SPIRITUAL EMOTIONS
[p. 493] SPIRITUAL EMOTIONS
Romans 15: 12; Luke 10: 17 - 21; John 20: 19 - 21
It is well to be reminded that Christianity is a dispensation of faith; that is, it is “in faith”, and I want to show how that to believe is faith. Those who have part in it are in the light, not only of what God can do for us in our wilderness path, but what He has set up in Christ. That is what I apprehend to be the full force of the expression “in faith”. Thus the greatest possibilities are evident, and I desired in a simple way to show how that God would have in these days a measure of power in the souls of His people. We can all recall how it was said of the assembly in Philadelphia, “Thou hast a little power”, (Revelation 3: 8) and we would seek that it should be so in the saints today. I read a verse in Romans as indicating the desire of the apostle that the saints should be “filled with all joy and peace in believing”. That is what I had in my mind, and the other passages show the elements that go to make up this joy and peace in the hearts of God’s people. I would refer to these things as what may be called emotions in Christianity.
One is conscious of how little one knows of spiritual emotions. Scripture presents to us instances of holy and spiritual emotion, both in the Lord Himself; and also in the apostles, especially in Paul. It is well to note this, for in the endeavour to avoid the emotions of the flesh, we may have missed the holy emotions which the Holy Spirit produces in the saints of God. The things that are presented are sufficient to cause the deepest emotions. The apostle speaks of something that we can scarcely hope for; that is, ecstasy. He also speaks of being beside himself to God. Being so in the light of God he was free to think of God, but was beside himself to God.
[p. 494] Peter also says, in relating the occurrence in Caesarea, that he was in ecstasy. John, that he was in Spirit on the Lord’s day. So that we have in that way set before us holy, spiritual emotions, and while we can scarcely hope for this, yet it is well to have the thought before us, so that we may have an estimate of what Christianity is, what it involves for the soul of man.
Now in returning to the Lord, it is very touching, and one would speak of it with great reverence, that He should be so moved in His spirit as in Luke 10. The purpose of God came before the Lord, who had sent out these seventy disciples in service; and their service being successful they returned with joy, saying, “Demons are subject to us through thy name”, but the Lord immediately replies, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven”. He was looking much higher than they. They were occupied with what occurred on earth; He was looking up, and saw much more than they. How much we are occupied with details down here! The “lightning” refers to the rapidity of the fall of Satan. The Lord says, “Rejoice that your names are written in the heavens”. At that time “He rejoiced in spirit”. I want to speak of His emotion. What a perfect model we have in Christ in regard to everything. He saw the overthrow on the one hand of all satanic power; as a dependent Man He took account of occurrences, and the fall of Satan from heaven meant a great deal to Him. Have we a sense of the complete overthrow of satanic power? He falls as lightning, but then on the other hand, He sees names written in heaven, and the Father revealing to babes what He hid from the wise and prudent. He was setting aside the power of Satan, the opposer of God. That reveals the holy emotions of the Lord Jesus Christ. What an element of joy! There is a complete overthrow of the power of Satan in the death of Christ.
The Lord says, “Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight”. How the Lord, in this way, presents to us the thought of holy, spiritual emotions. I need not enumerate other instances in which the Lord was moved, for He was moved sorrowfully, and He groaned in spirit at the grave of Lazarus, and He was troubled in spirit. All these things are written down for our souls to feed on, and if we feed on them, they reappear in us; that is, we become capable of being touched by occurrences.
Now coming to the apostle Paul, we recall how he was moved similarly in writing to the Romans. He breaks out in praise to God, “O depth of riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! ... ... . For of him, and through him, and for him are all things”, Romans 11: 33. That was, as we might say, God’s portion from the apostle. There was energy of life and intelligence springing up for God. In Ephesians 3, where he unfolds to us the place of the assembly in relation to Christ, he in like manner breaks out into a holy expression of his appreciation of the light that he had been communicating, saying, “to him that is able to do far exceedingly above all which we ask or think, according to the power which works in us, to him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages”. “The power which works in us”; think of that! In one heart at least there was an exuberance of holy apprehension of the blessed light in the epistle that went up in sweet savour to God.
I mention these things that we might better know what Christianity really is. It is not a system of doctrines merely, though even in regard to this all is in faith. Every doctrine in Christianity is dead unless it is held in faith. Our faith overcomes the world. Christianity involves joy and peace in believing. Now in Luke 10 we have seen that the Lord forbids resting in any success in service. The seventy said, “demons are subject to us through thy name”. They were occupied with their own success. We have to be on our guard in any personal achievement, even though it be done in the name of the Lord. All spiritual prosperity and all success is for God, like the fat in the offerings, which was wholly for Him. Our spiritual growth is for God, we must not feed on it, for, like the fat, God claims it for Himself exclusively. They said the demons were subject to them, but it was by the power of God, therefore the Lord says, “Yet in this rejoice not”. If we are feeding on the fat we are robbing God, and presently it will become damaging. We must feed on divinely appointed food, so the Lord says, “Rejoice that your names are written in the heavens”; that is according to God’s counsel. Feed on what God does only, and not on what we do. It is a question of His sovereign counsel. He has registered our names in heaven. Let us rejoice in this, for it is an element of true Christian joy, and I would invite you to rest in that for the moment. Think of having your name divinely inscribed in heaven! As the Lord says, Do not rejoice in the evidence of power in your service, but rejoice in what God has done, He has given you a place in heaven! He “has raised us up together, and has made us sit down together (mark the word together) in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus”, (Ephesians 2: 6) that is our dignity. What a glorious company to be able to sit down together! This is what we must rejoice in, rather than the evidence of power in our service on earth.
To go on to John 20: this gives another blessed occasion of rejoicing. The narrative that John gives of this scene emphasises the spiritual side. He says very little about the defectiveness of the disciples. He says nothing about their disbelief except in Thomas. You will observe, if you look into the chapter, that there is throughout a sense of suitability,
[p. 497] so that the Lord can speak of them as His brethren. This will not fit in with Mark, because Mark tells us that the Lord came and found the eleven lying at the table in unbelief, and He upbraids them with their unbelief. It is very touching to see the disappointing feature of the disciples in that respect taken account of by the Lord, but He knows how to emphasise what is of God in the believer, and this is what John 20 represents, and so He comes in. You will observe that it is carefully stated that the doors were shut for fear of the Jews and that the Lord came where the disciples were. The epistle to the Colossians deals with things in private in their essential nature, and so it is in John 20, the doors were shut, and the Lord came where the disciples were. How lovely that is! And the Lord in coming in says, “Peace be unto you”. We are also told that He showed unto them His hands and His side and they “rejoiced therefore having seen the Lord”. This is what the Lord wants to effect in us. Therefore said He to them again, “Peace be to you”. In other words He said, ‘I want that joy, that holy rejoicing’, and so He brings in peace in order that there should be joy, and that it should abide and be confirmed and become part of us, so that our capacity should increase. Therefore said Jesus to them again, “Peace be to you”. He says “Peace” twice according to John’s account.
Now this is wonderful, and I wonder if we are at all familiar with this presentation? Can I in looking into my soul’s history record any occurrence like this? Has the Lord made Himself known to us? For Christianity in its real power depends upon it. A place in heaven would not count much if the Lord were not there, and so I return to the passage in Romans 15, “The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing”. I suppose the present times require that the saints should be encouraged in [p. 498] regard to hope. Certainly the events of the world are such as to dissipate any hope that we might have in regard to it. God grant that we may be delivered from any such hopes, and therefore we look for the hope of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, and meanwhile “The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing”; that is, all must be in faith. Anything else will fade away, but joy and peace in believing abides, and gives colour and character to the saints. To be perturbed and upset by things in this world is not a testimony to Christianity. The Spirit of God would labour to bring about in our souls a state of joy and peace in believing. That is, as I said at the beginning, that not only God takes care of me, but in believing I apprehend the whole system of things in Christ. I have access within the veil and I see Christ! It is only a moment and then the veil will be taken away, and sight takes the place of faith.
May God grant us all joy and peace in believing!