Man in another world. That was in keeping with the ministry that he was about to be given by the Lord. Galatians 1 sets out that Paul did not get that ministry from man; the Son of God was revealed in him (vv.11,12). It is another Man, Jesus, in another world. So Paul was distinctively taken up, quite distinct from the ministry of the twelve or anyone else, and therefore he had distinctive touches coming into his ministry. You might say about Paul, he learned from the start about the One who had taken him up, another Man in another world. What the upper room speaks of becomes very precious. We need, beloved brethren, to come into the upper room in our spirits, and leave the confusion of the world. We feel for men, we pray for men, but as believers we can leave it, and come in spirit into a real sense of tranquillity and rest where the character of the upper room is known.
I think that the reference to the master of the house in Luke 22 is a reference in principle to the Holy Spirit. We might say, the Spirit knows the upper room; He knows how to get to the upper room. The Lord says to the disciples that “ye shall say to the master of the house, The Teacher says to thee, Where is the guest-chamber where I may eat the passover with my disciples?” (v.11). We do not know where they ate it previously, but on this occasion the Lord says, “And he will shew you a large upper room furnished” – the “he” is emphatic – “there make ready”. The Spirit opens up the elevation of what the upper room speaks of, above the things of men. He opens up an area where everything is settled and where we can sit down with the Lord. Following that, it says of Him, “he placed himself at table, and the twelve apostles with him”. How beautiful; He is in control. What a Man He is, a blessed Man for our affections, and there were conditions in that upper room suitable to Him.
Now in Acts 20, it says, “we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and we came to them to Troas in five days” – that reference was to those who had already gone ahead to Troas – “where we spent seven days. And the first day of the week, we being assembled to break bread, Paul discoursed to them, about to depart on the morrow. And he prolonged the discourse till midnight. And there were many lights in the upper room where we were assembled”. We are not told the content of that discourse, but we can understand that Paul would have been lifting the brethren to the level of what the upper room speaks of. That is what I think Paul was doing in that upper chamber in Troas, and speaking simply, I think the Lord Jesus would do that for us tonight. We can leave behind everything that might disturb us in our spirits, and come into a place that is beautifully restful, where God’s name is honoured.
The reference in Amos says, “It is he that buildeth his upper chambers in the heavens”; God is identified with it. Then “Jehovah is his name”; that speaks of Christ where He is. John tells us that the Lord said, “I go to prepare you a place”, John 14:2. That is what God has done; He has built His upper chamber in the heavens. How great God is! He has thought for all believers, beloved brethren. God has not left us to our own devices to hold the truth as best we can; He has actually established believers, by the Spirit, in the enjoyment of these elevated conditions. That is very wonderful.
And then it says, “and hath founded his vault upon the earth”. That would speak of how everything is safe here in the hands of the Spirit. It cannot be lost, it cannot peter out. The Spirit is here until the rapture. He is here, and we have to identify ourselves with Him here in a living way, but His vault, we might say, is protective of God’s work.
Then the prophet says, “he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah is his name”. Think of the gospel, the glad tidings, going out. I have been greatly encouraged during the past weeks by two persons coming in to the preaching of the gospel as a result of the street preaching. That is very encouraging. Think of God doing this. He has called the waters of the sea, and poured them out upon the face of the earth. That is in view of replenishing the earth, freshening the earth, and bringing full fruitfulness; that is what He does. How great God is, and He has in view the blessing of man.
Well, these thoughts came into my mind. I trust that they are in keeping with the elevation of what is set out in the ministry of Paul, and that they will be for our encouragement, for the Lord’s name’s sake.
Given at a meeting for ministry, Glasgow
15 September 2020
Norman J Henry
Edited and published monthly by John Brown and Paul Martin
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