“THE FAITH” AND “THE LAND”
2 Timothy 4:7 (from “I have kept”);
“I have kept the faith”, Paul says. What is faith? It is really believing on God, accepting God’s word as the truth. If there is anyone here who has not put their faith and trust in what God has said about His beloved Son, you would do well this afternoon to come to Jesus and believe God’s word about Him. God has set out the truth about the incoming of the Lord Jesus to deal with the whole matter of sin and sins in its totality. If you believe it, and put your faith and your trust in His finished work, you will have peace eternally. I know there are many here, thank God, who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, and for them, eternity is secure. They know what the blood of Jesus has accomplished.
Paul says here, “I have kept the faith”. He was coming towards the end of his life, and he says, “I have kept the faith”. It is wonderful that he could say that. Paul does not say very much about himself, but here at the end of his days he says: “I have kept the faith”. Would to God that every one of us would be maintained to keep the faith in these days. It all starts with putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the passage in Numbers, we read about Caleb, who was a faithful person in God’s sight, and he was trustworthy, too. It says here “my servant Caleb”: that was wonderful. It is Jehovah saying this: “my servant Caleb”. We are here today because a brother has been taken to be with the Lord. He was a servant, as Caleb was. God says here in relation to Caleb, “because he hath another spirit in him”. That is not the spirit of the world; it is the spirit of a person in relation to divine things. Our brother was marked by “a meek and quiet spirit”, 1 Peter 3:4. You would never hear him being loud, or anything like that, among his brethren or anywhere else. God takes account of persons who have “a meek and quiet spirit”. When people are marked by such a spirit, a commendable feature, it is a proof of the work of God in them. Such a spirit really proves that there is formation in the soul according to God. It is not according to this world. There was formation in Caleb’s soul, and he had another spirit in him, “and hath followed me fully”.
It is a wonderful thing to end our lives like Paul: “I have kept the faith”. Our brother was a testimony to this; and, like Caleb, he “followed me fully”. I would encourage each of us to keep on these lines, to wholly follow Jehovah (Josh.14:8). Whatever testing and whatever trials, follow Jehovah; follow the Lord. The work of God in the soul is inviolate, it goes through; but we need to keep near to divine Persons. Our brother often encouraged us to keep to the divine will. This land that Caleb was coming into, his inheritance in it was Hebron (v.13). That speaks of the divine will; it is the purpose of God. Dear brethren, if we keep near to the will of God, what God has purposed for each one of us, it will help us to be faithful in the testimony, like Caleb. It says here, he “hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land”. Caleb had had a view of this land; what a view he had – “a land that flows with milk and honey” (Num.14:8); a land to be engaged with, dear hearers. And it will get better. Our brother now has the better part. He is with the Lord. He enjoyed much in his pathway here; he spoke often about the Lord and his whole life was occupied with what was for divine Persons. I remember him saying once, after the Lord’s supper, ‘We are back to the earth’. Our brother enjoyed what belonged to the land. It says here of Caleb that he “followed me fully”. It may be a great test to wholly follow Jehovah, but there is a great compensation, a great answer. God has an answer in His saints to the death of Christ. Each one of us here this afternoon who has put their faith in His work is part of that answer. What an answer to God’s thoughts in purpose – Hebron.
But then we need to continue faithfully. Paul said, “I have kept the faith”. It is a wonderful thing. You remember about Saul’s conversion, how he came to the Lord; what a conversion that was, and he continued; what a great commission he got from the Lord in glory. He went on to the end; he completed his pathway. Dear hearers, the completion of things for believers is not far away, and the Lord Jesus will take up His rights in relation to every blood-bought saint. We can read in Genesis about persons who were buried in the cave of Machpelah (Gen.23:9-19; 25:9). You go over these persons and their lives, and you find that they are spiritual persons. It is only spiritual persons – in our day, persons who know the Lord as their Saviour – who are buried in the cave of Machpelah. It is the place that the Lord is going to visit when He comes for His own. He is going to take every blood-bought saint to Himself at the rapture. Are you sure, dear hearer, that you will be there? If you were called to die now, before the Lord Jesus comes, are you sure you will be among those who will hear His assembling shout? Do you value the land right now? Caleb entered the land (see Num.14:6-9) and carried an impression of it through the wilderness; it never left him.
If we get a taste for the land, it will keep us and maintain us in a broken day. It is a broken day, we have to face that, but God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s thoughts are not broken, they are full, and He wants us to enjoy the inheritance now. This is the Spirit’s day; Caleb got a taste of the land and he enjoyed it until he entered into his inheritance; we can enjoy our spiritual inheritance by the Holy Spirit now. Believers should have the Spirit, we should ask for the Spirit, and the Spirit will maintain us in relation to the inheritance. It says, “him will I bring into the land whereinto he came”. Our brother had a long history in the testimony, and he really lived in the land. What an encouragement that is for each one of us. Where it says here, “and his seed shall possess it”, that is continuity. Our brother’s responsible history, his pathway in testimony, is over. What about those of us who are alive and remain? Scripture refers to those “who remain to the coming of the Lord”, 1 Thess.4:15. It really points to continuity, dear brethren, in relation to the divine will, in relation to the purpose of God.
Our brother has the better part, but the responsibility now falls to us to continue things. We are the “seed”; we should all be Calebites, the work and the love of Jesus having saved us from our sins. But then that is not all; we have to go on in testimony. May we do so, as pleasing to the Lord; and may we be encouraged by these simple thoughts, for His name’s sake.
James Buchan