“WHOSE I AM"
E.Palmer
I think that what we have read would certainly be God's viewpoint. Certain viewpoints had been voiced and acted upon in this ship, but there comes a point, at a moment of crisis and stress, when God Himself comes in; true, by the service of an angel, but Paul says "an angel of the God, whose I am and whom I serve", and what is conveyed to Paul is a word of great encouragement. Whilst the actual incident is in itself intensely interesting, and the application which has been made as to what will happen in relation to the testimony here is exceedingly interesting too, there would be a present word of encouragement for us as here together. It is not only God's viewpoint – vital and important indeed – but as our brother has encouraged us, it is essential that we should take it, otherwise we get the viewpoint of men. This scripture introduces the God whose viewpoint it is, and Paul says "whose I am". I expect everybody here would subscribe to that personally. I think so. "Whose I am", I belong to Him. As I pause, beloved, I am thinking whether I really do appreciate the implications of that, that I belong to Him. "Whose I am": there is no mistake that I do belong to Him. Every believer in the Lord Jesus can say that. He has secured me at infinite cost. "The God, whose I am" has sacrificed His choicest that He might have me as His own. I am inclined to think – and I speak for myself – that I am rather shallow and do not take sufficient time to dwell upon this wonderful fact, that I am possessed by God, and that in perfect righteousness, and He has paid a price for me that no man could ever begin to calculate.
Paul says "whose I am", and that God, in a moment of stress, communicated to him a word that was calculated to strengthen his heart: "Fear not, Paul". We may say, Oh, he was a special servant. So he was, but he was not exactly a special servant fulfilling his commission in these circumstances; he was one of those in the ship like any one of us might be. He took his place with the rest in the ship but he belonged to the God whose viewpoint we have been encouraged to take, and he not only belonged to Him but he bore testimony to the fact, in these circumstances, that he did belong to Him. In passing I would like to say that we might well encourage one another to bear testimony to the God to whom we belong, and in that there is an element of serving Him because it relates to His testimony. "Whose I am and whom I serve". He stood by His servant, He stood by Paul, the man, at that particular juncture and said "Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted to thee all those that sail with thee. Wherefore be of good courage, men". Not all those that sink with thee: He did not say that; "All those that sail with thee". Beloved, we are made very much aware of what is small, and maybe if we thought of what is outward we might say weak, but God, I say with the utmost sobriety, God is not weak. God is mighty, and if I belong to Him I may draw upon the strength and the power that is His, and I may do that because I am assured of His love. "All those that sail with thee" is the word. We have been reminded that to sail with Paul is to continue in the testimony as governed by the ministry which God gave through him. I believe that is the truth. There is no record in the holy writings of Paul's death. The last we read of him is that he is in his own hired house (see Acts 28: 39), and there was a ministry which stands related to the kingdom of God and the things that concern our Lord Jesus Christ; that went on and no-one was able to interfere with it, and persons (we, beloved, through grace) may still sail with Paul. It does not mean that Satan will not assail. When they did get to land a viper came out of the heat and fastened on the. hand of this man, but he threw it off, shook it off into the fire and felt no harm. The God whom he served was seeing him through; and, beloved, I would like to quote the words again that we have read: "be of good courage, for there shall be no loss at all of life of any of you". "Be of good courage". As the word comes, let us be of good courage, beloved. Let us find strength in the God who possesses us, and whom I believe every one here would seek to serve, however simply, and maybe, we think, feebly. But nevertheless, let us serve Him. Let us be committed to His things, and He will see that testimony right through, and it will be regulated and governed by the choicest truth that God has ever made known to men. I say, what is that? Paul said , did he not, "but I speak as. to Christ, and as to the assembly", Eph 5: 32? I believe that those who sail with Paul will prove that God will see them through together, to give some expression substantially of the light that governs what God was pleased to give him sovereignly. Well, may we be encouraged, beloved. The word is that this is going right through, and may our confidence be unimpaired and implicit in the God who declares it to be so, for Christ's sake.
LONDON
15 April 1986