DEPENDENCE AS SEEN IN CHRIST AND IN THE SAINTS

A. J. McSeveney

Luke 23: 46; Acts 9: 1–9, 22–25; 1 Corinthians 2: 1–5; Acts 20: 7–12

I seek special help from the Spirit, dear brethren, to say a word as to dependence as seen in Christ and in the saints. It has been well said that two features characterised the Lord Jesus in manhood, all through His life, but particularly at the temptations—one was obedience and the other was dependence (J. N. Darby, Synopsis Vol. 3, pp. 221,223). I would like in this address to focus on dependence.

You feel that you are treading on holy ground in speaking of One who was in the form of God, and yet One who “emptied himself, taking a bondman’s form”, Philippians 2: 7.

According to His deity, as “over all, God blessed for ever” (Romans 9: 5), there is nothing, of course, He could not do in His power, but the wonderful fact is that that divine Person became man and walked in dependence upon God. Right from the point of the incarnation, God made the Lord Jesus trust upon His “mother’s breasts”, Psalm 22: 9. He could say, “thou art my God from my mother’s belly”, Psalm 22: 10. You think of that Babe—a divine Person in manhood, held by His mother, and although thankful for everything that she would afford Him, nevertheless, having His confidence and dependence on God.

Think of Him as He grew up, “in favour with God and men”, Luke 2: 52. I have been impressed for some time with that incident in the life of the Lord Jesus at twelve years of age where the will of God was different from the will of His parents. When the parents of the Lord Jesus pursued one line, and when the will of God required Him to pursue another line, I would judge that involved dependence for that blessed, holy Man. You remember what it says in another

psalm, “For had my father and my mother forsaken me, then had Jehovah taken me up”, Psalm 27: 10. Think of the Lord Jesus fulfilling the will of God at the age of twelve; doing everything that God required from Him, even if it meant diverging from what His parents desired, and trusting God for the consequences. We know so little about His manhood between twelve and thirty. What a time it must have been for God to look upon that blessed wonderful, holy Man growing up through His teenage years and into manhood.

Then there came the point when He came out in public service from the banks of the Jordan as anointed by God (Luke 3: 21, 22). How wonderful it is to see the way that when all were confessing their sins, there was a blessed Man there who had nothing to confess, but rather was praying as He came out of the waters of baptism in a perfect expression of dependent manhood. It is to such a Man that the heaven could be opened and God declare His delight.

On such a blessed Man, the Holy Spirit could descend “in a bodily form as a dove” (Luke 3: 22). After that, according to Matthew, He “was carried up into the wilderness by the Spirit”

(Matthew 4: 1). In Luke, He “was led by the Spirit in the wilderness forty days” (Luke 4: 1).

In Mark, “the Spirit drives him out into the wilderness” (Mark 1: 12). However, in Matthew, He was carried up into the wilderness by the Spirit”. Think of that blessed Man, as Man, facing the devil in the wilderness and answering him according to Scripture. According to Mark, after the temptations were finished, “the angels ministered to him” (Mark 1: 13). What an expression of dependence that was. What a blessed Man!

You see Him in His life down here as He embarked on service. Of course, in the power of His deity there was nothing He could not do, but there are times in the gospels when you see Him looking up into heaven. He looked up to heaven before He fed the five thousand (Matthew 14: 19). What a wonderful expression of dependence that was, as a dependent Man, He would look to God for all that was

necessary to provide for the needs of those that were assembled. Beloved brethren, the further you go on the more tested you feel speaking about the Lord Jesus, because His pathway must lead to the cross. Yet, before He reached there, He knelt down at the mount of Olives. What a thing it is to see that blessed Man with sweat coming down from His holy brow “as great drops of blood”, Luke 22: 44. It is also in Luke’s account that an angel appeared to the Lord Jesus, “from heaven strengthening him” (Luke 22: 43). Is that not wonderful dependence?

The Lord Jesus goes on to the cross, and according to Hebrews it was by the eternal Spirit that He “offered himself spotless to God” (Hebrews 9: 14). He is the perfect burnt-offering as in dependence upon the Spirit He would offer Himself spotless to God. I am not able to say too much, about what followed that—I cannot—it is so great and so wonderful, but think of Him saying, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”, Matthew 27: 46. Then, according to Luke, after the veil of the temple was rent, He could say, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit”. What an expression of dependence that was!

After that, He laid down His life, His blood was shed and He lay “in the heart of the earth three days and three nights”, Matthew 12: 40. We know that in the gospels, generally He rises from among the dead, but in the epistles, generally He is raised from among the dead. That is, if in the gospels He rises in the power of who He is in His deity, in the epistles He is raised in the dependence of His manhood—“raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father”, Romans 6: 4. It is holy ground, and one can hardly say much more, but it is remarkable that in resurrection the Lord Jesus should charge the apostles by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 2). I do not presume to understand that, or to be able to expound it, but I find it most remarkable. Now, He is in glory, and according to Psalm 110, He sat down at Jehovah’s right hand until Jehovah puts His enemies as footstool of His feet (Psalm 110: 1).

Indeed, as we often remind ourselves, as to the time of the Lord Jesus’ coming back, not even the Son knows, “but the Father”, Mark 13: 32.

Dear brethren, one old brother used to say to us, when you come to Christ you come to perfection. You see every moral feature that God requires in man, expressed perfectly in Christ, and yet, what is true of Him, as Man must be continued in His saints. God would have us to become dependent persons; and if one might say so, I feel that that is one of the fine things God is doing with us at the present time. He is leading many of us along the pathway that leads to us becoming dependent upon Him.

I read in Acts 9, to show the way that that pathway of dependence begins. I have thought a lot about Saul of Tarsus and judge at that time there would hardly be a man more naturally brilliant. Think of all the natural energy, academic brilliance and religious zeal and background that he had. Who was like him amongst natural men? Yet, there came a time on the Damascus road when he not only met Christ, but Christ met him. Saul had to fall on his face, and accept that there was One greater than he was. Thank God, he did so. I think when Saul said, “Who art thou, Lord?” the Lord really dealt with his conscience in that now he would have to judge everything under His authority. However, when the Lord said, “I am Jesus”. He really spoke to Saul’s heart. The Lord did not pass by Saul’s sins. He said, “whom thou persecutest”. That is the summary of Saul of Tarsus’ conversion—what a conversion it was.

It is clear from the histories of men like Mr Darby that they went through the same character of exercise. Dear brethren, if we have never come this way, we will need to travel it sometime, and it is better to do so when we are younger rather than when we are older.

Perhaps our conversions were not quite like this, but, nevertheless, there needs to come that time when we entirely submit ourselves

to the Lord Jesus, and begin on the pathway of dependence. Saul was led by the hand into Damascus and remained there for three days “without seeing, and neither ate nor drank”. He was learning dependence. If Saul was going to be what God wanted him to be and serve as God wanted him to serve, then he would need to learn to be dependent upon divine Persons.

His own natural brilliance could not enter into the service of God. He would need to go down, and we need to go down and keep going down, if we are going to be serviceable to the Lord.

So, there Saul was, expressing his dependence on Another, as he neither saw, ate, nor drank.

As the chapter progresses, we find that not only did Saul discover that he needed to be dependent upon divine Persons, but he also needed to be dependent upon the saints. God sent Ananias to Saul in order that he might “see, and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9: 17).

You will find that the apostle never forgot persons like Ananias. We can read the last chapters of some of his epistles, and see all the names that he mentions, and how he appreciated those who helped and served. He really loved the brethren. He appreciated persons who took the time to do whatever they could for him, and I believe in his service we will see before we close, that God ensured that he would need to be dependent on His people, sometimes for even the basic necessities of life. So, dependence for us is not only upon God—it is that—but sometimes it expresses itself in the way that we are dependent on the saints. We cannot do without the beloved brethren. Where would we be if we were only individuals left on our own? We need the brethren. God would have us to see that. God does not want us to go on as isolated units. He wants us to prove the love, care and interest of His dear people.

When Saul was preaching and confounding the Jews in the synagogues that Jesus was the Christ, “the Jews consulted together to kill him”. Saul became aware of their plot and we can see here what happened next. You think of these blessed disciples, how they took Saul “by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket”. Some of these persons may have suffered from Saul of Tarsus before his conversion, but that was all finished now. Saul loved them and they loved him. There he was, in that basket, in entire dependence upon God and upon the saints. I think it is a lovely expression of dependence to be able to put yourself in the hands of brethren and be safe there. They will look after you, God will see to it. I say again, great man that he was, God would never let the apostle forget that not only did he need to be dependent on Him, but he also, at times, would need to be dependent on the saints. He would not have him to be independent either of God or of His people.

I read in 1 Corinthians 2 to show the way that this dependence entered into the apostle’s service. It is well to remember that, according to Acts 16, there came that point where Paul required direction from the Spirit as to where to go or not to go in his service. Paul would have his own thoughts, perhaps his own plans, as we all have. However, in order to serve according to the way that God would have him to serve, in the place that God would have him to be, he had to depend on the direction of the Holy Spirit.

He came eventually to Corinth. What a place it was. In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul gives us an insight as to his experience as he went to Corinth. We must bear in mind this man’s natural brilliance and academic ability. If there was anyone who could meet the Corinthians on their own ground it was Paul, but he was frightened to do so. He was not frightened of them; he was concerned that their faith “might not stand in men’s wisdom, but in God’s power”. Such was the character of Paul’s conversion and the way that it was completely divine in its origin, that he would not want any of his natural brilliance to enter into the conversion of any person that he preached to. That is the difference between revival

preaching and New Testament preaching. A revival preacher will trust in his natural ability, and will be able to sway a crowd with the appeal that he makes. He will be able to draw out natural emotions or sentimentality in the hearts of those who listen. Beloved brethren, the result of such preaching is that if persons that are apparently converted are going to be anything for God, then He needs to begin all over again with them.

Paul was dependent upon the Spirit when he went to Corinth. He had all these natural things at his disposal but he put all to one side. It is so important that our service is “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” in order that the faith of the saints “might not stand in men’s wisdom, but in God’s power”. You almost tremble to stand here, in case what you are naturally is projected and is imbibed by the persons who hear. If that is the case, it will only lead ultimately to disaster. The only thing that will stand is the work of God. It is Mr Darby who said, the work for God is the work of God’ (J. N. Darby, Letters Vol. 3, p.46).

There is a great need in service to put everything that marks us naturally to one side. Like Paul, we should be “crucified with Christ”, Galatians 2: 20. In serving the saints, we must judge what we are naturally and, through the Spirit’s power, we ought to seek too that our service is “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power”.

You not only have to pray before your service; sometimes you need a touch from the Lord during your service. You remember the apostle in Acts 18 required a divine revelation to assist him in his service in Corinth (Acts 18: 9, 10). The going was difficult. The ground was hard but the Lord helped Paul. Thus, you find that not only was Paul dependent at the beginning of his service, but also during his service. Indeed, other scriptures would help us to see that he was dependent after his service was completed. A brother said once in his own quiet way, ‘You would be exercised to pray after the preaching as well as before’. That is a helpful word from a

man who could preach. The servant really cannot effect anything. There comes that time in the apostle’s history in Acts 20 when he commits the Ephesian elders “to God, and to the word of his grace” (Acts 20: 32). The matter is in God’s hands, and according to Ephesians 3.

Paul in the prison cell bowed his knees in dependence on God that the work of God might develop in their souls (Ephesians 3: 14). It is God’s work and it is only He who can secure that which will be for His own pleasure.

I want to speak briefly as to Acts 20 because I feel there is something that many of us, from time to time have to pass through, where we feel our entire inability to do anything save cast ourselves upon God. I know there is a tremendous spiritual application to be made from this.

I do not set that aside but I want to speak at the moment about this scripture in its literal sense, as to the way that the apostle descended and enfolded Eutychus and said, “his life is in him”.

In Acts 19, there were certain things that Paul wore which were used in order to heal persons at a distance from the apostle (Acts 19: 12). However, that was not going to suffice for Eutychus. It is affecting to see that the apostle was not only prepared to give an address in a prominent position, but also to descend and go down till he came to the same level as this person who had fallen from the third story. Then Paul enfolded Eutychus in his arms. I feel that Paul’s descent and posture were expressions of dependence. How Paul was dependent on God for this youth. Dear brethren, there are experiences in our lives when we must hand matters over to God. There are persons in this room who have proved that; whether it be in regard to the health of parents, husbands or wives, or children. There comes a time when your own natural brilliance goes for nothing and all you can do is kneel down and commend the matter to God. You say, why does God lead me this way? I have often asked that myself. I think it is because He wants us to be in the

pathway of dependence. I say it again, there comes that moment which many of us here have proved when we have to commend the matter to God and leave it in His hands. It is so at times in spiritual things as well. Just now, I was referring to what the saints pass through in their bodies, and as we often say, what a time of suffering this is. How dependent it makes you feel when there is sickness in your family and you can do nothing save commend the matter to God. Of course, we could do no better, but it is something to come to that, and often it is the same with the souls of our brethren.

It is a sad thing when persons fall spiritually. In seeking to help such, there comes a point when you realise the matter is really in God’s hands. You do what you can, under God, but really the issue is in His hands and He would have us to feel that. I often wonder why the brethren have passed through all they have gone through over the past few years. I think it is so that we might see that matters are in God’s hands, and He would have us to learn dependence on Him. There is a wonderful positive result here. You can always look for that.

You can always look for God to come in and achieve something. If He does not do it physically He will do it morally. In all these things, God has an end to reach and that is that we should “be conformed to the image of his Son”, Romans 8: 29.

I finish now with a word on 2 Timothy 4 to conclude this thought of dependence. In reading 2

Timothy in our household readings, we were freshly affected with the way that the apostle at the end of his life was dependent on the dear saints for the simplest of things. There certainly is a spiritual application to be made as to the cloak which Paul left behind him in Troas at Carpus’s, that Timothy had to bring (2 Timothy 4: 13). However, I am thinking now more of a dependent man facing winter (I speak simply) and looking for a cloak to shield him from the elements. He relied on Timothy to bring the cloak. Paul could not fetch it himself

with a chain about him. He looked for Timothy also to bring “the books, especially the parchments” (2 Timothy 4: 13). Yet, even though Paul valued the saints, and asked them to provide the simplest things, there came a point when all “deserted” him (2 Timothy 4: 16).

When we read this at home, we felt that “deserted” was a very strong word. In chapter 1, Paul records that all who were in Asia had “turned away” from him (2 Timothy 4: 15). That was bad enough, but in chapter 4, all deserted him at the time of his greatest extremity, when he needed the brethren to stand alongside him. When he needed all the help that the saints could give, Paul was left alone, and yet he was not alone, because he had a special sense of the Lord’s presence with him. All deserted Paul but the Lord stood with him (2 Timothy 4: 17).

What a blessing that must have been for Paul when he stood before Nero, having to proclaim fully the glad tidings, and feeling in his spirit what it was to be alone. How he must have appreciated that the Lord was there.

I would not at all say that the brethren would desert you. However, there are times when for various reasons they may not be available to help, but you can always look to the Lord. You can always turn to the Lord, and He is only too willing to draw alongside and grant you a touch of His presence. Great man that Paul was, having stood already before kings and governors, he needed the Lord’s help at this moment and the Lord gave it. Dear brethren, in our pathways, there are times we face things, when we really need the Lord’s help, and the wonderful thing is that He gives it to us as we depend upon Him. May the Lord bless the word.

Address at Grangemouth
4 April 2009