SPIRITUAL EXCELLENCE
Kenneth Robinson
2 Peter 1: 16-18; 2 Corinthians 12: 1-4; Revelation 1: 9-11
I have read of three men, Peter, Paul and John. I think the verses I have read from each of them describe the spiritual experience which they had. I would like to stir a little desire in each and every one of us, myself included particularly, to have a greater desire for a spiritual experience. May I ask you, Have you ever had one? Drawing on these scriptures I would add, if you have ever had one you will never forget it. Paul had a spiritual experience and he kept it for fourteen years.
I refer first of all to Peter. I have been thinking a little as to sonship. Peter is describing sonship in Christ in the most beautiful and descriptive language of a man who is drawing on the knowledge which came of reflection on a spiritual experience. Peter is writing of the transfiguration of Jesus. He is writing as being an eyewitness of the majesty of the sonship of Jesus, as one who had a unique experience of hearing such a voice, which was the Father’s voice, uttered to Jesus. Does that not, for a moment, stir your heart and desires spiritually to have a right apprehension of the Father’s thoughts of Christ? That is a spiritual experience. Do you have any impression of the Father’s thoughts of His Son? I ask you that. I would like to stir a desire with my own heart and with every one of us to set ourselves for more spiritual experiences. There are many exercises proceeding in the hearts and souls of the saints, in our homes and in our localities, which the enemy would use to dampen down any desire to go in for what is spiritual, because what is of the first order, be it material, or of a family order or whatever can very quickly stifle any desires to go in for what is spiritual. May we all take on a greater desire to give ourselves and put ourselves in the way of spiritual experiences.
I would add, drawing on these scriptures again, that spiritual experience is personal; it is a personal matter. Again I would ask have you ever had any? I think I have had a little, but I really ought to have had lot more considering the number of years I have been in the testimony. Many others here tonight would probably say the same. How are we occupying our time? What are we thinking about? What are we praying about? What is dominating our conversation and our thoughts? If we are waking in the night, what are we thinking about? All the worries? Or are we able to set ourselves in some way for a spiritual thought and impression? You will never forget it; it is part of the formation of the believer, going into your fabric. There are some younger ones here and you might say, what are you talking about? What are you talking about when you say a ‘spiritual experience’? To put it simply for you, have you an impression of Christ that is your own, absolutely your own? Can you describe it to me in your own words, what you think of Jesus tonight? Have you thought of Him today at all? These things are very testing, but they are very simple, but I think they are intensely real. If we are going to make progress together as individuals or in the locality, brethren are going to have to have spiritual experiences, experiences which are not according to your material progress or how much progress you are making in business or personal life or your home size or standard or anything of that nature. That is all of the first order and has nothing whatever to do with what is spiritual. Spirituality, spiritual impressions, relate to Christ and the counsels of the Holy Spirit.
Peter is writing of the mount of transfiguration. You may remember that there were three men who went up the mount, Peter, James and John – the Lord took them up. You will get the account of it in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9: you can read it there and you will see that three men went up and they had a distinctive experience of the relation to the sonship of Jesus as He was here. Never let us forget that sonship in Christ has been demonstrated on this very earth and in that sonship in Christ He demonstrated the features which caused this voice from the Father to be uttered to Him from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight”. That was never said to Moses, that was never said to Abraham, that was never said to David, never said to any of the great men of the Old Testament because sonship in Christ is absolutely unique and distinctive. That is why I would ask you to be stirred in your hearts and affections in relation to a real impression of Jesus.
When you come to Paul, Paul is caught up to the third heaven. This is a most remarkable statement, a description by the beloved apostle, distinct servant of the Lord, given great truth regarding Christ and the assembly, the one who was given particular light regarding the heavenly and current condition of Jesus in glory. He describes his experience. You would love to have heard what he did hear, you would love if you had been led of the Lord and the Spirit to put it out, but he heard unspeakable things, “which it is not allowed to man to utter”. I tell you he never forgot this experience. What a wonderful matter! Another thing it shows you is that if you have a personal spiritual impression it keeps. May be it is good to do that. We have been reminded of a remark of Mr Lyon’s – these things have been used in ministry by a beloved man in his day – that he had a view of the crown above and laboured with the saints to attract them into that. That is what ministry is about. May I remind you of Mr Stoney’s simple comment, because we do need to be praying that gift will be raised up amongst the saints; what is gift but an impression of Christ? That is what gift is. Do you have an impression of Christ? Could the Lord use and develop your impressions of Christ to help the saints forward? These things are all going to be needed, spiritual impressions are going to be needed if quality of ministry and support for the saints is going to be maintained. It is absolutely essential that as individuals, brothers and sisters, we give ourselves to prayer and to exercise and to laying our souls open to the Spirit that there might be more and more evidence of brothers and sisters having had personal spiritual impressions. That is what it is about. Christianity it not material, it is not any sort of system of competition as to who can be the top or anything of that nature. Christianity and life amongst the saints ought to be on a different principle all together from what we see publicly in the world around. Spirituality – think of a humble brother, he may not have much outwardly, but perhaps can give you a wonderful and present impression he has had of Jesus that moves your very inwards and your very motives and desires. These things are real.
Paul’s experience would show that. It was a distinctive matter he was given, and caught up to the third heaven he most probably had an impression of the tree of life, although John is the one who uses that expression. But, he must have had some impression that this is a realm to which Christ is indigenous and the One that I know and have a link with and the most wonderful aspects of truth and in an environment up here, and He said to me at this point that he is not allowed to speak it, but Paul gives you some impression of a hint of what is yet to come. Beloved brethren some wonderful spiritual impressions are before the saints. One of them is, let us be simple about it, that at the rapture we will be made like Christ. That is going to be a spiritual experience and we will be retained in that forever. These things are wonderful.
Then John – he is in Patmos. It is certain that it was a personal experience for John, the one who had what it was to be in the bosom of Jesus, the one to be described of as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 21: 20), and he is in Patmos, “in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus”, and he becomes “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”. He is not caught up, that was his experience down here at that moment, he became “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”. Such a one, such a condition must be a very fruitful environment for spiritual impressions, because if we are truly under the power of the Spirit we must receive spiritual impressions.
Beloved brethren, how precious these are. It would give us another reason for the appreciation for the current service of the Holy Spirit to each one of us as individuals, brothers and sisters alike. What I am saying may be simple, I know it is very testing for me to say, but I would say it is open to every brother and sister, irrespective of age, every believer in the Lord Jesus, and I trust every young person is in that category, and also that everyone has the present experience and knowledge of the service of the Holy Spirit. Set yourself for a spiritual experience. It may not be long, it may be momentary – you may get it in the meeting, in your private contemplation – remember it, maybe write it down, contemplate it. It is personal, it keeps and as you bring that out and express it among, perhaps your family, or in the local meeting, it adds and we grow together in the formation of what is of Christ in the souls and affections of the saints. May these things just stir us all a little, myself included. I realise that this comes straight back at me. May we have and may we be able to evidence in our conversation and contribution in every way that we have had a little more experience of spiritual expressions. For His Name’s sake.
GLASGOW
29 July 2003