Paul Martin

THE PERFECT SERVANT

Isaiah 42: 1-4; John 21: 1-23; Acts 9: 10-19

I want to speak of the perfect Servant, and then of the way in which He deals with His servants - for we are all servants in one sense, or ought to be. Early in our Christian experience we are to learn what it is to place our body on the altar for that is to be our intelligent service. The believer has a wonderful privilege in presenting his body to God, and in doing so he becomes available for the will of God in His testimony. I wonder if everyone here has put their body on the altar. I would encourage you, dear brother or sister, to do so, that in the very presence of the appeal of the death of Jesus for you, you might be prepared to place all that you are and all that you have at His disposal. Think of who it was who came in and suffered for you; He came in to win your heart. How did He come in? We love that reference in Mr Darby's hymn (No.188): 'Nor yet in triumph passing, But human infancy!' Think of the Lord Jesus coming in to the poorest of circumstances and then laying down His life that He might win your heart. Have you given it to Him? I would appeal to you - do not go on without having given your heart to Christ. He has given His all for you. He came that He might suffer and die and that He might win your heart. I say, have you given it to Him? If you have given your heart wants to have you entirely tor Himself. Why not place your body today on the altar if you have never done it before? Just tell Him that you want to be here in His testimony for His will, no longer to please yourself but to please Him who has died for us and has also been raised. What a privilege, in any measure in which we can take it up, to be here serviceable to God!

I want to speak primarily about the perfect Servant, for God draws attention to Him. He says "Behold my servant". Think of what the Lord Jesus was here for God as His servant. We often dwell on what He was here as serving mankind, but primarily He came in to serve God. It is true that the burden, all the sorrow of mankind, rested on Jesus. "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows", Isa 53: 4. He took on Himself all the sorrows that were present upon humanity, but in His service, primarily, He came to serve God, not only setting forth God to man - great and glorious as that was and only He could reveal Him - but serving God in view of securing from man an answer that would eternally be for the blessed God. "Behold my servant". There have been many servants, men like Moses and David, who ministered to the will of God in their generation; God is drawing attention not to Moses or to David but to Christ. Think of the delight of the Father just to say to us today, Simply fix your eyes on My Servant. The danger may sometimes be with us to look at men who have helped us, to the exclusion of looking beyond them to Christ. The Father would say "Behold my servant". How He loved to draw attention to Him! What a Servant He was! Every thought of God centred in Him, carrying every thought of God through in a pathway of absolute perfection and right through death. Everything was vested in one blessed Man. All that He took up, He took up in love to God - "I love my master, my wife, and my children", Exod 21: 15. What love for God there was in that Servant! He was different from every other servant; Moses became angry with the people, David counted the people; something had risen in the hearts of such m n that as not according to God, but never once did anything contrary arise in the heart of Jesus. What a spirit He manifested! One thing that tests us when difficulties arise, as it did with Moses and David, is our spirits, but the spirit of Jesus was never disturbed. I might say what another has said: Be careful of a man who cannot keep his spirit and do not trust his judgment. But you can always trust the judgment of Jesus for "he shall bring forth judgment to the nations". What a spirit was manifested! Even at a time when His works of power had been rejected, when they had not repented, He says "I praise thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth", Matt 11: 25. People might say that His service had produced no result, but that service had produced what delighted the heart of God. While He served in the midst of the greatest rejection He drew out the pleasure of God in every word that He uttered. "Behold my servant". O beloved, let us behold Him! He moved in faithfulness. Think of the One who walked into the temple beholding the tables of the money-changers; what righteous indignation filled His soul! He says "make not my Father's house a house of merchandise" John 2: 16. He was considering for His Father, He knew what delighted His Father. He did not consider for Himself in His service. How perfect were the movements of Jesus! Let us be occupied with them, for if any of us are to take up any small service - and I suppose most service is rendered in secret - let us remember the spirit of the One of whom the Father could say, "Behold my servant". Another order of man was serving God, and God will be served only by that order of man. He will never resort to man according to the flesh to serve Him. No, we are to "serve God ... with reverence and fear, For also our God is a consuming fire", Heb 12: 28,29. Let us remember the One before whom we are. Service may be in occasions like this, or in service from house to house, such as Paul rendered so effectively among the saints at Ephesus for three years night and day with tears (see Acts 20: 20,31). What service was that! What spirit was manifested! Beloved brother or sister, are we able for it? Have you a heart for Christ that can yearn for the saints, that can shed tears with them and over them as Paul did? We are in a day when the enemy is attacking; there is much to be done in faithfulness to Christ and in love for Him and in the valuation of the One of whom God could speak here: "Behold my servant whom I uphold, my elect in whom my soul delighteth!" Think of the soul of God delighting in Jesus! How wonderful it is just to ponder it! To speak reverently, the very inwards of God rejoiced at what was found in the perfect Servant here. It says "I will put my Spirit upon him". Think of Jesus moving in the glory and dignity of the anointing. The anointing carries its own weight and character and influence. As manifested among believers it brings out a certain character that you will never find anywhere else. It says, "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street". When the Lord came in, there was a system marked by persons drawing attention to themselves, but He came in, not to draw attention to Himself but to serve God. Mr Darby says, 'O lowliness, how feebly known' (hymn 138). Think of the lowliness of the Servant. He moved here in humiliation, taking a bondman's form. I touch on these things just to give us something of the character and the spirit of the One who served in perfection. He served His own too, He loved those who were in the world, He loved them through everything (see John 13: 1). I often wonder at that; think of the failures of the disciples, failures of men like Peter - not to make much of them, they are there for our learning - but the Lord loved them through them all. O, what a Servant, what a Shepherd! He laid aside His garments, He washed the feet of the disciples. Peter says "Thou shalt never wash my feet", John 13: 8. Think of the power that was there in the person of the Lord Jesus; He drew His own, He carried them through everything.

In John 21 the Lord is dealing with His own. I think John adds this last chapter for the present moment. He writes for the last days; it is almost as if John put his pen down and picked it up again and said, I feel led to write as to the recovery of the Lord's own. We are in a day publicly of departure but let us never lose sight that the Lord has in view recovery, recovering His servants. They were not eternally lost, they were lost for the moment in availability and serviceability. The Lord would bring His servants round, He had great things in view for them, they were to be serviceable and go out into public service as men who were adjusted. No servant is serviceable unless he is adjustable; we shall always need adjustment. These men were adjustable; the Lord wins them round. Peter had said "I go to fish". You can understand Peter doing that because everything seemed lost. I suppose he was despondent. Have you ever been despondent, ever felt like giving up? I have. There is no exercise where there is not a living link with Christ. It is a living link with Him that the enemy is seeking to overthrow. If there is the desire to be near to Him there will be exercise to the end. How gracious the Lord is in bringing us round! He says, Children, have ye anything to eat? They answered him, No". Dear brother or sister, have you anything to eat? What are you feeding on today? I remember the words of a beloved servant: If you feed on the problems you become a problem. Let us not feed on the problems, let us carry them prayerfully, tearfully, but along with that let us feed upon Christ. We will never carry any burden rightly in the testimony if that burden becomes an obsession. Let us feed upon Christ. He is able to keep us, to hold our spirits, to give us a second touch if things are not seen clearly. Let us keep near to Him. There is no other hiding place; "a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a cover from the storm", Isa 32: 2. Keep near to Him, find in His presence, as Peter found here, that things take on a different view, that the Lord puts His own touch upon matters. It says, "he shall bring forth judgment according to truth". Everything in the assembly is to be according to truth, it is to be maintained that way. The Lord will bring it forth finally in a day yet to come, he will establish judgment according to truth, but in the assembly it is already so. It is to be so in our local companies that He brings forth judgment according to truth. The Lord has the provision, He has the means whereby the disciples can catch. He has everything in His hand, why do we not trust Him more? If I do not trust Him enough, it is because I have not finished with the man that He has finished with, the man that feels he can do something, but can fish all night and catch nothing. Let us trust Him, let us keep near to Him. The Spirit would help us to be maintained in vitality of communion with Christ. Peter has to come to that in this chapter. So it says "When therefore they went out on the land, they see a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it". The Lord had all the provision but He says "Bring of the fishes which ye have now taken". See the grace of the Lord Jesus; He is not setting aside what they had caught, He is taking it up now, it is under His control. When we come under the control of the Lord He is able to take up what we may do in feebleness. Let us wait for the word of the Lord. When the Lord tells Peter to bring the fishes he was able for it; neither he nor the seven were able for it before, but at one word from the Lord Peter is able to bring the net. Let us be available to His word. The situation is not going to be lost, He is going to gather it, bring it to a completion. He was doing that with these disciples and He will do it today. The Lord will bring things through to a conclusion. He has the power for that. You may say, but I must do it. He may use you or me in it but it will be He that will use us, if we are prepared to go out of sight first, that the glory may be all His own. Let us be prepared for the humbling that would remove us out of sight in order that the glory may belong to Him and Him only.

Then the Lord searches Peter. The Lord would search any who are real. He searched him because He knew he was real. Has the Lord ever searched you? He does it because He likes to bring out the value of His work - not to Himself because He knew it all the time - as He does her to Peter. Peter had not long before denied the Lord. I do not think the Lord had said anything directly to Peter from that moment to this. Does He refer to it here? No, He does not. "Behold my servant". What a spirit was there in perfection in the Master. Peter had been exposed by the look of Jesus. The Lord had suffered on the cross for what Peter had done and Peter had wept bitterly. The matter was finished and the Lord had no need to raise it again. The grace of the Lord Jesus! You may say, matters are being overlooked. Nothing was being overlooked. Peter was recovered entirely for the Lord. The Lord is recovering persons today, securing them. Some of us may have nominally gone on, outwardly correct. The Lord is recovering the person not the place. There is only one place for you, only one place for me, and that is Christ's place. The place that He has is my place, and He is recovering persons to Himself. O, let us be recovered. Peter was recovered here. It has been said that in the assembly there is always the maintenance of judgment. Of course that is right, but there is never the expression of punishment in the assembly. I mention that because at times it may come into our spirits. Matters arise, there is to be judgment according to truth, but there is never punishment in the assembly. At times action has to be taken but it is always in view of recovery. The Lord always had recovery in view with His own. There was never punishment and there is never to be punishment in our thinking in the assembly. I touch on these things because they bear upon us at the present moment. The Lord speaks to Peter, He tests him as to his love. Peter was a lover of Christ. I trust everyone here is a lover of the Lord Jesus. Dear young people, I appeal to you, begin early to be a lover of Jesus and be maintained as a lover. The Spirit would help us that the Lord Jesus may have the place that He is worthy of in our affections. If He has that place it will be to the exclusion of everything else. Why is it that we drop to things that are not in keeping with the glory of the person of Jesus, not in keeping with our calling? Why is it that Peter dropped back to his fishing? It is because we lose sight of the glory of the One who is the centre of the world for which we have been secured. Mr Darby said, I would not tell a believer not to be worldly, but I would tell him that he has a Head in heaven and he belongs to that world. I appeal to you, you do not belong to this world, do not dabble in it, you belong to the world where Christ is. Go through it as lightly as you can, but have your heart in the world where Christ is. Fix your eyes upon Jesus. One could say, 'Look full in His glorious face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace'. Set your heart on that world. Peter is being recovered in view of his part in the testimony, in the light of Christ in that world.

Then Jesus said to Peter, "Follow me". There was no one else to follow. Peter had lost sight of the Lord for the moment but His eyes are now fixed upon Him. I think you could say, as you read through the Acts, that Peter kept his eye on Christ. In what power he stood up with the eleven! What results there were! He speaks to them of the One who had been rejected by men but had been raised up. God had reversed the judgment of the world and Peter was setting that before men in Jerusalem. But then, here, he sees the disciple who also leaned at table on the breast of Jesus and says, "Lord, and what of this man?" When the Lord Jesus was here He came into conditions of physical limitation and, could I say carefully, there was room only for a John when the Lord lay at table, but today there is room for each of us on the breast of Jesus. Take up your place there, do not settle for anything less than to be conscious of drawing from the support and affections of that blessed Man where He is now.

Ananias was a brother who had to be adjusted too. You might say it was not a great service for which the Lord took Ananias up but it was a most valuable one and, in his adjustment, Ananias had to learn the value of a brother who had been wrought upon by divine grace. Let us not lose sight of the value of the brother. "He said, Saul, brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus that appeared to thee in the way in which thou earnest". The Lord did not tell him to say that. See how adjustable Ananias was. He learnt immediately that if the Lord had a valuation of Saul then he was to have one. It is of no credit to me if I lose my local brother. I think it has been said in the good teaching that, if I lose a brother in my locality, it shows that I have failed in my responsibility in faithfulness to God. Let us learn what the value of a brother is to God. You might say, principles must be stood for, and so they must, and the truth must be stood for and so it must, at all cost, but I also have a responsibility to God to secure my brethren in relation to the principles and in relation to the truth, and if I fail in that I have failed God in my responsibility. These things have been taught us before, I am saying nothing new; Paul says, "to write the same things to you, to me is not irksome, and for you safe", Phil 3: 1. Let us learn to value the brother. I could say simply from my own experience that some of us have known what it is not to have a local brother, and that is very exercising, you miss the value of a brother. Thank God that in His grace in most of our localities we have a good number of brethren with whom to work out the truth. Let us work it out in love, maintaining the standard and holding the saints in our affections in order that they might be secured at the full measure of God's thoughts in relation to His will. May the Lord help us. As I said, we shall need adjustment right to the end. We are in conditions in which the Lord would have His way with us, but he will adjust us in His way. Let us be kept near to Him; let us be like a Peter or an Ananias who had simple relations with the Lord. Think of Ananias saying just what he thought: "Lord, I have heard from many concerning this man"; what simplicity of relationship he had with the Lord! Let us develop that simplicity of relationship in order that the Lord may have His way with us and that we might be more serviceable in His testimony until He come. May it be so, for His Name's sake.

GLASGOW

22 August 1992