OUR RESOURCE IN CHRIST AND THE SPIRIT
F. C. Mutton
Colossians 2: 9, 10 (to “in him”); Mark 16: 19, 20; John 14: 15, 16
We have had impressions as together of the resource which is ours in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, and it is most encouraging to think of this. In ourselves we are weak, and it is good to feel our weakness. The Lord said to Paul, “My power is perfected in weakness”, 2 Corinthians 12: 9, and therefore Paul said he would glory in his infirmities. So let us ever be dependent, joying in all that is ours in Christ and the Spirit.
There is infinite resource in Christ—“in him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”.
The word “bodily” means that He is still a Man, the blessed Man whose path we follow in the gospels. We see His compassions, His sympathies, His grace and power. He is just the same now, except that He is no longer in circumstances of humiliation but in the place of supremacy, exalted and glorified. If all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him it means that every divine resource is there. If we need courage and strength, or wisdom, or power, all these things are in Christ. If we need guidance in the great things of God, intelligence and understanding, all these things are in Him. Therefore we are to hold fast the Head. As we do so we shall experience what it is to be complete—filled full. Why should we be otherwise? We have read together about the woman of John 4. Instead of her former dissatisfaction, she would be filled. Christ would be in her, and the Holy Spirit become in her a fountain of water. She would be full and enriched. These are very blessed things. As left here in a day of public ruin, and the world being what it is, we can be in the joy of the fulness which comes from Christ.
At the end of Mark we have resource for the testimony. We have very powerful statements here. The Lord was “taken up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God”. That is His present position, in the place of supreme power in the universe; and He is there for us. Of course, He is there for God, to secure everything according to the will of God; but He is also there for us. So it says of the disciples that “They, going forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them”. How very encouraging this is, and how wonderfully gracious!—the One supremely exalted joining in the work with His own, “working with them”. It might appear that Peter, for example, was alone in his work, or you might look at John and say, He is alone; but there was One with them, giving power and efficacy to their labours and giving guidance and skill. Well, this is most encouraging. We are very limited, very small, but let us do what our hands find to do diligently and dependently, and we shall experience the Lord working with us.
In John 14 the Lord is speaking of “another Comforter”. It affected me as we sang hymn 433—
Blest Comforter, Thou holy One,
Abiding with us here,
Sent by the Father in His love—
This thought our souls doth cheer.
We are here from different countries and very different circumstances, but He is with us for ever. He knows every circumstance, every test and sorrow, every burden and difficulty. I know nothing more comforting than that there is a divine Person just alongside us, with us, and every matter that belongs to you He makes His own concern. If the Lord leaves us here tomorrow, or for another week—we know not what is before us—as we look ahead, subject to the Lord’s will, we do know that He will be with us for ever. He will never leave us alone.
We may be young and growing up, or we may be older, or maybe in old age; He will never leave us. I remember Mr. A. J. Gardiner speaking of this, that our bodies may fail, our minds may fail, but the Spirit never leaves us, never asks for different conditions.
May we be comforted and greatly encouraged to go forward. Whether we think of Christ or of the Holy Spirit, the word is, “I will not leave thee, neither will I forsake thee”, Hebrews 13: 5.
Word in Eastern Europe
November 1981